Windows in Time (2 page)

Chapter Three:

After they finished eating Seth took Jonathan to the room of Time Windows. These were just as what they were called. From the 10 windows in the room, which were 6 feet tall each, one could travel anywhere in a persons life they needed to go. A computer in the center of the room controlled each window.

"They will first set the controls for the boy you will replace, and then for me," Seth told Jonathan.

"We just what, walk through a mirror?"

"Exactly. They are programmed so that only the right person can come through one. You came here using my remote so that is why we went into the office instead of this room."

So you didn't have to arrive through the Time Window room. It was the same idea as when you traveled in time. You arrived in a place without the windows from the room. When they came to the future, they bounced from the Window room to the office, but they wouldn't have noticed. It happened in a microsecond.

"Can I see it in operation?"

"No. Unfortunately they don't allow it in operation unless it is part of the mission."

Jonathan was going to ask other questions, but an alarm rang. "What's that?"

"Someone's trying to get into the complex. It happens sometimes."

Mr. Yu ran into the room. "One of the hunters is at the top gate to this place. We have to send you both now, before it is too late. If you finish your mission, things should start to change around here."

"But what is the mission?"

"You will understand it all in time. For now just know that I will program this so that your body will be cloaked. You're going to appear as the other boys to everyone including you. It won't be till the end of the mission that you'll even know what happened."

"But that isn't fair."

"If you can't trust Mr. Yu, trust me Jonathan. I know this is an important thing we are going to do."

"Okay, let's do this," Jonathan said.

Mr. Yu pressed a few buttons on the computer, and suddenly one of the windows started glowing. "It will be different when you go back. Once it is all over, you'll return."

They walked through the window, and time was turned backward.

2008

First Meeting

              It was the first day back to school in January and Chris already wanted to be out of the 8
th
grade. He was glad about the wrestling tournament coming up at the end of the week, but he looked forward to the fall.

              His life had become wrestling and his studies. Once he started at the early college program he would not be involved with sports. The college had no sport teams.

              He had left his books in his locker over vacation, because he had completed all of his work before vacation, so he could spend it reading some of his favorite books that his mother had bought for him as holiday gifts. Opening his locker, Chris heard someone walk up and open up the locker next to his. It made him jump back a second, because he hadn't had anyone in that locker during the first term of the school year.

              While Chris was 5'8” tall with short cropped blond hair and blue eyes, this other boy was different. He couldn't be more than 5'5”, and was at least 25 pounds thinner than Chris.

              “Hi,” Chris said. “My name is Chris.”

              “Scott.”

              “You new here?”

              “My first day. Mom and I moved to town because she got a job at the community college.”

              “Really? I want to go there next year.”

              “But you're only in the 8
th
grade.”

              “There is an early college program starting in the 9
th
grade. Say, what home room do you have?”

              Turned out that Scott had the same home room as Chris. Chris introduced him to their home room teacher, and Scott was told he could take a seat at the back. There were two rows with seats at the back, one of them put him sitting next to Chris.

              “Sit here, we can talk,” Chris said to Scott.

              “What is this school like?” Scott asked. “The last year I was home school by my grandmother.”

              “Your grandmother lives with you?”

              “No. She lived next to us in Oil City. Mom was finishing her PhD program, and grandmother taught me. “

              “Why didn't you go to the local middle school up there?”

              “That's a long story.”

              Scott was glad that the teacher started welcoming students back for the second semester. He didn't have to continue the conversation with Chris.

              He checked over his schedule to make sure he knew what classes he had each day. The school worked on a different kind of schedule than what he had been used to when he went to middle school in the 6
th
grade. These classes were 55 minutes each, with five minutes between each class.

              “Can I see your schedule?” Chris asked.

              Scott showed him the schedule paper.

              “We are in most of the same classes,” Chris said. “I'll help you get adjusted to this place.”

              Scott thought he would be all alone on his first day. He was wrong. He hadn't been there for even one class, and he made a friend.

              Chris smiled at Scott, trying to let him know everything would be okay. He remember when he had been new, part way through his 6
th
grade when he transferred to the school. There had been no one there to help him. He wouldn't let this new boy go through what happened to him.

Lunch

              The morning went faster than Scott expected. He had a different class right before lunch than Chris, but he had hoped to see him at lunch. He went through the line and bought a milk, then found a table that didn't have anyone sitting at it. In the cafeteria there were plenty of tables that remained empty, because there was three lunches, one for each grade.

              “Mind if I sit here?” Chris asked as he appeared through the crowd.

              “Sure,” Scott replied.

