Matthew's POV

5!

4!

3!

2!

1!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Everyone gathered around the giant watch on the roof and cheered.

As the countdown ends everyone starts hugging and greetings, some even kissing each other for this new year and so-called new starting for a better future.

And I, the only one holding time so tight, only wishes for a bad future for people so they would come to me to change their past. Some people may think I am self-centered, arrogant, or even evil, but that's what you get when you have so much power.

Though they think in this way for me, they still have to stick with me, because I am the boss, I am the one holding time or one can say holding 'The time machine'.

The time machine was what I inherited from my family. My great-grandfather designed this machine, to do great things for the welfare of mankind, but couldn't complete the building process because of his sudden death, then my grandfather took the burden and started rebuilding it, but was stopped by the government tagging it as illegal weaponry, but they decided not to take it under custody as it is our family heritage.

And they couldn't even stop them from building it, and here I am using it and helping others. Well, technically I am not doing any welfare for 'mankind', but I am not even harming it.

Just a slight change in relations here and there is my only work and what would possibly happen with a change in relations.

"Hey!" Comes in a cheerful voice.

"Hey"

"Why are you standing here?" she asks.

There is no point in lying to her, she'll easily know.

As she had been my best friend since I helped her with her ex. About 3-4 years ago.

"I am not interested in this new year shit, you know me."

"Well, you aren't interested in any shit if that shit doesn't include you getting money, that's a shitty life, you know," she says smirking, probably on how beautifully she uses shit.

But she was right, no money means no me. But still, here I am, God knows why.

As I ignore her smirk and turn to get away, she grabs me by my ear and pulls it so hard that it hurts.

"Aghhhh! Alice"

"Turn around once more and I will kill you right here, right now," she warns.

"You said we were going to meet a client here, well where is your client? And why the hell do you think I would even listen to... Aahhhhhhh"

"What is wrong with you woman, try that once again and..." as I was saying, she shushed me and says

"And meet Miss. Frost, CEO of 'Frost and Co.' And your client, " she says, smiling at the young beautiful woman and then at me like it was a normal thing to pull people by their ear and then cut them in mid-sentence.

Still maintaining my so far ruined image "Hello Ms. Frost, what memory would you like to erase? " I instantly say coming directly to the point, so that she could just forget me getting dragged here by a slender girl.

"Well, that was direct to the point, " she laughs, extending her hand, "I would like to change my brother's past," she says, to which my left eyebrow involuntarily raises "I don't want him to meet his girlfriend ever in the past." she further explains, ignoring my expressions and nodding towards the direction of a guy with curly hairs dancing with a girl.

What a woman she is, not even recoiling after saying something so self-centered. Wow, we need a woman like this.

"Well, then you have to tell us about them more. Let's talk about these details in my office. Here is my card" handing her my card, I start to move away looking at her brother and thinking about what would the change be like for him.

But before I could even think further, I spotted something, something familiar, much much familiar to their left.

My eyes started to search for the familiar figure that went through the crowd but to no Avail.

"You were searching for me, huh?" Alice sang, clearly tipsy.

Must have gone for the drinks, leaving me with that beautiful, evil woman.

"Yeah, how many fingers do you see?"

"Three, " she giggles hugging me "Happy new YEAR MATT"

"Ugh, Alice stop!" I push her a little to see her face, but instead of focusing on her face, my eyes dart toward the figure that was standing near the elevator door.

Holding Alice more firmly in my arms as she was trying to run away from me, I saw the figure's face becoming visible as it started to turn towards the crowd and me.

"What the...!" I could only mumble this as I turned around and started to drag Alice with me towards the back stairs to escape from whatever the hell I saw.

* A half-hour later*

'Was that effect of alcohol? I am always cautious with everything, how could this happen? Should I just go back and face whatever is coming my way?' Thoughts kept on running through my mind.

"Why didn't you wake me up for a meeting with Mr. Ghost?"

"Huh?" If the car wasn't so silent, I wouldn't have heard her murmur.

"Your face looks like you saw one, " she giggles pointing at me.

"Ha ha ha, nice one. Now go back to sleep." And she obeys without fighting back.

The car ride was silent until I reached Alice's house and called her mother to help me with her.

She is going to pay for pulling my hair.

"Oh dear, this girl is unbelievable" she groaned as soon as she saw her and then helped me with carrying her inside.

"You look tired too, you should sleep here Matty"

"Oh, I was thinking the same Ma"

"That's my boy, need some food?"

"Aha" nodding. I followed her in the kitchen, leaving my drunk-ass snoring friend on the sofa.

Alice's mom has always been a pillar of support for me, and her daughter has always been my faithful friend and assistant, I have so much to thank them for.

"Thanks, Ma" I replied as she sat beside me after serving me dinner.

"I am shocked you still haven't eaten?"

"Was busy with work."

"Ah, you and your work." Ma never loved the idea of the time machine and fixing the past. Our debate over the time machine usually results in Ma explaining 'the butterfly effect' to me. Changing the past will affect the future, your one mistake and the consequences will be much greater, blah, blah, blah.

"What is wrong Matty, you seem lost, is everything all right."

"It's new year me, I am just thinking about the business, please stop reading Sherlock Holmes that much"

Something hard falls on the floor in the living room distracting Ma from me until "mum" makes us realize that it wasn't something but someone.

"This girl, what a Shaitan she is" Ma exclaimed while walking towards the living room.

Hearing words like Shaitan, makes me laugh, but this time I was so focused on my thoughts that I didn't even smile. I can't even talk with Ma about what I just saw, she would just blame and lecture me about my work.

Only if I could tell you Ma, that I saw myself there, standing in front of the elevator scanning the crowd for something or someone, but he wasn't the same, Scratches and marks were visible on his face with tears glistening in his eyes with plaster on my right hand. His overall appearance looked wild like someone would look after running through a jungle full of wild animals. This was enough to make me leave the party and think about my actions.

Was he searching for me? Is something going to happen to me? That wild, teary gaze, my scratched and bruised face, and body, made me shiver. I don't know why I decided to run from myself, I just knew at that moment that I need to just leave, but I could not run from my future.

Ma only if I knew, I would have already told you, but my future is in danger and I can't make you and Alice part of it. I need to look for my mistakes. I need to sort everything out.

The number 1 rule of my work is never to visit Me in past, and if I, the future, the bruised I, risked and broke that rule means great trouble.

Kissing sleeping Alice on the forehead and bidding good night to Ma I went to bed, I hope not for the last time.

.

.

.

Shaitan:- Devil/ Monster ( Hindi language)

Ma:- mother/mom (Hindi language)

.

Um, hey there fellow readers. This is my first book, and I wanted the world to know about this story, don't hesitate to point out my typos and mistakes.

.

I would try to update the next chapter, every Saturday...

Thank you for reading.

Don't forget to vote, comment and share.

.

Love, Missy.