I take my coffee to go. I can't believe Stacy just said that about Alejandro in front of me. Not only that but he is the one who lives in the apartment across from me. I head to work hoping to occupy my mind. I receive a text from Mr. Caulden telling me to meet in front of the building.
"We have a breakfast meeting today so let's go," Mr. Caulden says as we stand on the sidewalk waiting for his older brother.
"I can drive myself, sir," I said.
"I do not bite you know, it is not only me and you, but two other workers are also coming. If there was not, that would be completely unprofessional"
"No seriously it is okay"
"No, you are my assistant so you are coming with me and I am not repeating myself" This is the first time he acts like the adult he is.
"Why do.." I back up from him. I develop a sudden headache but it feels as if someone just struck my head. It hurts, I am losing my balance falling back onto the street. I turn around to see a car coming my way. Mr. Caulden jumps in front of the car and saves me...the last thing I remember is him on the street...he got hurt...and I could not help him...
I wake up to being in a hospital bed...doctors are crowded around me...I do not remember what happened to Mr. Caulden...no one else is here...why do I feel like I am a lab rat? Am I an experiment right now? The doctors notice that I am awake now.
"Hello Ma'am...we have some questions for you" Why do I feel like I am in interrogation?
"Okay" I start to shake, why do I feel the electricity in me. What is this feeling?
"Why are you shaking like that? Who are you?" The doctors ask me but change perspective, "No...What are you?" Oh no...they know...I have to leave her quickly before they do any experiments...if they haven't already...
"I am just a person"
"Let us try another way...what is your name?" This is where I draw the line...I look where my bag is...I rip the IV drip wires off me, grab my bag and run...as fast as I can...the doctors chase after me...I have only this gown...I think where did my clothes go...I run by the donation box on my way and pull a huge hoodie out and put it on...and I continue to run...does anyone know I am here...I check what time it was 9 p.m. It is not that late. No one must know I am here. I hope Mr. Caulden is okay. I have to research later if he is. I can call his older brother's assistant. Now, I can not let anyone know I am here...I can not leave any evidence. I need a disguise, I hop on a taxi quickly. I think I should use the market as a disguise to buy some food so I don't lie. I can never lie. If people ever ask me about something that I can not say anything about, I just ignore them. I taxi drove to the nearby market called" the market", which is ironic. I laughed inside at this critical moment. The store was fairly modern with dark wooden floors and dark gray walls with various sections. The various sections helped me stay hidden. I look down at my outfit. I cover my face, how ridiculous I must look right now. I grabbed a basket, grabbed vegetables, fruits, snacks like chips, cookies, chocolate, a few spices, eggs, bacon, bagels, ice cream, and croissants to look normal. Before I walk to the self check out section, I look around me to see if I see any doctors or something suspicious of any sort.
As I was walking to go check out, I saw the new guy again! He saw me...oh no... he walked towards me I went into a full-speed walk to the register. After I finished, I fell back a little bit as I slipped...I didn't see the "wet floor "sign. All of a sudden, the new guy, Odie? Ori? Oran? Alejandro! He caught me and he brushed the hair off of my face.
"Hey, you!" I say awkwardly. "Thanks," I said trying to calm down from the mental heart attack I had as I stand up straight.
"Yeah, the other day I was going to say ..." Alejandro said as he looked at my outfit. I interrupted him and asked first...I had no time.
"Oh yeah, what was it?" I look around me again. I do not have time for this conversation.
"By any chance, Have you been to Korea the past week or so?"
"Uh...How did you know?" I feel stalked.
"I was in Korea about a week ago, but something happened and I suddenly left without knowing it"
"Are you okay?" I feel like I am speaking so formally. I do not even talk to my boss this formally.
"I was just on a business trip at a hotel in Sokcho" Wait...he was there when I was there?
"And you by any chance, at a hotel called Ramada...a hotel in Sokcho Korea? That is right in front of the ocean?" This time he looked at me as if I was a stalker and backed up a bit from me this time.
"Wait...Why...How...did you know?" He asked suspiciously.
"Oh it is just a coincidence," I said as I see doctors coming into the store.
"Are you sure?" he asked worried about my answer. He seemed tired because his Spanish and Korean accent was deep and raspy. I need a name for this accent because this is too much. I think Koispanic accent. 'Ko' could be like 'Co' as in two, smart.
