You're Not Alone

You're Hired!

 Frisca woke up after what felt like an eternity and found herself standing outside a hospital. The doors opened automatically before she walked in. There were patients, old and young either walking in the corridors or sitting quietly in their rooms. A nurse along with the doctor ran upstairs looking all tensed. Frisca followed them. and noticed Them both rushing inside a patient's room. As she went closer, she noticed that they were trying to stop a patient who was throwing a fit. The patient was struggling to get out of her bed by shaking her arms and legs vigorously. The petrified patient was screaming and seeing in a particular direction.  Her eyes were filled with fear. Frisca turned to see what she was looking at and was surprised at finding a nurse standing at the doorway. Unlike the one with the doctor, she hid the left portion of her body and watched the patient in delight. Frisca couldn’t see the nurse’s face but could sense that something bad was happening.

 Feeling uncomfortable, she left the room and walked past her. As she continued walking, she met a young man. She didn't know him but still felt that she somehow did. The man pointed his finger at the room she had just walked out from. Frisca felt confused and turned only to see the same nurse standing on the patient's bed and taking the patient’s face closer to hers. The lights in the room turned into a deadly shade of red. The nurse was no human but a demon in disguise. Opening her mouth wide, she revealed her beastly fangs that were dripping with slime. She was invisible to the doctor and the other nurse. Unaware of what exactly was going on with the victim, they tried their best to make her relax but failed to realise that it was her soul that was being devoured by the demon.

"No!" Frisca shrieked and woke up with a start. Her voice had scared the living daylights out of Koru who had been sleeping peacefully beside her. Breathing heavily, she looked around and sighed after realising that it was just a mere dream.

 Magmus stopped what he was doing and turned to enquire if everything was alright. Seeing Frisca up and back in her sense, he thought it right to talk to her and find out more about her whereabouts.  "Hey, kid are you alright?" Magmus asked her with a look of concern in his eyes. “Do you need anything?” he added as he approached her.

“She just had a bad dream,” Koru commented and twitched his whiskers.

  Frisca shook her head nervously and glanced at his id card. It took her a while to remember where she was. She surveyed the room she was in and paused when her eyes fell on the man she had earlier embraced. Leaning against the doorway, he stared at Frisca coldly. His intimidating gaze made her shift in her seat. Magmus noticed the uneasiness in her face and turned behind, “Oh, I should have known it was you. When did you come in?” Magmus enquired curiously.

“It doesn’t matter when I came in, what matters is that my space is being violated,” He curtly replied and walked past them. Peeling off his surgical gloves, he walked around his work desk and sat on the revolving chair. Facing the two who were still seated on the sofa, he crossed his legs and closed his eyes as if he were meditating.

He was three years elder to her, or so she assumed as she cautiously saw him from the corner of her eyes. He looked strict and composed, a no-nonsense guy rather. He had the same dress code as Magmus, barring the thin leather jacket that he was so fond of. Frisca studied his face and wondered why he looked so familiar when all of a sudden he opened his eyes and locked it with hers. Frisca cringed at the way he looked at her, his gaze made her freeze instantly. His jet black hair matched perfectly with his mysterious deep eyes. Hard as much as she tried, she couldn’t shift her gaze from him. His intimidating gaze forced her to keep her eyes steady on him.

 "The girl loses, game over! I saw her blink?” Koru interrupted in his cynical tone and distracted them.

He glanced at Koru and gave him a deadly look. Koru whimpered and recoiled under the table, while Magmus grinned.

"Watch that tongue of yours, kitty,” Magmus warned Koru. "Don’t forget it was Vlade who saved your soul,” He added and folded his arms. Koru hissed menacingly from the table and turned around.

"So he’s Vlade," Frisca murmured before he looked back at her, as if he heard it all. With a cold look on his face, he stood up and finally broke his silence by questioning Frisca.

"Did you break it?" His crisp voice alerted her senses. She didn't know what to make out it,  what he was he asking about? She wondered, while Magmus thought the same. Not knowing how to react she merely stared back at him with a blank expression on her face.

