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Description
                         A lost Future

Luke's eighteenth birthday:

"Oh my... but that wasn't necessary, dear!"
Luke threw his arms around Flora's petite shoulders, as he placed the gift back on the table. Softly giggling, she returned the tight embrace.
"I'm Glad, you like it!"
She whispered happily in his ear, while she picked her present up again: It was a little golden keyfob, which was formed into an apple, just like her birthmark beneath her neck. Breaking the hug, Luke reached for her little hand and at the same time searched for the key pendant between slim fingers. A slight blush made its way on Flora's cheeks. But the trigger wasn't Luke... it was a young man sitting in front of her, who fairly looked like Luke himself.
He was permanently looking at her. He always did when Luke was around her... Yet she couldn't figure why... but Hershel did. He sat right next to Luke on the cozy couch, who constantly had an eye on Clive: Of course he took the time to visit him too... but not voluntary. Layton knew that his 'big brother' had to show up, otherwise the party would begin and end miserably. Luckily he appeared, even with a smile on his lips. But it was hard to keep his poker face, while Clive had to deal with this huge fight full of emotions, which nearly drove him crazy. Watching Flora blushing only from Luke's touch, made him angry and sad at the same time...
Yes, Clive fell in love with her, as he saw her live for the first time. Before that, he had to study Luke's life in the minutest detail, so that he could play his older self perfectly. It worked! But sadly he fell in love with the same woman, as Luke. The case was clear, she didn't and never will retort his feelings.
Clive could easily live with that, after something was done... And he was certainly aware of what he wanted to do: The present for Luke would change everything in their young lifes. It would only take a turn for the better...
Just a few seconds before Clive tried to speak, Hershel rose himself up, as he heard that the whistle from the teapot went quiet. Smiling, Layton quickly disappeared in the kitchen and took his little gift inconspicuously by.
"Hey Clive, look, the parrot's trying to escape!"
"Hu? Where?!"
He turned to the side and searched for the annoying bird, but strangely enough no animal was in sight...
Meanwhile Luke used the whole situation to his advantage, with surprising Flora to the fullest. Suddenly she felt his lips upon hers. Rough and harsh. It felt nothing like she imagined a kiss would be... Flora immediately pulled away, after she realized what they were doing.. and even worse: in front of who.
"You've lied, there's no..."
Clive's mask of happiness dropped, so did his jaw, as he met her glimpse. He couldn't act anymore... all what he thought or felt was reflected in his dark eyes. She saw anger, sadness, pain and something else she couldn't explain. But why? Maybe because of the same reason she blushed, just a few seconds ago? The confusion in her mind got even bigger, when he had to fight back several tears. Bitter tears.
"Clive, ar-"
"Shut up!"
Luke's sentence was furiously interrupted, while he already stormed off to the door, leaving Flora without a comment behind.
'Where are you going?! Hey! Stay here!',
was all Flora wanted to say... but she couldn't make any noise. Her voice slowly faded away, as she heard Hershel yelling:
"Clive! You can't talk so disrespectful in my h-"
The door was already slammed shut before Hershel could finish his speech.
Placing his beloved tea mug back, Hershel grabbed his dark-brown coat and put a grip on the door handle. But a weak tap on his shoulders stopped him from going.
"Please, take care of the birthday boy. I'll go and search for Clive."
"Fine. But could I perhaps come to know what actually happened?"
"I'll inform you later..."
Hershel merely let out a deep sigh, as Flora vanished as well...
"Professor?! Where's Flora?"
Luke asked innocently, with a worried expression on his face.
"I really don't know..."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*:*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

On London's streets:

