The Children Who Time Lost Read Online Free PDF Page A

efficiency. I could barely hear the music, with the thousands of people chattering away as they ate. The song playing at the moment was a mix of smooth house and rock. It reminded me of a female artist my mother loved when I was a child, but sounded so current. I inhaled the sweet smell of vanilla. I loved coming here, but looking at the many couples waiting for a table by the large oval bar in the center of the bottom floor made me realize that finding Jake and Suzanna without help would be impossible.
    “Damn, you’re busy,” Kevin said.
    Martin waved his comment away. “Not for you two, we’re not.” He nodded at me and smiled.
    I hated all the attention and special treatment I got just because some people considered me a bit of a celebrity. I was anything but. Unglamorous, cranky—the list went on and on. But people just saw me as that woman who gave birth to a child when no one else could.
    “So, what will it be tonight,” Martin said. He held on to the Kyso’s left shoulder. “The usual table?”
    I started to speak, but Kevin stepped forward. “We’re looking for friends of ours,” he said. “Jake and Suzanna Chris—“
    “Christianson,” the Kyso said in its loud mechanical voice. “They left a message that we should bring you to them upon arrival.” It looked at Martin. “I shall take it from here.”
    Kevin smiled and stood aside. The robot walked toward the staircase. Kevin took my hand and followed.
    “Soon, there’ll be no use for us humans,” Martin said as he walked off.
    I stopped in my tracks and relinquished Kevin’s grip. I stared at nothing for a moment before rushing after Martin. He leaned forward to open the doors for more customers. I held him by the shoulder.
    “Rachel,” he said with a look of surprise on his face. “Anything wrong?”
    “That thing you said back there. What did you mean by it?”
    He shrugged. “What thing?”
    “You know. About there being no use for humans anymore.”
    He laughed. “I was just joking.”
    I stared at him. Kevin rushed beside me and took my hand, the Kyso not far behind. “What’s the matter, baby?”
    I shook my head and maintained my focus on Martin. “I want to know what you meant by that?”
    He looked at Kevin as if pleading for assistance. “I swear, I meant nothing by it.”
    “What did you say?” Kevin demanded.
    “I just made a joke about there being no use for humans. I only said it because the Kysos are so damn good. Everyone says that. The president has even joked about it.”
    Kevin leaned toward my ear. “Honey, what’re you doing?”
    I glanced to my right and noticed a number of people by the bar and on chairs staring at me. I spun around and met yet more eyes. They were everywhere—questioning, judgmental eyes. “Let’s go. Let’s go,” I said to Kevin.
    Kevin nodded at Martin, who in turn signaled to the Kyso. As we headed to the stairs again, I wrapped my arms around Kevin’s arm and ignored the gazes still directed at me. “I don’t know what came over me,” I said. “But it was as if he triggered something when he said that. I know I’ve heard it before.”
    Kevin looked at me and cocked his head. “Of course you have. Everyone talks about it.”
    “But you don’t understand. It was no joke. It was a statement, almost like something that was certain to happen.” I let go of Kevin and bit my fingernails.
    He turned around and held my shoulders. “Are you okay, honey?”
    “I’m fine. It’s probably all the experiments over the years and those god-awful drugs. So many things are probably swimming in my head. It’s nothing. Let’s eat.”
    He smiled and continued walking. His black suit shone in the bright lighting. I liked that he had taken the effort to gel his dark hair back. It was amazing how effortlessly he got me excited whenever he stared at me with his brown eyes. It felt like it had when we first met, on our fifth birthdays. Wow. That was nearly thirty years ago. I just hope he