Eyes of Time - 7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Community

I can hear voices outside my door, really loud voices. I can recognize them between the awful noise of the alarms, or whatever it is they are. I swallow and brace myself for the worse, making my way to the door.

If I wasn’t so scared I would have laughed. Outside my door is a circle of men in their underwear, with guns pointed at me, their faces menacing. Behind them, in the not so large hall a lot of startled, scared faces that can’t resist to take a look at the cause of all the commotion.

“Rhina! Damn it, can’t you stay put for at least a few hours?” I hear the voice and soon enough I can spot James walking in the middle of the crowd, coming in my direction, a menacing look on his face. The bystanders part to let him pass, as do the other men with the guns.

“I didn’t do anything. I was just sleeping, dreaming, and then I was talking with..... and then I was here, that’s it.” How come I almost let that one slip? I really must be tired. Will this day never end?

“Who were you talking to Rhina? Who got into your room? Answer me?” Oh boy, he is pissed.

“No one was in my room, I swear.”

“Don’t lie to me Rhina.” He looks like a wounded animal, ready to strike in the most ferocious manner, voice raised to a thunder.

“I’m not lying, I swear.” My voice is small, it almost breaks. I want to run away and cry. Why can’t they leave me alone?

“James? I think she’s telling the truth, no one got in. The feeling is all wrong.” I look in the direction of the voice, only to be met with a pair of eyes I had seen earlier and discarded as a hallucination.

James curses something unintelligent and speaks into a radio that he was carrying. A few seconds afterwards the alarm sounds disappear, but the ringing keeps going inside my head.

“Ok people, there’s nothing to see here, it was a false alarm. Go back to your beds. If I catch any of you out of bed after the next five minutes there will be trouble.”

He dismisses the other guards as well. He must have a lot of authority, because not even a minute later the corridor is deserted, apart from me, James and the kid that had spoken.

I open my door some more and walk inside my room, expecting them to follow me inside. It would be too nice of them to just let me be.

“You?” I ask the boy that had spoken. “I saw you earlier. Outside the library. I thought I was hallucinating, you disappeared so fast.”

“Hi, my name is Robin. I was the one who tracked you down. Well it wasn’t you exactly that I was tracking, but the fact that you could see me there, well it was confirmation enough that you were the one we were looking for. And your energy was strong enough in that place, which tells me that was probably the reason they found you there in the first place. You must spend hours in the library. Did you like my entrance quote when I hacked your computer? Cause I...”

“Robin!” It was James voice that stopped all the rambling. I assume that at that moment my face was a mixture of amusement and awe. How could someone put that many words together in the same breath?

“Sorry...” He was looking everywhere now, having been scolded in front of a stranger. I like him. He reminds me of Adam, when he was in his shy stage, except the big brother role relies on James this time, not on me. James is also amused, smiling a little at the teen’s antics.

Of course he isn’t smiling when he looks at me. “What happened? And I want the truth.”

“Nobody was here besides me.”

“I know that. I trust Robin’s judgement on that part. Now, spill.”

I couldn’t say the truth, not exactly. What would they think? Oh, that was nothing, I was just dreaming about my hot steamy enemy and I ended up in his bed for real. That would go well enough.

“I was dreaming, the entire day playing in my head again and again,” true enough for this purpose, “and I probably felt like I needed to get away from things.” Bingo. “So I ended up in the place I always go when I feel like that, the cemetery.”

“What?” I guess it was Robin, James was just staring at me weird, making me feel uncomfortable and all too aware of my lack of proper clothing (a top and my panties do not qualify as proper clothing). They were making me fidget.

“My mom’s grave, I go there to talk to her. It’s actually a really nice place. Lots of grass, and a flower bed planted near the stone. They’re her favourite flowers. Of course I usually go there during the day, but I don’t think my subconscious knew the difference.”

“You were actually there? Through these walls?” Robin again, the awe clear in his voice. Great, now they think me mad.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it was just a vision. I thought that was the reason you brought me here in the first place.”

“Visions?” That Robin boy maybe isn’t so nice after all. “Like, more than just the once? Do you try for them?”

“No, I don’t like it one bit, the ugly things I see aren’t nice you know? I saw entire cities being wiped out into rubble, people dying, meaningless wars killing children. But it’s not like I have a choice.”

“Wow.”

“Does he have to be here? He’s annoying me.” I’m pissed, and James isn’t saying anything. I feel again like the freakish lab rat my family made sure I felt like with all the physical and mental tests.

“Robin is our most gifted student, I need him here.” Great, back to cryptic James again. Can’t he give me one straight answer for once?