After five minutes Clive found himself in an abandoned alley, which was just surrounded by a few trees and gray lanterns. He didn't even knew where he was located, but that didn't mattered at this point. All he wanted to do is run away and trying to forget what just happened. However his plan didn't succeed. The picture of them kissing gave him shivers, while another part of him was filled with rage. The stare he received from Flora right after that was indescribable. As if he took a million bullets... and she didn't even noticed it.
'Where's a mobile fortress when you really need one?! Okay, okay. Calm down. I knew that they would come together at least after my present! Somehow I even forced their luck!'
Clive was totally beside himself, while he ran like a maniac through the empty streets.  His hands were clenched to fists, the cold wind blew through his brown hair as he went on and he was gritting his teeth, so that sadness couldn't over come him as well. From now on every footstep began to get harder, slower yet determined. But at a specific point he couldn't walk anymore: His lower lip started to tremble, his knees felt wobbly and the grip he placed around bridge's parapet Clive just arrived was weak. He dropped his head on the railing, as slowly tears welled up in his eyes. The sight got more and more blurry. Biting his lips, Clive tried to fight them back once more, until he couldn't hold them anymore. Many tear drops rolled across his cheek, over his lips and down to his neck. A certain pain grew in his chest, jealousy was all that spun in his mind and hate was caught in his closed fists, which just need to get out of him. Out of his heart. He let out every emotion he had, with a deep but loud cry. He couldn't think of something better than this. It felt good, indeed, but his body wasn't strong enough. Clive broke down completely, as his voice broke up and got out of control. The shout transformed into silent sobs and emphasized the pain he had now, because of his bleeding knees. He crushed down on the stony ground and mumbled amid tears:
"Why?! Why is it so hard to handle love. I wish I died with my parents..."
His parents... he never really had parents. Clive can't even remember his mother's face. He was just too young. Love never had a place in his life either..
"I really should get it over with..."
And with it was meant his life. Cautiously climbing over the old parapet, he switched off his common sense and ignored his environment. On the other side of the railing, he dared to gazed down and firstly then realized, how high he actually just stood. About 10 meters separated him from the next street beneath the bridge. Suddenly something distracted the young man: It seemed to be a voice. A feminine voice.
"Clive!! STOP!"
Flora ran as fast as she could to him and wondered how she even found him there. Destiny she assumed.
In the meantime Clive faced his destiny again and got ready to jump. Both hands were still attached to the railing behind him.
"Go! Leave me alone..."
Clive said rudely back, trying not to show her, how hurt and lost he was. He felt her presence right behind his back. Flora merely shook her head in disbelief, while she reached for his cold hand. She froze, as he winced and tumbled towards the chasm. Their hearts stopped for a second, Clive didn't took a breath and raised both eyebrows in fear, already preparing to die. Then... Suddenly Flora cried out shortly before he could of disappeared forever and threw her thin arms tightly around his torso.
"Don't leave me!!"
Flora squeezed him against the hard balustrade and shed silently tears. Clive's chest violently moved up and down, trying to jerkily catch some air.
"You're crying."
He felt her head shaking slightly on his back and a few wet spots on it too. They were probably a few tears that oozed through his jacket.
"Of course I am! You wanted to suicide!"
"There's no reason why I shouldn't. Now please l-"
"Please listen to me. You've friends who love you and you've got your freedom back! I don't understand your senseless actions."
'friends who love you...' That she used the word 'friend' was already enough but 'love' ?!
"Who do you count as 'friend'? Hershel? He's way too cool and afraid of showing feelings even towards friends... Luke? Well he thinks I'm his big brother and loves a man like a father, who he didn't even is. And you... I..."
"And I? Yes? Don't I count as a friend?"
