NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?

CHAPTER 23

The Third Trial is going just as hoped. Daniel Sotina deserves my respect and admiration. In his introduction, he rehashed what really happened that night then showed a mysterious stranger approach Sanya with nudes the morning after. I'm somewhere between his announcement of blackmail and the things she has to do to keep him quiet. And to think that bitch sat there looking so hateful during the trial. No wonder she was that disturbed at the end. Now we know that she'd tried to pin her night of pleasure, and the unspeakable hell that followed, on an innocent man, but that it had all been for nothing. Just thinking of her vileness makes me wish Daniel dishes out more pain. So he'd better heat things up by the next three chapters or else. Damn! Thank goodness I'm not a writer or my books would be banned for outrageous content.

A soft knock sounds off at the door. I know it's not Matron Caine. Our dance is not until the next eighteen days or so. Christ! I really don't want to see anyone today.

I throw the covers off grudgingly. "Who is it?"

"It's Debbie from the ground floor."

Debbie from the ground floor? What the hell! I can't remember any Debbie living there. Must be someone new. And she chose my door to knock on? This had better be good news. I jump off the bed and yank the door open. A very frail girl, with bright yellow eyes and smooth dark grey skin, stares back at me. I desperately want to ruffle her skin so it can match the sickness in her eyes.

"Do you have time to spare?"

I'm tempted to lie just in case she wants to come in, or worse, wants money.

"Er, yes," I stumble into a response I know I'll regret. "What do you want?"

"I'm not feeling well."

"You look bad too," I blurt out. "Did you check the office?"

"No one's there," she explains. "It's after one."

After one? I've been reading that long? Damn you, Daniel Sotina.

"Well, I'm not a nurse." I knot my brows. "Don't really know how I can help you."

"You can take me to the hospital."

"That's just next door, though."

I hear how bad it sounds after I say it. But I'm still in my vengeful mood. Thanks Daniel.

"I know. But what if I collapse on the way? No one will know who I am or where I'm from."

"Okay." I stifle my sigh just a little bit. "Meet me downstairs."

I close the door again and let my sigh live. Then I remember that there's no Wi-Fi at the hospital. Dammit! Am I supposed to just sit there dry and wait with her? Too bad I finished that horrible library book yesterday. That reminds me. I've got to return it on time or risk not being hired because of delinquency. Then I run into a new problem of what to wear. To save on detergent, I've been reusing clothes at least twice before dumping them into the basket. All I have left is the black outfit from the failed beach trip two days ago and I'm not feeling to wear that. So after a few minutes of spinning around, I throw on something dirty and head downstairs.