"Broke what?" Magmus asked on her behalf and frowned.

"The piece of art in gallery five," Vlade said and tapped his manly fingers on the desk. To her amazement, the screen over the desk lit up and played a video recording of Frisca, running around in the gallery.  Magmus went closer to Vlade’s work desk to see it and then rolled his eyes.

"Kid, do you know how much that thing cost?' He turned to face her and sighed in disbelief.

Frisca felt like a culprit, standing in front of the jury. She had assumed that her little blunder had gone unnoticed by her hosts. Lowering her head in embarrassment, she darted her eyes across the carpeted floor and wondered how to justify her crime.

"I’ll pay for all the damages. Honestly, it was an accident," She blurted out and bit her lower lip.

Koru’s sinister laugh grabbed her attention. “You’re in big trouble sweetie," He said in a hoarse whisper and rolled over, while she wondered why the two weren’t stopping him.

"Pay for it, huh? Going by your looks, it won’t take less than a century to pay your first instalment" Vlade insulted her with his boorish comment. Frisca grinded her teeth and controlled her emotions. Had she been in her familiar surroundings, she would have undoubtedly given him a piece of her mind.

"Relax, Vlade. Don’t be so hard on her. She has enough problems already," Magmus came to her rescue and requested Vlade to forgive her. “There’s something you need to know about her,” he added but was forced to keep shut when Vlade showed him the hand.

“When I talk, nobody talks…” He narrowed his eyes and warned him.

Frisca could feel the negative vibes that she received from him. She sensed that what Vlade would say next, wasn’t going to be good for her. “What’s your name girl?” he asked demandingly and startled her.  "Frisca…I mean Francesca…" She stammered and continued to avoid his gaze. “Stick to one, I’m not here to select the best name for you,” he said and enraged her.

“Call me Frisca…Francesca is too long a name for your benevolent tongue,” She snapped and met his eyes. Her fiery reply amused Koru and Magmus to the extent of them sharing a soft laugh together. Vlade flinched his temples and narrowed his eyes at her. “So Miss Frisca, since you’re such an observant person, you’ll fit the job easily in here,”  He folded his hands and remarked sarcastically.

Frisca stared at him in confusion, while Magmus grew tensed. “Whoa! Dude, come again! Are you stating that she’s got to work in the museum?” He raised his brows in astonishment and glanced at Frisca.

“You grasped it quite well, Magmus. Frisca will work in the museum until I’m convinced,” Vlade shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and left his office cabin. Magmus followed him out in haste while Frisca sat there dumbstruck.

“Vlade, what’s gotten into you? Keeping her here will expose our secret. Besides, she isn’t from here. Didn’t you receive my text?” Magmus explained and frowned at Vlade.

“I did, in fact, it dissolves all the risks you mentioned earlier. She’s from the past, nobody’s going to believe a word she says,” Vlade smirked and tossed his keys in the air before grabbing it.

"Vlade! Do you know what you're putting her into?" he exclaimed animatedly.

"She set free the spirit of the demon trapped in that art piece, imagine the number of lives that are at stake now because of her tiny accident," Vlade replied in a calm yet harsh tone.

"But it was our mistake. We shouldn't have kept it in the gallery" Magmus argued and tried to make him see his point but in vain.

"You know whom you work for, don't you?" Vlade said it softly and narrowed his eyes.  Magmus suddenly went silent and looked away. “Sigh, I guess you need some rest after a hard day’s work. Lock the museum and head back home…And ya, before I forget, take that bag of trouble with you. I don’t want her wandering around and violating my private space,” He grimaced and walked away.

“I hope you know what you’re doing…” Magmus crunched his brows and watched him disappear from his view.

As he stood there contemplating what to do, Frisca recoiled and closed the door. She had eves dropped on their conversation and was by now sweating profusely.  "Oh, God! He plans on having me work here forever!" she pulled her hair in frustration and gulped. Pacing across the office cabin, she weighed the consequences of obliging to Vlade’s decision. She had to get back home, back to her time. Not spend the rest of her life working in a museum in the future. Seeing the window to her left, the thought of jumping out, crossed her mind, but it dissolved as easily as it had appeared.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Koru startled her all of a sudden.

