The Taken

[KateMurdock92]

"Well....unless there's some technology that I don't yet know about....I don't think Danny can get home. Which, for his sake, I am sorry about. But even for now, he should probably get used to this way of living, and also, you're already sweating, I can see it." Miriam finished with a light laugh. "Thank you for saying I look nice, and for letting me borrow the dress. It's much more comfortable." Miriam looked at herself in a mirror. "I feel so strange." she noted, frowning at herself. "I don't feel like me here, but it's not a bad feeling really....more like I'm lucky. That I got to escape." She looked puzzled. "Does that make me a bad person? Am I supposed to want to go home like Danny does?"

 

[Stormee Fae]

Sylvie tilted her head sideways slightly, Miriam's words inspiring a cascade of ideas and thoughts to ponder upon. She let her eyes drift softly off to the side as she considered the situation, these two people, how did they get here? Was her time really something worth escaping too? Often times Sylvie felt like things were getting worse and she wished she could go back in time... she thought those from the past were lucky. They had a simpler life, a higher quality of life and a better sense of community... was she wrong? Was Sylvie really the lucky one, and now Danny and Miriam for being able to live in her time? Maybe they were, maybe it was okay to be happy about being here.


Her eyes scanned back over to Miriam as she finished talking, the upward inflection of her question still hanging in the air between them, "No. I don't think so. I think you're able to look at the bigger picture." Sylvie paused, drawing in a breath before explaining herself, "Every time I have talked to you, you've mentioned something that shows your thinking is more long term... Danny's like me... he tends to live in the past it seems. I don't think he's going to let this go easy. But that's bad. It's better to be the way your are."

 

[KateMurdock92]

"But the way I am....what if I forget? Who I am, where I come from, my mother my grandmother? They're worth remembering. I don't want to get so caught up in my salvation that I forget about where I came from to get it." Miriam looked down at her hands. "I don't have photographs, clothes. I don't have anything from my mother. Just my memory. And it fades everyday." Miriam shook her head. "How will I make a life for myself here without forgetting where I come from? And how on earth will I explain that to others who come into my new life? How did I even get here in the first place? It's all so confusing." Miriam shook her head, closing her eyes.


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[Stormee Fae]

Sylvie sighed, "No, I understand. We don't have the ability to make people or anything travel through time. I don't know anything about this... I don't know what to do, what comes next. But I know I want to keep you guys here where you're safe and accepted." Sylvie hugged Miriam quickly and pulled away. She looked her in the eye and replied, "Don't worry about forgetting. You'll never forget. I will never forget either, I can't."


"Sylvie! Living room! Now!" Eugene's voice came from down the stairs.


Sylvie looked puzzled at her laid back father's urgent tone, "Coming!" she called before shrugging and shaking her head at Miriam, "You can go back to the dining room with Danny, if you like, I'll be back," She hurried down the stairs and to her left where the archway into the living room was, "Yes?" she asked.


"Do you think this is some kind of joke or something?" Eugene asked his daughter in a soft voice.


"What? No."


"So you believe them?"


"Yes, dad. I do."


Eugene sighed as he stared at his daughter, he knew by looking into her eyes that she really did believe, "We need to call the police."


"What? No!" Sylvie snapped back loudly.

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam was rather shocked by the girl's quick hug, and her confidence. She made her way back to the dining room. "Okay, showers are amazing. Have you had sweet tea yet?" she asked Danny, sitting down again. She could hear terse voices coming from the other room, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She frowned, "I hope everything is okay..."

 

[Stormee Fae]

Danny didn't even glance at Miriam as she approached and sat next to him, he just stared down at the empty spot on the table in front of him. His arms hands loosely by his side with his hands resting in his lap. When she spoke to him, he glanced over shortly, before saying, "Yeah, as I said." Danny had to admit, it was pretty incredible to be able to wash yourself in warm water that you didn't have to wait to boil, but he couldn't help but think about his parents, his siblings, those who are obviously dead now. It was like he lost everyone over night, and yet... it didn't quite feel like that. He wanted to be excited, Danny was a very curious minded teen and always had been, still, he couldn't shake this strange feeling... like something was left undone, "No. I haven't. It sounds like tea with sugar or something sweet in it," he said, turning his head to look at Miriam this time. When he heard Sylvie's voice, he was immediately drawn to attention. He wanted to sneak closer and listen in, but that would be crossing some lines.


"Sylvie, we have no other choice. We have to call somebody. We can't just keep them hidden like fugatives. What are they going to do? Where will they go?" Eugene asked as he picked up the phone.


