Last Chance ~ Part 6

Links:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Kit's POV

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The Matron set another confiscated book on her chest of confiscated things.

She sighed happily.

"It fills my heart with joy to see all the things I've confiscated." She said, dreamily.

"Um, if this is a bad time, I can just come back later." one of the teachers, Madame Brocade, said from the door.

The Matron yelped in surprise, and jumped backwards, knocking over a record player.

Quickly recovering her composure, she answered, "No, now is fine. What's wrong."

"Well," Mme. Brocade said, excitedly, shoving Mary forward, "I caught this girl snooping around outside. Without permission."

"Oh dear. What a horribly heinous crime." The Matron said dramatically, "And we all know the punishment for such rule breaking, don't we?"

"As if anyone cares." Mary said, under her breath, but Mme. Brocade chipperly interjected, "Two lashes to the back of the hand!"

"What did you say?!" The Matron shouted as she leaned across the table.

"Um, I-I-I said..." Mme. Brocade stuttered.

"Not you, her!" The matron said, exasperatedly.

"Well?" The Matron prompted.

"I said, 'Who cares'!" Mary cried.

"You dare to speak like that too me!?" The Matron hissed.

"For your rule breaking, you will receive two lashes to the back of your hand, and for talking back to me, you will receive two more lashes." The Matron said, triumphantly.

"Now, where is my whip?" She said to herself, as she dug through the drawer. "Mme. Brocade, did you move my whip?"

"No," Mme. Brocade answered, "but I saw it in there yesterday. It must be there. I'll help you find it."

The two of them looked everywhere but they couldn't find the whip.
I patted my pocket and smiled.

"I don't think it's here." Mme. Brocade panted.

"I think you might be right." The Matron sighed.

"So," Mary interrupted, "Can I leave then?"

"What? Oh, yes. Off you go." The Matron answered distractedly.

And for the next three days things continued to go missing, randomly appear, or just go wrong.

Until I overheard a conversation in the Matron office.

"Do you know how hard it is to run an Orphanage without her being back?" The Matron asked, she sounded tired and defeated.

This could be my chance. I thought.

"Yeah," Teresa answered absently. It seem my demand, about her becoming Matron, was making her think.

"But, you know, Mom..." Teresa began.

"It could all stop." I whispered through the wall, just loud enough to be heard.

"Who said that?!" The Matron snapped, looking around wildly.

"I think you already know." I answered.

"Now, let's be reasonable. Give me what I want, and I'll leave. Don't give me what I want, I'll" My voice faltered, "I'll be here forever."

"No! I won't give in!" The Matron sounded like a badly behaved child.

"Mom, maybe it's worth it." Teresa said, taking her mother's hand.

"No! No, I-I..." It seemed she was running out of arguments.

"Just give me what I want. This will all stop." I was desperate now. I had to get Ruthie home.

The Matron sighed as she collapsed in her chair.

"The girl. 23, Ruthie, she's in the shed." 

"Of course!" I cried, "I can't believe I didn't look there before!"

And I ran to the door.

But what I didn't see...

was the Matron smiling and evil smile.

"Well?" She asked Teresa, "Did I convince you?"

"Um, yeah. Are you sure we're doing the right thing? Tricking her like this?" Teresa asked uncertainly.

"Teresa." The Matron said sweetly, "Listen to your self. If we get that thing, that Time Machine. Just think of what we could do! Don't you want that for me? For us?"

"Yeah. I guess." Teresa muttered.

*************************************

I ran across the yard as fast as I could, the biting wind whipping my skirt around.

I could see the shed.

Could Ruthie really have been in there the whole time?

"Ruthie? Ruthie?!" I cried, as I pawed frantically at the door.

I didn't know why, but something didn't feel right. All I knew was we had to get out of there.

"Ruthie!?" I called again as I climbed through the door.

Before I could even stand up all the way, Ruthie was hugging me.

"That's cool too." I said.

"I knew you would come back." Ruthie whispered, "I knew it."

I hugged her back, until that nagging urgency tugged at me again. I grabbed Ruthie's hand.

"We gotta go!" I called.

"Where?" Ruthie asked.

"No time to explain." was my only answer.

Grace yipped happily as we came through the trees.

"What is that?" Ruthie asked pointing at the time machine.

"Again, no time." I answered quickly.

I jumped on the foot scanner, and the Time Machine said, 'Welcome, Kit.'

"OK, Ruthie." I said as I stepped off the foot scanner, "Your turn."

"Are you crazy?! I'm not getting on that thing! I don't even know what's going on!" there was a note of fear in Ruthie's voice.

"Please," I begged, "Just trust me."

Ruthie stepped hesitantly onto the pad, and squeezed her eyes shut.

The time machine said, 'Welcome, Ruthie."

"Now what?" Ruthie asked, she seemed to be getting excited about it all.

"Now," I answered, "The doors will open and we can go home. Then I'll explain everything."

We waited expectantly for the Time Machine to open.

But it didn't.

'Please input Access Code.' The Time Machine said.

"What?!" I cried, running over to the keyboard.

'What's wrong?" Ruthie asked.

"I-I don't have an access code." I stuttered.

"Does- does that mean we're... stuck here?" Ruthie whispered.

"Not yet." I said, grabbing the backpack as an idea hit me.

I pulled out the cell phone, and dialed Taryn's number.

"Pick up. Pick up. Please, pick up!" I whispered.

'I'm sorry. We're having trouble completing your call. Please hang up and try again.' an automated voice said.

"Now we're stuck here." I sighed, dropping the cell phone to my side.

"Well," Ruthie said, in the voice she always uses when she has an idea, "if I understand correctly, that's a telephone, if so, isn't there some way to send words so people can read them instead of hearing them?"

"Ruthie, you're a genius! I'll text Taryn!" I cried.

"I don't know what that means, but it sounds good." Ruthie replied.

Ruthie sat down beside me as I texted, 'Hello? Anyone getting this?'

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours.

Still no answer.

I was about to put the phone away when... ding ding.

'Kit? Is this you?'

"They answered!" Ruthie cried excitedly.

I quickly answered, ' It's me. We're locked out of the Time Machine. What's the access code?"

This time, I didn't have to wait for an answer.

I felt my jaw drop.

My friend read the message over my should and gasped.

"What now?" She asked.

"I...I don't know." I whisper.

***************************************

In Claire's POV

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Taryn began to mumble feverishly.

"Is she waking up? Is the fever breaking?" I asked anxiously.

"No. No, not for a while." Charlie answered distractedly, as she checked to see if Taryn was dehydrated.

I resumed my pacing, back and forth across the room.

I'm pretty sure I jumped five feet in the air, when the phone rang.

"It's a text!" I cried as I grabbed the phone off the table, "It's a text from Kit!"

"Really!" Charlie cried, as she read the message over my shoulder.

I answered, 'Kit? Is this you?'

She quickly answered back, 'It's me. We're locked out of the Time Machine. What's the access code?"

I looked at Charlie in surprise.

I texted, 'What access code?'

*****************************************

In Ruthie's POV

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I gently took Kit's hand in mine.

"It's alright." I said, hopefully, "We'll find a way to make it work."

"I'm not sure you will." The Matron said coolly.

"You." Kit said accusingly, stepping between me and the Matron as she hid the telephone behind her skirt, "What do you want?"

"I want your...Time Machine. Because it's going to make me rich." The Matron explained, as if to a small child.

"And," Kit's voice caught in her throat, "What about us?"

The End of Part 6

Squeeeeeeee! My new doll is here.

There is one more part to 'Last Chance', then I will begin work on 'Amazing Grace'. :)

~ The Human