Jon looked up at the clock in Madeleine’s office.
9.42.
Then he looked down at his own watch.
3.57.
He knew that the clock was wrong; it had to be. He had decided to speak to Madeleine about it earlier, but since then a lot had happened that had made it seem less important. There was the situation with Karyn. Karyn had left the office what, to Jon, seemed like ages ago, but in reality it had only been just over five minutes. Then again, time in this place did seem to do strange things, didn’t it?
Jon was shaken from his thoughts as someone knocked on the office door.
Madeleine went over to open it, expecting, as Jon did, Karyn to be on the other side.
“Elle avait l’air un peu perdue lorsque je l’ai trouvée dans le couloir. Alors je me suis dit que je l’aiderais à retrouver votre bureau.”
(She looked a little lost when I found her in the corridor. So I thought I would help her find your office.) Lucienne said with a smile on her face.
“Merci, mademoiselle ; elle souhaitait simplement quelques instants seule afin de rassembler ses pensées. “
(Thank you, young lady; she merely wished for a few moments alone to gather her thoughts.) Madeleine explained.
“À plus tard, Karyn.”
(I'll see you later, Karyn.) Lucienne said with a small smile on her face, remembering the events in the nearby room.
Karyn, still not understanding what the woman was saying, returned her smile.
“Je ferais mieux d’aller me préparer pour le final ; il ne me reste plus beaucoup de temps avant de remonter sur scène.”
(I had better get ready for the finale; it won't be long before I'm back on stage.) Lucienne said as she turned to leave.
“Vous feriez mieux de vous dépêcher. Vous ne voudriez pas être en retard. “
(You had better hurry. You do not want to be late.) Madeleine called after her.
“I only went to the end of the corridor, but she decided that she would guide me back here. At least that's what I thought she said,” Karyn said once the door was closed.
“She only wished to 'elp a colleague zat she believed needed it,” Madeleine told her.
“But I have never met her before tonight. So…” Karyn began.
“Zat is not what she seems to think,” Madeleine interrupted her.
“Don’t start on that again.”
“Enough, you two,” Jon said, hoping to stop any fight that might be about to start.
“Okay, okay. What have you two been doing while I was away?” Karyn asked, trying to move her own thoughts away from the kiss and failing.
“Well, Madeleine was looking through the journals again and I was taking notes,” Jon told her.
“You mean you were writing down what she told you to write down. I know how your French is, Jon,” Karyn said with a small smile.
“You got me, but I was still writing things down.”
“True. Very true,” Karyn replied as she turned towards Madeleine.
“From what I can find, it is as I feared: you may not be able to leave through ze Door when it returns,” Madeleine began.
“Why might that be?” Karyn asked.
“It would appear zat, as you surmised before you left, whatever is causing zese events seems to believe zat you belong 'ere now,” Madeleine answered.
“What, just because I paused, as you put it?” Karyn said.
“Zat is one reason,” Madeleine said.
“What, there is more?” Karyn asked.
“Yes, ze way everyone behaves around you,” Madeleine said.
“What do they do?” Karyn said as her thoughts once again turned towards the kiss she had with Lucienne earlier.
She was a really good kisser. No, I mustn't think about that just now.
“Zey treat you as if you 'ave always been 'ere. Zey do not seem to remember Simone anymore, ozzer zan she was ze person zat walked into you earlier,” Madeleine told her.
“They are wrong. I only arrived here tonight, not years ago,” Karyn said.
“I know zat you know zat, but zey do not seem to,” Madeleine replied.
Jon sat there watching the conversation between the two women and could see that Karyn was starting to get angry again, so he decided to interrupt.
“So we are no further forward at the moment; all we can do is wait and see what happens at the next pause.”
This seemed to do the trick as the two women turned to him and nodded in unison.
“Speaking of which, has anyone worked out when the next one is due?” Karyn asked.
“Yes, ze same time as always,” Madeleine said.
“And when is that?” Jon asked.
“In ze time zat I 'ave been 'ere, zey are at ze same times on ze second night of ze full moon. Ze first is at 8.05 pm,” Madeleine announced.
“I take it that is when we arrived,” Karyn said with a tone of voice that Jon had heard her use before that usually meant trouble.
“Yes, you arrived during ze first of tonight's pauses. Ze second one was at 9.05 pm,” Madeleine said.
“That was the one you paused,” Jon said, turning towards Karyn.
“So the two of you say,” Karyn replied.
“Ze final one for zis month is at 10.05 pm,” Madeleine finished.
“Wait, that is in less than half an hour,” Jon said.
“True, and we 'ave twenty-three minutes to work out what we will do,” Madeleine said.
“To send the two of us back where we belong,” Karyn said.
“Yes,” Madeleine said.
If we can, she thought to herself.
