s3.e18.seriesfinale_part3

Onward Hereafter

           For the first five minutes of the post-battle, neither Wes nor the boys said a word to each other as they all sat at the side of the fountain amid the destruction, where they watched Ms. Porter check each kid for injuries. The four were slumped over with no emotions to express, like they couldn’t begin to sort out what all had just happened.

           “Well…” Warren finally spoke up, just to break the awkward silence. “That was something I never thought I’d see. So now, uh… Um. Would you two just say anything?”

           “Huh? Oh. Hm…” Old Wes thought, and looked at Wes. “Good… good fight.”

           “… Yeah. Quite the spectacle.” Wes rubbed the back of his neck, and groaned in pain from his many aches. “Definitely not the first time I’ve beaten myself up…” After a long pause, he continued, “Hey, so… Back when I was working on that big speech in my head while you were trying to vaporize me, I kept thinking about Charlie…”

           “He didn’t come with me,” Old Wes interrupted. “Wait, did you know already?”

           “About him helping to pay for your science project? Yeah. But I don’t think you had any idea that he pulled it off big time, after you and André disappeared. He found out how to send his mind back in time, and relive any moment he wanted. At least until it stopped working, and he trapped himself after… the current iteration of the chocolate incident. I’m guessing you might’ve considered that power your ultimate dream, too.”

           Old Wes exhaled, and then deactivated his exo-arms to let them drop to the ground. He crossed his real ones and looked at the ruined Hub before replying, “I’m not so sure anymore. I’d certainly ‘relived’ it all enough times in the sphere. People can make a hard-to-reach goal out to be this grand thing that could finally make you happy. Truth is… now that I’m clear-headed, maybe it stopped being about seeing the past over and over, and more an act of desperation to unlock a perfect childhood, finding the way to put the puzzle pieces together that would leave me forever content, even into old age.”

           “And the Toy Run was supposed to be one of those valuable corner pieces.”

           “Like I said, I never broke the daemon’s security, so it could only scare you on its own schedule until I told it to attack. I usually kept it out of Desert Tree, to stop it from messing with anything important so close to home. But I did find out how to program special guard routines; places and times to keep a watch on to prevent any alterations. But once you overwrote the run’s submission deadline, it became the new history.”

           “That was a tough solo mission…” Warren said. “But I had to do it.”

           Old Wes raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

           “When it was just me trying to change things, I burned the submission to make sure I’d be born. And… the rest of the mail in the truck, too. Good thing it worked.”

           “Right,” Jace added. “Because when I went home the first time, you existed and were always there for me, so I never scared my friends off, and… it helped get the gang working together to come back and rescue my uncle. It all worked out, somehow.”

           “What wasn’t going to work was my plan,” Old Wes reflected. “I realize that now. Making the ‘perfect childhood’ wouldn’t fix my present. The past makes us who we are and forms the genetics of our memory and character, but what’s important to us in the right now changes through the years. And I ruined what came to matter to me by trying to find that old magic again. Huh… I guess all those movies and shows with that same moral might’ve been onto something. It just hits different, finding out firsthand.”

           “Wes?” a familiar voice spoke up nearby, and they turned to see that Sadie had crept up on them, with Millie at her side—while the rest of their class were too afraid to approach. “Wow, I do see it. You really are his older versions. I just want to know, after seeing that black stuff… was that you that grabbed me back at the laser tag tournament?”

           “That would’ve been my robotic ‘assistant.’ Sorry about that. It wasn’t aiming for you. But I’ve made a lot of mistakes myself, Sadie… You wouldn’t be proud of me.”

           She studied the Wes’ tired faces, and addressed them both, “Yeah… the thought of marrying you is just… Well, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, so I won’t say it. I guess when I get older, I must see something in you that I don’t quite yet.” She put her hands on her hips and stared at them intensely. “But if that really does happen, you know I’d be upset with you! Blowing up our amusement park? And doing greedy, bad, selfish things across history? That’s just… not cool! Even so…” she looked back at Ash, being checked out by Ms. Porter for the third time. “I’m not sure about this whole thing with Ash, and I don’t think I want to know. But if one of you wanted to save my best friend no matter what, and the other of you actually did… then neither of you were ever all bad.”

           “So… now what?” Wes asked after a moment of quiet.

           “I suppose I really could try to correct my mistakes, but it’d be hard, after what I ruined,” Old Wes replied. “So, I’ve decided to make it easier. I’ll hand it all over to you, Wes Buddy. I’m not entirely sure what’ll happen, but… I’m done, with everything.”

           “Specifics are kind of important right now. What do you mean, exactly?”

           Old Wes stood and picked up what was left of his battle pack, replying, “I’ll turn off the null field, and you should overwrite me. It’s the only way, to make sure I don’t go on making more mistakes. And to let me forgot the past eight-hundred and… thirty or so years. I mean, the science could be wrong. We may just merge instead, like, mentally, and maybe you’ll gain some higher understanding of everything from what I’ve learned.”

           “Are you sure? I mean, couldn’t you just go back to where you came from, and… N-no… If I have changed and none of this ever happens, you’d disappear anyway.”

           “We made a mess. This is easier; fewer unknowns. ‘Close your loop,’ right? But listen to me for a second. You especially, Millie.” He looked down at her, who blinked in response. “I’m glad you’re here. I have a big job for you. In time, you will be the only one who will remember any of this. You’ll get called crazy if you talk about it, but, well, unless our Wes somehow changes something deep down—and maybe that is possible—we really are still stuck in a loop. So… nudge us in the right direction, if you have to.”

           “We’re going to forget?” Jace fretted. “What, like, everything?”

           “They call it temporal amnesia,” Old Wes explained. “It even afflicts the cyborg cops and is another reason they made the daemons, which archive all of the variables within a timeline. When back in your present, you’ll gradually forget what you changed, the traveling itself—yeah, everything. It’ll come back if you travel again, but until then, it’s all locked away, imperceptible by our puny minds. But Millie will be unaffected.”

           “She’s helped us before,” Jace said, and gave her a reassuring shoulder pat. “I’m sure she’ll do it again. Wes. The old one… Thank you. Maybe you’ll actually just wake up from all this happy, in a new timeline. Still old, but… content, like you want.”

           He smiled faintly and relaxed his tired eyes. “I hope so. Goodbye, Sadie. Warren. I will and do love both of you, so much. And I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”

           “D-Dad…” Warren murmured. “I’ll… I’ll see you again one day.”

