I always seemed to figure everything out: math, English, science; it was all a breeze to me. Although one thing I have never been able to figure out is our society. Every fifteen years, the head of the government would choose one eighteen-year-old to time travel for some scientific reason that I don’t understand at all, and I gave up trying to figure out. But today is that day, and this year I was eighteen. 
As my mom was picking out a knee length light blue dress for me to wear to the ceremony, I brushed out my long brown hair and wondered if I would get chosen today. I honestly didn’t want to be chosen to time travel; I don’t want to be some science experiment. My little sister, Charlotte, came running into my room interrupting my thoughts on how the rest of the day would go.
“Are you excited for today?” Charlotte questioned with her green eyes lighting up with obvious excitement. Charlotte was only thirteen and she still thought it would be cool to time travel. Of course, it does sound fun, but honestly I am quite afraid of what’s happened in the past and I don’t want to go back.
As I slide my black ballet slippers on I force myself out the door to go to the ceremony. My mom kissed my forehead and looked into my bright blue eyes and wished me good luck. The drive over there seemed as if it was hours, but it was only a few minutes. I was dreading this. If I got chosen I would not time travel no matter what happened. I’m not going to be one of this societies eighteen-year-old science experiments.
“Nice to see you, Violet,” Mr.Abney, the head of the government, greeted me at the entrance. While I was walking down the long dark hall I could hear the hundreds of eighteen year olds voices roaring with excitement. As I finally make it to the auditorium where the ceremony is held, I can feel my heart racing and my whole body shaking with fear. The first people I see are my life long best friends, Will Bass and Julie Reeder. Will, who I met when I was seven, is now my boyfriend as of five years, and as for Julie, she and I met in preschool and we just kind of clicked and have been best friends since. I go to sit down with them and try to prepare myself for what is yet to come.
               The only thing I can think of is, What if I do get chosen? I know it’s very unlikely considering there are about nine hundred other teens here, so I probably shouldn’t even worry about it, but for some reason I can’t quit.
“Hello and thank you all for gathering for the twenty sixth annual time traveling ceremony. We will choose one of you lucky students to be able to travel to whatever year whenever you would like. But be careful, you can change even the slightest things and change history forever. This is a very serious matter, so if you are chosen please take it very seriously or we will take the power away,” Mr. Abney states. After about fifteen minutes of him rambling on about how this is such a great thing for our society to see how the teenage brain reacts, he finally announces that it is time to choose the traveler.
He presses a big red button and hundreds which seem like thousands of names blink across the screen all within a matter of seconds. Then it goes blank. My heart drops and I freeze. Everyone gasps and their eyes make their way to me.
“Violet Layton! Congratulations!” He announces proudly. 
“Go on, Gracie,” will encourages. He’s always called me Gracie ever since he found out my middle name was Grace. I look at him in the eyes with a blank stare, frozen with confusion on what to do. Everyone began cheering and Julie pulls me up and pushes me down the aisle. I stumble down to the stage and stand there dazing off into fear.
Mr. Abney smiles at me and tells me congratulations about twenty times, while I can’t even focus because I’m so nervous.
          “Come here, Violet,” he says as he gestures towards a big black shiny tube that had to be about ten feet tall.
“Please step inside the tube and you will gain your power,” he demands.
I slowly walk towards the tube as he holds open the door for me to get inside of it. When I finally get inside of it he closes the door and I feel trapped. I want to scream and bang on the walls, but I know there is no going back out of this tube the same.
“Violet! Violet! Violet!” everyone cheers in synch.
The inside of the tube lights up with a blinding light. All I hear is a loud buzzing noise as I feel a shock go up my spine. The door to the tube flies open as I stand there with obvious anxiety. As my heart is pounding in my chest I slowly step out of the tube. Everyone congratulates me as I make my way to the car feeling the exact same as I did when I came in, except this time I have a bit more fear and anger. Will follows me home knowing that I was obviously upset.
As I walk into my house with Will, my family overwhelms me with questions on who got the power.
"I got it! Alright? Now leave me alone!" I say with my voice raised. Everyone jolts back in shock. Will and I make our way to the basement to get away from all the chaos.
