Page 48
SADIE
It seemed onlynatural that she’d get caught in the rain. Sadie’s clothing and hair were soaked through. At least she didn’t have to worry as much about keeping out of sight as she followed the muddy trail of Wally and his group, or about looking like she’d been crying on and off all day.
A structure lit up in relief beneath a crack of lightning. She froze in place, water flowing into her open mouth.
What in tarnation was that?
It wasn’t any building she’d ever seen, nor any carriage. Plus, she didn’t spot any horses around. And who’d build a giant structure out of glass only to lean it against a tree? The spindly green branches of the Palo Verde didn’t look too sturdy, straining against the weight of the thing.
When she got close enough, a glimpse of the inside stole her breath away. It glowed with its own light source and seemed to be filled with people. It was a whole town swallowed inside a tube of glass. What the hell is going on?
She crouched down and stalked forward as close as she dared, thanking the lord for the cover of the monsoon, despite the puddles quickly forming around her ankles. Suddenly, a stairwell formed out of nowhere, seeming to come out of the glass building. Misty forms appeared near the bottom of it—people. And Wally was among them. He led the group right up to the strange stairway and helped them inside, one by one, finally climbing up after them.
Sadie remained stunned until the stairs began to retract inside the building. She made a split-second decision to run for it, snagging the bottom step and pulling her wet body up and in just before the stairs disappeared inside.
The moment she touched solid ground, Sadie rolled and darted down behind some sort of metal counter. As her breath and senses caught up to her, she waited and shivered in the surprisingly cool air, dripping onto the slick and shiny floor. The room buzzed with a strange humming sound but remained otherwise silent. Colorful lights and a myriad of buttons and levers glowed around her. The walls seemed filled with large windows that showed only black. Her stomach dropped and a sick feeling overwhelmed her. What was this strange place? Sadie doubted even Washington had things like this.
She was about to stand up when part of one wall swished forward and in slipped a woman she recognized from one of the tours. It was the lady with the purple hair. Odd as this whole experience was, Sadie knew the look of a sneak when she saw one, the way her almond shaped eyes slid back and forth as though searching for anyone daring to watch. That woman had a devious plan.
Remaining in place, Sadie watched from her hiding spot behind the counter while the woman touched one of the black windows. It sprung to life with words and colors that scrolled across the glass like they were alive. Sadie threw a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t cry out as the woman touched a series of spots with her fingers and the floor slid open, revealing the staircase again.
The sound of the storm filled the room as the steps descended on their own and the woman hurried down. Sadie was still debating whether to slip out after her when the steps came back up again, smoothing into the floor until it was like they never existed.
Sadie rose, sniffling and brushing wet hair from her face. She stepped up to the window and touched it, snatching her hand back when the thing lit up like a firecracker.
“Shit,” she whispered.
“I cannot identify the request. Please restate,” said a woman’s voice.
Sadie spun around but found no one. She swallowed back her fear and let her natural curiosity take over.
“Who is that?” she asked the room.
“I am the AI for The Time Capsule Resort. You are not a passenger on my manifest. Please state your name.”
“My name is Sadie Rogers. What’s a Time Capsule Resort?”
“The resort is a time machine built in the year 2117 in New York City and currently on its maiden voyage to the year 1888, Arizona.”
Sadie’s trembling increased, but it wasn’t from the cold.
“Are you saying Wally Doyle is from the future?” she whispered.
“Walter Doyle is the engineer who designed the Time Destabilization System as well as the Cloaking Mechanism, both property of Bennet Systems.”
Suddenly light-headed, Sadie leaned on one of the counters. “What year was Wally born?”
“Dr. Doyle was born February 17, 2087 in Redmond, Washington.”
“I guess at least he didn’t lie about being from Washington,” Sadie mumbled. “So I can ask you anything?”
“I will endeavor to answer whatever you request of me, Ms. Rogers.”
“What happens if they find me here?” Wally’s concerns about not letting her know too much felt suddenly sinister as Sadie glanced back toward the spot in the wall where the woman with the purple hair came through. What if someone finding out about whatever nefarious plans these people had meant that someone would be in a heap of trouble?
Swallowing hard, she worried that sticking around any longer meant gambling with her safety. But she had no idea how to get out.
“And are you going to tell them about me being here?” The words came out in a hoarse whisper.
“I will answer any inquiries truthfully as designated by my programming.”
Sadie thought that meant not unless someone asks, and she could respect that.
“I have a lot to think about. Can you let me out please so I can go home?”
The floor once again slid open, this time revealing the clicking of Cicadas instead of the storm. Monsoons didn’t last long in Arizona.
“Thanks,” Sadie said.
As quietly as possible, she descended the slick steps to the desert below, now lit with stars and the sliver of a moon. The ground beneath her had already slurped up the moisture, leaving it slightly darker than it might have otherwise been, but no other signs of the storm remained.
On shaky legs, Sadie walked back to the house, mind spinning as she tried to understand who Wally really was.
One thing was for sure. She wasn’t the only liar in Devil’s Creek.
