by Sharon Haste
'Bye, Mum,' she whispers, tears pouring down her cheeks. 'I'm sorry I did this to you. I'll make it right, I promise.'
Walking into their home is so painful. She follows her dad to the lounge room and watches as he lowers himself on the couch and sits back with his eyes closed. His face is haunted and broken. She wants to sit with him, but she makes her excuses and climbs the stairs. The tears stream down her face. She knows what she must do. Trembling fingers find the necklace in the drawer and lift it over her neck. She braces for the whirlwind and gags as bile rises in her throat.
Citronella stings her nostrils as she lands. She lets the dizziness subside. She slides to the grass and wraps her arms around her legs. She hugs her knees tighter and then springs forward, her heart hammering. Shit, what am I doing? Instinct forces her to the lake. She hovers on the water's edge, thinking of her mum, of Ash, and then of Karen. She can't let her mum die a slow death in a hospital bed; it's so undignified. It would be better if she died here, now, while there's still a chance that Charli can come back and revive her properly, so there's no damage. She can bring more people next time and try harder to save them both. That way they'll all be together again. The thought of her mum lying in that hospital bed for months or years forces her back to the top of the hill. She turns and watches the ripples on the water with her heart heavy and her insides churning. She slumps to the ground, back against the tree, and squeezes her eyes closed, counting slowly to one hundred. The dog barking signals her release, and she takes the pendant from her neck, feeling the weight of what she's done.
When she opens her eyes, she's back in the motel bathroom, her own reflection mocking her. Tears streak down her reddened cheeks. She wants to scream; frustration is building up inside like hot lava. She paces and then takes a deep breath to calm herself. She let her mother die so she can save them both. She doesn't have time to lament her failures or throw tantrums. She has to think. What can I do to make this better? How can I revive Mum and Ash without making it worse? She needs help, and more of it than the small band of merry men sleeping in the next room can give her. She needs someone with skills and commonsense. Of course, she knows whom to ask. It makes so much sense. She feels a sudden weight lift, and she steps through the bathroom door to wake the sleeping beauties.
Charli steps down from the bus and checks her map. She scans the street and squints up at the tall block of units at the end of it. Jael and Tobi had spent the better part of two hours trying to talk her out of coming, but she wouldn't be swayed. They couldn't believe she'd gone back and let her mother die again. They were pissed off, so they refused to come with her. She didn't care; she knew this was right. Even so, it doesn't stop her apprehension as she heads towards the units. She's in disguise; her hair is tucked beneath a baseball cap, and one of Jael's shirts is over her jeans. It has his smell and makes her flutter inside. Her whole body is wired as she stands at the front of the building, trying to figure out how the unit numbers work. She lifts the lid on the mailbox of number ten and lets the lid drop down again when the first envelope shows who she's looking for.
'Please be home,' she whispers.
She meanders towards the white block building that dazzles in the mid-day sun. It's five-storeys high with three units on each floor. Number ten will be on level four. She's craning her neck to see the fourth floor when a young woman with two small children almost collides with her. The woman turns beet red and apologises. Time stands still as Charli waits for the spark of recognition. But the young woman is too busy keeping an eye on her offspring to give her a second glance.
Relieved, Charli starts up the stairs, breathing hard by the time she reaches the fourth floor. She pauses for a moment before walking along the concrete corridor, checking the numbers as she goes. She stops in front of a white door with a blue number ten on it at eye height. Nerves twist her gut as she raises her hand, lowers it, and raises it again. If this doesn't work out, she'll be back inside Delany Juvenile before nightfall. She fingers the pendant in her pocket, and it gives her the courage to place her knuckles hard against the door and knock. Her heart gallops while she waits. What if there's nobody home? Do I wait or go back and try again later? The door swings open, and Sam Harris's eyes widen and her mouth drops as she stares at Charli.
'Hello,' Charli stammers, unable to find the words now they are face to face.
