On the word leap, a rush of air. Someone in the room has disappeared but it’s not a clean leap, which means they weren’t focused, they were flustered and before they totally leave the room, I catch a glimpse of their leaning hairdo, their dress, a tornado of sweet wrappers, their face twisted with fury.
Not Portia.
Not Anon.
But Anno!
Chapter 23:00
THE PRESENT
The room goes crazy.
Everything happens at the same time.
Big Ben whoops; Kwesi and MC2 do a sign dance full of high-fives and finger-clicking; GMT says, ‘Far out, man!’
Mrs C Eckler is by my side, checking I’m OK.
Two black-hooded figures appear either side of Portia and instantly luggage her away.
A quarter of the overdressed guests, who are undercover investigators, disappear on the spot.
The Grandfather smiles a vicious smile, takes his hat off his head and replaces it. Oh my Chrono! He must think I didn’t mention The Vicious Circle because I approve of it! It’s the exact opposite. I don’t think I’ve seen the last of him.
And Mr Coffer shakes my hand so vigorously, I’m surprised I still have a hand left!
‘Well, well, well,’ he says, addressing the room. ‘This is truly an historical occasion. Fear not. The thief will be apprehended. However, it is now my honourable duty to—’ His Chronophone begins to buzz violently inside his jacket. He takes it out, checks it and his white bushy eyebrows rise.
‘Mr Coffer speaking. Yes . . . yes . . . bravo! . . . My word! . . . Forward it, if you please, madam . . . Are you certain it is to be disclosed to the public? . . . Very well. Indeed, I will do so to the company immediately!’ He places his phone on the lectern in front of him, takes a handkerchief out of his front pocket and mops his brow.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, the thief-takers have excelled themselves. I have, in the past minute, received intelligence that the thief has been captured, with the Infinity-Glass, in 2073, about to conceal it in a pyramid of plastic.’
That was a little too much information for my mind to process on top of the past few minutes. But I’m glad Anno has been caught. Mr Coffer’s now tapping into his phone, facing the television screen. It clicks on but he’s having problems with the next step. MC2 disappears from beside us, reappears next to Mr Coffer, who smiles at him.
‘Maybe you could assist me, young sir?’
After a few taps, MC2 steps back as an image comes onto the TV. The entire screen is a multicoloured collage of plastic bags, bottles and packaging. It could be an exhibit in this room but thankfully it’s not. This is landfill so large it can’t fit onto the picture. Anno appears out of thin air to the left of the screen. She’s almost completely camouflaged in her sweet-wrapper dress but her distinctive black stacked hairstyle gives her away. She dives so far into the hill of litter, she completely disappears and although she did wrong, I hold my breath, worried she’ll run out of oxygen and drown. But half a minute later, she reappears clutching what looks like a column of litter, shakes it and there it is: The Infinity-Glass! She raises it to her lips like she’s kissing it, turns around and freezes.
Four tall black-hooded figures!
Mr Coffer clicks his phone and the screen goes blank.
‘Conclusive evidence,’ he says. ‘This is a crime of the past, the present and the future; an offence against the private individual, the institution and the planet! Such Anachronisms receive weighty sentences.
‘It will please you to know that the artefact was instantly recovered by the Investigation Division and is being restored to its rightful home downstairs in the 1752 Gallery as I speak. Justice WILL be done.’
There’s a hushed silence.
‘In the light of these extraordinary events, it is my duty to prematurely close these proceedings. But before I do, on behalf of the Museum of the Past, the Present and the Future, I would like to present this young thief-taker,’ he gestures towards me, ‘with a token of our gratitude.
‘We advertised a reward for whoever found the Infinity-Glass. Therefore, it is with absolute pleasure that I bestow upon you, Elle Ifíè, a cheque to the sum of ten thousand pounds!’
Mrs Zhong appears from thin air at his side holding a large envelope, which she hands to me as she shakes my free hand. Everyone starts clapping. At first, I don’t know how to react, overwhelmed by everything happening at the same time. But as the applause gets louder, my smile gets wider. It’s not the money I’m thinking of; it’s the acceptance of my statement, the success of Plan A and the video of Anno, evidence that proves that MC2 and I are innocent.
