by Holly Hook
The Timeless Trilogy
Book 3
By
Holly A. Hook
KINDLE EDITION
PUBLISHED BY:
Holly A. Hook
Copyright 2016 Holly A. Hook
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Table of Contents
1500 (#3 Timeless Trilogy)
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1500 (#3 Timeless Trilogy)
Table of Contents
Chapter One
"Julia."
A girl's voice sounds the darkness.
"Wake up."
She whispers. Who is she? I've never heard her before.
I roll over and hit a wall. Rats. I'm in a bunk, not in my own bed. My father snores terribly above me. The world rocks gently, trying to lull me back to sleep.
I'm still on the ship. We're still on our way to New York. I must have been dreaming about the voice. It couldn't be anyone I've encountered before. I haven't spoken to any of the other girls on the voyage--I've been too busy taking care of my younger brother for that. I have been ever since Mother left us.
"Don't be alarmed. You won't know who I am yet." The girl has a strange accent. She pronounces her w's like v's.
I open my eyes.
I'm not dreaming.
The door to our berth is open just a crack, letting in the light of the hallway. It's the only reason I spot the dark figure standing next to my bunk, between me and my brother. Melvin sleeps soundly, unaware of the intruder.
My heart leaps and I do the same, smacking my head on the bottom of the bunk. Father grunts above me and shifts.
"Careful," the girl says. She sounds like she might be sixteen or seventeen, like me. "Don't wake them...never mind. Do wake them in a minute."
"Who--?" I begin.
"Step out in the corridor, please."
My head still throbs. I try to make out the girl. It's impossible in the dark, especially since she's backlit by the light outside our door. She shifts a little. Is she here to rob us? How can she? We have nothing of value except for Father's old pocket watch. This would-be mugger should try the rich people who sleep three or four decks above us.
"Go away," I say, trying to keep my voice calm and level. I don't know whether this girl has--
A knife.
I catch the point, black against the light. It glints with red as if already stained with blood. The girl holds it at her side, ready for use. Next to her, my five-year-old brother continues to sleep. He mutters something that sounds like pie.
I stand up.
If anything, I must get her away from Melvin.
"Fine," I whisper. I know I should shout and wake Father, but she could stab me and run back down the corridor before he rouses. Maybe she's crazy.
"Be quick."
The girl opens the door for me. Light pours in, illuminating the side of my bunk and the cast iron sink. I'm still in my nightgown. It drops around my legs, complete with an unknown stain that's been there since it got passed down to me.
I slip out into the hall and she follows. I brace for a stab, but it never comes. Perhaps I'll get lucky and she will only try to rob me after all. If she wanted to commit murder, she would have done so while I was sleeping. Unless, of course, she's a lunatic escaped from the asylum.
I turn.
The girl stands between me and my berth. She has very long blonde hair and she's wearing a blue and white dress that matches her eyes. I spot no signs of madness. The girl watches me, serious and expecting. If anything, her gaze is sad. Guilty, almost.
I check up and down the corridor. Somewhere a man laughs. It echoes through the ship and off the fresh paint. I want to run, but I can't leave my family.
"How do you know who I am?" I ask.
The girl swallows. "It is a long story. A very long story." She gazes down at the object in her hand.
It's not a knife at all.
It's a crystal butterfly.
I've never seen anything like it. Its wings resemble stained glass, only much clearer and prettier. Every color of the rainbow shines in the light and reflects on the wall next to her. Its wings come to sharp points, glinting in the light. The butterfly's body appears to be made of metal, and...is that a red light blinking on its head? It can't be. This thing isn't connected to any electrical wire.
"We must hurry," the girl says. "Put this on."
"What is it?" I'm relieved that there's no knife, but what is something like this going to do?
"A hair clip. Put it on. Now."
"It looks like something someone rich would wear." If I do what she says, wouldn't someone around here, one of the stewards, maybe, assume I'd stolen it from a first class passenger? I don't need the trouble. Where did this girl come from, anyway? Simon wouldn't have sent her. He doesn't have the money to get me a gift like this.
The girl sighs. "Please. Hurry. I do not like ships. And soon you won't, either."
"This is the safest ship in the world.”
"For the next thirty minutes," she says, thrusting the butterfly at me. "Clip it onto your head. Now."
She's shaking. This girl's so nervous that I can't help but oblige. I take the butterfly in my hands and hold it tight, afraid that it's going to fall to the floor and shatter. At the same time, I want to drop it. The light on the butterfly's head flickers again as if warning me against putting it on.
The girl shifts leg to leg. "If you don't put it on, I'll do it for you."
"What's going to happen?"
She's getting more annoyed. "Do it before they find us."
"Are you sure you're talking to the right person?" Maybe this girl is a lunatic after all. Nothing about this makes sense. I'm just heading to the States with my family to start a new life. We haven't had time to get caught up in anything strange.
