by Sherry Ewing
How long he had been twisted and turned about, he could not say. One moment, he was disoriented, and the next, he was forcibly thrown down upon the sandy beach. Night had fallen, although he knew not how ’twas possible, since it had been the height of day when he had flung himself through the time gate. Looking around, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness surrounding him…and her. By St. Michael’s wings. I have found her.
“Jenna?” he whispered, watching the woman who gawked into the distance with her hand covering her mouth. “Jenna…” he tried again to catch her attention. She seemed to come out of her trancelike state with confusion etched upon her countenance.
“Fletcher? Oh, good God. You followed me?” She plopped herself down next to him and took hold of his face with both hands. “I can’t believe you’ve followed me.”
That she should have so little faith in what they had between them tore at his heart. “I would follow you anywhere, my lady. Where are we, exactly?” he asked briskly, instead of speaking the hurt that all but consumed him.
She turned back to whatever she had been gazing upon with a raised arm. “It’s more like when, and that’s the problem. We’re in the wrong time period.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he growled and looked ahead to see what she had been pointing at.
Since he had no idea where they were, he was only partially surprised to see a large multistory structure rising above the cliff that ’twas dangerously perched upon. The windows were ablaze with candlelight illuminating the surrounding landscape. He squinted, as if this physical act would give him further insight to what he was seeing. Nay, ’twas not candlelight. ’Twas fire. And ’twas growing larger by the second.
Jenna stood abruptly. “We’re off by about one hundred and seventeen years,” she answered, grabbing hold of his hand to help pull him upright. “Come on!”
“Where are we going?”
She gave him a smile that seemed filled with uncertainty. “One hundred and seventeen more years into the future. I screwed up big time when I wished for where I wanted to go. Wouldn’t it just figure,” she fumed irritably. “The perfect chance to see my favorite Cliff House, and I come upon it when it’s about to burn to the ground. I can’t stand to watch its destruction.”
“Jenna, I do not understand what is happening.”
She took a deep breath, as if to collect her thoughts. Of a sudden, she appeared as though she had complete confidence with this whole jumping through time fiasco and she knew what she was doing. “Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand, okay?”
His fingers intertwined with hers in a firm grip. “Aye, my lady.” They turned as one in the opposite direction of the burning fortress.
“Take us to my modern day Cliff House,” she declared in a loud firm voice.
’Twas as if God above heard her plea, and there again appeared the way to Jenna’s future. When she pulled Fletcher forward, he grasped her to him, for he would never let her go. The tunnel continued to pull and twist at them ’til they spilled again upon the sand beneath their backsides. Their breathing was rapid, and they both gasped for air whilst covering their eyes from the brightness of daylight.
This formidable knight was almost afraid to look about, in fear of what he would see. The sound of a blaring noise, almost like the fiercest of trumpets, along with an unusual screeching then thunderous crash, caused him to jump upright. He reached for his sword then pulled it forth, whilst he looked about him for what danger he was presently most certain to face. Two beasts came towards him from the sea, and he gaped in awe. He waved his sword in a menacing fashion to deter them from advancing closer.
“Dude, nice sword!” one serpent said.
Fletcher widened his stance, most disturbed at the sight of the glistening, tight black skin molding the bodies of what appeared to be two young men. What sort of board-like and cumbersome weapons were they holding? He had never afore seen the like.
“Stay back,” Fletcher ordered. “You shall not harm my lady!” They dared to laugh at him, only causing Fletcher’s anger to rise.
“Wow, chill out, man. He’s deep into character, isn’t he,” one said to the other.
“Yup…actors…Go figure. Good luck on the performance, old man.” The other seemed to be addressing him.
But they walked away, going farther up the beach, and Fletcher followed their retreating forms with his gaze. ’Twas then he began to notice people walking along the strand. He gawked with utter astonishment. Fletcher had thought the clothes Jenna had arrived in were obscenely decadent, but her appearance was modest compared to these near-naked nymphs who showed more skin than garment.
“Fletcher…You need to put your sword away.” Jenna stated gently. “I’ll explain everything as we go, but first, I’ve got to see about getting us transportation. Let’s head up to the street.”
After he had sheathed his sword, with great reluctance, she led him up the beach, past large rock outcroppings, and around the last rock formations, beyond which was nothing but sand along the shoreline and an otherworldly landscape bordering the beach he had never afore laid eyes upon, nor dreamed might exist.
His mouth shot open again when he observed some kind of carriage whip by at amazing speed. There were no horses to pull it, and yet, it moved. And when it stopped, he could see people getting out of the contraption. Another conveyance pulled up behind where two others appeared to have collided together. The red and blue lights flashing atop this newly arrived one had Fletcher shielding his eyes from the glare. He knew not what to make of all he was seeing.
Had his wits left him then? Was this what was to become of him? Lost in some strange, future world where everything he had known was long past gone?
“Fletcher!” Jenna called out his name with enough force to pull him from his unreal state of mind.
“Tell me I am hallucinating, and all will be aright when I awake,” Fletcher murmured with a shaky voice.
Her hand came to rest on his arm. “Everything is going to be all right.”
