It's warm on my face. The sun. The feeling is warm and amazing. The bed is soft. I turn over grabbing the bed searching for her.
Shes not there. A silhouette of her body on the silky fabric of the bedding. Like I can still see her facing me. Smiling, the white smile with her metallic glowing teeth. Her legs wrapping around mine in her sleep. Arms reaching for me, pulling me into a hug.
She's not there though. Pulling myself up into a sitting position, blocking the sun out of my face. I call out to her.
"Thia…?"
I get up dragging myself off the bed landing my feet on the floor. No response. She left already, I'm guessing.
The door to her room is wide open. The same with one of the doors in the hallway. I get up and walk out the room, looking into the open door, as I make my way to the kitchen. The door lead into the bathroom. I stop right outside the bathroom, looking around inside.
The interior was beautiful. Almost to difficult to explain. The pristine white walls not even looking a day old. The flooring shiny, not have a spec of dust or stains. Entering, I see a medicine cabinet open. Medicine of every kind inside of the cabinet. A bottle missing, I notice because of the imprint where it was once left. I have no way of knowing.
Toilet and Sink, right across the bath. That's where I make my way toward. I turn on the bath, plugging the hole for the water to fill. I. feel the water coming out, I turn the knob until I like the heat coming out.
I make my way back to the kitchen passing the other door. Inside the kitchen, the fridge has a note right above the ice compartment. Addressed to me. I pull it off the tape holding it onto the fridge and read it.
'Keith, I vaguely remember what happened last night. And I thank you, But I wasn't lying when I said I want you, and that I like you. Like, I really, LIKE YOU. Enough to hold you till the morning. I really did want you to follow me, but I hope when the time comes you will change your mind.
Love, Thia.'
A lip stick mark was left on the back side of the note.
I will miss her but when I get back from the experiment... It hits me like a truck. A semi- truck. A fast driving, F-1 speed going, Semi-truck.
~~~
"How am I going to get back home?"
Ever since getting into the bath I've been asking myself that question over and over again.
"How am I going to get back home?"
The water has now been warm for a while. When I first got in it was hot, sauna type hot. Enough to make me relax and feel good, but I just couldn't how am I suppose to feel good when I'm going to be stuck in the past.
I can't just back out now, or ever. If I do, I go to prison and I'm there for a long time too. F*CK!
I grab a towel at the end of the bathtub and wrap it around myself. I will just have to go through with it. wiping myself I look at a clock above the Medicine cabinet. I have a few hours left. I can do some things. I get out of the bath feeling like I should spend the rest of my time doing everything I wanted to do.
~~~
'I can't think of anything.'
I spent the last thirty minutes sitting on the damn couch in her house.
No. Now that I think about it I do have one thing that I want to do. I'm gonna give her a call. I pull out my phone and dial Thai's cell.
It rings. Once. Twice. Thrice. She doesn't pick up. It must be in Airplane mode.
"Please leave a message." And then a beep.
"Thia.. I didn't really think of anything to say when you did pick up. But you didn't this sucks. Thai, I want to say I don't think I'll be here for a while or ever again. I think I might be stuck in the past. Once I finish the mission I'll have to be long died before I get to re-know you in the past. I just want to say I--"
"You have reached the limit for your message."
The message is cut short leaving me unable to finish.
'I can just call her back.'
I re-dial the number. A call pops up on my cell. A call from Ms. Rose. I look at the clock...
"OH SH*T!"
I answer the call and head for the door. Placing the phone in my ear.
"Keith, where are you?"
She doesn't sound it but you know it. She's angry, I have twenty minutes to get to the building or i'm done. I don't know in what way weather it be she kill me or put me in prison.
"Ms. Rose, I'll be there in ten minutes flat."
"You have only that time or you will be terminated from this mission!"
Goddamn.
"I'll be there Ms. Rose. I understand."
I say dropping my phone on the floor, while putting it on a speaker. I grab my shoes and put in on. Running out the door. Locking it on the way out.
Running down the stairs and out the building I flag down a cab and tell the drive my location. Which is a block or two away from the building.
Ms. Rose hung up a while back.
"If you are with Paul bring him along as well."
Those were the last words that she said to me before she hung up. Which means that he also didn't arrive on time.
~~~
Time passes. Luckily for me people weren't on the road allowing me to make it on time other the cab and green lights were just coming my way.
Paying the cab driver. Stereotypical cab driver, Italian, talkative but funny so I actually enjoyed my time and he was pretty cool guy overall.
"Your total will be…"
He glances at the taximeter then back to me, through a plastic window separating us:
"45.23. You can pay cash or card."
Pulling my wallet out of my back pants pocket. I pull out a 100 dollar bill. Won this off of John in a bet, if I was able to hit him once in a fight I'd get the cash, that was when I first started training and he slipped and I got lucky. After that though I got my ass beat.
Paying him the bill I open the door and hightail it to the building, turning a few corners every now and again. The area is full of big buildings, apartments, big houses, hotels the whole thing. That makes it easy for people to not assume anything of this place and the amount of people going in and out.
In front of the building is a type of hotel/water park but a very selective few know of what's really happening behind the scenes. The building is tall. Outer layer painted fully in white and glass windows covering the opening letting people see out. To the view.
Entering the building and heading towards an emergency exit. Relatively close to the reception desk. I go to the bottom. Fast, as fast as my legs can move. At the end a door read:
DO NOT ENTER!
Written in bright bold letters. Pushing the door open I reach a room. The room that I was once previously in before. People are watching from an area above with glass windows surrounding them to protect themselves, watch us Don and for now. Me as well.
'That's a lot of people.'
Snapping me back to reality is Ms. Rose with John beside her holding a diving suit.
"You have Five minutes to get changed!"
She says holding out the numbers with her hand.
Quickly I change. Nothing else is thought of like the question from before:
'How do I get back?'
I don't think of it once. The question is filled out with the fact that he's in a rush.
In a few minutes I see Paul with a bruise on his face enter the room as well. Knowing what I did I stifle a laugh and exit the room. Already knowing what comes next, and seeing Don right next to his I follow suit. Standing right beside my giant fish tank as well. Soon, Paul joins us standing beside the last tube.
Over the intercom a voice break through:
"People welcome to the first instance in which we will time travel. Yes we all know why we are here there was no need to re-explain it again I'm guessing. We have or three Guinea pigs here, First is Don…"
Don picks up his hand and waves showing the people watching behind the glass which one he is:
"… Next is Paul…"
Once again hand in the air to show the people who he is, this time not waving, probably from the head ache he has from the punch or the drinks last night:
"…And Keith."
Finally introducing my name I raise my hand and smile along with waving. Showing them who I am.
Finally after a few more words from him that feel like an eternity we all head in through the hatches of each of our respective tubes.
Soon I feel it again the pain that I felt the first time entering this. But this time is easier the pain feels easier to deal with compared to last time. Not fire burning my skin off feeling, but more of hot water land on my hand straight off the stove.
A few minutes later I'm no lantern floating in water but standing straight in a cater and surrounded but bodies burning, horrific sight of bodies.