by West, Shay
I’d get a medical discharge for sure.
He could feel Lane’s eyes on him but he refused to turn around.
I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him and help Alex.
CHAPTER 21
SHE WALKED THROUGH a magical wood unlike anything she had ever seen in her life. The trees were so tall they blocked the sky and yet the sun warmed her skin as though she stood out in the middle of an open meadow. It gave the woods a peaceful warm feeling rather than being closed in and dark. Soothing melodies drifted on the breeze and mist curled around her legs.
A man called her name. She turned, trying to locate the source of the voice that made her knees tremble and her heart race. The voice drew closer and Alex wished desperately to find out who called to her. There was something familiar about the voice but she couldn’t place where she had heard it before. Her heart ached as the voice moved further away.
Alex called out but her voice was lost in the fog. She ran after the man, hoping he would hear her and return.
The blaring of the alarm woke Alex from the dream. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow, wishing she could return to the magical woods and find out who the mystery man was.
Her mom was already in the kitchen drinking coffee at the table. Things still felt a little strained between them but Alex was glad the icy wall had been mostly broken down.
“What did your Uncle Mark want the other night when he called?”
Alex forced her feet to keep walking. Her mind went completely blank as she tried to think of an answer that would satisfy her mom. “He was just seeing how the driving was going. Said he would take me out on the interstate if you were too scared to do it.”
“Really? That seems a weird thing to call about that late at night.”
“I kinda thought so too but maybe he just figured we’d still be up.” Alex was growing nervous and wanted to get the conversation off her uncle.
“I suppose it was nice of him to offer. Did he say when he’d be home?”
“He said in a few months. Speaking of driving, are we still on for this afternoon?”
“I should be done at the store by the time you’re out of school so how about if I come get you?”
“Sounds good.”
“Oh, I’m running late! See you this afternoon.” She planted a kiss on the top of Alex’s head on the way out of the kitchen.
Alex finished her breakfast and got her books packed into her bag. While she waited for Jenn to come pick her up, she searched for pictures of nurses in the past to see if she could spot the same uniform she had seen the nurse in the mirror wearing. Alex hoped she would find it so she wouldn’t have to try to make the mirror change. What if the evil Traveler was alerted to what she was up to? If he didn’t already know her identity, he would certainly double his efforts to find out. Not only would Alex be in danger but so would her mom.
Her search didn’t prove fruitful. Alex sighed. She had no choice now. She would have to make the mirror change and try to find out more information about the woman and the time period she lived in.
If I can do that, I’ll have a better idea how to stop the Traveler.
***
“We’re already halfway through the semester and most of you have done a great job. You’ll be able to pass and keep playing next year. However, some of you are in real trouble.” Alex stared hard at Beau and his little group of friends. As usual, they had their phones out and were not paying her the slightest bit of attention.
She resisted the urge to throw an eraser at them. She grinned at the image of their phones falling to the floor and shattering into a million pieces.
“What are you smiling at? You think it’s funny that we won’t be able to play ball our senior year?”
Alex shook her head but couldn’t quite wipe the smile off her face. “I think that if you really wanted to play ball, you’d buckle down and get to work.” She kept her eyes glued to his face so that he wouldn’t notice Mr. Edwards approaching from behind.
“We’ll just blame you for not tutoring us and the coaches will let us play. This is all a waste of time.” Beau smirked as he lounged back in his chair.
Mr. Edwards knocked Beau’s feet off the desk and stood right in front of him. “I don’t think that little story will work. You see, I’ve been keeping a good watch on all of you.” His gesture took in the whole group. “I’ve spoken to your coaches. If I were you I’d focus more on studying and less time screwing around on Facebook or Twitter or whatever crap you guys are doing.”
Alex stood there stunned at Mr. Edwards’ outburst. She knew he was aware of this one particular group’s laziness but she never thought he’d go to the coaches. Beau glared at Mr. Edwards’ back as he walked back to his group of students.
“We’ll just see about that.” Beau stood so quickly his chair fell backwards.
He stalked out of the room, dialing his phone as he shoved the door open. Two other boys and one girl followed. The other three students stared at the door and Alex before deciding to remain behind.
As she stared at Beau’s retreating back, the true nature of his personality finally hit her like a smack between the eyes. And suddenly, he wasn’t as good looking as she had always thought. In fact, the sight of him repulsed her.
Alex spent the remaining hour in a daze. If someone asked what subject she helped the students with, she couldn’t have said with certainty. Maybe some history, definitely some English. By the end of the hour, the ones who usually played with their phones were taking notes and comparing their note cards to those that had managed to bring their grades up in a few short months.
The bell rang and Alex headed outside to meet her mom. She didn’t see the Blazer so she pulled out her phone and chatted with Jenn via text messages. She told Jenn what had happened in the latest tutoring session.
-I have a feeling the rest of the year is going to be miserable now.
-Don’t sweat it, Alex. Maybe Beau and his little cronies won’t even come back.
-Hope not. Anyway, mom just drove up. Gotta go!
