The Children Who Time Lost Read online

  I thought about calling Angela, but I also understood Kevin’s worry. I might have been reading too much into the message, and risking everything without knowing the facts was stupid. Maybe Kevin was right. Maybe all I needed to do was forget about the message and enjoy the significance of the day. For all I knew, Tristan might not have had any severe news to share. I also didn’t know what kind of man he was or how credible anything he had to say would be. Yes, I’d been lucky enough to win his child, but risking everything for a fragment of a message seemed stupid, even if I’d seen genuine fear on his face.

  I heard a loud sound, like glass smashing. I stood up and looked around. It happened again and seemed to come from my apartment. As I headed back to the door, I heard running feet and a loud grunt. I rushed toward the button on the wall to open the door, but then I heard a small explosion, followed by loud moaning. I crouched in fear. My whole body trembled.

  Then I heard different types of footsteps, some getting closer and closer to where I lay on my side, curled up like a ball. They didn’t all sound like they came from human feet either—probably Lypsos and possibly even Kysos, too. Whoever was in my house was now in the living room. I moved my hand toward the small hole in the curtain. It was all I could do not to jump back in fright when I peeked through.

  Two armed Lypsos stood by the door to the kitchen. Two men in plain brown uniforms stood by the corridor. There was no mistaking the uniform. They were law enforcement. But I didn’t understand what they were doing in my house. I looked into the night skies. Fear permeated me to the bone. I looked back in and saw that the men hadn’t moved an inch. One had his brown cap pushed back high on his head, revealing steely blue eyes. The other had his hat pushed down low, masking much of his face. All I could see was his large nose.

  They remained still as if they were under some kind of spell. The Lypsos occasionally twitched and checked the guns attached to their arms but generally didn’t move. I heard more footsteps. It sounded like more than one person. A moment later, a tall, broad man with long dark hair and sharp cheekbones walked into the room. He paced for a moment before settling his eyes where I was. His long Mackintosh jacket almost touched the floor.

  I froze, scared that the slightest bit of noise would alert him to my presence. It was completely dark outside. It would have been as good as impossible for him to see me. He took a step in my direction. My heart beat faster and faster. He continued walking until another man entered the living room. This one wore a white jacket that hung just past his waist. It looked like a lab coat. Who are these people? His long blond hair was almost the same length as the other man’s.

  “There’s no sign of her,” he said.

  The man with the sharp cheekbones continued staring at the glass door that separated me from them, a scowl etched on his face. Then he slowly turned around. “And the husband hasn’t said anything?”

  “He said he woke up when he heard us come in and she was already gone.”

  The other man slammed his right foot on the floor and hissed. “How could we have lost her? We have armed Lypsos all over this building. You tell me how she got away.”

  I shut my eyes for a moment and hoped a Kyso wouldn’t join them in my apartment any time soon. With only the glass separating me from them, the Kysos would be able to find me telepathically within seconds.

  The blond man shrugged.

  Are they just here to protect me?

  “Bring him in here,” the man with the sharp cheekbones said. “I think it’s about time I had a word with him.”

  “And the boy?”

  The man with the long dark hair ruffled it. “Just get the husband out here. Let’s feel him out and get what we can out of him first. We’ve got to find out what he knows before planning our next move.”

  A chill went through my body. Could they know about…No, that’s impossible. How could they? Unless… Oh no. Why didn’t I listen to Kevin?

  Chapter Thirteen

  My breathing grew more and more labored the longer I lay there. Who were these men? What did they want with me? I moved my right eye toward the small gap in the curtain and studied the dark-haired man with the sharp cheekbones. He stood beside one of the men in the brown uniform and folded his arms. His eyes were cold, and he’d blinked only twice since he entered the room. He seemed to look straight at me, occasionally smirking. He sent chills down my spine. There was just something so sinister about him. The way he spoke to the blond-haired man also told me he was the boss.

  I shuddered upon hearing footsteps. The intimidating man finally blinked again after what must have been nearly three minutes. Then he turned and faced the door. The blond man walked in. He held on to Kevin by the back of his neck. He pushed him against the wall beside the TV. My husband shivered in only his boxer shorts. I sniffled but quickly put my hand against my mouth.

