The Time Keeper

Chapter 9 - A Glimpse in the Mirror

My dream was fragmented, the words coming in and out of focus. I struggled to make sense of what I was hearing, but the voice sounded familiar. Was it someone I knew? Or was it just my mind playing tricks on me? I jolted awake, my heart pounding in my chest. What had I heard, was it some kind of warning? I couldn't exactly make out what was said.

As I lay in bed, groggy and disoriented, I still felt like I was in a dream. The ceiling above me was not the familiar white paint of my home apartment, and morning silence was broken by the bustle of early workers outside instead of the comforting chirping of birds that I was used to. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to shake off the cobwebs of sleep, I realised that I wasn't in my own bed.

The unfamiliar surroundings slowly started to sink in as I recalled the events of yesterday evening. The broken building, the man who had fallen to the floor, and the scruffy-haired kid, Caius.

I sat up on the edge of the bed and looked around the small, dingy room. The room was sparsely furnished, with a twin-sized bed pushed against one wall, a rickety dresser in the corner, and a small table with a chipped ceramic lamp. A threadbare carpet covered the floor, and a few cobwebs hung in the corners of the ceiling. It was a far cry from the comfortable apartment I was used to.

Everything felt unfamiliar and foreign, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I usually started my mornings with a routine, but that was likely impossible here. None of my other nice clothes were here either, nor was my coffee maker and ready-made meals for mornings like this. It'll be a while till I can get those luxuries back.

As I stumbled up and out of bed I got dressed into the only clothing I had and made my way down the narrow hallway, the sound of my footsteps creaking against the floorboards every so often.

The bathroom was at the end of the hallway and I pushed open the door to find a small cramped room. The tile on the floor was slightly chipped and the sink was stained, but it was functional, and that was all I needed.

Placing my hands against the cold ceramic bowl, I ran the tap. I splashed some water on my face and then gazed up at my reflection in the mirror, letting the water drip down my front. My dark red hair was unkempt from the bed but at least I had no bags under my eyes. My skincare routine back at home surly did wonders.

Looking back at myself I thought of the dream I had. It was likely the shock of and unfamiliarity of this new world. I could pass it off as some kind of homesickness and only if I saw such a dream again would I look into it further.

I quickly had a shower, dried off, and noticed my build was much different than it used to be. I was more built and defined with broader shoulders. Either this really wasn't my body or I was doing some amazing exercises in my sleep that I didn't know about.

"That's much better." The water had woken me up enough to go without my usual morning coffee, although that wasn't to say I wouldn't still like one.

As I left the bathroom and walked back down to my room, Caius stepped out of his room and into the hallway.

"Morning Eli," he yawned with his arms stretching out. "You sleep well?"

"Sure," I replied as I passed by him and walked back into my room. I didn't hesitate to grab my jacket and scarf that I had laid out over the bed before and put them on. It was probably around eight or nine in the morning and was still rather cold.

I thought about whether I should wait for Caius to leave the apartment building or not. On one hand, I felt like I didn't want him sticking around, but on the other hand, he knew his way around the area and I didn't. I couldn't ignore that fact that he could provide good information for me.