Quotidian Timeline

Morning of September 7th – St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London

Miles Kinslow was fidgeting in the waiting room. His father sat next to him. A specialist, Dr Owen, arrived. They stood up. She had grey hair tied back, revealing the lines of her face. Miles and Emin led her down the sterile hallways to the hospital room where his mother kept vigil over the stranger.

“Hello, Mrs Kinslow, I’m Dr Owen,” she said, extending her hand. “Is it okay to have a chat?”

“Sure,” she said, returning her gaze to the unconscious teen.

With a clipboard and pen in hand, the psychiatrist began the session.

For days, his mother had doted on the strange teenager. Often crying, holding her arm over him, burying her face in his side of the hospital bed. Miles and his father were at a loss.

“Thank you. I’ll take it from here.” She turned to Miles and Emin.

“Sure,” said Miles, backtracking. His father’s phone rang, and he left the room. Miles wanted to listen to every word and stayed within earshot, but hidden from view.

“Your family has sent me to talk this through, to make you feel better,” Dr Owen said. “Where did you meet Finch?”

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“They are not my family,” said his mother.

“You mean Emin and Miles?” Dr Owen asked.

“Yes.”

“Then who is?”

She went silent. “I have already explained. I come from another timeline; a dimension called Machia Veil. In that dimension, Finch is my son, and he is the reason Nate Kinslow disappeared. His jump to Quotidian caused Nate to fall to Machia.”

“Quotidian?” asked Dr Owen.

“Your timeline.”

“I see. Tell me more about Machia Veil.”

“It’s home,” she said. “We also have a Bellaton Estate. It has different colours. People have different behaviours.”

“How so?” Dr Owen scribbled notes on her clipboard.

Aria recalled her life in Machia Veil.

Miles witnessed her cry, laugh, and sing to the stranger.

“Thank you,” said Aria. “I do feel better.”

“How did you come to Quotidian?” asked Dr Owen.

“Through the Solstice Bridge in Club 7,” she said, matter of fact.

Dr Owen thanked his mother for the talk and left.

Miles had his hand to his mouth. His mother had lost her mind! He stayed sitting there in shock.

Minutes later, a nurse came into the room.

“What’s this?” asked Aria.

“It will make you feel better,” said the nurse.

“I don’t need medication, thank you.”

“We need you to take this Aria,” she insisted.

“Leave me at peace.”

The nurse left.

Miles got up to join his father in the waiting room. Emin put his arm around him.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.

After thirty minutes, the nurse returned. This time, two tall men accompanied her.

Miles and Emin followed them into the room.

“What is going on?” asked his mother, standing up.

The men lifted her. Then lowered her onto the ground. The nurse then pressed an injection into her back.

“This is against my will!” she boomed.

Shortly after, sedated, his mother lost consciousness.