by Holly Hook
It’s Isabel. I face her. She and Frank stand there, leaning against the side of the school. The last remnants of gold fade around them. Frank’s all cool, leaning against the brick with his sagging jeans and punk band T-shirt that at one point, I liked. I can't help but wonder if he's really trying to keep as much distance between him and Simon as possible. I like that thought.
Simon tenses next to me. “You had better go and look for her right now, Frank. Far away from us.” He's got his fists tight. Simon hikes up his pants. It might really be time for another brawl.
“Yes,” I add. If we're going to find Future Girl, splitting up is the only way.
“Anyway,” Isabel butts in. She steps in front of Frank. “Once we find this girl, we will need to open a rift back to 5052 and have her go in. That's what we did with you, Julia, at the restaurant. We need to make sure there are no witnesses.” She speaks quickly. She's anxious to be away. “With four of us, we can open one in seconds.”
“Good to know.” It is good to know. I can open a rift straight to my brother once we figure out how to keep him safe. Right to my father. I just have to learn how to do it first. This will be a great chance to practice, now that it seems like we're not sending Future Girl back into any danger.
Simon's breathing heavily next to me. “You’re right,” he says, keeping his gaze on the school. He shifts leg to leg. “We need to find that girl. She’ll be drawing a lot of stares when everyone comes out of class with what she’s wearing. Why can’t the Travelers dress for the time that they go to?”
“Maybe we can tell people she’s from another school, visiting for a drama club,” I say. “School lets out in—“
The bell rings, echoing across the parking lot and into the air. And then, chatter grows louder and louder from inside the school. It floats out the gym entrance. In seconds, the halls will fill and Future Girl's in there somewhere.
Isabel darts for the entrance. “Come on. She couldn’t have gone anywhere else. We’ve got go catch her before she gets on a bus or something. She won't know where she's going.”
The three of us run after her. Frank runs in front of me, like he’s trying to catch up with Isabel, but then Simon elbows him and he goes crashing into the doorway with a loud bang. I run past him. I can’t help but smile when I hear him seethe with pain.
The halls crowd with teachers and students. The first already brush past us and out to the buses. I hope we don’t run into Monica. I’m going to have a hard time explaining why Simon and I are running around with Isabel and Frank, unless Frank does decide the splitting up is a good idea. That would be hard enough even if there was no time travel involved. Monica and I never fit in with their gang in the first place, and after what happened at the dance with Frank, she’ll never expect us to be within ten feet of each other again.
I stop at the corner and flatten against the wall to avoid the band kids, who parade past with their instruments. Monica doesn’t take this hallway to go home, since we both usually walk and go out the science wing doors. Frank and Isabel are coming up behind us. Frank leans to the side to avoid a saxophone. “Why don’t we split up?” I shout to be heard over the noise. “Simon and me one way. You two down by the cafeteria.”
I wait for Isabel or Frank to protest. But Frank takes Isabel’s arm and they disappear around the corner to cut through the gym.
“Really good idea,” Simon says. He's still smoldering. “I’m glad they're gone. What awful luck, having to work with them.”
“Let's find that girl.” I turn the corner and dart down the main hallway of the school. “We should follow everyone's stares.”
No one gives us a second glance as we weave through traffic. Simon and I are regulars here. A couple that everyone knows.
But why did Future Girl come here? It makes no sense. Even though I know better, I can’t help but wonder if it has to do with me. I'm the mistake, after all.
“I don't see her down that way,” Simon glances down the art hallway. “We might need to look in the classrooms.”
“What happens if we don't find her and send her back?” I ask. I smash against the corner to avoid some cheerleaders and a few teachers. I wait for them to pass before I speak again. “You don't have a look on your face that makes me feel better.”
“We don't really have a time limit,” he says. “But if she messes something up, that could cause Time to punish us. It can literally zap us into our quarters and we won't be able to escape for what feels like years at times.”
