The woman was watching me again. The same one, the one with the different colored eyes. My mother. I approached slowly, but as I got close, she opened her mouth and screamed.

I woke up in a cold sweat, as usual these days. I checked my watch. It was still working, even after almost a year. It was 3:20am. I sighed. It was going to be a long night. I tucked my head under the covers. I know it's childish - after all, I'm turning 16 in a week - but it helps me fall back asleep after a nightmare.

I've been dreaming about that day for about a month now. my fifteenth birthday. The day I found my mother. I took the DNA test and it really was her. Sara lets me visit her on weekends, but the doctors say she might be getting worse. I'm afraid they might have to transfer her to somewhere too far away to visit. She's starting to get to know me, not as her daughter but as a regular visitor. I rolled over and closed my eyes.

I opened my eyes. I yawned and squinted at my watch. 7:28am. I got up and dressed as usual, pulling my hair into my typical neat bun. I went downstairs and was shocked to discover that Sara wasn't there. "Sara?" I asked. "Erika? Janet? Hello, where are you? Sara?"

*knock knock*

Someone was rapping hard on the front door.
I slowly went over and approached the front door. I peered outside through the peephole and saw a hat. It was deep purple with a red carnation stapled to the brim. I opened the door cautiously, prepared to run or fight. In the doorway stood an elderly woman in a strange assortment of clothing.

She wore an orange cardigan over a silvery shirt with a sphere on it and a green and blue skirt that reached down to her ankles. Her shoes were the same shade of orange as her cardigan but they looked to be stiletto heels, about eight inches high. I was so busy studying her peculiar outfit that I didn't notice at first that she was speaking to me.

"Anita," she said in a raspy voice.

"H-how do you know my name? Who are you? What - what? What's going on? Where's Sara?"

"Sara is not here. She will not be here. Time is passing, Anita. It is going away from us as we speak. We will never catch up if we just stand here. We must go." She turned and began to walk down the steps towards the street. I made to close the door behind her. "No. Come now Anita. It is passing."

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Where are Sara and the girls?"

She simply repeated herself again. "Time is passing. They are not here. Come."

I closed the door and locked it. I took a minute to calm down, then looked through the peephole again. The woman was gone. I sighed and went upstairs to look Erika and Janet when I heard someone moving in the kitchen. About time, too. "Sara! Where have you been?"

The woman walked into the room. "Come. It is passing as we linger here. We must hurry." She walked up to me and tried to take my arm, but I backed away.

"Where do you want me to go?"

"To the breach."

"There isn't a beach for miles. What do you mean?"

"Not beach. To the breach." She peered at me.

I was feeling uneasy now. "Breach of what?
Where? Who are you?"

"You are Anita Lee?"

I nodded impatiently, instantly regretting it. why did I give her my identity!? More importantly, how did she already know?

"You need to come. We need you now. Come meet her. It is passing, and her with it. She will fall soon. We must hurry to the breach."

"Someone's dying???" My voice was shrill now from shock. "Where, I'm coming, lead the way. Go, fast!!!" I liked to think I would be good in a crisis. Clearly, I had been mistaken.

She shuffled out of the room and down the front steps. I followed at a quick pace. She was going fast now. She strode into the middle of the street and stopped. She then made a strange signal with her hand and a silver sports car screeched to a halt next to us. A man in fancy looking sunglasses and a navy blue tuxedo leaned his head out the window.

"Took you long enough, Lisa."

"My apologies, Tom. The girl was most uncooperative. I had to sneak in the second time." The woman's voice was different now, nowhere near as rough as before.

"We are aware, Lisa. You need to work on concealing that kind of thing. I told you this."

"You could teach me, you know."

"I do. And you know that they wouldn't like that, don't you."

"True, as ever."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE??? I thought we needed to hurry!!!

"Apologies, Anita. Hop in," Lisa said as she got in the car. I could definitely tell that she was younger than she looked. Why would she hide her identity of she wants my trust?

I hesitated a moment, then got in the backseat. The car was very fancy, with a leather interior and seat warmers. The radio up front looked very high-tech. I don't think I've seen this model of car in any commercials before and almost asked what kind it was, but I restrained myself. That would be stupid. It was a quiet ride, about 20 minutes. We arrived at an old looking castle-type building and stopped out front.

"Get out," the man I now knew as Tom directed roughly. I obeyed silently, deciding to ask questions once we moved indoors. There was a bit of a chill in the air anyways. However, we never did go inside. Instead we went around the building and out back. We came to a stop in a circle around a large fish pond. I glanced into the water and saw not fish but a single candle in a glass case at the bottom. Finally I couldn't resist asking. "What the hell is this?"

"Language, Anita dear," Lisa told me. "What is what, exactly? That was a bit vague."

"This! The whole thing! What are you doing? What's in that case? Why me?"

" Tom?" Lisa said, peering over glasses she must have put on in the car. "Shall we tell her before we begin?"

"I suppose we must. Otherwise I don't think she'll come with us when it's time."

"Alrighty then. I'll do it this time then."

"This time? Who else have you done this to?
What are you doing?" I couldn't help myself.

"What I'm doing, Anita, is explaining everything to you. Will you listen or not?"

I nodded now, not trusting myself to speak again.

"Good. Now where to start...
I guess with me and Tom. Anita, you may want to sit down."

I did not.

"Okay, well, Tom and I are your friends." She paused a moment while I stared at her skeptically. "Your best friends, actually. From 20 years in the future." She glanced beside her. "Tom?"

The two began to undo what I now realized were disguises. After removing her makeup and wig, Lisa turned back to me. She looked to be about thirty or forty years old, with blonde hair. Tom looked much the same, but his previously neat brown hair was now sticking up rather drastically, and without his glasses I could see that he was in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Any questions so far?" Lisa asked me.

"Um, why?"

"Why did we come back here, you mean?" She asked. "We came because we were sent for you. Our employer said we were to bring you back and then she would explain what for. Even we don't know."

I took a moment to ponder this. "What happens if I go? Wh- how would we get there? It's the future! Oh my God. Why am I here? Take me back to Sara. Why me? I- How did you even get here?"

"I see the shock is hitting you now," Tom said with a smirk. "Took long enough." He looked towards Lisa. "Do continue."

"Fine then. Where was I now? Yes, twenty years forward, covered out employer, oh yes! Travel and safety. So, in order to time travel, at least in out case, you need..."

I tuned her out. I was in a considerable amount of shock. Why me? That was the most pressing question I had. I should probably leave now. These people seem loony. I'll just say I have to go.

"...but you must be sure to tighten it properly as I said, or you could fall out at the wrong time. I'll just need you to sign this risk waiver." Lisa finished, pulling a few sheets of paper from her pocket.

"I- wait. When you brought me here, you said someone was going to fall and we had to hurry. What did you mean?"

"Oh yes, thank you Anita. Over here then, follow me. I'll show you." She walked me over to an old fireplace with a chimney, but it wasn't connected to anything. "Now wait. It should be soon."

I watched the fireplace with her for about a minute, when suddenly there was a loud pop and a woman fell out. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. I examined her face carefully, then looked her in the eyes. The different colored eyes, I might add. "Mom?"

"I thought you said you'd have her ready, Lisa? Setting it up will take at least 10 minutes, you know how she gets... I expect this from Tom, but you?" She grinned and embraced the two of them. "It's been too long, guys. Why didn't you call me?"

"You were busy," Tom said. She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "Not that busy."

Okay, that's it. I have to intervene. "Wh-" I heard a soft buzzing and the last thing I saw was my mother turning towards me. Then I blacked out.