Future Lost

19

I’m tempted to spit at him, but I don’t. The two men leave the room with my backpack, but another guard stands near the door, watching the prison cells with a bored gaze. Iron bars separate me from him, and my fingers wrap around them as I take in my surroundings. The cell next to me is empty, but the far one has an older man in it, though he appears to be asleep. My own cell is sparse, with only a small cot and a dirty toilet.

I sit on the edge of the cot and check my watch, rubbing my thumb over the smooth surface. It was my mother’s once, before she was murdered by my father, and it’s the only thing I have left of her. This watch has given me comfort in even the darkest of times, and I need that comfort now more than ever, because I only have two hours to rescue Adam and get back to the aperture. Our window to the present will be open for only sixty seconds, and if we miss it, I don’t know if Vincent will open another one for us.

Nothing I can do but wait. I lie on my side, away from the iron bars caging me in, to face the wall. There’s writing on it, graffiti from people who were stuck here before me, and I trace my fingers along it. Down, down, down, to something drawn in black ink by my elbow. Something small and angular. Something that looks a lot like the tattoo on my arm of an origami unicorn and the necklace Adam gave me. I press my hand against the drawing, then grab the unicorn pendant hanging from my neck, feeling hope for the first time in hours.

Adam was here.

03:38

My eyes snap open at the sound of footsteps approaching. I’ve been dozing for the last thirty minutes, regaining my strength, but now I sit up quickly. The man outside my cell is handsome, black, and has a shaved head and ripped arms. I’ve never met him before, but there’s something familiar about his intelligent brown eyes, the determined slant of his eyebrows, and the fullness of his lips.

“Elena.” He sounds relieved as he unlocks the door and opens it wide. “You’re here.”

The other guard is gone, I notice. It’s just the two of us in here, besides the sleeping man. “Do I know you?”

“Yeah. Sort of.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m Chris’s son. Michael.”

Of course he is. I’ve never met him in any other future, but the resemblance to Chris is strong, though I see some of his mother in him too. He must be about thirty now.

I get to my feet. “Sorry. Last time I saw you, you weren’t even crawling yet.”

His head tilts as he examines me. “Last time I saw you, you were a lot older.”

“Fair enough. What are you doing here?” He’s wearing the same uniform as the other men, so he must be part of the Militia. He has a lot more bling on his collar than the other soldiers, so he’s probably a higher rank too. I can’t imagine why. He should be with Paige and Zahra, not here, working for Vincent.

“Waiting for you.” He tosses my backpack to me. “Come on. I’ll take you to Adam.” He leads me out of the cell, no handcuffs this time. Things are definitely looking up, although I’m not entirely sure I can trust Chris’s son. Paige told me I helped raise Michael after his parents died, but a lot must have happened since then. Including my own death.

“Is Adam okay?” I ask.

“He’s fine. He’ll be happy to see you though.”

A long exhale rushes out of me, as if I’ve been holding it in all day, waiting to hear if Adam was okay. Now I can finally breathe again, knowing he’s safe.

Michael leads me through the underground tunnels, past closed doors and other hallways. Other soldiers pass us by and salute him. All men, I notice. Where are the women?

We turn more corners as Michael leads me deeper into the underground maze. I sense we’re getting closer to Adam, and I walk a little too fast, trying to race ahead.

He unlocks a door labeled Lab 3, but steps back before opening it. “Go on. I’ll get you two some water while you catch up.”

When I open the door, all I see is Adam. He’s sitting on a stool, his back hunched over the counter in front of him. I rush forward, and he jumps to his feet with a muffled cry, then grabs me in a full embrace. I wrap my arms around him tightly and feel his chest rising and falling, a reminder he’s alive and safe and here.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” he says, his face buried in my hair.

“I’ll always find you, no matter where you are in time.”

Our mouths seek each other out, and we kiss like it’s the first time—or the last. Soft and hesitant at first, a brush of the lips to make sure this is all really happening, and then deeper, devouring each other with desperation and need. I cling to Adam as if he might vanish between my fingertips if I let him go. But then I pull away, just enough to look up at him.

“How could you?” I manage to get out. I’m torn between relief and anger, conflicted between yelling at him or kissing him again.

“I’m so sorry, Elena.”

Maybe he is, but sorry isn’t enough. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust him again, and no matter how much I love him, I can’t be with him if I don’t trust him.

“What were you thinking?” I can’t hide the rage in my voice, and he visibly flinches. “Coming to the future on your own? Without telling me?”