Rachel sighed as she stared at her home from the sidewalk. The evening wind swept her black hair out of her face. Shadows danced across her parking lot as navy blue, plum, and crimson clouds passed overhead. Her feet ached from the many miles she walked. A musky, sweaty scent lingered around her. The jeans and hoodie she wore clung to her skin. Her mind and body were fatigued, with circles under her eyes. She took out her key and opened her front door, eyes darting to the living room rug when she noticed her parents.
"Rachel, what on Earth did you do to your hair!?" Rachel's mom asked with wide eyes as she approached Rachel. "We've been trying to get a hold of you for hours."
"You have us worried sick, champ! We got a call from the principal about you getting in a fight with Emily?" Rachel's dad interjected with a frown.
Rachel formed a thin-lipped smile as she closed the door. Her mulberry eyes blinked as she avoided their gazes. "Hey, yeah, it's been a rough day. I really need to go to bed," Rachel replied, her mind drifting back to the fight earlier in the day.
"Rachel, if something is wrong, you can talk to us," Rachel's mom said, frowning as she looked at Rachel's hair. "Black doesn't look good on you, dear."
Rachel closed her eyes and sighed. "I am just trying some new stuff out. I promise it's nothing to worry about."
"I am not buying it," Rachel's dad replied as he shook his head. "Did Emily say or do something?"
Rachel rolled her eyes and groaned. "Dad, it's not-"
"Rachel, what is wrong?" Rachel's mom asked.
Rachel shook her head and breathed deeply as she gazed around the living room. "Imagine if we never left this house and there were no windows," she suggested as she looked out the living room window. Your whole perception of reality is confined to this single lone house, and then one day, a window pops up, and you see an entire world you never knew was there."
DING-DONG
Rachel's eyebrow raised as she turned her head towards the door, as the doorbell rang.
"That better not be Emily," Rachel's dad said as her eyebrows furrowed.
Rachel shook her head. "Emily wouldn't ring the doorbell," she replied as she walked towards the window and peeked outside. Her eyes widened as she saw Sarah standing at her front door worriedly.
"Who is it?" Rachel's mom asked.
"It's Sarah?" Rachel replied, her eyes darting around as she pondered why she would arrive at her home late at night.
"Rache!" Sara smiled as Rachel opened the door. She rubbed her arm with a thin-lipped smile as her blond hair fluttered in the wind. "Can I talk to you about something important?"
Rachel's eyes widened as she stepped aside to let Sarah inside. She nodded her head and looked up at her parents. "Yeah, sure. What's wrong?"
"Can we talk somewhere more private, please?" Sarah asked with a frown as she glanced at Rachel's parents.
"Oh, it's fine. We were planning to go to bed anyway," Rachel's dad replied as he grabbed a beer and crept back into the basement.
"Girls, if you need anything, just let us know. Also, Rachel, this conversation isn't over," Rachel's mom said as she rubbed Rachel's shoulder before heading upstairs.
Rachel gestured for Sarah to follow her as she walked upstairs to her bedroom. Her eyebrow raised as she watched Sara pace around as she closed the door. "What's up?" Rachel asked, rubbing her eyes before sitting down on her bed.
"I followed you," Sarah flatly said as she continued to pace.
Rachel's mulberry eyes widened as her mouth dropped. "You, what!?"
Sarah's eyes widened as she stopped, then stared at Rachel, nodding her head. "Yeah, back at the electronics store. I knew something was weird when you got in a fight with Emily," Sara explained as her eyebrows furrowed. The eyes, the hair, something was off, so I decided to follow you to that warehouse."
Rachel's heart skipped as she stared into Sarah's eyes. Her mouth dropped, forming a thin-lipped smile as her eyes darted across her carpet.
Sarah frowned as she sat next to Rachel. "You got powers, don't you?"
Rachel's eyes glanced over at Sarah. "I don't know what you're talking about?"
Sara's eyes lowered. "You're lying,"
Rachel shrugged, then shook her head.
Sarah got up and then flicked her fingers. A spark of fire lit up Rachel's dim room, casting dancing shadows across the posters and bed. "Don't lie to me!"
Rachel's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. She stared at the fire burning in Sarah's hand. "You touched something in those suitcases?" She mumbled as she looked up at Sarah.
Sarah nodded, flicked her hand, and the fire evaporated in a cloud of smoke. "So you were lying?" she asked as she shook her head and crossed her arms. What happened there, and what happened to me when I touched what was in that suitcase?"
