Chapter 1 – Written in stone.
kj was in the bathroom from upstairs. she saw her olderself kissing a girl. mac was behind her watching too.
"wow-" said mac amazed by what she just saw. kj bearing that closed the door fast looking at mac. "wow? how can you say that? " said kj spilling out at mac. then she huddles down on the bathroom tiles, holding her knees with her arms tight, pressed to her mouth and staring into space. "hey.. k. you alright? " mac asked coming closer to her before putting a hand on her shoulder. "come on, it was just a kiss, k. what's a big deal? " then kj looks at her anxious and frustrated. "what's a big deal?? " she repeated. "mac- you saw that too, right? " then mac nooded in agrement. "how can you ask me this then? " kj continued. then mac mac stood up looking confused at kj. "you really know how to make a big deal from everything. don't you? " mac snapped at her. "yes. yes i do!" said kj. "because.. what if it was you? " mac looked at kj shocked. "me?- the person you kissed? " it could've been seen how her cheeks had turned pink. "ew no." kj said. "i- i mean-" she continued then sighed. "oh so it would've been bad kissing me instead, wouln't it? " added mac over kj's words. "what? no! i mean-" said kj while mac crossed her arms looking firm at kj. "you mean what? " said mac. a pause of silence rushed in. kj tried to find the right words to express herself but in her head there was chaos, confusion. "you know what. forget it. we shouldn't even be here in the first place." mac said cutting the silence then walking to the door. she then walked outside the bathroom and left kj alone. "mac-" said kj one last time before the door to be closed. then she sighed. "fuck.." she continued whispering to herself. she stayed in the bathroom five more minutes to calm down completely then finally came out. when she stepped out of the bathroom, the hallway felt colder somehow. “kj?” tiffany’s voice echoed faintly from downstairs.
“she's here." mac replied. though kj's eyes were already searching for mac. mac was sitting on the stairs, elbows on her knees, smoking a cigarette, staring at the floor like it had personally offended her. she didn’t look up when kj approached. tiffany climbed a few stairs and sat down one step lower than mac. she just watched. waiting for the right moment to help. "mac…” kj started softly. “nope.” mac said quickly. “don’t.” kj stopped a step away. “i’m not trying to fight. i just- i freaked out, okay? ” mac blew out before answering, jaw tight. “yeah, noticed.” kj swallowed. “seeing… myself like that. kissing a girl. It messed with my head.” she continued. “so that’s the problem? ” mac said. “that you’re gay in the future? ” then kj finally sat down next to her sighing. “that’s not-” kj shook her head. “it’s that it felt real. like something i didn’t know about myself... i didn't expect that from me." mac snorted quietly. “welcome to the club.” that made kj look at her. “what’s that supposed to mean? ” mac stood up, brushing past her. “it means some of us don’t get the luxury of being shocked.” kj turned, watching her walk a few steps away before speaking again. “mac… when i said ‘what if it was you’- i wasn’t disgusted. i was scared.” mac stopped. “scared of what? ” she asked, turning around. mac froze. for a second, kj thought she wouldn’t answer. that she’d make a joke, light a cigarette, walk away. anything but face it. instead, mac let out a short, humorless laugh. “doesn’t really matter." mac said quietly. kj frowned. “what do you mean? ” kj asked. mac looked down at the floor then sighed then looked back at them fully now. her face was serious in a way kj hadn’t seen before. no sarcasm. “even if i wanted to or not..” mac said, “it’s not like i’d ever get the chance.” kj’s chest tightened. “why wouldn’t you? ” kj continued. mac hesitated for a moment. "this is not a good place to say it- someone could hear or see us.. we should find erin and go out of here." mac said looking around the room. kj and tiffany looked at each other and then at mac nooding. then they set out in search of erin. after tem minutes they found her and runned outside. "okay mac. now tell us!" kj said to her. mac was in front of them trying to avoid this conversation. "tell us what?" erin asked confused. then tiffany grabed her arm and lagging behind kj and mac trying to explain the situation briefly to her. "mac!" kj screamed at mac. mac turned around to her angry. "what?!" mac yelled at her. "im not scared of you, young lady! now tell us what you were about to tell us! why wouldn't you had a chance?" kj continued. all of them looked at mac curiously and confused. mac took a breath. “i don’t make it to the future.” silence. “what?..” kj whispered. “i die, kj! i die!" mac said bluntly. “in four years.” she continued. they all just stared at her. “no.” tiffany said, shaking her head. “that’s not funny, mac. say you’re kidding.” mac shakes her head looking at them. "i wish i was." mac said sighing. she then sat down on a curb. they all then sat down around her looking at her. kj wrapped one arm around mac. "foud years?..” kj repeated, voice cracking. “mac, you’re twelve..”
