Time Watch -Chapter 1 (Entirety)

There are a lot of things that go through your mind when you are about to die. Some authors say that you can see your life flash before your eyes. The only thing in front of my eyes is sand, hot, fiery, sand. Maybe that's a good thing, even though sand is flashy. Maybe it means I’m not about to die. I hope I’m the main character in a movie or something, because they never die. Well, at least the movies I’ve seen. There is the possibility that I’ve been busy, or maybe I’m the ‘sidekick’. If I’m the sidekick, who’s the protagonist? Huh. I have to think about that. Maybe I die, and she gets all sad and everything before saving the world. Or maybe just a few countries. Then the villain dies, or goes to jail and she finds a boyfriend who she kisses just before the credits roll up. Happily ever after. Except for me. ‘Cuz I died.

Wow, is this stuff deep. When you are All Alone there are a billion things you can think about. Like the new president. Or how far you can see into space. Or how you’re possibly about to die and someone you know will save the world while you stay dead. A billion things to think about, alright. I should probably think about something else. What will happen in Toy Story 5, if it comes out? Is there going to be a Cars 4? Will I be able to see those, or will I be dead? Great. Back to the being dead thing. Okaaay, new strategy required. Maybe I should think about what happened in the first place. Grace Dauber was born in a hospital. Well, maybe skip a few years. This mess probably started when I was twelve. Was twelve. Hah.

---

I was at my house, when my cousin Rebecca emailed me asking if I had a jeweler's loup. So of course I emailed her back asking what was that and how did she know about it.

‘Oh, I’m just messing around with my Grandpa’s old watch’, was her reply. I immediately invited her to video chat, because this sort of thing needs checking up on.

“A jeweler’s loup?”

“It’s like a magnifying glass that you put on your eye.”

“Okay,” I told her, “but you’re ten.”

“And..? Look, Grace, maybe most ten year olds aren’t messing around with a watch-”

“And a jeweler's loup.”

“-but I can be my own person! Who cares if I’m not playing with dolls! I would rather make my dolls walk on their own! Plus,” Rebecca eyes me slyly, “you of all people should know about fixing toys.” That is not a compliment. That is a reference to when I accidentally set her teddy bear on fire. Which references to my glaring at her.

“I don't have a jeweler’s loup.”

“Okay, but does your dad?”

“My dad doesn’t work with watches. He has screwdrivers, hammers, and extra light bulbs; but he doesn’t own a jeweler’s loup.”

“Are you coming over tomorrow?”

“I’m babysitting Alison tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“Bye,” I say, closing my laptop. It had rained last night, and I was stuck indoors. Bored, I looked out my window,and noticed somebody moving into the house down the street. I couldn’t see it very well, so I opened my window, and the screen. The movers must’ve been inside, but I could see a teen boy and a girl about my age talking. No, wait, they must be arguing, because the boy stomped his foot and the girl put her hands on her hips. Boy then said something, which made Girl stick her tongue out and walk away. “Elizabeth,” Boy said loudly, “stop right there.”

Elizabeth then muttered something which I couldn’t hear, but Boy got an angry look on his face and she started running. I then got this sense that I was eavesdropping and started to close the window. Just before I could do that, Elizabeth ran into my yard, yelled “COMING THROUGH!” and climbed through my window. Surprised, I barely have time to scramble onto my bed, before her giant, giddy bomb of laughter explodes into my room. The boy yells dangerously angry for all the Elizabeths in the world to hear:

"ELIZABETH DRESTE GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW, OR SO HELP ME-!!"

"Yikes, does David sound mad. But boy, was it worth it! Oh, hi, I'm Elizabeth. You've probably heard of me just now. Who're you? Nice place you got here. I'm staying till five o'clock at least. That's when David's baseball game starts. David's my big brother. We moved in over there. Have any DVDs? Hey, cool, The Incredibles; I like that one."

One thing I got right away, was that she had a blabber mouth.

"Um, hello? This is my room!"

"I know that. My room is a block from here. Kinda amazing David can yell so far, right?"

“Is David that boy you talking to?”

“Yea.”

“But. . . Why . . . What did you do?”

“Oh, um nothing. It was awesome though. Uh, awesomely nothing.”

“Awesomely nothing?”

“Oh, I didn’t do it, it was Lily, my little sister.”

“Can you leave, please?”

“Can or will?”

“Leave.”

“Nah. You never said what your name was.”

“That’s because you barged in, like, two minutes ago!”

“I can make a name up if you don’t have one. Like Miss-”

“Grace,” I said, pushing her toward the window. She didn’t budge. I considered taking my socks off, but the September air drifting in through my window was pretty cold.

“I don’t think so. . . Miss Grace? That sounds so old and bookish. - Hey, get off my foot. - Maybe something like Leah. It sounds like ‘leave-ya’.”

“No, my name is Grace and if you don’t go-”

“Gracie,” my mom calls from the dining room, “did you sweep yet?” Why now?

“Just a sec, Mom! I’m coming!” I head for the door, stop, lock my laptop in a drawer and put the key in my pocket. Sticking my tongue out at Elizabeth, I run off.

By the time I finished, Elizabeth was gone. A piece of paper ripped from my sketch pad was on my desk.

B back soon.

I think Abby will like you.

-E

Coming back soon? Aw, great, just great. Another problem to handle. No, wait, now I have two problems to handle. Elizabeth and someone named Abby. And they were coming soon. What else could I want?

---

Sun blaring into my eyes, I look around my death trap for the seventieth time. How long has it been, two hours or five minutes? It probably doesn’t matter. Having flash-backs don’t take very long, and it’s not like anybody is waiting for me. Okay, maybe waiting for me to die. . . Yea, don’t think about that. I reach into my jeans and pull out a picture of a clock printed on paper. It’s a cruel joke, having a watch, unable to turn it on and get out. Unable to even say good bye. I remember when Rebecca first made the watches. That was cool. It was so fun, and we could go anywhere. Of course we went to Egypt, land of fiery sand and blazing heat. The same place I’m dying. How come I can’t die modernly? I could at least die in modern Egypt. But no, I die hundreds of years before I’m even born. Why Egypt? Why couldn’t we go to, I don’t know, Switzerland? What would happen then? We would eat chocolate, play in the snow, and go home. We would travel in time and not die. I would really appreciate that. Hah. But it was ‘Elizabeth's house, so Elizabeth chooses.’ Rebecca could have told me she made time traveling watches at my house! But no, ‘My house is so small’ and ‘Her house is big and new’. Talk about new in Ancient Egypt. I guess I can’t blame everything on Elizabeth, though. It was my idea to eat lunch. I’m the oldest person in our group, and the only decision I make is to eat lunch. I’m so useful. But guess who picked what we eat for lunch? Who picked where we ate lunch? Elizabeth. I even offered to go get the food, but I had to stay with Ally while the rest went and used my money to buy food. I mean, Ally is great, but what happened to ‘Grace’s money, so Grace goes’? I lift a handful of sand and through it at the stone bars. I don’t even get decent iron bars. I feel so underestimated. Sure, I’m dying of thirst. Yes, I’m stuck in Ancient Egypt with no way out. Duh, I don’t know where the others are at; but I’m still underestimated.