200 years later

CAFÉ & SECRETS

The next day, Catherine woke up and made breakfast. "Kai, wake up time for breakfast," Catherine said shaking him up.

Kai winced, opening his eyes slowly making sure it wasn't a dream. 'It wasn't a dream! I AM FREE!!' Kai stood up and walked to the dining room.

"Morning Catherine -yawn-" Kai yawned as he sat down on the table. "Morning sleepy head, had a good night's sleep?" Kai nodded as he took a mug and tried to make a cup of coffee. "Here let me teach you," Catherine said teaching Kai how to make coffee.

"So ready to get the day started Kai?" Kai nodded. They changed and headed downstairs to prepare the café for opening.

Catherine spent the morning teaching Kai how to work the machine and how to make the items on the menu.

"And that's all you need to know. "Now let's make some food," Catherine said handing Kai a bag of flour.

They start making food.

Kai accidentally slipped on a wet spot in the kitchen and accidentally dropped the flour on himself.

"You okay there Kai?" Catherine walked towards Kai and found him on the floor with flour on him. Catherine tried not to giggle.

"Yea I'm fine Catherine," Kai said dusting the flour off him. "Here I'll help," Catherine said as she helped him dust the flour off.

Catherine and Kai spend the morning teaching Kai and prepping the café for opening hour. It turns out Kai made the best cookies in the café now after he burnt the first 2 batches the 3rd one came out the greatest. Kai was placed on cashier duty as those cookies are the only thing he can make. Catherine showed him the waiter and janitorial duties and agreed that both would be doing those. Both hate Janitorial duty.

"Ready?" "Yea" Catherine and Kai opened the Yin Yang Café, and the line was around the block.

Kai and Catherine were busy the entire day. Often Kai would see students and wishes he could have completed his education.

Sure, the scientist thought about it. When he finishes a test earlier than expected the nicer scientist would often go to his cell and tutor him. He knows math to the level of a 10th grader, but it wasn't enough for college.

Kai would be curious and would wonder where he can learn too. Then an idea hit him like a truck.

'THE LIBRARY OF COURSE. GIANNA TOLD ME ABOUT IT. It is said to contain every knowledge possible to a human brain' Kai thought smiling as he found a new way to learn.

When the day is over. Kai asked Catherine for directions to the nearest library. "Oh, it's just 3 blocks down then turn to the right. I'm going there tonight. Wanna come?" Kai couldn't turn down the offer and went with Catherine to the LIBRARY.

They walked to the library together. Kai is shocked by the modernization. 'I knew I came to the future 200 years ago but still. HOW MUCH DID THE WORLD CHANGE!'

They reached the library, and Kai wandered around. The library was huge, filled to the brim with books and papers.

'How am I supposed to find anything in here?!' He kept wandering around hopelessly as there were so many books to read.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The librarian walked up to Kai with a cart full of books.

He had orange hair with brown tips with brown eyes. "Uh hi and yea I am looking for books that will help me in my education," Kai said as he puts down a William Pitt the younger autobiography. "Oh, it over here. If you want, I can help you study" Kai's eyes beam wide. "THANK YOU" "No problem, my name is Ichiro Ito by the way. Yours?" Ichiro introduces himself "Kai, no last name" "oh okay I respect that, follow me."

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"That was hard" Kai winced as they answer a 10th graders' exams to go 11th grade.

"Oh, c'mon it's not so bad," Ichiro said as he was having a terrible time understanding algebra and graphs "Easy for you to say. "You're in college already," Kai said completing the activity Ichiro had given him.

"Eh. The school was the worst. We are learning useless facts" Ichiro slumped on the table said as he put the book down. "Wanna eat something?" "Sure" Both Ichiro and Kai walked out of the library. It turns out the librarian job was part-time.

They arrive at the Yin Yang Café where Catherine was serving. "Oh, Kai your back," Catherine said handing out cookies to a lot of customers. "Yea and we are now kinda hungry," Kai said with a sheepish face. "Oh. Then your friend can a take seat and you help in the kitchen." Catherine said, which Kai quickly obliged.

"KAI THESE ARE THE BEST COOKIES EVER" Ichiro screamed as he stuffed more cookies in his face. "Glad you like them," Kai said dishing out more food to hungry customers. "Ready to go back to studying?" "Give me 5 minutes to finish everyone off," Kai said looking at the 30 foods that still need to serve.

"I see you made a friend huh?" Catherine asked. "Yea he is helping me catch up with my missing studies," Kai said as he washes the dishes. "You still haven't told me of your past yet Kai" Kai is stunned and almost drops a plate. "Are you willing to tell me now?" she asked. Kai, not wanting to remember something from two hundred kept his lips sealed. "Maybe tonight" "sounds good."

It was 8 pm when Kai returned from the library with a couple of books in hand.

"Welcome back Kai. Ready to tell your story" Catherine greeted him with a warm smile. Kai nodded knowing it wouldn't be too long before she knew.

"Yea," the two moved to an empty table. Catherine supplies them both with hot teas.

"How much do you know about 'Test Subject 15'?" Kai asked. "Isn't it the story from 200 years ago" Kai nodded. "Well, all I heard were folktales of 'Test Subject 15'. It said he possesses a power that can be equivalent to Divine Beings. The government back then used him as a lab rat. Which I find very disgusting since he is human too, powers or no power" Kai felt relief over him as Catherine continued to cauterize the government two hundred years ago.

"My great, great, great, great grandmother was one of those scientists who took care of him," Catherine said touching her necklace and gaining interest in Kai. "What did she look like?" Kai asks. "She had obsidian hair and jet-black eyes."

Kai's eyes widen. This woman who offered him a home and a job 200 years later was a descendant of Gianna.

"Gianna" was all he could mutter. "Yea that's my great, great, great, great grandmother's name. How do you know her name? Even when we first met, you called me Gianna. Why?"

Kai took a deep breath and started explaining. "I am 'Test Subject 15'. Your great, great, great, great grandmother was the one who took care of me after every experiment and made sure I didn't die from starvation or dehydration or blood loss" Kai chuckled at a memory with Gianna.

"Catherine, I am 200 years old. They froze me using a cryogenic freezing process when I was 24. They were... disgusting" Catherine was in utter shock. This man was in front of her. The one her grandmother told her about was sitting in front of her. One of Great Grandma Gianna's 'children.'

"That necklace Gianna must have passed it down huh?" Kai said looking closely at the necklace with warmth in his eyes. "Yea she did. She also told us about you. In case we find you in the future"

Then Catherine's necklace started to glow. "WHAT THE" then the necklace stopped glowing. Catherine was in shock and Kai was smiling. "It recognizes you as the owner of the necklace. Back then two hundred years ago while I was still 16, I cast a curse on it. A cursed to protect its user in case of an emergency."

Catherine was still in shock. Removing the necklace and looking at it. It was strange. She felt like she was at home again. Warm and fuzzy. She begins to cry.

"CATHERINE! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Kai ran up to her grabbing tissues from the table. "Yeah, I just hadn't had that feeling in a long time" she wipes her tears. "Did you put a family curse as well? Cause it seems to be connecting us as well" Catherine jokingly said as she put on the necklace back. "No, I didn't. It sensed I have returned."

The two continue to talk about the past 200 years ago. Catherine fills in on what he missed out on, while Kai tells her about her great-grandmother Gianna and his time with her. It brings both to tears.