"Damn it!" Eliza lunges from the corner she had crammed herself into, rubbing her sore, broad shoulders.

             The chandelier at the center of the foyer dangles, barely held by a few unsteady screw collars. Eliza senses her wobbly legs as she dashes across the exceptionally extensive foyer, toward the fallen figure below the swaying chandelier. Subsequently, a screen materializes before her, displaying her decreasing heart rate.

                Just a few meters away, Jason writhes in pain as he flips on his back. He stiffens upon viewing the precarious chandelier above him, which hangs on to its ceiling mount through its last screw collar. Jason crawls backward but his hands slide on the slop spilt from the vase he tripped on earlier, causing him to fall on his back.

"God!" Jason rubs the back of his throbbing head. As he turns his head, he squints his eyes to see a pale Eliza, who clomps slowly toward him, her face scrunched up in anger and fret while her legs tremble.

Eliza sees Jason amidst her darkening surroundings, gesturing him to move as she collapses forward. "Move!" She says, when Jason continues to stare at her. She rubs her cold hands as she begins to succumb to her fatigue.

Snap!

The frail wires connected to the chandelier break, making Jason crawl faster in terror as the chandelier accelerates to the ground.

Bang!

The chandelier stops mid-air. Jason gasps as the chandelier's  just a few inches above him.

"M-m-move!" Eliza says, trying to keep her heavy eyes open.

Jason inches backward but suddenly freezes. Baffled upon seeing this, Eliza tries to move but realizes she's frozen too.

What is happening?

              A man, dressed in black, enters the well-lit Hall, a wide wearable wraps around his right hand, emitting a blue glow. A small bag swings in the man's left hand as he looks at the portraits that would be dangling if not frozen now. His gaze then falls on a fallen Eliza, just meters away from the frozen chandelier, her eyes half closed.

              With a snap of his long fingers, Eliza unfreezes. She concedes to the unusual warmth of the floor, unable to recognize the man, who rushes toward her, with her hazy vision. Darkness blinds her before the mystery man reaches her.

...

It was a stormy December evening, throng of lightning cracked the dark sky. The downpour entered its fifth hour, a cold biting wind howling against the cobblestone walls of Pearl Manor. The forest and lake on either side of the wide, waterlogged compound were barely visible, for a blanket of thick fog covered them.

            The Manor windows portrayed either faces that viewed the thunderstorm in awe, figures that were busy working on their scheduled tasks or the corridors that were well-lit; all except for one. This particular window on the first floor of the manor was covered with dense, black curtains. Behind it was a young women seated on her bed, her back against the wooden headboard while her legs stretch to the edge of her small bed.

             Eliza clasped the cup of hot cocoa in her small hands as she listened to the tunes through her headset, that was connected to a walkman beside her. Dark bags were found underneath her bloodshot eyes. Eliza hadn't slept for three days as she was too energetic to sleep: her first week as the Owner went smoothly and as planned. 

As the rain fell more violently on the windows, Eliza increased the volume on her walkman.

"Mom...'"An eight-year-old girl cried as she banged on the glass chamber she's locked in, several tubes from all directions inside the chamber, pointed at her.

The lit chamber dimly illuminated its dark, empty surroundings. A blurry silhouette enters the boundless room, holding a flickering flashlight.

"I'm here." The lady limped toward her from afar, her clothes drenched in blood. She was awfully bruised, such that the girl couldn't recognize the lady until the light illuminated her bloody face. Her mom's smooth, black hair was ripped at certain places, her thin, long nose broken. A thick collar hugged her neck, beeping faster as she ran closer to her daughter.

"Liz, don't be scared," her shaky voice echoes in the dark, unknown area.

Her mom enters the shallow lake, that surrounded her daughter's glass cage, trembling with every step.

"Mommy's here."

Liz continued to bang on the cage, the reason for this was different from the last. "Mom, don't come!!" Her muffled voice is unable to reach her mom. 

"Liz, I'm com-"

Eliza squeezed her eyes close, the loud tunes deafening the wailing sounds of the eight-year-old her.

Not today.  Eliza tightened her grip around her mug, ignoring the burning sensation on her sweaty palms - she didn't want to see her mom die for the millionth time. She slowly caved in to the ongoing tunes, breathing synchronistically with its slow beats.

            After a while, Eliza opened her eyes slowly, wiping off a tear that rolled down her pale, right cheek. She places the steaming mug on her bedside table and sighs when she rubs her reddened hands softy, her brown eyes glistening under the white light emitted by the bulb in the room.