“Now we'd better split up,” I say. Now I understand why Frank and Isabel were so desperate to catch me before I changed history. Of course they wouldn't want to spend time in their quarters, whatever they are. All Timeless come from tragedies where they were supposed to die. They must be no different.
Simon jogs down the art hall to check the classrooms and I run for the lit hall. It's where Monica's locker is, but we can't wait. I'm not going back to that horrible memory Titanic where there's people with flesh falling off them waiting for me. I don't think Frank and Isabel want to go beck to wherever they're from, either. Not that I care all that much about Frank. He probably deserves it.
I round the corner.
There.
My heart leaps.
Future Girl's standing by some lockers in her cream tunic with her back turned to me. Her butterfly hair clip glows like there's a living rainbow inside. Mr. Nevins gives her a long stare as he passes. Even Wendy, Queen of the Snob Squad, slows to admire it. The butterfly's head blinks with a blue light that's almost hypnotizing.
And Future Girl's talking to someone. It's a dark girl with long, curly black hair.
I lean to the side.
Monica.
My heart about stops.
Monica glances around the hallway like she's looking for someone and shakes her head. Future Girl waves her arms a bit and keeps talking. She found Monica because Monica was here standing still, waiting for me and easy to approach. That's it.
She must be lost. After all, this girl can't remember anything since she stepped through the rift and wound up here in Trenton. I know that feeling, that terror, all too well.
I can help her. I have to.
I walk up to her. I’m close enough to see the patterns on the butterfly’s wings. Monica looks over the girl’s shoulder and at me. She raises her eyebrows. I can read volumes in that look. She’s got no clue what’s going on or why this girl’s talking to her.
Then the girl turns, following Monica's gaze.
Her eyes are intense. Brown, the color of mocha. If she's shocked to see me standing there, she doesn’t show it.
“Um…hello?” I ask. I can't reveal too much in front of Monica. This isn't going to be easy. I'll need to get her to the others without Monica following. “Are you lost? I haven't seen you in this school before.”
“She was--” Monica starts.
Future Girl clears her throat and pulls at her tunic. “Julia.”
I flinch. This girl knows my name. Knows me. It's not possible. She’s from thousands of years in the future. Even if she did have a mission to come here and find me, she should have gotten a memory wipe from landing in a different time.
I swallow. “How?" That's all I can manage.
“What's going on?” Monica asks. Her eyes are huge. She stands there, looking between the two of us. The hall's quieting, leaving the three of us alone here.
The girl takes a step towards me. She’s fearless. She clears her throat and shakes her head like she’s trying to remember what to say. “I am sorry if I have a little bit of trouble speaking to you. I am not very used to this language. I would like to talk to you, Julia. That is all.”
She has an accent, but it's different than Isabel's. Future Girl pronounces her l's like h's. It's like nothing I've heard before. But her words are clear, rehearsed almost.
“You know who this is?” Monica steps closer. “Is she from your old school? She was asking me for you.” Her words are careful. As
far as Monica knows, I still don't remember anything that happened more than a year ago and she doesn't want to reveal that to just anyone. It's a secret that we keep right along with Monica's abusive past with her father. My faked record says I'm from Ithaca High School, wherever that is, so Monica's just handed me my cover for this.
Thank you, Monica.
“Yes. She is,” I say, forcing a smile and facing the two of them. “I remember. We both worked on that play together and did a lot of things for the drama club.” It doesn't hurt to explain the costume while I'm at it. I face Future Girl, hoping that she catches that we need to put on an act. “That one play, remember? What was your name again?” I laugh. I'm nervous. I have to know why she's seeking me so I'll need to get her in private.
The girl waits for a group of stragglers to pass us. The hall’s emptying out. Everyone’s getting on the buses. Monica still waits, books in hand. "You were in the drama club? I never knew that." She's full of hope, hope that my real memory's coming back.
“My name is Arnelia," Future Girl says, smiling. “You—“
“Hey!”
I turn.
