“Come on, let’s go inside,” Georgina says excitedly as she links her arm through my own. I let her lead me in, trying to relax and not let my panic show.
Chandeliers hang from the roof, dozens of them all twinkling brighter than the stars outside. Lively music plays from an orchestra huddled at the far end of the ballroom. A buffet of food lines one entire wall while couples dance in sweeping motions around and around in circles.
“I’m going to dance with every boy here,” Georgina declares as she scans the room for her first victim. Her enthusiasm is infectious, it actually makes me want to do the same.
“You’ll tire yourself out,” I tease her.
“And I will have fun doing it.” She nods and lets me go as the first boy approaches. He bows, taking her hand and asking if she would like to dance. It’s a sweet exchange, I have no doubt Georgina is very popular with everyone in the village. She’s welcomed me into her home and lent me clothes after she found me in a storage building with her employee. It takes a special person to do that.
“May I have this dance?” I was so caught up in watching Georgina glide through the crowd that I didn’t notice the guy standing right in front of me. And now he is waiting for an answer. I guess I can’t stand by the door like a wallflower all night.
“Thank you,” I say, trying to be as polite as Georgina. I’m probably going to be horrible to dance with so I can at least be polite to the poor guy.
I give him my hand like Georgina did and allow him to lead me onto the dance floor. He bows and I just stand there like a klutz until he takes my hands again. He waits for a beat of the music and steps off, forcing me backwards.
Switching off my mind and just letting him guide me is going to be the only way to get through this dance. So I try to do just that. I disconnect my feet from my brain and just let my body do what it’s told.
“I haven’t seen you around here before, are you visiting?” he asks. His accent is different from the guy that found me this morning. He speaks more like Georgina, very proper. I’m not sure if I can talk and dance at the same time.
“Yes, I’m just here for a few days.”
“It’s good timing then that the ball is on. I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.”
He’s sweet. I go to reply and suddenly lose my balance. He has to grab me just to keep me from toppling over. “Sorry,” I hastily say.
“It’s always a pleasure to save a lady from falling.” He doesn’t miss a beat of the music. I don’t know how he does it. Before I know it, we’re dancing again as if nothing happened.
The music finally stops just I’m starting to get dizzy from twirling. Someone taps me on the shoulder and I spin around, expecting to see Georgina.
But it isn’t my new friend that is smiling at me. It’s someone much, much better.
Noah has found me again.
Chapter 14
“Can I have this dance?” Noah asks. With just those five words, he completely takes my breath away. He’s dressed just like the other boys, in a full suit complete with tails on his jacket. His black hair is parted to the side and neatly combed down. He’s not just cute, but dashing and handsome too. “Ella? We should dance to fit in.”
“Of course,” I reply, trying to focus on what he’s saying and doing. I can’t get lost in my daydreams. I don’t know if I would ever come back.
He takes my hand as the music starts again, the orchestra string section setting a happy tone. Noah guides us into the middle of the room so we are surrounded by other dancers. I soon learn why as we start to move. As it turns out, Noah is just as clueless about dancing as I am.
“Sorry,” he apologizes as he steps on my foot. I ignore the pain and just laugh, I could never be angry with him.
“It’s okay, I’m just so glad to see you. You can step on my feet all night if it means you’re here all night.” I look up into his blue eyes to search for his reaction. He’s got a mischievous glint in them, it makes a nice change from the usual pain I see there.
“I hope I don’t get pulled away in this outfit. Can you imagine how out of place I’ll look anywhere else?”
“You think you’re bad, how about this dress? I’d be a freak in my own time. They would probably lock me up for being crazy.”
He laughs. “No, you’re too beautiful for them to lock you up.”
My stomach flutters and my mind goes blank. I don’t know how he has this effect on me considering I barely know him, but he does. And considering my brain is switched off tonight, I’m just going to enjoy it instead of analyzing every part of it.
Our dance—if you can really call it that, more like shuffling around—ends and the musicians prepare to play a new song. Other guys start hovering as everyone changes partner. Noah has a grip on my hand though, he’s not letting me go anywhere.
“Follow me,” he whispers in my ear. He doesn’t give me a choice as he pulls me through the crowd. His shoes obviously don’t hurt as much as mine do, he walks far too fast.
He doesn’t stop until we are outside in the cool air. We have gone out through the back of the ballroom and emerged into a garden. Roses and other bright flowers line the hedged courtyard. The only light is from the windows as they glow a warm orange.
We stand there awkwardly. I don’t know what to say or do. There is so much I want to tell him but I don’t want to bring the mood down. I want to stick with my resolve and just enjoy the night. I want to be normal, even if for only a few hours.
Suddenly, Noah steps forward and places both of his hands around my cheeks. It startles me as I tense up. He leans in and kisses me, his lips warm on my own. His mouth owns mine as I relax, remembering my brain is switched off. I place my hands on his chest, leaning in further.
I have never been kissed before and if all kisses are like this one, I want to be doing a lot more of it. His lips are like fire, igniting a flame within me that burns just for him.