Before she can do anything, Sam has her by the wrist and pulls her inside, shutting the door behind them.
'It's better if we talk inside. Wait here while I close the curtains. You never know who's watching.'
Charli stands by the door, heart still racing, while Sam closes the glass sliding door to the balcony and draws the floor-length drapes. There's a slender air conditioning unit along the top of the wall, and Sam picks up a remote from the coffee table and turns it on. She also flicks a switch, flooding the room with light. The space is larger than Charli expected. There's a spacious, open living area with a functional kitchen at one end and a lounge at the other. Through an open sliding door in the lounge area, Charli can see a bedroom. The floor is covered with light tiles, typical of Delany homes, and the walls are painted white with a feature wall of soft grey. There's one fancy light fitting dangling in the corner, and she can see a worn, leather couch and a black glass-top coffee table. She steps away from the door, taking in the wall-mounted television and a few dusty paintings and Aboriginal prints. Clothes litter the couch and coffee table, along with unwashed crockery, notepads, loose papers, envelopes, photographs, and a collection of pens and pencils. Sam scoops the papers into a neat pile and deposits them on the black kitchen bench, which is already overflowing with evidence of a life in disarray. She returns to retrieve an armful of clothes and disappears through the adjoining door to return seconds later looking flushed.
'Sorry, it's a bit of a mess. It's cleaning day today,' she says. 'Not anything like what you're used to, I'm afraid.' Sam colours as she casts her eyes around the room.
Charli rests her gaze on the older woman. 'It's a step up from a couple of places I've stayed in the last month,' Charli says.
Sam nods. 'You got me there, 'she says, grinning.
'I was just having a coffee, would you like something?' She moves to the stainless steel fridge and opens the door. Charli can see the contents over her shoulder: half a lemon, wilting spinach, and a few containers of leftover food that are growing green from neglect.
'Not much to choose from, I'm afraid.'
'I'd love a cup of tea if you have milk,' Charli says.
'Is UHT milk okay?' she asks
Charli nods. Sam smiles, relieved, and waves her to the couch.
'Have a seat while I put the kettle on.'
Charli sits on the worn leather couch, surprised by its comfort. The faded brown leather is soft; the wadding beneath hugs her body like a glove. She finds herself sinking into it; her muscles relax the instant her feet lift from the floor.
'Great couch,' she calls to Sam.
'Yeah, it was my mum's. When she bought a new one, I couldn't bear the thought of this one going to a stranger or being thrown away, so I kept it. Doesn't look much, but it is hands down the most comfortable couch I have ever sat in. Don't know what I'm going to do when it gets too worn out to use.'
'Yep, it's comfy,' Charli agrees, rubbing her hands over the worn leather.
Sam returns with two mugs of tea.
'Forgot to ask if you take sugar,' she says.
Charli shakes her head, taking the offered cup in both hands. She holds the mug at arm's length to read the side of the cup. 'Always remember to fall asleep with a dream and wake up with a purpose'. Very fitting. She takes a sip.
'Mmmm,' she murmurs. 'It's been ages since I had a hot cup of tea. Thank you.'
'You're welcome,' Sam says, eyeing her with curiosity. She takes a seat on the other end of the couch, her own mug cradled in her hands. Her mug is red with white printing, it reads: 'Live, Love, Laugh'. Sam turns towards her, one knee resting on th
e couch between them. 'You know I could lose my job for having you here. But I'm curious as to why you've come. What can I do for you?'
Charli puts down her cup and twists her hands in her lap, looking at the far wall with its tiny tangle of cobwebs in the corner. She notices an insect shell clinging to the silvery thread and rocking in the flow of the air conditioning unit.
'I'm here because I trust you, and there's nowhere else I can turn.' Her gaze settles on Sam's face before dropping to her lap. 'I don't know how you're going to take this, but I swear it's the truth.'
Sam leans back in the chair and takes a sip of coffee. 'Well, I'm open to listening,' she says. 'I can't make any promises though.'