"Gracie, do you realize what a great opportunity this is? This is amazing!" Will blurts out in astonishment.
I sit there with a very readable expression on my face as my mouth dropped open.
"No. No it is not. Do you not realize what this truly is? They want to use me as a science experiment. I'm not allowing that," I spit out at him.
How could he not understand? Boys just don't understand anything...at all.
"Calm down," he attempts to calm me down, but this time I can't.
"I can't just ‘calm down.’" No one understands me on this subject or even tries to! They just see the government for how the government wants them to see them. Not for how they truly are." I honestly tell Will.
He sighs and sits there at a loss for words, which for some reason made me even madder that he didn't say anything back. Even if he did say something back it probably would've made me mad anyway. I was infuriated with everyone and everything.
"Violet, you could travel back to the night my mom was killed," he pleads with desperately in his voice. I could see the sadness in his brown eyes at the mention of his mother.
When Will was nine his mom got killed in a car accident. A drunk driver driving a semi hit her head on and the impact killed her immediately. He's never really recovered from that incident, but who really can recover from their mom dying? I didn't want to go back and undo that night at all, but I feel like I needed to.
I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was around dinner time and Will was over at my house because his mother had to go out of town for an appointment. On her way back home was when it all happened. Will’s dad called Will frantically crying attempting to break the news to his nine-year-old son that his mom just died. I still remember Will dropping the phone and standing there crying his eyes out and me being confused as ever. I stood there worriedly questioning him what had happened and him mumbling out between sobs that his mom just died in an accident, and he needed to be home immediately.
I wish I could erase that memory and that day, and yes I know I can undo that day, but time traveling is really dangerous. I believe everything happens for a reason, so maybe his mom isn’t supposed to be alive today.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. How could I stop the drunk driver from hitting her? I have no idea who that man is or where is he located!” I spoke to him with sympathy in my voice.
“You could make her stay at her appointment later or something! Please just considerate it, Violet. I really miss her more than anything,” Will replied trying not to cry. His brown eyes gain a glossy coat to them as the tears begin to come to his eyes.
I said to Will, “I know you do. I’ll think about it.”
Will had to head home since it was getting late, so I walked him out to his car and said goodbye. I moped into the house and went straight to my mint room and flopped onto my bed, soon getting lost in my thoughts about everything that happened today.
The sunrise awoke me from the light beaming in through the window. The first thing that jumps into my mind is everything that happened yesterday. I was very indecisive on what to do. I didn’t want Will upset over the loss of his mom anymore. That’s something I couldn’t wake up to everyday remembering. My mother means so much to me. I don’t know how Will continues his life and acts like nothing happened. I know it happened nine years ago, but it still bothers him and I know that. He tells me certain things remind him of her and he wonders how she would be if she was still alive. I wouldn’t want to live my life like that, and this was my chance to make Will not have to. I took a deep breath as it felt like my lungs were caving in as I came to realization on what needed to happen.
“Mom! Charlotte! Dad!” I hollered as loud as I could so everyone in the house could hear me.
As they all rushed to me with worry on their face I looked at them and took a deep breath while my heart was pounding out of my chest.
I said, “I’m going to time travel today.” They looked confused as ever.
“Honey, that’s great! What changed your mind?” My mom questioned.
“When are you traveling to?” my father asked.
“Well, Will mentioned how I could undo his moms’ death and it got stuck in the back of my mind and I realized I really could undo that and I could give him his mom back,” I replied to everyone.
“That’s so exciting! I wish I could go!” Charlotte exclaimed with a big smile on her face.
I picked up my phone and called Will and requested that he would come over as soon as he could for a very special occasion. After about ten minutes I heard a loud bang on the front door and I ran to the door to open it. 
His face immediately lights up with happiness when I opened the door and he asked with a smirk on his face, “What’s going on Vi? What is so special about this evening?”
“You see here, Will Bass, I have been granted this power that I don’t particularly care for and I am going to use it and help you get your mother back,” I said to him.
“Are you serious? I can’t thank you enough. Oh my gosh, Violet, thank you. Thank you. I know how much you never wanted to do this, but the fact that you would do it for me and my mom means the world.” He faintly whispered to me as he could barely speak.