“yeah.” mac said. “guess i don’t get a long-term plan.” she continued. erin's eyes filled with sadness. “why didn’t you tell us? ” she said softly. mac shrugged. “ i didn’t want you looking at me like that.” kj imediately replied. “like what?” mac then turned her eyes to kj. “like i’m already gone..." mac replied. kj swallowed hard. and hugged her. followed by tiffany and erin. after a warm hug mac started crying. then kj looked away from mac.“i wasn’t scared because of the kiss...” she said softly. mac then looked at her confused "what...?“ mac said. "im scared because i don’t want to lose you.” kj continued.
“yeah.." mac said quietly. “me neither. i don't want to lose any of you..” she continued. no one spoke after that. mac wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket, clearly embarrassed that she’d cried. “don’t tell anyone.” she muttered. “i mean it.” she continued looking at them all. “we won’t.” tiffany said immediately. erin nodded. “yeah. your secret’s safe.” kj didn’t say anything. she was still holding onto mac, afraid that if she let go, something worse would happen, like the moment would vanish, or mac would shut down completely. mac noticed. “you can let go, kj." she said quietly. “i’m not gonna disappear.” she giggled a bit looking at her. kj hesitated, then loosened her grip. “sorry.” kj said. mac shook her head. “don’t be.” she replied. another silence settled in, heavier but calmer now. “so…” erin finally said cutting the silence, trying to sound normal. “four years isn’t set in stone, right?" she said looking at mac. mac scoffed softly. “you really think i didn’t try to look for loopholes?” she replied. “that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.” tiffany imediately replied. “we’ve already messed up the timeline. a lot.” then mac stands up in front of them. "tiffany, that's what i tried to do already, i tried to look for solutions when you guys grabbed me out from 2019. my brother was gonna help me." mac continued. "you guys really think you can fix me? ” kj met her eyes. “we’re not fixing you." she replied. "we’re fixing the future.” kj continued. “we should keep moving.” tiffany said gently standing up. “standing around won’t help.” then they all stood up. as they started walking, mac fell into step beside kj. “hey.” mac said under her breath. “about what you said earlier.” kj’s heart skipped a beat. “yeah?” mac shrugged, eyes forward. “if I did have the chance…" she said. "i don’t think it’d feel wrong either.” kj stopped walking. mac took a few steps forward then realized kj wasn’t beside her anymore. she turned back. “what?” mac asked. kj’s voice was barely above a whisper. “you can’t just say that and keep walking.” mac smirked faintly. “watch me.” she said before starting walking again. then kj sighed smiling and runned after mac trying to catch up with. kj finally were close enough to mac. “you don’t have to run from it." mac laughed quietly. “you say that now.” she said to kj still walking behind erin and tiffany, “i mean it.” they both stopped for a moment. mac then studied kj's face, searching for doubt. finding none, she looked away. “don’t make promises you can’t keep.” mac said looking back firm in kj's eyes. kj didn’t hesitate. “i’m already breaking them.” she replied smiling teasingly. mac scoffed. “you’re unbelievable.” she replied. both smiling at each other. tiffany turned around at mac and kj clearing her throat loudly. “i hate to ruin the emotional breakthrough, but we should really keep moving before something else tries to kill us.” erin nodded. “she’s not wrong.” mac stepped back. “see? perfect timing.” mac said looking one last time at kj then they both start walking. but this time kj holding mac's hand. mac looked down at their hands. for a split second, kj thought she’d pull away. instead, mac’s fingers tightened slightly around hers. later that night, they were holed up in an abandoned building, the kind with broken windows and dust-coated floors. tiffany and erin were already settling in on the other side of the room, whispering to each other. kj sat against the wall, knees pulled to her chest. mac dropped down beside her, close but not touching. the silence between them felt different now. mac leaned her head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. her hand rested on the floor between them, palm up. kj noticed. after a moment, she placed her hand in it again. mac felt it and her fingers curled around kj's instantly, like it was muscle memory. then she closed her eyes. then mac turned her head to face kj. they looked at each other in silence for a moment. then mac cutted the silence. "you know.." she said before staring at the ceiling again. "im really glad that you rebuilt your life after my death and you didn't actually have to suffer much." she continued with a short scuff. the