Charli nods, reaching for her tea and taking another sip. When she starts to speak again, her voice is choked with emotion and nerves. She starts by saying she is innocent and had nothing to do with driving her family into the lake. Then she repeats the story about the day of the accident that she told the detectives in the hospital. Sam nods and sips her coffee as she listens. Then Charli tells the story of what she's done since leaving the hospital. Sam leans toward Charli, her mouth falling open. Charli talks about her encounter with Mrs Peters and the pendant her mother gave her just before all this happened. She draws the necklace from her pocket and lays it out on her palm. Sam peers at it, and putting her cup down, she asks permission to touch it. Charli nods, and Sam picks it up, laying it on her own palm. The silver cross winks back at her. She studies it, marvelling at its unusual design.
'It looks ancient,' she says.
'It is,' Charli says, 'dates back to the Incas, according to Mrs P. She told me it had the power of time travel.'
'Time travel?' Sam asks, looking incredulous.
'Yeah,' Charli says. 'At first, I thought she'd got muddled up, but then I put the pendant on and it took me back to the lake, the night the car went into the water.'
'What are you talking about?' Sam asks, eyebrows shooting up.
'Time travel,' Charli says. 'I warned you it would be strange.'
'So you are telling me this necklace has the power to take you back in time?'
'Yep,' Charli says.
'So you went back to the lake? What else have you done with it?'
'That's it. Every time I put it on, it takes me to the lake at the exact same time. I get there just as the car goes into the water. I keep trying to save Mum and Ash, but it hasn't worked. I even took some friends back with me to help, but it was the same.' She doesn't tell her about the time they saved her mum, in case she could be arrested for it.
'What friends?'
'Some boys from school. They've been great; they are helping out.'
Sam nods. 'Go on.'
'The last couple of times I went back, I tried to get there earlier, but it won't work. Nothing I do changes the time I get there. It's so frustrating. I just want to make things better and go back to the way it was before. I don't wanna go to...'
A sharp knock at the door has them leaping in the air. Sam puts a finger to her lips and ushers Charli into a bedroom, closing the door behind her. Charli guesses by the unmade bed and general clutter that the room belongs to Sam. She eyes the mess for somewhere to hide. There's a wardrobe with mirrored doors at one end. She slides the doors open, but it's crammed to capacity, leaving no room to hide in there. She checks out the ensuite, but it's all open spaces. She draws back the curtain and finds a sliding door to a good-sized balcony. She unlocks the door and slides it open, stepping onto the paving and drawing both the curtain and the door closed behind her. She leans over the rail and examines the distance to the ground. The height makes her feet tingle. Too far to jump. She eyes the neighbouring balcony and judges the distance between them. I could jump across and take my chances with the neighbours if I have to.
She strains to hear what's going on inside, but she can't hear anything. As the minutes tick by, nervous energy has her pacing back and forth. The hot sun beats on her exposed skin, making her sweat and burn under its glare. Then the door slides open, and Sam beckons her back in.
'You gave me a heart attack,' she says. 'I thought you'd tried to jump or something.'
Charli shakes her head. 'I'm scared of heights,' she says. 'I couldn't jump, even if I wanted to. Thought about jumping to the neighbour's balcony, though.'
'You would have been stranded there; they're in Thailand for six weeks, not due back 'til the end of the month,' she says.
'Glad I didn't do it then.'
'Sorry about that; it was Alex,' she says. 'Friend from work. We were going to lunch, but I told him I had some work to catch up on and put him off 'til tonight.'
'Sorry,' Charli says.
'Are you kidding? What you've got in your pocket is way more exciting than lunch, hands down.' She's awash with guilt as soon as the words are out. Alex is amazing and deserves better. Her heart skips at the thought of him, and she promises to make it up to him at dinner.
Charli smiles her gratitude. They sit down again.
'So you go back to the time your mother's car goes into the lake? How does that work? How is it even possible?'
