Free The Remedy Files: Illusion by Lauren Eckhardt

wasn’t expecting you so early.”
    “Our annual Dig was today so we only had to stay until everyone found an object and described what they found.”
    “Oh, that was your last one ever, right?”
    I nodded. “No more digs. It’s kind of strange to think about when you put it that way.” I’m sure I’ll be going to the Community Museum a lot when I enter into adulthood in some effort to stay on top of what all the other Levels continue to discover. 
    “So what did you find?”
    “Happy early birthday, Gavin.” I extend my arm and slowly open my hand to reveal his present. His birthday falls on the same day as mine and unfortunately I will be at the Futures Ceremony and won’t be able to see him.
    He chuckles and reaches out to grab the item. “And how did you describe this to your class?”
    I sit down next to him on the ground and watch as he runs his finger up and down the grooves in the top of the object.
    “Well.. I didn’t actually show it to the class. I kept digging afterwards and found something else and showed them that instead. It was a glass piece to an old vase. Nothing special.”
    Gavin’s eyes widen and he opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it as he decides to take a different approach to the conversation. He knows me well enough to know I wouldn’t have typically done something so risky within the community walls unless I felt it was important. I’ve only done that one other time with a book that I knew Ms. Kay wouldn’t let me keep.
    Gavin examines the artifact in his hands and asks, “What made this one so special?”
    “I’ve had dreams about something that looks very similar to this.”
    He looks up at me. “Really? You’ve been having dreams?”
    “Yep, for several years now.” I pull a leaf off the tree, rolling the stem of it between my fingers.
    “Why haven’t you’ve ever told me about that?”
    “Believe it or not, I don’t tell you everything.” I also didn’t want him to know I only started having them the day I met him. It was too strange.
    Gavin rolls his eyes. I can tell he wants to ask me more about the dreams, but instead I see his mind shift as he says, “Well, if you had to guess what it is, what would you think?”
    I let the leaf drop from my hands and take the figure back from him. “It seems to be a replica of a machine that existed long ago. Based off of the chimney-looking area on the top, it looks like smoke could come out of it when it runs. I’m assuming it was used as a way to smooth out ground so maybe used in construction of homes or buildings.”
    Gavin nods. “I can see why you would have thought that.”
    I mock him by rolling my eyes like he always does to me and then say, “Okay, all-knowing one. What is it?”
    Gavin chuckles, knowing that as usual, he’s won the knowledge contest. “This is called a train. It actually ran on metal tracks that would lead from one town to another so that they could transport people or things between each place. You see this little hinge on the back of it? This was so additional carts could be hooked up to it allowing it to carry even more people or things at a time.”
    I inspect the train in my hand carefully. Train. So this is what has been in my dreams.
    “Gavin, how would I have seen one of these before? It’s been in my dreams for years chasing me down. Either it or someone on it is always trying to kill me. I never knew what it was but now I’m finding out one actually used to exist. Why would I have known this without ever seeing it before?”
    Gavin grabs the train from my hand, stands up quickly, and stuffs it in his pocket. “I don’t know, Evie. Like you’ve already said, you don’t share everything with me. I didn’t even know you’ve been having dreams. You probably read it in one of the books you found before. Come on, let’s go for a walk and try to find some new things.”
    I obey and follow Gavin. But no, I would have remembered it if it was in a book. I have studied