She charges me and shoves me against the wall. "Your life depends on it."
"Hey!" I shout.
Someone mutters from inside a neighboring berth. I try to shove the girl away from me, but she's already seizing the butterfly. It slips from my grasp and one of its points jabs into my forearm. It's sharp, sharp enough to cut if I lean into it. The girl fights back. She's too frenzied, too scared for me to push her away.
"Isabel."
She freezes.
There's a young man standing at the corner of our corridor. He's dressed in faded dungarees and overalls, with dark hair that hangs over a sharp, perfect face. I've never seen him before, either.
"No," she mutters.
"Who's this?" I ask.
The young man faces me. "Return to your berth," he says. "I will take care of this."
"Don't listen to him," Isabel says. She hides the butterfly behind her back like she's hiding it from him.
"Hand whatever that is over," the young man says. "I can take that from you with force. Please, don't make me do that."
"What is going on here?" I ask. It's time to demand answers.
The girl--Isabel--trembles. She backs away from the man. "I can't believe you, Frank," she says. "How did you get p
ast those Chronophages?"
"The what?" I ask.
"They weren't after me. Just...those two," he says. Is that sadness in his voice? "The rifts all opened after that happened. I was able to get through. Time is still very messed up. If I don't fix this...they're going to consume me."
Isabel pales. "So it's you or me now?" There's hurt in her expression. "You're worse than my father."
"It has to be this way."
"My life depends on Julia. Don't you understand that? If you let her die tonight, then I perish, too."
"What?" I ask. "I'm going to die?"
Frank's mouth falls open. "You shouldn't remember any of that. Time should have wiped your memory of anything but this place."
Isabel stutters. She's clearly been caught at something she meant to keep a secret. "Just...just allow me this one thing. You never gave me anything else." Isabel wiggles the butterfly behind her back at me. I know what it means. Take it.
I don't know what to do.
That butterfly could hurt me. Why else would Isabel try to force it on my head?
But what do I have to do with this angry couple? What if, by some off chance, I really do have a hand in whether this girl lives or dies? Maybe she's not here to murder me after all.
I take the hair clip.
Frank walks towards us. "I'm sorry." He takes Isabel's hand, almost lovingly.
She recoils at his touch but can't break free. "Let go."
"You have to go back. You're a Rogue now."
Isabel sobs. "You know what's there. Why don't you kill me now and get it over with? Anything but that again."
I back away. Frank's saying something else to Isabel, something low and not meant for my ears. He's distracted.
I put on the butterfly and brace myself. It hugs my scalp. The top of my head tingles and my head starts to pound.
This thing is electrocuting me. I reach up to rip it off, but it happens too fast.
Memories.
They explode in my mind all at once, a kaleidoscope of color, voices, and emotion. My memories. Isabel's memories. A future that never was fills my mind and I understand who these people are.
The tingling ends and the drumbeat in my head calms to a dull ache and fades. Frank's pulling Isabel down the corridor. She drags her feet, resisting. She screams something at him. A woman opens the door to her berth and shouts at them before slamming the door again.
I take the hair clip off, angry at myself for not listening to Isabel sooner.
But my rage is replaced by an avalanche of ice.
We're standing in the Titanic on the night of its sinking.
And it's up to me and Isabel to stop the tragedy.
Chapter Two
Frank is still Timeless. Immortal. Strong.
Isabel and I are human now, along with Simon, who still sleeps on the other side of the ship. Simon and I screwed up as Timeless. There's no way Time's going to rescue Simon or me now during the sinking. It'll leave us both to die here in the icy North Atlantic.
Frank pulls her down the corridor and out of my view. She pleads with him. Why won't Isabel realize? All Frank cares about is his duty to protect Time.
We have until eleven forty. Isabel said something about there being half an hour left. That must be when the Titanic strikes the iceberg. If we can stop that from happening to begin with...
I run after Frank. Turn the corner.
He still has a tight grip on Isabel's arm. He walks, dragging her with him. She's sobbing now, back heaving up and down. He's taking her back to her own sinking ship in World War Two. Are there any rifts nearby? He'll need to take her through one. I search, but then I realize: I'm mortal again. I can't see rifts anymore.
Frank can't take me anywhere. I'm not a Rogue. I'm in my own time. I'm not breaking any of Time's laws. Frank thinks I remember nothing. He's not expecting this.
I tighten my grip on the butterfly that still holds my memories, rush Frank, and kick him square between the legs.
He grunts, bowls over, and lets Isabel go.
"Come on," I say, grabbing her arm.
Isabel looks after Frank, who falls to the floor gasping.
She wipes the tears from her eyes and runs with me. “Go!” We can't go back to my berth. Even if we barricade ourselves, Frank will break down the door and then I'll be putting my family in danger, too. The Timeless are strong. I've even broken down doors before when I was one of them.