"Are you crazy?!" Sylvie grabbed the cord in her hands and tugged back as if a half-attempt to pull the phone from his hands, "You think calling the police is going to help them find a place? No one will even believe them! They'll get put in the foster care system, or a psych ward!"


"I don't even think I believe them." Eugene replied, pulling the phone back toward him.


Sylvie tugged again, harder this time, "Or worse, they will believe them and they'll be subject to government tests and prodding. They're already terrified. Is this happened in one of your novels, what would the protagonist do? Push off the responsibility on an untrustworthy government? No!"


Eugene hung his head, sighing loudly and rubbing his forehead with his thumb and pointer finger, "Alright, alright. You're right, sweetie." he put the phone back, "Damn..." He stood there in silence for about 15 seconds, Sylvie staring at him, waiting for some kind of guidance. He spoke up, "I need proof."


"What?"


"I need proof. I need something to prove that they're from where they say they're from."


"Proof? How?" Sylvie asked.


"I don't know." Eugene leaned against the wall, knocking on it slowly and softly as if it would respond with some bright idea.

 

[KateMurdock92]

"Apparently it is tea that's been brewed and chilled with lots of sugar in it. It's delicious." Miriam replied. She watched Danny. Slowly, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm...sorry. That you're away from your family. I can see that it's difficult. " she said, trying to choose the right words.


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[Stormee Fae]

"Oh," Danny thought about this drink. It sounded interesting. He did enjoy tea, his family immigrating from Ireland, tea was a big tradition and a chance for the family to get together as they drank. He was always willing to try a tea drink.


The mention of his family caused him to feel like a large, sticky lump had fallen from his throat and splashed into his stomach with a sickening plop. He just nodded, "Yeah... who did you leave behind?"

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam shook her head. "No one. My father abandoned me when I was very young. My mother was being burned at the stake when I disappeared, probably followed closely by my grandmother. This is another chance for me, and I am grateful for it. But I realize how difficult it is. To lose people you love."


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[Stormee Fae]

"Burned? What a severe punishment. What crime did they commit?" Danny asked shocked. He thought about her words, that this could be a new beginning, "How could this be a new beginning? How could this be any better than staying in our time?" He wanted reasons, something to live for.

 

[KateMurdock92]

"It's a new beginning for me. My entire family is gone. My mother was accused of being a witch. My grandmother was probably after her. I'm sure they would have killed me too. I'm choosing to see this as a new beginning because I have nothing to go home to anyway. And no way to get there even if I wanted to." Miriam said, looking down at her hands. "This is all I have. The people who helped us."


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[Stormee Fae]

Danny nodded, listening to Miriam's words carefully, images of his parents and siblings' smiles flashed through his mind. He lifted his left hand, rubbing the back of his neck as she finished what she had to say. She was right, "Yeah... Maybe we have the luck... Being here." He started to dorm the throught when Eugene entered a large scroll in his hand, Sylvie trailing behind. Eugene sat across from them and Sylvie walked around the table to sit next to Danny and Miriam.


"You changed your clothes... Why?" Danny asked.


"Oh I... Didn't want to make you two more embarrassed."


"I wasn't. You don't have to change for me. I thought you looked fetching." Danny said.


Sylvie giggled, "Fetching? What?" She cupped her hand over her mouth, "Thanks,"


Danny blushed, why was she laughing?


"Focus here, Syl." Eugene said as he rolled out a map of the united states across the table.

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam watched their exchange with a confused look. She had never really had feelings for a boy before, and didn't understand what the laughing and blushing was all about, but she went along with it.


Miriam stared at the map. She didn't understand what it was but it looked to be a map. "What is this?" She asked, touching it lightly.


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[Stormee Fae]

"This is a map of the United States. All of North America besides up here" Eugene pointed to Canada, "Is our country."


"We're here, in Mississippi?" Danny asked as he pointed to Mississippi on the map.


"Yes, right here-ish." Eugene said pointing to Northern Mississippi.


"Herish?" Danny asked confused by the new dialect.


"Ish. Means about or around. So instead of It's around here or it's somewhere near here, it's here-ish." Sylvie explained for them both.


"They had maps of the continent in your time, not near as detailed and labeled as this, can you tell me where you're from? Can you point to Salem?" Eugene asked Miriam.

 

[KateMurdock92]

"...." Miriam concentrated. Finally it dawned on her. "Oh! Here! Here I am! Was..." She said excitedly, pointing at the spot on the coast. "My mother made me memorize it, and the landmarks near it because if I ever got lost I could show someone on a map if they hadn't heard of salem. Boston looks huge." She marvelled at the roads on the map going through and around it.