           Her gaze fell on an open hardbound book on her otherwise empty desk. A bookmark laid between the first two pages of Act 2 Scene 1 of the Merchant of Venice, the lines of Portia highlighted, notes scribbled on the margins. The bookmark was actually a laminated photo of her mom wrapping her arms around an eight-year-old Eliza. 

         Eliza began singing the lyrics of the song, toying with her walkman. Her voice cracked at every line, but it didn't matter: she wanted to get out of this troublesome mess.

            The door flung open, making Eliza flinch and hit her back against the dark headboard. A young, tall man stands at the doorstep, his grey eyes flashing with concern and worry. He folded his arms, that rested on his green hoodie that was worn over his grey shorts.

'I knocked several times.' He mouthes the words while he steps into the room.

Eliza removed her headset and hurriedly got off her bed, rubbing her sore back, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Adam replied, gesturing Eliza to sit. Adam took a seat near the covered bay window, fidgeting with his hands.

"What's wrong?" Eliza opened the drawer of her bedside table and took out a white bag, as the sound of the thunderstorm became clearer in her ears. She pulled out a few cotton balls from the bag and covered her ears with it.

"Are you alright?" Adam noticed her panicky behavior. "Are you still-"

"Don't change the subject," Eliza snapped. She then repeated her words calmly, "What's wrong?"

"Well," Adam rubbed the back of his neck, his left foot tapping repeatedly on the floor.

"Wait," Eliza straightened up. "You got your results?"

Adam nodded. On his last check-up yesterday, abnormal activity was detected in his brain. The results was to be announced today, which stirred panic inside Adam as he waited impatiently.

Adam exhaled sharply. "I am going to refrain from using my powers from now on."

"Why?" Eliza got up, startled by his decision and sat beside him. After several failed attempts, Adam's powers were finally reactivated that year.

"Because..." Adam started coughing. "Bec-" His cough was hoarser this time.

Before Eliza could get up to grab a bottle, Adam grabbed her right arm.

"Wait, I'll get some wa-" Eliza's gaze fell on Adam's hand, which was thin and wrinkled. She looked up to see Adam's aging face.

Terrified of what she saw, she let go of her hand from his, and lunged to grab her new earpiece that laid next to her walkman, trying not to display her panicked state.

...

Eliza awakes abruptly, her right hand feeling the cold floor. She shakes off her past memory while she gazes at the blurry ceiling.

"Ow," Eliza rubs her sore neck and throbbing forehead, as her eyes get accustomed to her surroundings.

           The large room is dimly lit by a lamp attached to the wall before her, below it, laid a small buffet filled with delicious sweets and savories. She then looks up to see a projector attached to the ceiling that emits a beam of light. Eliza wedges herself on the hard couch to see the image projected on the wall; it is a 'You did it!' poster.

This is where the party was going to be held.

           Eliza sits up, stretching her back and hands. Her gaze falls on the chair beside the couch, her black coat hung on its arm. The bag that the mystery man held, is now found on the chair. Eliza feels the sweet taste of chocolate in her mouth as she notices the bag filled with chocolates.

Wait. She looks around, licking the remnants of the chocolate she remembered not having, in her mouth. How am I here?

She then notices the door adjacent to the projected screen, slightly open. Eliza gets off the couch and steps forward to see a right hand behind it, gripped on the bronze doorknob.

"Who is it?" Eliza takes out her flashlight from her coat and shines it on the narrow, dark margin of the door, revealing a young lady behind the door. Although with puffy eyes, her smile radiates her entire face. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a neat bun, beads of sweat appear on her forehead and neck.

"Jenny?" Eliza tries to open the door, but the door is jammed. After a few attempts, Eliza taps her earpiece. No click is heard.

She turns around to find something that can wedge the door open but notices a silhouette in the dark corner of the room. Eliza steps back, startled, her flashlight at the mystery man's feet.

It's that man. Eliza notices the blue wristband as she raises her flashlight.

"Who-" Eliza stops speaking when the man steps forward into the light. "Adam?"

"Hey," Adam says. "We need to talk."

"Why were you standing there? How is Jenny frozen- what is happening?" Eliza says anxiously as Adam reaches her, his wearable now beeping alarmingly.

"I could rewind twenty minutes." Adam says. "That's the only thing I can do right now-"

"How did you do this?" Eliza says, realizing that he was a baby when she saw him before the quake. "I thought you were a baby-" She trails off, the answer dawns in her mind a moment later.

