(Snowe's POV)My body felt light, warm, and fuzzy. Was I dreaming? In front of me sat a white bunny, as big as an elephant, and the space around us was covered in mountains of snow.
"Hello, my sweet vessel. My name is Milli. We've been together since your birth, but today is our first formal introduction."
The voice was coming from the rabbit, but its mouth remained still.
"Am I dreaming?"
A soft chuckle came from the being in front of me.
"If this were a dream, then simply asking that question would bring about its end."
Her answer made sense—but I pinched myself just in case... yeah, I felt that.
"I feel like you've reached a point of happiness in your life. I'm glad. That's the reason I brought you to this timeline."
"You... you're really a rabbit?! That wasn't a metaphor??"I just realized—I never read the book Smoke gave me! Zai has been so distracting.
"Yes, child… but I'm curious—are you truly as happy as you could be? Are there any choices you regret?" she asked.
I thought for a moment."I think… I'm happy with all my choices because they led to where I am today."
"Wonderful. But… I want you to experience different possibilities and return to me. Then I can truly trust that answer. If your mind is unchanged, I'll know what the truth is."
"What?"
As soon as the word left my lips, I hit the ground hard. My hands were bound in the same metal restraints Qon had used on me, and I was back at the spot I first arrived on Earth—my leg pushed out of its socket, just as I remembered.
I… I just traveled to the past.
I struggled to crawl onto the porch—and just like before, RJ found me. He looked down at me with apathetic eyes but helped me anyway.
"Show me a different story, and if you find this tale less favorable… I'll return you to where you were."
I felt my memories fading… as if the past months had never happened. All I could recall was some strange force urging me to stay with RJ.
He was cold at first, but he gave me my own room, bought clothes for me, and made me feel welcome. A few days passed, and another person joined our household—Zai.
I didn't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him or speak to him. He was beautiful—one of the most beautiful people I'd ever seen—but something about him repelled me. So I stayed away when he was in the room and let him and RJ spend time together. They got along well, always having heated conversations and playing games. After a week, Zai left. I was told he usually didn't even stay that long.
One day, I found RJ sitting alone at the kitchen table, reading on his phone, so I sat beside him.
"What are you reading?" I asked.When he didn't respond, I said, "I'm going to make coffee. Speak up if you want some."
"I do," he replied finally, so I turned on the coffee maker.
"Do you want cream and sugar?"
"What's the point of drinking coffee if it doesn't make you suffer?"
I handed him his mug and sat down beside him.
"I'm reading through some employee data. Valin sent it to me."
I was surprised he answered."Who's Valin?"
He scoffed. "My menacing little brother. Hopefully, you never meet him."
"Is he really that bad?"
"...It's just better for you not to meet him."
After that, he fell silent, just sipping his coffee. The awkwardness made me leave the room. I checked my email to see if IIC had realized I was alive… but still, nothing.
The next day, when I came downstairs, RJ was watching a thriller in the living room. His face wore no expression. Even thinking about movies brought back memories I wanted to forget.
"Do you want to watch?" he called out without even looking at me.
"No… thank you." I walked past him, and then he said,
"How did you do it?"
I stopped and turned to him, confused. "Do what?"
"...Never mind."He went back to watching TV.
I couldn't watch a movie with him, but I could cook him a big meal. As soon as my documentation came through, I could start working—or maybe even go back home.
I roasted chicken, baked potatoes, and made lemon-glazed carrots. I also prepared lemonade. RJ came to eat with me and made no compliments or complaints—except for expressing disappointment that the lemonade wasn't alcoholic.
The next morning, he was waiting just outside my room. I nearly jumped, but then he patted my head and said,
"Thank you for the meal..."Before walking away.
Was that… weird?
I looked up a recipe for eggs benedict and worked hard to make it perfect, matching the image online. But when RJ cut into the eggs and saw the runny yolk, he said, "Eww," pushed the plate away, and went to the hutch to drink a bottle of red wine for breakfast.
I'd actually been looking forward to another thank-you…Guess that was hoping for too much.
"Do you want to take a walk with me?" RJ asked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and setting the bottle down.
I was busy throwing away the leftovers, but when he spoke, I looked up from the trash can in surprise and practically jumped for joy.
"Absolutely!"
My enthusiasm made him frown.
We walked a dirt path that led from his house into a nearby forest. RJ didn't say anything for the first few minutes, but he eventually broke the silence.
"How long do you intend on staying?"
My heart sank. I thought this was him being nice… but this was him telling me my departure was overdue.
"I'm sorry… I'll leave as soon as I get ID. So I can put my name on a lease. I'll get money somehow too," I mumbled, head down, trying not to cry. If I cried now, it would feel manipulative. He's done enough for me.
"Don't apologize. And when did I tell you to leave?"
I looked up. He patted my head again, breaking his usual stony face with a slight smile.
"Silly."
The way he said that word—it was almost doting.
"You can stay as long as you want, Snowe."
He looked up at the sky, then turned around and walked back toward the house. I trailed behind him.
Later, I checked my laptop. No new emails. Out of boredom, I looked up current events. That's when there was a knock on my door.
The door was open, but RJ knocked anyway.
"Would you be okay with some company?"
I noticed he had his own laptop tucked under his arm. I nodded. He came in, sat beside me on the bed, and opened his computer. He played relaxing music while his screen filled with sequences of numbers and letters over a black background.
I kept reading, occasionally glancing at him. His eyes stayed fixed on his screen as he typed incomprehensible code.Even though he wasn't talking, this felt better than being alone.
The next morning, he was already eating cereal when I entered the kitchen. I sat with him instead of cooking again—yesterday's Benedict disaster still haunted me.
"You haven't been on Earth long… is there anything you want to do?" RJ asked, flipping his phone face-down and giving me his full attention.
"I… I'm not sure. What do people usually do for fun?"
He grinned and made a suggestion.
That night, we went out for karaoke. There was a table full of food and alcohol. I even got to hear RJ sing—he was pretty decent. I never expected to see this side of him.
He invited me to sing a duet, somehow finding a song I actually knew. He harmonized effortlessly and, seemingly intent on getting drunk, added Bane to our drinks.
The room began to spin, and my body grew hot. I had to sit down in the booth to catch my breath. RJ sat next to me. He didn't look intoxicated at all.
"Now tell me… how are you hiding your thoughts from me? Who are you really?"
His serious tone sobered me up instantly. But I still felt dizzy, so I laid my head on the table and muttered,
"What the heck are you talking about?"
Then I fell into a deep sleep.