"Shit," Rachel whispered to herself as she sighed. "Damnit," she mumbled, then groaned.
"Well?"Sarah asked as she shrugged. "Spit it out. If I'm a freak, at least let me know. Though I do admit having control of fire is pretty damn cool."
Rachel shook her head. "You're not a freak; you're what's called a Binder," she explained as she groaned. "The thing you touched, did it just vanish afterward?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, then a rush of energy, and then I just kind of knew how to manipulate fire? It's hard to explain," she said as she formed a ball of fire in her hands.
"Do you hear anything?"
"I hear like a hum? It's barely audible, but I hear like a rhythm when I focus on it."
Rachel shook her head. "Great, just great."
Sarah shrugged. "What is it?"
"You are better off not knowing."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Is it dangerous?"
Rachel shrugged. "No, not necessarily, but it's best to ignore it."
"So you're a binder as well?"
Rachel shook her head as she gazed out the window. "No, I am different."
"How so?"
"It's complicated."
"Just tell me, Rache."
Rachel sighed and shook her head.
"Emily is like us as well, right?"
"She is even worse."
Sarah tilted her head as she stared at Rachel. "Rache, please just tell me. I want to know what the hell happened to me?"
"You won't believe me."
"Rache-"
"I know what you're going to say. I have superpowers, and I can handle it, but you can't—or more like, you won't even understand," Rachel interjected as she turned towards Sarah. "You just realized there's a whole new world that you never knew. That window you're staring out is a sliver of what's out there."
Sarah sighed and shook her head. "And you've seen whatever is out there?"
Rachel nodded. "Most, but not all," she explained. "You are a binder, nothing more. You will see how insignificant your power is if you keep peeping out that window. I don't mean to be mean, but I am just warning you that the sharks of the ocean are a lot closer than you think, and you don't want to get wrapped up in their drama. Do you understand?"
Sarah stared into Rachel's mulberry eyes, unwavering and unblinking. "And you're one of those sharks, are you?"
"I am, but I am not on top of the food chain."
Sarah's eyes darted to the ground as she rubbed her shoulder. "Let me guess, Emily is?"
Rachel chuckled, then shook her head. "You want to dive headfirst into this?"
"What choice do I have?" Sarah asked as she threw up her hands. "Let me guess, Emily is on top of the food chain?"
"Emily isn't on the food chain," Rachel flatly replied. "She is the food chain."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly can you do?"
Rachel sighed. "I can manipulate time."
Sarah's eyes widened. "So that explains all this deja vu I've been having."
"What do you remember?"
"Us hanging out, A car, I hear gunshots...like are these memories?"
Rachel nodded. "They are before I rewound time."
Sarah's mouth dropped as her head jolted from side to side before she sat on the bed. "This tall Latina woman pointed a gun-"
"Don't worry, she is dead, or she doesn't exist anymore."
"What?"
Rachel frowned and crossed her arms. "You heard me. She doesn't exist anymore; she has been erased."
"Did Emily do that?"
"Yes, she did."
"What the fuck is she?"
Rachel shrugged and shook her head. "You really don't want to know."
"You can manipulate fucking time, and you telling me what she is more terrifying than you?"
"You're peeking through the window, Sarah. Please, no more questions. You really don't want to know."
Sarah's eyes darted from side to side, her eyebrows furrowed as she leaned forward. "No, just fucking tell me. I don't want to be in the dark; tell me."
"You sure?"
"Yes, just tell me, Rache."
"She is GOD. Well, the successor who decided to turn down the role."
Sarah's eyes blinked, and a grin formed on her face. She chuckled as her hands smacked her legs. "Okay, she's powerful, but that doesn't tell-"
"I'm not sugarcoating it, Sarah! You wanted to fucking know, now you know. I am not speaking hyperbole or metaphors. She is the fucking successor of GOD. Time manipulation is child's play to her. Do you fucking understand why I didn't want you peeping through the fucking window!?" Rachel yelled, her eyes glaring at Sarah as she crossed her arms.
Sarah frowned, eyes lowered, as she attempted to dissect Rachel's words. She then chuckled and laughed. "Okay, it's clear that you want to keep your secrets. Fine, I get it," Sarah replied as she stood up with a smile. You're close to Emily, but overexaggerating her powers just tells me you're just scared. With your time powers and my fire, we can fuck her up."
Rachel blinked slowly, forming a thin-lipped smile. Her eyes grew wet as she looked at Sarah, who forced a fake smile on her face. "Sure, Sarah... sure."