When he finally releases me, it’s like I’m spinning out of control for a moment. I can only stare at him like an idiot while I gather my thoughts.
“Sorry,” he begins. “I just didn’t want to be pulled away again without doing that.”
The whole situation suddenly seems so bizarre that I can’t help but laugh. “Don’t apologize, I’m glad you did.”
He starts laughing too as we’re both giddy with joy. We actually made it through a whole conversation without either of us leaving. That is a record for us.
Noah grabs my hand again and leads me to one of the seats surrounding the courtyard. It’s darker here, the glow and music from the ball just a whisper. I look up at Noah. His gaze is intense as he stares back at me. Something is troubling him, I can tell from the slump in his shoulders.
“What are you not saying?” I ask, pretty sure I don’t want to hear the answers. But I have to, either of us could leave at any time so we can’t beat around the bush. It’s either now or maybe never.
“I don’t want to ruin the moment.”
“Noah, we aren’t guaranteed of another moment. Spill.”
He hesitates for another few agonizing seconds before finally releasing the breath he was holding. “Someone’s been following me.”
“Following you through time?” I ask. “They’re a time traveler too?”
“He has to be. No matter where I go, he’s there. At first I thought I was seeing things but then I started paying more attention and it’s the same man. He’s everywhere.” Noah’s eyes are wide open as he recalls the memories. I’m sure even the thought of the man scares him. I hold both of his hands in my own, squeezing them tight.
A memory of my own suddenly flashes into my mind. When I was in the medieval barn, the man that was staring at me completely freaked me out at the time. I doubt it is the same guy, but I can’t keep the incident to myself. “Did he have a dark beard and was solidly built?”
“Yes, and his hair is long and dark too. Please tell me you haven’t seen him too?” Noah watches me as I nod. The man’s image
is burned into my mind. I couldn’t forget the way he was looking at me with grievous intent. He made my skin crawl then and he still does now.
“What do you think he wants?” I ask.
“I don’t know and I don’t think I want to either. He makes my blood run cold with just one look.”
I know what he means. I might have thought that, if he was just a time traveler too, maybe he was curious about us and wanted to speak. Yet the feeling I got in my gut from just one encounter with him was enough to think that wasn’t true. Noah obviously had more encounters and they didn’t get any better the more he saw him.
I lean against Noah and let my head rest on his shoulder. I’m suddenly tired. My feet hurt and dancing like I have no cares in the world seems so wrong now. I don’t belong in this time, no matter how much I pretend I do.
“Where are you staying?” Noah asks, wrapping his arm around my back and resting his hand on my waist. It feels good here, like this is where I belong. It doesn’t matter in which time or place, just right here by his side.
“Nowhere. I slept in a storage shed last night. What about you?”
“I found an empty building. I think it’s been abandoned,” Noah explains before hesitating. I know there is something else he wants to say so I wait patiently. Finally, he blurts out: “Do you want to stay with me?”
I do.
Even when one of us will be pulled away at any time, I want to spend every moment before that with him. Georgina won’t miss me, I will return her dress tomorrow if I’m still here. “Yes, I would like that.”
We stand together, Noah’s arm still around me. My feet are killing me as I walk, I’m sure there are blisters on each ankle. I don’t know when Band Aids were invented, but I dare say it would be difficult to find them in this time. I’m just going to have to suck it up.
Noah’s temporary home is a small apartment above an empty shop. Just like he said, the whole thing looks completely abandoned. I had passed the same building when I ventured into the village to get food and didn’t even consider it a good hiding place. Noah is so much better at the whole time travelling thing than I am.
He lights a lantern so we can actually see what we are doing and places it gently on the floor in the middle of the room. For the first time I notice the windows are covered with burlap sacks, ensuring complete privacy from the outside.
I’ve never spent this much time with Noah before, I don’t really know what I should do or say. We stand in the small room awkwardly, looking at each other.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, curious that he’s had time to make a somewhat comfortable home. A stack of blankets sit on one side of the room, forming a makeshift bed. It’s more than I could muster for one night.
“Three days.”
“I’ve been here two. Well, one and a half, I guess.”
Noah looks troubled again, he sits on the floor to stop himself from pacing. “I haven’t been staying anywhere this long in weeks. It’s like everything is changing all over again.”
I join him on the floor, examining his troubled face. My dress surrounds me like a moat made out of fluffy cream. I would really like to take it off and put on jeans and a T-shirt but unfortunately I don’t have either of those things. I don’t know how I’m ever going to sleep in this tight corset. Once I lie down, I don’t think I’ll be able to get myself back up again. I don’t exactly bend in this gown.
“At least we’re together, for as long as it lasts,” I comment, trying to be positive. There is no use dwelling on all the doom and gloom, I just want to be happy tonight. “I didn’t know whether I would ever see you again.”
“I think about you… a lot.” He flicks his eyes from the floor to me quickly, as if to judge my reaction to his remark. I give him a reassuring smile.
