Going back feels different when you know what you're leaving behind.
The pull didn't announce itself.
No countdown.
No ripple this time.
Just a quiet misalignment, like Alex's shadow lagged half a step behind him and then everything slipped.
He stumbled.
The world caught.
And suddenly, they weren't in Marrow-as-it-was.
They were in Marrow-before.
---
Sam was the first to swear.
"NOPE," he said immediately.
"I am officially filing a complaint with time."
They stood on the same street...but the paint on the houses was brighter, the cracks fewer.
The park sign across the road didn't say INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL.
It said:
COMING SOON: MARROW COMMUNITY CENTER
Jordan's breath hitched.
"This is earlier than last time."
Maya looked around, eyes wide.
"This is before the first fracture."
Riley went still.
"Before anyone disappeared."
Alex felt the weight in his chest settle into something colder.
"This is the origin point," he said.
---
The town moved differently here.
People paused to talk.
A woman laughed too loudly.
Kids chalked the sidewalk without glancing over their shoulders like they expected to forget why they were there.
Sam swallowed.
"They don't know yet."
Jordan nodded.
"Which means we can't let them."
---
The building wasn't visible.
That was new.
No scaffolding.
No hum.
No sense of pressure beneath their feet.
"It hasn't been anchored yet," Maya whispered.
"It exists… unplaced."
Alex frowned.
"Is that better?"
Maya didn't answer.
---
They felt it when they crossed the park.
A subtle click...not sound, not sensation, but recognition.
The ground accepted them.
Jordan stopped walking.
"It recognizes us already."
Sam laughed weakly.
"Cool cool cool, love being pre-registered."
Alex felt the pull spike, stronger here, sharper.
This version of the past hadn't learned fear yet.
Which meant it was open.
Dangerously open.
---
They hid near the treeline as people gathered at a temporary stage.
A banner fluttered above it.
TOWN HALL - COMMUNITY INPUT WELCOME
Lena stiffened.
"This is where it went wrong."
Jordan nodded.
"Where the agreement was formed."
Sam squinted.
"By agreement, you mean everyone quietly decided not to notice, right?"
"Exactly," Riley said.
"They didn't sign anything.
They consented by silence."
Alex's jaw tightened.
He understood now why he'd been pulled here.
---
Maya's voice shook.
"If we change this…"
Alex looked at her.
"We don't erase it."
Jordan added, "We redirect."
Sam exhaled.
"You say that like it's less terrifying."
Alex stepped forward and felt the town lean toward him.
Not asking.
Inviting.
He stopped.
"No," he said aloud.
"Not like that."
The pull resisted.
Then eased.
Maya stared at him.
"You can push back now."
"I have to," Alex replied.
"If I don't, this version will depend on me."
And he knew deep in his bones that was exactly what Evelyn Kade wanted.
---
The meeting began.
People spoke about funding.
About safety. About building something "useful" in a space no one quite knew what to do with.
A man near the front young, earnest, raised his hand.
Alex recognized him instantly.
Agent Harris.
Before the weight. Before the fear.
Before the choices.
Alex's heart pounded.
Sam leaned close.
"We are not talking to him."
"I know," Alex whispered back.
"We're talking to them."
---
Alex turned to the group.
"This is where we change the rule," he said quietly.
"No silent agreements.
No forgetting as protection."
Jordan nodded. "We introduce noise."
Lena smiled grimly. "Questions."
Maya took a shaky breath.
"And choice."
Riley glanced around.
"If we do this, the future won't recognize itself."
Alex felt the pull surge...then pause.
Good.
"Then it'll have to grow up," he said.
The meeting droned on.
The banner fluttered.
And beneath the park, something unformed waited....listening to a version of the past where, for the first time, forgetting was not the easiest option.
Somewhere far away, Evelyn Kade's monitors would soon light up.
Not with alarms.
With errors.
Because the children hadn't gone back to fix the future.
They'd gone back to break the rule that created her.
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