Love Is A Constant Battle ch.15 - Time Out, Please? (1)

The next thing I knew, I was back in that familiar darkness, which was the inside of the haunted house attraction, in that same familiar pathway with that green-faced ghoul, which had caused me a lot of distress before.

I’d like to say it happened earlier in the day, but I wasn’t sure if, after traveling through time, it would still qualify. Not to mention, I still don’t know if I had actually returned to my time.

For one, the last time I’ve met this particular character, it was sprawled down on the ground, headless. But, in this instance, it was standing, leaning on the wall, like it did before it fell on the floor when I tried tapping on its shoulder.

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I felt like approaching it. As expected, it moved to try and scare me, but I didn’t react.

I just stared at it.

After a while, it spoke up and said to me, “Girl, if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll be the one pooping my pants here.”

I had thought that, if it spoke, it would be in some form of creepy low voice, but it talked in a normal male voice.

That snapped me back to my senses.

“Sorry”, I said. “I’m really lost and I want to get out, can you help me?”

“Is that so?” he said, and opened a door behind where he stood. “Go right through here, just follow the path and you’ll see the exit.”

There were lights coming from the other side of the door so I didn’t hesitate going through it. This new pathway was narrow, but at least I was out of the darkness.

At first, I found myself along the room’s wall with the blackboard. On the first corner, it was the side of the room where the windows were, curtains closed, of course. Then the next turn, it was the front of the room. I knew because the podium was there. It didn’t feel like I would still be stuck in a loop as well as the scenery changed each turn.

But, at the end of that was half a doorway. Past the doorway, it’s another corner. Apparently, I found myself in one of the rooms at the end of the building so I followed the narrow path through the next room.

It was straightforward, though, so I eventually found the exit. Although, I would be lying if I said I didn’t worry I was inside another endless loop since the new pathway looked similar from the last.

Once outside, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was finally out.

There, I met Naomi with a scowl on her face.

“How long were you planning on making me wait?” she said, annoyed. “Also, what are you wearing? How did you end up looking different from when we entered?”

“Sorry, I got really lost”, I replied. Although, I wasn’t sure about the other question so I ignored it and asked, “Where are the others?”

“Huh? Others? Who are you talking about?”

“Ken and Marie. Did they get lost, too? Are they still inside?”

“I’m sorry, who?” she asked, furrowing her brows.

“Ken and Marie. You know, that stupid couple we went inside the haunted house with?”

“Are you trying to scare me or something?” she said, without changing her expression. “I already got spooked plenty while inside. We went in together alone before we got separated.”

I held my breath as I scrambled my memory trying to recall the events before I entered the haunted house. It felt like a distant memory, but I distinctly remember Ken and Marie being with us. I especially remember Marie’s warnings of trying to not get separated.

“No, I clearly remember we went with Ken and Marie”, I said.

She didn’t respond to me this time and only stared at me disapprovingly.

I then turned to the clerks and asked them, “The two of us came with a pair of lovers, didn’t we?”

The two looked at each other, confused.

“You know, that famous couple, Ken and Marie”, I added.

But, both were shaking their heads.

One of them answered, “It was only you two.”

Then, the other followed with, “We also don’t know a couple named Ken and Marie.”

I turned to Naomi to say, “You know them, right? Those two sophomores?”

“I don’t know anyone named Ken or Marie among the second years”, she shrugged.

“That can’t be right”, I said, but to no one in particular as I moved my gaze down on the desk the clerks were occupying. Then, I turned back to them and asked, “Can I have my phone back?”

They promptly gave me my phone after showing them my ID. I then quickly browsed through the contacts in my phone.

I was hoping to give Ken or Marie a quick call in case they got out first, but I couldn’t find either of their names listed in there. There were only a few entries, but I was still struggling to find them.

I started looking through my messages, but I couldn’t find any of their previous texts either.

Then, I browsed through my photos so I could show a picture of the two to the people around me.

“Are you alright?” I heard Naomi say, but I ignored her.

“Oh, goddamn it!” I couldn’t help but curse loudly.

The photos I had of the two were either gone or they themselves were gone from the picture.

Naomi jumped back in surprise along with everybody else nearby.

I don’t know if it’s because of all the weird things that’s happened so far, but I feel like I’ve adapted to the current situation well. It seemed to me that my ordeal wasn’t over yet, so I quickly made my way to the Horror Society clubroom - or, rather, the room that used to be it.

Naomi followed me while calling my name, sounding flustered. At first, I didn’t realize she was referring to me because she was using my real given name. I’ve already grown too used to everyone calling me Kat. Although, I still pushed on while ignoring her once it clicked.

It was also another thing that heightened my suspicions.

“Hey, are you there?” I shouted as I entered the room.

I was calling for the ghost that brought me to the past. I hadn’t asked for her name, though, and now I’m kind of regretting it since I did not know how to call her.

“Hey, are you there?” I asked the room again.

I waited in silence. Or, rather, there was Naomi asking what I was doing in the background. Regardless, there was no answer from the ghost.

“Hey!” I tried for a third time.

