We exit and turn down a hall for Clair's suite. Something is different. Her hallway is darker. Walls are plain grey. There are no murals or bright colors. I hear whispers but see no one. The hallway appears deserted.
A gaggle of cameramen and reporters stand by a doorway. They point their cameras. They do not move toward us. One says, "Congratulations, ladies."
Kathy pops open Clair's door and moves for the other side. I hold open her door with my hand while my back leans on a wall facing the reporters. Clair, her cake in her hands goes in and I let her door close on its own.
A female voice yells, "Clair!"
A young voice shouts, "She's back! Clair's here!"
We leave heading for the elevator. As we walk past them, I say to the gaggle of reporters, "Thank you."
One of them replies, "Miss Richards, we never mess with Shortcake."
With our girls safely delivered, we too, head for home. As Kathy and I turn a corner to our suites I ask, "Is Clair an orphan?"
"You're a very perceptive lady. You did more for her in those couple of hours tonight and made more progress with her than anyone has for years. You've had a hell of a day, but somehow managed to reach out and touch her in a profound way.
"You're a friend of mine for life. I'm right here if you need me. I think you need a little time to decompress. I'll be up for a couple of hours. I need to prepare for tomorrow. Those are for your medals." She points to two small black boxes beside my door.
I pick up the boxes and enter my new home. I drop the boxes on a coffee table and place my jewelry beside them. I feel a rush of exhaustion. Within a minute, I am sound asleep.
YOU ARE READING
A Hidden World
Science Fiction"You're here for a reason. I'll call it destiny ..." A tornado destroys a school where Tammy Richards teaches. Tammy awakens in a different world. They remain hidden from the world Tammy knows. In her world, their astonishing technologies will be tw...
