Part 13: Trapping Time in a Bottle
Ray tossed and turned in his sleep, he couldn't help but think about Lily and her sister. His instinct told him that something bad had happened, and that tomorrow when he saw Lily she'd be really upset. He pushed the images to the back of his mind, but still he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. Suddenly he awoke from a nightmare, and looked at the clock. It was nearly 5:20, and there was no point in going back to bed. He tossed the blankets aside, and stood cautiously from his bed, partially afraid that his brother had set another trap. He was relieved when he felt no unnatural substance at his feet. A grin spread across his face, and he felt as if he had won a marathon by out-smarting his brother. Suddenly he toppled over a piece of rope that was connected to two chairs a few inches off the ground.
"I'm gonna get you back!" He said softly.
Robbie looked at his breakfast, unable to eat at the prospect of seeing Lily.
"How are we going to make her absence seem normal, I mean Lily is about the only person in the school who has been gone this whole time..." He thought to himself. "I hope our listeners aren't smart enough to put 2 and 2 together."
He sighed, and looked at the clock, 7:02. He had to leave in a few minutes for school.
"I hope Jessica is alright." He said without meaning to.
"Who's Jessica?" His mother asked, even though he'd mentioned it once before.
"Lily's 'friend' in NYC who is sick." He emphasized the word 'friend'.
"Oh your little friend, Lily Randall?" His mother said more as a comment than a question.
"I have to go." He said casually.
Travis could remember himself telling Ray that the marvelous thing about yoga was that you could do it anywhere. He smiled to himself at the thought that he had actually given a good explanation to Ray, Ray had actually understood! He opened his eyes, and lifted himself off the ground to go for a walk. The 'infinite wisdom' of his parents was sometimes very annoying, this being one of those instances. He had no one to ask for advice since he was expected to know these things on his own. No one ever questioned his motives, and if he were doing something that was bad for teens his parents wouldn't have cared. It would be his 'rule' the limitation he had put on himself.
"Good it's nearly 12:30." He looked at the clock on the wall of the underground with his amazing night vision. "The stars are coming out."
Travis picked up the small backpack he carried along with him, and headed toward the door. No one was there to bother him, and as long as he was in a quiet environment it felt like he was asleep. Ever since Ray had found him here that night, he hadn't been able to figure out how Travis did it. How could you get two hours of sleep and still stay awake and interested for class? Travis shook his head.
"If only I could tell you Pronto, I would." He frowned slightly at the thought.
Lily picked up the small pile of pictures sitting on her desk, and looked through them one last time. She'd already chosen what she was going to do with them, and randomly singled out 2 of the photos. One she would take with her to school, and the other she would use for something else. She placed the 2 pictures back on the desk, and flicked the light switch off with the other pictures in her hand. Her parents were leaving her alone for now, and even if she followed the old rules they wouldn't work. Going to bed at 9:00 only to lay awake for hours and have nightmares constantly, so she just did what she felt. It was currently 8:37 in the evening, and she was already feeling drowsy, probably the remainder of the jet lag from yesterday. She cautiously crept up the stairs to the attic, and went to the corner farthest away from the stairs, the one on the left. Slowly she dug through a pile of junk knowing exactly what she wanted to find, and suddenly she pulled it from the rubble. A glass bottle covered in dust.
"It's time I... moved on." A small tear escaped down her cheek, and she frowned constantly.
Slowly she uncorked the bottle, and set the pictures on the floor next to her. She blew the dust off the bottle as much as she could, and took a picture from the floor. She set the bottle carefully on the floor by her side, and slowly folded the picture in half. Suddenly with a wild movement she stuffed the picture into the bottle. She took the pictures one by one and did the same with them until none remained. Then with a sudden, frightening burst of inspiration she dug through her pocket and found the note Jessica had written for her. She placed it gently alongside the pictures in the bottle, and took the cork in her hand.
"It's time I moved on." She repeated, and softly placed the cork back in its place on the top of the bottle.
She gently placed the bottle on the floor in the very corner of the attic, and piled the other junk she'd moved on top of it. She blinked for the first time since she'd started her journey up the stairs, and turned her head away from the bottle and its contents. She headed back down the stairs to her room, and took one of the pictures off her desk. She walked over to the wall where all of her pictures were, and plucked a picture of Robbie, Ray, Travis, and herself standing in the front yard off the wall. She turned the picture of Jessica over so that the picture was not actually visible and placed it gently in the spot where the other picture had. Then cautiously she placed the picture of her friends on top of it so that it was not even slightly visible, and with a pitiful attempt to smile she began to cry. She looked away from the wall, as if afraid it might bite her.
Lily turned her head in the direction of the window, and looked up at the fading stars.
