Miller strolled through the sunny park with a smile on his face. Despite the weather always being bright and clear, Miller’s moods changed from day to day. Something was in the air that day and he decided he didn’t want to spend any of it in a jail cell. Not that he had any problems being put in jail. He’d been in every available cell in the city several times. Often enough, in fact, that he could predict his cell by when and where he committed crimes.
“‘Morning,” he smiled at a jogger and she returned the smile as she passed. She was a shapely middle-aged brunette woman that Miller had killed once; only once. On his first attempt, he discovered she was a skilled martial artist. After that, it became a matter of pride to him. Several painful attempts, including some of his own deaths, later he finally managed to catch her by surprise. He decided not to bother her again. As Miller continued to walk through the park a flash of blue-green appeared in his peripheral vision. It felt odd to him and he looked toward the color. He saw three new people standing by one of the concrete picnic tables nearby.
“What are they doing there?” he wondered. “And who are they?” Not only had he never seen them in the park before, but he’d also never laid eyes on any of them anywhere in the city. It was two women and a man. The taller of the two women wore a navy blue suit coat with a matching navy sarong around her waist. She had bright sea-green hair; the same color that drew Miller’s attention. The burly man towered above both women. Miller changed course to meander in their direction. He approached from behind the shorter, blonde woman; she was talking to the other woman.
“So you brought us to the park?” Miller heard the blonde say; she sounded like she was patronizing the green-haired woman about something. The taller woman shook her head.
“I’ve brought you to a park in another universe,” she stressed the important part. Miller instantly believed the strange woman, it was the only explanation he could think of for them being there. He slowed his pace to catch more of their conversation. He was surprised when the blonde suddenly turned around and looked at him.
“You! Are you from another universe?” she asked him. Miller thought about it for a second; his eyes flitted to the green-haired woman, then black to the blonde. He shook his head.
“No, you are,” he smiled.
“Ohh, I like you,” the green-haired woman said. “Come closer,” she waved him to join their group. “That’s Lisa,” she pointed at the blonde. “Her brother Lionel,” she pointed at the tall, burly man in a tight t-shirt. “And my name is Isla,” She extended her hand.
“Miller,” Miller shook her hand and introduced himself. He noticed her eyes flash with golden stars for a split second, then her smile grew wider.
“Do you know what you can do?” Isla asked him. He started to panic.
“Oh no, does she know what I’ve done? No, she couldn’t. I haven’t killed anyone today. Then what?” he wondered. He tilted his head at her while his mind struggled to determine what she meant. “Does she mean the time loop? How does she know about that? Wait she said…” Miller’s eyes went wide.
“You mean I’m controlling it?!!” he asked, then realized there was still room for vagueness. “I’ve been stuck in a time loop …are you saying I can control it?” Isla nodded.
“If you’d like to learn how to use your power I can show you.” Miller nodded.
“I want to learn.”
“Great,” Isla smiled then wiggled her hand at the air. She opened a tall black portal beside them. “First thing to do is get you a tattoo.”
