Labyrinthine
TO LISTEN ON AUDIBLE: http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Labyrinthine-Audiobook/B011N0QVN0/ref=a_search_c4_1_3_srTtl?qid=1445681627&sr=1-3#publisher-summary
The answerphone beeped. Olivia
listened to the message and glanced at the intruder; it stood with its arms
folded shaking its head. “Don’t trust him. His tone reveals he’s a liar.”
Olivia ignored the comment as
she grappled to sit upright. “You know what? I don’t get this... What are you
doing here? What do you want from me? If it’s money...”
“Why does it always
have to be about money? Do I look as though I have the slightest interest in
shiny pieces of metal?”
What did that mean? “Then…?”
“As I said... I’m
waiting.” The person in black paused and glanced out of the window and back to
the hourglass in front of it.
“Are you some kind
of weird stalker of ex-child prodigies?” asked Olivia.
“God, no!” The intruder leant against the wall and sighed. “Do you
understand the concept of timing?”
“In relation to
what?” asked Olivia glancing at the door.
“Don’t bother
thinking about escape. There isn’t time... And the timing is in relation to the
universe,” it responded.
What did it mean? How could
she get out? She squinted and touched the back of her head. It was still
painful. Olivia frowned; the intruder was real, wasn’t it?
CHAPTER 8
The art agent clenched
his fists and gritted his teeth. “She’s done it again! How many times do I have
to endure this behaviour?”
Richard, the agent, attacked
his mobile phone and pressed re-dial.
“She’d better be on
her way! Or... or I’ll...” he muttered. Unconsciously he stamped on the black
and white patterned marble floor of the gallery. The phone rang.
“This is Olivia,
please leave a message,” said the answering machine clicking on.
“Where the bloody hell
are you? Get your pathetic arse over here now! I will not take this shit
anymore! You will get here and put this exhibition together or we both lose
everything!” he yelled. When he was finished, he snapped the phone shut. Smack!
It collided with the floor. The agent loosened his collar; beads of sweat
caressed his forehead and dribbled down his nose. Clasping his chest, he
groaned and swayed.
CHAPTER 9
Olivia’s instinctive response
was to recoil while the verbal darts flew from the answer machine.
The intruder appeared
entertained by her response.
Silence.
Smiling, the intruder watched
the last few golden grains trickle through the timer.
“That’s it, my
timing’s done,” it said calmly.
“No! What? You held
me at gunpoint so my bloody arsehole of an agent could have a go at me? What
kind of weirdo are you?” she demanded.
The intruder turned its back
on her and shook the hourglass.
“Yep, the timing is
perfect. Time to go. We did well. Er… Thank you.”
She flushed red. “Wait! What
are you and who are you working for? Why did you do this?”
With its back to her, the
intruder removed its dark glasses. For a moment, it paused and blinked a couple
of times.
Olivia recoiled, “What
the...?” She dug her fingers into the carpet and jammed her feet into the
floor. Her instinct was to escape but all she could manage was to shake her
head.
“I work for someone
higher. I am known as the Connector and the timing is falling out,” it said
casually. “It’s all got a bit chaotic, usually I wouldn’t take such measures…”
“You’re mad!”
The Connector’s
thin lips curled. “Believe what you wish.”
Olivia shifted to
kneeling. “What on earth are you?” asked Olivia, tears trickling down her
cheeks.
The Connector waited, it
expected the inevitable.
Urgently, she grabbed her
stomach and suppressed a wave of nausea. Goosebumps prickled all over her body.
It glanced back at
the hourglass, “I have overstayed my ‘time’ and witnessing my eyes will help
you in the future - we will meet again.”
“But I don’t want
to meet again!”
“The conscious
choice is not yours and it will be a much nicer experience next time. I won’t
bring the weapon.”
Olivia hugged herself; the
Connector’s eyes were large and clear. They were so beautiful, so turquoise. Yet
there was something missing.
The Connector
gestured, “By seeing my eyes you will know what you are looking for - what is
extra in you and what I am missing. You are now on a search for Retina Blue: it
will be the genius behind your work. Think of it as a divine gift.”
It paused and gazed
into her eyes, “You are very lucky - if luck exists,” it smirked.
“Retina Blue? What
on earth does that mean?” she asked in a dazed tone.
“I said our time is
up! The rest is up to you.” The Connector turned towards the window, paused for
a second and glanced back.
“Olivia, consider
the people you have in your life. A lot of them are arseholes. Time to clear
them out! Transformation is coming!” It grinned, waved, ran and then jumped.
Olivia scrambled urgently to
standing and sprinted towards the window. Her glance navigated one hundred and
eighty degrees. Nothing. It had disappeared... How was that possible?
The space between the ground
and the window was empty. There was no evidence and nowhere for it to go.
Nothing. The only other visible living entity was a squawking raven perched on
a chimney of the apartment block across the street.
“Go to routine
Olivia,” she whispered to herself.
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