Tyme

III

The light was warm and bright, like the sun had once been. Was that the reason the tunnels had been so warm? No matter. It was comforting, these rays. A small smile played across her lips, and slowly, she raised her face towards the source, eye closing. Tyme could see the world again, smell the grass, hear the song of birds. She could feel Mother Nature’s embrace, feel her warm hand caressing her cheek, healing Tyme’s wounded heart.

It was bliss.

“Tyme. Tyme!” The girl snapped her eye open, lowering her gaze to August’s concerned face.

“You ok? You stopped-”

“I’m fine. Just got lost in thought.” Tyme offered him a forced smile, turning to look around the large cavern they had just walked into, the image gone.

It was a city below a city; well, just a part of a city. The slums, to be specific. Brick apartment buildings, so out of place among the gray slate walls, lined dirt paths. Boxes bent and balanced served as tents, filling the alleys between the buildings and the large space that stretched to the wall, creating a labyrinth around the homes. An artificial sun, a miracle of humanity, lit the entire cavern with the warm, familiar light that continued to enchant Tyme.

Hundreds of people stood and talked in the rays, a few splotches of bright yellow announcing the presence of guards. All except the sentinels were clad in rags and a layer of dirt, blending with the dust that clouded the air. August had lowered himself closer to the ground to avoid being seen, so Tyme followed suit, shadowing him as he began to descend down a steep path toward the lively neighborhood.

Loose rocks fell before the pair, warning them not to misstep. Ever so slowly, they followed these pebbles, picking their path carefully. Occasionally, one of them would slip, a stomach-churning event that lasted only a second. But these perilous scares never lead to mishaps, and they reached the ground without injury.

“This way.” August hissed, ducking into the maze of tents. Tyme followed swiftly, weaving through the masses of people after him. August was apparently well known, as people called out to him, patted his back, cheered for him.

“You a hero or something?” Tyme asked over the crowd, struggling to keep up.

“Nah. Pan’s the one who helps. He jus’ don’ like the ’tention. Well, I guess in them eyes,” August motioned toward the people who crowded around him, “I am.”

Tyme nodded, slowing her stride. The crowd oozed forward, filling the lengthening gap between her and August. She watched in amusement for a long while before breaking from the crowd. It was too much for her; she hadn’t been around humans for decades, and their overwhelming presence was making her head hurt.

Breathing deeply, Tyme slipped into an alley, scaling one of the buildings with graceful ease. She heaved herself onto the roof, following the crowd from above. She couldn’t pick August out of the mass, but she knew he was there somewhere. The throng suddenly stopped, and August’s familiar mop of black hair climbed the steps of the building Tyme currently stood on.

The black splotch paused, looking back. Right, he didn’t know where she was.

“Up here, August!” Tyme called, waving down at him. The boy raised his eyes, a stunned gaze on his face. She smiled, climbing down quickly. “Sorry, the crowd was a bit much for me.”

The boy just stared at her, mouth hanging open. Oh, yeah… Humans normally don’t jump from roof to roof. Sven had mentioned something about him being an exception. Her cheeks warmed slightly at her stupidity.

“Um… Anyway, Pan’s waitin’.” August mumbled, shaking himself off. Heaving the heavy metal door open, the boy ducked inside. Tyme followed quickly, the door slamming shut behind her. Having expected the room to be old fashioned, she was shocked to find it filled with technological marvels and thousands of machine parts.