           Old Wes’ smile grew, and he reached for his wrist-mounted control system—but Wes first got in, “Hey, old man. You’re not the only one who can share a little wisdom. What matters can change, but try to enjoy everything like a kid on Saturday morning. We can always use a little childlike optimism. I don’t think you gotta grow up to move on.”

           “Not bad… Keep it real cool, crazy kids,” Old Wes said, and tapped his gauntlet.

           The darkness was replaced by a clear blue sky. In the same instant, the older Wes and all of his hardware vanished without a trace, though the park’s severe damage had remained. With the dome gone, the rest of King Arcade became visible in the distance.

           “It looks like the Drop Tower is back to normal,” Warren observed. “I guess everything outside the dome reverted as it moved. It’s just this part of the park that’s…” He looked at the toppled Ferris wheel and arcade. “Hoo, man. He did a number on it. Dad, you feeling okay? Do you think anything feels different after… he disappeared?”

           “I’m not sure yet…” Wes gave his sore neck a crack. “I’m just amazed that he went through with it. He started off so strong, but by the end, maybe his regrets were just too much. So, do we reset and erase all this right away, or…” he trailed off.

           With Old Wes now gone, the other kids were more open to coming over. One after another, the gang walked to the battle’s remaining combatants. Ash had a limp and Lucy was the most reluctant to head over, but head over they did.

           “Wow, Mid-life Crisis Wes…” Zach huffed. “That was the most extreme thing I’ll ever see. Time travel, robot suits, explosions, an epic showdown… And Ms. Porter’s so cool-headed in a crisis! My last teacher freaked out when he couldn’t find his pen.”

           “Are we sure it’s over?” Jared worried. “I mean what if, like, a cyborg version of me in my eighties shows up next? Geez, Wes. I can’t believe the lengths you went to, just to fill a shopping cart with toys on national television. Or that Jason is your nephew!”

           “Jason?” Ash said. “Or rather, Jace? What’s… the future like? And did you go to Desert Tree Elementary? You always did seem like you fit right in somehow.”

           “The future is… complicated,” Jace answered. “Let’s just say the internet gets onto everything, even the cell phone in your pockets. And, yeah, I did attend DTE. It wasn’t all that different. I think you guys would be proud of us keeping playground traditions going. The Dump’s long gone, though. It was before my time.”

           “Ah… Well, that sucks,” Zach sighed. “But I guess it’s more special that way.”

           “Wes, are you going to be okay?” Colin asked him with a concerned look. “I think I got the gist of all this craziness, but if you get sad and lonely all over again…”

           Wes replied, “I’ll try to do better. I just have to carry some part of all this with me.”

           “Good, because if we do this a second time, I’ll snap my slingshot right into your face, Wes,” Celeste fiercely promised him. “And also, be extra nice to Lucy and Sadie.”

           “I will.” Wes chuckled faintly. “Everyone, you won’t understand this until you’re older, but we mean so much to each other. I miss you all the time, but that only makes our reunions even better. We’ll go our separate ways, but that’s just how life is.”

           “We don’t have to worry about any of that until years from now…” Arthur said.

           “Exactly. Keep soaking up every moment, Arty, and the rest of you guys.”

           “You know…” Sadie murmured as she studied Warren closely. “I can see it. I’ve never thought about what it’d be like to have kids, but… you’re pretty handsome!”

           Warren’s cheeks went bright red, and he stuttered, “Uh… t-thanks, Mom…”

           At long last, Wessy worked up the courage to speak up and said as he stepped closer to Wes, “Heck… I… I don’t even think about what it’d be like to get old.”

           Encouraged by the looks on Warren and Jace’s faces, Wes got down on one knee and put a hand on his younger self’s shoulder. “Neither did I, until it happened. Kiddo, I’m glad I got to see you again, even if it was at a distance most of the time. You were the best years of my life. And now, well… it’s time for me to make more best years.”

           “I just want to know one thing.” Wessy smiled. “Are we still cool at your age?”

           “Know what? Yeah. I think we are. Oh, and you be nice to your sister, too,” Wes looked over at Lucy. “She’s amazing, and cares about you.” He then shifted his gaze to his class, who were all staring back, and stood to say goodbye. “Everyone… you were great. You’ll keep being great. You won’t remember every little thing about these days—I don’t, either. But each and every promise we made on the playground, secret we shared in class, new friend made at a sleepover, arcade high score we beat, or rumor we heard at the mall… It’s all a part of who you grow up to be. Your DNA. I love you guys.”

           “All right, Wes. We better get going,” Warren said and took out his blue quartz.

           Wes suddenly felt the sting in his bones. “Yeah. Hospital first, and then… whoa, hey!” he exclaimed when he realized he was getting a hug from his teacher. “Ms. Porter!”

           “I thought you could use one,” she said softly. “Wes, I’m glad I got to play some small part in making you who you are right now. You’ve become an awesome student.”

           “Thanks… You’re making me wish I had gotten better grades.” Once she let go, he waved out to the others and shouted, “All right, gotta go! Don’t worry, none of you will remember any of this to be scarred by it—and we’ll try this day again real soon!”

           “But I get to remember!” Millie playfully gloated as she joined in with the waving.

           Warren opened a time tear, but before anyone went through, a needed moment of levity was given to the group via Bailey, who finally arrived over near the destroyed plaza entrance with several other astonished staff members. The happy-go-lucky guy’s cheerful façade broke away as he surveyed the damage and began to panic.

           “What… What the hell happened here?!” he exclaimed, nearly tearing his hair out.

           Following a snicker and the sense of weight leaving his shoulders, Wes jumped into the tear, followed by Millie. Jace was about to join them, but he had noticed Wright rapidly becoming as antsy as Bailey, as if he was about to lose his chance at something.

           “W-wait, Jason! Jace! Whatever!” he called out, wresting his grip from Willa. “You gotta go back in time and make this bet never happen, okay? Please, man! I’m miserable!”

           Jace looked at Willa’s scarily furious reaction, smiled mischievously, and replied, “Sorry, Wright. It’s for your own good. You’ll see! I’m the helper, remember?”

           With that, the two cousins went to the other side. And the world disappeared.

           That morning at King Arcade, Bailey finished welcoming a special visiting class. “Sorry there aren’t any mascots around. They usually don’t come in until noon. But—”

           “H-hold on…!” a labored voice shouted and Wes came running up as Jace and a plain-clothes Warren stealthily rejoined the kid crowd. “One more announcement, real quick! Independence Day, 4:00 PM, at the megaplex. Also my treat. Hope you all make it!”