“Well, not anymore it seems.” Robin had a glazed look on his face, looking in my direction like a million questions per second were popping into his head and he had to pick the best ones.

“What is that supposed to mean?” How come everybody seems to have the answers I so desperately want.

“No one else, ever, was able to cross through these stones with their gift. That is why this place is located here, the stones are grounding, they are neutral, no energy in them. It blocks us from outside notice, but it also blocks our gifts from moving outside of these walls. It’s like a wall dividing a room. You can do whatever you want inside the room, but you can’t cross the wall. The alarms are set to detect the minimum of variation in the energy of the walls, at their core. Usually they have none. You crossing them, made them get some, plenty I should say, and that triggered the alarm. We were worried someone had figured a way of crossing through them and we were being attacked.”

“Oh.” What else am I supposed to say? So I happen to be different here as well. It was too good to be true. “But James said there were others, like me. You were there this morning, the library, I saw you.”

“Well, yeah, but I had to leave here in order to get there, and it was really hard to do it, I almost never can, and I can only do it in place, not in time. You apparently can. Rhina, you have an amazing gift, and you have so much potential. No wonder you were in so much trouble.”

“What..?”

“It’s enough! It’s late, you will get your answers in the morning, or the afternoon. I’ll tell them to let you sleep in, you need to rest. And please try not to travel anywhere else tonight.” James can be such a sweat heart, I just feel like hating him all over again.

“You believe me then? You don’t think I’m freakish too?”

“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t believe in you Rhina. Now try to get some rest.” Hmmm ,ok, maybe hate is a very strong word.

When they leave, tiredness is the only thing that keeps me from having my head swirl in all directions all night long. I can’t believe they bought that story, but I guess it’s more likely to be the truth than me ending up in Leo’s bed. I snuggle up under the covers, trying to recover some of the warmness I experienced in his arms, that one perfect, guilty moment of bliss. And isn’t that sappy?

Getting to actually sleep was a slow and painful process. Whenever I got to calm my thoughts enough my sleep was filled of dreams, and jumpy events that made me awake again, restless, heart racing. Eventually I fell into a dreamless stupor, only to wake to a knock on my door the next day.

The clock tells me, through my bleary heavy lids, that it is the next day. Not only that but it seems like I slept more than halfway through the day. The knocking is more insistent now.

“Give me a minute!” My voice hurts my ears, my throat is parched and I feel like I was run over by a truck. A messed up schedule can do that to me.

I try to look around the room, a quest for something not so revealing to wear. I really was tired if I allowed James and that boy to get to see me in that state of undress. Come to think of it.... I feel like groaning. Wasn’t it just great that the entire corridor and half the security personal had gotten an eye full on Rhina’s panties?

I spot Sam’s t-shirt on the floor, probably where I dropped it last night. A pang tries to squeeze my heart at the thought of Sam. It’s all my fault. Pushing the negativity away, I pull the shirt over my head and make my way towards the door, only to be met by the twilight zone on the other side.

Tall, brunet and handsome. But that is the only normal thing about him. Bell bottoms, bright blue patterned silky shirt, open collar until mid chest. Brown vest, shoulder length hair, a string of fabric across the forehead and a peace and love necklace complete the assemble.

“You do know we live in the 21st century, right?” Blurted out before I could stop myself. Yeah, good one, says the purple haired chick.

The goofy smile and bright eyes are outright laughing at my comment. His posture is relaxed, easygoing. If I were asked to choose someone else I would like to be, this guy would be it. Just so damned happy to be alive. That’s how good the vibe I got from him was.

“Hi! I’m Dylan. Nice to meet ya!”

“Hi! I’m..”

“Oh, I know who you are. They asked me to wake you up, show you around. You get the drift.”

“Huh, ok?” That is the moment I notice my clothes, and I do not dare to take a deep whiff of myself. Being on the run doesn’t exactly work wonders for your personal hygiene.

“Look, you mind if I take a shower first? I just woke and I’m still kind of dizzy, with all the changes, and... you mind?”

“Not at all. The bathroom is down the hall. There are individual stalls and showers. At least there are on the men’s side. Anyway, I’ll be waiting for you here in half an hour. Is that good?”

“Sure. That would be great.”

It’s when I close the door behind me that it hits me just how mad and crazy all this is. Talk about falling down the rabbit hole. Next thing I know I’ll be stopping a madman from cutting people’s heads off.

Turning on the light switch I finally get a good look at my room. Before, the small lamp light was leaving most of it in shadows. The white walls, light, simple and sparse furniture were to be expected. A bed, a nightstand, a shelf, a desk and chair and a small closet. What were not to be expected were the huge amount of stuff already in and on them. Wow, did they get my entire apartment in here?

