The Portum (Undergoing Rewrite)

Part Five

I ducked my head as I walked into the archway, you could hear birds singing from their nests in the bush, the leaves blocked out the light a little, so

I had to keep walking towards the opening on the other side.

Once I stepped out of the arch-like tunnel, the ground turned to concrete. I glanced around, most of the people were stood by a ramp that was quite high, watching people skate and do tricks. I rolled my eyes, the whole thing seemed so boring to me.

I blinked a few times so my eyes adjusted to the light and quietly approached the group. A few hover boards were propped against a smaller ramp a little further away. I glanced at them, thinking they would be the easiest to get a hold of.

I sidestepped over to the hover-boards, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no-one was looking and grabbed one, I set it so it was levitating above the ground, it buzzed to life, so I quickly stepped onto it, holding my hands out by my sides to keep my balance. I knew how hover-boards worked, but I hadn't actually been on one myself.

I noticed a few people turning around at the noise emitting from the hover board and sighed. A few people shouted to put it down, but I kicked off and the hover board set off. I kept my body low to the ground, so I could go faster, it zoomed out of the bush tunnel and into the park. I tipped a little to the left and turned the corner, heading for a shortcut to reach the tunnel that led to my father's workplace.

I heard people in the distance behind me, yelling at me to stop, but I carried on, ignoring them. My watch beeped, signalling that I needed to think about something else.

I grit my teeth, getting annoyed. "Why I can't have any freedom, I can't even think about what I want to! It's not fair!" I mumbled, hastily turning around a corner to avoid being caught by the skaters.

Up ahead was a brick wall, but I knew what it really was; a secret opening to tunnel 10, that led directly to my dad's science lab. I was gaining speed, I was meant to slow the hover board down but I'd forgotten how, I gulped as I headed straight towards the wall.

Raising my left foot which was at the back end of the hover board, I slammed it down, making the hover board tip up and spiral around, it changed direction and instead crashed into a rubbish bin, making me fly off into an artificial flower bed. I winced, knowing I would end up with a few bruises later on and scrambled to my feet, I picked up the hover board and hid it in a bush, so I could pick it up later.

I approached the brick wall which had lots of drawings on it, all done in spray paint. I turned my gaze towards a smaller painting of a planet, I smiled and pressed the brick it was painted on. The wall shuddered and the bricks seemed to open up, revealing a small doorway.

I slipped inside and the wall closed behind me, I squinted, as there wasn't much of a light in the tunnel. I glanced down at my watch, it was now 10:00, and my mother would be home at 12:00 for a lunch break that was when she expected me to be back for lunch as well. I sighed, 2 hours should be enough time, I thought.

Scrolling through the features of my watch, I clicked on the torch option, and the screen lit up like a torch, I held it facing in front of me, so I could see the now illuminated tunnel.

Everywhere was covered in dust, it seemed like the tunnel hadn't been used for a few years. The last time I used to the tunnel was when my father took me to work one day, he had shown me how the tunnel and the hidden entrance worked, so if there was an emergency I would be able to come and see him.

I felt a path of sadness at the thought of my father, the cheerful man who helped everyone, especially me with my home-schooling and the homework he set me. My father had always been there for me, he had always put me first instead of work. I felt tears welling up at the thought of him, and I dismissed the thoughts, blinking the tears away.

I walked through the tunnel, and the exit led out to an unused part of the lab, that been left in a state of disrepair after a failed experiment. Walking past different machines that were covered with a white cloth-none of which interested me- I reached a white door with frosted glass. Peeking through the glass, I could see a light. I glanced down at the small handle and tried to lift it, but it didn't budge, I tried a few times, rattling the dusty handle. "Ugh! It's locked!" I mumbled.