“Let go of me Gloria,” Lynne growled. “Now!”
Gloria quickly complied, she could feel a power building inside of her sister a power that could destroy the house if she didn’t listen. Stepping back she now gazed at the weary teen in front of her. “D..does, does this mean your staying?”
Lynne frowned as she looked at her sister. Unfortunately there was no place she could go. Ann and Katie would never agree to letting her stay with them and her aunt Kellie wasn’t even aware she existed yet. As much as Lynne hated to say it, Gloria would get her way once again. “I don’t have much of a choice,” she muttered. “Your sister and your aunt will just take your side and refuse to let me stay and my Aunt Kellie doesn’t even know I exist yet. If I could, I’d stay with her in the other timeline but she would be too suspicious of what’s going on.”
Gloria sighed as she looked at her sister. “Thank you for giving us another chance.”
“I’m not,” Lynne said coldly. “I don’t like you and I’m not exactly thrilled with my family right now either. I just don’t have anywhere else to go.”
As Gloria tried to smile and hug her sister she paused as the girls eyes flashed with rage once more. “If I We’re you,” Lynne hissed. “I’d wipe that smile off your face. This doesn’t change anything, your still only a sister in name only. I may have to stay here but you and me are to have nothing to do with one another.”
“O..okay,” Gloria stammered fearfully as Lynne walked passed her.
“And Gloria one more thing,” Lynne said quietly. Gloria looked anxiously at her sister as the girl slowly turned her head. “If you ever use your magic one me again I’ll end you, the future be damned.”
Gloria paled as she watched her sister turn and begin to make her way down the stairs. Lynne wasn’t lying, she would attack her if Gloria even considered useing the ring on her.
As the two teens made their way downstairs they could see the two Lisa’s sitting on the couch. Slowly the future Lisa approached, a look of concern etched on her face. “Stop,” Lynne murmured. “Don’t...don’t come any closer, especially when you look like that.”
“Okay Lynne,” the future Lisa said. “I won’t come any closer.”
Gloria sighed looking between her mothers and her sister. “Can you turn her back please,” she asked. “I can’t talk with her when she looks like this.” Gloria nodded as her ring began to glow. Slowly but surely the future Lisa began to grow older, her adult curves returning as she raced into adulthood. Traveling through her 30s and 40s Gloria and Lynne watched as Lisa’s hair and face began to age. Fine lines began to appear around Lisa’s eyes and mouth as her auburn hair lost some of its luster and began to become sprinkled with grey. As the future Lisa became 54 once again Lynne sighed sadly.
“Go home mom,” Lynne said sadly. “I don’t want to see you or Gloria anymore. When it’s time for me to come home, I’ll come home. Until then please....stay in the future.”
“Lynne please,” Lisa implored. “We...we should talk. We can work things out, I want to help you.”
Lynne could only shake her head sadly as she looked at the floor. “Sorry mom,” she mumbled. “But you’ve made it pretty clear that you would rather have Gloria than me. Please..just...just go back and tell Gloria to never speak to me again.”
Lisa paused, her eyes dampening as she gazed at her heartbroken daughter. “Lynne,” she whimpered. “Please don’t do this. Don’t turn your back on us, we love you.”
“My mind is made up mom,” Lynne whispered. “Go home to the daughter you actually love. I’ll be home after this Lisa has the baby. When I do, we can talk, because I don’t think I can stay at home anymore.”
The older Lisa was close to tears as she watched her daughter turn to go back upstairs. “Young lady you need to listen to me,” she implored. “We are not ending things like this.”
As the future Lisa now tried to approach her daughter she found her progress stopped dead in her tracks, it felt as if she was running into an invisible wall. As she looked herself over she realized Lynne had erected a barrier between the two of them, a spell to keep them separated. Lisa sighed in defeat as she looked towards her daughter, trying to argue with the girl at this point would be fruitless and only lead to more problems.
“Okay Lynne,” she said sadly, wiping her eyes. “You win. I...I’ll do as you ask. I’ll go home, I won’t bother you anymore today.” As Lisa turned away from her daughter she smiled sadly at the girl as she began to activate the spell to return to her own time. “I love you Lynne,” she said sadly. Lynne would not acknowledge her mother as she vanished from the house. When the woman was gone the girl began to cry quietly as she hung her head. Wiping her eyes she turned towards Lisa and Gloria.
“If it’s okay with you,” she whimpered. “I think I’m just going to go to bed without dinner. I’m...I’m not very hungry.”
Gloria and Lisa could only watch in stunned silence as the girl sadly made her way upstairs.