This era was something else entirely.
“Come on,” Lee said. “Let’s head upstairs.”
I followed him into the building, my eyes scanning the unnaturally smooth floors, the bright lights, and the rows of numbered doors that all looked identical.
Then, Lee guided me into a small, enclosed room made entirely of metal.
The doors slid shut behind us with a soft hiss.
The space hummed.
I stiffened. “What is this?”
Leesmiled, pressing a button on the wall.
“It’s called an elevator,” he said.
The room lurched.
My stomach dropped.
And for the briefest moment, I swore—I had left the ground.
My fingers clasped the metal railing as the sensation of weightlessness pressed against my ribs.
The pace of everything in this era was so relentless and unnaturally fast that it made my head spin.
I longed for my past, where time moved at a comprehensible rhythm, where I understood my surroundings.
But more than anything?—
I longed for Olivia.
Wherever she was.
The doors glided open, revealing a long hallway with identical doors and numbers.
I stepped out cautiously. “How is it that our surroundings have completely changed?”
“This is the fifth floor of the building,” Lee explained, stepping beside me. “The elevator replaces stairs, allowing people to travel between floors swiftly.”
I rubbed my temple. My head ached from the endless flood of new information.
We strode down the beige-carpeted corridor until we reached apartment 5-15—the place Olivia had once shared with Tristan.
Lee retrieved a key from his pocket and fit it into the lock.
At last—something familiar.
The click of the lock disengaging. The swing of the door opened.
He stepped inside first. I followed.
A musty scent greeted me the moment I entered, like a space left untouched for too long.
The apartment was small, especially compared to Jack’s house. Only a few simple furnishings remained—a couch, a couple of chairs, and a table with dust settled on its surface.
A low rumble vibrated through the walls.