  The man with the sharp cheekbones glanced in my direction again. I remained still, except for my trembling hands. He made his way to the door separating me from him, his face now tense. I felt the vibration as he ran his hands across the glass. What’s he doing? Please let him not find the switch.

  He stopped and faced Kevin again. He pulled our floating couch to the middle of the room and hit the center cushion with his hand three times. “Please, Kevin. Take a seat.” The man smiled. “It is okay if I call you Kevin, right?”

  Kevin didn’t answer. He put his hands together and his shaking intensified. “What do you want with me?”

  The man smiled and hit the chair again, except now with more force. “I don’t like repeating myself. Now sit down.” He took a step forward. “That’s me giving you an order.”

  Please, Kevin. You can’t be your stubborn self right now. Sit down.

  Kevin nodded and sat down. The Lypsos finally moved from their positions and walked to the ends of the couch, their guns trained on my husband.

  “Now we can talk.” The man with the sharp cheekbones looked at the blond-haired man. “Bring the child to join us.”

  I swallowed and felt a lump in my throat. What could they possibly want with Dylan?

  The other man gave him a brief questioning look and left the room. The dark-haired man moved closer to my husband and studied him. Then he extended his hand. “I’m Lorenzo, by the way.”

  Kevin looked at his hand but didn’t raise his.

  “Oh. Not in a friendly mood, I see. It doesn’t matter. I just thought it only fair that you know my name, for I might be the last person you ever see. Unless, of course, you cooperate, which I’m sure you will. You don’t seem stupid enough to want to test someone like me. I’m just too damn impatient.”

  The other man returned to the room, carrying Dylan. He placed him on the couch beside Kevin. My baby looked scared. I shifted where I lay. Why were these people threatening my family in this way?

  “Good,” Lorenzo said. “We can finally begin. Except we’re missing someone.” He knelt and stared straight into Kevin’s eyes. “Where is your wife?”

  “I’ve already told him”—Kevin gestured toward the blond-haired man—“I don’t know where she is. I woke up when—”

  “Yes, yes,” Lorenzo said. He returned to his feet and paced around the couch. “I know what you’ve already said, but I just don’t believe you.” He nodded at the man with his cap pushed down. “Bring the dog in here. Let’s see what Kevin values and what he doesn’t.”

  The man in the brown cap nodded and disappeared. Kevin pressed his hands together pleadingly and raised them in the air. “Please, you don’t have to do this. Maybe if you tell me what this is all about, I can help.”

  “Do I look like a fool to you, Kevin?” Lorenzo said. He stopped pacing and stood in front of Kevin again. “The laws of the Lotto are quite clear: contestants must report every anomaly to the gaming board, regardless of how insignificant they might seem.”

  Kevin looked at him, bewildered.

  “No? Still not ringing any bells? Am I talking too quickly? Am I rambling? Do not tak
e me for a fool, Kevin. I know something was sent back with little Dylan here.” He glanced at Dylan, who was almost motionless.

  Outside, I found it hard to breathe. I knew what the man was talking about, but I refused to believe it. Could it be that Tristan really had sent back a harrowing message? He must have. Why else would these people be threatening my husband’s and son’s lives to get more information? They must not have known that the video cut off. They might not have even known what was in the message. But how did they even find out? Unless … No, Dylan’s dad wouldn’t have said anything, would he?

  “Kevin,” the dark-haired man shouted in a ferocious tone. “You will need to start talking and telling me what you know right now. Did you or did you not receive a recorded message from Dylan’s father?”

  Kevin was starting to speak when the sound of metal striking the floor came from the door’s entrance. The blond-haired man walked in holding Fudge by his leash. A tear fell from my right eye. My family was in danger, and I lay hidden outside on the balcony, unable to help them in any way.

  “You obviously didn’t believe me when I said that I was an impatient man. Perhaps you’d like to see what I was talking about.” Lorenzo extended his hand toward the man with his cap pushed back. The man reached into his pocket and handed him a shiny silver pistol. “We’re getting to the point of no return, Kevin. You’d better tell me what you know.”

