Capítulo 4: Chapter 4: Starting Time, Part 4
Katya spent the rest of the morning arranging her office and unpacking the boxes sent from Waltham. She'd had only a small desk in Massachusetts, so there wasn't much to unpack. She knew that when she got home, it would be a different story. She tended to be a bit of a pack rat. She already missed her old apartment and the cities of Boston and Waltham.
As she worked, she started to feel sad about her original life. She could remember her family: her mom and dad and a sister. She just couldn't remember what time she left them in. She wondered why her research couldn't uncover their whereabouts. When she brought them to memory, she couldn't see any identifiable time references, such as clothing style or technology. She could just see their faces and hear their voices.
She was deep in thought when she heard a knock on her opened office door. There stood Cyrus.
"Hey, it's lunchtime," he said. "How about I show you where the cafeteria is? Besides, I'd like to have a word with you."
"Sure thing," she answered. "I am a little hungry. Is the food any good in there?"
"It's actually not bad," Cyrus answered. "My parents believe that good nutrition helps, especially for us pilgrims."
As they walked toward the cafeteria, which was located in a part of the building Katya had not yet seen, she was surprised to see a black automobile on display. It was a vintage black Chevy HHR, in mint condition.
"What's with the motor carriage?" Katya asked.
"Oh, that's my dad's. It is believed to be the first car to travel back in time. It's the car that went back to 1946 to save my great-grandmother, Katherine. Man, I would have loved to meet her."
"Why don't you?" Katya suggested.
"I don't think my parents would approve of that. I really admire them for what they have accomplished."
"Me, too," said Katya. "You'll never know how much I appreciate all they've done for me."
"Hey, there's Seth," Cyrus commented as they watched a young man walk quickly down the corridor. Seth turned the corner, out of their sight. "He's my best friend, but it looks like I'll have to introduce him to you later."
"Seth? Seth Thomas? I've met him, but why is he in such a hurry?" she asked.
"Oh, he's going on a pilgrimage overseas-England, I believe." Cyrus stopped at the entrance to the cafeteria. "Well, here's the fine restaurant I like to call Café Temporal."
"You're funny, Cyrus. It looks like a lovely canteen."
Katya picked out a veggie burger, while Cyrus had a chicken platter. They seated themselves near the window.
"Katya, I hope we didn't get off on the wrong foot. I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers with my trick."
"Oh, you didn't," she answered. "I was just playing along."
"Yeah, about that," Cyrus continued. "I have to know how you did that stunt. It seems to me it can only be done if a person can travel forward, you know, to the future."
"Oh?" she asked.
"Well, can you?" he questioned.
"Can I what?"
"Can you travel to the future?"
"I don't know," she answered.
"So how did you do the trick?" he pushed on.
"How did you do yours, Cyrus? It was sort of the same. Wouldn't you have had to travel to the future to get behind me?"
"No," he answered. "I have to set it all up from the past. When you saw me in my office the first time, I was traveling backward. It was the same when I was behind you. The only time I was in the present was the last time in the chair. That's the trick: it's all an illusion where I have to carefully set up seconds in the past."
"Nifty-it sounds complicated," she said.
"It is, but then how did you do your trick?" he asked, curious.
"I don't know. I just do it; I don't think about it."
"But you didn't set it up beforehand, which means you had to have traveled to the future."
Katya could see the frustration growing in him, but she didn't understand why. "Your parents say that travel to the future is impossible."
"I know, that's why I'm asking," he said through gritted teeth.
"Well, then, maybe I do it the same way you do, just faster. I'm sorry, Cyrus; I just don't know how I do it."
"Well, it was a great trick," Cyrus said, taking a big bite of his chicken. "Hey, Kat...you mind being called Kat?"
"Not by you," she said with twinkling eyes.
He blushed, then continued. "Is it true that you can't remember when you're from?"
"Sadly, affirmative," she answered. "I don't think this is my timeline, but ever since I met your mom, Cheryl, I've been able to stay here-or I should say, return here after a pilgrimage. I used to jump around and never know where I was going to end up next."
Dawn walked up with a plate of food. "Mind if I join you guys?"
"Sure," said Katya, "sit-take a load off."
Cyrus continued. "Would you go back to your own timeline if you knew when it was?"
"Sure I would; I miss my family," she said.
"But odds are, it will be a time in which National doesn't exist."
"Yeah," Dawn jumped in. "Then you wouldn't be here with us...me, your new best friend, and him, your biggest competitor."
"Cyrus and I are not in competition," Katya said with a smile. "I'm way smarter and far more talented."
"Not to mention better looking," laughed Cyrus.
"Hmm," said Dawn, "I'm starting to see, yes, very clearly, I think."
"I believe you think too much, Miss Knight," sneered Cyrus.
"Yeah, sure I do," Dawn answered. "Anyway, Mama Callahan asked me to tell Katya that she doesn't have to stay all day. She can cut out early to tend to her new house." Dawn turned to Katya. "She said you'll like it. It's on the West Side, and the courier will drive you any time you'd like to head out."
"Out of sight," Katya answered.
"Sure," said Dawn. "He'll drive you out of sight and all the way there."
* * * *
Katya didn't know what to expect when the driver pulled into the old subdivision named Sunset Park. It was built after World War II to house the returning veterans and their families. The neighborhood was constructed entirely with identical prefab, Cape Cod–style homes. It had been Elgin's first subdivision. Katya marveled at how every house had been built exactly the same, yet people over the years had made them all truly unique. Some had added dormers, the paint colors all varied, and the little houses were all adorned differently. The Callahans had bought up several homes to use for their top pilgrims, and Katya felt extremely honored to be thought of so highly. She'd even been told she'd be issued a company car. Like the house, it would be modest and small.
After the driver dropped her off and drove away, Katya started to cry at the thought of her very own little house, even though technically the Callahans owned it. It was painted gray with burgundy trim and looked to be in excellent condition. It had a garage and a nicely-kept lawn bordered by an array of perennial and annual flowers in assorted colors. She noticed an air conditioner unit running on the side. She took note of the day: August 15, 2036.
Inside, she was even more surprised to see that all her belongings were set up. All she would have to do was arrange everything to her tastes, for every box was unpacked. Her dishes and cookware were all stocked in the kitchen cupboards; there was even limited food in her fridge. Her clothes were hung in closets and packed neatly in drawers, and even her toothbrush was placed in the medicine cabinet. The Callahans had thought of everything. Katya decided that she would enjoy living and working in Elgin. She would make this little house her very own, and her first order of business was to throw away that toothbrush.
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