words landed heavier than mac probably intended. kj didn’t answer right away. she shifted slightly, then turned her head to look at mac again. mac kept her eyes on the ceiling. “you’re wrong." kj said quietly. mac blinked and turned her look to kj. “about what? ” she said. “about me not suffering.” mac then looked at her confused. “but I saw-” kj interrupted softly. “you saw after. you didn’t see the before. maybe i did suffer. we won't ever find out." mac frowned. “what does that mean? ” she replied. kj swallowed. “it means i didn’t just wake up one day and suddenly be okay." she continued. mac’s breath hitched. she exhaled slowly. “i don’t want to be the reason you fall apart.” mac added. “you’re not.” kj replied immediately. “you’re the reason I keep going. you're the reason your brother became a doctor." mac looked at their hands still closed together. “that’s… a lot to put on someone who dies at sixteen.” mac said sighing. kj gave a small, sad smile. “you always were a lot.” she replied to mac. she scoffed, but her voice came out rough. “wow.. you’re terrible at comforting people.” mac said. “yeah.” kj said smiling. “but I’m good at telling the truth.” mac stared at her for a moment, then leaned her head back against the wall again with her eyes closed. for a few seconds, everything was quiet. then... "wow.." tiffany’s voice cut through the room. “are you two planning on sleeping over there forever, or are you coming to join us here? ” kj flinched slightly. mac cracked one eye open. “we’re good!” mac muttered. “huh?” tiffany said, clearly unconvinced. “because from where i’m standing, it looks very romantic. should i be worried? or impressed? ” kj glanced over, cheeks slightly pink. "tiff!" she said. “what? i’m just asking.” tiffany shrugged. mac pushed herself up with a groan. “you talk too much. you know that? " mac replied. “love you too, mac. now get your butts here." tiffany replied back. "we need to recharge our batteries." she continued. mac helped kj get up. she have mac’s hand one last squeeze before letting go. they walked over and sat down near tiffany and erin, settling against the opposite wall. erin being curious looked at mac and mac at her. “mac…" erin said. "earlier, when you said you don’t make it to the future… you never said how." mac’s shoulders stiffened immediately. "it doesn’t matter." she said flatly. erin frowned. “i just thought- if we know, maybe we could-” but mac interrupted her. “drop it.” she snapped, sharper than intended. the room went quiet again. “i’m not a problem to solve.” mac said. “and i’m definitely not doing story time about my death.” she continued. kj looked up at her. “mac-” she said but was interrupted. "no!" mac said. pacing a step away. “i told you enough. that’s all you get.” her voice wavered, just slightly, before she hardened it again. “i’m tired.” she added. “i’m going to get some air.” she then took her pack of cigarettes and headed toward the broken window with shoulders tense. kj couldn't do anything but watch mac go.
the night passed without much sleep. while everyone slept like angels, mac barely closed her eyes. every time she did, she saw the same thing, her name carved into stone. morning came quietly, throwing the sunlight straight in mac's eyes. she got up slowly sitting looking around at the others which were stretching to wake up. "y'all really slept good in here?" mac said scuffing. tiffany yawned. "at least better than to sleep on the street." she replied. mac sighed and got up on her feet. she took her clothes and changed turning with her back at the girls. after some minutes they all were ready, things packed up and they started walking again to find a way to go back home. tiffany and erin walked a few steps ahead, while kj and mac lagged behind. kj noticed.that mac was thoughtful.“you keep thinking about it. don't you?” kj said softly looking at mac for a second then back at the road. “yeah..” mac replied sighing. after a moment of silence kj stopped walking. “you said you already saw how it ends." kj continued. “but… what if you didn’t see everything? ” she said looking at mac turning around to her. mac stopped walking and looked confused at kj. she scoffed, tired. “you’re really bad at letting things go.” mac said. kj walked a bit closer to mac. “i’m serious.” kj insisted. “if there’s a grave… we should see it! don't you think? " mac stared at her for a moment. “why would i ever want to do that? ” mac replied. “because if we’re trying to change something.." kj said quietly, “we need to know what we’re changing.” she continued. mac hesitated. the idea clearly terrified her, but it also pulled at her. she sighed. “fine.." she muttered. kj smiled at her. mac looked up and looked at erin and tiffany who were still walking. "hey guys!" she shouted. tiffany and erin turned around and looked at mac and kj.
