Time for the Lost

by Chess Desalls

  I’d already decided that if he left, I would go with him. I’d follow my father wherever he needed me to heal the Lost and the hurting, but not just because I cared for those people and felt compelled to help. Quite honestly, I felt that without them and the chance to use my travel talent, there would be a void in my life that could never be filled. But would traveling with my father be enough?

  I rolled over on my side to face the nightstand. A small replica of the overhead light reflected in the lenses of my pair of travel glasses. That pair of sunglasses had been everywhere, and everywhen. I smiled, knowing that no matter how lonely I felt, I could look inside them to review my memories as well as many of Valcas’. He’d given me a gift by searching for me and entering my life.

  It had been days since I’d last spoken to him. I reached out and trailed my fingers along the rims of the glasses. Unsure whether he’d want to talk to me, I slipped the glasses over my eyes to search for recordings of him inside the glasses instead.

  My breathing slowed as I relaxed, making it easier to search—to feel connected. The first image to surface was a washed-out version of Valcas, one of his past-selves I’d met when I’d first visited the White Tower. His eyes were green, his smile wide; but he was not real. He was a silhouette whose entire being was faded and pale. I let the image float away, intentionally conjuring up one that I’d recorded while trapped behind the Fire Falls.

  A yellow-orange glow clouded the scene. It was evening behind the Falls. Valcas sat across from me, near a pile of my father’s light sticks. He smirked in response to one of Ivory’s jabs, and then looked at me.

  His smirk deepened as he squinted. “What are you doing over there?”

  “Recording.”

  “Without warning?” He moved closer to me. “I wouldn’t have known whether you were playing back recordings or trying to communicate with someone outside the Falls.”

  My cheeks grew warmer than I’d remembered them getting that day. “If I’d told you I was recording, would you have moved somewhere else or changed how you were acting just now?”

  “Perhaps,” he said, still grinning.

  “Yeah, well. Where the truth remains hidden from the outside, the inside imprisons the hidden.”

  He tilted his head back and laughed. “You still remember that?”

  “I’m not sure how I’d ever forget it.” He’d made a strong impression on me back when I was more of a prisoner than a friend.

  His fingers traced the temples of my glasses, creating a trail of tingles along both sides of my hairline that reached all the way to the tips of my ears.

  The scene disappeared as he removed my glasses, leaving my heart pounding. The only way to remember the kiss that followed would be to find it somewhere inside my own mind, a memory which was already fading and far less accurate. I hadn’t thought to burn it inside the glasses afterward.

  While I was still distracted, another image of Valcas surfaced. At first, I thought I was so deep into searching that every recording of Valcas was about to come up whether I looked for it or not. But then I noticed that this image was different.

  His face appeared against an all-white background. A pair of sunglasses covered the green eyes I’d seen in my recordings. I watched his mouth move before I realized he was calling my name. This wasn’t a recording from inside the glasses; neither was it a memory. It was likely that the eyes behind the glasses were no longer green, which meant…

  I caught my breath. “Valcas?”

  He smiled. “Is this a good time to talk?”

  “Of course,” I said, sitting up. “How are you? Where are you?”

  “I’m well. For now, I’m staying at the White Tower. I came here to check in on my mother.”

  “Yeah? How’s she doing?”

  “She’s fine, and she wishes you well.”

  “Really?” I grimaced, remembering Sable’s less than warm reception of me in Aboreal. “Did she actually say that, or are you assuming her wishes from how she acted when you talked to her?”

  “Calm down, dearest. I explained everything to her. In fact, she’s the one who suggested I contact you.”

  “Okay, but why?”

  “I’ll get to that later. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

  “Surprise?”

  He pointed to his pair of glasses, conveniently ignoring my question in favor of asking one of his own. “Were you going somewhere?”

  “Oh. No. I was just—” I was just flipping through recordings of you because I missed you, even though it was my idea to spend time apart. “I was just…remembering.”

  “I see.”

  “Are you going to be staying at the White Tower from now on?”

  The corners of his lips curved upward, just slightly. “That’s yet to be decided. I think I have a better plan, but I haven’t worked out all of the logistics yet.”

  “You won’t stay and live with your mother?”

  “I can always visit home, just like you can. Are you enjoying being back at Lake Winston?”

  “Mom’s been getting along well with my father. Uncle Al’s doing great…”

  “Are you happy?”

  “I’m not…unhappy.”

  He frowned. “What’s wrong, Calla?”

  “Nothing, I just—” I sighed. “Okay, fine. I miss you,” I mumbled.

  Valcas pressed his lips together as if suppressing a grin. “I see.”

  I sniffed. “You keep saying that.”

  “Yes, well, if you’re already bored of Earth, I’m happy to stop by and take you somewhere else.”

  “You mean like on a date?” I grinned.

  “Yes, but I can’t promise it will be on Earth for very long.”

  “I see.”

  “Ah, now I have you doing it.”

  “Doing what?” I blinked, and then laughed. “Okay, how soon can you come to visit?”

  “Take off your glasses and go outside. I’ll meet you there.”