When we arrive at the court house where time travels take place I felt so many mixed emotions. It’s like my mind turned off and I couldn’t decide how I felt, yet at the same time my mind was racing with so many thoughts and what ifs on what could be. I knew what I needed to do despite the fact that I was absolutely dreading this. My body could barely move as I walked into the big room with a great big glowing sign on it that says, “TIME TRAVELERS ONLY.” I trudge through the door and headed to the one place I did not want to ever go to. As I stood there, frozen with anxiety in front of the big tall tube that I have been in once before to gain this power I wonder if doing this for Will is worth it. I honestly would do an impeccable amount of things for him and for him to be happy, and this is one of those things. It’ll change his life forever and make him such a happier person. I have to do this for him. I take a deep breath and feel my whole body tremble at the thought of me actually doing this.
My hand gripped onto the handle of the tall shiny black tube and I pulled back, opening the time traveling machine. My heart feels like it dropped to my stomach as I think of all the possibilities that could happen next. I step inside the machinery and closed the door. I already wanted out and I was only in there a split second. I had to do this. I kept reminding myself that it is what needed to be done and it was all for Will. It was pitch black except for the buttons and screen lighting up on the inside. I had to remember the day his mom died, but I was blanking out. It happened nine years ago in May but I forget what day. Then I finally remember, it was the 18th. As I typed in May 18th, 2198 onto the screen a big gust of wind suddenly flew through the tube and almost knocked me over. The lights flickered at a fast pace and a loud ringing noise started up. I crouched down covering my ears and shutting my eyes trying to avoid everything that was happening. I wanted this to be over. “You’re doing this for Will,” I reminded myself. The wind died down and the lights grew constant and it slowly became silent. I try to stand up, but my body was shaking making it difficult. I hesitantly reached for the handle to exit the time traveling machine. My hand gripped onto it and I slowly opened the door which revealed everything that I wish I didn’t see. Nine year old Will Bass was standing before me with his curious brown eyes staring into mine. I wanted to step out and see that the time traveling didn’t work and I could say I tried, but it did work and I will have to figure out how to save his mom.
“Will, sweetie, I’m going to leave for my appointment now and I’ll be here to pick you up in a few hours! I love you!” Melany, Will’s mom, states to Will as she embraces him in her arms.
“Bye mom! I love you too!” Will responded.
“Hey Melany, would you mind if I came?” I questioned her.
“Of course you can come! It may be boring, but I’m sure it’ll be a blast with you!” She replied with a smile on her face.
I slowly walked out to the car knowing what I was about to get myself into. I hopped into the back seat and buckled up. After about a half hour drive filled with small talk we finally reached the destination. I waited in the waiting room as she went back into the office for her appointment. My mind was racing with thoughts I couldn’t put together on what to do. My body filled up with anxiety as my chest felt like it had one hundred pounds on it making it hard to breathe. How will I stop the accident from happening? I have to save Melany. I need to do this for Will. My heart started beating abnormally fast when I saw Mrs. Bass walk out and ask me if I was ready to go.
“Could we possibly go shopping now? I need some new clothes,” I asked her as we made our way to the car.
“We don’t have time, sweetheart, it’s getting late! Maybe some other day,” she said to me while she started the car and began driving.
“I’m really hungry…should we stop and get some food?” I asked with hope in my voice that we could get off the road.
“Luckily I always have food with me! Will always seems to be hungry, so food is a necessity to have,” s
he responds as she pulls out a fruit snacks out of her purse and hands them to me.
As we drove down the highway I was freaking out. I need to get her to stop driving, but how? I couldn’t think of anything. My mind was too busy panicking that I couldn’t concentrate on what else do to.
“Don’t you-“Mrs. Bass began asking me something but suddenly stopped. “Oh my…Do you see that Semi? It’s…its coming right towards us.” She says to me stuttering with obvious worry in her voice.
She veers as the bright head lights come speeding towards us trying her best to avoid the semi, but her best wasn’t enough. She screamed as the semi grew closer to us and then collided into us causing the glass to shatter all over and the car to catch on fire. I was quickly letting go and the last thing that ran through my mind was before I released my last breath and my eyes fluttered shut was, “I should’ve just let it be.”