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

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Karl knew about the music box and the watch. I do not mean that he knew that I had the box and was wearing the wristwatch. According to him, he knew about these magical items ever since that he was a toddler.

"In here," Karl said. He ushered me in a bathroom, the boys' bathroom - what a gentleman - and kept close to the door. He held out his arms to the sides.

When I realized where I was, I took off my glasses and said, "The boys' restroom. Great. Just what I wanted to do today."

"You are weird," Karl answered. "Why did you want to come in a boys' bathroom?"

"I was being sarcastic, Karl." I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I am aware that I do not have my glasses on, but I can see that you are standing in front of the door and holding out your arms."

"You are correct."

I checked the lenses before sliding my glasses back on. I swayed my arms back and forth. "So why the heck are you blocking our only exit? Do not tell me that you are barricading us in here. I will shout if you do not let me out. Hey. That rhymes."

Karl pushed himself away from the bathroom door and lowered his arms. "This is not the time to try to rhyme, Carmen. You and I have business."

"Hey! You just rhymed."

"Did you not hear what I said? I told you that you and I have business."

I eyed him suspiciously. I wanted to trust him because he is Mrs. Anderson's son and what he put up with, but I could not. So far, Karl has done nothing to benefit me or Karma. Not that we want to benefit. We just wanted him to be nice instead of a stick in the mud. How could I trust someone when he or she is not a decent person?

"Do you know me from somewhere?" I questioned.

"I do not," he answered. "But I have seen them before." He pointed at the watch and box. "Seeing these makes my soul light up with hunger!"

I brought my music box close to me. "What...does that mean?"

"It means that I am over the moon, Carmen! I am over the moon that I found them! Oh my gosh. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would find them."

I took a step back and frowned. "Just so you know...the music box and watch are mine. Both of them are mine, not yours. So do not even think about it."

He raised his hands as if surrendering. "I would never dream of it. Stealing is not part of my coding. Besides, I figured that they belonged to you. I just wanted to see them for myself."

"Why do you want to see some watch and music box?"

I already knew the answer to that question. He wanted to see them because he probably knew that these were not ordinary.

My real fear was...was he going to use them for evil?

Karl took a step towards me and hid his hands behind him. "Before I answer your question...can you answer mine?"

"I will try."

"How long have you had those items?"

"You mean the watch and the music box?"

"Yes. What else would I be referring to?"

"Not long."

"Not long, huh?" He rubbed his chin. "Then could you please tell me when you purchased them?"

"I did not purchase them."

By the tone of his voice, I could tell that the young man was surprised. "If you did not purchase either of them, then...where did you get them?"

"They were passed down to me by my grandparents."

He gasped and yanked off his glasses. "Wait a minute. Your grandparents owned those objects?"

"Yep. The music box and watch are mentioned in their will. The music box belonged to my grandmother, and the watch belonged to my grandfather. Now they both are mine."

"'Their will'?" he repeated the phrase. He was cleaning his lens using his shirt. "Your grandparents are..." His voice trailed off.

"No longer with us," I finished for him.

"I am sorry for your loss."

"Thanks. But I will confess that it is not the worst thing when you can meet them whenever you want."

Oops.

Karl put his glasses back on and straightened his shirt out. He tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean that you can meet them whenever you want?" Before I could respond, he said, "Now I know what you mean."

"You...do?"

He pointed at the wristwatch. "You figured out that the watch can take you back in time, did you not? You can travel back to any time period that you wish. Speaking of wish..." He pointed at the music box. "...do you have a clue what the music box does?"

I sighed and set the music box on the sink. "I have not. I wish that I knew what makes it special, but I have not figured it out."

Now he was pointing at himself. "I know what the box can do."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. Would you like me to show you?"

"Only if you do not use it for evil."

His eyes went wide. "Do you think that I would use the music box for evil? Do you actually think that a person like me would use what is at my disposal for evil?"

"Uh, I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that you would not."

"Carmen, you must understand. I am not evil. I would never even consider becoming evil. I...I am just a child who has had a...complicated life."

"Heh. That is me in a nutshell."

"Oh?"

"But enough about me." I picked up the music box and handed it to him. "Tell me how to use it. Please."

"Gladly."

Karl was about to open it - when somebody snatched it away!