“I think about you too… a lot,” I reply, only telling him the truth. I refrain from saying exactly how much I care about him. He kissed me but I don’t know whether that means he loves me too. It feels ridiculous to be so in love with someone I have barely even spent any time with. But I am, I know it with all my heart.
“You said you’ve been travelling for four years, what was your life like before that?” he asks.
He looks at me curiously, waiting for my answer. I don’t want to hide anything from him, I’m happy to share what I can.
“It was pretty good. I have two brothers and a set of parents. We were a close family. I went to school, had a few friends, the usual. There was nothing out of the ordinary, which is why it’s so hard to understand why all of this is happening.”
Noah nods, as if he completely understands what I’m saying. “I have a sister and a brother. My parents are divorced but it was amicable. They still talked and were great parents. Even when my father got remarried, we all stayed close.”
“Did you completely freak out the first time you bounced somewhere?”
He laughs with the memory. “I thought I was dreaming. I actually pinched myself to wake up.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did, how was I supposed to know I was actually time travelling?”
“How did you figure it out?” I remember my first time. I freaked out and then spent hours wandering around trying to find my family. I thought we might have been at an amusement park or something. It took an entire day for me to realize it was real and actually happening. Only when I was pulled away again did I realize I was actually travelling through time. I think it took several bounces before I believed it.
“I started to speak with people and they had no idea what I was saying,” Noah explains. “I asked for a hotel or a telephone and it was in the dark ages so they basically wanted to burn me for being a witch or something. I started to hide after that.”
“You have to think of everything before you say something,” I comment. It feels so good being able to talk to someone who completely understands everything. “If you say just one weird thing, they instantly think there’s something wrong with you.”
“Which only leads to more questions.”
“Exactly! It just got easier to not talk to people and stay away from everyone.”
Noah’s eyes are bright and alert as he nods enthusiastically. “And then you realize that people can’t see you because you’re invisible.”
“Which is just before you realize how lonely it is not being able to communicate with people anymore.” The emotion of the thought takes me by surprise. As soon as the words are from my lips, I feel like crying. I have been alone for so long, two whole years without people being able to see me. That is a long time to be on your own and not have any connections with another human being.
I can’t stop the tears as they start to well in my eyes. I can’t hold back the waves of emotion that pass over me. Noah gets up and settles himself beside me, having to negotiate around my dress as he does.
He wraps me in his arms and pulls me close. I hold on to him like there is no tomorrow. I rest my head on his shoulder and let myself be encased in his warmth. His heart beats right next to mine, I can feel it through my chest—even through the damned corset.
The minutes pass us by as we stay together, neither wanting to move. I’ve waited for two years to feel this close to another person and it couldn’t have come soon enough.
Noah is more than I could ever have dreamed of. His arms are strong around me. I feel so safe, like nothing can hurt me again.
Eventually, we part. Noah’s shoulder is wet from my tears. We spend the rest of the night talking about our lives. I don’t hold anything back and I doubt Noah does either. In the warm orange glow of the lantern, the rest of the world doesn’t exist. It’s just Noah and I in the entire universe.
Sometime in the early hours of the morning, we fall asleep in each other’s arms on the blankets. I can feel Noah’s body pressed up against my back, my own solid wall to lean against. Nowhere has ever been that comfortable before.
Chapter 15
My eyes burst open with panic. I struggle
to sit up in my bone corset dress and quickly scan the room. I haven’t gone anywhere, I’m still in the abandoned apartment above the empty store but I’m alone.
Noah’s gone.
I don’t know why I should have expected anything more. Of course he’s gone, probably pulled away while we both slept. He probably awoke somewhere strange and wondered what on earth was going on. At least I stayed and can understand my surroundings. At least that is something, I guess.
I miss him already. It seems cruel to have given us a night together and then taken him away before we could say goodbye. Whoever is behind all this continues to prove that they don’t care about us at all.
My resolve to do anything quickly dissipates. I can’t even be bothered to get up and find something to eat. I should return to Georgina’s and change back into my stolen dress. My backpack will still be at her house, I should fill it with supplies before I’m taken away too. There are so many things I should do and nothing I actually want to do.
Footsteps start to approach and my decision is made for me. I jump to my feet and quickly search around for a hiding place. It’s going to be difficult to explain my presence here, there is no reason why I should be in an abandoned apartment. Would my lost excuse work again? I doubt it.
I stand and wait, feeling like a trapped animal. There is no back exit to this room, only one door in and out. I smooth my dress and hair, perhaps if I look presentable enough they’ll trust whatever I say without question. I have Georgina’s name now to throw about, she can somewhat vouch for me. Perhaps I won’t be thrown in jail for trespassing.
The footsteps stop at the door and the handle turns. I hold my breath, adrenalin coursing through my body. My feet are ready to flee if I need to, my hands ready to defend me for the same reason. I shuffle from foot to foot with nerves and anticipation.
Suddenly, the door swings open and I freeze. Relief and disbelief flood through me. It’s not an angry member of the public or the police, it’s Noah.
Perfectly Timed Page 13