"You really don't get it, don't you..."
"No!"
Sighing, Clive dared to explain it to her.
"You're not a friend. You're everything to me. The only thing that kept me here... and helped me to survive a hell like prison. I spent all those years alone in this tiny cell, thinking about you. About every perfect feature of your beautiful face..."
Now everything made sense. The sudden departure, the hurt glimpse he gave her after the kissing accident and all his reactions he made the last months ago when she was around Luke. Why didn't she figured it out yet?
"You are and were always a good actor, Clive. I assumed that your behavior was fake... but in the end I still had the same feelings for you."
His eyes lit up. For a short moment he believed that he already was dancing with a few angels..
"Our prime meeting is long ago, isn't it? But I can remember it, as if it was yesterday. You mesmerized me... at first I was, because I bought you the Future-Luke thing. I thought we would marry one day... but then, as you changed your side to the bad one, a world crushed down. I seriously doubted my feelings for Luke and you. Until I realized, that I fell in love with Clive not with the Future-Luke."
His gaze softened, while a fond smirk adorned his lips. Determined, he placed one of his feet in the opposite direction, so that he could face her and step back into his life's best chapter.
Flora broke their embrace and watched him slowly move. His eyes were somehow reddish but his gorgeous smile remained. She blushed at the deep stare he gave her and totally forget how dangerous this situation was! He merely stood on a few inches of wood... wet wood, since it rained the whole day yesterday. Lifting one leg over the railing, the unexpected happened:
"I can't get a gri- AHH"
Clive's other foot on the ground slipped away. He fell backwards, yet reached for Flora's hand in front of himself. Their fingertips touched... but it was too late.
"I love you."
He whispered barely audible to her, while the gravitational force did its job.
"NOO!"
She ran around the corner of the bridge, where a long stair stood. Running downwards, she heard and saw how he hit the ground. Clive landed on his back... the worst way to crush down on asphalt.
"Clive! Can you hear me?!"
"..."
No answer.
Flora desperately put her hand on his chest and checked if his heart was still beating...
"Ah..."
Clive jerked at her soft touch and felt every injury he had. Everywhere.
"You're still alive! Thank god!"
A tear landed on his pale cheek, as she hovered over him.
"Take the...box... out of my... pocket."
He managed to say. This box was the present he wanted to give Luke and Flora.
Clive closed his eyes, as she glided her hand in his pocket and moaned, when the gift wasn't on his body anymore.
"Open it."
She gazed up to him, then back to the little back box she held now. The content wasn't spectacular for this packet. In it laid a golden ring.
"A ring for Luke?"
Clive didn't needed to answer that; she already found the key to the puzzle. Inside of it were indentations, which depicted a sentence. Or were it rather words? Flora carefully ferried across the engraver and read with his fingers: Flora Reinhold.
It was a ring for her... whom she should of have received from Luke in the future.
"I wanted you to be happy, before you I went."
"You planned to leave?"
"Yes.."
His voice became more hoarsely and thinner... Anxiously Flora saw how his breathing for a few seconds...
"Clive! Hey! Wake up!"
Roughly patting his cheeks, she tried to steal a vital sign from him. Without success. She got more hysterical, with each moment that passed.
"I'll call the ambulance! Please... try to breath!"
Already typing the short telephone number, a hand stopped her. Clive didn't wanted help... he knew it was too late. Giving up wasn't an option for him though... So he tried to slowly sit up. Clive made it at first and already believed in the wonder. He started to find the strength to smile again and almost got into Flora's welcoming arms, as a piercing pain appeared in his chest. His smile froze... his heart stopped beating... his arms flew lifelessly down on the ground.
He was dead...
Flora was paralyzed. The phone she once held, was now right next to Clive's corpse. Her mind was empty. She just stared into his dark eyes, which were still open and tried to cry, tried to scream... tried to do anything but she couldn't.

