Chapter 2: Something's Familiar in a Strange Place
The town was apparently not on any world map.
I found it out as soon as I saw the general map near the river. Arch... tier. I have never heard of the town's name in my life. Besides, I might have been thrown there after going through the lecturer room's door. How I wished I was dreaming, but the back sore was keep stinging. Would things have gone differently if I waited for the teaching assistant to come out in a few hours instead of bursting in?
I've looked around and found no clues. When I asked people around about my campus name, they even looked at me confused. Many times, they judged the way I dressed inappropriately.
Yeah, sure, whatever. No matter what, this place looked like it was filled with people who would ostracize someone among them if they didn't behave like them. In spite of it, their attires reminded me of an era within the twentieth century. One biggest question in my head was could I really be thrown into the twentieth century through a door?
I snorted, trying not to laugh at my ridiculous assumption. Although actually, I couldn't shake it off—too strong that it pushed me to believe.
"Mama!"
I looked up in surprise at the bridge. People were running towards the railing, calling for my curiosity. As I approached the railing, my eyes widened. A little girl was clutching onto the railing's bars while hanging above the pitch-black river.
"Please make way!"
I stretched my hands to the busy-watching crowd. They turned to look at me as they stepped aside. After a while, the time came when my experience in the red cross, scouts, and self-defense was finally put to use for something useful. Yes, they all were useless as I enrolled in my major. But at least, it was worthy to learn.
"Hold on!" I shouted while carefully descending the railing of the bridge.
"She's my daughter! Please save her with all your might!"
I rolled my eyes. For an adult like her, who was so inattentive to her child that she almost fell into the river, that woman was very talkative.
"Help me! I-I'm scared!"
The little girl's eyes were already filled with tears.
"Don't look down! Just look at me, okay?" I said. The little girl then nodded tremblingly.
Despite the frightened look on her face, she was very obedient. I grabbed her waist and climbed back the railing. As I almost reached the top, I told the little girl to go up first.
Why? Because my head throbbed out of the blue.
Through my blurry gaze, I saw the people on the bridge immediately grab the little girl. But when I was about to climb the bridge railing, my hand shot.
The screams of several people on the bridge were loud as my body fell into the dark water. I held my breath when I couldn't hear their voices clearly anymore. Sigh. Was it because I haven't done rescue activities and gone out into nature ever since that I've became a weakling?
Someone suddenly plunged into the river. He swam in front of me, grabbed me, and helped me to the surface. We popped our heads above the river. The people standing by the river held out their hands to us.
While swimming to the riverside with the person who plunged earlier, I took the time to see his face. From the glow of the bridge and streetlights reflecting back at him, I could tell it was a man. Thank goodness he helped me. I wouldn't be able to swim alone against the deep current that was strong enough.
As soon as we got aground, people looked at us in amazement.
"Hey... are you okay?" asked the man, who was as out of breath as I was. I nodded at him while standing up and holding my knees. My hands were still shaking. Why did this trivial rescue make my hands tremble?
"Miss Savior! Thank you very much!"
I was surprised when the little girl approached me and hugged my legs. My hands were no longer trembling. Was it because of her sweet, innocent voice or the odd nickname that tickled my stomach?
When I looked up, a lady came up to me and hugged me as well. It was too tight that I said to her in a reluctant tone, "Let me... go, madam."
"I'm truly grateful that you saved her, miss! You remind me of her!" said the woman loudly, even though she was hugging me.
I wanted to let go of her hug immediately, but somehow it felt as if she was holding me from moving, instead of hugging me with joy.
"Thanks to you, my plan failed miserably,"
Her cold whisper made me shiver. I had forgotten how to breathe for a second. But fortunately, the man who jumped into the river managed to separate us both.
"Sorry, madam. As you can see, she's pale from the cold," said the man while holding my hand. I glanced at him briefly. But because of the low light, I couldn't read his gaze.
The madam laughed lightly at that, replying, "Ah, you're right. I beg your pardon, miss. I was going to give you a little warmth by hugging you."
What warmth? All I felt was a cold stare from an angel of death behind her.
Splitting the crowd that was still buzzing in awe, the man led me to a quieter place. I clutched the cloak he had draped over my shoulders because I really had never shivered like that before. Perhaps it was because of how horrendous the madam's plot on her child was.
"Um… thanks for saving me," I said awkwardly because he didn't loosen his grip on me in the slightest.
"We met before. Do you remember me?" the man asked as he stopped walking, turning towards me.
As soon as we entered a lighter area, I recognized his face. That cold-hearted devil... I meant the guy I bumped into on the street last afternoon!
"No," I answered spontaneously in an annoyed tone, making me inwardly surprised. "I mean, your face... um... yes, quite familiar."
The man looked at me amused for a moment while chuckling softly. "You're a bit strange. Even so, I'm flattered that you remembered me."
I turned to him for a moment. It felt strange to imagine the cold teaching assistant being that polite and that warm to me. Ah, the neon blue crow emblem on his uniform shimmered due to the reflection of the light. I was so clueless about why that thing managed to catch my attention since I met him last afternoon.
"It is late. May I walk you home?" said the man.
I froze, staring at the street in despair. The problem was no longer related to space, but instead a matter of time. Going back to a different time couldn't be as easy as I was drawn there, could it be?
I shook my head slowly then said, "Can you please take me to an office in front of the river?"
The man winced. "The editorial office?"
"I suppose it is. The one in it has a lot of those typewriters."
He nodded then straightened his head. "Alright, let's go."