Alex shoved her phone in her bag and trotted to the car. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Bruce sitting in the passenger seat. She slowed to a walk, wondering what her mom was thinking inviting Bruce to come along on her practice drive.
Her mom got out of the car, followed closely by Bruce. Patricia walked around the front of the car while Bruce moved to the back seat. Just before her mom climbed into the passenger seat of the Blazer, Bruce planted a quick kiss on the back of her neck. Alex’s throat closed at the look of happiness that flashed across her mom’s face. She hadn’t seen her mom smile like that in a long time.
She forced herself to smile as Bruce waved to her from the back seat.
“Ready to hit the highway?” Patricia asked as Alex climbed in to the driver’s seat.
“Ummm...sure, I guess so.” Alex tried to swallow past the dry lump that had suddenly taken up residence in her throat.
“Everything okay?”
“Just had a rough day in tutoring.” She glanced in the rear view mirror and her gut tightened with a flash of guilt at how uncomfortable Bruce looked just sitting back there all by himself tugging at the pleats of his trousers.
“Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”
Alex turned her head to look at her mom. “Well, I wasn’t expecting company on our drive.” She cleared her throat and began picking at the skin around her nails. “What if I do something really dumb?” She finished in a whisper.
“Oh, honey, you’re a great driver. Much better than I expected, actually. Everything will be fine,” Patricia said.
Alex blushed. The only reason she was any good was because her friends let her drive their cars. If mom finds out, she’ll never let me get my license.
“Just pretend it’s just the two of us.” Patricia patted Alex’s hand.
Alex took a deep breath and put the Blazer in drive, pulling out slowly onto 5th street. She deftly maneuvered t
he vehicle through traffic as she made her way to Horizon Drive, the closest place to get onto the interstate. Despite her mom’s confidence in her abilities, Alex was a bundle of nerves as she accelerated onto the on-ramp. She’d been on the interstate plenty of times with Jenn but it was different with her mom.
Get a grip, Alex!
She glanced into her rearview mirror and turned her head, checking her blind spot for cars. Seeing none in her path, she merged into the right lane of I-70, heading west.
“You’re lucky to live in such a small place. I grew up in Chicago and had to drive on a maze of highways that held thousands of vehicles at all times of the day. I got into my first wreck on an interstate highway,” Bruce said, his voice dropping to a whisper by the end.
Alex gasped. “Was it a bad one?” She glanced at Bruce in the rear view mirror.
It felt like a hand closed over her heart at the look on his face. “I lost my best friend that day. It wasn’t my fault. Some kid was out joy-riding in his mom’s car and over-corrected when he swerved onto the shoulder. I didn’t even see him coming. Just felt the impact and heard the sound of screeching. Then I woke up in the hospital.”
“Oh my God, Bruce, you never told me that. I’m so sorry.” Patricia turned and put her hand on his knee.
Bruce patted her hand absently, his eyes far away. “After that I didn’t drive until I was in my mid-twenties. I was terrified to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. It took many years of therapy to help me get over my fear.”
Alex shook her head, blinking hard against the tears that threatened to fall. She didn’t know why Bruce had shared that story with her. Could he know I’ve been going out without mom?
“Does it make you nervous to have me driving?” Alex asked timidly.
Bruce smiled. “Not at all, young lady. Your mother is right. You’re really a very good driver.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “But just remember the rules of the road and to always watch what other drivers are doing. Things can go wrong in a split second and at high speeds, there isn’t much room for error.”
They traveled the rest of the way in silence. Alex took the 24 Road exit and wound her way through the roundabouts as she headed south toward the mall.
“Where to now?” she asked.
“Go down the business loop and head for Orchard Mesa. You pick whichever route you want,” Patricia said.
Alex turned on the radio to a station both she and her mom could agree on as she drove through town. She never kept her head still as she passed side streets and went through lights. Bruce’s story hit a nerve. Alex didn’t want to be behind the wheel and have something happen to a passenger.
“How about letting me take you lovely ladies out to dinner?”
Patricia glanced at Alex. “What do you say, Lexi?”
“Sure, I guess so.”
“Head out to Palisade, Alex. I’m going to treat you guys to dinner at Inari’s.”
“Inari’s? That’s pretty fancy, isn’t it?” Patricia said.
Bruce laughed. “It’s not that fancy. You’ll love the food, I promise.”
Alex mumbled and kept her eyes on the road. She had promised to be nice to Bruce but she wasn’t quite ready to spend an evening at some fancy restaurant with him. She fought the urge to pout and ignore the guy, hoping he would go away and leave her and her mom alone. Deep down she knew that she had to learn to trust again and allow her mom the ability to meet someone nice. But it was so difficult considering opening her heart even just a little, and even harder watching her mom fall head over heels knowing that it could end in a shattering blow that would be worse than the one her father handed out. Heartache was always worse the second time around.
“Turn left here, Alex,” Bruce said.
She parallel parked between two large SUVs. It only took a couple of tries, backing in and out until she had the Blazer far enough off the road so it wouldn’t get side-swiped. Bruce held the door for them. Alex gave him another point for being a gentleman. She had never seen her father open the door for her mom.
