Perfectly Timed

by Jamie Campbell

  There are paintings of all types of subjects, but mainly of people. Beautiful maidens reclining against rocks by a river, the Virgin Mary holding a baby Jesus with Saint John the Baptist watching on, and a bunch of cherubic babies dancing in a field. All the people are round, slightly overweight, and are magnificently painted.

  I can imagine these paintings hanging in the finest art galleries in the world. They probably are now, in my time anyway. Yet nobody in my time would see them as I do now with their colors so vibrant. It’s like the people are actually alive and the artist has taken a photograph. Then they took that photograph and photoshopped it into something amazing.

  If I still had my backpack, I would want to take these paintings with me. I might even be able to survive the guilt of stealing them. Just one look at these paintings and I am transported to somewhere else.

  “I don’t think it’s Da Vinci,” I sigh with only a tinge of disappointment as I squint to work out the signature on the paintings. I can’t read the insignia, it just looks like a bunch of squiggly lines. I don’t recognize any name in the mess.

  “The last time I was in this era, I actually saw him,” Noah says as he shuffles back to his chair.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, he was doing a drawing outside a church. I stood there for ages just watching him. It was back when I was invisible so nobody bothered me about it.”

  I’m suddenly jealous. In all my travelling, I’ve never come across any of the big names in history. I seem to have gotten all the boring places to bounce to. “That’s really cool.”

  “I guess it’s got its perks.” That was probably the only perk but I didn’t mention it. We had enough reason to be depressed, I didn’t need to point out more.

  Noah closes his eyes, he looks like he’s had enough. “Maybe you should lie down. I’ll keep an eye out and make sure we’re safe here.”

  “I should be the one keeping you safe.”

  “I’m fine, I’m not the injured one. Lie down.” He relents and lets me help him to the floor where I’ve laid out one of the sheets. It’s still a hard floor with nothing to cushion it, but at least it’s dry and private. That’s all we can hope for right now.

  I watch Noah as he falls asleep from exhaustion. Half of me keeps expecting him to vanish in front of me. I know both of us can still be pulled away at any time. But I don’t want to leave him again, I never want to leave him now.

  My heart swells as I watch him. He looks so peaceful, even though he must be in pain and uncomfortable. He never complained about it, didn’t even tell me it hurt when I cleaned his cut—which I’m certain it did. I know I love him, it’s like I’ve found my other half. Never in my life have I felt this complete and whole before.

  I check the doors and windows before curling up next to Noah on the floor. I let the warmth of his body warm me as I drift off to sleep.

  We stay there together all night, barely moving. When I awaken, I don’t have to panic. Noah’s arm is draped over my waist, I know he’s here with me and hasn’t disappeared in the night without me. We are still right where we are meant to be.

  “Noah, are you okay?” I sit up and check on him, he’s not moving. My eyes travel to his chest, it’s still rhythmically moving up and down. He’s breathing, at least.

  I suddenly realize what it was that woke me up. The lock on the door is rattling, someone is about to find us. I shake Noah, no longer caring how cute he looks asleep. “Noah, get up. We need to move.”

  I look around quickly. The room has another door at the side. If we hurry, we might just be able to make it before we’re discovered. “Noah, quickly. The owner is here.”

  My words finally sink in and he shoots up, gripping his side with the effort. I help him to his feet just as the door is opened. We’re too late.

  “The door, hurry,” I urge, pointing him toward the side door. But we’re not quick enough.

  “Police! Police!” A deep male voice shouts. I know he’s speaking Italian from all the signs I passed yesterday, but his voice comes through my mind in perfect English.

  He quickly crosses the room to reach us and goes to grab my hand. I snatch it back as we take off through the door. Noah grips my hand as we run. The pounding footsteps behind us grow as the police join the man’s hunt. I steal a glance over my shoulder to see the trio chasing after us.

  The town is a maze of alleys and streets. I completely lose track of where we are, half expecting us to be running around in circles. We don’t slow down though, we don’t have that option. I can’t imagine the police letting us off with a slap on the wrist, especially considering how strangely we’re dressed.

  My feet are still bare, having left my uncomfortable high heels in our last apartment in the abandoned building. At least it’s easier to run, I would never have been able to do that in those shoes. I do miss my sneakers though. The corset, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. It feels like I can’t get enough breath, like my lungs can’t expand enough for air to get in. I hate this dress.

  We weave through the streets, my main concern is for Noah. I don’t know if he’s still suffering from his injuries, running full pelt can’t be helping at all.

  The men behind us continue to yell at us to stop, causing a commotion as we go. More and more people emerge from the buildings to see what all the fuss is about. I would be embarrassed about being pursued by the police if I were ever going to see these people again. Somehow, I can’t find the energy to care.

  We turn a corner and come to a sudden halt. We’re trapped. The street ends in a cliff. A stone wall the only thing stopping us from tumbling right over the edge.

  Looking left and then right, there is nowhere for us to go. “What do we do?” I ask, in a panic. I don’t want to be locked up by the police, they won’t let us stay together. If we’re apart and we’re pulled away, I’m sure we won’t go to the same place. I can’t let Noah out of my sight, I just can’t.

