Encountering Tomorrow

Ever since Miranda’s best friend, Sal, broke their bond without warning, her world seemed much smaller and lonelier. Little did she know that a series of peculiar, relentless events were approaching swiftly that would change her life forever.

One day, walking home from school, she found a strange note, cryptically saying, 'I'm coming to save your friend's life, and my own.' Frightened yet intrigued, Miranda couldn't shake off the feeling that the note was meant for her. But who was the stranger intending to save? And from what?

Then, Sal got punched by Marcus, a boy from their school. Miranda was petrified, yet she noticed something unusual about Marcus. He was different, not just unusual, but had an eerie sense of maturity, almost like an adult trapped in a boy's body. A theory began forming in her mind. Could Marcus be the one senseless enough to send that note?

Then, another note arrived, 'The trip is a difficult one. I will not be myself when I reach you.' It was too vague and cryptic. Miranda felt a creeping sense of dread. Who was coming? And why wouldn’t they be themselves?

Miranda began observing Marcus closely. He was brilliant, and obsessed with time travel. One day, Marcus explained his time travel theory to her – how someone could leap into the future, but not return to their original time. Could Marcus be the time traveler? But why was he in their time? And why did he want to help her?

Another baffling twist arrived in the form of the Laughing Man, a homeless man who lived near her apartment. He was always talking to himself, surrounding himself with an air of mystery. Miranda started to connect the dots. Could the Laughing Man and Marcus be the same person? Could the Laughing Man be a future Marcus, trying to fix something?

As she raced against time to solve these mysteries, Miranda found herself in a labyrinth of perplexing questions, stranger theories, and alarming notes. Little did she know that the universe was cunningly guiding her to unravel the inconceivable truth – a truth that was full of hope, friendship, destiny, and the infinite possibilities of time.

'When You Reach Me' is not just a tale about time travel – it’s a journey into the heart of adolescence, the value of friendship and the inexplicable mysteries of life, waiting to be unfolded when we least expect it.