Flora spent the whole night there. She didn't cared for her health anymore... But after many hours past and she was missing at Luke's party, Hershel went to find her. Luckily he found her.. and well 'Clive' too. Hershel couldn't believe what he saw. The picture of his dead body might hunt him forever...
"Dear... I'm so sorry..."
Layton lifted her against her own will up and hugged the stubborn woman.
"You have to let go..."
She could never let him go. But she still had a piece of him. The ring. Smiling, she regarded her ring-finger and wished that this was merely a nightmare.

On the next day the autopsy found out, that one of the broken rips perforated the left side of his heart completely. Instant dead.

Instant dead of a young man who wanted nothing more than love...

The End...

Description
                         A lost Future

Luke's eighteenth birthday:

"Oh my... but that wasn't necessary, dear!"
Luke threw his arms around Flora's petite shoulders, as he placed the gift back on the table. Softly giggling, she returned the tight embrace.
"I'm Glad, you like it!"
She whispered happily in his ear, while she picked her present up again: It was a little golden keyfob, which was formed into an apple, just like her birthmark beneath her neck. Breaking the hug, Luke reached for her little hand and at the same time searched for the key pendant between slim fingers. A slight blush made its way on Flora's cheeks. But the trigger wasn't Luke... it was a young man sitting in front of her, who fairly looked like Luke himself.
He was permanently looking at her. He always did when Luke was around her... Yet she couldn't figure why... but Hershel did. He sat right next to Luke on the cozy couch, who constantly had an eye on Clive: Of course he took the time to visit him too... but not voluntary. Layton knew that his 'big brother' had to show up, otherwise the party would begin and end miserably. Luckily he appeared, even with a smile on his lips. But it was hard to keep his poker face, while Clive had to deal with this huge fight full of emotions, which nearly drove him crazy. Watching Flora blushing only from Luke's touch, made him angry and sad at the same time...
Yes, Clive fell in love with her, as he saw her live for the first time. Before that, he had to study Luke's life in the minutest detail, so that he could play his older self perfectly. It worked! But sadly he fell in love with the same woman, as Luke. The case was clear, she didn't and never will retort his feelings.
Clive could easily live with that, after something was done... And he was certainly aware of what he wanted to do: The present for Luke would change everything in their young lifes. It would only take a turn for the better...
Just a few seconds before Clive tried to speak, Hershel rose himself up, as he heard that the whistle from the teapot went quiet. Smiling, Layton quickly disappeared in the kitchen and took his little gift inconspicuously by.
"Hey Clive, look, the parrot's trying to escape!"
"Hu? Where?!"
He turned to the side and searched for the annoying bird, but strangely enough no animal was in sight...
Meanwhile Luke used the whole situation to his advantage, with surprising Flora to the fullest. Suddenly she felt his lips upon hers. Rough and harsh. It felt nothing like she imagined a kiss would be... Flora immediately pulled away, after she realized what they were doing.. and even worse: in front of who.
"You've lied, there's no..."
Clive's mask of happiness dropped, so did his jaw, as he met her glimpse. He couldn't act anymore... all what he thought or felt was reflected in his dark eyes. She saw anger, sadness, pain and something else she couldn't explain. But why? Maybe because of the same reason she blushed, just a few seconds ago? The confusion in her mind got even bigger, when he had to fight back several tears. Bitter tears.
"Clive, ar-"
"Shut up!"
Luke's sentence was furiously interrupted, while he already stormed off to the door, leaving Flora without a comment behind.
'Where are you going?! Hey! Stay here!',
was all Flora wanted to say... but she couldn't make any noise. Her voice slowly faded away, as she heard Hershel yelling:
"Clive! You can't talk so disrespectful in my h-"
The door was already slammed shut before Hershel could finish his speech.
Placing his beloved tea mug back, Hershel grabbed his dark-brown coat and put a grip on the door handle. But a weak tap on his shoulders stopped him from going.
"Please, take care of the birthday boy. I'll go and search for Clive."
"Fine. But could I perhaps come to know what actually happened?"
"I'll inform you later..."
Hershel merely let out a deep sigh, as Flora vanished as well...
"Professor?! Where's Flora?"
Luke asked innocently, with a worried expression on his face.
"I really don't know..."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*:*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

On London's streets:

After five minutes Clive found himself in an abandoned alley, which was just surrounded by a few trees and gray lanterns. He didn't even knew where he was located, but that didn't mattered at this point. All he wanted to do is run away and trying to forget what just happened. However his plan didn't succeed. The picture of them kissing gave him shivers, while another part of him was filled with rage. The stare he received from Flora right after that was indescribable. As if he took a million bullets... and she didn't even noticed it.
'Where's a mobile fortress when you really need one?! Okay, okay. Calm down. I knew that they would come together at least after my present! Somehow I even forced their luck!'
Clive was totally beside himself, while he ran like a maniac through the empty streets.  His hands were clenched to fists, the cold wind blew through his brown hair as he went on and he was gritting his teeth, so that sadness couldn't over come him as well. From now on every footstep began to get harder, slower yet determined. But at a specific point he couldn't walk anymore: His lower lip started to tremble, his knees felt wobbly and the grip he placed around bridge's parapet Clive just arrived was weak. He dropped his head on the railing, as slowly tears welled up in his eyes. The sight got more and more blurry. Biting his lips, Clive tried to fight them back once more, until he couldn't hold them anymore. Many tear drops rolled across his cheek, over his lips and down to his neck. A certain pain grew in his chest, jealousy was all that spun in his mind and hate was caught in his closed fists, which just need to get out of him. Out of his heart. He let out every emotion he had, with a deep but loud cry. He couldn't think of something better than this. It felt good, indeed, but his body wasn't strong enough. Clive broke down completely, as his voice broke up and got out of control. The shout transformed into silent sobs and emphasized the pain he had now, because of his bleeding knees. He crushed down on the stony ground and mumbled amid tears:
"Why?! Why is it so hard to handle love. I wish I died with my parents..."
His parents... he never really had parents. Clive can't even remember his mother's face. He was just too young. Love never had a place in his life either..
"I really should get it over with..."
And with it was meant his life. Cautiously climbing over the old parapet, he switched off his common sense and ignored his environment. On the other side of the railing, he dared to gazed down and firstly then realized, how high he actually just stood. About 10 meters separated him from the next street beneath the bridge. Suddenly something distracted the young man: It seemed to be a voice. A feminine voice.
"Clive!! STOP!"
Flora ran as fast as she could to him and wondered how she even found him there. Destiny she assumed.
In the meantime Clive faced his destiny again and got ready to jump. Both hands were still attached to the railing behind him.
"Go! Leave me alone..."
Clive said rudely back, trying not to show her, how hurt and lost he was. He felt her presence right behind his back. Flora merely shook her head in disbelief, while she reached for his cold hand. She froze, as he winced and tumbled towards the chasm. Their hearts stopped for a second, Clive didn't took a breath and raised both eyebrows in fear, already preparing to die. Then... Suddenly Flora cried out shortly before he could of disappeared forever and threw her thin arms tightly around his torso.
"Don't leave me!!"
Flora squeezed him against the hard balustrade and shed silently tears. Clive's chest violently moved up and down, trying to jerkily catch some air.
"You're crying."
He felt her head shaking slightly on his back and a few wet spots on it too. They were probably a few tears that oozed through his jacket.
"Of course I am! You wanted to suicide!"
"There's no reason why I shouldn't. Now please l-"
"Please listen to me. You've friends who love you and you've got your freedom back! I don't understand your senseless actions."
'friends who love you...' That she used the word 'friend' was already enough but 'love' ?!
"Who do you count as 'friend'? Hershel? He's way too cool and afraid of showing feelings even towards friends... Luke? Well he thinks I'm his big brother and loves a man like a father, who he didn't even is. And you... I..."
"And I? Yes? Don't I count as a friend?"
"You really don't get it, don't you..."
"No!"
Sighing, Clive dared to explain it to her.
"You're not a friend. You're everything to me. The only thing that kept me here... and helped me to survive a hell like prison. I spent all those years alone in this tiny cell, thinking about you. About every perfect feature of your beautiful face..."
