Vanished

Chapter 5

July 15th, 2020

The three friends just stared at the stranger, not sure what else to do in the shock they endured. They somewhat expected an unwanted guest after all they have experienced in the past few hours. Nothing could be too big of a problem for them after time travelling into the future as such.

But then again, how were they supposed to explain themselves to the unknown girl? Their faces were all over the news, so they must be down in history books as well. They looked different: they had seemed to have unique clothes compared to the young visitor. The state they were in gave it all away though: dirt on their hair, faces and clothes, the exhausted looks on their faces, the unpleasant stench they were carrying.

A full-on staring contest took place between the girls before the unfamiliar girl started shrieking once again. Somehow Serena, the closest to the outsider, found the strength to slowly make her way over to her and put her hand to her mouth. The screams became quite subtle than, but could still be heard.

Once she had quieted down, Serena led her to the corner she had occupied before and sat her down slowly. The foreigner still looked panicked, looking between each of the three girls who sat either side and in front of her while they held a blank expression on their face. Silence hung in the air uncomfortably, none of them knowing what to say. 

The three friends got a chance to examine the stranger closely: she looked around their age, with wavy brunette hair and dark coloured eyes. She had a medium build and very pale skin; they could easily tell she was a native here in the town, possessing the looks most locals had. They noticed that in the pocket of her sweatpants was some thin gadget with a touchscreen. They eyed it suspiciously, none of them sure of what it was. The girl fumbled her fingers and looked down at the wooden floor; she had been too busy to notice how the three friends were examining her. 

After a few but long moments, the stranger tried to formulate words. "You--you--"

"It's not what it looks like!" Keisha tried to ensure, but confidence lacked in her voice. The two other girls looked at her with narrowed eyes. 'Let her speak' they communicated before they turned back to the girl. Once the attention was focused on her, she took a deep breath and spoke once more with a quivering voice.

"You--you guys are those--girls?" She looked up finally and concentrated her attention on Serena, who was kneeling in front of her. She gave a subtle nod, her face full of sorrow and misery. The stranger's face still showed disbelief, but her expressions started to soften as if she felt almost sorry for them.

There was no way to hide it; they were the vanished. They couldn't deny it, to themselves nor others. For now, there was no way they could get back home. They had to face reality. They needed help though. If they wanted to survive in this unfamiliar new time, they needed someone to guide and inform them. The three girls looked towards the stranger, who's head was now down in her hands again. It seemed it would be hard to explain to her, but it was worth the shot. 

Mahnoor tapped her shoulder gently and she looked up once more. She looked at her intensively before asking softly "What is your name?"

"Carmen." She replied with a shaky voice while rubbing her nose.

The three girls glanced at each other before Mahnoor looked back at her and determinedly said "Carmen we need your help. But I think we have a lot of explaining to do first."

*****

"So, last night was 1990 for you? And the next morning you're thirty years in the future?" The three girls nodded, somewhat relieved after an hour of explaining Carmen finally grasped what they explained. They had managed to inform her with great difficulty as they weren't entirely sure either what happened to them over the past few hours. It was a lot to process, for both the girls and Carmen as they realised the extent of the situation.