Word Count: 1632

~Rosie

Thought stares at me, wordless.

I'm not sure why I expected Thought to jump at the chance of helping me. Maybe it's because him and I are both stuck here in the same position, at Time's mercy. Instead he remains silent, staring me down with those unnerving silver eyes. I'm unsure of which make me the most uncomfortable; his, or Time's golden ones.

"I'm not like you, but we can help each other," I breathe, pressing against the confines of my binds. "Why won't you help me?"

Thought bites the edge of his lip, staring at me, but clearly not concentrating, instead deep in thought. Maybe I should have told him I was like him. I should have scared him, like I did to Time, since I know enough about him.

Thought sniffs, before spitting blood at my feet. "I know now. You're a traveler."

My heart falls to the pit of my stomach, and my cheeks flush. He knows, the façade it over. Any moment now, Time is going to walk back in here, and his brother is going to barter his life with him, in exchange for information on me. Once Time knows I used his own powers to get here, I will never see the light of day, surely.

And there's no way I'm admitting to him that we are mates.

"Please, you have to keep your mouth shut. I'm not here to hurt anyone, this was all a mistake, and a seriously long story. Please Thought, I beg of you," I plead, continuously pulling at my restraints, the wooden chair underneath me groaning on protest.

A muscle in his jaw ticks, and he casts his gaze down to the floor, dismissing me. I notice then, how bad he looks. Blood from his nose dribbles down pasts his lips, down his chin where it lands on his lap. Both eyes are black, with cuts on his cheekbones and one by his left brow.

Did Time really do this? Pain is a horrible infliction, but is revenge like this truly necessary? He told me it would be bad, but I didn't expect him to tie his brother down and beat him into submission.

It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

"You're screwing with-"

All of a sudden, hands on my shoulders make me flinch. They fist at the cloth of my jacket, before gently releasing. It's Time, back again to terrorise me, when I have no answers for him. However, the look on Thought's face suggests to me that whoever stands behind me isn't Time, but someone else completely frightening. Enough so, to completely drain the colour out of he face.

Footsteps sound as the person walks out from behind me. Much to my imminent surprise and utter confusion, it's Thought...again.

Two Thoughts exist in front of me. One staring at himself, the other at me. It takes me a few moments to piece together what this means. Either I'm hallucinating, or Thought is here within my mind, using my sight to communicate me. At least that's the first idea that pops into my mind.

"What is going on?" The Thought sitting opposite to me questions, not able to take his eyes off the other version of himself. It's strange comparing their differences. The Thought from my mind is well dressed and proper, his hair neat, his skin clear. The Thought existing in real time is beaten to the point where almost none of his skin is revealed under all that blood.

It almost feels like I'm dreaming.

"I'm here to collect you. We need to go before Time returns," Thought tells me seriously, coming around to untie my bounds. Much to my surprise, I can feel his physical touch as he removes the ropes from around my wrists, and suddenly I'm free. Getting to my feet, whirling around as it dawns in me that there is no way he can just be within my mind. Especially not with the real Thought still tied to the chair seeing him and reacting.

"How are you here?" I question, as he brushes past me again. Wordlessly, he grabs his own chin...and by own chin, I mean the Thought tied down to the chair, and stares deeply into his eyes, until his body sags and his head drops down like rag doll.

"He won't remember anything once he wakes," Thought mutters, reaching over to grab my hand, pulling me up to my feet. I have a plenty of questions, but I keep my mouth shut.

If anyone can get me out of this, it's Thought.

He leads me out the door and into a dark hallway. We must be in the basement of some complex, but my curiosity stops there. In no way do I want to know what Time is doing lurking above this floor. Presumably, he is trying to find out who I am while gearing himself with information so he is not made a fool of again.

Thought pulls me to the side, grabbing my shoulders tightly. "I'm going to remove Time's memories now, so you need to get out of here. Do not tell your Time that I am here, or what I did for you. You will inform him that all went smoothly and you witnessed his horridness and that you forgive him."

"Okay," I breathe, completely taken aback by this information he's sharing. I'm unsure of why he wants me to forgive Time, when he can most likely see how uneasy I am about it all. He did warn me, but it doesn't make me any less skeptical. "Can you at least tell me how you got here?"

"Time and I share residual power of our own, as twins. Sometimes he has premonitions in his dreams, and sometimes I can travel to other minds through time and use them for a short period," Thought explains, glancing over his shoulders at a nearby flight of stairs.

Thought goes to pull away from me, turning his back. "Wait, Thought. Why did you do this? Why help me when you and your brother hate each other so much?"

He doesn't even turn back, walking up the stairs wordlessly.

I don't waste much time contemplating Thought's motives. Instead, I sink my complete trust him and escape through a back door, not thinking twice. Beyond the door, I run across a small back lawn, and hop a fence into an alleyway shrouded in shadows. I'm not sure where I am, but by the sound, smell and taste in the air, this is some kind of city.

Thankfully, it didn't take me long to find Time. It's as if he has some kind of radar for me, or senses my fear, because as I turn a corner, he suddenly appears in front of me, making me jump. For a moment I'm frightened that it's Time from this current era, but when he grabs my arms, a sympathetic look crosses his face.

"Is everything okay?" He questions.

For some reason, I have an overwhelming reaction to hug him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I stuff my head into his chest, breathing in the scent of him. He reacts slowly, probably unsure why I'm reacting this way despite what I witnessed, and quite honestly, I can't be sure either. All I know is that in grateful I'm out of that place...who knows what could have happened to me.

"Can we leave," I questions. I'm anxious about Time realising I'm gone, in case Thought wasn't completely truthful. It seems that Time assumes my apprehension as a simple reaction to something I may have witnessed if I weren't interrupted.

"I have a small apartment close by. I'll take you there," he breathes, grabbing my hand.

The apartment is nothing to brag about, but I like it quite a lot. It's simple, small and has a view of a sea which I never thought I would see. This city must not exist in my time, which is a shame, because it truly is beautiful. I would ask Time, but the tension between us is palpable. I want to talk to him about it, but I'm scared he is will realise that I witnessed nothing, and completely interrupted the moment with my presence.

The world isn't falling apart around me, so that has to be some kind of sign that I can trust Thought. I just can't figure out why Thought decided to help me. As far as I'm aware, the relationship between them is completely splintered.

"Do you want anything to drink. Eat? We can go out and see the city if you want," Time says softly from across the room, lingering at the doorway of the kitchen.

I sit on a couch, hands folded across my lap.

"I'm okay. I'm just glad I'm out of there," I comment.

Time's shoulders sag, as he moves slightly closer, stalking across the room. As much as I like to think this Time here, my mate, is different to the man who tied me down to a chair. Clearly, that side of him lurks beneath the skin. It moves through his veins, remaining a hidden motivation that he doesn't want me to see. If he thinks I'm fooled by this facade he's been putting on, then maybe he isn't so ahead of me as I think.

I know Time is evil. I know he will do bad. And I know soon, I'll surely witness it soon.

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Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, you can head over to Radish and read Time ahead of Wattpad!

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I've released Thought's own story on Radish, which is available now! I want to see by the end, which of the brothers your prefer

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~Midika 💜🐼