Now everything made sense. The sudden departure, the hurt glimpse he gave her after the kissing accident and all his reactions he made the last months ago when she was around Luke. Why didn't she figured it out yet?
"You are and were always a good actor, Clive. I assumed that your behavior was fake... but in the end I still had the same feelings for you."
His eyes lit up. For a short moment he believed that he already was dancing with a few angels..
"Our prime meeting is long ago, isn't it? But I can remember it, as if it was yesterday. You mesmerized me... at first I was, because I bought you the Future-Luke thing. I thought we would marry one day... but then, as you changed your side to the bad one, a world crushed down. I seriously doubted my feelings for Luke and you. Until I realized, that I fell in love with Clive not with the Future-Luke."
His gaze softened, while a fond smirk adorned his lips. Determined, he placed one of his feet in the opposite direction, so that he could face her and step back into his life's best chapter.
Flora broke their embrace and watched him slowly move. His eyes were somehow reddish but his gorgeous smile remained. She blushed at the deep stare he gave her and totally forget how dangerous this situation was! He merely stood on a few inches of wood... wet wood, since it rained the whole day yesterday. Lifting one leg over the railing, the unexpected happened:
"I can't get a gri- AHH"
Clive's other foot on the ground slipped away. He fell backwards, yet reached for Flora's hand in front of himself. Their fingertips touched... but it was too late.
"I love you."
He whispered barely audible to her, while the gravitational force did its job.
"NOO!"
She ran around the corner of the bridge, where a long stair stood. Running downwards, she heard and saw how he hit the ground. Clive landed on his back... the worst way to crush down on asphalt.
"Clive! Can you hear me?!"
"..."
No answer.
Flora desperately put her hand on his chest and checked if his heart was still beating...
"Ah..."
Clive jerked at her soft touch and felt every injury he had. Everywhere.
"You're still alive! Thank god!"
A tear landed on his pale cheek, as she hovered over him.
"Take the...box... out of my... pocket."
He managed to say. This box was the present he wanted to give Luke and Flora.
Clive closed his eyes, as she glided her hand in his pocket and moaned, when the gift wasn't on his body anymore.
"Open it."
She gazed up to him, then back to the little back box she held now. The content wasn't spectacular for this packet. In it laid a golden ring.
"A ring for Luke?"
Clive didn't needed to answer that; she already found the key to the puzzle. Inside of it were indentations, which depicted a sentence. Or were it rather words? Flora carefully ferried across the engraver and read with his fingers: Flora Reinhold.
It was a ring for her... whom she should of have received from Luke in the future.
"I wanted you to be happy, before you I went."
"You planned to leave?"
"Yes.."
His voice became more hoarsely and thinner... Anxiously Flora saw how his breathing for a few seconds...
"Clive! Hey! Wake up!"
Roughly patting his cheeks, she tried to steal a vital sign from him. Without success. She got more hysterical, with each moment that passed.
"I'll call the ambulance! Please... try to breath!"
Already typing the short telephone number, a hand stopped her. Clive didn't wanted help... he knew it was too late. Giving up wasn't an option for him though... So he tried to slowly sit up. Clive made it at first and already believed in the wonder. He started to find the strength to smile again and almost got into Flora's welcoming arms, as a piercing pain appeared in his chest. His smile froze... his heart stopped beating... his arms flew lifelessly down on the ground.
He was dead...
Flora was paralyzed. The phone she once held, was now right next to Clive's corpse. Her mind was empty. She just stared into his dark eyes, which were still open and tried to cry, tried to scream... tried to do anything but she couldn't.

Flora spent the whole night there. She didn't cared for her health anymore... But after many hours past and she was missing at Luke's party, Hershel went to find her. Luckily he found her.. and well 'Clive' too. Hershel couldn't believe what he saw. The picture of his dead body might hunt him forever...
"Dear... I'm so sorry..."
Layton lifted her against her own will up and hugged the stubborn woman.
"You have to let go..."
She could never let him go. But she still had a piece of him. The ring. Smiling, she regarded her ring-finger and wished that this was merely a nightmare.

On the next day the autopsy found out, that one of the broken rips perforated the left side of his heart completely. Instant dead.

Instant dead of a young man who wanted nothing more than love...

The End...