  I RAN downstairs as if it was Christmas morning, not stopping until I reached the dock where Mom and my father were already on the ground. A third figure knelt nearby, several feet away. The grass rumbled mildly, like an earthquake’s aftershock. I paused, doing everything I could not to bounce up and down in place.

  As soon as the tremors subsided, I bolted toward Valcas, giving him just enough time to stand up. Half delirious with happiness, I tripped over something hard that stuck out of the ground. My foot caught at the same time my fingers grasped a leather jacket, pulling Valcas down to the ground with me.

  I caught a glimpse of his face as we fell: a look of surprise mixed with wonder. Arms closed around me. His glasses flew from his face and hit the ground at the same time we did.

  “You’re here,” I said. I kept still as he held me tightly, not wanting him to let go.

  “Just barely.” He laughed. Sadly, he freed an arm to reach out and recover his travel glasses. “I promised I’d meet you out here—I never said it would be a race.”

  The crunch of footsteps caught my attention. I looked up to find my father staring down at us. “Welcome, Valcas,” he said.

  Grudgingly, I accepted the hand my father extended to help pull me back up. When he let go, he gave Valcas a friendly slap on the back. “It’s good to see you again so soon.”

  Valcas smiled up at my father. “Good to see you, Plaka.” When Mom approached, he added, “You too, Ms. Winston.”

  My father grinned so widely that his gold tooth glinted in the sun. “How long can we expect your company here at the lake? I’m a guest here myself, so you’ll need to work out the details with my lovely Doreen.”

  Mom looked at my father and smiled before answering. “We’re happy to have you here with us as long as you’d like to stay, Valcas.”

  “Thank you.” He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. “All my missions are completed—Calla and Plaka are both safe and you’re all together again. I’m glad to see it.”

  Mom reached out a
nd hugged Valcas. “You’ve kept every promise you’ve made to us. I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you for your kindness.” Her eyes misted as she let him go. “You’ve given us everything.”

  I fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve, suddenly feeling bad about feeling sorry for myself earlier. Everything I’d ever wanted was right there in front of me. As if that weren’t enough, I had friends in other places that I could visit. Ray and Lily were somewhere on Earth. Nick and Ivory were a mere search away.

  My father scratched his head. “Should we decide on what to do for dinner?”

  For some reason that made me laugh. By the time I stopped, my eyes were watering and I was gasping for breath.

  Valcas looked at me, amused. “I’d like that, but I was wondering if I could take Calla somewhere first. Now that I no longer have anyone to search for or rescue,” he said, smiling. “I had to find another project to occupy my time.”

  “Like what?” I said, surprised he’d moved on to something else so quickly. “Is it something we could help with?” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I wished I hadn’t said them. What if Valcas had decided to go back to amassing kingdoms? I didn’t want any part of that.

  He pulled something from his pocket, a box tied with a ribbon. “Maybe. It’s entirely up to you, but before I show you, I want to give you this.”

  My mouth dropped open. “What is it?”

  “You’d find out faster if you tried opening the box.”

  I playfully glared at him as I tugged at the ribbon. I breathed a sigh of relief when the box opened and there wasn’t something scary inside like an engagement ring. For whatever reason, our pretend engagements had seemed less official and more like the jokes they were without a ring.

  Mom stepped closer, pressing her arm across my shoulders as she inspected the box’s contents along with me. A glass pendant, shaped like a teardrop the size of an ornament, lay inside.

  “It’s beautiful,” I breathed. “But it’s too big to wear. What do I do with it?”

  “It’s a timepiece.” Valcas swiped his fingers along the glass. “It represents a new world.” His voice sounded distant.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He exhaled a shaky breath. “Look at the timepiece again.”

  I removed the teardrop from its box and held it up to the light. Words that I hadn’t seen there before appeared, written in a fancy script:

  She who dims the brightness of the four moons and the glow of the tower.

  “Valcas?” I asked, my voice breaking. “What have you done?” It was the second half of the poem his past-self—green-eyed Valcas—had written on the back of the photograph, the Daily Reminder that had been destroyed at my TSTA hearing.

  Closing his eyes, he said, “I returned to the White Tower, not just once but many times during the time you’ve been here visiting your family. I searched and found a specific slice in time. I remembered destroying a Daily Reminder at your TSTA Hearing, a photograph; I couldn’t remember what had been written on it, but I knew it had something to do with me. I hadn’t realized I’d written the reminder.” He swallowed. “I wanted to know the truth.”

  Valcas swiped his fingers across the timepiece, wiping the words away. “I didn’t include the first part of the poem because I didn’t want to make assumptions. But the second half—it’s what I feel now, Calla, regardless of what any silhouette of me felt for you. I wanted to capture it, not just forever, but for everywhen.”

  I blinked back tears, unsure whether I held a Daily Reminder, an Overwrite or something new and completely different in my hands. “Thank you,” I said. “No one’s ever given me anything like it.”

  Mom, who had been rubbing circles onto my back, dropped her hand and let go. She tilted her head at Valcas, her face curious as if something was on her mind.

  Valcas looked at her, and then at my father before returning his gaze to me. “The shape of the timepiece represents the teardrop moons in Chascadia—I wanted it to capture that part of your heritage, the origin of your travel talent. But that’s only half of my gift.”