I received a response, but it was from Naomi grabbing my shoulder asking me, “What are you doing? What’s going on?”

I was going to tell her to let go of me, but a loud thump interrupted us.

Both of us looked to the direction where the sound came from. On the side where the wall separated the room from the hallway, there were bookcases. In front of the centermost one, there was dust flying around. There was also a book on the floor in the middle of all that dust. Presumably, it was the object that made the noise as it fell from its shelf.

“Hey, you didn’t touch that, did you?” Naomi asked me, sounding nervous.

She seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

I approached the book hoping it was a sign or something and it did not just fall because I stomped my way into the room. The closer I got, the more the book looked like a heavy tome.

Regardless, I still picked it up despite Naomi’s protests and pleas for us to leave.

It felt like it weighed as much as a brick. No wonder it made a loud sound when it fell.

I haven’t even opened it yet, but seeing it up close made me smile. There was a piece of paper in between the pages and its edge was sticking out like a bookmark.

“What’s going on?” Naomi asked again.

I don’t know how many times she’s posed that question to me anymore. I could explain, but I didn’t feel like it as it would probably take a while.

I placed the book on top of the nearest desk. I recall the ghost girl showing me she had a sheet of paper stuck in one of her books hours earlier - at least, from my perspective, so I opened the page where this particular piece was placed hoping it contained a message from her.

The pages did not contain anything peculiar. It contained long blocks of text like a normal textbook would, but I wasn’t interested in its contents. My target was the piece of paper itself.

My heart raced as I opened it, but it quickly calmed down when I read what was written.

It said, My name’s not ‘Hey’, Kat!

I didn’t know what I was expecting from the note, but a complaint like that was the last thing I would think it would be.

“Who’s Kat?” Naomi asked, who was reading the note alongside me.

“It’s me”, I answered her.

“Huh? But that’s not your name, is it?”

“It’s a long story”, I said. “I’ll tell you one day, but, for now, I need you to keep quiet, okay?”

“Why?” she still questioned.

“Just be quiet”, I asserted.

She nodded in agreement, surprised that I snapped at her.

Then, I turned to the book since I did not know where to look to have a conversation with the ghost girl to say, “Look, I’m sorry I forgot to ask your name when we met. Can you tell it to me now?”

I wasn’t sure how we were going to hold a conversation. I was expecting another book with a note to drop. But, after a second or two, I noticed the open page seemed a bit elevated, as if there was something stuck between it and the next page. So, I turned it over.

I found another piece of paper. I flipped to the next page to see if there was something else, but that one folded note was all there is.

“It’s not you doing that, is it?” Naomi asked.

I ignored her as I opened the note.

Just kidding. I’m not really fond of my name so you can call me any way you want. :p

I actually felt like punching a ghost. The smiley was especially annoying.

“Alright, I’ll just keep calling you ‘Hey’”, I said, grinding my teeth. “Do you know what’s going on?”

Another note came.

What do you mean? I followed you back so I only returned at the same time as you.

I relayed to her the things that had happened between now and when I got out of the haunted house. It wasn’t much since it was only a few minutes ago, but it was enough for me to theorize that Ken and Marie had disappeared.

I don’t think they’ve disappeared, a new note said. Did you do anything while you were in the past?

I told her about playing Kick the Can and mini-Ken asking me for love advice.

I was afraid something like this might happen. You may have changed the course of history when you encountered them in the past.

“What? But, I only played with them for a short while”, I protested.

Even something that small can make a big difference.

I’m sorry, too. I should have stopped you when we met the first time so you wouldn’t interfere with the past, but what’s done is done. Why not just live in this new timeline?

“I refuse!” I exclaimed.

Why? Weren’t you just complaining to me about those two? If they’re not here with you, you don’t have to go along with their antics anymore.

“I know”, I said. “I know I complain about them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy goofing around with them.”

But, what if they’re happier here? Would you choose to undo that and go back to your original timeline? Would your conscience be clear after finding out you’ve destroyed something better for themselves?

I paused for a moment, thinking about the answer.

“Right now, in my conscience, I fear that I may have already destroyed something”, I said.

I see, a new note said.

But, I can’t tell you what exactly went wrong between those two. If something actually went wrong. You’re going to have to find that out yourself before you go back to the past to correct it.

“What, I still need to run around more?” I complained.

Stop complaining if you want to go back to your timeline!

The ghost girl scolded me.

I didn’t know where to begin searching for clues. I know where each of them live so I could try visiting their respective houses, but what if they’re not home? I also feel like I had been constantly running for four weeks straight, which is why I wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of aimlessly racing from here to there to search for hints.

Thinking about it was making me crave for a can of juice, which is when the idea hit me. I should play it smart like mini-Ken and mini-Marie during that Kick the Can game.

I took my phone out from my pocket and searched for their names on social media.

Meanwhile, the ghost girl sent another note to make a comment.

That’s unfair! You should be running around asking people and staking their houses for clues like a proper mystery protagonist!

I’m pretty sure those fictional detectives would be using modern technology, too, if they had the opportunity. But, I kept that retort to myself.

