by Holly Hook
“Is Frank going to come down this way?” I ask. “You know—to go to Trenton? He must know we still spend most of our time there.”
“I can't be certain.” Simon’s voice is tense. “We’d better listen.”
Frank’s voice is muffled now that we're out of the Main Chamber. I crane my neck closer to the opening to the hall, which I can't see around the curve. I have to learn what he's planning. I'm a broken rule, after all. There's only supposed to be one member of the Timeless from each historical tragedy. No one knows why according to Simon, but it can't bode well for us.
Frank's voice grows in volume. I catch my name amongst chopped words. He must be well into the Main Chamber now. Closer.
Simon hugs me from behind and gives me a nervous squeeze. “We should go back to the main world. Have a dinner that’s not going to turn ancient right in front of us.”
“We need to hear this.” I wiggle out of Simon’s embrace.
“No." He closes his hand on my shoulder. “If we get any closer, he’ll see you. Frank's dangerous. I'm not even sure how much so.”
"Which is why we need to spy on him." I inch along the wall, turning my back to Simon. I can see part of the Main Chamber now, but the center where Frank must be standing is out of view. I’m taking a huge risk here, but I need to know his plan.
Because he killed my brother and my father.
Not directly, but he made it impossible for me to save them. He wanted them to die and he'd do the deed himself if Time ordered him to.
“This isn’t a good idea.” Simon’s right behind me, so close that I can feel his body heat. I ignore him. Frank says something again. A female answers. It’s Isabel. I recognize her high voice. Her accent, in which she pronounces her w’s like v’s. They’re arguing, but their words are so smeared and stretched in the dome that I can only make out a word or two.
Isabel: “We can’t go back—“
Frank: “Julia needs to—“
“What?”
“…disaster. Just watch. It will happen. It's a mistake that Time claimed her. She is too strong. Julia will never follow our rules. The unspeakable will happen.”
Isabel's almost yelling. “What will happen, Frank? Stop being vague and just tell me. Or are you hiding the truth from me again?"
Frank coughs like he's inhaled water. "I cannot, Isabel."
There's silence that stretches out. "I used to love you, Frank. I thought you were a good person, but what good person would try to hurt children? You're just another soldier of evil like too many others that I've known."
Footsteps echo.
"Isabel!" Frank calls after her. "Come back to me. I am not what I seem right now."
"No. Never."
I lean to the side more, peeking around the curve. I focus on Isabel’s outline. She’s got her back turned to us. All I can make out is her blond mane cascading down her back as she storms away from us, towards one of the countless openings on the other side of the Main Chamber.
She's broken up with Frank. It makes me like her a little more. At least she hadn’t been there on the Titanic, trying to ram a knife into my chest.
"We should go." Simon's breath is hot on my ear.
I’m not sure if I like the thought of eating right now, but I nod. It’s better than here. I need to move my mind away from disturbing things, because they’re legion.
“Okay." The conversation is over, anyway. As much as I want to march out there and murder Frank, now isn't the time. Revenge is another thing we will need to think through.
Simon and I link hands. He's shaking. Sullen. He must be imaging his own ways to murder Frank. It's taking all his restraint not to run after him. We walk deeper into the hallway and around the curve. The corridor straightens and eternity stretches out in front of us. The parade of golden rifts fades into light, never stopping, never changing. And if I look close, I can see through the crystal to the billions of stars that lie beyond. Visiting the Hub is an experience I will never grow used to.
Minutes pass, or seem to pass. I try to imagine where all the rifts go. So far, I've only seen one wooden plaque--the one above the Trenton rift. "Will I only be able to tell where a rift goes after I use it?"
"Yes." Simon's grip relaxes. "You should be able to see a sign above the Trenton one now. Once you use a rift, you'll remember how to find it forever. I've used many of them, so I've learned my way around. I still don't know where many of them go. Don't worry. You'll learn a lot more of them."
"I can't wait." I do like the thought of exploring.
But there’s only one door I truly want.
The one my brother and my father are behind.
Until they’re safe, the rest can wait.
"How long to we have before I start getting...assignments?" I ask.
"It'll happen soon," he says. "Don't worry. Time won't send you alone after anybody. Chances are, we'll be together when it happens. After all, it takes a group of Timeless to open a rift to send someone back to where they belong. My first assignment was to go find a knight who fell through a rift and got lost up in 1930's Chicago. That was interesting." Simon smiles. "I was paired up with another Timeless named Annabelle that time. I think she's the one who was at the restaurant with Frank and Isabel when they cornered you. And I could have sworn there was someone else, but I can't for the life of me remember who they were." He looks through the wall like he's lost and confused. "There must have been a third person. Why can't I recall who it was? The knight was the most memorable Rogue I've ever hunted. He actually tried to stab me with an authentic Medieval sword. We had to knock him out with a baseball bat and drag him through the rift. I'm sure he woke back at his castle with a headache."
"What?" I laugh even though I know it's not funny, but I can't help it.
He shakes his head. "I'm sure I'll think of who was on assignment with us later."
"Maybe you forgot because you were so focused on not getting your head cut off. Monica says our memories can get screwed up in situations like that."
