• tab The flashy, red corvette fits in with all the other cars about as much as an oak tree in a desert.
    tab So basically, yeah, it doesn't really quite fit.
    :ta:The school is nothing out of ordinary. Just a regular brick middle school. Once we get get inside, my thoughts are not changed. Kids yabbing off in the halls, running as well. Pretty much blantly disobeying the rules. But hey, that's teenagers for you.
    tab We get into the school office, which is directly next to the entrance. The office is neat and tidy, a couple chairs at the side as a detention center. Empty chairs. Good kids. The secretary looks up, lowers her glasses a little, and asks a simple,
    tab "Yes?" Mr. Jacobs walks up to the desk, lightly pressing the tips of his fingers against the side. He says,
    tab "My son left some of his homework at home." The secretary looks at the clock with inquisitive eyes, and I can tell she is wondering why anyone would bother bringing homework on the last hour of school.
    tab "What's your son's name?" Mr. Jacobs hesitates for a second, then replies,
    tab "Er...Tom. Tom Jacobs." The secretary reaches out her hand and says,
    tab "Here. I'll take it." Mr. Jacobs doesn't miss a beat as he quickly replies,
    tab "I'd rather deliver it to him directly, if that's all right with you." The secretary looks at him, annoyed. But, defeated, she says,
    ;tab:Fine. Go ahead." She makes a shoo gesture with her hands as if Mr. Jacobs was an obnoxious fly. Which, to her, probably wasn't too far from the truth. Mr. Jacobs gives a small nod, and we're out of the office in a second. Secretaries are scary.
    tab I follow close to Mr. Jacobs through the long halls. Finally, I ask
    tab What should I be expecting?" Mr. Jacobs, and says,
    tab "Nothing, really. I just want to show you the start of what leads to this girl's suicide. It's nothing out of the ordinary." Yeah, right. Was that supposed to be sarcastic?
    tab "You seem to know a lot about this mission." Mr. Jacobs stops walking. He doesn't reply immediately, but seems to actually think about it. Then he answers,
    tab "I always research my client before the mission. That's...my job. That's how I knew you would get killed and when."
    tab "No that not true," I point out. "You told me you took the footage of the video yourself."
    tab "Some missions are more complex than others."
    tab "And mine wasn'?! Heck, we don't even know why I was killed ! If you had figured out the motive of the whole thing earlier, I wouldn't be hospitalized, and I wouldn't be on this frikkin' wheelchair!" Suddenly and abruptly, Mr. Jacobs swivels around and grabs my shoulder, yelling while shaking agressively,
    tab "This mission is important to me, okay?! Is that what you wanted to get out of me?" He releases his grasp on me, and goes on angrily,
    tab "That's why I came here a week earlier than the incident. I needed time. Time to relive the nightmare."
    tab "The nightmare?" I ask. Mr. Jacobs nods.
    tab "What nightmare?" I press. Mr. Jacobs takes a deep breath, and says,
    tab When I told you a boy was the cause of the suicide, I don't believe I specified enough." He bites his lover lips, looks down grimly at me, and goes on softly,
    tab "It was me. I caused this girl's death."

    tab "Wow...Wait, what?"
    tab "The boy...the boy as me. That's why this mission is important to me. That's why I need to stop myself no matter what the costs." Suddenly, I feel guilty for pushing that far.
    tab "I--I see. I'm sorry." Neither of us say a word. Then I whisper,
    tab "So when you told the secretary about missing homework from Mr. Jacobs, that wasn't just a cover up, but your younger self really is here. Mr. Jacobs nods.
    tab Wow. Things are getting really weird." Mr. Jacobs shrugs a little too casually for the tone of the conversation, and says just as calmly,
    tab "Well, that's the cosmos for you."
    tab "While we're talking about cosmos, do you think we'll run into any time paradox's?" Mr. Jacobs gives me a sly smile, and replies,
    tab "Let's hope not."