Luckily, the two were easy to find. A few messages later, introducing myself and asking for them to meet, I knew where to find them.

“Thanks, modern technology!” I exclaimed.

To which, the ghost girl responded to with one last note saying, What a cop out!

“Oh, shut it. I still have to do half of the legwork”, I said.

I would have liked to question Ken and Marie through the same means. But, I figured they might not answer or, worse, block me if they think I’m some sort of scammer. There’s no doing that face-to-face, plus I can perhaps convince them I was the older girl they played with ten years ago if the need arises.

The book we were using, which I had left open because I forgot about it, then closed on its own, making a low thump sound as heavy books do, as if in response to what I just said.

Presumably, the ghost girl did it so I complained, “I don’t mean that literally!”

After saying thanks to the ghost girl, Naomi and I left the room. There was work to do.

Ken wasn’t enrolled in the university in this timeline, apparently. However, Marie still was, and she’s the first I went to meet. Or, rather, we, as Naomi still followed along despite me telling her she could go enjoy the festival instead of joining me on some wild goose chase.

“You owe me an explanation”, she said.

So, I gave her the truth and nothing but the truth while we headed for Marie’s location.

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head while you were in that haunted house?” she asked me afterwards.

“You’ve read those notes with me but you won’t believe me?” I questioned her back.

I don’t know if she started accepting my story, but she didn’t push the issue any further.

However, my stomach raised another issue. I forgot that I haven’t eaten yet. I don’t know how many hours since I last ate considering all that time travel stuff, but it knew it needed to to be fed. Traversing through all the stalls with the delicious aromas certainly didn’t help.

So, when we met Marie in person, I invited her to lunch so we could talk.

“Sorry, but I already ate”, she said. “My shift in our exhibition is through noon until the afternoon, too, so I can’t leave my post either”

We found her on the second floor of the Central Building, on the front desk of some exhibition. Wearing glasses and styling her hair into a braid, I almost didn’t recognize her. She’s dressed plainly and a little nerdy, but her attractiveness is still there. No amount of movie makeover of taking the glasses off and letting her hair down would enhance her pretty appearance since it was already set at max.

It was a refreshing look, however, since this was the first time I’ve seen her in this outfit.

“Alright, I’ll make this quick”, I said.

I think my stomach growled a little at the same time.

“Actually, I’d prefer if you waited for my break. We’re a little busy”, she said as she pointed to the line forming behind us.

Seeing that, I let those behind us move up the queue so they can get their tickets to enter the exhibition.

I was wondering how an exhibit can be so popular - the pretty girl on the front desk aside - so I took a peek.

The sign says “Digital Arts Club” so, before I looked inside, I was expecting artsy displays like paintings and stuff because it was an art club. It was to my surprise that there were a lot of cartoon character posters inside. Some of them I recognize as a character from a Sunday morning show.

They were selling magazines as well, which seems to be what most of their visitors come for as there were more lines inside the room.

Seeing all that, I volunteered to help at the front desk so I could chat with Marie. Naomi did, too, for some reason, even though she didn’t need to.

“Like I told you in my message, I’m here to talk to you about Ken”, I said to Marie without ceremony.

“Oh, I haven’t seen him since high school”, she replied. “How’s he doing?”

“I don’t know, actually, but I’m meeting him later so I can update you afterwards.”

“No, it’s fine”, she said, sounding like she wasn’t really interested. “So, what about him?”

“I was wondering about your relationship with him.”

“Like I said, I haven’t seen him since high school, so we don’t really have much of a relationship right now”, she replied.

I don’t know if I'm just imagining it, but, somehow, her voice hinted at a little annoyance.

“Yeah, but I was wondering about your past.”

“Why do you want to know that?” she asked me, suddenly sounding cold.

I hadn’t exactly prepared for the possible questions she might ask me, so I was hurriedly debating with myself whether to reveal my identity as a time traveler or tell a lie to her.

"Just curious", I answered, choosing the latter because I didn’t know if she would believe me.

"Lies", she venomously called my bluff.

"I-I'm not lying", I doubled down.

"You can't fool me", she said as she faced me with a sour expression. "I've seen this before in all those romance dramas! You're Ken’s new floozy girlfriend and you're trying to intimidate every girl he's been close with so you could monopolize him!"

"C-calm down", I said as she was starting to become a bit excitable. “It’s not like that, really!”

“Well, you’re barking up the wrong tree because… because…”

She couldn’t complete her sentence because she was holding back tears. The dam would break quickly, though, and she started bawling like a little kid.

“Because Ken hates me”, she said while sobbing.

“I’m sorry, please don’t cry”, I begged her.

I would have stayed with her until she calmed down, but Naomi grabbed my arm saying, “I think we should leave.”

She motioned for me to look at the line behind the desk and I could see plenty of angry faces. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were fans of Marie and may try to come to her rescue without knowing the full context.

Suffice to say, I followed Naomi’s advice to be safe. I don’t know what lengths they might go to try and be a hero.

As we walked away, I could hear Marie saying “He hates me because I thought he was joking when he confessed to me.”

I didn’t get much from our conversation, but her tantrum gave me a bit of a hint.