  “We jump,” Noah replies. I don’t want to have heard correctly but I know I did. I look over at the sharp drop over the fence. It’s a long way down, no matter which way you look at it.

  “We’ll die.”

  “No, we won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?” We’re running out of time, the police won’t hold us at bay for too much longer. Any moment now I expect them to pounce on us.

  “Think about it, Ella, they won’t let us die. We’ll get pulled away,” Noah responds, the desperation clear in his voice. “We can do this.”

  We really don’t have a choice. I nod my head, about to die from fear if we stand here a moment longer. I might be about to die anyway, but I know Noah is right. I grip his hand tighter as he helps me up onto the fence. It looks even higher up here, the cliff edge even steeper.

  “Ready?” Noah asks, his eyes reflecting the fear in mine. I nod, unable to form the actual words needed to agree to this.

  We jump off into the unknown.

  I don’t know how long we fall for, but it feels like a lifetime and just seconds at the same time. I know I’m screaming, only because I can hear it. I’ve never held onto Noah’s hand tighter but I refuse to let it go. He’s the only thing giving me hope right now.

  The ground approaches far too quickly. As it comes hurtling toward us, I think we’ve made a grave mistake. We were wrong. The puppet master can let us die, he can splatter us across the floor, never to be seen again. I wonder if it will be painful? Will we die instantly? Will they bury us, even though we’re trespassing criminals?

  Suddenly, all I can see is white light. I urge it to hurry, take us away so we never have to find out what it feels like to be shattered into a thousand pieces. Hurry, just hurry, please.

  Chapter 17

  I land on my feet but I can’t feel Noah’s hand in my own anymore. I open my eyes and adjust to the light. The sun is so bright here that it’s barely duller than the light that takes me away. I can see an image beside me, the familiar outlines tell me it’s Noa
h. He’s come too, I can breathe easy again.

  “Noah, we did it,” I exclaim as the adrenalin courses through my body. It was like skydiving without a parachute and surviving. I feel invincible. “We did it!”

  He bundles me into a massive hug and spins me around, obviously as overjoyed as I am. “Nothing can kill us!”

  I can’t stop giggling. I can’t remember when I was this happy before. It’s like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, the golden ticket to the chocolate factory, and winning the lotto—all at once. We are immortal, unable to be killed. The thought is overwhelming.

  Noah finally lets me go, putting my feet back on the ground. It’s hot underneath my bare feet, momentarily catching my attention. Looking down, there is sand underfoot, as orange as a setting sun.

  “We’re in the desert,” I remark, wriggling my toes in the soft sand.

  Noah looks down, not taking his hands off my waist. I’m acutely aware of his touch, it makes my skin tingle. “We’re going to have to find you some shoes.”

  “I know. Where do you think we are?” I slide my hand into his so I can look around while still holding onto him. There is orange sand in every direction for as far as I can see.

  Noah does the same, shielding the sun from his eyes with his free hand. “I honestly have no idea. But there are people down there.” He points to the right, down a valley. They are so far away they look like ants all walking in a line. If their skin wasn’t dark, they would probably blend in all together and we wouldn’t have seen them.

  “They’re carrying something,” I say, trying to squint to make out exactly what. It looks like they’re working, each one heaving something along behind them. “I think it’s stones.”

  “I know where we are,” Noah mutters. My heads snaps around to face him, eager to hear his thoughts. “We’re in ancient Egypt.”

  I look back at the workers. With new eyes, they definitely could be Egyptian. And those stones could very well be headed for a pyramid.

  Now I have a sense of where and when we are, I just want to keep moving. We can’t stay here forever, not when there is no food or shelter around. We may think we’ve mastered this time travelling thing, but we still need to look after ourselves. We could still be wrong. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I can’t take things for granted.

  “We should go and find shelter,” I suggest. Noah nods. “If there are people working down there, they have to live nearby. There might be a village down in the valley.”

  “Hopefully, we can find some new clothes too. I’m already sweltering in these things.”

  I know how he feels. The skirt on my dress is sticking to my legs with every step I take and the long sleeves are clinging to my arms like a heavy blanket. I think I would rather be naked than burdened with these hot clothes. But I don’t think that is a viable option.

  “We’re going to stand out terribly,” I say as the village comes into sight. All the people working are wearing barely more than a sheet tied around them. We’re going to look more like aliens and we don’t need that kind of attention.

  Noah must have been thinking the same thing. “Take off your clothes.”

  “I’m not going naked. That will stand out too.”

  He laughs. “I don’t mean all of them, just the outer dress. I’m guessing you have quite a few layers going on under all that.”

  I did. Three of them to be exact. If I took off the top layer, then it only left my underwear and a light white cotton muslin petticoat. It still wouldn’t look like the other villagers, but it wouldn’t be as bad as the fancy dress. The side benefit would be the drop in temperature.

  But I didn’t want to be the only one walking around in my smalls. “You’ve got to do the same too.”

  “Deal.” Noah moves quickly, I’m sure he’s suffering from the heat just as much as I am. He unbuttons his shirt while I wait, there is no way I can get out of this dress by myself. It took two of Georgina’s maids to get me into it, hopefully it will only take one guy to get me out of it. “You’re not undressing.”