"I have ice cream and it is going to melt, I have Rosa waiting for me at home, so I have to go bye" rushing out of the door, trying not to be seen by the doctors covering my face with my hoodie. I felt bad because now I made him think I was a stalker. Why did I even say anything to him? How do I trust him so much to have a conversation that long with him when I don't know him well? However, I keep getting that feeling as I know him.
I continue running not thinking about Alejandro how I left but I had to leave...I am losing my breath...I see them behind me...I turn at an abandoned street with nothing there...I try to hide pressing my back against the brick wall as far as I could...not breathing so they do not see movement...I peek a little to see if they are close...they get closer...do I go now or do I stay?... I make a run for it...I run towards the end of the valley...rain puddles on the floor from the day before...I'm sure the doctors heard me run...I don't look back to check, only moving forward...I step on the garbage dumpster, jump and, grab onto a pole sticking out of the wall and pull myself up...holding onto it...I saw the building I was holding on had a patio...I looked at a way I could reach up there and that is when I saw another pole however since I am short I could not reach the pole... I had to find a way...I had to find it quickly...I hear the doctors yelling at me telling me to stop...I thought of something...it is going to be life or death...I could step on the pole I am holding onto now and jump to reach the second pole to reach the top but If I jump and do not reach it on time then I will be in trouble meaning death...I could break several parts of my body by falling...I have to risk it...for my secret...that has been kept for 5 years now...I am planning to keep it that way...I jump and grasp the pole with my right arm...my hand starts to slip because of the sweat from my hand...I wondered why now...before I fall I reach with my left arm and get a good grip on the pole, I am not slipping anymore...I finally pull myself up to the patio of the building...enter through the door which was unlocked...once I entered I locked the door...The doctors were tall so it was going to be easier for them to climb than me. I now, look around me to see what there is, it is dark there is no light. When I entered through the door I came to a stairwell. I start to walk down, I see a light flicking on and off. I walk down holding onto the handles as I walked downstairs and entered the room that was cracked open. As I enter everything is dusty and covered with plastic just like when I went to the future and my apartment. I walk more in towards the room with the door open and see a bedroom with a light from a device on. I head inside the room and I see someone in a hoodie looking at a screen. I walk closer my heart beating fast as I pull the hoodie off the person. It is an older man.
"What are you doing here?" He raised his voice unsettled. I look at his screen quickly...a picture of me...and my family...all the people that are close to me...
"How do you know me?" I asked confused about why...he knows me...he seemed to be someone I saw before. My memory starts to work. He faces me this time. His face was exposed. Then I remember...he is the other time traveler. I hear the door barge open upstairs...the doctors are here...I ask urgently "Who are you?" I speak louder now afraid the doctors already heard me. He disappears from my sight. I regain my consciousness to think and run again to get away from the doctors. I have a second thoughts this time. If I wanted to keep myself a secret I needed to make sure they had no evidence of me. I hide under the stairwell instead and waited for the doctors to leave so I can follow them. The doctors talk amongst themselves and figure out I am not here. They head back out the way they came and so do I, however, slowly behind them. As they are walking back to the hospital since New York City sidewalks are always crowded then I will be able to hide easily, and them not suspecting a thing. I overhear them still talking about me, they know a little too much about me. As we reach the hospital, they enter and I continued to follow carefully. They get in an elevator and I wait to see what floor they are on. The light on the elevator stopped at the number 6. I take the elevator after it comes back down. They enter the place where I was laying before I escaped. After a few seconds, they walk to the lab. Then I remembered Mr. Caulden, was he okay? I notice him in a room next to the lab, he is not doing well, I felt like I was at fault which I was, If I had not said anything and just went with what he said, everything would have been fine. Why am I so stubborn? I looked at Mr. Caulden; He seemed as if he is not going to survive. I needed to do something about him but I could not do that. I have to delete all the information these doctors have on me at this moment.
