Chapter Eight

I lived in Sandiola's house for a long lonely week before her son-in-law finally rang the weird doorbell saying he was home.1

'Mrs. Sandiola, Hematite is home. Is he allowed an entering?' asked that same girlish robotic voice after an ear splitting changeling sound thundered through the house.2

'Why Of course… there is a very curious guest here' she said pointing at me as I gave her a polite smile 'who'd like to meet him'3

During my week with Sandiola, I have found out that I am living in the year 2045. By this time, Britain no longer seizes to exist (unless you consider it under water) and what were the 'british' people are now called 'The Ocalali People' and living in progressing island of Regnad. Where I was living with Sandiola.4

The world has changed. There aren't any longer wars and fights, mainly due to a war called 'The Last War' that happened in 2024, that was won by China and now there is only one ruler. Even though they follow America's old political obligations by choosing a new ruler every 4 years (when I told Sandiola about America she thought I was out of this world- clearly I was)5

'Ahhh, dear Hematite, here's your latest disco-' she stopped as I gave her a glare. A tall man that looked ambitious yet had that haughty look on him, came through that ruddy glass door (into which I had walked into, resulting to a really heavy blow on my head. Sandiola simply pressed her palm firmly on to the glass and then it… well opened!) He too wore the same strange clothes, only they were visible under his white coat in which I saw him wearing the other day, and which seemed the only decent thing he wore. Then I noticed a rather greasy looking bandage stuck to his forehead, at which I roared into loud shameless laughter.6

'Yes… I know, I know' he started 'I got a cut, ok?'7

'A-a-are you H-h-h-e-e…' I couldn't stop laughing to even ask him a question. I finally stopped, and suddenly felt light.8

'Marie, right? How are you, have you had any more headaches?' he asked at which I suddenly knew as that old raspy voice that I heard in the lab.9

'How'd he know?' I asked turning to Sandiola. She picked up what seemed to be a mini photograph that resembled Hematite. It had a large, visible button at the corner and the numbers one, two and three.10

'Photone' she said 'You see dear Marie; this is what we use now. There are small plates onto which you put a special kind of picture into. Then you press this small purple button' once she did that, a trumpeting song played from a source that seemed to come from an abrasive looking bag that Hematite was holding. 11

'It isn't that hard.' She looked at Hematite and gave him I'm-use-to-explaining look and turned back to me 'try it'12

'Sandiola…' I said after examining the Photone 'Isn't a mobile easier to use?'13

I soon learnt that once people in this century invent something new, they tend to use it and chuck the old whether it was better or not. To which I didn’t approve at all.14

For some reason I never asked Hematite anything about my rebirth. I just didn’t want to hear piercing news all over again. He didn’t show signs of telling me anything either so he left to do more research. The matter confused me too much for me to ask, I decided later would be a better time. I started enjoying life in the 2045 and with Sandiola, but isn’t that how it started with Albert? A perfect life?15

*16

Shopping in the 2045 was way much fun then it was back in 2000. Once you enter a giant size polyhedron shaped building there would be detectors flashing you up and down, only these detectors were quite useful as it would see if your happy or not and change accordingly so that you would shop in a good mood (In my opinion a clever way to make more money and sell more). I clearly remembered shopping in an arcade zone that would sell food and clothing as games, only when you leave the super market it would immediately change to the item bought in the first place, which did throw my heart down a little. 17

After about a month, Hematite came once again back to his mother-in-law's house only he looked a lot more sullen and arrogant,18

'So Marie' he started one day when I came down for breakfast. 19

'How's life in 2045?'20

'C-Confusing' I tried to say for he threw a really dirty look and was looking me in the eye. Sandiola noticed and tried to get his attention.21

'Hematite, dear, you mus-'22

'You know that you are one terrible discovery-' I twitched at the word –discovery- he gave me a cold glare and continued 'you are something that has been crossed by a human and a-' he gave a shudder as he stopped and muttered 'terrible, terrible, terrible'23

