Joxi

The banquet hall seemed completely untouched by the dread and fear below. Distorted sunlight shone through the windows that stretched across the entire ceiling of the room. The wooden floors and bar appeared polished in the light. If it weren’t for the wreckage of tables, chairs, bottles of alcohol, and a smushed dead body or two along the entrance, the three of us could have almost forgotten where we were.

Joxi gasped when she looked up into the ocean. Schools of colorful fish flew by in our version of the sky. A great white shark swam over us and seemed not to notice the sunken submarine beneath him.

We’d never seen the sun before. Not in these timelines.

But, I had to remember this was only one of the times we broke Joxi out of her prison. I didn’t know yet if this was the one that led to freedom.

_________________________________________

“Wake up!” I heard someone whispering to me, half asleep I ignored them.

They shook my shoulder and my eyes shot open.

I saw a boy standing over me. He was dimly lit by the lights lining the perimeter of the floor. I looked around my sterile, white room and saw that the door was still sealed closed.

“How did you get in here?” I asked.

“I’ll explain later. We need to save Joxi.” He said, impatient.

“Joxi?” I asked, still groggy, as I sat up.

“Yes! Joxi!” He hissed. “Listen...what’s your name?”

I searched my brain but nothing came up, so I shrugged.

He grabbed my right wrist which had an engraved metal bracelet on it.

“It looks like they call you Poppy.” He said reading and then dropping my wrist. “Okay, get up, Poppy. I need your help.”

“Fine.” I said, getting up. “But I need to pee first, so start telling me who you are or I’m not coming with you.” I walked over to my tiny ensuite bathroom and left the door open — I was used to being seen naked and being poked and prodded, one guy seeing me pee didn’t bother me anymore.

He sighed, “They call me Alder.”

“Uh-huh.” I stood up, flushed, and washed my hands, then splashed some of the lukewarm saltwater on my face. “And how did you get in my room?”

I grabbed the oversized grey cardigan off the hook on the bathroom door. I put it on over the white t-shirt that matched my white linen pants — my uniform.

“How do you think I got into your room, Poppy? We don’t have time for this!” He sounded exasperated.

I pulled the white sneakers out from under my bed and sat to put them on — lacing them slowly on purpose just to irritate Alder.

He was pacing by the door.

I stood again. “Okay, fine. So how are we getting out of here?”

“Finally!” He said and walked over to grab my arm. My vision blurred and I felt like I was flipping in the air, my stomach turning over and over until I thought I would be sick.

We landed crouched in the hallway outside my door. But, it seemed to be daytime because I heard voices at the other end. No one except the night guards was allowed out of their room at night. We saw two men in suits turn the corner and start coming toward us. They hadn’t seen us yet, though.

Alder tugged my arm and pulled me into the supply closet across from my room. He delicately closed the door and leaned his back against it.

“What do you mean save Joxi?” I whispered.

“We can’t just let them keep using her like this, Poppy!”

“You act like we have a choice! Like we can just waltz up to her, tap on the glass, and tell her to come out, we’re going home! Where would we go?”

“I’ve gotten her out before!” He said.

I looked at him, shocked. “How? Did they catch you?”

“Yes. We didn’t make it out and they almost killed me. But I went back.”

“You went back? Like time traveled?”

“Yes! I keep coming back and I keep failing, so I need your help.”

“How do you have so much control?” I asked.

“I just do, okay? I think I was one of the first. I’m also the closest to Joxi.”

“And why are you so set on saving her? Is she even alive? Does she talk?”

“Of course she’s alive!” He shouted, a little too loud.

He put his ear to the door and was silent for a few seconds, making sure no one had heard and was coming for them.

“She’s just special, okay? And she doesn’t deserve this. So, can you just help me?” Then he added, almost pleading, “Please.”

I sighed, “It’s not like I have anything better to do! But, I’m coming too okay? If we do this, I’m also getting out.”

“Of course.” He agreed.

He put his ear back to the door again and said, “Okay, let’s go.”

He slowly opened the door, looked in both directions and beckoned me out into the hall. I looked both ways too, just to make sure.