When the room clears, I notice Anon sitting in a corner, her walking stick resting against the wall. I feel a lump in my throat.
‘I’m so sorry about Portia,’ I say, ‘and Anno.’
She looks up at me through her glasses. ‘I am deeply sorry too, but I applaud you for your superior sense of justice. I am doubly wounded. Portia has always been a ne’er-do-well but she’s young and has a good heart. Anno is old enough to know better, but she did it for the advancement of learning, for the greater good. My sister accrued monstrous debts for the school by ordering everything from the future. I shudder at the number of noughts we owe. I understand she had no intention of sharing the profits from the sale of the Glass.’
‘Is that why she hid the Glass in the future and left The Vicious Circle?’
‘I believe so, Elle.’
‘What will happen to the school?’
‘It will thrive without her input, as you well know. Dear Samuel always tells me: MIND OVER MATTER. That is the motto for the Music, Maths and Movement School and if we practise it, we will overcome our current challenges. Some future projects are secure.
‘And I suspect your future, Elle, will take you to new heights. As Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” I wish you infinite success. You have my number; do keep in touch if you desire it.’
‘I will,’ I say.
‘How can you spend the money?’ says Big Ben.
We Infinites are catching up outside in the museum gardens, sitting on the grass beside flowerbeds that read 2021 in white on a pink background. It’s another hot day.
‘I’ll divide it between all of us, £2,000 each. I couldn’t have done it on my own.’
‘That’s so cool, Elle,’ says GMT, ‘but I can’t spend it on the west coast in ’68. I don’t need it.’
Kwesi shakes his head and holds up his hand.
‘I suppose you can’t spend it in 2049 either,’ I say. ‘I guess we can keep it in the bank for emergencies.’
Big Ben frowns. ‘You accused Portia but not Anno. Portia is good.’
‘That’s how we planned it with the investigators, BB. Portia was part of the act. She’d already confessed to the police but pretended to be shocked when I accused her. It was a set-up to make Anno react. It must have been very hard for her to set up her mum. Once Anno made a run for it, we had the evidence.’
‘You did good, Elle,’ says MC2. ‘Did you know about the landfill?’
‘I didn’t work it out at first. But after I realised Anno was guilty, I remembered her brother, Nano, telling Millennia he had provided a safe place to hide the Glass. And Millennia mocking him for dumping things people didn’t want in a year no one wanted to visit. I wonder if they’ll arrest him as well for illegal landfill AND being an accomplice to the crime?’
‘Hope so, sis! ROOT FOR THE FUTURE.’
‘ROOT FOR THE FUTURE,’ we all say, bumping fists.
‘Two Glasses, two thieves,’ says GMT.
Big Ben shakes his head. ‘ONE Glass, two thieves.’
‘Yes,’ I say, ‘and ONE mastermind. Anno planned the whole thing and got Portia to do the first theft while she was giving her museum talk.’
‘Is that why Anno was early?’ says GMT.
‘Yes. She timed it exactly and meant to attend The Vicious Circle Meeting straight afterwards in real time. Bu
t once Portia texted her someone else had got the Glass, she thought she’d best not attend. You know how vicious the Circle can be!’
‘So, Anno was the missing Eight!’ says Big Ben.
‘Yes. She desperately needed money to pay off the school debts. She reckoned the sale of the Infinity-Glass would do it. Plus, she got reward money from Millennia for stealing the plain version of the Glass from Francis. She did wrong but I feel sorry for her. The Music, Maths and Movement School’s so brilliant!’ I pause. ‘Anno never wanted to share the money with The Vicious Circle: the money was for a good cause. That’s why she resigned.
‘If Anno hadn’t exited, Portia wouldn’t be in The Vicious Circle now. Portia totally regrets the theft. She confessed as soon as I was arrested. That’s how the police knew it wasn’t me. AND,’ I add, ‘she’s the one who bailed MC2.’
‘She took her time. The Squared was celled up for days!’
‘She had to get the cash together. She’ll be found guilty but she might not go to jail. She was acting for her mum, not herself.’
Big Ben frowns. ‘She can’t be a double agent from prison.’