“I see not how everything will be put aright, Jenna.” Fletcher squeezed his eyes shut in the hopes he would awaken and find himself where he belonged. Opening them only confirmed his worst fears. He was still in what apparently was Jenna’s modern world.
“If my conversation with Sir Rolf was accurate, then it’s been about six months…fortnights…since I’ve been gone, and my car will have been towed by now.”
He watched her view the row of horseless carriages, made of all shapes, sizes, and bright colors, set side by side in a diagonal pattern on what appeared to be a flat, hard, darkened surface, of what stone used in its making, he knew not.
“I’ll need to call someone to give us a ride.”
Fletcher pointed at the unnatural forms afore him. “Pray tell, ’twill not be in one of those, Jenna.”
“It’s called a car, and they’re perfectly safe, at least for the most part,” she answered whilst fumbling around in the bag strapped to her shoulder. Jenna stepped from the beach onto the unfamiliar, hard surface afore them.
His feet were surely as heavy as boulders, and it took everything within him to move them, for they seemed as though they wished to be firmly rooted deep down into the depths of the sand. He vaguely heard Jenna’s sound of enthusiasm when she laughed happily and murmured her phone still worked, whatever a phone was. She began speaking into a small box in a rushed tone. His head spun, and, for the first time Fletcher could ever remember, he suffered an unknown anxiety in his ability to cope with these modern marvels that surely would be his undoing. “Jenna, I─”
She took one look at him then wrapped her arms around his waist, placing her head on his chest. Several moments passed afore he was able to clench her to him. He inhaled the scent of her hair with an overwhelming and familiar sense of being home.
“I’ve got you, Fletcher, and I promise, I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.” She smiled up at him, took his hand, and he began to follow meekly i
n her wake, trusting she knew these surroundings and where she was going.
Now he understood what Jenna must have undergone when she stumbled into his world. Yet, nothing in his life prepared him for the honking sound of the car that came up to where they were standing beside a stone road. Nor for the young woman with colored, spiked hair who hurled herself into Jenna’s arms whilst the two cried tears of joy at their reunion. ’Twas not long afore he began to wonder in earnest of his sanity.
Chapter 25
Amy wagged her finger at Jenna as though she were a misbehaving dog.
“Where the hell have you been, Jenna? My God, do you know how stressed we’ve been not knowing if you’re alive or dead?” Amy yelled and gave her another crushing hug that just about broke a rib or two. “Seriously, your mom is going to kill you, along with the majority of your friends. We’ve been scared to death and what the hell are you wearing for─”
“For heaven’s sake, slow down, Amy. Geez, you’re talking a mile a minute, and I can’t get a word in edgewise. I’ll explain everything, but you need to get me to my mom’s house, like now.”
“Ya think?” Amy thundered, only to stare with wide eyes at the man beside her. “Who. Is. That?”
“It’s a long story, but this is Fletcher,” Jenna answered while opening the car’s back door. “Can we just get going please?”
“I’m not sure if he’ll fit in my back seat. What is he, like, six foot five or something?” Amy replied as she watched Fletcher pull out his sword and begin to poke her car with it. “Hey…what the hell do you think you’re doing? You’re gonna scratch the paint. Knock it off.”
Fletcher’s brow rose in an expression of disbelief, but to Jenna’s relief, he adhered to Amy’s demands. She realized getting Fletcher to return the sword to its scabbard and keep it there was the next problem she would need to deal with.
“You’ll have to take your sword off, Fletcher, if you’re going to manage to get yourself in there, unless you’d rather sit in the front seat?” Jenna could see the panic setting in on his face and understood completely what he was going through.
“Nay, I would rather sit next to you where you will keep me safe, as you have vowed.” He unbuckled his belt but hesitated sliding onto the seat.
Jenna got in and slid to the other side of the back seat then bent forward and patted the seat near the door. Fletcher finally climbed inside, and Jenna reached over him for the seatbelt. She grinned, seeing his eyes widen and knowing he watched her every move as she clicked the metal into place.
“You would bind and torture me in this contraption that is surely made by the devil?” he questioned warily.
“Safety first, babe,” she said simply, buckling her own belt.
Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say, because he frowned at her.
“You dare to mock me by calling me a child? I assure you, I have more sense than a mere babe.” He turned his head to stare out the window while Amy got into the driver’s seat. His finger pressed to the glass. “Incredible. I have never seen the like afore in my life.”
Jenna extended her arm to cup his cheek with her hand, turning his head toward her. “I wasn’t insulting you, Fletcher. It’s a modern term of endearment.”
“I see…” his words trailed off. He looked petrified.
Amy jiggled the keys into the ignition but turned back to gaze hesitantly at them both. Jenna could see for herself her friend had a million questions. “I have to tell you Jen, I don’t know where you’ve been, but he looks like he’s about to either puke his guts out or pee his pants, not that those nylons he’s wearing could be considered trousers. Are you sure you’re ready to go?”
“Yes, and thanks for coming to get us, Amy,” Jenna replied, grabbing hold of Fletcher’s hands. “Hold tight. You’re about to go on the ride of your life.”