"You are from the past right?" Eliza says.

Before Adam could reply, his band starts beeping loudly. "You have to go back now." Adam faces Eliza. "I'll explain everything later."

"Adam, why did you do this?" Eliza says, watching Adam enter multiple codes into his foreign band.

"Please take a step back," Adam says, looking at his wristband that now emits a green hue.

"No. Explain to me right now," Eliza takes a step closer. "Why did you do this and what is happening?"

Adam steps back, a sign of regret shown on his face. "I'm sorry." A bright light emits from his band, encircling Eliza in a split second.

"I'll explain when I'm back." Adam's muffled voice says.

"Adam!" Eliza bangs into the dense, white wall around her.

            Cracks begin to develop on the wall as she frustratingly tries to get out of this cage, her hands bleeding from the impact on the hard surface. Subsequently, she feels an abrupt jerk within her, which causes her vision to go black.

...

Anthony closes the door behind him, fuming with frustration.

How did a stranger enter my compound?

         He leans against the door for a moment, composing himself. Dressed casually, wearing a blue sweater over his grey trackpants, he was tall and looked much younger than forty-five, despite all the stress he had to deal with throughout his life. This current situation was no different.

          Anthony places his trembling hands in his pockets, his fretful brown eyes staring at the atrium two floors below him.

 If he could see us...

The adjacent room door slides open, making Anthony turn back. "Tony." The old man stands on the doorstep. "I'm done."

            Fred straightens the sleeves of his red hoodie, rubs his pink hands and dusts off what seems to be golden dust off of his checkered shorts. His soft, grey eyes scan Anthony, who nods and walks past him to enter the room.

"It will be fine," Fred says, making Anthony halt. He faces Anthony, who pushes his hands deeper into his pockets and stares at the floor. Fred places his wrinkled hands on Anthony's shaky shoulders, "Look at me, Tony."

Anthony lifts his chin up to reveal his reddened face and narrowed eyes that try to stop the frightful tears from coming out. Fred gets reminded of Anthony as a boy, the same expressions and thoughts portrayed.

"What happened, happened. Now breathe." Fred says, carefully analyzing Anthony's thoughts. His thin lips break into a smile.

       Anthony exhales slowly, soaking in the words he hears. He looks deeper into Fred's pacifying, grey eyes, finding a shred of solace that begins to multiply inside him.

"I'll help you take care of the boy when he wakes up." Fred pats Anthony's shoulders. "So now go in." Fred says as he makes way for Anthony to enter the room.

After he feels Anthony reaching a good place, Fred mentions. "I could secure the last one hour of the boy's memories, but they are fragmented."

           Anthony, nods his head and listens as he enters the dark room. He flips the switch on the wall, the bulb emitting a yellowish hue. A single, large wooden table laid in the center of the room, a chair behind it. On the table laid a wireless computer, a small golden chip inserted through one of the ports. 

"I can retrieve the boy's memory when he wakes up." Fred's voice echoes in the small room.

"Thanks Fred." Anthony looks at the old man who stands on the threshold.

Fred lets out a fatherly laugh. "You don't have to thank me. It is I, who owes you."

"Don't do that." Anthony's soft forehead creases slightly. "Please, you have helped me since-"

"But it is not compared to what you did several years ago." Fred says, with a soft tone of gratitude.

Fred checks his wristband and breaks the silence that lingered for a few minutes. "Now check the footage." He steps out and closes the door behind him.

          Anthony rubs his face before taking his seat, his past taunting him like a pack of punches on his abdomen. He snaps out of it with a sharp exhale and taps the spacebar on the keyboard.
The monitor displays a white screen, a loading bar at the center. Anthony leans back on the chair, his fingers tapping on the arm of the wooden chair.

The next moment, a series of footages display on the screen, each labelled with the date and time. Anthony straightens in his seat and clicks on the first footage, after viewing all the thumbnails.

...

Eliza finds herself standing behind Adam's room door. She moans while she leans against the door, every part of her body aching in pain.

What in the world is happening?  She closes her eyes as tonight's experiences flash through her mind. 

Buzz!

Eliza flinches upon hearing this through her earpiece.

"What?" Eliza responds angrily after tapping her earpiece, noticing her pale, unbruised palms.

No response is heard.

Eliza tries again but she hears only a soft hum in response.

"Oh." She takes her earpiece off, remembering the pain the earpiece had inflicted right before the quake. An orange light flickers on it, signalling low charge.