‘If she’s sent to Do-Time, she can still have visitors,’ I say, changing my seating position to stop the pins and needles. ‘Our job’s not over yet. We have to break The Vicious Circle: Portia can help us do it.’
Kwesi signs and MC2 translates:
‘Good work, Elle. But when did you guess it was Portia that did the first theft and Anno the second?’
‘Mr Johnson often tilts his head to one side. Credit to Big Ben. He reminded me of it in the Daisy-Chain, which reminded me of Portia, which reminded me of the theft video. But it took a while to make those connections.
‘Then, just before I was arrested, Portia said something about not celebrating non-events. That made me think of Anno’s exhibition of events that never happened. I also remembered Anno saying people got her confused with Anon. AND she mimicked Anon’s voice in their office, remember, BB? That convinced me it was Anno who did the second theft.’
‘I still got the first theft video on my phone. AND The Vicious Circle recording from under the table,’ says Big Ben. ‘Oh, I just got a text!’
‘Who’s it from?’
‘Not sure. Wait . . .’ He scrolls down. I stare over his shoulder like I always do, to help him read.
‘It’s to both of us.’
I check my phone:
Congratulations to Elle and Big Ben! You are now Level 2.
‘Who do you think it’s . . . ?’ I notice the others are smiling from East to West. ‘Is it from Infinity?’
‘Guess so,’ says MC2, ‘since we ain’t sent it. And far as I know, no folks infiltrated The Infinites.’
‘Do you think Infinity was at the event today?’
‘Coulda bin. Who knows? Anyways, you an’ Big Ben just got promoted again.’
‘Can I get the tattoo now?’ says Big Ben.
‘No,’ I say. ‘You’re not allowed to get one before you’re 18. It’s illegal.’
MC2, Kwesi and GMT laugh. They’re 4-leap +1, 17, but they all have the tattoo, which is a bit naughty.
‘Then how do we get Level 3?’
‘All in good time, bro,’ says MC2. ‘Enjoy the moment.’
We do. We deserve it.
Chapter 00:00
THE FUTURE
A year has passed. It’s September the 3rd 2022, a Saturday, the last weekend of the summer holiday. When I go back to school on Monday, I’ll be in Tenth Year. Like last year, I smile when I wake up. In 1752, this date didn’t exist. I turn off the alarm on my Chronophone, noticing several message alerts. I look at the corner behind the television where the mushrooms used to grow from the damp patch and smile again. We used the reward to pay the overdue rent and finally, finally got the landlord to deal with the damp problem. But Grandma was still on at me like an endless advert.
‘Now you can buy good clothes like that your friend GT!’
I DID buy some new clothes but Grandma wasn’t impressed. They look exactly the same as my old ones, but bright white and bigger. Once I find comfortable clothes, I don’t like to risk getting different brands.
Today, though, I put on the only outfit that’s different to the others. It’s a 1960s tracksuit, frayed at the cuffs and off-white with age but it fits me like it was custom-made. Although it’s polyester which makes me sweat, mixed with wool which makes me itch, I still love it. It’s very me! So far, I’ve only managed to wear it for an hour at a time before I have to change back into my usual clothes. Now, I comb my hair into the biggest afro in the world, pop the cassette into my new retro player and imagine I’m in 1968. This is time travel without the effort. Even Leaplings need a break!
We have an Infinites meeting with Portia later, at a location so secret I can’t even tell YOU! She’s been out of Do-Time a month now. We hoped she’d only get a fine but she got a sentence for stealing a priceless object. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long sentence because it was her first crime and she was acting under Anno’s orders. In the end, none of The Infinites visited her in prison in case we bumped into members of The Vicious Circle. That would have been a giveaway.
But now, Portia’s back in that crime ring as a double agent. She reports to us every week. She’s doing a great job pretending to be recruiting for Millennia’s grand plan when, in reality, she’s helping The Infinites to thwart it!
I check my texts. The first is from Portia confirming the meeting. I delete it to destroy the evidence and wait for her follow-up message.
The second is from Ama, and it’s only two words:
Robot’s ready!
Brilliant. Everything’s going to plan.