'I don't know. The pendant just takes me there to the same place and time whenever I put it on.'
'So at the exact time the car goes into the water?'
'Yes, it takes me back to the exact moment.'
'Is there anyone else there?'
'Um, no, we've never seen anyone,' Charli says. 'Although we've been so focussed on saving them, we've never looked either.'
'Well, maybe that's something to consider if you want to prove your innocence,' she says.
'Good point,' Charli says. 'But I want to save them more.'
Sam nods. 'I want to believe you, but it's a lot to take in. It's not every day someone tells you they have a time travel necklace. And I'm wondering what you need me for.'
'We need a different perspective. Someone who knows the law and can maybe see a new angle. I want you to come back with us.'
'Back to the lake?' she asks.
'Yes. Please say you'll come. I feel like you're the only other person that believes me, besides Tobi and Jael.'
Sam is silent.
'You don't think I did it, do you?' Charli asks.
'No, but I'm not sure how to help you. I'd love to go back in time, but I'm an officer of the law. I'm stepping outside the bounds of my job here; you're on bail. I could lose the prosecution's case for even talking to you, let alone testifying for you in court.'
Charli stares at her, heart sinking.
'How can I explain this to a judge? They'll think I've lost it.' Sam stands up to rinse her coffee cup in the sink. 'Let me think about it.'
Charli nods, feeling the tears well beneath her eyelids.
'Who else knows you're here?'
'Only the boys I told you about.'
'What are their names?'
'Jael and Tobi.'
'Can we trust them? Where are they now?'
'It's too late not to trust them. They know as much as I do. They've been helping me since the beginning. I don't know what I would've done without them.'
'Where are they?' Sam asks again.
'In a motel, not too far from here.'
Sam nods, deep in thought.
'You know this time travel could be the answer to our prayers if we could go back to any time we want,' she says. 'It could do me out of a job.'
'Like everything, it has a downside,' Charli says.
'How so?'
'Well, it makes me feel sick every time I go, and I'm starting to get headaches, too.'
Sam frowns.
'Yeah, my job does the same things sometimes. How many times have you been back?'
Charli counts in her head. 'Six or seven. I've been by myself a few times as well as with the boys.'
'Maybe you should slow down until we know more about that thing.' Sam points to the necklace.
She comes back to the edge of the couch and remains silent. Charli leans back, threads of exhaustio
n tugging at her eyelids and making her shoulders slump.
'Do you think that saving your family is the answer? Have you thought about letting them go?'
Adrenaline shoots through her, and she bolts upright.
'How can you say that? I can't. You'd be the same if it were your family! Besides, I thought you were all about upholding the law and all that. This is your chance to stop a serious crime.'
Sam nods. 'Sorry, you're right. It's just a lot to process. I need to think this through so next time you go back, we can get it right. There's more than just your family to worry about.'
Charli frowns. 'What do you mean?' she asks.
'Saving them is one thing, but unless we have an idea who did this, they'll just try again. We have a few leads, and I'm following up on a few phone calls, but Mal is no longer active on this case, and I'm finding more dead-ends than solutions right now. It's not looking good for you, Charli. If we can go back and just get a look at who did it, we might have a chance of getting you off.'
'Do you think we can catch the killers and save them?' Charli asks.
'I don't know, Charli. We can try. The more people we have helping, the better.'
'Are you going to tell someone else?' she asks, her stomach churning.
'Well, I need to meet these boys you've been working with first, and then there might be someone else we can trust, who could be useful.'
'Who?' Charli asks.
'I want to meet the boys first. We'll talk about it then. There's one other thing,' she says. 'If there's been no crime, whoever did this will walk free unless we can get evidence that they planned to do it.'
'How are we going to do that?'
'The best we can hope for is a confession if we find out who did it. Otherwise, there's no way, unless we can go back to before the crime's been committed.'
Charli nods.
'Charli,' Sam says. 'What do you know about your uncle? Your dad's brother?'