My clothes were in the closet, my photographs, books and cd’s on the shelf. Even my posters were on the wall. On top of the desk my school books and my electronic paraphernalia waiting for my laptop to plug in. I even found a little bag with my shampoo and lotions next to the bed. Ok, this is either really weird, or very considerate of them.

Whatever it meant, I’m quick to sort out my clothes and needs and head to the shower. And it feels so good. The water is so warm, so comforting. No matter where it is a hot shower always makes me feel like home, like I’m safe and protected.

I’m finishing combing my blown out hair, applying the different lotions it needs, when I hear voices on the other side of the bathroom. The part with a lot of sinks and toilet stalls, separated from the showers by a big wall.

“... like the new girl last night.” The voice is muffled, too light for me to catch. I hate meddling in other people’s conversations but I had a feeling this one was about me. I quietly stepped closer, keeping hidden behind the wall.

“I heard one of the guards, you know that cute blonde one? Well he says that he heard James and Robin talking. It seems the new girl is trouble.” Yeah, like James isn’t a pain in the butt to start with.

“The blonde heard they were after her. And not only that but that it was all the big guns.”

“You think she’s anything special?” The sound of water running mixes with a second female voice, more tilted and low. “I mean most of us can’t pass stage two. Robin is actually getting to three, but he’s the exception.” Stages?“Besides, she doesn’t look like much, all small sized, and please, purple hair? What is it, a bad fashion statement?” Bitch!

“Hmm, I kind of liked her hair. It suited her somewhat. Some people just look good with uncommon colouring. I think you’re just jealous because she actually has James running after her like a puppy, while he hasn’t even once noticed you existed, no matter what you do.” I almost feel like saying hooray to that, but the idea of James as a kicked puppy doesn’t agree well with me.

“Hey!”

“Anyways, and don’t you act all offended, you know I’m right,” Funny how I can almost hear the other girl’s pouting through the wall. “Now, seriously, I think she has to be big. They wouldn’t have all of this going on if she wasn’t. I overheard Robin comment that James rescued her from the Dark Lion himself.” A tiny pause in her statement. Obviously this is meaningful. Dark Lion? Does she mean Leo?

The other girl started talking, breaking my musings about that little piece of walking sin. Meh, I’m getting too corny for my taste. Bad Rhina. “Well, let’s just hope that the poor dear isn’t too good. It would be a shame if she ended up like Micah, now wouldn’t it?”

“Don’t even joke about it. I still get shivers whenever I think of that.”

The door closing is the last I hear from them. They were obviously gossip masters around here. I guess you can’t escape people like that no matter where you go. But the prospect of facing gossipers in this place isn’t my main concern at the moment.

Two references jumped to my attention, and something tells me they were very important. The first is in some way connected with Leo, of that I’m sure. What I don’t know is why we seem to be so intrinsically connected, and that worries me very much. As alluring as he may have looked he also made sure to stress how dangerous he was. That me and him in the same room would always mean trouble from now on, especially trouble for me.

The other unsolved question was: Who the hell was Micah, and what does he have to do with me? More importantly, what happened to him?

As I walk the corridor towards my room I have all these thoughts and disturbed possibilities crossing my mind. My head is so crowded that I almost miss the person waiting for me by my door. The warm voice awakes me to reality though.

“I guess you wouldn’t be a girl if you didn’t take ages getting ready hum?”

“Oh, hi Dylan. I had forgotten you would be here. Guess my shower was that good.” My tone of voice is chirpy and forced.

But soon enough Dylan’s good disposition has me forgetting the scene in the showers. I find myself enjoying the tour and laughing along with Dylan about the silliest things.

“So, what’s your story? Why are you here?” Only after the question left my mouth do I wonder if I might offend him with it. “Sorry, I shouldn’t meddle.”

“Nah, it’s ok. You just caught me by surprise. Well, you were quick to notice my outfit. Can’t you hazard a guess?”

“I’m afraid to wonder about that.” The mood is thankfully light and easygoing. It’s hard to feel some other way when you’re around this boy.

“Well, here I was, seventeen years old, high on weed, listening to the finest music ever played, sleeping under the stars on the biggest gathering ever promoted by men, blessed by mother nature and free as a bird. Believing only my good will and that of my peers could actually make a difference and change the world. I went for the trip of my life, and was never able to find my return ticket.” He says all of this with a smile, a dreamy look on his face and a tiny smirk forming on the corner of his lips, daring me to guess just how crazy that one way trip was.

“I’m not sure I follow, and I’m not sure I really am able to guess even close to what you mean.”

“Aww, come on. No? I’ll give you one more clue. The land was Bethel, the month was August, and the year... 1969.”

