Nellie Nova Takes Flight

by Stephenie Peterson

  "Don't worry, Mom," Niles said.

  "Do you have appropriate clothing for a wedding?" Annie asked him.

  "No, but Nellie does."

  Annie turned to Nellie, mouth open, ready to ask how they were going to dress for the wedding, when she realized that of course Nellie would have everything they needed. She smiled at her daugher. "Always be prepared."

  Nellie went to a bench they'd built in front of the computer. The seat was hinged, and inside there was room for storage. She pulled out suits for Fox and Niles, and a pink floral dress for Annie. They dressed quickly and Fox started out the door again.

  "Not yet!" she told them.

  She returned to the bench and pulled out a large hat and a dark wig for Annie, a wig for Fox, and glasses for both of them.

  "You can't look like you!" she told them. "No one can know that you are watching your own wedding." Everyone nodded in agreement. Fox and Annie added the final pieces.

  Fox looked at Nellie pleadingly. "Now?" he asked.

  Nellie smiled and nodded. "Now."

  The time machine had landed behind the church. There was not much back there, just a thin patch of grass separating the church from an alleyway.

  "No one's coming back here," Niles said.

  The Novas walked toward the front of the building, looking down and trying to blend in with the guests. They had five minutes before the ceremony would start.

  Fox immediately walked in and found the guest book. He turned to the last page and scrawled "One day, you'll know," without a word. He smiled at Annie.

  Annie gasped.

  The kids looked at each other, confused.

  "What?"

  "That message has always been in our guest book. We always joked about what it could be that we'd know someday. Today is the day. Today, we know," Annie said in a reverent whisper.

  "Wow," said Niles.

  "Let's find a seat," Fox said.

  The family entered the chapel, which was decorated with thousands of beautiful flowers. The center aisle was completely covered in white rose petals. Floral garlands were woven between all the seatbacks. At the front of the chapel stood a beautiful archway made up of thousands of white and yellow dahlia flowers. The Novas stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the excitement, beauty, and sweet smell. Quickly, however, they took a seat in the pew closest to the exit. They waited wordlessly for the ceremony to start, trying not to make eye contact with any of the guests. After a few minutes, Fox entered through a doorway near the front of the chapel with a minister—Fox from twelve years before, young and bubbling over with such joy he looked as if he might burst. Soon music filled the room as the band began to play the “Wedding March."

  They turned to the entrance to the room to see Annie, standing with her father, the kids' grandfather, who had passed away in 2012. The kids smiled, and tears came to everyone's eyes at the sight of his face. Annie looked so beautiful in her wedding dress, and her elation was as obvious as Fox's.

  Nellie had to resist the urge to run up and hug her grandfather. It was wonderful and awful all at once to see him. So many feelings flooded the Nova family: Happiness brought on by memories of good times with Grandpa. Heartache from the memory of his passing. Amazement at being able to see him again. Finally, there was an aching feeling, knowing that they would not see him again and could not talk to him. Annie and Grandpa from 2003 walked down the aisle, and he lifted her veil, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and the ceremony began.

  Annie and Fox both had tears in their eyes the whole time. Nellie and Niles loved watching their parents—in both past and present forms—look at each other. The love was obvious in any time period.

  Nellie and Niles thought it was fantastic to see their parents so young. They enjoyed looking around the room and seeing all their relatives react to the ceremony. Being able to share this moment with their parents in this way was powerful.

  All too quickly, the ceremony came to an end and they watched as Fox and Annie had their first kiss as a married couple. The guests dispersed and made their way to the reception. The Novas held back until the chapel was empty. Annie wiped a tear from her eye and stood up. Her family followed suit.

  "I guess we should probably head out," Fox said with a sigh. "I'd love to stay for the reception, but it's not a great idea. Someone may recognize us."

  They made their way to the exit quietly. Fox and Annie tried to make a point of keeping their heads down, hoping no one would get a good look at them. They'd just about made it out the door when a voice called from behind them.

  "Little girl?! Little girl, you dropped your hair bow!"

  Nellie turned around to see her grandfather holding her purple bow. Panic rushed through her for a moment. Then she realized he could not recognize her because she had not been born yet. She walked toward him to get it.

  "Thank you, sir," she said, looking deep into her grandfather's eyes.

  "You're welcome. What a polite, pretty young lady you are!" he told her.

  "Thank you," she said. Then it happened. She hugged him. In spite of everything she'd told herself about not interacting with their family in the past, she just couldn't help it.

  "Oh, and affectionate!" He laughed. His eyes twinkled. They always had.

  "Sorry," Nellie muttered quickly.

  "It's okay. It was nice to meet you."

  "You too. Thanks again," she said, her voice a bit wobbly, and ran back to her family, her heart happy knowing that she got one last hug from Grandpa.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The Novas returned home just a few minutes after they’d left. Annie headed to work, Fox went to his home office, and the kids went out to the tree house for some reading. Everyone needed time to process everything they'd just seen, despite how wonderful it had been.

  Nellie was distracted, however, and was not getting anywhere with her reading. She stared out the window, thinking of her grandpa. Suddenly, she snapped back into reality when she saw them again— the men in suits. This time they'd parked down the street and were standing outside their black town car, pointing at Casa Nova.