“Come on.” He whispered and headed in the direction of the control room. I had only been in there once, but it was the only thing in this direction in the middle of the sub.

We reached the closed metal door and he put his ear up to it again.

“Are we going in there?” I whispered. “It’s during the day!”

“Yes, I know, but if I calculated correctly, everyone should be at lunch right now.”

He quietly opened the door. None of the operators were in their chairs, so we walked in.

“Oh, except Phil, but it’s his naptime and he sleeps through everything.” He pointed to an old man with his head down on his desk in the far corner.

We made our way around the large round control center in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs swiveled in all different directions — they must have all jumped up in excitement for lunch.

And when that was no longer blocking our view, there she was — Joxi.

The girl was encased in a glass semi-circle. Thick tubes stuck out of her on both sides — four on each side on her head, shoulder, waist, and thigh. She wore the same white outfit I did. Her long black hair was suspended by static and she looked like she was sleeping.

Alder walked up to her and put his hand on the glass. “Joxi.” He whispered, almost silently.

Nothing happened for a minute or so, but then her eyes shot open, causing me to shriek.

We all looked over to Phil, who stirred, but continued snoring.

Relieved, I turned back to Joxi. Her now open eyes were glowing yellow, the pupils only thin, vertical black lines. She smiled fondly at Alder.

Alder smiled back, then snapped into action. He turned to me.

“Okay, Poppy, I’m going to go over to the controls to disable the machine and unlock the door. I need you to carefully remove the tubes, they’re like suction cups and should come off easily once the power is off, but be careful.”

He turned to Joxi, “Is it okay if Poppy helps you get out, Jox?” The encased girl nodded the best she could under the constraint of the tubes.

Alder went over to the controls and started pressing buttons — had he done this before? How many times?

I looked at Joxi who was staring at me and awkwardly waved at her.

Finally, I saw the light in the case go out and a faint buzzing I hadn’t noticed the machine making stopped.

Here goes nothing! I thought.

With my hand grasped around the silver handle, I pulled and the rounded glass door opened with surprising ease. I looked at the odd girl questioning if this really was okay and she wasn’t going to...I don’t know, bite me. Joxi smiled, so I moved closer to detach the tubes from her body. They did easily pop off, just like suction cups.

Alder came jogging over and put his arm around Joxi’s waist, her arm over his shoulder, and helped her out.

Once she was out of the machine and — somewhat — able to stand on her own, I asked Alder what the next part of the plan was.

“We need to find an exit. This is always the hard part.” He said.

“You don’t know where to go now?!” I asked, frustrated.

He and Joxi both glared at me.

“I do! It’s just not that easy. There are three separate main entrances to the submarine. All are heavily guarded at all times, both inside and out.” He whispered, heatedly. “They catch me at every hatch, every time.”

“So...what are we supposed to do then?”

“Last time, I did some exploring and I found a gash in the bottom of the sub. There’s a strong current pumping water into the hull, but I think we can squeeze out if we push hard enough.”

“That’s your plan?” I scoffed. “Squeeze out of a hole in the bottom of the submarine! And then what? We’re somewhere in the bottom of the ocean!”

“I’m sorry, Poppy, have you explored the entire ship and been caught by them more times than you can count, narrowly escaping, trying and failing over and over again to save the person you love?!” He screamed.

Joxi looked at him and smiled at that. Then, there was a grumble from the opposite corner and all of our stomachs dropped.

“What’s going on here?” A disgruntled Phil shouted at us.

He pulled a pistol from a holster at his hip and lifted it, pointing it at me as he came closer to us.

“Shit!” Alder yelled as he reached around Joxi and roughly grabbed my arm. I heard the gun go off just before I felt like I was flipping in the air again, transparent, unable to breathe. I did get sick this time.

_________________________________________

“Poppy! Wake up!” I heard someone whispering to me, half asleep I ignored them.

They shook my shoulder, my eyes shot open, and I sat straight up. I looked down at my [once] white clothes.

Why am I covered in vomit? I thought.