           “Um… sounds cool!” Bailey said over some applause in response to the surprise reveal. “Wish I could come, too, but I’ll still be working. All right, have fun, everyone!”

           “Nick, where’d you run off to all of a sudden?” Ms. Porter asked Wes as the class started following Bailey to the Hub plaza. “Oh, I didn’t notice your sling until now…”

           “Bathroom…” Wes replied, and looked down at the strap keeping his injured left arm in a good healing position. “Yeah, just a little slip yesterday. Nothing major.”

           Ms. Porter smiled. “Be more careful in the future, okay?”

           She went ahead to help guide the class, and once Jace had quickly introduced his cool older cousin who showed up late to the gang, the two of them caught up to Wes.

           “Thanks for bringing us back after I talked to December, Wes,” Jace mentioned.

           “No problem. I don’t like redoing things, either. Now c’mon—let’s kick it! That means you too, bud!” Wes said and jokingly headlocked Warren, much to his chagrin.

           At last, everyone spent that sweet just-for-them first hour of the park’s day as their special tickets advertised, free of temporal-techno-horrors, selfish old guys, power outages, and time police. It had felt like far too long since Wes, Warren, and Jace could enjoy a day guilt and worry free. But that was what the ends of some journeys were like, and though the last few minutes of a long movie were usually free of the conflict that drove the story… sometimes the pay-off of seeing the characters happy is worth it.

           Since nearly everyone in the large group had been to the park before, and the two newcomers, Spice and Gerald, just had to follow their lead, everyone ended up at the Red Demon within moments of the hour beginning—seeing as how it normally had the longest lines. Supervising and partially performing the ride operator’s job, Ms. Porter led everyone onto the cars, filling them up. Her class’s screams filled the air, and some kids made their terrorized panic very apparent. Even so, everyone rode it at least three times.

           From there, they split into smaller groups that sought out other mutual favorite attractions, and then broke up and combined with other temporary squads that were running across the park together to make the best use of their time. Jace was there with Trudy and Tammy on the Ghosts and Freaks haunted castle ride to witness their epic dual shrieks caused by a spooky surprise skeleton; it was a shrill sound that Felicity was able to replicate with a “BOO!” just before the ride exit, when things were pitch-black.

           From behind his shades and with Warren at his side, miraculously putting out some smiles and laughter, Wes watched Brian almost throw up on the mild Swirl Twirl, eliciting dread from ride mates Carson and Robby. Later, Willa insisted that she continue to hold Wright’s hand on the drop tower all the way down. On the Ferris wheel, Jace saw Park manage to haggle a high-altitude sale of some old Pogs to Arthur and Colin who were trapped in the car with him, despite the game going out of style.

           And on the carnival game boardwalk, Delilah, December, Celeste, and Sadie all proved that they had skills with the true classics as the girls attracted the attention of other classmates amid a fierce competition with ring tossing and water gunning. Their efforts even encouraged Ash, Millie, and Lucy to play as well, and Wes and Ms. Porter ended up competing with each other as a pair of brief friends. The park gates opened up for everyone during the competitions, and as thousands of other guests poured in, the group gradually gravitated to the Hub for some gaming between buddies and rivals.

           For the last hour, the class moved the tournament to the modern age and had a series of duels at Game Joust in front of an audience. Wessy, Colin, Park, Jace, Brian, Sadie, and Celeste dominated the most rounds. If kids weren’t up on stage taking their turns, they were dialing up their parents using Wes’ cell phone to ask permission to see a movie afterwards. A few of the adults needed some convincing from Wes or Ms. Porter, and there were some holdouts that really wanted their kids back home at the original time for some reason, yet somehow, it worked out; everyone was going to see the alien invasion movie. Ms. Porter had a few complaints to make about Wes’ surprise add-on to the schedule, but she was a bit more sympathetic when Wes found out how much he’d have to pay for a second bus ride on short notice—on top of buying out an entire theater for a private screening. These luxuries meant the definite end of his cash reserves.

           It was worth it for Wes. Seeing ID4 with the boys and his entire class on opening weekend helped mend his still aching heart. It had something for everyone, even if a few made fun of it more than they enjoyed it. Park, Millie, Felicity, Wright, and Delilah loved the destruction. Colin, Robby, Brian, Arthur, and Wessy soaked in the sci-fi scenes with the alien starships. Zach, Carson, and Ash liked watching Will Smith, while Jace, Jared, Celeste, and Spice enjoyed Jeff Goldblum’s nerdy wit. Tammy and Trudy were scared much of the time, Gerald didn’t like that the aliens were so mean, Ms. Porter and Lucy rooted for the humans, and December audibly pointed out scientific inaccuracies and plot problems multiple times. Two things brought everyone together: they cheered when Russell blew up the alien attack saucer, and gasped and clapped when the mothership went supernova at the end. Warren, of course, had already seen the movie with his dad.

           As the kids exited the theater and filled the lobby on the way out to their waiting parents’ cars under a dusk sky, Wes realized that this was probably the last time he’d see most of his classmates. It felt unceremonious compared to his grand goodbye in a timeline only he, Warren, Jace, and Millie remembered. Still, it wasn’t so bad, getting to watch them go off into the sunset after experiencing one of his favorite movies together. Most of them thanked him for the packed day, too—or called him a “cool dad.”

           “Man, I want a Mac laptop now,” Wessy, still amped up from the film, told his friends. “Take it to space, use it to put a virus in an alien mothership… awesome stuff.”

           Arthur replied, “Yeah, but… I’m not sure how it got past alien computer security.”

           “Like my dad says,” Colin remarked, “it’s a popcorn movie, turn your brain off.”

           “One thing’s a fact,” Ash spoke up as the group piled up by the front doors and the rest of their class left the lobby. “The Fresh Prince was lookin’ fine out in the desert.”

           “Maybe except for the cigar,” Sadie replied. “Seriously, guys, smoking is so bad.”

           “He made flying a jet through the Grand Canyon look fun, though,” Celeste said.

           “But why wouldn’t you evacuate the cities, with giant spaceships floating above them?” Millie complained. “I mean, hello, forget the death rays—they could just fall!”

           “Colin’s right. People are just stupid in movies,” Zach explained with a shrug.

           “Sure, Z.” Jared snickered. “You’d be chilling at the rooftop party welcoming the aliens to Earth, yelling up at them that you’re the ‘ambassador of cool’ or something.”

           “Well… If I didn’t know what they were planning… Yeah, you’re probably right.”

