Teddy took me on a bike ride. He stopped at a military outpost. A handsome man in his thirties was arguing with a younger soldier. He was six foot tall with bulging muscles covered in tattoos, his sandy blonde hair was given the standard buzz cut and his blue eyes looked dazzling. I decided not to drool over him and looked the other way. Teddy chuckled as he flagged his cousin. The handsome one introduced himself as Jack. I stepped aside to give them some privacy. A much older man gave Teddy a hug. I asked if I could use the bathroom and I was given directions. As I got out of the bathroom I saw the white rabbit and I followed it. The doors opened by itself and I reached a room where a man was hooked to a machine. He looked like he was dying. He sat me and we talked for a few minutes. I felt cold as though I was injected with something. He told me to leave and never come back. I wished him well as I walked back out.
Teddy drove me home and I sat down to do finishing touches on my secret place I called Unreality. The place was dimly lit in outer perimeter. It was made to look like the swamps. With Gators, jaguars and pyhtons are guards. I focused so anyone who come here will glow. Myself included. I made sure I look like a different horror depiction each trip I make. The people who managed to cross that would find a crumbling manor. The door will open by itself to let the person in. The wood floor in the corridor would undulate with each step. The corridor would stretch far showing infinity. There would be doors of different sizes and shapes. There are doors that can be opened if you correctly tap the door using the knocker. There are doors with multiple handles. Doors without handles. Some doors will open if you solve the puzzles etched on it. The illusion on the other side would be a library or a park. If they enter they will be transported outside the manor.
If the intruder chooses to go around the manor they will be sent back to reality with no memory of the time they spent in Unreality. The actual door to get out of the manor is on the floor. The air in my space is distorted so they can't sense me. I focused so I would be very quiet so I could terrify the intruder. Also my shadow is independent. It's only job is to spy on people who trespass. I didn't want the military to find me and I didn't want the FBI to get me either. I was interested in anonymity. As the intruder keeps on walking they will hear hushed whispers. It will be distorted and disembodied. If they persist they will start to hallucinate monstrosities. They will sink to the floor and land in a dungeon where they will be chased by killers and zombies till they give up and promise not to come back. This security feature will only appear if they came here with the intent to find me so they can report me to bad guys. They will wake up with no memory of the past ten days.
I opened my eyes to see everything was floating in the air like they were in space. I wished it would float down slowly and it did. Usually I would have to double down. But I like the change of pace. I came downstairs to see Teddy and he was asking if I could come with him for dinner. A burning sensation in my stomach made me interrupt. I told him that I have homework so I will not be going. I will see him at school. Dad could sense something so he agreed. Teddy left and I walked to the kitchen to cook lamb biryani. We ate and I looked out to see a woman wearing a glowing dress. She was smiling as she watched me from a far. A few blinks later she vanished. I went back to finishing my homework. The next morning Teddy came to take me to school and he told me his mom found out the army is researching something. She is trying to find out what.
After school I was introduced to Tinga. She has the ability to make people do whatever she wants. She has stopped talking and it is hurting her badly. She is hoping a solution would present itself. She has had this ability for three months. She was frustrated. I nudged to say something and she told me to shut up. I kept talking and she was surprised. She asked Teddy to tell her he likes her. He blinked five times and asked her to take her meds. She was happy to be free. This convinced others that there is an expiry date for their gifts. It is possible the army is looking to make it permanent. Which is why the bleeding eye variant was made. To isolate the gifted to find out how this works. So far no one has found a way to keep it permanent. I came out to see the old man I saw in the military base. He didn't look like he was going to die. In fact he looked perfectly fine. He waved at me. He walked into the crowd and I couldn't find him.
Tinga was so happy she jumped on the table and screamed, "I am free" Teddy laughed madly before tugging her back down. The waitress came to scold her. I stood by the jukebox. I waited till they settled and I saw an explosion. It was in the military base. The news spoke about some conspiracy theorists blowing up the place. Then she announced the end of the virus. So things were going to be normal. I excused myself and got a cab home. There I did meditation and yoga. Then I practiced tai chi. Mom was so happy that she was jumping. She was thinking of the places she was going to go. Aspen, Zurich, Casablanca, Male', Katmandu, New Delhi, Karachi, Sydney and obviously London. Dad was smiling as he stared at mom. She was searching for our passport. All three needed to be renewed. Dad downloaded the forms. We signed it and stuck pictures on it. He placed them in a manila envelope. He was going to do it tomorrow.
The government gave the announcement that we will be able to move freely once they are sure the disease is gone. That didn't stop some people from moving around. They were detained by the border patrol. After they were warned they were released. The neighbours were buzzing with excitement as they packed their stuff. Mom wanted an entire truck worth of luggage and I reminded mom how she almost shattered dad's back. She agreed to pack light. We quickly grabbed our clothes and packed our backpack. I was watching an overcharged mom hop with joy. We ordered barbecue. Dad had brisket and Mac and cheese. I had brisket sandwich, burnt ends with a side of sautéed veggies. Mom had roast chicken with a side of mashed potato and Mac and cheese. There were a few who were like a sore thumb. Patricia's husband the ex FBI agent and Trevor. He may be a their but he still approves the official report. I really don't want to wonder what would happen if he discovered the existence of people like me.