Repeat and Retribution

Chapter 43

“It was just one kiss.” Tears were still trickling down her face, as she was still trying to make sense of all that was happening.

Crystal wasn’t really able to accept the fact that everything went back to how it was all because of that sweet and special kiss from the young Clyde.

Still sitting at the table inside the woman’s old house, she was left there with the so called spirit lady, continuing to contemplate about all the things that had happened while waiting for Brittany to come out of the bathroom.

Miss Maria made a deep sigh after taking a sip from her tea. Her eyes seemed saddened yet she had this straight laced face as she turned to her.

“One kiss, one touch, one word, it doesn’t really matter. What’s important to us is the outcome, and what you did, even if it was that simple leads to the same and current situation you are now, so there wasn’t really any point to continue with the change of path that you wished for, since you yourself broke it already,” she explains.

“But…”

“But you’re thinking you wouldn't make the same mistakes, you would do better, is what you thought. Child, did you really think it would be that simple. If that was so, then we would have been able to avoid a lot of mishaps within the world. But alas, no matter how much we change, how much effort we do, not everything will always happen as we plan and want, for we are not the only one’s with free will in this world of ours,” she cuts her off with that line.

Yet Crystal could still not make sense of it. Seeing as it was truly a possibility, specially after she had manage to change so many things.

“But then, if that’s the case, how can you say that I’ll just end up the same way?” she argued since there was a part in the woman’s words that doesn’t seem to add up.

Miss Maria let out a smile that almost made her eyes close. “That’s quite easy. Because there are other people out there that does not align with what you want. Let’s set that beloved man of yours as an example. Do you think you’d be able to have the future you want with him, if he has set his mind on a future that is a lot different than yours?” she asks with a challenging tone.

“But he was…”

“Starting to fall in love with you?” Miss Maria cuts her off by completing her words, it was like the woman could actually read her mind. Though she thought that it wasn’t really impossible after all that they’ve been through. “Child, we both know that to not be true, you yourself should understand it by now,” she says in a somewhat reassuring manner though she had one brow raised.

Crystal ended up sarcastically. “I wasted it, I wasted everything all over again,” Burying her face in her palms as once again the gravity of it all was starting to dawn on her.

Miss Maria let out another deep sigh. “And it will keep on repeating if you don’t learn from it child. Maybe it is finally time to change your priorities and perspectives in life, it is still not too late you know, as long as one lives nothing is really too late.” she says in a much more livelier tone.

Though her words were comforting Crystal could not help but weep because of the lost second chance that she had. It was now starting to haunt her as the four years that she had been trying to change all went for naught.

Miss Maria ended up giving her pat on the back to at least calm her down, it took almost a few minutes before she was truly able to get to her senses again.

Crystal immediately wiped her face and fixed herself as they heard the flushing on the bathroom. She knew that her best friend would just end up worried once she sees her like that.

“Girl, I think it’s time for us to go,” Brittany stated as she had seemed to have manage to finish her business.

Looking clean and fresh again she walks towards her with a look on her face seeing as she still wasn’t ready to leave.

“I...I…” there was a part of her that didn’t really know what to do at that time, remembering that the person with them wasn’t really human at all.

“I think that would also be for the best,” Miss Maria smiled sweetly at her sensing her worry.

“Is it really all right, you’re just going to let us leave like this?” she couldn't help but blurt out as she was somewhat confused, since they were actually invited there and they did eat a few of the rice cake and tea that she had served.

“Of course, did you think I’d keep you here? Heavens no, we’re not like those guys,” she laughs, understanding the reason behind Crystal’s anxiety.

“I think she’s mistaken you for some other kind of entity,” Brittany snorts as she too realized why her friend was being like that.

“That usually happens a lot of the time,” Miss Maria laughed along with her friend, seeming quite entertained because of it.

Crystal ended up with a half smile. “Tha...thank you for letting us stay for the day,” she just says since she noticed that it was already two in the afternoon.

Miss Maria’s sweet smile widen as she turned to her. “It was my pleasure, Its really been a long time since I actually had some visitor here, it’s like people suddenly forgot about us, even the children rarely remember,” she sighed, a bit sad because of that reality.