Oh my God! “Are you trying to tell me you came from Pot, Sex and Jimi Hendrix? Right in the middle of the Woodstock? You’re kidding me, right?”

My mocking laugh is lost for the one moment of seriousness in his face, his eyes open as saucers.

“You know Jimi Hendrix?”

“The best guitar player of all times? Of course I know who he is, I work at a music store ok? I have to know this stuff. He and Bob Dylan were the soul of that festival: Three days of Peace and Music.” How I wish I had seen that.

“Oh, by the gods that exist above, you aren’t a silly girl after all. Do you know what they call music in this place? They listen to this gal called Brittany, or some other silly thing. Can you believe it?”

“I know what you mean, trust me! But, are you serious? You got high and ended up in the next century?”

“Yup. It was six months ago. I woke up in the middle of the city park, with no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. Not even the slightest recollection from my trip.

“Robin has been trying to help me with that. Figure out how I did it. I mean, it never happened before that one time, and I haven’t been able to do it again, even though he says I have the potential in me. I even tried to get high again, to see if it would work. I guess my place is in this time after all.

“And to be honest, I’m not even sure I want to go back. I mean, I already know what’s going to happen afterwards, and I can’t stop it. At least now, I feel like I still can make a difference. And I like it here.” The last part was almost wishful, quiet. “But Robin is a good kid, I don’t like the idea of letting him down.”

“Don’t call him kid,” I try to make light of things again, even ignoring the fact that I have been calling him a kid in my head. “For all you know he has a crush on you or something. You’ll hurt his feelings.”

“You think?!” Dylan stopped walking and his expression is that of a kid waiting for chocolate cake. “I mean, did he tell you anything?” Is that a puppy, please say he did, look?

“I don’t know, we talked for only a few minutes, and his love life was the furthest from my mind at the moment. Why don’t you ask him?” I’m laughing now. Dylan just looks too embarrassed, even though he’s trying to play it cool.

“So funny. Of course I will, next time I see him. I mean, he’s just Robin, wonder kid. Oops, boy, no better call him a man. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.” I jab him lightly in the ribs, he returns the gesture and next thing I know I’m laughing uncontrollably, sitting against a corridor wall, having been tickled mercilessly, and having returned the gesture to a laughing Dylan as well.

“Oh, I haven’t had such a good laugh in ages. I guess I needed that.” It’s hard to control my breathing, but I’m managing. The stress almost completely left my shoulders. If only this feeling could last forever. Unfortunately it is Dylan that brings me back to reality.

“Listen, Rhina.” He gets closer to me, sitting beside me on the floor. His voice is a whisper now, trying not to get overheard by the occasional person walking the corridors. They had been sending weird looks our way ever since we started tickling each other. “You seem like a nice girl, and I feel like I should tell you, that if you need anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask ok?”

“Sure.” That was weird, but sweet in a way.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that, well, Robin tells me a lot of stuff, ok? For some reason he deems fit to trust me, and he rambles nonstop about himself when I’m around. Usually he’s really shy around people, but with me he just goes on and on. And I don’t usually break his trust. That’s how I know what they did to get you in here, co-operating. I’m not saying they did the wrong thing, because I know they are protecting your family. You can be sure of that.” I feel a breath I had been holding for far too long, leave my chest. For some reason, when it’s Dylan saying it, it sounds sincere, honest, true. Adam is safe and I can relax, finally.

“But they still used it to make sure you were here. And even though they want to help you, they will use you if they have to. Now, that wouldn’t be a problem if you were just some random Mary Jane, just like some silly girls around here. But Robin tells me you’re the new it. And I know that what James knows, Robin knows, because James tells him everything. This means I know everything James knows. I won’t break Robin’s trust, I haven’t and I never will,”

“Aren’t you breaking it right now?” I’m tempted to ask. It’s hard to follow when he decides to go on in riddles it seems.

“I’m not telling you anything am I? What I’m saying is that I know. And I’m not letting them exploit you and leave you in the dark. I know how it feels, to be out of place, in the unknown, with no friendly faces around. Only lots of people claiming they want to help you, but not explaining to you how or why. It was only after they realized I couldn’t travel on a whim that they left me to be sorted out by Robin and we started talking. I know more than I should, only because James has some sort of brotherly fixation on Robin and tells him stuff he isn’t supposed to. It’s a weird circle, but it might save your life. I’m just offering advice here, and that is all.” There is a serious side about Dylan after all. Gone is the easygoing feel, as every word, full with double meanings, and hidden corners, sinks into my mind. I remember the conversation in the bathroom.

“Dylan, who is Micah?”