The third text is from Francis! I’m excited. I’ve only heard from him a couple of times since our last visit.
Colonel Bathurst died and left me in his will my Freedom and twelve Pounds in Money!
Sent Fri 3 Sep 1756. 11:22.
Another leap year; another big change for Francis.
I text him back:
That’s BRILLIANT news! Don’t spend it all at once.
It’s strange thinking of Francis being 14, the same age I am now. Even stranger knowing that if we visited a churchyard, we’d find his headstone. Dr Johnson’s buried in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey because of his famous Dictionary; I wonder where Francis is buried? But right now, he’s very much alive on my phone.
Now I can go to Sea!
I picture Francis some time in his future, on a ship where they use marine sandglasses to tell the time. I think of his own Infinity-Glass, customised by Kwesi and MC2, travelling hundreds of years through time until it’s locked in a glass case at the Museum of the Past, the Present and the Future. And I imagine what it would be like if time itself was turned upside-down so instead of travelling day by day into the future, we travelled into the past instead.
As a Leapling with The Gift, I can’t CHANGE time, but I can move backwards or forwards through it. It suddenly hits me – I can travel to any year I want, any time, any place. But it wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t have a goal and true friends to help me achieve it. I’m a Level 2 Infinite now; next step, Level 3. I can’t wait.
My Chronophone buzzes. That was quick! No time to get changed out of this itchy tracksuit. I just hope the meeting lasts less than an hour. I can’t say where it will take place but I can give you a hint what it’s about: the evil teens, Millennia’s masterminds.
I concentrate hard on the place, date and time.
I close my eyes tight.
And I leap!
Acknowledgements
I wrote The Time-Thief during lockdown in the run-up to summer solstice 2020. That meant sharing a workspace with family members who each deserve a gold medal for tolerating my constant complaints about noise or the discomfort of headphones. What’s more, they were my first creative sounding board. A heartfelt thanks to my husband, Jeremy, for that special Spring date to Dr Johnson’s House, the historic obj
ect brainstorm and invaluable insights when I talked through my storyboard. Thank you so much, Valentine, for inventing the leap clash, reading an early draft and telling me it had ‘good baddies’. And thank you, Solomon, for our lively discussions about character, plot and internal monologue; your writing inspires me always!
A big thank you to everyone at Canongate for continuing to publish and champion my writing with passion and diligence. Thank you so much, Jamie Byng, for recommending me for that inspiring morning of online readings at Notting Hill School. A very special thank you to my editor, Jo Dingley, for your instant enthusiasm for The Time-Thief, insightful comments and coming up with a title so perfect, my sole contribution was the hyphen. I’ll miss working with you on Book 3! Thank you, Aa’Ishah Hawton, for helping put the book to bed. I look forward to working with you on Book 3! Thank you, Leila Cruickshank, for your forensic copy editing; Vicki Rutherford and Megan Reid for ensuring the schedule ran like a dream; Rafaela Romaya for overall art direction and another vibrant cover design and likewise Debra Cartwright for your dynamic illustrations.
A special thank you, Lizzie Huxley-Jones, for your in-depth and far-reaching sensitivity read and passionate enthusiasm for the book. It’s been a pleasure working with you again.
Thank you to my agent, Simon Trewin, and your team, for your passion for dictionaries, for believing in the entire Leap Cycle and making me laugh out loud when I thought there was nothing in the world to laugh about. Thank you to my performance agents, Melanie Abrahams and Rochelle Saunders at Renaissance One, for continuing to work hard promoting The Leap Cycle in difficult circumstances. Your support cannot be overestimated.
Thank you to the sharers of 18th century knowledge: Helen Woollison, Deputy Curator at Dr Johnson’s House, for answering all my queries and your interest in the project; and thank you to the front-of-house team for enabling me to contact you. Thank you, S.I. Martin, for alerting me to the marvellous online map of 18th century London and for the exquisite historical detail of your novel, Incomparable World. Thank you to the authors of the following books that were invaluable to my research: The Fortunes of Francis Barber by Michael Bundock; Dr Johnson’s London by Liza Picard; The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell; and The Time Travellers by Linda Buckley-Archer.
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