For the next few days, Tyson was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was a certainty that he was unwilling to face.

On his insistence, they holed up in their rooms, only going out to get the necessities. Even then, Tyson preferred to go by himself. Marcus was bound to run into his 'friend' or do something equally as problematic as that.

"Tyson, I am so bored, man. I'll be the first person in human history to die of boredom," Marcus complained.

It felt to Tyson as if it was the hundredth time his friend protested, and he wasn't so sure he was wrong. When he first told Marcus his plan, Marcus was so much against it that he tried all his usual tactics to soften Tyson up.

However, this time, Tyson was relentless. He didn't allow his friend's usual tricks to get to him. After all, he was doing it for Marcus as much as he was doing it for himself.

"I know Marcus, I know. Just a bit longer, and all of this will be over. Then, we'll be able to breathe fresh air again," Tyson said.

Although he said those words without a trace of hesitation, Tyson wasn't sure if that was the truth. Even after the assassination, there were no guarantees that they would be able to live in Bosnia. There were even fewer guarantees that they would end up in a place that offered them any type of freedom.

"It's easy for you to say. You get to go out, see the world," Marcus grumbled just loud enough for Tyson to hear.

"You know as well as I do that I just go and get us the supplies. I come back here as soon as I get everything we need. Even I can't risk going around the city when Gavrilo is lurking around. Not to mention those two psychopaths on our heels," Tyson said, wondering if their situation could get any more complicated.

"Have you seen him?" Marcus asked, curiosity and eagerness shining through the annoyance of his current predicament.

"Gavrilo?" Tyson asked though he was pretty sure that was who Marcus was referring to.

Still, he found it hard to believe that Marcus would get so attached to the guy and so quickly. It was the strangest characteristic Marcus had, as far as Tyson was concerned; turning strangers into friends in the blink of an eye.

"Yeah..." Marcus said, allowing his eyes to wander around the room so that Tyson couldn't see what was written in them.

"Just in passing. Gavrilo was with his coconspirators, so he didn't pay much attention to me," Tyson said.

"Are you sure that he is the one who does that whole assassination business?" Marcus asked with doubt.

"Marcus, I might not remember everything that happened. But I do remember the details of such an important historic event," Tyson said, exasperated by Marcus's inability to accept the truth.

"But Gavrilo wouldn't even hurt a fly," Marcus said, lowering his gaze.

"Well, you're wrong. Gavrilo ends up killing Ferdinand as well as his wife," Tyson said.

"He ends up killing a chick?" Marcus asked with disgust.

"Yes," Tyson simply said as he was tired of trying to explain to Tyson what exactly his 'friend' was capable of doing.

But then again, Gavrilo did what he thought was best for everyone. Tyson couldn't help but think that those types of people, the ones who think they are helping, could cause the most damage.

"What about him? What happens to him?" Marcus asked, far more invested in the new friendship than was considered normal by other people.

It was as if he could connect with others and deeply care about their fates in a matter of moments. Something that took Tyson years to achieve.

"Well, he immediately gets arrested. However, because he is a minor in the eyes of this time and age, he gets sentenced to prison instead of being executed," Tyson said.

He was unsure how much he should tell his friend, who clearly cared about the guy's wellbeing but he also knew that Marcus wouldn't give up until he got some answers. So, giving him breadcrumbs sounded like the best solution.

"Oh, so when does he get out of prison?" Marcus asked.

"He doesn't," Tyson said hesitantly. "Gavrilo dies there from tuberculosis."

"That's horrible!" Marcus exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Maybe if we stop him, none of that would happen...will happen...whatever. My friend might end up living. He is too young to die."

"That's true, but in the past, many people died rather young. We can't save them all," Tyson said, trying to reason with a clearly emotional Marcus.

"But we can save him and that broad that died and even that important dude," Marcus said.

"Yes, we could do that, but then we might end up making the situation worse, causing even more deaths," Tyson said.

"How could it be worse? You said that this is a cause of a world war. What's worse than that?" Marcus asked passionately.

"Marcus, this is just an event that triggered the war. The cause is much more complicated than that, and it was just a matter of time before the war started. They just used this assassination as an excuse to start it sooner rather than later," Tyson explained.

"I don't get it," Marcus said, utterly defeated.

"I know you don't. Honestly, I've studied history my whole life, but even so, I often don't understand the reasons behind their actions. But I am telling you that we can't do anything about this," Tyson said sternly. "If we mess up the timeline more than we already have, we might end up never even being born."

"I am willing to risk it," Marcus said, putting on a brave face.

"But are you willing to risk your sister's existence? Your parents'?" Tyson asked sternly.

Marcus's bravery suddenly deflated, turning into despair. If there was one thing that could sober him up about a particularly crazy idea, it was the mention of his family. He cared too much about them to risk anything happening to them. Even if there was the tiniest possibility of something going wrong, he wasn't ready to bet on their lives.

"Fine, but how do you know that we haven't already messed something up? How do we know that they still exist?" Marcus asked, his voice shaking more than Tyson had ever heard it before.

"Well, for one, all the events we caused are the ones we are familiar with from history. That goes to show us that if all those events happened and we were there to learn about them, we weren't erased from existence," Tyson said hesitantly.

He wasn't entirely sure that his theory held water. Yet, he was hoping that it would at least soothe some of Marcus's worries.

"Are you sure about that?" Marcus asked, his voice much calmer.

"Sure," Tyson said, wondering if he did the right thing in lying to his friend.

After all, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. All he knew was that he had to keep himself and Marcus alive and going.

"So, when is that whole assassination thing happening anyway?" Marcus asked.

"Right about now," Tyson said as they heard a loud explosion of what Tyson knew to be a bomb.

Tyson was aware that was just the failed attempt and that the real thing would happen later on, but it still gave him the chills. To see human violence firsthand was a whole different thing when one was out of their own time and place.

"Are you sure you should be going out right now?" Marcus asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It won't be difficult to get some food," Tyson said without explaining that the main event hadn't started yet and that he would have to hurry back before it began.

"Please, Marcus, promise me that, this time, you'll stay put," Tyson said, looking deep into his friend's eyes. "I know what I'm doing and what to avoid, but if you go out right now, you might be arrested or worse. So, promise me that you won't go out?"

"I promise," Marcus said upon noticing the worried expression on Tyson's face. "And can you promise that after all this is over, we'll go outside, portal or no portal?"

"Yes, I can promise you that. I need to stretch out as well, and we can go in the opposite direction of that crazy couple," Tyson said.

"Deal," Marcus said, settling more comfortably on his bed.

"See you soon," Tyson said, exiting the door and hoping for the best.

Although he knew how risky it was to leave Marcus alone, Tyson thought it was even more dangerous to bring him outside. Everyone was on edge after the failed attempt. And he especially didn't want Marcus with him, having in mind that the rest of the assassins were still lurking around, including Gavrilo.