"I will be back" I whisper. I see them with all these different types of samples of my blood. I see on the screens everything about me. They do not know my identity yet. I have to think of a plan and quick! I think maybe if I cut the power for this floor but then important patients will not be safe especially the one that I was at fault for, Mr. Caulden. What if...I looked at the emergency switch...if I pull that then it will be easier for me...no one will get hurt. Once the doctors leave I can go in a delete everything any trace of DNA they have of me and any clue that can lead them to me. I count to three take a deep breath because I never did this before and pull the switch. The alarms start to echo, ring throughout the hospital, and the emergency lights turn on. The doctors rush out to the other patients. I enter the lab they were investigating me. I head to the computers first and delete everything they researched of me including my blood full of abnormal energy, details on how old I could be, and where I could be from and they seemed to almost find out who I was. I continue deleting. I am running out of time. I double-check if I deleted everything and I did. I walked to see Mr. Caulden, the closer I walked to him the faster his heartbeat beat then it went flatline. I step back shocked and numb. I can't let him die! Not another person, I can't let this happen. I give him CPR and I yell to call someone maybe someone is out there. I am not a doctor, the only thing I do is simple things like stitch skin and put medicine cream on places where I get hurt or I just don't put anything at all. How do I bring him back? The sound of the flatline, the sound of death, breaks my heart bringing back memories of Bo-A when she died. I keep on giving him CPR, it doesn't work. I start to cry and cry. I have to fix this. The emergency alarm stops ringing and the lights turn back on. I have to leave him but I can't. I say I am sorry to him and make a run for it again. As I run towards the stairwell to go to the garage and notice one camera. Oh no, I can be caught. The stairwell shows a map of the hospital. The cameras are in the garage. I run down the stairs. I arrive at the garage and I notice the camera room. The door was left open. I notice the guard left and is at the opening of the garage standing guiding people out. I run to the camera room and find the camera and footage. I look at the footage it shows my face so clearly, you can find my face in an instance. I delete everything that shows me and the footage of the garage where I was in. I'm relieved. I head out as the guard comes back. I head straight to my loft.
-
I wake up in my bed. Finally, Rosa listened when I told her 'never take me to the hospital, I don't trust them.' I look beside me. Rosaline fell asleep next to me. She wakes up suddenly when she feels movement from me.
"Are you okay?!" she says as she checks my temperature from my forehead.
"Yeah I'm fine," I say as I let out a cough.
"No you are not, you are running a cold, and your hand..." she grabs my hand "...it's trembling like crazy why did you lie? You are sick" She let go of my hand.
"I didn't lie. I never lie. I have a cold but I am fine! I did not say I was 100% okay with no chance of cold, Did I?" I raise my voice now. I know what's happening, I'm losing my energy again. I'm getting frustrated. Why is this happening more frequently? A few months ago I was okay and did not have to worry but now I do. Why? What is happening to me?
"Sorry, goodness, this is the thanks I get for taking care of you" She looks down.
"I'm sorry I just don't feel like talking right now," I tell her and she nods her head while she leaves my room. I have to travel back in time today for my own sake and the sake of Mr. Caulden. While I walk towards the tip of my porch just feeling the air maybe it will help me regain some energy but it doesn't help. The sun begins to rise. I grab a cup of coffee. After I finish it, I turn around... We are facing each other...silence... just eye contact... where you can only hear the sound of the cars and the wind whistling through our ears.
"Hey! you," he shouts as I hide my face.
"Hi?" I said barely smiling. I begin to leave.
"No, do not go!" he said so loud I think I woke up the neighbors. I turn around.
"What?" I say becoming irritated.
"Why do you always walk away from me as if I'm going to kill you, what have I ever done to you?" He yelled becoming frustrated with the situation too.
"Nothing! Just leave me alone please, " I say rolling my eyes feeling hurt.
"No! I am not going to take that attitude after all these past few days, I am always trying to talk to you. You walk away. I want to have a conversation. And you just leave. How do you think that makes me feel, do you understand that ignoring someone could seriously bring them down?" He said getting emotional. I watched him...I listened. I had no time. I have to travel through time.
I am getting worse, can't think straight. I rush to the elevator heading downstairs as I wave goodbye to Rosa. She yells at me telling me to come back because I am sick. I have no time to explain or am even able to explain. I get on a stop far away, Bowery J is the farthest I can go for now so I could reach Broad Street. Broad Street is how and where I can travel through time. I can travel only through a subway. I haven't tried any other subways but I'm sure that's how it works. The thing about a subway is that no one is watching what you are doing, everyone just minds their own business. This makes it easy for me to disappear. As Broad Street approaches, I feel like someone is looking at me. I turn around and no one is looking at me. Broad Street arrives and I start to disappear to the past but someone yells and I turn around and I see a little kid about 11 years old. My lack of energy is giving me hallucinations too?