           “Wes,” Celeste audibly whispered to him, and nudged his arm. “Ask them already.”

           Wessy sighed and asked ‘Nick,’ “I know you have to… move away tomorrow, but do you really have to miss my birthday? I’m having the party a day early, during the fireworks! It’s… you know, something I do… some years… like the fireworks are for me. I’m just saying, it’d be really great if Jason and his cool cousin could come by.”

           “And add to your present pile,” Millie added with a fake cough.

           Wes hadn’t actually considered going to his own birthday party; it had never been part of the plan. But could he really leave him here, saying goodbye to Jason in a lobby just before his birthday? It could leave a lasting scar. Heck, it’d be unfair to Jace, too.

           “Um… I mean…” Wes gave his shades a nudge, which looked really out of place at the megaplex. He looked at Warren for his approval, who responded with a ‘do what you want’ shrug. “You know what? Sure. I think we can move our plans back a day.”

           Wessy smiled and exclaimed, “Great! We’re having a cookout with my mom at the side of the pond where they launch the fireworks. Get there by seven, okay? See ya!”

           “Guess we do have to get me a present now,” Wes whispered to Jace as the gang headed out. “Ah, man, what a day. Here I was ready to leave in the morning.”

           Ms. Porter, now free of guardian responsibilities and able to leave, said by the door, “I guess it’s time to go. It was nice to meet both of you. Take care… wherever you’re heading next. Jason, you were a great student. And Nick, you’re an amazing dad.”

           Blushing, Wes replied, “It feels… really great to hear that. Goodbye. Cee-Tea.”

           Taking a bus to avoid parking in the large lot by Captain Salty, Wes, Warren, and Jace arrived at what looked like the state’s biggest tailgate party. The crowds were spread among hundreds of vehicles and by the water near King Arcade to see the fireworks just starting to explode in a darkening sky. Kids scurried with sparklers in hand, kids at heart detonated their own explosives of dubious legality, and Wes reminisced one last time.

           “I came here every year with either my mom or dad, at least until college,” he told the boys. “I never cared that much for fireworks—I mean, I like my performances to have some kind of narrative—but it was still fun. And the cookout food… Mm.”

           Warren replied, “You weren’t actually vain enough to think the fireworks were for you, right? Anyway, you took us. I think the festive atmosphere was good for me.”

           “Nah, I knew they weren’t. But you can’t forget seeing Royal Valley lit up.”

           “Jason!” Wessy called out, waving with his friends over near a grill.

           “Go on, bud,” Wes said and handed Jace Wessy’s gift. “Go have some fun. Don’t worry about the time we got left. I’ll be here, chatting with Warren.”

           Jace nodded and ran off to join Wessy’s party. His mom was working on the collection of burgers over charcoal, and with the wrapped presents on the picnic table was a pre-made grocery store cake. Lucy was there, too—as was Millie at the next table over, where her rugged dad and his friends were arguing about the art of grilling.

           She came up as Jace added his gift to the pile, who said hi, “Hey, everyone. And Millie… Um, I somehow expected to see you here even less than I did at Jared’s.”

           She grinned. “Oh, I’m just here with my dad. At just the right time… and place.”

           Wessy, after high-fiving Jace, retorted, “Yeah, right. You’re still being a spy, and I saw you put a gift on the table. That means you’re officially at my party, uninvited.”

           “Guys, who cares!” Celeste butted in. “Middle school’s coming up, fresh start and all that! Millie was weird and creepy back in elementary, whatever, let it go!”

           “You weren’t there, Celly,” Colin said. “You never had to be a… subject.”

           “Everyone, look! The fireworks are getting intense,” Sadie changed the subject as colors splashed on faces and bursts went off all around. “Let’s watch ‘em a bit, okay?”

           “I wish you’d stay another month, like Vanni,” Wessy told Jace over the racket. “Well. I’m already used to having two birthdays. Guess I’ll be with my dad tomorrow…”

           “Wes… I hope you work things out with him sometime,” Jace said in earnest.

           Wessy had unwrapped all the presents by a half hour later, receiving his typical assortment of “big kid” toys like action figures and video games. It looked like the least mature of all the recent birthday piles, but that wasn’t a surprise, and he seemed content as the fireworks worked toward a climax in the twilight sky and reflected on the water.

           “Got an extra one for ya, buddy,” Colin spoke over the bursts. He and Arthur brought over a pre-used gift bag and dumped out a photo album into Wessy’s waiting arms. “Yep. We got together and made one for you, too. It’s just missing one thing.”

           With a grin, Arthur handed a camera he had brought to Wessy’s mom and added, “We’re getting one last group shot, right here and now. Jason can’t hide this time.”

           “Mom, wait until a bunch of fireworks go off, so it’s bright!” Wessy said.

           Jace, smiling nervously, squeezed in with Wessy, Colin, Arthur, Ash, Zach, Jared, Celeste, Sadie, and Lucy. Millie, at his side, then handed him a pair of big novelty glasses.

           “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “I also knew this was coming. Use ‘em to cover up.”

           Thankful for that, and as soon as another series of fireworks went off and Wes’ mom looked into the viewfinder, he put the glasses on in time to hide his true identity in any future photo albums. Even so, he was still in the shot, and wouldn’t be forgotten.

           Afterwards, Jace turned to the others and gave his parting words. “Everyone, it’s been real. And real cool. We haven’t known each other for even a full year, but it feels like we packed so much in. And, know what? There’s a chance we’ll see each other again.”

           Having said what he needed, he gave high-fives to them all, Lucy included. When it was Ash’s turn, she surprised him—and everyone else—with a second very quick and shy kiss. It was over in a flash, but the gang definitely saw it, and were left speechless.

           Except for Zach, who squeaked out, “Arty, dude… did your sister just…”

           “Jason,” Big Wes said only a few seconds later, having missed it. “Time to go.”

           After some goodbye waves, Jace left with Warren. Wes stayed a moment longer, watching fireworks and zoning out as the kids shook off the shocking cheek peck.

           “Jason’s Dad…?” Wessy, first to recover, spoke up. “Why are you so… strange?”

           “Heh…” Wes murmured, and in a bold move, took off his shades and looked at his younger self. “This is just what cool looks like at my age. You’re a cool dude, right?”

           “Um, y-yeah. But that wouldn’t mean anything without all of my friends.”

           Wes smirked. “Whatever else comes at you this decade… keep ‘em close.”

           “I’ll miss this home,” Wes said with a sigh as he, Jace, and Warren surveyed the living room of the cottage, which they had tidied up in a hurry after getting back. “It was cozy, and felt safer than The Flamingo. No Millie sneaking around, either.”