Isabel runs towards us with a fake smile, trying to look all friendly. It’s a lie. Isabel’s just putting on the act so Future Girl doesn’t run away. Not that she’s going to, of course. She's found me. I'm the one she's taken this trip for.
Frank must be right. I’m such a huge accident that even people thousands of years in the future know about me. I feel like some museum exhibit.
Out of all the places this girl could have gone, she sought out me.
Isabel catches up with us. Faces me and Monica. “How are you doing?” Her question is so full of sugar that I have to gag.
Now poor Monica’s really confused. She takes a step back, then smiles to cover it. “Is this someone else you went to your old school with?”
Oh.
Simon and I never restored Monica's memory of Frank and Isabel when he was doing his mind tricks on her. We were too focused on getting them to remember us. As far as everyone knows, Frank and Isabel have never been to Trenton High School before. When I tricked Time into taking me, the entire thing where Frank and Isabel came here to track me never happened.
Yet here Isabel stands, all friendly with us. I wonder if she's forgotten that she now never went to school here.
“Yes,” I answer Monica. Arnelia's still standing there, shifting foot to foot. I want to know what she wants to say to me. Dying to know, in fact, but she won't do it with Isabel here. I have to get her alone, and fast. “Isabel here was in the drama club at my old school, too.”
“That's amazing!” Monica's glowing for me. “It's great to meet a couple of your old friends. How long did you go to school together?”
“Five years.” Arnelia nods. There’s impatience underneath. The butterfly blinks again on the back of her head. “My name is Arnelia. Nice to meet you.” They shake hands and Arnelia faces me. Her gaze flits towards the bathroom door, then back to me again. We're thinking the same thing.
This has to happen before Simon and Frank catch up. I give Arnelia a little nod.
“I need to use the lavatory,” she says, heading into the restroom.
It's something I'd say. Monica would correct me with bathroom.
I follow. “One minute,” I say to Monica and Isabel. “Okay,” I whisper once the bathroom door swings shut behind me. It's silent in here. There's no noise to mask our conversation. I step around the corner. “You must really need to talk to me if--”
Cream flashes in front of me.
A quiet pop sounds through the bathroom. I go limp and crash to the floor. It's as if someone has turned off my nerves. I'm a rag doll lying slumped against the corner. The thud of my landing rings in my ears. I can’t feel my limbs, my face. My cheek rests against brick-colored tile. The bottom of Arnelia’s tunic swings closer. Her foot stops inches from my nose.
I can’t move my lips or so much as grunt through my closed mouth. Every part of me is frozen, gone, like I've gone completely numb in that icy water. I try to move my eyes to look up at Arnelia, but they refuse to work. I can only stare forward. I'm still breathing, but that's it.
Arnelia kneels down. Her mocha eyes are wide and sympathetic. She’s holding something that looks like a glass prism in her hand. It shines with every color of the rainbow, but the colors fade like the thing has lost its energy.
It’s a weapon. There’s no other explanation. She used it to paralyze me. I can't help but feel betrayed. I was starting to like her.
“Julia, I am sorry I had to stun you.” She speaks low. “It is harmless. It will wear off in a few minutes. But I do not know if you plan to send me back to my year before I have a chance to speak to you.”
I make another attempt at a grunt. She didn't have to stun me. I would have listened. This Arnelia girl has total control. She must have planned this for a while.
Then again, if I knew I'd be facing someone who could send me through time with just some concentration, I might take precautions, too. Maybe I shouldn't be so angry with her. But it won't be long before the others check on me. I hope Arnelia talks fast.
“I know what you are,” she continues, so quiet that I can barely hear her. "I know what your mission is. I came here to make sure that you—“
The bathroom door bursts open and feet charge in.
Arnelia stands with the swishing of her tunic. I spot fear coming over her face right before her face leaves my vision. The prism thing she holds has turned clear. It looks like any glass pyramid you’d buy at some tourist trap store. Judging from the way she lets her arm fall to her side, the weapon is out of power. She's used it all on me.