"we..uh-" mac was stuttering. then she looked at kj. "we need a minute. we'll catch you up! " kj continued. "okay! but be fast! " tiffany shouted back at them. they both nooded and runned away to the cemetery.
mac and kj were staring at the tombstone on which mac's name was written. Mac bends down and pushes the leaves and dirt off her. she notices that she has neither the date of birth nor the date of death written on it. "what the fuck? " mac said confused. "they couldn't pay a bit more to write my death day? what a shame." kj was looking at her. "mac." kj said. then mac looked up at her. "what if.. you aren't actually dead? " mac looked at her confused then got up. "what? what do you mean? " mac said. "i mean is weird isn't it? " kj continued. "just look around, mac." mac looked around. "see? everyone has a birth and death date on their stones. every single person from here. and you don't. doesn't it ring a bell in your head? " silence. mac was spinning around looking at every single stone. kj grabs her arms and stops her before she gets dizzy. "mac!" kj shouted. mac looked at her immediately. she blinker twice and shook her head. "yes.." mac said. "kj.. you- you are right.." she continued with a trembling voice and panting with fatigue. then looked oh her right side and saw her stepmother coming to bring her grave flowers. kj looked on that side too and saw her too. "mac- we have to go.." kj said. "now! " she continued looking back at max and scolding her. then mac looked at kj taswell and they both runned far away but hidbehimd someone's stone to not be seen. they saw mac's stepmother putting down on mac's grave the flowers. mac froze in shock. "she would never do that-" mac whispered shaking her head. "she- she used to hate me... what's wrong with her? " mac continued confused and scared at the same time. kj watched over mac's shoulder. "are you sure it's her? " kj replied. mac looked at her immediately. "yes. yes i am sure." mac said nooding. they stared a bit longer then saw that he woman looked at them suddenly. the second they realised they started running again. "go go go! " mac shouted at kj while running behimd her. then she stops suddenly. kj continued to run a bit more then realised mac isn't with her anymore. she turned around and saw mac standing and looking at her strange. "mac? " kj said loud. "mac what are you doing? we have to go back to tiffany and erin! come on! " kj continued panicked. mac still looking at kj shook her head. "no..." mac said a bit quietly. "wha-" kj whispred confused to herself. "it's my mother, kj." mac said. "i have to find out the truth." kj looked at her shaking her head with tears in her eyes seeing the woman behind mac getting closer. the she runne back to mac. she wrapped her arms around her tight hugging her crying. mac pats kj's back gently to comfort her. then she breaks the hug and holds kj's shoulders smiling at her trying to show her that she'll be okay. "kj. hey." mac says softly looking at her. kj looks back at mac with tears in her eyes. "i can't let you with her, mac.." kj says with shaking voice. mac sighs. "im gonna be fine. trust me." mac replied wiping a tear that slid down kj's cheek. then kj saw the girl being almost behind them and in a hurry moment she grabs tigh mac's hand. "no." kj said. "im not gonna let you alone. we are in this together." mac looked at her shocked. "kj no! " mac shouted. "kj let me go! " mac continued trying to get free from kj's grip. "no! " kj replied loud fighting with mac's force. "KJ! " mac yelled and everything stopped. they stared at each other for a second then mac sighed. "look. it's my fate. if someone has to fix something that's me. not you. not erin. and not tiffany. me. only me." mac continued. kj looked at her shaking her head but leaving the tightness of the hand softer. then mac tore her hand away. she looked behind and the woman was behind her. kj looked at her too. "take care of her. please." kj said with shaking voice looking in the woman's eyes mac looked at kj with a regret in her eyes. they looked at each other one last time and kj runned away to find erin and tiffany. she ran and run until her lungs burned. when she finally found the girls, erin and tiffany looked at her strange and confused. they both runned to help kj who were breathing hard and fast coughing. "hey are