I lead us towards the main staircase. I pause just long enough to put the butterfly in the pocket of my nightgown. Arnelia's device from the future is only thing that will preserve our memories if we have to travel through time. We huff up into F Deck, leaving my sleeping family behind. Frank calls me a string of profane things. I don't feel sorry for him. I'm glad he's in agony. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.
"Did you?" Isabel asks.
"Yes. I remember it all."
We run past the third class lounge, where three men sit at the counter, smoking. I push open the door and we burst outside. The frigid night air wraps around me and constricts, biting through my nightgown. The stars wink overhead as if mocking us. It's a calm night, but that'll change very soon.
"Now what?" Isabel asks.
"We warn them about the iceberg before Frank finds us."
"He's probably getting up right now."
"I know." I struggle to remember to layout of the ship, from the future that now never was. Nancy's books. The research I did...it's all gone now in a panic. But I can recall those nightmares I had while I was Timeless. Me running across this very deck in this same nightgown, screaming at the crow's nest to watch out...and Frank stabbing me with that knife that came out dripping blood...
We're not going this way after all. "We need to go below."
"But he's down there!" Isabel's eyes are wide and huge in the light pouring out from the lounge.
"I know. We'll just have to get around him." We're at the stern of the ship, with railings, walls and gates separating us from the front where we need to go. It'll be easier to run through the main hallway of the ship and go up through the men's third class section. It'll lead to the front of the ship. I have to hope that Frank's still out of commission, but the Timeless heal fast.
I dive back inside.
The warmth is welcome. Isabel follows. I keep a tight grip on the hair clip, the invention of my distant descendant, Arnelia. Her life depends on Simon and I surviving, too.
Someone coughs from one of the berths. Something creaks. Another faint laugh echoes down the corridor. I pick up every tiny sound. Every vibration. Isabel follows me down the steps. The main hallway isn't far from my berth--and where we left Frank. We're going to have to be careful.
"What time is it?" I whisper.
"I came through a little before eleven." Isabel's so quiet. She's terrified. And she should be.
I hear nothing but the faint hum of the ship's engines below us. Isabel would have taken time to find me here once she came through the rift at the Hub. If we don't stop the sinking, Simon and my father are going to die for sure. The crew will never let two men into the lifeboats. I might be able to rescue my brother, but that'll mean leaving two people I love to plunge to the bottom of the ocean.
I'm not doing that.
Footsteps approach.
I wave Isabel into a side hallway. He's coming. We go all the way to the back and press against the wall. Someone snores from behind a closed door.
A dark figure runs past and thunders up the stairs. It's Frank, recovered and chasing after us.
And he's holding a knife.
The knife. I'm sure.
He breathes heavily. It must be with terror, though I can't imagine what he's scared of. The Timeless don't ever feel out of breath.
I wait until the lobby door opens and shuts.
"Now," I whisper. We have to move before he figures out what we did.
We bolt out from the hallway and past the slightly-open door of my berth. Frank won't try
to hurt Father and Melvin to get to me--will he? I'd need to still be around this part of the ship for that to work, unless he takes one of them hostage. It would be Melvin. Father is too big to lug around.
I stop. Close the door. Hopefully, Frank won't remember which is which. They all look the same. And if he's that desperate to find us, he won't stop to check all these berths.
"What are you doing?" Isabel asks. She tugs on my arm.
"Let's go." I can't blame her for the panic. If I die, Simon and I will never stop her family from boarding the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945. That means that she dies, too. And Isabel's my friend. I'm not going to let her down after all the things we've done for each other.
I lead the way. Even though I've forgotten most of the research I did at Nancy's in the future--or the research that I did in an alternate timeline--I remember the way to Simon's area. They have the men housed at the front of the ship, away from the families. There's a long hallway that joins the two third class sections. And right above where Simon sleeps is the crow's nest.
It's my hope that Frank won't be waiting for us there.
The long hallway stretches out in front of us. Only a tired-looking man covered in coal dust walks past us. I don't check to see if he's staring at me in my nightgown. Isabel huffs next to me. "I almost miss being Timeless already," she manages. "At least then we could breathe and run at the same time."
I'm glad to see her back, even if this is the first time I've technically seen her. I force myself to slow to let her catch up. Isabel's from a life more comfortable than mine. She didn't spend the last two years doing hard chores. I glance down the hallway. No Frank, but that won't take long.
My heart thuds. I'm dizzy with panic. We're passing the dining hall. I glance in to check for a clock, but there isn't one. We have minutes left.
"Do you know where the entrance to the crows' nest is?" Isabel asks.
"I did. Once." I know it's close to the third class berths, in the crew area. Simon might know. He's spent most of his time over here. Father wouldn't let me come over here alone.