As Stefi and I stood there, I felt a million emotions rush through me. Pride? Fear? I didn't even know anymore.
"Misses McGuire," Chief Scientist Chun said, "it's time to leave."
The two of us nodded, and walked out of the majestic room of the Science Center, to a much smaller room. There was a pair of small capsules in it; both hooked up to a million wires and buttons everywhere.
"Misses McGuire, get in the pods," Chief Scientist Chun ordered us. We nodded, and stepped into each. The cramped pod made me feel very claustrophobic, and the weird whirring noises just made me feel worse. I felt like I was speeding at a hundred miles an hour and I also felt like I couldn't breathe.
Finally, when it felt like we slowed to a stop, "Stefi, can you hear me?" I asked her. No reply. Guess not, then.
I clutched at my glass necklace my father made for me. Actually, it was a part of a mobile that I couldn't bear to get rid of. I was wearing the one that looked like a baby mammoth. Like what I looked like when I was little.
Yes, I'm sure you were all anticipating for a story where I found out about a part of my life that I never knew, blah blah. Prepare to be disappointed. I knew perfectly well that my family and I were taken by scientists, and I don't really care. I'm as American as anyone else I know.
Anyway, the first thing I noticed was the cold. Yeah, the Ice Age, it's supposed to be cold, I know. But, I never expected it to be this cold. Even with my two heavy parkas, shawl, three woolen skirts, a pair of thick stockings, and leather boots I was freezing. The blasting wind and whipping snowflakes didn't help much.
Immediately, I knew that I had to get warm, or die of the cold. I shuffled through the bag they gave me. A bag of dried meat, good. My bow and arrows, VERY good. A few extra blankets. No flint and steel. No matches. No lighter. And no firewood as far as the eyes could see.
"Stefi, you got anything to keep warm?" I asked. No answer. "Stefi?" I looked around, hoping to see Stefi fiddling with her hearing aid, and then ask me to repeat what I asked, but no. Stefi was nowhere to be found.
"STEFI!"