by West, Shay
Get a grip, Alex! There’s no damn Viking standing outside. He’s in Ireland where he belongs.
She closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn’t be taking any more crazy trips back in time.
***
Drifter awoke in a fiery rage. His Master had given him a simple task and he had failed. He stared at the piece of mirror in his hand as though willing it to reveal who had managed to stop him. Had it been the boy he chased through Ireland? Or perhaps one of the women at the farmhouse.
He rolled off the bunk and pulled on his clothing. Master would want a report. Drifter suppressed a flash of fear at the thought of facing his Master and telling him he had failed. He knew his Masters plans relied on him being able to successfully alter the past. If he couldn’t manage to hide one ancient text how was he to interfere with something more involved, more complicated?
Drifter walked briskly, ignoring those he passed on the way to Max Poder’s office. Perhaps the look on his face kept folks from trying to stop him for a friendly chat. When he reached the door, he rapped loudly and waited for Master to invite him in.
“I see you have returned.”
Drifter nodded and cleared his throat loudly. “I was unable to find the Book of Kells.”
Master puffed on a large cigar. “In what way?”
“Someone got to the book before I was able to attain it. I tracked the book to a young lad but lost his trail at an old farmhouse. I searched the area but found no trace of the book.”
“Another Traveler perhaps?”
“I wondered that myself. It could have been the boy or it could have been one of the two women at the farmhouse.”
“Or it could be none of the above.” Master leaned back in his chair and sighed. “At least my suspicions have been confirmed. I fear there is a Traveler out there that will be able to stop you from altering the past.”
“What do you suggest I do?” Drifter asked.
“Travel back to the past and find out who he or she is. I don’t care where you go or what you try to alter. Just lure the Traveler out into the open.”
“And what then?”
Master leaned forward, his lean face breaking into a feral grin. “Kill them.”
CHAPTER 7
ALEX AWOKE TO the blaring of the alarm. She groaned and rolled over, burying her head in her pillow, wishing she had the power to turn back time. She reached over, turned off the alarm, and forced herself to climb out of bed.
As she passed the full-length mirror she gasped as the memory of events came crashing through her sleep-fogged brain. She had almost convinced herself that it had all been some horrible dream. Alex hurried past the mirror, afraid to look at the reflection, certain she would see the girl from Ireland again.
Alex wondered what time her mother had come home and if she might be awake. She bit her lip and thought about what she was going to tell her mom. How am I going to explain? She’ll think I’m nuts. Or worse, just trying to get attention.
Patricia was not in her room so Alex wandered into the kitchen. Her mom had left a note, telling Alex that she was going to be late again that night and not to wait up. Great, another night alone.
Alex got ready for school, and nearly forgot her English book on her desk. She grabbed it and shoved it into her backpack, angry to be starting the day off on the wrong foot.
She about died of embarrassment when she tripped while walking down the aisle of the bus. Her ears rang with the sound of laughter and she wished she could disappear through the floor of the bus. She slid into an empty seat and rubbed the dirt from the knees of her faded jeans, trying not to cry on top of everything else. It took every ounce of willpower to ignore the snickers and open stares from the other kids.
Alex carefully exited the bus and breathed a sigh of relief when she did not trip again. She deposited all of her afternoon books in her locker, glad to be rid of the extra weight. Every muscle in her body ached. From all of the running and chores I did while in Ireland I suppose.
The casualness of that last statement brought Alex back to reality. She stood facing her locker, heart racing, cold sweat oozing out of every pore, her whole body shaking. Breathing was difficult and a little painful. Alex was afraid to turn around, certain that everyone around her was watching her losing control right there in the hallway.
She closed her eyes and focused on slowing her breathing. Alex hoped her heart rate would slow down as well. Is it possible for a kid to have a heart attack?
The panic attack subsided. Alex wiped sweat from her face and brow, hoping she didn’t smell like a boy’s locker room. There were too many students milling around to do the cursory pit sniff. Alex sighed and gingerly slipped her backpack over her left arm.
She took her seat in English class and wondered when Jennifer and Simon would arrive. Catelyn and Beau had not arrived either. Every time a student entered, Alex found herself hoping it would be Beau. She doodled on her notebook, a habit she did when nervous or agitated. She was on edge, worrying about what would happen when Catelyn walked in the room; however, she had other things to be concerned about.
Alex let her mind conjure up the images and feelings of the trip to tenth-century Ireland through the mirror. The experience had been real, she was certain. She wondered why she was seeing the strange things at this point in her life. She couldn’t recall ever experiencing anything like this in the past. Alex wondered if it had been a stroke of pure luck that she had remembered what the Book was, not to mention those little details that gave her the idea of how to hide it from the Viking invaders.
Alex wondered if something had brought her to Dublin so that she could help hide the Book. I don’t see why it had to be me. Surely there are historians that have much greater knowledge of the Book than I do. Why couldn’t they have been brought back to help?
As she thought about the situation, Alex grew angry and frustrated. All she wanted to do was fit in, and this little incident was not helping in that regard.
As she watched the other students file into the classroom, she felt so disconnected from them, as if she was an intruder in their world that consisted of boys, girls, who was popular, who wasn’t, and who was dating whom. Most were counting the days until they were sixteen so they could cruise North Avenue and have some freedom.
