Series Wednesday: Timetopia Page 3

                Days on the road, just Rev and I. I’m not sure why she is so different, every day she talks about things I have never heard of. I miss my mom. I wish there was some way to talk to her or my dad. “I need to know if my parents are okay!” I demand. “Well without cellphones I’m not sure how to do that.” I look at Rev, there she goes again, what is a Cellphone and how can it help me and my parents? “Well since I have no idea what a cell phone is. Take me to a well ness center! I can check on them there.” Rev stops the van and looks at me. “You’re joking right? We are being chased by wellness checkers and you want to walk into a wellness center!?” I can understand what she is asking but don’t get why she is scared. Wellness centers and checkers are for the people to ensure our happiness and so we can see our families who are far away.  “What you’re scared of a little wellness center?” I say it in the same tones she has been using with me whenever we talk about the Five. She rolls her eyes. “I’m from the Bronx sweet heart nothing scares me.” I smile at her, I think I just got her to do what I want. This was strange but it works.

                After two days of driving we reach a wellness center. She pulls into the lot. “So girl genius what’s the plan?” the way she says it is like she doesn’t believe in me.  “You see the pool center? We go in there and shower and clean up and then we go into the wellness center and use the wellness watcher’s screens to check on my parents.” She looks over at the pool centers. “Okay I’m in.” We head over to shower and change. Rev looks at me and hands me hair. “What is this??” I am a bit grossed out. “It’s a wig, put it on so the cameras won’t recognize you.” What is a wig?? How do I put this thing on? I stand there holding this hair. Someone else’s hair at that. Rev sighs and pushes me onto the sink. She puts this wig on me. I no longer have thick curls I now have straight brown hair. It’s so strange to see, she’s pulling a nose out of her bag. “Who did you steal that from?” I squeal I am so terrified by her right now. “Calm down I made it. It’s just a fake nose. Feel it… I didn’t hurt anyone I promise.” She has her hand out with the fake nose as she calls it.  I touch it and it feels like rubber. How did she make a rubber nose? This is so strange to me. She starts to put it on my face, I no longer look like me at all. “It’s now or never.” Rev says. “What? Why now or never? Why can’t it be now or 5 minutes from now?” she rolls her eyes again, she does this a lot and points to the door.  We walk right into the wellness center and I go to the wellness screens “oh it’s a computer.” Rev says behind me about the screen. I don’t have time to ask her what she means. I didn’t tell Rev this but what I’m about to do can get us both erased if I’m not fast, but I need to check on my parents. I start to type in the codes. The ones that allow me to see what only wellness checkers can see. I start to bypass the locks they have for us none checkers. Rev is watching me. “Holy shit! You’re a hacker!” she whispers into my ear. “I’m not sure what that is but watch the building. If anyone sees me we are done for.” Rev laughs. I get into my house’s camera and I see my dad. I look at each room and my mom isn’t there. I turn on the speakers in my house that the Five use to talk to us. I speak into the wellness screens the way you would if you were talking to a family member on the other side of Timetopia. “DAD!” he looks up at the camera. “Ava! Are you okay?” my dad’s eyes are tearing up. “Yes I am fine. Dad where is mom?” my dad is looking around. “Ava what have you done? They can listen this way.”  I don’t mean to laugh. “No they can’t I made sure of it. I blocked them out but just for a few minutes. I don’t have long dad. Where is mom?” my dad stands there, he takes a deep breath. “They took her to the center of Timetopia. They took her to the questions hall.” I just sit there because even I know how bad this is. “I’ll get her out dad, don’t worry I have a friend.” I am running out of time fast. “Ava listen to me. I love you but you are not who you think you are. Tell Rev to take care of you. There is a lot you are about to learn and I’m sorry we had to lie to you for so long.” The feed cuts off. “NO.” I start to cry. What was my dad talking about? Rev puts her hand on my shoulder. “Come on.” I get up, my dad knows who Rev is. I’m so lost again. As we are walking to the door a wellness checkers walks up to us. “Hello young ladies I am going to need you to come with me on this beautiful day.”