"Well, but I’m not you, Mr. Fluffy" she replied in irritation and made a face. It felt weird conversing with a cat.

"The name’s Koru…Koru Kawasaki," The cat hissed and unlocked his claws. "I’m a demon, not a plush toy. Tell that kid brother of yours when you meet him next time…Oops, I forgot, you aren’t meeting him ever! Ha-ha!" he laughed hysterically and got on her nerves.

Frisca clenched her fist and ignored him. She turned to head towards the window but was interrupted by Magmus who walked in on time and held her back. “What are you doing, Frisca?” He enquired in one breath and made her face him.

"I don't belong here! Don’t ya all get it? I need to head back in the past, Uh..I mean the past which was my present before I followed that dumb cat," she snapped and jerked his hand away.

"I thought you would help me get back home, but all I see is that your friend has other plans," she added and held back her tears that were on the verge of falling.

"Easy kid, Koru has explained everything to me, I’ll find a way to send you back to your time, in fact, we both will," Magmus tried comforting her and glanced at Vlade who appeared at the doorway again.

"Teenagers! Pathetic, no matter which time period they come from." Vlade remarked sarcastically and made her lose her temper. She wasn’t the kind of person to get angry that easily, but having to deal with an attitude like Vlade's, one either had to be deaf or a monk from the Himalayas. On the contrary, Magmus was way better than Vlade. Frisca felt safer with him. Addressing her as a kid every now and then, convinced Frisca just how concerned and kind-hearted he was.

"Listen, here is the deal" Magmus went down on his knees and continued. "We will find a way to send you back to your time period, in the meanwhile you can stay here and work in the museum. Alright," He looked at her in anxiousness and waited for her reply.

Frisca looked away and glanced at the window. The sun was setting and had stroked the evening sky with hues of orange and pink. "You have no other choice Frisca, accept it," Her inner voice advised her.

"Fine!" she finally agreed and folded her arms.

"Wonderful! I’ll make arrangements for your stay in Orion City" he heaved a sigh of relief and got back on his feet.  Heading towards the glass barricade that partly divided office cabin into half, he touched the screen and dialled a  number. Virtual neon icons danced across the screen, before a young girl's face popped up.

"Hey! Chelsea, how you doing?" he asked her and smiled gently.

"Hello! Magmus, I’m fine. Just chilling at home, by the way, is Koru with you? coz I can’t see him anywhere in the house,” she returned the smile and rested her hands on her hips.

“Oh ya, he’s right here. Uh..Actually, I called up for a small favour, I hope you won’t mind…” he scratched his brow and sounded unsure. “Sure, tell me what it is?” Chelsea shrugged her shoulders and grew curious. “ Well, you see this kid here!” he pulled Frisca to his side and gestured her to wave out to Chelsea. “I was wondering if you could accommodate her in your apartment," He added and pushed Frisca closer to the screen so Chelsea could have a better look.

"Of course, why would I mind? Bring her here before the weather gets bad," She exclaimed in excitement and waved back at Frisca. She drifted her eyes over Vlade and looked at him mischievously. "Hey, there! Still in your egotistical self, huh?" She giggled and winked at him.

Vlade rolled his eyes and walked out without acknowledging her. Magmus sighed ended the call after thanking Chelsea for letting Frisca stay with her. He then told her that he would drop her at Chelsea's place first and then head back home. Magmus was a sweet and friendly person, no matter how tough he looked from the outside, but there was an elder brother like quality in him. Frisca felt deeply obliged and thanked him from the bottom of her heart before they prepared to leave.

