One week, two days, seven hours, nine minutes, and thirty seconds from the moment I left.
New York City, USA 1:00 A.M. 1/1/11

I had just seen the ball drop in Times Square one hour ago. There were fireworks and confetti, streamers, and screamers. The start of a new year are always my favorite times to visit. It shows me that some times do have an ending, unlike mine. I’m a time traveler. I’ve been visiting important events in history and in the future for thirty years now, but I haven’t aged a second.

While I was walking away from the scene, I ran into somebody. It was a girl, about 16. She had fallen down, dropping the bag full of snappers she was carrying. As they fell out of the bag and onto the ground they started snapping, a lot hitting people. Their shrieks of protest to them were quite amusing that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“So you think it’s funny that you knocked me down?” The girl complained from her spot on the ground. I had forgotten about her.

“Sorry.” I said while holding out my hand. She grabbed it and as I pulled her up, I told her “And no, I was laughing at the people who got hit with your snappers and their little shrieks, which came from some burly men too.” She stared at me, then back at the people who I was talking about and then started laughing too.

“Names Mitchel.” I told her holding out my hand.

“Lindsey, Lindsey Hall.” She said, grabbing my hand and shaking it.

“Here, the least I can do is help you pick these up for you.” I gestured to the snappers that were still left and started to pick them up.

“Oh no, it’s ok, I have a dozen boxes full of them at my apartment. But, this incident gave me an idea of what to do with them, come with me and I’ll show you.” She told me, leading the way.

On the way there, we talked about her life, and her family. When we had gotten there she led the way up to her apartment, where I waited outside, then came out with five boxes full of snappers and handed me three of them. After that she led me up to the roof.

“Please tell me we’re going to do what I think we’re going to do.” I said laughing.

“I you think we’re going to drop these snappers on a crowd of people from up here then you’re right, sorry if that not what you thought.” She told me.

“Shoot, I thought we were going to try and fly.” I joked. She laughed while opening one of the boxes and showing me it was full of snappers not wrapped in anything. I had a feeling this was going to be fun. While I opened mine, she got in position on the edge of the roof, ling down on her stomach with her head and arms hanging over.

“Ok, on three.” She smiled. “One.”

“Two.”

“Three!” She yelled, dumping the contents of the box over at the same time as me. The people down below shrieked, and dance like they were getting attacked by ants. After they had finished humiliating themselves, they looked up at us with angered expressions for all I could guess.

We both rolled over laughing, and when I finally managed to stop, I turned to her and asked, “Your mom won’t notice the missing boxes?” Her face fell.

“No, I live on my own. My parents died in a car accident when I was fifteen, once I turned sixteen I moved out of my aunts’ place and came here. Now I’m in the same place as I was almost a year ago.” She said with a little laugh at the end.

“Well, no better time for change than a new year.”

“Yea, I guess. What about you? Shouldn’t you be getting home?” She asked me. Oh boy, I had to lie again. I hated lying; it made me feel sick and terrible. I’ve only told one person the truth, and after a few years of travelling, she left me. She had found out I wouldn’t age along with her, and couldn’t stand to live like that. We hadn’t really traveled much; we usually stayed in one place for about three or four months.

“No, they died when I was three. I’ve been in the foster system ever since. Like you, once I hit sixteen, I left.” I explained.

“Well, at least I’m not alone here.” She said with a tiny smile. “So you’re what? Nineteen?” She asked.

“Nope, eighteen in four months.” Another lie. I’m really a hundred years old, with the body of a seventeen year old.

“Well you already know I’m sixteen.” She said.

“Seventeen soon right?” I asked.

“Yep, ten days.” She laughed. As I looked at her, I kept thinking I should tell her. I should tell her everything. But something in me wouldn’t let me do it; it told me it would only end badly.

“Well, do you live here?” She asked, gesturing to the city.

“No, just visiting.” I told her. Finally, something that was true.

“Well, instead of buying a hotel, you could stay on the couch in my apartment. No funny business though.” She offered.

“No funny business, I promise.” I laughed. That urge to tell her came again.

One hour later, we were in her apartment, sitting in her kitchen and talking right before I dropped on the couch. She said goodnight and went into what looked like a room. As I lay there in the dark, I kept thinking I was going to tell her in the morning, instead of leaving before she woke up like I was planning on doing while we were in the kitchen. Closing my eyes, I fell asleep to the thought of travelling with Lindsey.

One week, two days, two hours, nine minutes, and thirty seconds from the moment I left.
New York City, USA, 6:00 A.M. 1/1/11

When I woke up it was six in the morning. I could hear the faint breathing of Lindsey in her room, and decided to make some coffee. I’ve only had it twice and love it. After adding the coffee ground and getting it brewing I took out two mugs. When it was done brewing, I poured in the coffee, some cream and sugar into both.

“Do I smell coffee?” Lindsey asked groggily, coming into the kitchen. She was wearing a pink robe, and some pink shorts and a shirt. Her hair wasn’t too messy, but it still had a few stray strands.