"But I left it charging the entire day." Eliza examines the earpiece, the orange light on it still flickering. The next moment, a thought dawned in her mind.

This was not what I was supposed to do right now.

She switches off her earpiece and keeps it in her front pocket. She takes out her card from her pocket but pauses when she sees the card lock.

The picture of a bruised Jason under the chandelier flashes through her mind. Eliza steps back, thinking for a moment.

Adam froze time just when the chandelier broke from the ceiling. Eliza plays with her card in her right, while checking the time on the wristband worn on her left. 

So I must save Jason to break the loop. Eliza remembers the one-bit of information she managed to learn after barely reading a overwhelming thousand-page book on Chronokinesis: When a chronokinetic saves a person through time travel, they must break the loop when they return to prevent detrimental consequences.

Since Adam can't do it, I will.

Eliza taps her wristband, a screen displaying Jason's vitals and location.

Second Floor. Hybrid Room 1.

Eliza turns around and looks above, at the second floor, holding the railing that prevents her from falling into the skylight atrium below.

"Okay." Eliza calms herself down, her eyes still fixated on the room door, as she feels her heart beating in her throat. Eliza takes a few deep breathes, her gaze falling on Alexa, who walks out of the Dining Hall downstairs. Seeing this, she turns around, exhales sharply and swipes her sweaty card on the card lock.

        She slams the door open and enters the room, taking a short look at a startled Baby Adam playing with his toy on the bed. Eliza walks straight to Adam's closet and takes out the foldable crib.

A while later, Alexa enters the room and sees Eliza on Adam's bed, checking her watch while Baby Adam giggles with laughter while he plays with his rubber duckie in his crib.

"Oh you-" Eliza stops herself from completing the sentence. She doesn't know that I know she was going to come here. "Hi, Alexa." She gets off the bed.

"Hey," Alexa says, her eyes fixated on the one-year-old. "Is that Adam?"

"Yeah," Eliza rubs the back of her neck. "Can you be here? I'll be back in a moment."

"Sure," Alexa says, approaching the crib. "He looks adorable. Right, Eliza?"

The sound of the door closing gave a response.

Eliza darts across the Hallway, entering commands on her wristband, her long, black coat flapping around her calves.

I need to evacuate everyone.

Ping!

Eliza screeches to a halt, when a screen appears before her. She wipes off the hair that was stuck on her face and ties her hair into a sloppy bun, reading the message on the screen.

EVACUATION INITIATED. ALL UNDERGROUND PATHWAYS UNLOCKED.

"Yes!" Eliza taps on the Okay button, and then bends forward, placing her hands on her knees.

"Gosh, I'm tired."

        The alarms ring at every room and hallway, initiating the evacuation. Eliza straightens and sees Morgan on the second floor, turning away from Room 3. Eliza watches Morgan rush downstairs, as a calm, but loud voice directs all the residents to proceed to the nearest underground facility. Eliza sprints upstairs after she sees Morgan exit the atrium.

        Eliza sprains her right ankle on her way to Room 3, making her hop in pain for a moment.
"Ow!" Eliza clenches her jaw in pain, as he rubs her ankle. "Should have stretched today."
Her gaze falls on a petrified Jason that walks out of Room 3, clutching his right arm with his left. He looks much better, his bruises now vanished from his face.

Thanks Dad. Eliza stretches her right ankle and then approaches Jason, who takes a step back.

"I'm here to take you to a secure spot." Eliza says, trying to calm Jason. "There's going to be an earthquake soon so we need to go now."

"C-can you tell me where Eliz-Elizabeth Banks is?" He looks at her, his eyes filled with fret, his hands trembling.

How does he know my name?

Ping!

A screen appears before Eliza, startling Jason, who almost trips on his untied shoelace.

Eliza's eyes widen upon reading the message. Two minutes! She taps her wristband, the screen dissolving before her. 

"Look," she says to Jason, who has knelt down, almost done tying his shoelaces. Eliza gives up explaining as Jason straightens slowly, not caring about about what she said earlier. Fuming with anger, she storms to Room 1 and swipes her card against the card lock.

"If you want to meet Elizabeth Banks..." She turns to see Jason, who stands still in his position. "You better do as I say." Eliza storms into the dark room, leaving Jason startled.

"T-minus 60 seconds." The voice echoes across the empty hallway.

"I'm going to get out of this place after this," Jason heaves out a sigh and storms to Room 1, the door closing behind him when he enters.