  My eyes widened. “A new world,” I whispered. “You said this timepiece represents a new world.”

  “After I found the Daily Reminder, I had a long talk with my mother. I explained how I’d wanted to fill in Susana, and how it’s gone now. I told her about how you’d become Lost.”

  I dipped my head, shamed by how much trouble I’d caused him and his family.

  “She had an extra permit,” he continued, “already issued by the TSTA. She gifted it to me to build anything I wanted.”

  “And you used it to build a world for me?”

  “Yes, it’s yours,” he said, looking down. When he looked back up again, his expression was soft yet determined. “I was hoping it would be for us some day, but only if you’re willing to share it with me.”

  My heart thudded as I searched for an answer—something serious enough to be encouraging, but also playful enough not to promise too much, too quickly. I wasn’t sure whether I could keep my promises as well as he had. I twisted my lips. “Before I give up what could be the most privacy I could ever imagine, can I see it first?”

  “Of course.” He grinned. “That’s exactly where I wanted to take you.”

  “And then you and Calla will return for dinner, yes?”

  “Basileios! Stay out of this,” said Mom, swatting him away. “You two go and have fun. We’ll catch up with you later.”

  WE LANDED in a world filled with golden light. I looked up when I noticed how much warmer it was here than it had been at Lake Winston.

  Three suns hung in the sky.

  “They’re all the same, a special type of star,” said Valcas, pointing. “When they fade, you’ll be able to see the other stars and it will feel like night.”

  “But there won’t be night?”

  “Technically, no. These stars brighten at intervals, replicating day and night.” Slipping his hand in mine, he pulled me forward. “I’ve filled in the ground to look like what you’re used to on Earth, but with more flowers. Something new will bloom each day.”

  I studied the grass, which was green dotted with flowers in more colors than I recognized, filling the air with a delicious scent of jasmine mixed with honey.

  “Feel free to visit whenever you want. It’s yours.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “You’ll notice there aren’t any bodies of water. I didn’t want to inadvertently build something that would remind you of Susana. If, some day in the future, you want me to add a river or fountain, or build a home here, just let me know. I didn’t want to assume you’d like it, and I want to make sure it’s built according to your tastes.” He creased his brow. “Do you like it?”

  “Valcas, you built me an entire world, and it’s beautiful. I love it. All of it. And you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, I love you.” I’d finally said it out loud, even though I knew he already knew. He had to. Every version of him did. They must have. Just as every version of me going forward would never let him go.

  Valcas pulled me close to him. His fingers twisted through my hair as he lowered his head toward me, touching his forehead to mine. “I love you too, Calla.” He kissed me, softly at first, and then more intensely as if he never wanted it to end. Our lips overlapped, temporarily; just like our timelines, the kiss would last only a short time. We shared our time together, regardless, under the triple suns, in a world he’d made for me; a world I already knew would be ours.

  Because, this time, I was certain his kiss did not mean good-bye. For us, this was just the beginning.

  THE WOMAN’S muscles relaxed in response to my touch and my words. Her muttering ceased; so did her sobs. “Good, Ashlyn,” I said. “You’re doing great. We’ll take you someplace safe, and then to your home and family once we find them.”

  Ashlyn drew in a shallow breath. With her eyes still wet, she straightened her shoulders and nodded to me, as if she understood. It was the most
confidence she’d shown so far, although her healing had lasted all day. She was the most difficult case I’d helped with since freeing the Lost in Susana.

  I yawned as I peered across the road. Streetlights illuminated the streets just enough to make them blurry. Ashlyn was the first Lost person I’d met who lived among the homeless. I’d found her when I went to visit Lily and Ray. Since we’d parted, the Raymond twins had been living with their father in Cocoa, Florida. Ashlyn caught my attention during a tour of Banana River lagoon. Ray helped me find a homeless shelter where she could check in, but she left the next day. We tried two more shelters with no better results. Ashlyn kept wandering back to the lagoon, which reminded me of Lily’s silver body of water in Susana. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Ashlyn could be searching for something or someone—that she was a traveler who’d gotten Lost.

  “We should take her to Edgar to recover,” I said, guiding Ashlyn to an alleyway where we could travel without being seen. “It’s warm there, and it would be the perfect place for her to receive silhouettes. Valcas finally finished the house.”

  Blue-green eyes tried to look serious and challenging, but the pout underneath them made me laugh. “You want to use your new home as a hospital for the Lost?”

  “Come on, Dad,” I said, returning his challenge. “Edgar’s not just a house or a home; it’s an entire world. I’m not going to run out of room any time soon.” I’d named Valcas’ gift to me Edgar, since he’d meant the world to me. So, obviously I found his name to be more fitting than something like Teardrop or World of Suns. Dad and Valcas were both in favor of Triostar, but it was my gift, and I got the final say.

  “Somehow I get all the credit for you being headstrong,” he said, loosening the baglamas from his belt. “But you know what?”

  “Oh really? What?” I said, smothering a smile.

  He pointed at me. “You are much like your mother. Just look at the way you’re playing along right now, as if you’re taking me seriously. I can see through that, you know.”