“I didn’t know if you liked cream and sugar so I made enough that you could remake it if you didn’t like it.” I told her. She grabbed the mug and moaned with pleasure as she took a sip.

“God that is good. That’s it, you’re here to stay!” She laughed, and then made an awkward face realizing what she had said.

“Just no funny business.” I laughed, and just like that her uneasiness went away. After about ten minutes of an occasional few words, I broke the silence with what had been itching at me the whole morning.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Ok, shoot.” She said, getting serious as she saw my face.

“You have to promise you won’t laugh, or stop me until I finish telling you everything.”

“I promise.” So I told her. I told her about how I found out what I was. How I had no idea where my parents were, about Kelly Jane, my old partner who travelled with me. I just let it poor out, until I had nothing left to say. She had a straight face, and then started to smile and laugh.

“So you’re a time traveler, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” She joked. She didn’t believe me.

“Never mind, I knew I shouldn’t have told you.” I said getting up.

“Wait, no, I’m sorry. It’s just that not many people say that without getting put in an insane asylum. If you really are then prove it.” She told me.

“Ok, fine. But you might want to change.” She went and changed then came back. “Ok, now come stand next to me, and hold my hand.” I ordered her. She did what I said, and grabbed my hand. “Now close your eyes.” I said.

“Fine, but how do I know you aren’t going to knock me out or kill me?” She laughed as she closed her eyes.

“Ok, now open them.” I said smiling.

“Really it happens that fast?” She asked before opening her eyes. I watched her face as she opened them, and her face changed from a little amused, to shock. Her eyes went wide.

“Don’t scream!” I said hastily. We weren’t in her old apartment anymore; instead we were in a beautiful meadow sometime in the 1970’s.

“I’m not going to scream. I’m not going to scream.” She told herself then looked at me. “You were telling the truth! Please, you have to take me with you!” She pleaded.

“Take you with me? Do you not listen? The last time I took someone, they left and I haven’t seen them since!” I told her getting a little angered at the thought.

“Please, I won’t leave! I promise. Here, if I don’t leave after two months, then you can drop me off back at my place, and I won’t have any second thoughts.” She begged me. I couldn’t believe I was considering this. Well, what could it hurt? If she slows me down I can always just take her back.

“Fine, but if you slow me down I’m taking you back!” I warned her. “You have an hour to pack.” I said, motioning to her room that was now there.

“How did you?” She asked.

“I’m a time traveler, while you were busy begging, I brought us back. Now you better hurry up, times ticking. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” I laughed.

“What do you mean a few minutes?” She asked, just as I disappeared in front of her.
* * *
When I came to in front of Lindsey, she jumped, knocking down the bag behind her. She would have to get used to it I guess.
“So you ready to go?” I asked.

“Yes, but you cheated. We normal people can’t do that. By the way, why didn’t you just take me to this time an hour ago? Then I could have just grabbed my newly packed bags and left.” She asked me.

“Wow, this is going to be a long first day. I didn’t do that because if I took you from the time you were in an hour ago, you wouldn’t be back in that time unless I put you there. Therefore, if I took you from that time and put you here, your place would be exactly as it was an hour ago, and you wouldn’t have packed your bags.” I explained to her.

“So what you are saying is that if I leave one time, I’m not there in its future time until I go back?” She asked.

“There you go, you catch on quick. Good, I don’t like repeating myself.” I told her.

“Wait a second, what happened to the guy from last night? The guy who was nice and knew how to have fun.” She asked getting a little angry.

“That was me when I didn’t have someone to babysit, until they get tired of time travelling, or have seen what they wanted to see, and leave.” I told her angrily.

“What do you mean? Who said I would leave?” She asked me.

“Me, that’s who, Just like Sarah left me two years ago! She was just using me and left once I served her purpose.” I yelled at her.

“That’s the first time you said her name. You always acted like it was too painful to say her name.” She said.

“Yes it’s painful, I thought she actually liked me, and then she demanded I take her home. That’s when I found out that you humans just use me until suddenly it’s not fun anymore. You’re only coming because I’m not going to help you if you get yourself into some trouble. Do you want to hear why she left?” I asked her.

“Y-Yes I would.” She answered.

“Once she found out I wouldn’t age a single second she was so excited. She figured she would be able to travel with me forever, until I told her that she would still age. Then she demanded to go home, because she had her fill if she was going to age, and didn’t want to see the world anymore. That’s why she left Lindsey. So if you think you’ll be doing this forever, then you’re wrong. You’re going to grow old, and die. Then I move on and keep living.” I paced as I practically shouted the story at her.

“Oh, I didn’t know. Well, I’ll stay as long as you let me. I didn’t know you would live forever, or we would travel forever. I just wanted to hang out with the guy I knew last night, as I went and visited history…. That reminds me, can you go to the future?” She asked me earnestly. Really? She still wanted to come? She must be pretty determined.

“I-I… You’ll have to find out.” I smiled a little while saying it. I guess I could make the best of some company. One month though, if she doesn’t leave afterwards, then, and only then, will I get a little closer to her. I was in for a big surprise.