I end up in the past, an hour before Mr. Caulden jumps in front of the car to save me. I head upstairs and since my face is familiar with my face especially since I work here nobody will find anything suspicious. I head to her office which is inside Mr. Caulden's office and I slip a note in Gwen's purse that she had for work that says "Do not argue with the boss, trust me" and I signed it with the unique signature that I have or I should say we have. I stand in the corner, a place where she would not see me. I notice her walk to the office with Mr. Caulden and she finds the note and reads it. She has received the message. I look at my watch which is the only thing that cannot change because it is manual, this is the time where he tells her to go in the car to the restaurant with her. I watch her as she nods and smiles as she follows Mr. Caulden and the other workers downstairs. I watch as they all head to the garage of the building, get in the car, and head to where the company meeting is going to be. I notice something on my arm, it's writing in pen. She wrote thank you in all the languages I am learning and I know. Then I notice it disappears, she erased it. This never happened to me before. As I head back to the subway to travel back to the present day, I think again why is everything so difficult for me now? Why do I have to work so much now because of this ability I have?
I glance at my phone. It's a text from Stacy telling me to meet with her somewhere. That is random but I said yes to her request because I have nothing to do later.
"Ms. Rio. Stop being on your phone. You have work to do" Mr. Caulden says.
-
"So where is this place?" I say walking upstairs with my eyes closed.
"You haven't even told her" Ben laughs.
"Shut up, you rat" Stacy yells making her voice echo throughout the stairwell. "Wait let me open the door"
"Because it's the stairwell exit hehe" Ben giggles. I hear her slap him on his head making me laugh. She uncovers my eyes by taking off the black bandana.
"Go ahead, knock" I do as she says. The door opens revealing someone I didn't think I would see again today. Alejandro.
"Hi," Stacy says shoving me inside "I brought a guest if you don't mind" I turn around and give her a dirty look. This little scheming matchmaker.
"Oh...um not at all" Alejandro rubs the back of his neck. We all walk inside and I notice TJ and his friend Mark. We all began talking as if we have known each other for a long time. It was nice. Mark turns towards me but all of a sudden I notice Alejandro turned around looking at Mark giving him a 'she's mine' stare. But why would he feel like that? We haven't even had a whole conversation before. Maybe it was more of an "I need to use the bathroom" stare. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Anyway, you all can wander wherever you want, I am going to order Chinese food soon, what would you guys like?" Alejandro asked.
"I would like whatever you order, except not anything spicy please, and Thank you," I said.
"How? Aren't you Hispanic? Y'all love that spicy stuff, ain't y'all invent that?" TJ said.
"I mean I don't know, you tell me," I said with a funny smirk with my eyes wide open as TJ laughed.
"Well I would like Kung Pao Chicken," TJ said.
"I would like White rice with chicken and broccoli," Ben said.
"Same for me," Stacy said.
"Um, I don't--you know what--- I would like egg rolls and an egg drop soup," Mark said.
"Ok, I will order now" Alejandro steps to the next room.
30 minutes later the food arrives.
After we all finished dinner, everyone went their own way. Stacy and Ben were in the upstairs library. TJ and Mark were playing video games on the large screen tv while Alejandro was outside. He looks focused on a thought, seeming like me lately with the problems I have. His eyes shining as bright as the sun. His Black straight hair looking so fluffy like a dog's coat. It is almost sunset. He wore a black polo shirt with faded light blue jeans, black Jordans, and a gold chain or necklace like me.
"Boo!" I scared Alejandro.
"Aye why you did that?" he said as if he was confused about why I was there with him stepping to the side as if he was scared too.
"What is wrong with you, what are you thinking about?" I said with a questionable tone.
"Nothing important," he said laughing. Yeah right! With that look on his face, he was telling another story.
"Mm, so I noticed you were suddenly down when everyone mentioned your dad, Are you two alright?" I said sincerely.
"Well like he wants me to take over the family business and that's kind of why I left and then something he did, we didn't end, on a good note but in the end, I am working for the company from here so I lost the game," he said looking down. What is this 'game'?
"Oh," I said with one of my eyebrows raised. I did not know what to say.
"Yeah," he said as if he was about to cry. There is an awkward silence.
"Yeah," I said looking at the sunset just like him.
"Hey look it's the Statue of Liberty" He points for my attention to look over there. However, He's the one who got my attention, his eyes. His eyes were a light brown that sparkled as they got lighter in the sun and then he turns to look at me as I look away so he does not notice me.