              Chris sat down and noticed that Scott was eating two cheeseburgers and a slice of pizza. “How can you eat all that? You're so thin.”

              “No matter how much I eat, I can't seem to gain any weight. I don't want to be so small all my life.”

              “Your height doesn't matter. If you want to gain weight you should exercise. I have some weights at home. We could lift together. I have to keep my body like this because I'm on the wrestling team.”

              “You wrestle? But you act so normal.”

              “Normal isn't a word I use Scott. I'm just an average guy. Not all jocks are brainless. So, you want to come over after school?”

              “I'll have to ask my mom. I can call her after school.”

              A few of the other wrestlers walked by the table, and looked at Scott with iritation. Just who was he to be sitting with Chris? Chris was the top of the wrestlers.

              They knew better than to open their mouth and to say anything.

              “Those guys seemed to look up to you.”

              “They are wrestlers too. We have a point system in wrestling, and I'm considered the best at this school. I'm undefeated.”

              Scott wished he could be into some sport. That had been taken away from him when he lived in Pennsylvania.

              Chris told Scott about the big tournament on Friday and Saturday, and his new friend promised he would be there.

              “Will your parents be there? Even if I was involved in something at school, mom is going to be very busy at the college.”

              “My mom is always at my matches, but dad is busy at work a lot.”

              “Oh really?”

              “He's a minister.”

Scott figured Chris was off limits. His father would kill him if he found him anywhere near interested in another boy. Scott wouldn't try to tempt him.

              “I thought my mom was going to have it hard. When she started as the new Associate Dean of Students I knew it meant she was going to be working long hours, but your father has to be on duty 24/7 if someone needs him.”

              “You get used to your father not being home.”

              “I wouldn't know. My dad left us when I was five.”

              They both changed the subject. Scott wanted to know everything about the sports at the school. He figured Chris would want to talk about sports, since he was into them.

              By the time their first lunch was over, the two had bonded over food and talk of school. It was just a spark of friendship, but it would grow.

              Chris saw how Scott smiled when he talked with him. He didn't know why, but it made him feel good that the new kid didn't feel so alone. He knew what it meant to feel alone. Every time he sat in church with all those fake smiles on the superficial people there, he felt all alone. It was one of the worse feelings of his life.

After School

              Downstairs in the basement of Chris' home was a basement filled with exercise equipment. Scott took one look and the amazement showed on his face. “This is where you keep in shape,” he said as he looked over the room.

              “It's my getaway. Mom and dad never come down here. Dad is too bad at church and with the people that go to church, and mom is too busy leading one woman's group or another.”

              “This place is great. I think that if I had a place like this I'd use it to get away from the world.”

              “Want to try one of these machines?”

              Scott got up on one of the treadmills, and his new friend showed him how to use it. “You can adjust the setting to the angle and speed with these buttons.”

              “I see.”

              Chris got on the stationary bike and started to ride it while Scott walked on the treadmill.

              “What's it like having a minister for a father? Is he strict?”

              “Sometimes if I do something wrong, he won't hit me but he will say if I don't listen to him it's a sin and I'll go to hell.”

              “Sorry. I would hate to have a father that tells me I'm going to hell. Mom never says anything that hurtful.”

              “You're lucky that your father is gone.”

              “I didn't tell you everything about him. He left us because he was dating a 22 year old. He cheated on my mother.”

              It wasn't the entire truth, but close as he would say for now.

“What is your mother like?”

              “She is great. She has always been my biggest ally.”

              They continued on the different machines until they heard a voice from the first floor of the house.

              “Mom must be done with supper.”

              “I should go then.”

              “You can stay if you want.”

              “Sometime, but not after exercising. I stink.”

              Once they went back upstairs Chris introduced his mother and Scott. “This is my new friend Scott.”

              “Hi,” Scott said.

              “Hello. Would you like to stay for supper?”

              “We were just working out. Maybe another time?”

              “Definitely,” she replied.

              “I'll walk Scott out,” Chris said.

              They went to the door, and Chris told Scott he'd see him in school the next day. “Can you make it home okay? I can walk with you if it is a problem.”

              “No. I know the way. See you tomorrow.”

              The streets of China Grove seemed big compared to the small country type of town that Oil City had been. It was a five minute walk from one home to the other. Scott took the main street of town to keep to the lighted areas.

              He saw his home come into focus and noticed his mother was already home. It must have been an early day, since it couldn't be more than 5:30. Maybe they gave her an early night since it was her first day on the job.

              Scott walked into his home and ran up to his mom who was sitting on a chair in the living room. “I missed you today,” he said. “I have so much to talk about!”