           “I heard that,” she replied as she emerged from the hallway, carrying a cardboard box full of the computer games Wes had bought over the past year. “You sure you really want to give me all these? Some of them are, like… M-rated.”

           “After what I’ve heard about your dad, I’m sure he wouldn’t care. Besides, a little downtime spent killing demons on your new PC will expand your mind, or something.”

           “Dad, do you have everything?” Warren asked him, eyeing the attaché case at his side and the packed duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Now would be a really bad time to leave anything behind. At least the place does look like we were never here.”

           “Yep,” Wes said and gave his case a rattle, shaking the iPad and pistol inside. “I had completely forgotten to find the gun and take it out of the park before we left, but after my little hospital visit, I found it back in its usual place. Guess the version of things where the park was destroyed and I had a chat with my older self never happened.”

           “Even though we all remember it,” Jace noted. “I just wonder for how long…”

           “Don’t worry, guys. As a professional record keeper, I got it all written down already,” Millie assured them. “I might also forget that final battle later on if it never really happened, but I don’t think a digital file about it will disappear. Uh, maybe?”

           “Man, I am so ready to be done thinking about time travel,” Wes groaned as Jace turned off the lights, the four stepped out into the dark, and Warren locked the doors.

           The station wagon was still in the driveway, and Wes gave it a little goodbye pat and thanked it for its service. Once the key was hidden under a potted plant for the homeowner, everyone boarded their last ride home, waiting on the street. It was Millie’s dad’s oversized pickup truck, with room to spare. Of course, she claimed the front seat.

           “Thanks for buying our car on such short notice. Mr. Vanbusen,” Wes said after scooting into a spot in the back. “I… won’t ask what you plan on doing with it.”

           Wes’ former landlord put the truck into drive and replied with a grunt, “And I won’t ask where you’re going. Gotta leave town, start a new life. I know what it’s like.”

           “Right…” Wes huffed. “I actually have a gun I want to get rid of too, if, uh…”

           “Don’t you worry about that. I can make sure you never see it again.”

           The truck pulled up to the apartment block where Wes lived in another timeline at about ten at night, when Royal Valley was quieting down for the evening. Millie’s dad scanned the place with his one good eye and let out a judgmental grumble.

           “Doing some back alley dealings before ya skip town? Be careful out here.”

           “I’m just grabbing some things and meeting the friend taking us to the airport,” Wes replied. “So, thanks for the ride. Sorry again about the damage at my old place.”

           “Ah, I see. That kind of friend. Hope you don’t have trouble at the airport—those guys are good at sniffing out forged identification. Call me if you need bailing out.”

           “Dad, stop pretending you’re all shady and mysterious!” Millie blurted with an eye roll. “I swear, half the stuff he says is crazy-talk. Anyway, I’m going in for a minute with them. Don’t drive off without me! That was only funny the first five times.”

           That request got a chuckle from Mr. Vanbusen, the second-to-last “past person” Wes would talk to on his long nostalgia trip. Sometimes, final farewells were small and among strange bedfellows. But it wasn’t until just now did a goodbye actually feel real.

           “Strangest thing…” Wes murmured at his old door. “I couldn’t find the key to this place that I brought. I probably just misplaced it, but I guess there is a chance time caught up with it and I no longer ever had it, or whatever. Well, anyway…”

           Seeing that he was about to brutalize the doorknob with a screwdriver, Warren stopped him and held up a gloved hand from his ninja outfit, the small door-unlocker magnet still embedded in its palm. “How about we do this a little more elegantly, okay?”

           “I’m gonna kind of miss your ninja thing, too,” Wes replied as the lock clicked.

           Once inside, the four of them went to the kitchen where the infamous red pantry waited. After Wes stuck his hand in to make sure it still worked, a question struck Jace.

           He asked, “What about the quartz? They’re too dangerous to just leave behind.”

           “I’ve given it a lot of thought,” Warren said, and adjusted his blue crystal. “They have too much power… But still, for now, let’s hide them away. We can’t be 100% sure what kind of world’s on the other side, so we should keep them around. For emergencies.”

           “Got it. I’ll treat mine like a nuclear option,” Wes replied. After Warren activated his go-home portal, he added, “So, you’re going to 2026, when you’re sixteen… Right?”

           Instead of reaffirming the plan, Warren suddenly turned around and, feeling a wave of emotion, gave his dad a bear hug and replied, “Thank you. For choosing us.”

           “Hey… you’ll see me again in a few minutes. And same for me—except you’ll still be ten. Thank you for everything you did for me, and put up with along the way.”

           “Hey, cuz,” Jace continued, with a lighter tone. “Halloween is on a Saturday in 2020! So get ready to be hit by some awesome memories of it when you step through!”

           Warren dried his eyes and smiled. “Heh. You know it. Well… Bye, guys. Bye.”

           Without further hesitation, he went through the time portal and, at last, returned home. Or at least to a home, owned by whoever now lived here in thirty years.

           “Hope he doesn’t have any trouble with the locals,” Jace said, upon realizing this.

           “He’ll be fine. They can’t be as bad as the couple we met.” He turned to Millie, looking chill. “Mill, you were amazing. And sorry you have to still keep an eye on us.”

           She shrugged. “Eh, it’s kind of a hobby of mine anyway.” She and Jace shared one final fist bump, and she added with a wry little grin, “So… July 24^th, 2020 is when I get to ‘wake up’ and talk to ya guys about all this again. Geez, that sounds far away.”

           Now Wes shrugged. “I mean, I’m not sure how long we’ll remember any of it.” He pivoted to the door and breathed. “Anyway… Goodbye, Millie. And 1996.”

           “See ya way later,” were the last words the uncle and nephew heard from the past, as they closed their eyes and took a few steps forward and through the red door.

           Without any physical effects, morning light suddenly touched their closed eyelids. They opened them up, and while Jace knew this room from his prior brief stint in 2020, it was new to Wes—except, maybe, for a few memory flashes back in the chaos void.

           “Is… is this my kitchen?” Wes exhaled, looking around as he put his attaché case and duffle bag on the counter. “You were here before, right? Did… did we make it?”

           Jace took out his iPhone, which had already synced up to the current time, and replied as he opened a browser, “Okay, 6:55 in the morning… Um, let me check some things real quick… Ash is… a veterinarian in LA! Good… Now for… Uh. Oh, right.”