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[Stormee Fae]

"Well it's definitely bigger than in your time, but it really isn't that bog as far as space goes, but it is densely populated." Eugene explained, "Danny, where in Kansas are you from?"


"Big Springs" Danny looked at the midwest. It was so different, there were all these borders that weren't there before, everything had become a state.


"Point to it?" Eugene asked.


"Ummm..." Danny placed his pointer finger on the state, sliding it around awkwardly, "I don't... I mean I guess. Where's the Missouri River?"


"Here." Eugene said and pointed.


"Then here... Ish." Danny pointed to the center of Kansas and slightly to the north east.


Sylvie smiled, "Now you're gettin it."

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam looked at Eugene. "So...why exactly are you asking us this?" She asked politely, looking confused. "I figured you'd know where we are from." She explained, threading her fingers together and twisting them, a habit for her.


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[Stormee Fae]

Eugene got up without answering, he grabbed his laptop and approached the table, sitting back down and opening it up, he turned it to them, the meanwhile Sylvie was explaining to them,


"He wants to find some proof, some evidence of your lives in the past. Not only to confirm your stories, but also for you to hold onto. Surely, you both realize how crazy this all sounds, and I believe you both."


Eugene leaned over the table and looked Danny in the eye, "What is the name of this place? What Springs?"


"Big Springs, Kansas." Danny replied, staring at the strange sign with bright light shining at him, "Is this a box you put lights in?" He asked, trying to understand.

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam was already poking the laptop from behind. "I saw him with this earlier. I thought it was witchcraft. What does this machine do?" She asked curiously, squinting at it. She looked at Sylvie. "Of course I understand. You have no idea how many times I have questioned my own sanity. I would question yours, if you didn't question mine." She said with a shrug. "I could use something to hold onto." She added.


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[Stormee Fae]

Sylvie shrugged subtly at Miriam's comment. She believed Danny right away, there was something about him, a genuineness. She felt the same about Miriam. The genuine nature of both Miriam and Danny was not the only reason she believed. The other was more personal. She really wanted it to be true. She wanted the chance to meet history.


Eugene typed in Big Springs and pressed enter. The search results loaded and Danny leaned away from the screen, Is that an automatic paper? It's a book? An encyclopedia? What does the computer have in it?"


Sylvie decided to explain, "Pretty much any piece of knowledge, any fact or theory anyone has or knows is in here."


Danny stared at Sylvie, completely confused, "How?"


"I..." Sylvie stopped, "Am not sure."

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam stared in awe at the computer. "That's.... Amazing! Incredible! We can use this to learn about what has happened in the world since our time period! It's a great resource so we don't look like fools while trying to adjust to this time period!" Miriam was ecstatic.


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[Stormee Fae]

"Yes, you could." Eugene said surprised at Miriam's optimism. She seemed mature for her age, maybe it was true what people said about youth now days when compared to their peers of earlier cohorts. He glanced over to Sylvie, he much preferred she stay young, but she was already becoming so jaded, losing hope in her peers, maybe this would help her, too.


The idea of being able to gain answers to anything he used to wonder about was exciting and inspiring. He smiled softly as numerous questions about the world came flooding his mind. A picture of the old town hall for Big Springs appeared on the screen as Eugene clicked on a link, "That. They were building that." He said, "That's it. That's Big Springs. How...?" He trailed off, "I could take you to my house."


"We don't even know if it's still there..." Sylvie said.

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam's face was lit up with excitement and wonder. She watched Eugene use the computer and wished she could learn. "This is so cool. No wonder you had it with you outside." She told him with a grin. "This technology must have helped millions of people all over the America. Even the world maybe! Does everyone have it?"


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[Stormee Fae]

"Not everyone." Eugene said as he opened a new tab and loaded google maps. He looked up Big Springs and a little red thumb tack appeared over the town outside of Topeka. It was small and had only two dirt roads leading through it, "Hmmm."


"I can teach you both to use them if you want, the internet has to be the greatest thing ever created." Sylvie said with a big grin.


The blue line appeared on the map, telling them the direction to go, "It's a day and a half drive." Eugene said.

 

[KateMurdock92]

Miriam clapped her hands together. "Yes! I would love to learn how to use this invaluable resource!" she cheered, literally getting up from the table to hug Sylvie in her excitement. "Oh let's go! We can see where Danny grew up! Maybe we can find his old house or something? It doesn't seem like a big town even now, maybe some stuff will be left behind..." she wondered, twisting her fingers together again.