The Children Who Time Lost Page 7

  I heard coughing beside me and glanced to my left. Monique extended her hand. A broad smile covered her previously hard face. I took it and pulled myself up. Amelia stood behind her, smiling but clearly a bit shaken. I studied both of them. Like me, they didn’t seem to have a hair out of place. It didn’t add up. The entire journey had felt like an assault course to the North Pole and back.

  “Are you all right?” Monique asked.

  I nodded, unsure of what to say.

  “What a rush that was,” Amelia said. A grin formed on her face. “I can’t believe we’re in 2108. This is just surreal.”

  I looked around. “But what do we do now?”

  Monique walked toward the left wall and placed her hand against it. I stood beside her and stared at it. It was whiter and cleaner than anything I’d ever seen. The fluorescent lighting was also very bright. If ever there’d been a doorway to heaven, this was it.

  Amelia walked past us and continued down the corridor. Monique and I called her name, but she continued. I shook my head and followed, Monique close behind. We tiptoed for almost five minutes before increasing our pace. Two hundred yards later, we reached what looked like a crossroad. I spun in a circle, studying the corridor to my left and right. The paths all looked identical.

  “Where do we go now?” Amelia asked.

  Monique shrugged and looked at me. I ruffled my hair and took a step toward the corridor to our right. It didn’t feel different. I took another step, and another, but then I heard a loud thud like a door shutting. I turned to see Amelia shaking, with her hand on her nose. I walked back toward them but reeled back in pain after crashing into something I couldn’t see. My head stung. It felt like I had hit a solid wall, except nothing was in front of me. I could see Monique and Amelia just as clearly as I could a few seconds before. I extended my hand and inched forward. I felt the barrier again. It was smooth and cool to the touch. It was definitely a wall, but invisible.

  “I think you two need to keep going,” I said.

  They looked at me dumbfounded.

  I raised my voice. “Keep going. I’ll continue down this way.”

  They shrugged. I turned and pointed down the path I would take and started walking. Then I pointed toward the path they faced. I hoped they understood what I was trying to say, but there wasn’t much else I could do. Monique took a step forward and continued on the same path I had been on. Amelia stared at me before following her. But after two steps, she jumped backward in pain and held her nose again. She had hit another invisible wall. It looked like we all needed to take our own separate paths.

  She looked at me, this time with questioning eyes. I pointed at the other path—the one directly opposite me. She gazed down it and then back at me. Monique had walked to the edge of her path and looked at both of us. After a nod, Amelia walked down the third path and continued taking small steps. I turned around after seeing Monique do the same. I walked down the corridor, looking back occasionally to see that Amelia was almost out of sight. Everything remained quiet, almost haunting. A hissing sound came. It sounded like gas being released from air vents. Then the light started to flicker. I stopped and looked up. It was only a section of the ceiling over me. A faulty light bulb? Really?

  I continued on and fought the urge to look back at what Amelia was doing. This was probably a test that only I could solve. A minute later, all the lights went out and I stood in darkness. I remained still, hoping they would come back on. I heard a clicking sound, like a light bulb on the verge of dying. I bit my fingernails and took a step back. Just then, the floor lighted up and continued to light up down the corridor.

  I waited, wondering whether there would be another sign, and then I heard footsteps. It was the unmistakable sound of high heels. The sound grew nearer and nearer before a woman appeared. She was definitely over six feet tall, with a long purple dress and thick blond hair. Her bright lipstick gave her a classy look, but her face was probably the most expressionless I had ever seen.

  It seemed to take forever for her to reach me. I looked into her blue eyes but didn’t say a word. She studied me like the Kysos and Lypsos back home did. It definitely wasn’t a typical case of a woman analyzing another woman. She walked to within inches of me. Her face almost touched mine. She didn’t look away or blink.

  “Hi!” I said. “Are you from here?”

  She smiled and circled me. I could feel her eyes boring through me every time she wasn’t in my line of sight. Whatever this was, it must have been part of the procedure, and I wasn’t going to speak again unless spoken to.

  “I see you’ve opted not to state the preferred gender of your child,” she said with an empty voice.

  I stared at her. “I’ll be happy with either a boy or a girl.”

  She stopped walking and tightened her face. “You’ve seen much pain, haven’t you?” She moved closer to me with her head tilted to the left, watching every blink I made and every twitch of my fingers. Her voice was without emotion, as if she were a cyborg programmed to say certain things. Maybe this was what the Kysos and Lypsos evolved to.

  “I … I guess so.”

  “You guess?” She moved closer. “Why is it a guess? You either know the true meaning of pain and suffering or you don’t. Which is it?”

  “I guess I’ve suffered as much as your average person.”

  “But you’re lying, aren’t you?” She moved closer still. I felt a lump in my throat. “What bothers you? Why does your heart still weep? As you stand here, I can sense guilt. Do you feel that you don’t deserve this?”

  “I … I …”

  “Because if you don’t want this with all your heart, there are many more who would take your place in an instant.”

  “No,” I shouted. “I definitely want this.”

