"Ana!" Kaitlin's cheerleader-honed voice carried over the din. "Where the heck did you go? We thought we lost you."

"I thought I lost myself too for a minute," Anaya mumbled. She was still sorting through her conversation with Elle. Could she really pick a whole new career path?

It would change my entire life. But isn't that part of the reason I'm back in time?

"Don't you like it, Ana? It's a huge turnout, isn't it? We got 10 more colleges to participate then we anticipated, even some tech schools." Tay was practically bursting with pride, but her big, hazel eyes held a trace of something deeper.

That's right! If there was anything to organize, Tay would be at the heart of it.

Anaya's voice softened. "Sorry, it is a great turnout. You should be immensely proud. I'm just a little overwhelmed, I guess. I wasn't prepared for this."

Understatement of the decade, possibly more.

Tay nodded tersely. Anaya wanted to bang her head on a prefabricated wall. Mere hours of being reunited with the closest friends, she'd lied, forgotten essential things about them, and sucked the excitement out of a day they'd worked hard to put together. She needed a distraction before everything went downhill, fast.

"How about we escape for food and a movie after school is done? I'll buy."

Kait made a croaking noise and an exaggerated swirl with her petite hands. "Always with the escapes. No wonder running is the only sport you do better at than me."

"Anyway," Tay cut in, "Seniors get out early today, remember? We only have the Fair and the debrief."

Anaya headed down the school corridor on auto-pilot then stopped in her tracks. Her "auto-pilot" was almost twenty years out-of-date. An uncomfortable realization fell on her like a rock from a great height. She was lost.

Shit! I don't know what classes I'm taking or what time periods or...

Her heart sank with dismay. Anaya hadn't considered that even though she was back in her teenage body, the minute details of her teen years were just as buried away as they'd been when she was older. She looked to Kaitlin for support. "Where are we supposed to be going now? I don't want to be late for class."

"'Don't want to be late?'" Kaitlin cocked an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done to my best friend? I'm usually the one dragging you around!"

Anaya ran her fingers through her hair to conceal her trembling hands. "I missed my coffee. My brain's refusing to boot up."

"C'mon. Ana's right. We don't want to be late." Tay pushed past them, leading the way.

Stifling a relieved sigh, Anaya followed. Memories started to trickle in as they walked through the corridors plastered with school photos, awards and projects from senior year. As more students joined them, she hung back a little as she strolled literally down memory lane.

That's my locker! And there's the fountain where Kevin Braithwaite asked me out on my very first date. Oh and the stairwell where I—

They'd entered the classroom. Anaya halted. The thick, dusty smell hit her straight off. Sure enough, there stood Mr. Lee, tap-tapping away on the blackboard, chalk dust flaking off and drifting down to the ledge holding the erasers.

Doesn't anyone ever clean that?

Too late she saw Kaitlin and Tay had claimed their desks and chairs in the first row.

No hope of hiding at the back and digesting all of this then.

Anxiously, she took the seat on Kaitlin's right. They were immediately accosted by the girls on the table behind them excited to know which stalls they'd visited. Anaya took the chance to steal glances around the room, dredging up her memories one by one.

I remember!

This was her home room, she now recalled! But them she also had memories of Mr. Lee teaching her Math. Her eyes now roved over the posters on display of Calculus and Pythagoras Theorem. Anaya pulled out the textbook from her bag and flipped through it. She let a slow smile spread across her lips. She could answer the questions almost before she finished reading them.

This is child's play. Thank you dear gods of knowledge retention!

Mr. Lee cleared his throat and began roll call. Anaya turned her attention to her classmates, associating each of them with their names as they responded: Jimmy, Anita, Lynn and Chan.

I remember them!

They'd been in the same class since middle school and had always been nice to her. Cynthia, Samuel, Wael and Sampath.

Hmmm, not so much.

It struck her how few of her fellow students she knew or had ever talked to. Outside of her circle of friends, she barely recognized most of them.

How many people did I never connect with? So many lost opportunities for friendships. We never even thought twice about it.

Anaya caught snippets of hushed conversations behind her. She must have heard similar whispers in class all the time, but it somehow seemed different now. It all sounded so... juvenile! She'd forgotten how sentences were peppered with exclamations like "whatever", "NOT" or "as if!". Heavy sighs and eye rolls were thrown in for good measure.

Mr. Lee pushed his spectacles off his nose. "All right ladies and gentlemen, settle down. Tell me now, how did everyone do at the Fair? Dazzle me with your future career choices!"

There were a few eager beavers in the front who raised their arms so high they seemed to be reaching for the ceiling.

"Hmmm... let's start at the back. Jake?" He pointed to the stoners who'd claimed the last row.

"Parapsychology."

"Circus Performance."

"Yacht Management."

"Bagpiping."

They cheered each other on with fist pumps and high-fives. Some of the front row only snorted and Anaya caught a few unintelligible retorts from behind.

