25
Blinded By The Light

The Metro track flew a hyper loop train into the station twelve stories above them, perching itself on top of a range that surrounds the neighboring skyscrapers in the downtown Irvine planning area.

“They left for a century ago?” Kevin looked at Irene as the center ring of the plaza blared a horn as a round is deemed clear. The kebabs served on the foiled tray were left untouched. “If they left.”

“They still have their luggage around, don’t worry.” Irene can see the stiffness on his face vacating. “I honestly don’t know what they are doing. Maybe time travel, and they left.”

“They look like they are asleep.”

“Luna told me their items move across those planes, so I don’t know how they happened.”

“Complete bull. Time travel can’t work at all.”

“The cash is gone. Unless it’s spent— You need to walk up to a register to pay them, and a lot of stores no longer takes it. I think they are phasing it out, anyway.“

“Where did those two come from, anyway? How in the hell did Alex somehow got them from where? It doesn’t add up to me, buddy. We never needed them back then, we don’t need them now. You find them a little suspicious? Maybe Kayla.”

“Alex did say it was a hired thing. No, definitely not either, they have been nothing but nice.”

The roar of the ambience of the plaza was outshone by the purr of the hyper loop that pulled into the station just outside of Kevin’s peripheral vision.

“I don’t know. Just I don’t get it—“

“Don’t get what? It’s a chance thing, Kevin. Had your parents not move in to the home next to mine we would have never whacked each other in that circle. That’s how people make friends.” She sighed and fixed her hair tie. 

“How did they come here? Know us?”

“I thought of it before. Alex told me that he and Angel were picked up in a small opening to give them room and board service, costs from Circle. But after what Luna said last night, it doesn’t sound so simple.”

“What? The time travel part? Obviously—“

“If they can make everything happen, why not something as obvious as moving through time and space? Give them a chance. Maybe they found out about something that we didn’t know about.”

“You and your imaginations, Irene.” Kevin laughed. “At least she’s still here.”

“Like ‘still with us’-type of here?”

“Right. That. It’s weird, almost. How long has it been since we met up with them? I know we aren’t technically the ones responsible, but—“

“About three weeks.”

“It’s a good three weeks. Almost feels empty before that, don’t you think?” He looked at Irene.

“Well, I think it’s just as good.” She looked at the center circle of the plaza as another set of competitors took the old pair’s place. “Thinking of someone?”

“I’m not gonna lie, yeah.” Kevin sounded like he was out of breath. “Someone for sure, definitely.”

Irene tilted her head.

“Tell me.” She started cheesing. “I’m gonna tell no one. As always.”

Kevin took out the small glass slate in his pocket, tapped a few virtual buttons, and turned the device they call a Mirror to her.

“You probably shouldn’t be taking photos of her like that. She probably doesn’t even know— A minute ago you are droning on about her!”

“Doesn’t those blue eyes just lose you?”

“Not now, Kevin.” She chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. Not right now.”

Kevin stared at the screen pointed at his face, dazed.

“Don’t take photos of people, okay?” Irene looked outside, and looked behind her as her film rang. “I’ll be right back.”

She crossed the row of shielded roundtables to a column that shot frigid air from holes punctured on it as people left from a passageway to her right, and she kept her thumb and pinky stretched in a loose fist, and jerked the hand clockwise to take the call.

“Irene, they will be gone in a week .”

“Who told you that, Alex? The people at Circle?”

“No, they didn’t give me an update. That’s what I expected.”

“I can’t see a reason to that.” She eyed Kevin at the table. “They haven’t recalled Kayla for results, you would think that they would notify the subject if something needs to be said. Upon completion, something like that.”

“Whatever happens, I would see them out of our custody in one week.”

“What’s going on? Remember I called the San Francisco office— they approved your leave. It’s a short season. They are moving production back by at least three months. Did they not pay you enough?”

“The amount is palpable.”

“Great.”

“They would need to go. There won’t be a single compromise. This proposition is not—“

“Can I hear some layman’s terms over here? What are you talking about?”

The soft wind in her voice set him back by a few seconds.

“They are looking to leave, simple as that. Maybe to move across the Pacific seaboard, we had no idea.”

“Is there accommodation for them there? Do we even know?”

“We don’t, and as far as we know, it’s not sanctioned by Circle itself.”

“So they are going to someplace, where there isn’t a guarantee?”

“That would be correct.”

“Alright, sure. We’ll talk later.”

Kevin looked on as Irene came back to her seat, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“A little hard for you to hear, but she’s going. Alex says it’s a single week.”

“What?” He looked at her in disbelief and as if she told him that his pet has passed away.

“You listen to me, Kevin. You take her to dinner tomorrow. If you need funds, I’ll see how much I can cover. Condition is no questions, okay?”

“Um, sure.” He nodded.

“I’ll need to make a phone call. Hold up.”