They left the museum gates and waited for their ride at the main road. By the look of it. Frisca assumed that they were waiting to catch a bus or hail a cab, but she was in for a shock when she witnessed a bullet train halting before them. “After you…” Magmus smiled and followed her in before the train whizzed off. Frisca was positive she hadn’t seen any railway tracks on the road, yet they had managed to catch a bullet train. The future was crazy, she thought and took a seat that automatically appeared after sensing her movement. Fixing her eyes on the window, she noticed how the bullet train that was first on the road, suddenly dived underground like a rollercoaster and kept changing tracks. The experience was new for her, but she knew she had to get used to it. As the train entered the city, it returned to its normal speed, Frisca felt overwhelmed on witnessing a whole city that was built underground. People loaded with multiple gadgets, were walking on the streets. There were kids playing around with their robotic pets, while heavily armed cops, kept an eagles eye from every nook and corner.

“We’re here!” Magmus spoke and pulled her out of her daze. Stepping out of the train, he guided her towards a high rise apartment.  Frisca gazed up and admired the height of the apartment; it made her question how deep they had entered inside the earth.

“Be careful or you'll strain your neck,” Magmus cautioned her jokingly and smiled. He pointed towards the 20th floor and sighed, "That's where you’ll be staying. Go ahead, you will be guided." With that said he waved her goodbye and walked away.

Frisca wanted him to accompany her but then realised that he had already done a lot for her today. Her heart broke as she saw him leave, he was the only friend she had made in this new world. Watching him merge in the crowd on the streets, she took a deep breath and walked into the apartment, wondering what was in store for her.

“Please enter your code,” the elevator kept repeating the words as she stood inside.

“What code?” she asked in confusion.

“Invalid code!” it replied immediately and asked for the code again.

This elevator was not the usual one. It was a transparent capsule that was built on the outside of the apartment. Frisca kept saying random things that popped in her head, but to her dismay, none of it worked.  An old man who happened to pass by took the elevator next to here. Gauging that she had no clue how the elevator operated, he grabbed her attention with a knock and showed her how it worked. Raising his finger, he drew the letter V on the monitor as Frisca followed suit. Much to her delight the elevator suddenly asked her for the floor number. Thanking the old man she answered the elevator before it whizzed up.

Frisca was amazed to see the whole city from a birds eyes view, as the elevator kept moving up. The view of the brightly lit city was breathtaking. She was just starting to absorb what she was experiencing when all of a sudden the elevator began moving in spirals around the apartment. “This is crazy!” she held the support bars and closed her eyes until it finally halted on the 48th floor.

“Hi, welcome to Chelsea’s palace!” Chelsea greeted her with open arms and a broad smile Frisca returned the smile hesitantly and studied her face.

Chelsea was a young and vibrant girl. Almost the same age as Frisca, she resembled the pretty and petit cheer girls from her high school. Her blonde wavy hair complemented her fair milky skin. Her satin night-gown rested perfectly over her curved body.  It was evident that she had anxiously been waiting for her since she seemed excited to have a roommate after ages. Without wasting any time, she stepped forward and embraced Frisca, as if they were long lost, friends.

“I’m so ecstatic to have someone stay with me. We can become best friends, you know!” she blabbered animatedly, while Frisca controlled her urge to throw up. The wild elevator ride had made her stomach weak.

“Oh! How rude of me, I didn’t even offer you a seat” Chelsea pulled her towards the fancy yellow sofa in the living room.

“Ahem…No thanks!” Frisca muffled as she covered her mouth with both hands. Thanks to the sofa, it just intensified her urge to throw up.

“Uh…I think you should head to the washroom,” Chelsea flipped her hair to the side and pushed Frisca into the bathroom.

Frisca  felt much better and fresh after using the bathroom. She tied her hair into pony tail and had a good look at herself in the digital mirror. Had her mother seen her in the condition she was, she would have certainly hit the roof. She was in a complete mess and un-presentable at the moment. The lace of her sneakers was embracing the floor. Her skinny jeans were torn near her knee, and her T-shirt was left with a crease.

Frisca sighed and looked away from the mirror. Repulsed with her own body odour, she decided to take a quick bath and hence walked towards the bathtub. Sliding the smoked screen that covered it, she stepped back with a start and gasped.