"Fashion," Tay declared. This produced squeals of laughter from a few of the girls.

Anaya remembered them following Tay around like they worshipped her and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Oh wait, it's actually the right response at this age.

She rolled her eyes in as wide an arc as possible.

"Art or Political Science," said Kaitlin "I haven't finished weighing the pros and cons yet."

Anaya marveled at how ambitious and assertive her friends were. It'd been so long she'd forgotten. Tay was the school's pageant queen, and the sweetest girl she knew. Kaitlin was student council president.

I hope you know how special you are. No one ever came close to taking your place.

"Anaya?" Mr. Lee peered at her over his thick rimmed glasses.

She froze. She hadn't decided anything yet. The easiest option would be medicine, since that was what she'd finally ended up studying. She'd sail through it this time. But this was her chance to make a conscious decision, explore her options rather than spiral into it.

Anaya could almost hear the words her dad had said to calm her at her first school play. To leave a lasting impression speak only occasionally. But  you do, say something intelligent and deliver it with as much conviction and eye contact as possible. She'd been the cowardly lion. It'd worked too, not only then but throughout her life whenever she had to come out of her shell.

Impulsively, she looked down and read out the title of the papers she clutched, "Education." She glanced at her peers, trying to gauge their reaction. "Those who can, do. Those who want to do more, teach."

A sea of blank faces greeted her.

"Hear, hear," Mr. Lee's voice cracked the awkward silence. "Misquoted, but point well made." Some of the other students around the room started to nod and shrug.

"All right. I'm sure you're all devastated to leave this fascinating class, but you are being dismissed early today," Mr. Lee continued. "But remember, personal profiles and college applications need to be submitted by mid October. I want to see your drafts in two weeks. Go forth and spread the knowledge."

The room erupted into activity, everyone picking up their things and darting out.

All except Anaya's group.

Kaitlin's blue eyes were wide with surprise. "Education? When did you decide that?"

"It's not set in stone or anything," Anaya said. "But I bumped into this cool rep from JBU who told me why she got into teaching, and gave me these pamphlets."

"But you're actually considering it?" Tay asked, both hands on her hips.

"Would it bother you if I am? You have to admit, it does have a certain appeal. Doctors save one life at a time, but teachers shape the personalities of a whole class with every lesson they impart. Besides, you've seen the way they dress. I could swear to protect and prevent the currently inevitable death of style?"

Anaya thought it might get a smile out of a fashion major. She had no such luck.

"Who talks like that?" Tay's dark eyebrows knitted together.

Kaitlin butted in. "What happened to landing a job where you travel the world and live your life? You've been feeding us that spiel for breakfast, lunch and dinner the past six months!"

Wow, I had hadn't I? What do I say now?

"Well, why can't I teach and travel the world?"

"On a teacher's salary?" Tay raised her overly plucked eyebrows again.

"Maybe I'll take a student loan or ask my parents for a little help—"

An image of her dad's construction consultancy with a for sale sign flashed through her mind. Then more followed, speeding through like shutters of photographic film. The pain in her father's eyes the day he realized he couldn't save them from going bankrupt. The tear-streaked face of her mother the night they lost the house... Anaya's legs buckled as if the weight of the memories were crushing her.

"Ana!" The girls screamed in unison. They leaped forward, barely catching her before she hit the ground.

"Are you ok?" Kaitlin asked, her voice strained with worry. She slung Anaya's arm over her shoulder.

Anaya placed her feet under her, but the room kept spinning. All the strength had melted from her legs. Desperate, she blinked furiously but her vision wouldn't clear.

Why does Kait sound like an echo? Oh my God! Am I dying? Has my time already run out?

Tay picked up Anaya's bag. "Can you walk to my car? I'm parked right up front in the senior lot." She shepherded them through the door.

The walk through the parking lot was as mercifully short as promised. Tay revved her red Beetle to life. On the passenger side, Kaitlin helped Anaya slip into the front seat. Anaya couldn't focus, her breathing quick and shallow.

What the hell is happening to me?

"Ana? Do you want us to take you to the hospital?" Tay's voice too was sharp with worry.

"Damn straight, we're going to the hospital!" Kaitlin insisted. "She just collapsed!"

No, no, a hospital can't fix this! How would I explain?

Anaya struggled to sit up straight. "No, not there. Can you just take me home?"

Tay nodded, but didn't move the vehicle. "Are you sure, Ana? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I AM the ghost! Is the time travel doing something to my body? Is everything going to be undone?

"I just need to lie down, I'm—"

"Please don't tell us you're fine. You almost fainted back there," Kaitlin yelled from behind.

Tay had pulled out of the parking lot. The car lurched forward and Anaya threw her hand out to the dashboard to catch herself. Tay twisted sharply toward Kaitlin. "Kaitlin Carrington. Can you ease up a little? I can't think straight."

Anaya heard Kaitlin flop on the leather seat behind.