The waitress led them to table in a semi-secluded section of the restaurant that was surrounded by heads of African antelope.
“Wow, these are so cool!” Alex said.
“That one is a gemsbok, that one is a kudu, and he is an eland,” the waitress said as she pointed to each of the heads in turn.
“They’re enormous! I can’t believe what it must be like seeing them out in the savannah in Africa,” Alex said.
“I’ve always wanted to go on an African safari,” Bruce said.
“Me, too.” Alex smiled.
“You guys are both nuts. I’d rather stay here than get eaten by a cheetah or bitten by a poisonous snake,” Patricia said as she picked up a menu.
“It’s not like you just wander about the savannah on your own, Mom,” Alex said rolling her eyes. “You’d be safe and sound inside a vehicle.”
“I’d be the one in the vehicle that gets attacked by a mob of angry rhinos or something,” Patricia said.
Bruce laughed. “I suppose this isn’t a good time to tell you I bought tickets for a walking African safari.” He winked at Alex and she giggled behind her menu.
“Oh two tickets? Good, you can take Alex along.” Patricia said after sticking her tongue out at them.
By the end of the dinner, Alex wondered if her abdominal muscles would be sore the next morning. She had no idea Bruce was that funny. He knew a lot about history, which moved him up a rather large notch on her score sheet. They all shared dessert and followed Alex back out to the Blazer. Part of her wanted to let her mom drive so she could veg out in the back seat and digest the amazing meal. But she also needed the practice and she knew her mom would never sign off on the driving hours unless Alex had actually driven.
When she reached the business loop she realized she didn’t know where to drop Bruce off.
“So where are we headed now?”
“Bruce’s car is at our house, Alex, so just head on home,” Patricia said.
Alex let her mom and Bruce chat and simply listened, enjoying the sound of her mother’s laughter while still feeling scared of the outcome of the relationship. She didn’t want to see her mother get hurt again.
And I don’t want to deal with someone leaving us again either.
“You’re going a little fast there, Lexi.”
“Sorry, Mom.” Alex took a deep breath and focused on her driving rather than worrying about what the future might hold with Bruce in their lives. She vowed to think positively about him and the role he would now play. Alex knew it wouldn’t be easy but she owed it to her mom to at least put the fear and bitchiness aside and give the guy a chance.
CHAPTER 22
THE MORNING of her birthday dawned cool and crisp, a typical October day. This was Alex’s favorite time of year and not just because of her birthday. She loved everything about fall: the changing colors, the cool weather, Thanksgiving, and Christmas right around the corner. But as was the case for the last couple of years, a dark shadow robbed her of her enjoyment of autumn. This year it was made even darker knowing her uncle was in harm’s way because of her. Whenever the phone rang, her heart would skip a beat, certain it was her aunt calling to say Mark had been killed. Or perhaps shipped off to some foreign land where he couldn’t keep an eye on the evil Traveler.
As part of her morning routine, Alex checked her email and smiled when she saw one from Gavin.
Dearest Alex,
Sean and I still can’t find anything pertaining to this particular Traveler that you seem linked to nor why you can sense him. I wish I had better news for you. It’s like trying to find information on a Yeti or Sasquatch. So much of what we read or hear is so ludicrous as to defy reality and yet here you are. A legend in time travel circles. We need to add your story to the tomes so that others in the future will know that you are indeed real and that you had a pivotal role to play in preserving time. Please be safe and let us know if your situation changes
.
All my best,
Gavin
Thanks to Jenn and her meticulous notes, she could email Gavin every detail about all of her trips through time. She forwarded the email to Jenn and added a note about sending a copy of her notebook to Gavin so he could add it to the Masters’ tomes.
Her mom had left for work early so Alex ate breakfast alone: a bowl of Cheerios swimming in milk. She spotted a note from her mom on the kitchen table: I asked Bruce to join us for your birthday dinner. Hope that’s okay. See you when you get home! Love, Mom
Alex actually found she was looking forward to the evening out with her mom and Bruce. As promised, she had opened her heart just a tiny crack and allowed herself to get to know Bruce a little better. She had been mildly surprised at how much she enjoyed his company. He asked her about the theater, came to the latest show, chatted about history, even asked her about boys.
But it was her mom’s happiness that kept her going despite the reservations she still had. She seemed to glow when she was with Bruce, perfectly at ease, smiling and laughing. Alex thought she had never looked more beautiful.
At lunch that day, her friends surprised her with a small cake and gifts. They presented her with the cake in the middle of the cafeteria, which left her blushing.
“Oh, Alex, don’t look now but there are so many cute boys staring right at you,” Paul said in a falsetto.
Amy punched him in the arm. “You shouldn’t be so mean.” She glanced around the lunch room. “But he’s right, Alex. Lots of eyes on you at the moment.”
“She’s used to it. Girl’s a natural in front of a crowd,” Simon teased.
“That’s different,” Alex said, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as she began opening her gifts.
“What’s different? Actually, when you are on stage you’re in front of a lot more people than this.” Simon swept his arm dramatically to indicate the students sitting in the cafeteria.