  Kevin opened his mouth to speak but didn’t say anything.

  “Where is your wife?” Lorenzo screamed.

  Someone must have heard that. Please, help us. Anyone.

  Kevin remained silent. Lorenzo knelt in front of him. “Have you got a recorded message from the future?”

  Kevin continued to meet Lorenzo’s gaze, with no atom of fear in his eyes.

  Please, Kevin, don’t do this. Just tell him.

  Lorenzo stood beside the sofa and pointed the gun at Fudge. My heart started racing. “Move out of the way,” he said to the blond man.

  The blond man stepped aside and walked behind the couch. Lorenzo tapped the top of the pistol and it glowed bright blue in his hand. I heard Fudge making soft whining noises, the kind he made when he was scared. Please, not Fudge. Please. I stood up slowly, maintaining my gaze on the man with the gun. I reached for the switch on the wall that would lift the glass, revealing my presence and saving the life of my precious Fudge.

  Inches away from it, I froze. A bright white light flew from the gun straight at Fudge. It exploded on impact in the form of a huge ball of light that expanded into a sphere-shaped cocoon before disappearing. Fudge was no longer there. His body had been vaporized.

  I put my hand over my mouth, trying hard not to cry. I had never wanted to kill anyone, but I wanted the man holding the gun to be dead. He turned and faced Kevin. “Now are you ready to talk, Mr. Harris? Or do you want more?”

  For the first time, I saw fear on Kevin’s face. His shivering lessened after a moment, and he placed his hands by his sides. “Okay. You win. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

  I pumped my fist in happiness. Then I looked at Dylan. He lay on the sofa beside Kevin, looking around at the strange men with the scary faces. Why would anyone threaten a helpless child?

  Lorenzo moved a floating single-seat chair directly opposite Kevin and sat down. “I’m all ears.”

  “First of all,” Kevin said. “I really don’t know where my wife is. And that is the truth.”

  The blond man took a step forward. “I believe him.”

  Lorenzo gave the other man a brief glance and a nod. Then he returned his gaze to Kevin.

  “As for the message, we did see something. It was some form of chip. But it didn’t mean anything to us. We couldn’t even play it.”

  “Where was it?” Lorenzo said.

  “At the bottom of Dylan’s bag,” Kevin said.

  Lorenzo just stared at him without speaking. Kevin leaned forward. “It’s sixty-five years in the future, for God’s sake. We didn’t think anything of it.”

  “But where is it now?”

  Kevin hesitated before answering. “I honestly don’t know. We dismissed it almost immediately after finding it.”

  “And you expect me to believe that?”

  “That’s all I can offer you.” Kevin leaned forward. “Do you think that after seeing what you did to my helpless dog, I’d really want to lie to you? I’m not crazy. Of course I’ll do everything I can to protect my family.”

  Lorenzo smiled and rose. He walked toward Dylan and held his right hand. “He is adorable, is he not?”

  I wished I could shout. I felt sick to the bone, seeing him touch my son.

  Kevin looked at Dylan and seemed to force a smile. “Yes,” he said, his voice slightly shaky. “We couldn’t feel luckier than we do right now.”

  A frown suddenly overtook Lorenzo’s face. He took a few steps back, watching Kevin all the while. Then he repeatedly exchanged glances with the blond-haired man. He knew Kevin was hiding something. I could feel it.

  “There’s something about you, Mr. Harris,” Lorenzo said. “Something I can’t quite place my finger on. But I think you’re lying to me.”

  “I swear to you, I’m telling the truth.” Kevin started to stand, but a Lypso pushed him back onto the sofa. Kevin glared at it before continuing. “Look, I won’t lie to you. I just want my family back. If Rachel hasn’t destroyed this message you’re talking about, we’ll gladly give it to you so you can get it back to Dylan’s father.”

  The dark-haired man sniggered. “That won’t be happening. The rules apply to them just as much as they apply to us. Dylan’s dad”—he paused and gave Kevin a haunting smile—“is no more.”

