A VERY DARK tale (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 3

"Two thousand what?" I was still chuckling.

Maybe from outside it looked like that, I was choking on a drink, but I couldn't help it. My hysteria escalated to the point that the three men in front of me started looking at me with concern and apprehension.

"En...ough...w...ith...jo...kes!" I slowed down still letting out giggles now and then. "I'm sure, we all like a great laughter, but it can't be two th...ous...and," I forced the number out of my mouth, "and ten outside. Simply because it's physically impossible. Not to mention, that it was nineteen sixty-three last time I checked. That was half a month ago, so to speak."

"Okay, relax!" The oldest one said standing up from the chair. "We believe you. It was nineteen sixty-three. Apparently, you've been running away from someone. Have you been held, hostage? Do you remember the names of people who've been abusing you? I'm sure that's what happened." His face grew kind, understanding, but I wasn't stupid like he hoped I was.

"If you're implying that I've run away from some mental institution, then don't bother trying to befriend me. I'm far from being unreasonable," I snapped at him.

His eyes hadn't changed. An expression of concern was still plastered on his face.

That only aggravated me. I growled and spun around turning to the wall and pressing my head to it.

"Is it two thousand ten for real?" I muttered hiding my eyes into my arm. "How? How did it happen? I was just trying to cross the border between two states, not send myself into the future. It's a joke! Right?" I added volume to my voice. "You are kidding, right?" I peeked at the men. They shook their heads warily, probably expecting me to go ballistic.

"You don't understand..." I mumbled. "It's all wrong! It...it's impossible!" I refused to believe into that. "How?" I straightened up and rotated to face them and then suddenly I started crying. Crying? The last time I cried was when I was stuffed into the car of Mr. Palus, supposedly to deliver me to a hospital.

The worst part was that I knew why I was crying. I knew exactly why I was standing and shedding waterfalls in front of the strangers.

The reason was that deep down I knew that I've been told the truth, and my new reality was a year of two thousand ten. It didn't matter how I got here. Right now the detailed analysis of my continuum leap was of secondary importance. I was safe for now. At least I was sure I had some time to gain some stability back. Though, my whole world stopped existing in a matter of one swift moment. Just yesterday I had some plan that kept me moving, and now there's nothing left. No friends, no relatives, no ties, no name, no past, no present. Just the ground under my feet.

"Listen, girl. We won't hurt you," someone said.

"Stacy Ann Jenkins," I said through tears wiping my face with my palms. "My name is Stacy Ann."

"Well, Stacy Ann, would you mind telling us..." he was about to ask me something when the door to the allowance burst open and two young men that were missing walked in.

The noise they produced by bickering with each other distracted me completely, and my tears dried up. I wiped the remaining of wet traces from my cheeks and blinking a couple of times lifted my head to face the newcomers.

Both of the guys froze in their tracks when they saw me standing and staring at them. Their conversation died down, and a stupid silence filled the room. At first, all six of us just stood glancing at each other waiting for something to end the awkwardness, then when nobody moved, I cleared my throat and slowly made my way to a single chair that was placed next a wall.

The seat was hard, and I didn't find the comfort that I craved for my body. Besides, I was still exhausted and hungry. Chair, no chair - at this point it was irrelevant.