“Isn’t there something called Privacy in your dictionary?” Koru frowned and pulled the bubbles closer to his body. Frisca was about the answer him when Chelsea knocked from outside.

“Hey! I’ve got some clothes for you,” she stretched her hands and offered Frisca a pair of clothes.

Frisca took it coyly and changed into them. She felt uncomfortable wearing hot pants but was relieved to have an option between body-hugging and a long T-shirt that read I heart Orion. Frisca was never comfortable with her body, so much that she had hardly seen her nude self in the mirror after 7th grade.

Coming out of the bathroom, Frisca looked around for Chelsea and continuously pulled the already long T-shirt to cover her thighs. Tori had once commented that her legs looked like King Kong raising his leg to crush everything in its path. As she adjusted her clothes, she reached the living room and found her brushing koru’s smooth coat on the couch. She kept smiling and saying sweet things to the grey cat, while Frisca watched them from a distance. Sick with all the love she showered on the cat, Frisca cleared her throat and grabbed Chelsea.s attention.

“Thanks for letting me stay, you’re very kind,” she said and approached her.

“You don’t have to be so formal,” Chelsea let out a soft laugh and continued brushing his coat. “Here, I’ve made some sandwiches for you,” she pointed out at the platter and gestured her to eat.

Frisca’s eyes widened in delight, after noticing the sandwiches, that Chelsea had made for her. It had been hours since Frisca hadn’t eaten anything. She rushed towards the coffee table and grabbed the platter in hand. Forgetting all about her manners, she munched and stuffed her mouth with all the sandwiches.  After feeling content, she turned and looked at her hosts. They had been staring at her in amusement right from the beginning.

“Excuse me!” she said, wiping off the last crumb on her lips. “I haven’t had anything since morning." She added turned red in embarrassment.

‘Yes! We get that,” Chelsea and Koru answered in unison and exchanged glances.

After settling down, Chelsea took her to her bedroom where she had made arrangements for her to sleep. Making herself comfortable on the bed next to Frisca’s, she asked her how she knew Magmus and Vlade and what was she doing in the museum at such an odd hour. Frisca sighed and explained everything to her. Chelsea listened attentively and found her story quite amusing. She kept probing for more details about the time period from where Frisca had come. Koru watched the two girls talk for hours before he fell asleep on the window sill.

“Wow! I still can’t believe you’re from the past!” Chelsea drew in a deep breath and stared at the ceiling while Frisca merely smiled. It wasn’t long before Chelsea’s eyelids got heavy and gently closed. The lights in the room turned dim on their own. As she saw the lights get dimmer she wondered what Tori and her mother would be doing back in 2011. They had no clue as to where she had disappeared to. Frisca felt very miserable about not being near her brother and mother. She was sure that Sophie would have sent a search party or the cops, to find and bring her back home from the reserve. “This is so unfair” she cribbed and let a tear roll down her cheek.  Thinking about her family, she yearned for Sophie’s soothing voice and comforting hand over her head.

“Get some rest, Frisca! It’s not the end of the world,” Koru muttered in his sleep and startled her.

“How did he guess?” she scrunched her brows and looked in his direction.

“Yawn! I can read your thoughts, didn’t I tell you that earlier?” he replied and rolled over to meet her weary eyes. For a moment, he looked adorable and cuddly. Frisca hadn’t expected such words from a cat, especially a demon cat.

“Yes you shouldn’t expect” he commented after reading her thoughts again.

Feeling awkward, she changed her side and faced Chelsea, who was fast asleep. She was in debt to her for letting her share her apartment. Frisca was glad that Chelsea had turned out to be a good person. She had not shown any discomfort in having her around, which proved that she was just as friendly as Magmus or maybe even more, only time could tell.

“Good night Mr. Fluffy” Frisca sighed and said the words in her mind to check if koru could genuinely read people’s mind.

“It’s Koru…’ he sleepily replied in an irritated tone and snored.