           “Jace? The pantry door is still red,” Wes said once he noticed. “D-do you think that means anything? Should it disappear? Does it take time? Or am I still in a… loop?”

           “One thing at a time, Wes. Come on… work you stupid fingers!” Jace said as his trembling tappers made repeated mistakes. “Willa Meeks… Cat breeder, Sacramento, married—with twin babies! Okay, Wright, don’t let me down… Wright Brody is a… He’s a claims adjuster in Las Vegas! Not sure what that is, but he has both eyes!”

           “Means he works in insurance. Well, as long as he isn’t gambling on the side.”

           “And December… Wow! She’s still running for mayor! The city paper put up an article just yesterday that says she’s… ‘maintaining a lead in the polls.’ Wes! I did it—I managed to help everyone! Even you!” Jace exclaimed happily, and quite loudly.

           “That’s great, bud. I’m happy for you. But let’s not wake up everyone just yet—”

           “Jace?” a meek voice spoke up from nearby in the house. “Is that you?”

           “O-oh yeah,” Jace murmured. “I forgot. Sally’s already up early… for cartoons.”

           “… Sally?” Wes felt his heart flutter as he stepped out of the kitchen with Jace.

           She was in the nearby dining room, looking puzzled and holding a teddy bear. But as soon as she saw her dad, she beamed and came running up for an early morning hug, entirely unaware of everything he and her cousin had just been through together.

           “Daddy, you’re home! Mommy said you had to work all night again.” She then looked at his slinged arm and shifted into concern. “What happened? Did you get hurt?”

           “Just a work-related…” He looked at Jace, who had been tapping at his shoulder. A site for a game company called RV Indie was on his phone. When he saw a buddies-pic of himself and Jared, he continued, “Programming injury! Nothing to worry about!”

           He scooped her up, and no sooner was he standing with her on his good arm than Jace got his attention again, this time by tugging his shirt. He pointed at the pantry door, which had, at some point in the last few seconds, become normal and plain white.

           “Well…” he whispered to Jace. “I think that settles it.”

           They heard approaching footsteps, and looked toward the hallway by the front door to see Sadie and a younger Warren sleepily emerge, either awoken by all the commotion or used to Sally’s sleep patterns and cartoons at dawn routine.

           “I guess Dad’s back,” Warren muttered tiredly with a yawn and rubbed his eyes.

           “Honey, what are you doing with Jace so early?” Sadie added—and was surprised by a sudden hug from Wes. “Oh, development breakthrough during your all-nighter?”

           Jace went over to Warren, smiled at his aunt and Sally who was happily squished in the middle, and came up with an excuse. “He just took me out for morning donuts.”

           Wes replied as memories flooded in, “That’s right. I wanted to celebrate my recent progress. I’d take Warren, but he’s not an early riser,” he added, earning him an eye-roll. “Know what? I think I’ll stay home this weekend. Let’s make it a nice one… Together.”

           “Hm…” Wes leaned back in his office chair and stared at his monitor, filled with a text file for game dialogue. “Gah… I hate writing goodbyes. They either get saccharine or melodramatic.” He eyed his desk’s framed photo, showing the old gang outside of King Arcade. The kid on the edge, his eyes obscured by patriotic eyewear, always knew the right words. “Jason… How would you make this character say a farewell to friends?”

           He closed his eyes to think for a moment, then smiled and typed out the words that would appear in an NPC text box in their upcoming game with a pixel art style.

           “Don’t get hung up on saying the right thing. Goodbyes are too final!” he said to himself, as he often did whenever he wrote dialogue. “There’s always a chance we’ll see each other again. Yeah, that’s not bad,” Wes sighed. He swiveled to face his corner office window, the late afternoon sun dropping past Royal Valley’s other towers. “Still waiting for that chance, Jason. But, ya know… my nephew’s starting to remind me of you.”

           His smart watch pinged with a schedule notification for 4:00 PM. It was fine; he felt fulfilled for today. He got up, locked his desktop, and grabbed his jacket from the wall rack. As he put it on, he looked at the high-tech wall safe and pondered its contents, as he also often did. He was curious about what he had put in there and forgotten, but at the same time, had hesitations on finding out. After all, etched into the safe’s metal were the universally ominous words, “ONLY OPEN IN CASE OF EMERGENCY”.

           After he shrugged off the call of the void again, he left his office and started the trek to his company’s doors. He went by all the open work spaces on the way, the vast majority of the chairs empty since only about a dozen employees had come in today.

           “Thanks for working on Halloween Saturday, guys. Gotta take the kids to King Arcade. Leave when you want, and I’ll see ya on Monday for some more crunch time.”

           “Oh, Wes, one question, really quick!” piped one of the studio’s regular voices.

           He stopped at Brian’s desk, his hair as long as always. His five monitors were full of work material, with the current file he was working on being a character sprite sheet. For reference, his rightmost monitor held the concept illustrations for an edgy loner guy.

           “I just finished his basic animations, but I’m not sure where we can put your ‘Zeff’ character in the game. I mean… it’s a slice-of-life title. Where does a ‘badass rogue’ fit?”

           “No worries, B,” Wes tried to reassure him with a shoulder pat. He added as he headed out, “We’ll find him a place. Our storylines always come together in the end.”

           Coincidentally, Jace had also looked at the very same photograph at his mom’s house, on the last page of one of her many albums. He wasn’t unfamiliar with going through the old 4 x 6 prints; he did like to see all of the adults’ old friends as youngsters. But he had always wondered, who was that kid that only showed up in a single picture?

           “Jace!” his mom snapped him out of his gazing. “Your uncle will be here any minute, and the park only gives kids a discount if they’re dressed up. Go get changed!”

           Chad, meandering impatiently in the living room in his werewolf getup with the rest of the gang, muttered, “Man, this no masks rule sucks. I don’t look scary without my angry wolf face! I just look like some… like, amateur furry or something.”

           Austin came up in his killer doll Chucky costume and explained to Lucy, “I think Jace still has the ‘summer’s-over and middle school’s-tough’ blues, Ms. Elaine.”

           “Aw, honey, is that true?” Lucy asked him. “Is it because you still feel like you can’t remember something exciting or big that happened over summer?”

           Jace grumbled. “It’s just so weird. It feels like me and Uncle Wes did… something really special one weekend, but it’s too fuzzy to remember. But, it’s okay, I guess. The rest of summer was pretty good. Um… where’s my costume again?”

           Before his mom could tell him again, a young hyperactive freckled boy came charging out of the nearby hallway and towards the kitchen for a snack, while flailing a big block foam diamond sword around and shouting, “Look at me! I’m a Minecraft!”