'What?' I said desperate to know at the sudden hatred 'what am I?' 24

He turned to face Sandiola and said 'Sandiola dear, she is dangerous and I need to turn her in tomorrow…first thing in the morning' He let nothing in the kitchen but long eerie silence. I knew from the way she looked at me, she was just as clueless as I was.25

I had no idea what was happening and why. I didn’t know who or what I was, and now I had people up my back and no place to go.26

*27

'I find out what's wrong…ok. Don't worry Marie…' I was being tucked in bed something that I wasn’t used to by Sandiola.28

'You know what Sandiola, I didn't know they still 'tuck' in 2045' I said trying to start a conversation hoping it will lead to something.29

Sandiola sat on the end of the bed and took my hand into hers.30

'Call me Sandy' 31

'Isn't that really from the past?' I joked32

'Well, yeah… it actually is… but you know what I miss that past.'33

'heh?'34

'Listen Marie… last week I saw things in you, side effects in you… that… well I saw in myself…years ago-'35

'-wait-'36

'-marie, let me talk' She lifted her index finger 'yes, I know what you think-'37

'-but-'38

'-wait-'39

'-You're like-40

'MARIE' she gave that same snortish laugh 'Calm down… before, Hematite hears you… Listen I was born…mmm… years ago and I lived a normal life at a ranch with my parents. Until a really ghastly man came knocking on our kitchen door, he said that he wanted to take me away, that I was dangerous… killed my parents cold heartedly… Yeah I know Marie' I gave a loud gasp 'so he could take me, he started doing tests on me and all sorts. At the beginning I didn't know what was going on but then they kept me in a lab, you'd think I'd know something but no, never said a word in front of me, never. Then, one day, came one new scientist that… well was new. He was not too sure of things and sometimes let things slip. Few of which was Montegero which I never learnt the meaning of but knew it was bad because he pulled a face and was disgusted of me every time they said it.'41

I sat there stiff and paralyzed. I was so curious and wanted to know more what did it have anything to do with me? She started to cry softly but quickly wiped her tears away.42

'Sandi-Sandy… What happened after that?'43

'Listen to me, Marie, pack what ever you see and meet me outside my room'44

'What are you- we going to do?'45

Her eyes gleaming 'We are going to run away'46

*47

No sooner than we had that conversation where we roaming in the streets at 'night time' since I had no watch and did not know what they did here to know what time it is. We were carrying surprisingly big bags, you'd think that in 2045 they'd come up with something new. 48

We kept on walking and walking in to the copper night, like Sandiola had told me before, some crazy scientist decided to take advantage of his crafty reputation by sending gallons of water and food along with pair of human beings to try and live in Mars. But no sooner had the water touched Mars was there a big, loud explosion which caused Mars to brittle in to many corkscrew pieces floating near Earth's atmosphere, which made that once shimmering orange and red shade of sunset turn to a horrible, ugly flushed scene of dirty drab every dusk and dawn. And yet they can't come up with an easier way to carry bags!49

'Sandy…' I asked we continued to strode down a road (I think it was a road, it looked like a curvy helogrammed race track which was gleaming sapphire as it showed pictures of what happened to those who broke laws like- Do Not Talk to Those Who Carry Polonium, report them- which I found strangely bizarre)50

'What is Polonium?'51

'Polonium is a very radio active substance that endangers human beings; it is excessively rare in nature'52

'if it endangers humans why do they carry them around?'53

'It isn’t human people who carry it around but it is us…'54

Though it took me a while to answer, I did it immediately;55

'Heh?'56

'Polonium is what we use to…' She hesitated 'Oh look we here'57

We halted beside what looked like a really deep and tangled forest.58

'This, Marie, is the forest of Diphthong' she whispered 'keep quiet and follow me'59

She lead on the edge of forest and with one last look around her, pulled me into the forest.60