Seeing as the woman looked really normal besides being really pretty, she was nothing like how the stories and myths said she would be. There were no shining hair, butterfly wings or even glittering, shimmering clothing.

“Maybe you should show yourself more often, instead of hiding,” Brittany could not help but comment.

It was true that if a lot of people would see them more often, it would really be impossible to actually not know or believe in them again.

Miss Maria let out a giggle. “Who ever said we were hiding. We’ve always been in the same place, it’s just that a lot of you decided to disregard us and consider us as nothing more than stories, myths or just an old and dying belief,” she seemed quite amused with the idea.

Brittany ended up biting her lower lip. “Well, can you blame us for wanting to always try to find logic and meaning in things, even I’m still having a hard time believing this,” she admits as she was still trying to comprehend all of the things that happened to them.

Miss Maria ended up smiling because of that. “Of course, as a lot of your kind say, seeing is believing right,” she tilts her head in a sort of playful manner.

Brittany ended up nodding, not wanting to cause any more problems, Crystal decided to finally stand up from the table as her friend seemed to really want to leave already.

“Will be going now Miss Makiling, thank you for everything,” She gives the lady a bow as she moves.

Miss Maria escorted them up to the door, giving her a calming and consoling pat on her back as they walked.

“Stay safe and don’t be too hard on yourself child, you are not entirely at fault for what happened to your future, remember that,” she states as they were going out of the door.

“You are very right with that miss Makiling,” Brittany added with a wide smile, agreeing with what the woman said.

“I hope you can visit again some other time,” Miss Maria waves as they began descending down that stairs.

“As long as we can find you again, we will,” Brittany happily answers while waving her farewell.

“I’m always here, you just have to believe,” she giggled.

“Thank you again,” Crystal wave back before getting inside their car.

The woman remained smiling and standing at the door of her house waving happily at them. They waved back one final time before Brittany drove off.

Crystal let out a heavy sigh as she looked at the rear view mirror and started to notice a fog covering the place where they came from, it didn’t take a while until the whole pathway and house seem to disappear, like it was never there.

“That was quite the experience, right Crys, I mean can you believe we actually met a fair, an actual live fairy! I mean, that’s like not even a once in a lifetime thing, it’s like a miracle sort of thing,” Brittany seemed quite happy and amazed because of all of it.

“Yes, it was,” Crystal said in a monotone.

She could not help the weight in her heart as she knew she messed up big time, again. The so called miracle that she had was now nothing but dust, all because she was stupid enough to give in and fall for Clyde all over again.

Hearing the sadness and deepness of her voice, Brittany glances at her for a moment, letting out a deep breath seeing the sadness in her eyes.

“We’ll, don’t feel too bad Crys. Look at it this way, though we weren’t able to change our future, at least we got a four year vacation because of that. Now, I sort of feel very pumped and refreshed, like I need to do more! That whole experience gave me a whole new perspective now,” Brittany says cheerfully, trying to liven things up for her.

Crystal ended up nodding. “Yeah, a whole new perspective, maybe that’s what I also need,” she says thinking hard and long about what miss Maria said to her.

“Hey, you know what else is good?” Brittany said with a wide grin.

“What?” That managed to put a smile on her face.

“You managed to learn a whole lot more during that time travel that we did. And since you seem quite well refreshed from our so called college years that time, add your current title and job experience now, why not take that job interview with that company I told you about, it’s not a bad deal for a fresh new start, right! Since you are planning on a new perspective,” Her best friend stated.

Crystal remained quiet for a few moment as she was quite much more confident now, with all the things that she did manage to learn, things she also were able to do. Being reminded about all those things somewhat gave her a bit of strength. Along with the part that now, in that current time, she had all the reason to be angry at Clyde and Dana again.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right, maybe I should take that job interview,” she smirks as an idea was suddenly brewing inside her mind.

If she was having second thoughts of getting back at the young Clyde for being innocent and different. Now she had no reason to extract revenge because those two people were the cause of her broken life all over again.