  I felt dizzy and faint. They kill Tristan. His message must have been about something serious. Something these guys didn’t want anyone else to know about. Why would they have killed him if it weren’t? Their appearance at our place was nothing more than a way to cover it all up. It didn’t look good for Kevin. I had to do something.

  “So you see, the governing body of the Lotto stand by their morals and would do anything to protect any breaches.”

  “Even murder?” Kevin glared at him.

  “I didn’t say that, now did I?”

  “But you implied it. What else could you have done to Tristan but—”

  “Oh,” the man said, his eyes narrowing.

  I covered my mouth and gasped. No, Kevin. What have you done?

  “One sure thing about liars, Kevin, especially not-very-good ones like yourself: You slip up.”

  Kevin tilted his head toward the floor.

  “That’s right,” Lorenzo said. “Look down in shame. You know as well as I do that the only way you could know Dylan’s father’s name is if you watched the recording.” He rose from the seat and took a step forward. “Now, do you have something to tell me? The truth this time.”

  Kevin met his gaze for a moment, his eyes filled with hate. “I hate people like you. You’re nothing but a bully. So, what, the Lotto sends you to kill for them and you just do it? Who are you anyway? Are you part of the conspiracy?”

  Lorenzo looked at the blond man, a wide grin on his face, and back to Kevin. “It’s all coming out now, isn’t it? Again, you’re actually very stupid, Kevin. I didn’t know what you saw, but now you’ve confirmed it: the paranoid delusions of a crazy person. Aliens? Come on now. Do you not think that we’d know if another species lived on our planet?”

  On Kevin’s face, I saw the same surprise I was feeling. Aliens? Where had that come from? Lorenzo didn’t know that the recording had cut off before we could hear anything. What the hell was going on?

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kevin said.

  Lorenzo glared at him and grabbed his neck. “Now, you listen here. I’ve had just about enough of you and your pretense. Where is your wife?” he growled.

  “I told you, I don’t know.”

  Lorenzo pointed his gun at Kevin and the blue glow engulfed it.
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  Kevin raised his hands in the air. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you.” Lorenzo lowered the gun. “We watched it, but the video cut off after a few minutes. We didn’t hear any part of the message. I swear, that’s the truth.”

  Lorenzo sighed and cocked his head. “I’ll tell you something about Tristan Galloway. He’s a very sick man. He’s now been returned to where he belongs, a mental institution.”

  Kevin raised his eyebrows.

  Lorenzo nodded. “That’s right, a mental institution. We’re not murderers. All I want is the truth. Don’t lie to me again.”

  “I’ve already told you the—”

  “Enough,” Lorenzo screamed.

  I flinched. What more did he want? I hated not being able to do anything. If I’d at least had my phone, I’d have been able to do something.

  Kevin remained quiet and returned the glare Lorenzo gave him.

  Lorenzo smiled. “I can see you won’t say anything more. But at least do the right thing and tell me where your wife is.”

  “What for? So you can erase our minds? Make us forget any of this ever happened? And you can mask this however way you like, but what you did to my dog was murder.”

  Lorenzo shrugged. “Oh, please. The dog is the least of your worries.” He took another step forward. “Now tell me the truth. What did you see on that video? I want to know everything Tristan told you.”

  “What’re you gonna do if I don’t? Kill me? I’m already dead, anyway. You think I believe that nonsense about Tristan taken to a mental hospital? I know you killed him. I’ve already told you I didn’t hear anything, but you won’t believe me. Whatever he did say has got you spooked, though. That’s why you shut him up and you want to shut my whole family up.”

  Lorenzo growled and pointed the pistol at Kevin once more. I felt my heart nearly jump out of my chest. Please, Kevin, just tell him. I reached toward the switch on the wall again but couldn’t get myself to press it. Dylan was still there, and I could put him in danger. But so was Kevin. I didn’t know what to do. My husband’s life or my child’s? Tears streamed down my eyes, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the gun Lorenzo held in his hands, which had started glowing again.