"True." Simon stops and faces a rift. We're here. A wooden plaque above the archway reads Trenton along with the year, date, and the time that we left as if it's saved our location. "The thing is, Timeless memories can't be tampered with. Even changing history won't alter them. That's why I can remember hiding the mortal you with Nancy and Monica even though that technically didn't happen now. I should be able to recall everything else. Oh, well. I'm sure it'll come to me." He faces our rift.
I finger my teardrop necklace. It’s the glass one filled with coal salvaged from the sunken Titanic. It's the only reason I’m still alive, the only thing that jogged my memory of the present enough so that I’d know how to escape. I’m going to wear it for the rest of my life, no matter how long that is.
“Are you ready to leave, Julia?” he says. “Let’s go find some real, twenty first century food."
Chapter Three
For the next few days, Simon and I don’t dare return to the Hub or to that memory of the Titanic that’s gone very wrong. Or very right. I can’t get those zombies out of my head or the fact that Frank’s still thinking of me.
“You’re lucky,” Simon says on Monday morning when we wake up next to each other in my room at Nancy's house. He yawns. “You still have your own bed, at least. Well, I guess I’m lucky, too.” His dark hair falls from his eyes and onto his pillow. The sun hits it, bringing out the coppery highlights that I love. “Until Nancy finds out we’re doing this.”
"We can always do a mind trick on her to make her forget about it if that happens." I feel bad about that, since Simon has made enough alterations on Nancy and Monica's memories in the last week to fill a lifetime. Since I saved myself in the past and went Timeless, I didn't need rescuing from the Titanic nor did I need Simon to hide me here, so history changed and I never came to live with Nancy a year ago. After I turned, we both realized what had happened. Neither of us wanted to stay on that memory Titanic, so we decided it was okay to change Nancy a
nd Monica's memories so I could stay here again. Simon spent much time standing on the porch on our first night back, doing mind tricks on Nancy and convincing her that I have in fact lived here for the past year as her foster daughter. I helped him fill in the details of my life here. He even forged my file again, complete with my fake neglectful mom and my fake old high school. We had to do the same for Monica, my foster sister. Simon and I spent most of our first school day back making her remember that she helped me so much with computers over the last year and saved me from being a social laughingstock. It was exhausting, because we had to do the same for all of my teachers and get them to update my grades.
But it was worth it. I wasn't going to lose my second family, too. Nancy and Monica have done so much for me. Without them, I wouldn't be alive.
I snuggle up closer to Simon, catching a glimpse of my alarm clock. It’s almost time to get up, and it’s Monday. School. I don’t want to leave, but at least Simon will be going with me. “If Nancy sees this, we’re both dead. She’s very old fashioned.”
“Well, so are we when you think about it. And it’s not like we’ve, you know, done anything here besides sleep.”
He's right. We wouldn't dare. The walls of Nancy's house are thin.
“She won’t know that if she ever walks in here.” I bury my face in the crook of Simon’s neck and breathe in his salty aroma. It’s the smell of the ocean on the day we met, where he helped me find my lost brother at the fair. He smells so good, like better times, better memories. “You know, I really like this arrangement. It’s way better than having you go back to the Hub every night.”
“So do I.”
I strain my ears. The coffeepot hisses out in the kitchen and a chair scrapes. Nancy is doing her early morning routine, just like she has during each morning of the year that technically never happened now. We have to keep everything down to a whisper. Even when she’s in bed, we don’t dare try anything. If we can hear her snoring from across the house with the bedroom door shut, it’s too risky. And not to mention, Monica’s on the other side of the wall. I don’t think she’d tell Nancy about Simon being over, but it’s best to not have to explain our situation. I'd have to lie again. Messing with her memory about the past year has been bad enough.
“I wish we had somewhere a little more private.” I kiss Simon, dragging it out as long as I can. “We were only supposed to, you know, wed back in our old life.”
“Your father would murder me for this.” Simon’s fully awake now. Happier.
My father.
The room darkens like the zombies are about to come out of the walls, begging for help again. I hold my breath until I realize it’s just a cloud moving over the orange sun outside. Of course. Things like that don’t happen in the regular universe. My imagination can’t screw anything up here.
“Julia? Monica? Breakfast.”
Nancy’s voice floats down the hall, oblivious and happy.
“Rats.” I scramble out of bed, leaving Simon’s warmth behind. He sighs in disappointment.
My alarm goes off a second later. I let it go for a moment. It masks the sound of Simon donning his jeans over his boxers, which I normally watch now that he’s staying each night with me. I get changed myself while Simon works on popping out the window screen as quiet as he can. There’s no time to linger. If I take too long, Nancy will come knocking on my door.
Simon manages to get the screen out of the window right when Nancy calls again. “Julia? Are you up?” She’s getting a little impatient.
“I’ll be right out.” I turn off the alarm and nod at Simon to hurry. “See you at school?” I mouth.
He leans away from the window and gives me a peck on the cheek. “At school.”
And then he’s gone, climbing out of the window. I don't stop to watch him running for the tree line that marks the border between Nancy's house and the neighbor's. I put the screen back in right when Nancy’s footsteps start coming down the hall. Leaving my bed messy, I open the door to find her on the other side.