"I'm sorry... there's so much going on already. Finals, college applications, leaving all this behind, starting a new life... I don't want you to fall apart too, Ana."

"What?" Anaya grabbed the back of the seat to swivel around and face Kaitlin. "What makes you say that?"

Kaitlin didn't answer right away. She looked out the window, unwilling to meet Anaya's gaze. "What's happening to you? You're constantly ditching classes and disappearing on us. Then you pop up again but don't tell us what went on... It's hard not to think we're drifting apart."

Tay sat silent, eyes riveted on the road, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity.

"I'd never consciously leave you guys," Anaya insisted.

"You have before."

Ana swung around to face Kaitlin. "That's not true."

Kaitlin crossed her arms and glared.

"It's not true," Ana insisted.

Tay spoke up. "You have been acting weird the past few weeks, Ana." Her expression was filled with concern.

Anaya hissed out a slow breath, releasing her steel-like grip on the back of the headrest. She sank low into the tan leather of the passenger seat as memories of her life at this time washed over her. She'd been having mood swings in a last year of high school. That's when it had started being noticeable, with her speeding off on tangents, leaving her friends' heads spinning and lagging. None of them knew how to interpret it or help. All they wanted was to be there for her and not worsen things.

They aren't just worried about the change in my behavior, they're just  afraid we'll stop being friends.

Anaya shook her head. She would never do that intentionally. But... but somehow they had fallen apart somewhere later down the line. She couldn't remember exactly when, or even why.

Why can't I remember that? 

She closed her eyes. She had to make it right this time. "I'm sorry I've been distant..." Anaya struggled for the words. "It's the stress of everything. Exams, decisions about college... and my dad's business. We've been struggling."

Tay's face was awash with sympathy.

Kaitlin pulled herself forward so she could see Anaya. "Why didn't you tell us?!" Her eyes bored into Anaya's, reflecting her concern.

"I didn't want you to feel sorry for me."

Tay slapped the steering wheel. "Of course we feel sorry for you, but not because you make us feel that way. We care about you, Ana!" Tay threw her an accusing look. "You should have said something."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to burden you with my problems."

"It's not a burden, we're your best friends. You're supposed to confide in us. If not us, then who?" Kaitlin squeezed Anaya's shoulder. "You shouldn't go through this alone. You don't have to."

Anaya covered Kaitlin's hand with hers and smiled. "I know, I'm sorry. You know I love you guys."

"And we love you." Tay added her hand to the pile .

Kaitlin settled into the back seat again. "Let us know when you wanna talk about it, k? In the meantime, tell us how you feel in a few hours. We might've agreed not to go to the hospital but if you're not better by then we'll come right over. Is seven still good for our usual phone call tonight?"

Tay said something too, but Anaya didn't catch it. Her attention had drifted off as the girls fleshed out their plans.

Outside the passenger window, the old town passed by. Emberswick was still an engineering town, littered with lumber mills. It had the charm of old-time suburbs built around lush, small woods and pretty, little parks, spotted with bubbling fountains. It was a charming place to live, with a pleasant pace of life, and engaging people. The older families here had made their wealth through their ownership of land and factories. However, many lacked the skills and sharp acumen vital for the changing times advancing headlong at them. It was what kept them awake at night and worried them incessantly by day.

"Hello," Kaitlin called from the back. "Earth to AJ!"

"Sorry, what?" Anaya returned her attention to Kait.

"Is seven tonight still good for our three-way call?"

"Oh, yeah, sounds great."

Tay squinted at her.

Anaya put on a broad smile. "I'm fine. Honest."

"Ana, you nearly passed out." Tay frowned.

"I'm probably just dehydrated. A little water and I'll be fine."

"That seemed like more than dehydration to me," Kaitlin grumbled.

"It's a combination of things, I guess." Anaya shrugged. "On top of all the stress and fatigue, I haven't eaten anything yet."

"Do you want to grab something to eat first?" Tay asked as she turned a corner.

Anaya pretended to consider it. She had to get home and figure out her next move. There was too much to think about. "I shouldn't. Can I take a rain check?"

"Sure. We're not going to let you chicken out of buying that easily." Tay gave her a wry smile.

A few minutes later Tay pulled her VW right up to the front of Anaya's driveway. Kaitlin hopped out to open Anaya's door and grab her bag.

"Kait, I'm good, I swear." She gave Kaitlin a quick hug. Then she leaned into the car window and waved to Tay.

Tay waved back. "Don't forget! Seven o'clock."

"I won't," Anaya promised, but her mind had already turned to more important matters.

What was she going to do with her second shot at life? Did she want to go into Education? Why did her body react so violently when she had remembered her dad's bankruptcy? How was it different from the other memories that were gradually coming back to her?

How can I help them? Can I change someone else's past? Could I even prevent it? And if so... how am I going to pull off that miracle?

She had to figure all of it out. But first she needed answers to questions she couldn't ask anyone else.

No one, that is, but Gregory.