           Zombie Jamie and ‘Trendy Influencer’ Toby each rolled their eyes, with Toby remarking as he tapped away at his phone, “Little dude’s got no chill, bruh…”

           “Marco! That’s not a costume yet!” Celeste chased after him. The boy being too much for even her, she took a needed breather, letting the pigtails she had sported ever since she was a kid herself dangle past her shoulders. “I didn’t spend fifty bucks on ‘Mine Man’ just for the sword. Oh, Jace—I think your outfit’s still hanging in the bathroom.”

           He got up to change, but was waylaid by more guests emerging from the hall: Emiko the butterfly, and Laurie the “Goth Elsa”. Her blue dress was authentic Disney and pricy, but her running mascara and black wig were personal and esoteric decisions.

           “Oh, Emiko, your shimmering violet wings are lovely,” Lucy complimented her. “And… Laurie, um… Is Elsa just going through a rebellious phase, or is she… sad?”

           She replied precociously, “It’s a commentary on capitalism and artistic vision.”

           “Y-yes, of course it is. Did you finish helping Hazel with her costume?”

           Emiko said cheerfully, “Sure did! Her ‘Psycho Clown Lady’ costume is very cool.”

           “Psycho Clown… Oh.” Lucy said as she and everyone else watched Hazel enter the room, dressed as a familiar pop culture character. “How… nice. Did her mom approve?”

           “Harley Quinn, seriously?” Chad scoffed. “Must be a Los Angeles kid thing.”

           “I think… she looks pretty good,” Jamie bashfully gave his opinion.

           Hazel gave her small glasses a poke and smiled. “Thanks, Jamie!”

           The social gathering kept growing as Jared came in through the backdoor—along with Hazel’s mom Ash, who’d been catching up with him in the backyard over a couple beers. Like Arthur, she now also wore contacts. Marco ran past them with a fruit snack pouch in hand and more yelling, while Celeste followed behind at a more mature pace.

           “Ash, can you believe that Jared and Mira are about to have one of these beasts?” Celeste asked her. She was handed the last few drops in Ash’s bottle, and after downing them, added, “He’s just… too much. Jace, buddy, you’re running out of time to change.”

           “I’m trying, believe me,” he sighed amid the friendly chaos in his living room.

           “Hazel was a firecracker at that age, too,” Ash replied with a laugh. “But at least she’s doing better on the long rides up here. As long as I fill up the iPad with cartoons.”

           “Looks like Wes and Millie are pulling in,” Jared reported from near a window.

           “Hey, Hazel,” Jamie tried to start a chat. “You started fifth grade down in LA, right? I already miss those days. Middle school’s hard. But I think we’ll get through it.”

           She replied, “Uh-huh. Some kid just tried to make a secret club at recess, but no one showed up. Not even the kid who started it! It was kinda funny but also sad, and…”

           Wes, Sadie, Warren, and Sally all stepped through the front door before Hazel could expand on her story, looking ready to go. Sally’s outfit got some immediate laughs.

           “Oh, wow, Sally!” Lucy tried to stifle a chuckle. “What are you supposed to be?”

           Pouting, she blushed and kept quiet, so her dad had to explain, “She couldn’t decide, so I turned her into an avocado toast. You like it? Jace, you’re not ready?!”

           As Jace grumbled more, Warren came over to show off his Time Ninja outfit and boast. “Check it out! It’s official Galaxy Kingdom merch. It’s, like, almost cosplay quality!”

           Jace studied his costume. It was very nice. He stared and stared, as if pondering it.

           Until he finally exclaimed, “You look pretty cool in that, cuz!”

           “Whoa, the Hub’s still a PokéStop,” Jamie said in the back of Millie’s car, where he was sitting with Laurie and Jace. He examined the map of the area on his phone and added, “There’s a lot of unique Pokémon here, too. How do they do that with a place you gotta pay to get into? They must have a deal with Nintendo or something.”

           “What even made you open that old app, anyway?” Laurie wondered. “I thought we were done with our Go days. I already caught all the guys I wanted, anyway.”

           Jamie pocketed his phone into his zombie pants and replied, “Toby was playing around on the app earlier, and he’s been talking about getting the new main games that came out last year, so… I dunno,” he shrugged, “maybe it’s like he says; things come and go, but sometimes one of us brings it back again, and suddenly we’re all doing it.”

           “Sure… but that series is such a time sink,” Laurie sighed with crossed arms.

           “Listen to these kids, talking about Pokémon like it’s some hip new thing,” Sadie said with a laugh from the passenger seat. “In my day, we had 151 one of ‘em and had to trade and battle with a clunky cable through our small, unlit screens—and we liked it.”

           Millie came to a stop in traffic and looked out to see a familiar candidate’s face plastered on the side of a bus shelter. Nervously tapping at her steering wheel, she asked the back, “Speaking of the ancient past, did you guys know that we went to school with December Helvetica? Who might actually become our next mayor in a few days? Crazy, right?” After she got a few mumbled ‘uh-huh’s in response, she shifted her attention. “Jace, did your mom, or aunt and uncle ever tell you about The Dump? Or the time the city had a big blackout? Or how much Wes wanted to get into this toy contest thing?”

           “I… I don’t remember,” he responded timidly. “Maybe? I might’ve forgotten.”

           Sadie chuckled. “Millie, that stuff was big for us, but I doubt they would care.”

           “Right… All things do pass into the night…” Millie murmured and hit the gas.

           They arrived at the packed King Arcade parking lot at around sunset, and Millie stopped at the drop off area behind Wes’ car, which Jared was taking back. Ahead of them was Ash’s minivan, transporting the rest of Jace’s gang plus Hazel, Celeste, and her rambunctious sprout. The kids got out with Sadie, who leaned into the open window.

           “Thanks for the ride. The park closes at nine during ‘Scaretastic Nights’, so…”

           “Yep, I’ll get you then. Have fun in there.” She rolled up the window and took a deep breath before shifting back into drive. “Okay… let’s get this over with.”

           Though it doesn’t happen until the end of this story, our narrative viewpoint unexpectedly follows Millie as she drives out to another parking lot. She arrives a little after the sun goes down, during the one season of the year where the field of cracked asphalt isn’t entirely empty. This place was once home to a famous toy store.

           She pulled up to a familiar red Lambo near the back of the lot where no one else had parked, and stepped out to see Charlie Pippin leaning on it, a hand in one pocket and a vape pen in the other, trying to look cool and indifferent as always.

