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lily's not sure what's worse - the eldritch abomination trying to eat reality, or her alternate timeline selves (or, heartsbloods and fuchsias in all night laundry)
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Her friend screams -

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And the corpse lunges.

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And Lily dives.

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???'s dream, Age 17

She's not supposed to cut through this way, but she's in a rush, and she doesn't want to take all the extra time of going out the front and around the block, it can pretty easily add an entire five minutes, and she's going to be late -

Her bag's on her back, jostling her uncomfortably, as she jogs through the construction site, trying not to draw too much attention or get in anyone's way.

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She follows, looking around, a strange feeling in her chest. 

The construction site looks odd in daylight. 

"This is where it happens," she says. 

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Yeah. It is. It's going to suck, though the her of now doesn't know it yet.

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"Turn around," she says, and tries to grab the girl's arm. 

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She can't, because she didn't - because she doesn't.

She keeps walking, because she will keep walking, heedless of the danger.

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"Fucking - turn around - " 

She can't get a solid hold of the other girl, though, and trips in the dust. 

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"It won't work," a voice says behind her, almost softly.

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"I'll make it," she screams, then gasps, almost sobbing - and turns to her other self. "How do you even get to say that, anyways? Who are you?"

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"I'm Twelve."

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"Then - "

"You know. You must. We're not helpless, and - I'll make it work, no matter what."

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"You're early in your loop, aren't you?"

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"That doesn't matter."

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"It does. You haven't confronted your own failure, yet." Then, with a distant, sad look: "But there's no loop after yours. So..."

"Maybe it's for the best, that you're the one of us with hope."

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"I don't care. And I don't care about failures."

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"You should, if only to learn. To see where we fucked up, and don't go there."

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"Then what should I learn from you? Any worst failures?"

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"...You've already avoided my worst failure."

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She falters, briefly. Her other self looks - 

"What was it?"

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"You rescued the girl in the basement."

"Her name's Phoenix, and she died in my world."

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Oh.

Lily's chest hurts, suddenly. A deep, yawning grief, for something that didn't even happen to her.

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Sigh.

"We don't have much time before I wake up."

"You need to get to the Moment. The safest path there requires the screwdriver, so Phoenix will need to stay with you - "

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"...I don't have it. The screwdriver."

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