  “Finally, some conviction.” She took a step back and introduced an unsettling smile. “So tell me. Why do you want to bring a child into your life? Twenty million dollars is a lot of money. Why would you give that up for a mere child?”

  I looked straight into her eyes and composed myself. “I don’t see any other option here. Money never truly serves anyone. It just leads to greed and selfishness. A child will bring happiness and prosperity. I don’t consider it a choice. I feel incredibly proud to be here, and no amount of money in the world will change the way I’m feeling right now.”

  The woman nodded, eyeing me from head to toe. But this time it wasn’t with a judgmental gaze. “I like you, Rachel Harris,” she said finally. She stepped beside me and stood in front of the wall to my left. After pressing her right palm against it, it shook. A bright red light ran up and down it. Then it started to open. The rumbling grew louder and louder. The gap that appeared a few seconds later was easily ten feet high and wide enough to fit two large men. She stepped beside it and extended her right hand.

  “Rachel Harris, please go through and claim your child.”

  I looked through the gap. I saw a faint light and heard female voices. I stared at her. She still held her hand out. The haunting smile hadn’t left her face either. I nodded at her and stepped in.

  Chapter Eight

  I’d taken five steps before I heard a thud. I looked back to see that the opening had disappeared. The woman wasn’t there either. More voices came, and I turned around. Lights started coming on all around me until the whole room was lighted. I continued telling myself I wasn’t dreaming. I was walking around in 2108.

  I was in some kind of waiting room where large floating curved chairs with no legs—at least two feet in the air—were in the corners. I counted twelve women around the two chairs directly in front of me. Seven sat down. The rest stood. They all glanced at me briefly and then looked away. Some held their gazes for a few seconds, but that was it. Thank god. They don’t recognize me.

  To my left were four tall Chinese women. Two Indian women also sat on the same chair. They were beautiful. Their eyes looked hazel in the light. I guessed it was Asia. The chair beside them had two blond women an
d four brunettes. But they mostly looked Caucasian, with some Spanish-looking. It was either Europe or America. I looked each woman in the eye, but neither Amelia nor Monique was there. It was definitely Europe.

  I walked between the chairs and smiled at one of the brunettes. She looked at me with anything but friendly eyes. Then she continued her conversation with one of the blond women. The women spoke only to the others on their chair.

  I stepped onto a glass platform that felt much sturdier than it looked. Then I approached the other chairs, five yards away. I walked past a chair on my right with eight black women. Two were fair-skinned. Africa, perhaps. The segregation continued like that as I searched for Monique and Amelia. I walked toward a chair in a corner and saw a number of white and black women interspersed with each other. I heard one speaking patois. Caribbean Islands?

  Beside them in a slightly higher chair were a number of blond women in close proximity to each other. Perhaps this was America. A number of black women then came into view, but they didn’t dress like black people did in America. They wore far less clothing than most, as well as headbands, necklaces and bracelets. I couldn’t place them. I had already seen what I thought was Africa and the Caribbean Islands. I squinted and then it hit me. Of course! Aborigines. This must be Australasia.

  I stopped walking when I saw two Hispanic-looking women talking. They stared at me and whispered to each other. I looked at the other women on the chair. Their gazes all seemed to be fixed on me. I’d just finished counting fifteen women on this chair when I heard my name whispered.

  I squinted until I noticed Amelia waving in my direction. I smiled and rushed around the crowd of women toward her. Amelia embraced me tightly, and Monique rose and joined in the hug.

  “How weird is all this?” Amelia said. “I feel like I’m in school, waiting to get called into the principal’s office.”

  I smiled and looked at the other women on our chair. They no longer focused on me but now talked in small groups, oblivious to anyone around them. I guessed the same could have been said of us.

  “How freaky were those corridors earlier?” Amelia squeezed my wrist.

  I turned and looked at her.

  “After you walked down the corridor,” she said, “this freaky woman came out.”

  “You saw her, too?” I said.

  “Yes. A blond woman. Really evil eyes.”

  I half-laughed. “She was so scary. She kept asking me questions. It’s as if she knew my whole life.”

  “You know what?” Monique said. “Mine, too.”

  I stared at her, dumbfounded. “You mean you saw her as well?”

  “Of course I did. Mine wore a black dress.”

  “Mine wore purple,” I said.

  Amelia shook her head. “Mine wore blue.”

  I frowned at the floor. Previous winners were forbidden from ever mentioning what they saw in the future, but there were whispers. This woman who could replicate herself, however, had never been mentioned in any of them.

  Monique tapped my shoulder. “You okay?”

  I nodded. “I think she was just a program, probably a form of Kyso in this place. It sounds like every one of them could read what we were all thinking and feeling.”

  We didn’t speak for a few minutes. Whispers filled the room. I saw the worry and anxiety on the faces of many.

  “This place gives me the creeps,” Amelia said.

  A humming sound tore through the room, and I saw every woman covering her ears. Then a deep male voice was heard. It seemed to be coming from the ceiling. “Welcome, ladies. On behalf of the Worldwide Lotto, 2108 welcomes you.”

  “I still can’t believe it,” Amelia said, giggling. “We’re really in 2108.”

