The Boy Who Caught Time

5

The next day, speaker feed back decided to come on a little earlier.

"Diamond District, come to Main Floor. Immediately." Doctor Chan announces, turning off the speaker afterwards.

Hour sluggishly rises, he looks down to Cat and gives a nod. She nods back. He then glances to Vine and does the same. Vine repeats the action. Hour, Cat, and Vine are first to board the elevator before the rest of their comrades. Rather than clicking Main Floor, they click the Triangle District button. Cat gazes at the amount of buttons, she looks back to Vine.

"There's only six floors. Diamond District, Triangle District, Square District, Circle District, Heart District, and Main Floor. What are all these other buttons for?" She asks.

"Actually, yeah. I just noticed that." Hour observes.

"Exactly. This proves my point even further." Vine adds.

Hour shakes his head from realization.

"No way, those buttons probably take us nowhere." Hour claims, not wanting to agree with Vine.

The elevator stops. It opens to a floor that looks very similar to the Diamond District. Just like the Diamond District, there's only one room. The Slumber Room. Except, it was for the Triangle District. It's exactly like Hour's and many others' room in the Diamond District. Hour accidentally glares at a security camera, it glitches and the screen cracks. Hour gives an anxious face to it. Cat's hand reaches to the doorknob, Vine stops it.

"Before we go in, we need to make a diversion. Just trust me and let me do the talking, okay?" Vine whispers.

Hour and Cat nod. Cat creaks open the door. Members of the Triangle District wear orange and white striped pajamas with the same colored socks as the Diamond District. Some of the members wake up. Vine steps in front of Cat and Hour.

"Greetings, members of the Triangle District. Doctor Chan has informed us members of the Diamond District that she has given us a day off and requires you to the Main Floor immediately. Last one that arrives gets punished." Vine smiles menacingly.

The members all stare in shock and immediately burst into chaos. Levi, a boy around the age of Cat and Hour, wakes up anxious and afraid. Vine winks at him, indicating it's a hoax. Levi gives irked look and gestures Vine, Hour, and Cat to come onto his bunk bed while the chaos continues. Once all the members have left, Levi, Vine, Hour, and Cat get comfortable on Levi's bottom bunk.

"What's wrong with you, Vine? Why are you sending my peers to their potential death?" Levi questions, irritated.

"I'm really sorry, Levi. I had to. It was the only way." Vine sighs, apologetically.

Hour gives Vine a glare, actually seeing the first time Vine taking an apology seriously.

"So, what's your excuse? Why come here?" Levi queries, taking a breath.

"Vine told us that Doctor Chan has files about us." Cat states.

"Yeah, and we need to prove that they're fake!" Hour adds.

"They're not." Vine mutters under her breath.

"Vine's right. They exist. I once snuck to one of the secret floors with my friend, River. Before we could see them, Doctor Chan found us. I was able to hide, but River was punished. I never saw him again." A tear falls down Levi's eye.

"Do you remember which button lead you to that floor?" Cat asks.

"It's all a blur, I'm sorry." Levi suspires.

"Do you know what happens to someone when they get punished?" Hour poses, tilting his head downwards.

Before Levi has a chance to answer, they hear rumbling of members crowded in an elevator, coming back from Main Floor.

"It's time for you to depart. Come back tomorrow, right after all the other members of my district leave." Levi calmly informs.

Vine, Hour, and Cat rush through the crowd of members, trying to hide themselves and getting themselves back to their district.