Forlot: A Girl Who Needs Her Space - Book Thirty-Two

Chapter Seven

If I had not been interested in what the doctor said, I would have never found myself in the situation that I am in now.

Looking back, I was an idiot. I was such a fool for not dismissing Dr. Maxwell and going about my day. If a person were to come up to you and say that he or she can time-travel...would you believe him or her? I did not think so. But I believed Dr. Maxwell. I guess that I believed him - I wanted to believe the guy - because - I was desperate.

I loathe that I was desperate. I absolutely loathe that I was that desperate to get what I want. To teach my six brothers a lesson. But how would time travel ever teach them a lesson...when they did not exist?

Guess that I am like them after all.

"You know how to time-travel?" I asked.

"You bet that I do," Dr. Maxwell replied with a wink. "I overheard you and your friend talking about time travel, and I thought that it would be wrong of me if I did not share my time travel knowledge with you."

Karma narrowed her eyebrows at him. "We are sorry to disappoint you...Dr. Maxwell....but we do not need your time travel knowledge."

His face saddened. "Ah. I understand where you are coming from." He walked closer to us. "You sure that you do not want to know the secrets of time travel?"

Before I could speak, Karma said, "I told you. We are not interested in time travel. It is impossible."

The doctor pointed at his head. "Not if you girls have the knowledge that I have."

"We do not want any knowledge of yours. Now leave us alone, or I will fetch Carmen's mother and tell her what you are doing."

He chuckled. "Go ahead. See if I care, Karma. I have not done anything bad to you girls. But as a doctor, I have more important things to do." He set the watch and the music box on the coffee table that was across from the couch. "I will leave your new things here for you to figure them out. I sure hope that you are wise, Carmen."

"Not only am I wise, but I am also smart," I said.

"Good." He turned around and finally left.

"Thank gosh that freak is gone," Karma stated. "But I prefer if he left the house and never returned."

"Karma...do you know him?"

"What makes you think that I know him?"

I shrugged. "Well...when you were talking to him...it sounded like that you knew him."

She laid back on the couch and swung her arms over it. "We will chat about this later when Dr. Maxwell is far away from this house."

"But you said—"

"I said that we will chat about it after that man is far away from your house."

What was her problem? Why did she not want to tell me now? Why did she want to wait until Dr. Maxwell was gone? One thing was for sure. She was definitely keeping a secret from me. If only I knew what it was.

"I will tell you something now," Karma continued. "I, as well as some other folks in Forlot, have proof that Dr. Maxwell...is not an actual doctor."

I was taken aback by this. "He is not? Wait a minute. You are just pulling my leg."

We looked at my leg. She had her thumb and fingers wrapped around it. We looked back at each other.

"Yes, I have your leg, Carmen. But I am not pulling it at all."

"Then why are you holding it?"

"I am just worried about you. I am worried that man will take advantage of you and your family."

"How would he take advantage of me and my family? And how do you know that he is not a real doctor?"

"It...is complicated. You might not even believe me."

I pried her hand off my leg. "How could you say that, Karma?"

"Easy. You might not even believe me."

I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb. "Why would you assume that I will not believe you?"

"It is not just you, Carmen. Everybody with common sense in this town would not believe me. They would never understand what happened between us."

"Between you and me?"

"No. Between me and Maxwell."

"Oh."

Guess that she wanted to change the subject because Karma picked up the new music box and said, "What a pretty music box. No doubt that you will enjoy it."

"I would rather have a car," I groaned.

"I told you, Carmen. Even if your grandparents gave you one of their cars, you could not use it for a while. You are too young to drive."

"But I am more mature to care for a nice car. I would not be surprised if Aztec and William crash their cars before the day ends."

Karma ran her fingers along the outside of the music box. "I know that you were looking forward to things that were not...a wristwatch and a music box...but at least that you got something. Two somethings. Look at me. I did not get zip."

"You are not biologically related to the family."

"Yes, but I am your best friend. I should have gotten something as a small token of their appreciation."

"Are you saying that you are my friend only because you wanted them to give you something?"

Her cheeks were now as red as a tomato. "What? No, no, no. I am your friend because I want to be. I really do not care if I receive an expensive item. I was only joking."

I giggled and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her. "I was joking too, Karma. I was joking too."

She hugged me back. "Carmen?"

"Yes?"

"May I open your music box?"

"Sure."

Big mistake.