Adeline's POV
The clock finally hit five. I packed my bag as fast as I could. I wanted to get home and away from Chloe. But just as I reached the door, her voice stopped me.
"Adeline! Wait up. Let's walk to the bus stop together."
I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell her to leave me alone. But I didn't want her to know I saw through her act. I forced a small smile. "Okay. Fine."
We walked in silence for a minute. The evening was getting dark. Then, we heard it. A scream. It was a woman's scream, full of fear. It came from a dark alley up ahead.
My body went cold. "We have to check that out," I whispered. "Someone's in trouble."
Chloe grabbed my arm, her nails digging in. "Are you crazy? What if we get hurt? Let's just go!"
She started walking faster, pulling me with her. I thought maybe she was right. It was too dangerous.
Then the scream came again. This time, I recognized the voice. It was Maya, the quiet girl from the accounting department.
"That's Maya!" I said, stopping dead. "We can't just leave her. At least let's call the police."
"No way! They'll see us!" Chloe hissed. She looked truly scared, but not for Maya. For herself. "I'm not getting involved." And with that, she let go of my arm and ran down the street, leaving me alone.
My heart pounded. I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and called 911. I told them the location. But I couldn't just wait. I tiptoed towards the alley.
Peeking around the corner, I saw them. Two men had Maya pinned against a wall. She was crying, trying to push them away. They were laughing.
Anger pushed my fear away. I looked down and saw a few loose stones on the ground. I picked one up. I threw it as hard as I could.
It hit one of the men on the shoulder. "Hey!" he yelled, spinning around.
They looked into the darkness but didn't see me. They turned back to Maya.
I threw another stone. This one hit the other man's back. Then I made a low, moaning sound, like a ghost in a movie. "Ooooooooh..."
The men froze. "What was that?" one whispered, sounding scared.
"Let's get out of here!" the other said. They shoved Maya to the ground and ran away.
I rushed over to her. "Maya! It's me, Adeline from work. You're safe now. I called the police."
She was sobbing and shaking. I helped her up and held her until the police cars arrived with flashing lights.
The officers checked her and asked for her address to take her home. She lived nearby. She begged me with her eyes. "Please, Adeline, can you come with me? Just until my brother gets home? I don't want to be alone."
I couldn't say no. "Okay. I'll stay."
We got to her small apartment. I made her a cup of sweet tea and some simple scrambled eggs. She was starting to calm down when the front door opened.
"Lily? I got your text, what's wrong?" a man's voice called out.
I turned around. My mouth fell open. It was Mr. Evans.
He saw me and stopped, just as surprised. "Adeline?"
"Jesse!" Maya—whose real name was Lily—ran to him and hugged him tightly. "Adeline saved me! Some men attacked me, and she scared them away and called the police!"
Mr. Evans—Jesse—looked from his sister's tear-streaked face to mine. His usual serious expression melted into one of pure gratitude.
"Thank you," he said, his voice soft and sincere. "Thank you for helping her." Then he turned back to his sister, his face becoming stern. "Lily, how many times have I told you not to walk home alone so late?"
I picked up my bag. "I should go. I'm glad you're okay, Lily."
Jesse shook his head. "It's too late. It's not safe. You can stay in the guest room. I'll drive you home in the morning."
I wanted to argue, but he was right. The buses had stopped running. I reluctantly nodded. "Okay. Thank you."
He showed me to a small, clean room. I tried to sleep, but my mind was racing. A few hours later, I got up to get a glass of water.
I crept out to the kitchen. The living room light was on. Jesse was sitting on the couch, watching an old comedy movie.
He saw me. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked.
I shook my head, filling my glass with water. "Too much excitement."
I turned to go back to my room.
"Adeline," he called out softly. "You can... join me. If you want. The movie is funny. It might help."
I paused. In my past life, nothing like this ever happened. I never knew Mr. Evans had a sister. I never saw his home. Maybe by saving Lily, I had already changed something. A small thread of the future was pulling in a new direction.
I walked over and sat on the other end of the couch.
We watched the movie in silence for a while, then both laughed at the same silly joke. He looked at me and smiled. It was a real smile, not his office smile. It made him look younger.
"You were very brave tonight," he said during a quiet part.
"I was scared," I admitted. "But I couldn't leave her."
"That's what makes it brave," he said.
We started talking. It was light and easy. We talked about stupid movies and bad pizza. The heavy feeling I always carried started to feel a little lighter. Sitting there in the dim light, the space between us on the couch felt smaller. There was a new feeling in the air, a quiet understanding. A connection that hadn't been there before.
For the first time since I woke up in the past, I felt a flicker of something that wasn't anger or fear. It was a small, warm spark of hope.