  "Niles," she whispered.

  "Huh?"

  "Look," she said, barely audible. "Those men are back."

  Niles looked up to see that the men were, in fact, standing down the street from Casa Nova.

  "Hmm, that's weird," he said, not sounding concerned. He looked back down at his book.

  Nellie, however, kept watching. She could not explain it, but these men sent shivers down her spine. They got back in the car, but didn't leave. They kept watching Casa Nova, and Nellie kept watching them. This went on for about an hour as Nellie watched them point to the house, pass an iPad back and forth, and talk to one another, eyes always on the house. Nellie couldn’t stop watching the men watch her home. Niles just kept reading.

  Nellie was starting to lose interest in spying on the spies when one of the men got out of the car again. He walked right up to her front yard.

  "Niles!" Nellie said in a voice somewhere between a whisper and a hiss.

  Niles looked at her and she nodded her head toward the tree house window. He turned just in time to see the man crouch down in a garden bed and peek inside their living room window. Niles's jaw dropped.

  "What is that man doing?" he whispered as quietly as possible.

  "I don't know," said Nellie, "but I don't like it."

  They watched as he walked around to the side of the house and trampled over some plants to peek in another window. Then he walked through the archway into the backyard.

  Nellie and Niles got down on the floor of the tree house, praying they wouldn't be seen. They could see a bit of the yard through the opening of the floor where the ladder went into the tree house. They watched as the man peeked in a few more windows, stepped on several more plants, and then made his way back to the black town car, which sped away, tires squealing as they turned off of Nellie's street.

  "Woah," whispered Niles.

  "That was
absolutely, positively insane! What was he doing? Did you see the way he just stomped all over mom's plants? And why is he looking in our house? What do they want? I don't like it, Niles."

  "I don’t know, Nellie. We've gotta tell Mom and Dad."

  Nellie agreed. They climbed down the ladder of the tree house and headed inside to tell Fox what they'd seen. When they got there, however, their father started talking excitedly before they could even get a word in.

  "Nellie, Niles. Sit down. I've got great news!"

  The kids complied.

  "I just got off the phone with your mother. We've decided to let you two go ahead and use the Purple Flyer on your own to go meet Amelia Earhart. Nellie, you made that machine specifically so you could do that and we think you should!"

  "Really?!" Nellie squealed.

  "All right!" said Niles. "When do we get to go?"

  "Right now if you want," said Fox, his entire face smiling.

  The kids ran excitedly toward Nellie's room.

  "Thanks, Dad! See you later!" called Nellie.

  "Bye!" said Niles.

  Fox sat down at his desk, happily thinking about the adventures that lay before his children.

  Neither Nellie nor Niles remembered the men in suits.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The Purple Flyer whirled through eternity. Nellie was anxious and excited all at once. She'd been an Amelia Earhart fan since she was four and had read about her in a book. Nellie just loved how brave Amelia was and how she was so strong and willing to try new things. She couldn't believe that she had the chance to meet one of her heroines. The time machine stopped her train of thought as it crashed to the ground.

  "Welcome to Oakland, California, United States of America. The date is March 16, 1937. The local language is English. Do you need any more information?" said the computer.

  "No, thanks," Nellie said.

  "Turn on invisibility shield." Niles ordered.

  "Invisibility shield engaged," the robotic voice chirped.

  The kids giggled and stepped outside to figure out exactly where they'd landed. The city around them looked a bit like the Oakland they'd visited before. The landscape was the same. The buildings were not. It was raining. Just like it should be. Nellie went back into the time machine and pulled out a purple jacket for herself and Niles' favorite green sweatshirt for him.

  Niles smiled at his sister. He should have known that she would be prepared for anything they might face. "How will we find her?" he asked.

  "She's been delayed by the weather. I am sure that she's sticking close to the airport. If nothing else, someone down there will know something about Amelia and where she might be."

  "You're right!" Niles agreed. They headed out of the Purple Flyer and stared down the street. After a moment, Nellie turned around and looked at the time machine, sitting there in the middle of street. It seemed unsafe, even with the invisibility shield. An alleyway was one thing, but in the middle of a city on an open street it might get damaged, and then they'd never make it home.

  "Stop," she said to Niles.

  "What?"

  "We have to move the Purple Flyer. It's not safe here. What if someone finds it? Plus, the rain isn't good for the electronics, with or without the invisibility shield."

  "You’re right. Where will we put it?"

  Nellie's eyes searched their surroundings under her purple rectangular frames. There were shops and businesses lining the street, but none of them made a good spot to hide the time machine. A church sat alone at the end of the street. It reminded her of the wedding and how safe she'd felt leaving the time machine there.

  "The church. Is it locked?" Nellie hoped that since it was a Tuesday no one would be using the church.

  They walked to the front of the brick building and tried the door. It opened. They peeked inside and called out, "Anyone here?"

  No one answered. The kids walked around the building for a bit, checking the sanctuary, the corridors, and the kitchen for signs of people. They looked out a back door and saw a shed.