  A number of women on our chair frowned in our direction. Amelia licked her lips and stopped talking.

  “We gave you the opportunity to acquire great wealth,” the voice continued, “but you have done something else. You’ve all opted to provide a home and a family to a child. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you of the necessity to make that child feel loved and appreciated. That all of you turned down the money you did to be here means that you already know.

  “Before I start getting into specifics, I feel it is necessary that I discuss the rules. You have already read the policy of the Lotto, but due to the severe implications if they are broken, I feel it’s my duty to repeat them.”

  He stopped talking for a moment and silence filled the room. I met stares from women on my chair and others around the room. Some looked scared and nervous. I fixed my gaze on an empty corner of the room.

  “The first rule, ladies, is that you’re not really here, metaphorically speaking. The floor you stand on is beyond your actual existence. You are here for a specific purpose, and that purpose is not to marvel at technological advancement or the way of life sixty-five years from your time. You’re simply here to take your children home.

  “You are forbidden from revealing anything you see here. You are forbidden to discuss it among yourselves once you return to your time. The Lotto organizers will know breaches of these rules in your time. And the punishment will not be pleasant. When interviewed on your return, you must only answer what you are asked. Revealing any information—even mistakenly—that could violate your oath will be taken as a breach, and you shall be punished.

  “We expect that you will be overcome by joy and satisfaction. These emotions are natural, and you may discuss these things.” He paused. “I will now talk about what happens from here. I’m sure you all considered your encounter with the blond woman strange. Don’t worry, you all saw her. Porsche’s task was simply to match you with a child, and also to determine which of you weren’t fit to be a mother. She knew the answer to your questions before she asked them. As expected, some of you lied, but that doesn’t mean you’re not fit to be mothers. On the contrary, it could mean you’re willing to do whatever it takes to be one. Whether that’s good or bad is not my decision, but a decision has been made. I will now read from two separate lists. If your name is on the first list, you shall not be taking a child home with you today.”

  Gasps filled the room. Each woman looked into the eyes of those next to them, some with open mouths. I remained still and focused on the man’s words.

  “Instead, Porsche will return and escort you back to the portal. You shall return to your time and continue life as before. As you have already forfeited the money, you shall not be getting any of it either. But you’ll still be bound to your oath and not speak a word of what you saw here. Those on the second list are those who are considered able to take on a child. You shall be escorted one at a time to the collection chamber, after which you shall go to the waiting area.

  “Once all children have been collected, you shall return to your time. You will arrive on your own with your child. The women next to you will be nowhere to be seen. We can’t forbid you to make contact with them again. After all, some will share your interests. You might even consider some friends. We do, however, urge you to avoid further contact. The final decision, however, is yours.

  “Before I read from the first list, I am happy to take any questions any of you might have.”

  I glanced at Monique and Amelia. They both stared back at me with expressionless eyes. I couldn’t believe that after the grueling wait to hear whether you were a Lotto winner, you could go through the portal only to discover that you might not be a mother after all. At least it explained why they never interviewed people before they stepped through. But did that mean they definitely planned to keep me? Many around the room exchanged anxious glances. After nearly a minute, a blond woman in the Europe chair raised her hand.

  “Sonia Byrne,” the voice said. “Please speak.”

  I leaned to the left to get a better view of her. I noticed everyone else in the room doing the same. She met our gazes and tightened her face. Then she spoke. “I … I just wanted to let you know how much I want this. I don’t know what the woman saw inside me earlier. I tr
ied to remain strong, but I lost it and cried. You see, I’m a widow. My first husband left me for a younger woman, so you can imagine how that felt. My second husband fell from our apartment to his death. My life is full of regret and self-pity. Having a child will mean the world to me. I will love him or her like my life depends on it. I just want you to consider that before making your decision.”

  The room returned to silence. The voice didn’t immediately respond. The whispers returned and spread around the room. I saw many women with hands over their mouths as they spoke.

  Monique tugged against my dress. “What does she think, that telling them her stupid life story will win her sympathy? We’ve all suffered. You’ve actually lost a child you bore yourself.”

  I nodded and continued focusing on the woman. She wiped tears from her cheeks. “Pain is pain,” I said, “and she’s seen too much of it, as I have.” I turned to Monique. “You can’t measure someone’s pain against someone else’s. You have no right to do that.”

  Monique glared at me and looked away.

  Sonia’s tears had gone, but she continued to sniffle.

  “Thanks for your honesty, Sonia Byrne,” the voice said. “But the decision has already been made. Let’s hope Porsche deems you worthy.” He paused. “I shall now name those who are to return to the portal at once. If I do call your name, you must remain where you stand until I issue further instructions. I wish you all the best of luck.”

  I had never been so scared in my life. I prayed that they wouldn’t call my name. Not after getting so far.

  Silence overtook the room as we all waited. I looked across the room and saw most women holding hands, even those from different countries. I glanced left and met the gaze of a Hispanic woman with short dark hair. She smiled at me and I extended my hand. She took it in hers and turned to the woman next to her and did the same. Ultimately, the women on the chair formed a chain, as did all the other women in the room.