           He took a puff and gave Millie a sly grin as she stepped out of her car, telling her, “Funny how a store called Spirit Halloween resurrects a corpse for a month or so each year. Ya know, Toys ‘R’ Us does still exist in Canada, if Wes is so desperate to visit one.”

           “Sure,” Millie replied coldly. “But don’t go reminding him.”

           “Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. ‘Stay away from Wes.’ You’ve been telling me that since middle school. And you still insist we meet once a year to talk about things for the ‘sake of temporal stability’ or whatever. I swear, I got no interest in getting him involved in anything André might be cooking up in a couple decades. He had to go through a lot to learn his lesson. Doesn’t mean I have yet. Speakin’ of Wes…” he leaned in, “it’s 2020 and we’ve caught up with his ‘spiritual journey’ self. We good? Did they forget it all?”

           “Yes. When their memories started fading back in August, we did what we had planned, making two ‘keys.’ He has the quartz in a safe place, and I have the instructions on how to use them and the external backups of their iPad and phones, with every note they made or picture they took related to the past. And the devices are wiped clean of that stuff, like their minds. The two are just living their normal lives. Happy… for now.”

           “Hm, so, I s’pose the big philosophical question is, did any of it matter? I mean, did he change on some deeper level? Sure, they got you around now, but is that enough, or are we still in a loop? Look, I don’t even care all that much. I’m already over a century old my time, and got no problem sending my mind back for a second stab at it. Still…”

           “Like I always say, I don’t know. I can’t compare Weses since I never saw his two previous timelines. I can only say that he seems to be doing fine for now, and watching and waiting is the best I can do. But you should really not seek out André again.”

           “I’ll do what I want. Nice chat, Mill. See ya in a year, go back to your boring life.”

           She frowned, but returned to her car without a word; it wasn’t like he was wrong.

           Alone, Millie returned to her apartment, parked in the underground garage, and used her card to get up to the tenth floor. With a modest supplemental income from her market “predictions,” her place wasn’t bad for a mid-thirties bachelorette with friends—though none of which she considered close. Her modern, quiet unit seldom had visitors.

           With a couple hours to kill until costumed kids would need help getting home, she settled in, made a microwaveable meal, and once more briefly lamented the fact that this place didn’t allow pets. She couldn’t even find some companionship with a fur baby.

           She swapped out her contacts for glasses and fetched her nuked dinner. With soup and bread, she went to her iMac and had Spotify play some 90s music through its speakers as she logged into a dating website to see zero bites—no surprise there. In a different box, her dad’s text from yesterday was still the most recent. He kept things short and to the point. “Doing okay?” he had asked for his weekly check-in. “Yep, fine,” she had answered. His reply: “Good. Cloudy up here today. Talk again soon.”

           She opened the novel she had been writing for the past couple years, “Dead in Desert Tree: A Royal Valley Murder.” But only ended up staring at a blinking cursor for a minute before closing it. She switched to a true crime podcast and a different file that contained information for everyone in her fifth-grade class, and anyone else who may have had paths deviated by Wes and Jace’s presence. Under Wright’s entry, that went into his time with Willa that lasted a week and him being upset about the dare money for the following year, were several lengthy pages detailing Wessy and Wes’ significant events. She amended them with: “Temporal amnesia. Back to normal, but remain close.”

           With her big job now less vital, she leaned back and muttered, “… Now what?”

           Something in the universe seemed to be listening, because at that instant, a large black time tear suddenly and inexplicably opened up near her desk. It just floated there, neither frightening nor tempting. It simply was, and she somehow accepted its presence.

           Whoever was on the other side made the first move, and a small piece of metal the size of a business card was tossed through it, landing on her blue rug. She cautiously picked it up and read the debossed words, “Feel like an adventure?” It was unsigned.

           She didn’t have to consider it for long. She missed the excitement of time travel-related plans, the sense of purpose. It didn’t much matter what awaited beyond the tear.

           “Sorry, guys…” she said aloud, to make it feel official. “I might be a little late.”

           Back at King Arcade, spooky boos and ghouls ran about under a twilight sky amid the lights and sounds of park rides being operated and ridden past their regular hours. Jace, Warren, and the rest of the gang followed behind Sadie and Wes—who had an already-tired oversized avocado toast on his shoulders. Celeste, carrying her kid that had suddenly run out of energy entirely, was at the rear of the noisy crew with Ash. Her daughter Hazel was perhaps enjoying herself the most, and she took in everything.

           “What do you think, kiddo?” Celeste asked her. “Does it beat Disneyland?”

           “It’s so cool!” Hazel exclaimed. “I can’t believe you got to visit every day!”

           Ash laughed. “Definitely not every day, Hazy. But, yeah, we liked it, too, and made a lot of good memories here. Maybe next time your uncle’s in town, we’ll visit again.”

           Sadie looked back at Warren and his cousin as they walked, and asked her happily chatting nephew, “Jace, I forgot to ask. Who, or what, are you supposed to be, anyway?”

           “I think he’s dressed up as some ‘cool retro kid’ or something,” Laurie guessed.

           Jace looked at his clothes and shoes. “It was all buried in the back of my closet. I showed Wes, and he made it a costume. I found a weird finger puppet in a pocket, too.”

           “Isn’t it crazy how good a condition it’s all in?” Lucy added. “A previous owner must’ve left all that stuff behind, and we didn’t notice until recently. Brings you back, doesn’t it? Jace looks like a kid out of time… Wes, what’d you name this get-up again?”

           He smiled and explained, “For our new game—set in a quiet town in 1996—we challenged ourselves by developing the story, mechanics, and list of side characters first. Only towards the end did we create the protagonist to drop into the world. The designs aren’t done quite yet, but I think we’re going to model him off of how Jace looks right now. Well, if the player chooses the boy character, at least.” Wes stopped upon reaching the Galaxy Hub and Ferris wheel plaza, where he gazed out at memories and thought about time gone by before finishing, “The character… is called ‘The 90’s Kid.’ With the ‘90s’ being a possessive. As if he belongs to the decade, or the decade produced him.”

           “Huh.” Warren grinned. “So… I guess that means we’re both from a video game.”

           With his friends snickering at his side, Jace replied, “We do usually go together.”

           Sadie held Wes’ hand as the crowds went by in an old, familiar, colorful place and wondered, “Wes, you still right here? You have that faraway look in your eye again.”

           With Sally watching the wheel turn from his shoulders, he answered, “Always.”

And...                         

                         The future changed.