Ray tossed and turned in his sleep, he couldn't help but think about Lily and her sister. His instinct told him that something bad had happened, and that tomorrow when he saw Lily she'd be really upset. He pushed the images to the back of his mind, but still he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. Suddenly he awoke from a nightmare, and looked at the clock. It was nearly 5:20, and there was no point in going back to bed. He tossed the blankets aside, and stood cautiously from his bed, partially afraid that his brother had set another trap. He was relieved when he felt no unnatural substance at his feet. A grin spread across his face, and he felt as if he had won a marathon by out-smarting his brother. Suddenly he toppled over a piece of rope that was connected to two chairs a few inches off the ground.
"I'm gonna get you back!" He said softly.
Robbie looked at his breakfast, unable to eat at the prospect of seeing Lily.
"How are we going to make her absence seem normal, I mean Lily is about the only person in the school who has been gone this whole time..." He thought to himself. "I hope our listeners aren't smart enough to put 2 and 2 together."
He sighed, and looked at the clock, 7:02. He had to leave in a few minutes for school.
"I hope Jessica is alright." He said without meaning to.
"Who's Jessica?" His mother asked, even though he'd mentioned it once before.
"Lily's 'friend' in NYC who is sick." He emphasized the word 'friend'.
"Oh your little friend, Lily Randall?" His mother said more as a comment than a question.
"I have to go." He said casually.
Travis could remember himself telling Ray that the marvelous thing about yoga was that you could do it anywhere. He smiled to himself at the thought that he had actually given a good explanation to Ray, Ray had actually understood! He opened his eyes, and lifted himself off the ground to go for a walk. The 'infinite wisdom' of his parents was sometimes very annoying, this being one of those instances. He had no one to ask for advice since he was expected to know these things on his own. No one ever questioned his motives, and if he were doing something that was bad for teens his parents wouldn't have cared. It would be his 'rule' the limitation he had put on himself.
"Good it's nearly 12:30." He looked at the clock on the wall of the underground with his amazing night vision. "The stars are coming out."
Travis picked up the small backpack he carried along with him, and headed toward the door. No one was there to bother him, and as long as he was in a quiet environment it felt like he was asleep. Ever since Ray had found him here that night, he hadn't been able to figure out how Travis did it. How could you get two hours of sleep and still stay awake and interested for class? Travis shook his head.
"If only I could tell you Pronto, I would." He frowned slightly at the thought.
Lily picked up the small pile of pictures sitting on her desk, and looked through them one last time. She'd already chosen what she was going to do with them, and randomly singled out 2 of the photos. One she would take with her to school, and the other she would use for something else. She placed the 2 pictures back on the desk, and flicked the light switch off with the other pictures in her hand. Her parents were leaving her alone for now, and even if she followed the old rules they wouldn't work. Going to bed at 9:00 only to lay awake for hours and have nightmares constantly, so she just did what she felt. It was currently 8:37 in the evening, and she was already feeling drowsy, probably the remainder of the jet lag from yesterday. She cautiously crept up the stairs to the attic, and went to the corner farthest away from the stairs, the one on the left. Slowly she dug through a pile of junk knowing exactly what she wanted to find, and suddenly she pulled it from the rubble. A glass bottle covered in dust.
"It's time I... moved on." A small tear escaped down her cheek, and she frowned constantly.
Slowly she uncorked the bottle, and set the pictures on the floor next to her. She blew the dust off the bottle as much as she could, and took a picture from the floor. She set the bottle carefully on the floor by her side, and slowly folded the picture in half. Suddenly with a wild movement she stuffed the picture into the bottle. She took the pictures one by one and did the same with them until none remained. Then with a sudden, frightening burst of inspiration she dug through her pocket and found the note Jessica had written for her. She placed it gently alongside the pictures in the bottle, and took the cork in her hand.
"It's time I moved on." She repeated, and softly placed the cork back in its place on the top of the bottle.
She gently placed the bottle on the floor in the very corner of the attic, and piled the other junk she'd moved on top of it. She blinked for the first time since she'd started her journey up the stairs, and turned her head away from the bottle and its contents. She headed back down the stairs to her room, and took one of the pictures off her desk. She walked over to the wall where all of her pictures were, and plucked a picture of Robbie, Ray, Travis, and herself standing in the front yard off the wall. She turned the picture of Jessica over so that the picture was not actually visible and placed it gently in the spot where the other picture had. Then cautiously she placed the picture of her friends on top of it so that it was not even slightly visible, and with a pitiful attempt to smile she began to cry. She looked away from the wall, as if afraid it might bite her.
Lily turned her head in the direction of the window, and looked up at the fading stars.