We walked in silence, making me feel a little awkward. Why? Because it was as if I walked with that icy senior. I couldn't forget how my emotions always tried to protect me from the ice crystals that stabbed me because of his cold heart.
"Are you a cop?"
He turned quickly with bulging eyes and curved eyebrows at my question. I initially thought he was mad because I exposed him. But later, he responded in an unexpected way.
"I'm not just a cop. I'm also a secret agent. And since you have heard about it, you must keep it a secret," he said with a haughty smile, making me think of my senior again. Wow, they really haven't changed. Whether it's in the classic era or in the modern era.
"Why do you easily tell your secret to strangers?"
The man stopped walking, turned around, and looked confused. The corners of my lips lifted. I chuckled.
Until I asked the question earlier, I expected him to act as arrogant as my senior on my campus. Perhaps, I should've tried that way to get him on my knees. Just seeing him nervous would have been enough to satisfy me.
"That's... because," he cleared his throat, "you're not a stranger to me."
My smile was gone. I stepped closer to him and gave him a sharp look, making him step back slightly with a look of astonishment on his face.
"What do you mean?" I asked. Could it be… it wasn't only me who was thrown back in time, but also the teaching assistant?
With a bit of discomfort, he replied, "We have met twice today, haven't we? That means we're not strangers anymore."
After that, he walked to the editorial office on the right side of the road. I followed him while digesting his words, still amazed by the definition of 'not a stranger' according to him. Huh, if only he knew how much my heart flutters for having misunderstood.
"Hey, Old Man. You secretly asked a girl out for dinner, huh?" asked him loudly while approaching a man I saw when I opened the door to the empty room.
The man, who was talking with his co-workers, turned and glared at him. While they were conversing, I observed the editorial office. The high glass roof unveiled a star-studded sky. The broad, classic brown walls and the warm chandelier turned the visitors into subjects in a Renaissance painting.
On the left side, there was a mail delivery counter, which was probably the reason for their visits. The passage to the typing room passed through a wall in front of where I was standing, according to what I remembered.
I turned around when the man in the dark blue uniform and the man in the brown vest approached me. The man's gaze was very serious as if I was an important person who had strayed into this place.
We ended up just the three of us in the room where I came for the first time, their work room.
"You're... the one in the storeroom, aren't you?" asked the man, making me nod firmly.
"What? Did you two meet?" asked the man in the dark blue uniform. The man with glasses nodded. Somehow, he looked dissatisfied.
"Her flashy attire is enough to leave a lasting impression for anybody who bumped into her, even at the first sight."
The man looked at me again after looking at the man in the dark blue uniform. "Harris can help you get back to where you came from if you're willing to trust him."
I raised half my eyebrows. "Sir, do you mean…."
I barely finished a sentence, but the man in the dark blue uniform snorted with his shoulders trembling. The bespectacled man looked at me slightly irritated. I should've known it was a trap the man who escorted me there set to introduce us both to each other. He even didn't look that old.
I cleared my throat for a moment. "Do you mean this guy?" I asked, pointing at the man in the dark blue uniform standing beside me.
The man nodded again, making me dumbfounded.
"Anyway, just call me Gabriel. No need to be either too formal or otherwise," said the man, glancing resentfully at the man in the dark blue uniform who looked indifferent.
"That's right, Miss… um... pardon, what's your name?" Harris asked, looking at me confused.
"Brissia."
"That's right, Miss Brissie. You can count on me."
He smiled confidently, even though he misspelled my name. "Can I see your identity card?"
I left my things on the bridge when I saved the little girl so I squint my eyes in frustration.
"Sorry, but... I think I left my belongings somewhere," I muttered, looking down.
I glanced at Harris, who furrowed his brows, and Gabriel, who seemed to be sighing.
"Ah! Isn't that on the Flower Bridge?"
I glanced at Harris who said that while looking at me enthusiastically. Apparently, he had been there since I jumped over the railing to save the little girl.
Gabriel shook his head while glancing at Harris. He must be so great that it turned him speechless.
"I can't believe this. Miss Brissia, there is an unoccupied bedroom on the fourth floor. While Harris looks for your things, stay there for the time being," Gabriel said as he stood up, making me follow.
I didn't want to live there. Until midnight, there was no sign of me being able to return to the right time.
"I appreciate your kind generosity," I said as politely as possible, even though I felt a little amused imitating how people around were behaving toward the other person.
"Pft!"
I turned to Harris, who quickly wiped his smile away when I looked at him. "What?"
I knew very well that my attitude wasn't natural at all. It was obvious Harris was trying not to laugh in my face.
"Nothing. It's just... you're interesting," said Harris, smiling genuinely at me. I stared at him unblinkingly as my brain tried to process what he was saying. Was he giving me a sign or what?
Gabriel pushed us both out of the workroom. After that, Harris and I faced off near the exit.
"Hey, you're gonna find it, okay?!" I asked, holding him open the door. He turned to me.
"Actually, miss, this is not my job. But if that can make you keep our little secret, I'll do anything," said Harris, winking at me. I was stunned, while he looked away from the editorial office.
"Miss Brissia, correct?"
I turned around and found two women dressed in classic blouses and trousers, looking at me enthusiastically.
"Finally we have one more female co-worker!"
At first, it surprised me. But then, I realized. Obviously, the bespectacled man wouldn't let me stay there without paying anything.
"Hello. I'm Brissia. It's nice to meet you," I said with a faint smile as I followed them, who led me to the stairs.
They seemed pleased to see me, making me wonder if the editorial office lacked female employees since awhile. However, there were more important things I had to think about if I wanted to return home and campus immediately. So I said to myself: focus, Brissia!
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