At the top of my vision, Isabel seizes her arm. Arnelia faces her. "What is your issue? This girl is sick. Why are you not helping her up?"
She's keeping the fact that she knows me a secret. Smart girl.
"She's fine," Isabel counters. "My question is, what have you done to her? We've heard of that thing you're carrying."
Arnelia holds up the prism. "This is only a trinket. Does it appear dangerous?"
“Julia!” Simon’s leaning down at me. For once, I wish he wasn't here. That no one else was here. He shakes my shoulder. "Great. I can't believe you got hit by that. Can you blink yet?"
I need to know what Arnelia had to say to me.
Is she here to stop me or help me save my family? And why?
Arnelia and Isabel wrestle for the prism behind Simon. Isabel pushes her against the sink. Arnelia flinches like it's covered in slime. She's not used to our barbaric facilities in this time. They must have better bathrooms in the year 5052.
I blink. I can move something now. Whatever she zapped me with is wearing off. “Uhhhh….”
“Sit up.” Simon's thick eyebrows rise. “I've never been at the receiving end of one of those, but I hear it's quite scary."
“Ummmmm…” I sit up against the wall and my head tilts.
He's in the girls' bathroom so he knew that something was up.
“Simon? Why did you run in here? It's forbidden territory for you.” Monica's standing in the doorway, staring down at me. Her eyes widen. “Oh. Julia. Did you pass out?" She leans down to study me. I keep my gaze to the floor in case—just in case—she spots something strange in my eyes.
I have a lot of explaining to do.
“She's not feeling well,” Simon supplies. “Sorry. I know I shouldn't have come in here. Julia's dizzy.”
“I'm okay now.” I can talk now. I stand, just to prove that I'm all right. There's no way that Simon could have known that I was dizzy when he was standing in the hall. He must know about that weapon Arnelia has.
But I can't worry about that now. Arnelia's still standing here, silent and waiting. I know what for: to go back. She dares to glance at me out of the corner of her eye. I know what it means. We need to talk. Again.
But how? She's going to go back soon to her own time and I don't even know what it is.
“Take Julia out of here,” Isabel says. She tightens her grip on Arnelia's arm. “Get Frank.” She
I know what it means. Monica won't leave the bathroom unless I go and Arnelia can't go back unless Monica leaves. There can't be a witness. She's already going to have questions that I can't answer.
I stand on wobbly legs. I'm like a newborn calf, helpless and staggering as I make my way to the door. Simon keeps his arm under mine for support.
Monica follows us. She's not going to leave me alone when I'm like this.
“Okay,” she says. “What really happened in there?” She's staring right into my eyes and I flinch, afraid she might spot a flash of gold. But my actions are only making her more suspicious. I can see that in the way she steps closer. “What did that girl do to you? She wasn't exactly helping you off the floor.”
Rats. I feel awful lying to her. “I just felt dizzy and called for Simon. I totally forgot that I was, you know, in the girls' bathroom,” I say. Then I think of Arnelia still in there with Isabel and I add, “I don't know what's going on between that one girl and Isabel. Your guess is as good as mine. I haven't been at my old school in a long time.”
“I still don't believe that she didn't do anything.” Monica furrows her brows at me. She's not buying it. “I'm sorry, but I don't trust people. I know how it is.” She's saying way more than that. I know that people don't talk about these things when they happen.
Simon glances at me. He's nervous. The heart-shaped mole on his nose has turned into a tense diamond. I'm caught. I'm so caught. But I can't break down and tell Monica about time travel and about the fact that this girl is from some distant future where prisms have replaced stun guns and walls and turn into rifts. “Okay. Me and her had...a disagreement once,” I lie. “I don't want to go into it now. I didn't think she was still mad. Can you call Nancy and have her pick us up? I don't think I can walk home. I'm a little upset. I'm not hurt, though. I just got pushed into the wall.”
“Simon was helping you up.” Monica takes in both of us. She's thinking. Thinking hard.
“Monica,” Simon says.
She faces him. He stares at her and her expression goes blank.