  Niles pointed and Nellie nodded.

  "That's the perfect spot."

  The time machine was waiting for them where they’d left it. The Novas had installed pop-out wheels in the rebuild, and this proved to be useful. They rolled it up the street, into the church, out the back door, and to the shed. Thankfully, even with boxes and boxes of hymnals and choir robes and a lifesize nativity set, they were able to shift things around well enough to fit the time machine. They stacked a wise man on top of the Purple Flyer and closed the shed. There was a gate in the back. It led to an alley.

  "When we come back, we don't have to go through the building as long as this stays open," Nellie said. They propped it with a rock and walked to the end of the alley and onto a large street.

  "How are we going to get to the airport?" Niles asked.

  "I guess we start by finding out where it is," Nellie answered.

  After a short walk down the street, they found some men were waiting for a bus.

  "Excuse me, sir," Niles said to the nearest man. "Could you please tell me how to get to the airport?"

  The man seemed suspicious of them, likely because Nellie was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, which was not common for a little girl in the 1930s, but he told them anyway. It was a few miles north of the bus stop.

  As the siblings walked in the direction the man had indicated, Nellie's mind was full of thought. She was going to meet Amelia Earhart. Nellie wondered what she should say to the famous pilot. Nellie had always admired her for her bravery, for her skill, and for being a woman who was willing to step into what had always been a man's world. She was the first woman to fly an airplane alone across the Atlantic Ocean. Nellie imagined that must have been scary and invigorating all at once, alone in the sky over the never-ending sea. And in Amelia's time women had been treated so differently from how they were treated in Nellie’s own. It must have taken a lot of courage to step into such a brave role. Nellie had always admired the pilot. She knew that Amelia would go missing later this year, never to be seen again. She wanted to warn her.

  "Do you think I should tell her?"

  "Tell who what?" said Niles, who wasn't aware of Nellie's inner dialogue.

  "Tell Amelia that she's going to go missing later this year."

  Niles's face grew serious. He thought for a moment before he spoke.

  "You've done something amazing here, Nellie. You've really changed the world with your time machine. So many great discoveries could be made with it. But we can't go and change history. Who knows what could happen if she doesn't get lost. I know it's hard, but we can't change the past."

  Nellie's face fell. She knew he was right. She just didn't want to admit it. There's no telling what could happen if they changed the past. She knew that she couldn't tell Amelia about where and when she came from or what would happen to her in July, no matter how badly she wanted to do so.

  They were approaching the airport at this point. They didn't know exactly how they were going to find Amelia, but this had to be a good place to start.

  A small crowd of people was gathered outside. They slipped into the back of the group to listen.

  "I wonder where Earhart plans to fly," said a middle-aged man wearing a hat and round glasses.

  "Do you know where she is?" asked Nellie, surprising herself. She hadn't planned on speaking up. "I, um, walked down here hoping to get her autograph."

  Several people turned around and looked at the Nova children. Niles gulped and ran his hands through his red hair. He often did this when he was nervous.

  "You want to know where Amelia Earhart is?" one of the men finally inquired.

  "Yes, sir," said Nellie as politely as possible.

  "I heard she's having lunch at the café down the street," said the man with glasses as he pointed to a nearby restaurant.

  "Thank you, sir," Nellie replied and the kids scurried off down the road.

  They approached the café with great
reverence. After looking at the door for a moment too long, Nellie took a deep breath and said, "This is it." She opened the door with confidence, but her brown eyes showed her nervousness.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The café was buzzing with conversation. Nellie and Niles breathed in smells of coffee, sausage, bacon, and toast. A waitress in a pink apron greeted the kids and told them they could sit anywhere. Amelia sat alone at a table in the back corner of the restaurant reading a newspaper. She wore a brown jacket and white blouse. Nellie thought she looked strong and beautiful all at once. Nellie walked straight for Amelia, and Niles struggled to keep up.

  A funny thing happened, however, as she got to Amelia's table. All the excitement within her swelled to the point of a spiraling frenzy. Suddenly, Nellie was overcome with the moment, with having traveled through time, multiple times, with the fact that Amelia Earhart sat only a few feet away . . . all of it consumed her. When Nellie opened her mouth to speak, no words came.

  Amelia took notice of the children and looked up.

  "Can I help you kids?" she asked.

  Niles poked Nellie, who still couldn't speak.

  "My sister, Nellie, really wants to meet you," Niles told Amelia. As much as he liked to tease Nellie about her occasional shyness, he wasn't about to let it ruin the moment. She had worked so hard and come so very far for this.

  "Does she?" Amelia asked.

  Nellie managed to nod. Amelia smiled.

  "Do you want to sit down?" she asked them.

  Nellie's eyes widened. "Yes!" she squeaked. Nellie scrambled into the booth, then Niles sat down calmly.

  "I think you're amazing. You paved the way for women to do so much. I can’t believe all that you've done!" Nellie rambled.

  "Thank you, Nellie," Amelia replied, smiling. "How old are you two?"

  "Nine. And he's eleven," Nellie said, pointing to Niles. Niles nodded in agreement.

  "Do you live nearby?" Amelia asked.