Stealing Time by Rebecca Bowyer (acx book reading .txt) 📕

“I’m not lying,” she said firmly. “And Ididn’t take it.”

Sebastian worked his jaw forward andbackward and took a slow breath in. “Well, then. I guess I’llcontinue investigating the crimes that have been committed and youcan continue trying to put together the technology that might stopmore kids from dying.”

Varya had an overwhelming desire to stand upand leave the restaurant, even though she knew she’d lost theargument. She wasn’t quite sure how, and she wasn’t even quite surewhat they were arguing about. It felt like all too familiar ground.What started as a civilised conversation quickly degenerated intohissing veiled threats and insults through clenched teeth.

“And here are your nachos with beef. And foryou, sir, the burritos with chicken. Can I get you anything else?Another drink?” The peppy waitress cut the air with an obliviousshredder and placed their meals in front of them. Varya feltherself relax slightly.

“No, thank you,” Sebastian said. “We’refine.”

“I guess we’d better eat and get back to it,then,” said Varya, who felt very far from fine indeed.

Chapter thirty-eight

Marisa

Marisa flicked through shows on the screen, the tileswhizzing past faster than she could reasonably focus on them. Shepressed one at random and an over-the-top theme song started up,accompanying a middle-aged couple in matching cowboy hats sittingon matching mechanical bulls. She turned it off and tossed theremote to the other end of Varya’s sofa, sending a disgusted gruntwith it.

Her shift was well and truly over, shemused. She could just go home, to her own apartment, and leaveVarya to her angst. This was nothing to do with Marisa, not really.She was just an employee saving up for early retirement. She’d beout of here in a few years if all went to plan, sunning herself ona beach somewhere. Maybe up in Bali, somewhere the beers were cheapand the nasi goreng cheaper.

Marisa sighed and swung her feet up onto thecouch, laying her head back on the cushioned arm rest.

“Get a grip, girl. This ain’t your problem.”She willed her legs to swing back to the floor. She eyed the doorand imagined herself walking through it. But then she imaginedVarya walking back in from dinner with her ex-husband, alltight-lipped on the outside and distraught on the inside. No, Varyawould need someone to talk to or she’d end up pressing theself-destruct button. Marisa felt protective of her, like a motherhen. Except not, she chortled, because she’d never had the desireto peck her to death. Well, peck her a little, maybe, but not todeath. She closed her eyes for a few minutes before she heard theclick and soft whoosh of the heavy door opening. She opened one eyeto watch Varya enter.

“Hey,” Marisa said softly.

“Hey,” said Varya, her eyes flitting overher once before she continued through to the kitchen. Marisa rolledoff the sofa with a sigh, then got to her feet and followed.

Varya pulled a plain, squat glass out of atop cabinet, and a full bottle of amber liquid from another. Shepoured a glass for herself at the kitchen table and swilled itaround, staring at it, bottle still firmly clutched in her otherhand. After a moment she tipped her head back, swallowed the fullglass and started pouring another. Marisa waited for her to finish,then confiscated the bottle.

“Hey, hey, you need to share that.” Eyeingher friend with a worried expression that didn’t match her tone,she lifted a matching glass from the top cabinet and sat oppositeher. “So? How’d it go?”

“It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone,”she admitted bitterly.

“Well, yeah. True.” Marisa started,cautiously. She took a sip of the liquid. It was good, warmingliquor. Quality stuff. “Where do you get this shit from? This isamazing, even better than my soirée stash.”

“Two more kids are missing,” Varya mumbledinto her glass. “Two girls.”

“Okay.”

Varya looked up. “Six and ten years old.They don’t know if the abductions are related. The girls haven’tbeen returned yet.”

There was a pleading in her eyes that caughtMarisa off guard. She took another careful sip before replying.

“So, you’ll be ready this time. If it’s thetime thieves, you’ll pop them in the Time Lock with Kir and Daniel,where they can all play happily until you get this time transfertech sorted and Sebastian and his pals find the thieves to transferthe time back again.” She threw back the remainder of her glass andreached for the bottle. “Easy peasy.”

Varya shook her head. “No. No, I can’t.”

Marisa slammed her glass down. “Yes, youcan. And you will.”

“You don’t understand. I can’t just startletting anyone into that Time Lock. The Rest Time Authority willfind out and shut it down.”

“Why would they shut it down when it wouldkill four kids?”

Varya tapped nervously at her glass, herbreathing becoming ragged and uneven. “Maybe not now, maybe theywould wait until this mess is sorted and the three other kids aresafe.” She started turning her glass slowly. “But then what aboutKir? They won’t just allow the Time Lock to stay openindefinitely.”

Marisa felt the full force of Varya’smaternal pleading as she looked at her in appeal. “Varya, how longare you going to keep that kid in there for?” It was a questionshe’d been wanting to ask for a very long time but hadn’tdared.

“As long as it takes,” Varya whispered,barely audible.

“And what if it takes another ten years?What if it takes your entire lifetime? Or you die, still not havingfixed him? What then?”

Varya clenched her glass, the muscles on thebacks of her hands popping out until Marisa feared the glass wouldshatter.

“What kind of a life is that for him?”Marisa ventured.

“I’ll find a cure. It has to be out there. Ijust need to keep trying.” It came out like a chant, like a mantraagainst the darkness that small children use against monsters undertheir bed.

“But what if you don’t?”

“I will!” Varya shouted.

Marisa let the air settle for a minutebefore she spoke again. “Just to recap, so I’ve got this straightin my mind. You’re willing to let two little girls die. You’rewilling to sentence your own son to relive his fourth year for thenext twenty years, and your mother to care for him, all because…”She looked at Varya,