To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure why I'm crying. It happens too much for me to care.

I also have no idea how long I've been on the floor, sobbing into my knees, when someone tentatively knocks on my door. "What?" I snap, expecting Emily or Leo.

"Callie? It's Mark. If you wanna be left alone, that's fine-"

"Come in," I say, cutting him off.

The first thing I notice is that he has the notebook, and it's flipped to the back page. He kneels next to me. "I noticed something, and I thought it was, um...what's that?"

He's pointing at Amacus.

"Is that, like-" he starts, but I interrupt.

"He is a person. From Tura. He is Turamese." My cheeks grow hot.

In all honesty, I think he and I were a little more than friends, if only for a few days. I don't know. The most we did was eat brownies together and practice fighting. He's also kissed me twice.

The first time, I was attacked, and I've still got the scar.

The other time James walked in, and Amacus almost got attacked by him.

My blush doesn't go unnoticed. Mark raises his eyebrows. "Just a person?"

I nod. "A friend. Of mine."

"Why're you blushing, then?"

Gods-flipping-dammit. "That is personal." I reach for the notebook, but Mark holds it out of reach.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Mark asks.

"He's a boy and he is a friend. Give me the notebook."

"Do you have love letters to him in here?"

"No! Give it!" I stand up and step on tip-toes, but Mark holds it high and climbs onto my bed.

He flips it open to a random page. "Dear Amacus," he says. "I love you sooooooooo much..."

"Mark, what the hell are you doing?"

Mark drops the notebook on the bed and sits next to it. "Nothing," he mumbles. "Callie let me look, that's all."

"I did, Emily," I say. Emily doesn't stop glaring at her son.

"We've had a very bad day, and you're acting extremely immature!" Emily snaps.

"I let him read it," I say dourly. "He was making me laugh."

"Give it back to her," Emily says. Mark hands the notebook to me, which I tuck under my arm. "Callie, may I have a word?"

Mark hops off the bed, rolls his eyes at me, and leaves.

"What?" I say quietly.

"I heard you," Emily says, "talking to Mark."

"Did Leo hear?" I ask.

"Why don't you trust us?"

"Did Leo hear?" I repeat.

"He's not here."

"Good."

"Why don't you trust him?"

"He went through my stuff."

"When?"

"He read my notebook."

"Did he tell you that?"

"Mark did."

"How did Mark find out?"

"He overheard."

Emily sighs. "Why did you tell Mark all that?"

"All what?"

"Oh, come on Callie. I heard you. This 'Azera' stuff."

"Oh. That. I needed to tell someone."

"Why couldn't you tell me?"

"I. Don't. Know. I did not think you'd believe me. It's not like I have any proof."

"Then show me," Emily demands.

"Show you what?"

"Your power. Show me. Travel through time or whatever."

"You heard that too?"

"You can hear everything in this house."

"The chain is broken."

"I can fix it. I have pliers."

I see no way out of this. Finally, I sigh. "Fine."

I lift up the floorboard and lift out the necklace. "Here."

Emily takes it and leaves. I get up and follow her. "Do you believe me?" I ask.

Emily pauses. "I don't know," she admits. "I've been flipping back and forth-do I believe the ETL, do I think they're just jerking us around...I've lived with you for the better part of two months and you don't seem like you'd make up crap just for the sake of making it up. I need physical proof, Callie."

"I cannot take you along. I don't think so, anyways. I haven't finished training. I've never traveled into the past, either. And I haven't time traveled in a long time."

"What's the point of the power if you haven't used it?" Emily asks.

"Flashbacks. And premonitions, which are unlikely. I should be able to have a premonition at will, but-"

"But you haven't finished training," Emily finishes. We've reached her bedroom, and I sit in an armchair as she pulls out a jewelry box.

"My teacher slowed my training for no reason," I correct bitterly. Matilda-the Head Trainer at the Training Base-was a bitch. She interfered with my training at all costs, and she told Simon about the portal. I hope she was crushed under the Training Base. Then again, with my luck especially that day, probably not.

"That's awful. Why wasn't he fired?" Emily asks as she pulls out a pair of pliers and begins manipulating with the broken chain.

"Matilda had everyone under her thumb. Except for my father, the Chief Keeper."

"I heard about him, too. I'm so sorry, Callie."

I turn to look out the window. The snow is beginning to melt slightly, and I can see the gravel driveway. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, it kind of does. It sounds like you've been put through more hell than any teenager. Here." She hands me the necklace. I slip it on over my head. The second the chain hits my neck, I feel...complete. The only time I ever took it off is when I went to sleep, and I always had it in my pocket or on the pillow next to me. I've never had it off for days, and I was developing a headache.

"Thank you," I say. "How far should I travel? A minute?"

"Whatever you feel comfortable with."

A minute it is. I close my eyes. Open them. "What time is it?"

"You don't know?"

"I'm not a clock. What time is it?"

She checks on her phone. "1:24."

"Okay." I close my eyes, focus on sixty seconds ahead of me. Take a deep breath. Relax, Callie. You've done this before.

I'm not sure how to describe time travel. It feels like you've blacked out, and you think only a second has passed, but really, it's been minutes. But I know if I open my eyes, I see everything that I should be doing in that minute at once.

I usually keep my eyes shut, otherwise I'll get sick.

I open my eyes when Mark suddenly yells, "Where the hell did you come from?!"

Oh. My. Freaking. God.

One moment, I'm alone, in my room, reading a book. Next thing I know, Callie's standing next to me.

So, I freaked out a little.

"I came from your mother's room a minute ago," she says simply.

"How-how did you enter with-without me hearing? That door creaks!"

"Time travel."

"Oh, hell," I say, flopping back on my bed.

"Callie?" Mom yells. "It's been a minute."

"Coming, Emily!" Callie, for some reason, seems a little happy. She grabs my arm. "I traveled through time, Mark. Isn't that cool? I have not done that in a while."

"You're insane," I mutter.

"I scared you, too."

"I suppose."

She giggles and runs out of the room. I can't help but notice that, now she's told someone, she seems happier. I wonder why she kept it in for so long.

Next thing I know, I hear a series of thumps. I drop my book and run out of my room, my gut leading me to the bottom of the stairs. I began to fear the worst when I hear Mom scream, "Callie!"

I take the stairs two at a time. When I'm at the bottom, I see exactly why Mom screamed. Callie lies unconscious at the bottom, nose bleeding. She clearly had fallen, but fallen people don't suddenly begin to flash in and out of view, do they?

Before I accept what the hell's going on, Callie gasps and opens her eyes. Those large grey eyes lock onto mine and she grabs my ankle.

"Axedence habt gewilkt. Poppa unt Henri daixen." 

And she begins to cry.