A HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE

Chapter2

The engraved date at the base seemed to glimmer gently in the candle’s glow.

“I don’t trust it,” Nova murmured. “It feels... off.”

Enid shrugged. “Or it might just seem magical. Who can say? Imagine if it could reveal more than directions. Picture it if it could navigate to the past or the future.”

Nova felt a chill at her suggestion. She had no idea how close it was to reality. But with the music rising once more in the ballroom behind them, an unsettling feeling gnawed at her. Her father was nowhere to be seen, Damian’s eyes were fixed on her intensely.

There was something very wrong about this evening.

…………………

The small bronze clock felt weighty in Nova's hand. She clutched it close, concealing it within the folds of her gown. Enid had insisted she keep it, threatening to stop speaking to Nova if she didn't. Nova sighed but held onto it nevertheless. It instilled a strange sense of responsibility in her, as if the object was truly hers.

"Stop worrying," Enid whispered with a smile. "It's just a trinket."

Damian observed from across the ballroom with his ever-patient gaze. There was something he wanted from her. Nova tightened her grip on the clock to keep it hidden from him. The music surged. People danced. Everything appeared unchanged until the doors burst open.

Masked men stormed in swiftly and without pity. Screams abruptly silenced the music. Chairs were overturned. Wine was spilled, spreading across the marble floor.

Run!someone yelled.

Enid seized Nova's arm. "We need to get out of here!"

Nova attempted to move, but the crowd pushed her back. A guard in front of her suddenly collapsed, a hole in his chest. He fell against her, knocking the breath out of her. She stumbled and ended up on the ground beneath his weight. The captain yelled and swung his sword, trying to defend their position, but more attackers rushed in.

“Enid!” Nova called out as she tried to get up. The fallen guard trapped her legs. She pressed with both hands, her fingers digging into his armor. For a moment, she feared she couldn’t budge him. The air was thick with sweat, fear, and smoke.

Nearby, Enid was crying for help. Nova could hear her frightened voice cutting through the noise. Two masked men had grabbed Enid and were dragging her toward the doors. Enid kicked and fought back, shouting, “Let me go! Let me go!”

Nova discovered a strength she didn’t know she possessed. She pushed against the fallen guard, managing to free her legs as he rolled away with a grunt. Gathering herself, Nova stumbled toward Enid.

“Stop!” she yelled as she reached for her friend.

One of the masked men noticed her movement and stepped in between them. He was tall and moved deliberately, almost like he wanted Nova to see his face beneath the mask. He glanced at Enid before looking back at Nova, and a sort of smirk came across his voice.

“Pretty thing,” he said loudly enough for Nova to hear every word. “Look how round she is soft and slow not like your friend here; she's slim and quick. No one wants that kind by a lord’s side.”

Enid’s eyes were wide with fear as she tried to shout, “Don’t!”

Nova felt those words cut deep like a knife… they hurt worse than any blade ever could.

Every day, she felt a deep dislike for her body, its weight, the way it held her back, and how people commented on it. When someone made a remark about her while Enid was being pulled away, it ignited a fiery anger within her.

She lunged forward, reaching out to grab Enid's arm. But another masked man seized Nova from behind and shoved her hard enough that she stumbled. A soft gasp escaped her as the air rushed out of her lungs.

"Stay out of this, fat girl," he sneered. "No one wants a heavy heart here."

Shame and fury swirled in Nova's mind. Around her, chaos erupted… people were running, crying, hitting each other. For an instant, all she could think about was rescuing Enid. She reached out again.

Suddenly, a blade glinted in the light quickly and sharply. Pain surged through her stomach like fire. She gasped and bent over as her hands flew to the injury, feeling the warmth of blood seeping beneath her palms. The world around her narrowed to just sounds.. Enid’s scream, the c***k of wood and armor, and the distant shout of her captain.

Her fingers instinctively clenched around the clock at her side, the one she had kept hidden so no one would take it from her. Now they trembled above it as blood dripped from them onto its cracked glass face.

As soon as the drop touched the clock, it reacted, the face burst into light. The tiny hands whirled faster and faster, their ticking growing louder than the screams, louder than the music, louder than the flames licking at the drapes.

Everything around Nova began to fade. The masks, the smoke, Enid’s cries, Damian’s shocked expression all stretched away like a tablecloth being pulled off a table. The pain in her stomach loosened and eventually vanished but was replaced by something new…. The clock's warmth pressed against her hand, accompanied by a bright sensation in her chest.

The last thing she saw before everything faded to black was Enid's face, twisted in distress and being pulled away by the men. Enid’s lips moved as if she were calling out for Nova.

Then light enveloped her.

When Nova opened her eyes again, she found herself on a narrow bed in a small room with a low wooden ceiling. The air was filled with the scent of straw and dust. Her hands appeared smaller, and she wore a simple, rough dress instead of the silver gown from before. The clock rested on the straw beside her, its glass cracked.