  “I need your help, all the ties are at the back.”

  “Fair enough,” he replies as he wrangles his way out of his trousers. He’s wearing just loose boxer shorts and a thin undershirt. Both are wet with sweat and blood stains his shirt. “Turn around.”

  I do as I’m told and spin around. Noah clearly has no idea what he’s doing because he seems to take forever to loosen my dress. I’m dying in the heat. If I don’t get burnt to a crisp then I’ll just melt where I’m standing.

  Finally, I can feel the pressure release from my corset as Noah loosens the ties. The relief is instant, I can finally breathe normally again without my ribs thrusting against the bone corset. I wriggle the dress down and step out of it.

  Even though it was probably the prettiest thing I had ever worn, I never want to see it again. I wish I could have returned it to Georgina, I hope she wasn’t too upset to lose it. She would think I stole it, which I guess is true, as much as it upsets me. But I can’t dwell on it, I have to push the thought aside.

  Looking down, I’m still conservatively covered. My petticoat goes down to the floor and the top of it is just like a sleeveless dress. It’s a thousand times cooler which is a huge relief.

  “That’s better,” I sigh, smiling. “I love that dress but it was so heavy.”

  “You still look beautiful,” Noah says as he leans down to kiss me gently on the lips.

  I grab his hand and we start walking down to the village again. It looks bigger than I first thought. Rows and rows of buildings go on for as far as I can see. They look like square boxes that have been carved right out of the ground. I think I remember watching a documentary once that said they made their homes out of mud to keep them cool or something. I could be wrong, but at least that’s how it looks.

  A woman carrying a basket passes us, on her way somewhere in a hurry. She doesn’t pay us any attention. Either we’re invisible again or we’ve done a better job at fitting in than I first thought. I hope it’s the latter, I don’t want to go back to being invisible again. I can’t stand being that lonely.

  “We need to look for food and better clothes,” I point out, probably needlessly. I’m sure that’s exactly what Noah is looking out for, but I need to say it anyway.

  More people come and go around us as we walk. They duck into doors, stop to talk to each other, and just get on with their lives completely unaware of the time travelers in their midst. Which is a good thing.

  The street opens up into a square, the floor built out of stones set into the ground. Baskets of goods are laid out on the floor, being sold by street vendors. They sit behind their stock, enticing anyone close enough to buy. The baskets holding bread-like objects capture my interest the most. It makes my stomach rumble just looking at them. When was the last time I ate? I wish I could remember.

  “We’re going to have to take something,” Noah whispers in my ear. “Are you any good at it?”

  I shake my head. “Terrible. You?”

  “A bit better. I need you to distract the vendor so I can slip away with some food. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yep,” I reply, thinking it would be the easier of the two jobs. We head for the bread guy and I linger long enough to get his attention.

  “See anything you like, Madam?” I can understand him, my ears hearing perfect English again. I wish this could happen in my time too, it would be cool to be able to communicate in any language.

  “It all looks very good. Do you have anything sweet?” I ask, keeping an eye on Noah out of the corner of my vision. I have to hold his attention, the panic screams at me in my head.

  “I think I do, how about some honey, yes?” He pulls out a pot of thick goo. There is nothing I would rather eat less than that mass of yuck.

  “Honey? Hmm, looks good. Do you have anything else? Perhaps something sour?”

  The vendor rifles around in his baskets again. I just catch the sight of
Noah as he turns and leaves. I hope he’s got some food with him. I feel so guilty for tricking the vendor.

  “This, good?” The vendor looks hopeful but I just shake my head.

  “Sorry, thank you anyway.” I casually walk away, even though my heart is hammering and telling me to run instead. I am completely wrong for the life of a criminal, I can’t handle the pressure—I never have been able to.

  I keep Noah at a distance in front, not hurrying to catch up until he turns the corner away from the market square. Then, I’m happy to run up and wrap my arms around him. “Did it work?”

  He grins and pulls out two of the bread loaves. They are round and fat and I’m sure they will taste fantastic to my empty stomach. Even so, I look forward to the day when I have something else besides bread to eat. Even some fruit and vegetables would be tastier.

  We eat greedily where we stand, getting rid of the evidence bite by bite. I’m dying for some water but that will have to wait for a minute.

  “Next is clothes,” Noah declares as he swallows his last mouthful. “I think we’re going to have to take them from a house. There doesn’t seem to be any for sale in the market.”

  I really don’t want to steal from any more people but I guess I’m not going to get a choice. If we’re going to last in this time, we’re going to have to fit in better. “Lead the way.”

  We enter the first empty house we come across and scramble to find some clothes. We manage to find a male outfit but nothing for me. We try again, and again. It takes another four houses before I find something I can kind of wear.

  We take the clothes and find a quiet alleyway, a long way from the busy marketplace. Holding up the outfit I am to wear, I am suddenly completely unsure about it. The white fabric is barely more than a rag. The women seem to wear them draped around themselves and tied at the waist. They show a lot of skin but I don’t think I’m that game.

  “What’s wrong?” Noah asks, watching my hesitation.

  “There isn’t enough fabric.”