The engine roared to life when Amy put the car into gear. Jenna watched Fletcher’s expression as his face drained of color, and she took a moment of pity on him when the vehicle began to pick up speed. She could only imagine the horror racing through his mind at all the wonders, or maybe terrors, the modern world held for a medieval man.
His breathing accelerated, and she swore he was about to break every bone in her hand from the force of his grip.
“What is this magic?” he mumbled.
“It’s technology at its finest,” Jenna replied with a soft smile.
“I cannot fathom this technology, nor do I like it.” Fletcher leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
They came to a red light and without thinking, Jenna quickly undid her seatbelt and scooted over to the middle seat then buckled herself back in. He turned to look at her, and she reached up to touch a lock of his hair. His eyes bore into hers with seeming understanding of knowing how she had felt when their situation was reversed.
“Thank you for following me, Fletcher,” Jenna murmured softly.
“You are most welcome, my lady.”
With the slightest pressure of encouragement from her hand behind his neck, he leaned forward and captured her lips. It was another one of those kisses Jenna wished would go on forever, light, yet firm, seeking, yet demanding to possess her. She would gladly yield to him every part of her soul, and Jenna knew, in an instant, he would, as well.
“Great. Now I get to listen to the two of you making out with each other,” Amy huffed and turned on the radio.
Any sense of intimacy they had been sharing was immediately gone as Fletcher’s hands quickly moved to cover his ears.
“Amy, turn it down, will ya?” Jenna shouted at her while hitting the headrest of the driver’s seat.
“Whatever…” Amy complied by turning the volume down a notch or two, though Jenna saw her continue to glimpse at them warily in the rearview mirror. She was making it perfectly obvious she wanted answers, but Jenna wasn’t ready yet to give them. Why tell her the whole story when she would just have to repeat everything once she reached her mother’s.
They made their way through the traffic along Highway One ’til they merged onto another freeway heading south down the peninsula. Fletcher continued to keep his eyes closed after he whispered he couldn’t handle the speed at which they were traveling. On several occasions, Jenna could hear him praying for his horse. She tried not to let him see her smiling the few times he peeked at her through his lowered lashes, she imagined to ensure she was still by his side. But she couldn’t help herself, and she choked back several giggles threatening to burst unbidden from her mouth. He appeared downright adorable until his expression turned into vulnerability. With that trait alone etched upon his handsome face, he unknowingly endeared himself to her heart. Now it was her turn to take care of him. He would never have made it on his own, and she was happy she could be here for him.
They reached her mother’s home almost an hour later. When they drove past the airport, Jenna could see for herself Fletcher might be having another case of wanting to pass out, or throw up. She couldn’t decide which was worse. So, she briefly explained an airplane. That, of course, gave way to all kinds of questions about how exactly it was able to take flight, none of which she had an explanation for. She told him they could research aviation later on her computer when they returned to her apartment.
Jenna saw her car parked out on the street. The lights were on in her mother’s house, so she knew her mom was home. As she walked toward the house, hoping she wouldn’t give the woman a heart attack with her return, her footsteps faltered. She hesitated as they made their way to the front door. Gripping the spare key she always kept with her, she slid it into place. The turning of the lock sounded obnoxiously loud to her ears. Opening the door, Jenna took a deep breath.
“Mom? Are you home?”
A scream came from the upper floors before her mom stumbled down the stairs with tears pouring down her face. “Jenna René? Oh…thank you, Jesus…Jenna!”
If she thought her roommate’s hug might break her ribs, it was nothing in comparison to the embra
ce she was receiving from her mother. Jenna couldn’t understand a word she was saying between the tears, curses, and laughter that she was back safe and sound. She was finally held at arm’s length when she saw anger replace the joy in her mother’s eyes of seeing her daughter again.
“Just where in the hell have you been, Jenna René? Over six months, young lady! Six months you’ve been gone. I’ve been to hell and back worrying about you. What do you have to say for yourself, and who the hell is this?”
“It’s a long story, mom, and one that will take some time telling. This is Fletcher, and he’s staying with me for a while. Fletcher, this is my mother, Jane,” Jenna answered, moving into the living room.
“Madam, ’tis a─” Fletcher began, but was interrupted by her mom’s outburst.
“Oh, so you think I’m going to allow some stranger to stay with my daughter, do you?” Her mother began stomping her foot. If using Jenna’s first and middle name a moment ago wasn’t proof she was in trouble, the rapid beating of the slipper on the tile was.
“I’m a grown woman, mom, and he will be staying with me,” Jenna reaffirmed.
This only caused her mom to burst into another round of tears before grabbing a tissue and wiping her face. “I need a drink.”
Amy went to the bar. “I’ll get everyone something,” she said, taking out cocktail glasses. “How about you, Fletcher? What do you want to drink?”
Jenna could see the uncertainty wash across his face. “Whisky…make it neat,” she answered for him.
Amy clapped her hands together. “Alrighty then! He’s my kind of a guy, going for the hard core stuff and ready to party!”
“Amy…” Jenna warned. “Stop messing with him.”
“You used to be so much fun, but even before you left us, you’d rather read than come out to the bar with me,” Amy moaned.