you okay? what happened? where’s mac? " erin said looking at kj. tiffany looked at erin with big eyes like she was't meant to ask right now just to let kj recover. kj slowed down, trying to catch her breath. “she- she stayed.” she said with her eyes closed looking on the ground. "what? where? where have you been? " tiffany straightened immediately. “the cemetery.." kj replied. "we- we wanted to check if what dylan told mac was right. about- her death..." she continued calming down completely after drinking a glass of water brought by erin. "are you both our of your minds?? jesus! we have to find her! " tiffany replied imediately panicked. erin’s face drained of color. “you left her there? ” erin said. kj took a deep breath and turned faceing erin and tiffany. “it wasn’t like that..." kj said. a long silence fell. kj shook her head a few time. “her mom was there.. mac wanted answers. she said it was her fate.." kj continued playing nervously with her fingers, overthinking the moment. “and you just let her go? ” erin’s voice cracked shouting at kj. she looked up at erin getting angry. "I DIDN’T LET HER! ” kj snapped, defensive. “she pulled away! ” she continued stamping the floor. “SHE’S TWELVE! ” tiffany shot back. kj looked at tiffany imediately. “SO ARE WE! ” kj yelled In response. silence fell hard between them. “she said it was her fate..” kj murmured. tiffany and erin looked at kj concerned. “she said if something had to be fixed, it was in her hands. not for us.” she continued. “that’s exactly why you don’t leave her, kj." erin said stepping closer. “what was i supposed to do? drag her away? fight her own mother?” kj replied worried and sighed while tiffany was drowning in her thoughts trying to find a way to reach to mac. “you were supposed to stay..." tiffany said quietly. “even if she pushed you away.” she continued still staring blankly. no one answered. kj turned away from them, wiping her face angrily sighing. after some minutes tiffanly finally comes back to reality. “we go get her.” tiffany said starting to pack her things. then she looks at kj and erin. “together. this time.” she continued to pack things after saying this. kj looked back at them. erin nodded. kj hesitated. "what if she doesn't want that?” kj said. tiffany stopped packing suddenly for a second and turned around looking at kj. “she doesn’t get to want that.” she replied firmly. kj frowned confused and respecting mac's choice. “you can’t just decide that for her.” kj replied. “i’m not deciding for her.” tiffany replied back. erin stepped closer to kj. “kj…" erin said. kj looked at her scared. "when has mac ever asked for help?” she continued. kj didn’t answer. "exactly." erin said again. kj’s voice trembled. “she said it’s her fate.." kj said playing again with her fingers nervously. tiffany was done packing and slung her bag over her shoulder. “yeah? and we’ve broken fate before.” tiffany replied. erin noticed and she went to pack her things too. kj stared at the floor, replaying the way Mac’s hand had slipped from hers. tiffany noticed kj expression and walked up to feeling sorry and stood right in front of her putting her hand on kj's shoulder. “you love her..” tiffany said. kj looked up at her. she froze with eyes widen. kj’s throat tightened. she shook her head and puffed. “that’s not-” “it is!” tiffany cut in. “and if you love her, you don’t let her walk into something dangerous alone because she thinks she can do it alone.” kj nodded and blinked quickly, trying not to cry again. “what if we make it worse..?” kj continued. tiffany’s voice softened, smiling. “what if we make it better?” she said. kj nodded, slow at first. then firmer. “okay..” she said looking up at tiffany trusting her. tiffany didn’t waste another second. “then we move." tiffany said. "if her mom took her home, we go there." she continued. “and if she pushes us away again?” kj asked quietly looking at tiffany. erin just finished packing and slung her bag over her shoulder. “then we push back. harder.” erin replied looking at them both. “okay...” she said quietly. "okay." kj repeated. kj packed her things too and mac's. while packing mac's things she still had a hope that mac was okay and she could help her friend. "please be okay.." kj whispred to herself then she slung her bag over her shoulder and they stepped out together.