“Oh!” She jumps back, curly hair bouncing around her ears. Her eyes widen behind her glasses. She's wearing a new pair, ones with bright purple rims.
“I slept hard,” I say, smiling. I'm so glad to see her still here, but at the same time my heart’s still pounding from the close call. “Sorry. I’m coming.”
Nancy shoots me a suspicious look. I make my way down the hall, walking as normal as I can. If she suspects anything, the nights of having Simon over will end. He will have to go back to sleeping in that memory Titanic on his lonely bunk.
Monica’s already sitting out at the table, waiting to dig into the pancake that’s on her plate. It’s a rule in Nancy's home that nobody eats until everyone’s sitting at the table. And if you dare try to grab your meal and go somewhere else to eat it…watch out.
Monica nods to me. It’s a thanks for getting up, now I can enjoy my meal nod. I sit in front of my own plate and devour the syrup and batter, trying not to look in Nancy’s direction as she walks back into the kitchen and takes her own seat.
“Julia, is something wrong?”
Nancy's very observant. She always knows when something is going on with me. Perhaps Simon has restored her memory of me too well.
“No,” I supply too quickly. “I just overslept a little. I’ll set my alarm for earlier tomorrow.”
“You’re not looking at anyone.”
Oh, double great.
“I’m not?” I force myself to lift my face away from my food and pray that Nancy won’t see any gold streaks going through the color of my eyes. That she won’t notice that anything’s different and that I'm not the same Julia she remembers fostering for the past year.
“Yeah,” Monica adds. “You’ve just been kind of withdrawn the past week or so. Not really talking to anybody.”
I grip my fork tight. Monica’s supposed to be my ally in this. Not Nancy’s.
But she’s worried. I can tell by her look. She’s not trying to get me in trouble. Monica’s thinking I’m getting so attached to Simon that I’m ignoring everybody else. She lost her friend Shauna that way not too long ago and I can see that fear blossoming on her face. The fear that she’s going to lose me, too.
I’m falling farther and farther into a hole. I can’t see a way to climb out. Monica is practically my sister. I can't bear to lose her.
“I didn’t realize,” I say. “I’m sorry if I’ve been ignoring you guys. I don’t mean to. But nothing’s wrong. I’ve just had some trouble sleeping lately.”
Monica shoots me a knowing look, but it’s a lie. With Simon over, I’ve been sleeping fine this past week. More than fine. The 2:20 nightmare hasn’t come back since I escaped the Titanic again. The nightmare is one thing that Monica does know about. I was sure to have Simon fill her memory in with that.
“You do have some rings under your eyes,” Nancy says. She squints at me and then her gaze sweeps down to my neck. “Is that a new necklace?”
I look down. It still dangles around my neck. “Yes.” Did I remember to have Simon make Monica remember that part? She was there when I found his gift. And at least the subject’s changing. I don’t have to tell her what it means.
“That's the one you woke up with,” Monica adds. “Did you ever find out what's inside of it? Did Simon ever tell you?”
Okay. She does recall that happening.
Nancy’s getting up and heading over to me, forgetting her coffee and pancake on the table. She leans down and takes the necklace in her hand, turning the glass teardrop over. She smiles. I turn my gaze down and watch the coal flecks tumble around inside. “Where did he get this?” Her interest is rising. She’s excited.
“I'm not sure. He never said.” I’ll leave it vague for now.
“Really?” Nancy lets go and the necklace bounces back to my shirt. “That’s one of those ones they came out with a few years ago. It’s coal taken from the wreck of the Titanic. Did he tell you that? They come with certificates. ”
>
Monica props up and looks at me. “Oh, that’s cool. I didn’t know that. I’ve been wondering what it is, too.”
“Yeah.” It was actually Isabel that told me what it was right before she and Frank sent me back. Simon hadn’t been able to say a word about it until my memory came back. The Timeless aren’t allowed to reveal their own pasts to mortals. When Simon tried before, some invisible force—the Time in his blood, he said, would choke him.
And now that will happen with me if I ever try to tell Nancy and Monica about my real past life.
“You mean yes,” Nancy corrects me. Leave it to her to do that. “You're lucky I saw that. You know my interest in ships. Did you know my great-grandfather served on one of the Titanic’s sister ships in the first world war?”
“He did?” I loosen my grip on the fork, glad to be changing the subject. Nancy's den is full of model ships. And pictures of them. And books about them. It's why Simon hid me with her in the first place: so that I could pick up on the clues and figure out where I came from.
“They commissioned civilian ships for the Great War. He was a medic on one. Oh, I never met him,” she says, returning to her plate opposite me. “I’ll have to tell you about it sometime. But for now, I want you girls to finish up breakfast so you’re not late for school.”
“You should.” My mood’s lifting. I’m wondering if I can take a quick trip to the World War One era and pick Nancy up something for her birthday coming up next month. Simon must know where a rift is in the Hub that would lead to that. Well, provided it doesn’t screw up the flow of time or anything. I’ll have to ask Simon about that, too. Maybe this whole Timeless thing won’t be as awful as I thought.