“Did you hear?” Jennifer slid quickly into the seat next to Alex and leaned over, a look of malicious glee on her face. “It seems as though Catelyn had a slight mishap at the hairdressers.”
A collective gasp caused Alex to turn her head.
Catelyn Montgomery entered the room. Her gorgeous blond hair was now a putrid shade of orange. There were angry spots of red in Catelyn’s cheeks, but she sauntered to her seat as though nothing were amiss.
Alex covered her mouth with her hand and quickly looked down before the other girl could see her smirk. She felt a little guilty at the rush of pure pleasure she got from seeing Catelyn looking so dreadful, but she couldn’t help it.
Alex looked at Jennifer, who was nearly purple with the effort of holding back her laughter. Even Simon was having a hard time hiding his laughter. Most of the other students pretended that they didn’t notice.
Catelyn sat rigid and peered straight ahead. Alex felt a grudging respect for the girl. Alex knew she could never sit in a classroom full of snickering students and be able to hold her head up with confidence.
When Beau Johnson walked in the room Alex’s heart skipped a beat. He was wearing loose-fitting jeans and a blue shirt that enhanced his eyes. Alex found herself comparing his eyes to those of Conor, the Irish lad. They were as different as night and day. Beau’s eyes were icy blue and playful, while Conor’s eyes were dark and mysterious.
Beau sat behind Catelyn, touched her gently on the shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. Whatever he said made her turn and give him a grateful smile.
Alex smiled at Catelyn when she caught her eye, hoping it would help clear the air between the two of them. Instead, Catelyn rolled her eyes and
flipped Alex the middle finger.
Alex glared at the back of her orange head and seethed. She vowed never to be nice to the girl as long as she lived.
The morning passed quickly. The teachers kept the students so busy that Alex hardly had time to think of what had happened the night before. At lunch, she sat with Jennifer, Amy, and Brittany. Simon and his friend, Paul, joined them.
Paul was a rather fat boy with a round face and beefy hands. He sat quietly at first, but soon had the girls rolling with laughter. Alex gripped her sides and wiped tears from her eyes.
“So who wants to go to the football game this weekend?” Paul asked. “We can eat at Pizza Hut and walk across to the stadium.”
“I’ll have to check with my mom, but I’m sure I can go. As long as she doesn’t have to work late, she should be able to take me and pick me up.” Alex said.
“Don’t worry about it, little lady. I happen to be a sophomore.” Paul winked as he did his best John Wayne impression. “Where do you live?”
“I’ll draw you a map,” Alex scribbled down the address and the basic directions. “Are you sure you can come get me? I can find a ride in to town, I’m sure.”
“I live near you actually, just further south. No worries. I’ll program you into the ol’ GPS.” Paul grinned.
Alex wondered how a boy Paul’s age could possibly afford a GPS and felt the familiar surge of jealousy.
The group chatted about the football game. Alex’s heart raced and she could barely contain her squeal of delight when she found out that Beau was on the team. I bet he looks hot in his uniform.
Alex was anxious to get home and ask her mom about going to the game. She ran to the guesthouse and was thrilled to see her mom and aunt sitting sipping iced tea in the living room.
“I thought you were going to be late again.” She gave her mom a huge hug.
“We got done early and decided to call it a day.”
“Hey, Alex.” Karen stood and wrapped her arms around Alex.
“Hey, Aunt Karen.” Alex hugged her back.
Alex fidgeted, glancing between her mom and her aunt, and blurted out her request to go to the game. “One of the boys from school is a sophomore and lives near here and can come get me.” Alex finished in a rush.
“Who is he?” Patricia asked.
“His name is Paul Dunkin.” Alex held her breath. She was well acquainted with the look on her mom’s face. It usually went with the word “no”.
“I know the Dunkins. Janice comes to the store quite often. Pete is a very successful lawyer.” Karen said.
That explains the GPS. Alex thought to herself. “Please, can I go? Everyone is going!” She held her clasped hands underneath her chin, a look of pleading plastered on her face.
“I guess it’s all right if you go.” Patricia was so happy seeing Alex excited about something that she would have been willing to say yes to just about anything she asked. “I’ll make sure you have spending money.”
“Speaking of spending money, would you like to work part-time at the store on weekends and maybe a few nights a week every now and then? It would really help me out,” Karen asked.
Alex doubted that her aunt really needed the help but was excited at the idea of having a part-time job, earning a little spending money. She would love to have a cell phone. All of her new friends had the latest touch-screen cell phones. They’d been shocked to learn that she didn’t have one.
“Seriously? I would die without my cell phone!” Jennifer clutched her phone to her chest.
“Well, I think I’m proof you wouldn’t actually die if you didn’t have a cell phone.” Alex tried to make light of the situation but she felt ashamed that she didn’t have any of the latest gadgets or clothes. The only reason she had the iPod was because her grandparents had gotten it for her for Christmas. A rush of hatred for her father rushed over her. She blamed him for leaving, for spending all of their money on booze and cigarettes and crap for his stupid motorcycle.
She also felt anger and resentment toward her mother. Maybe if she had worked instead of staying home they would have had enough money to buy Alex things that all the other kids had. Alex tried to quiet the little voice inside her head but it was relentless in its blaming of her parents for her not having all of the things the cool kids had.
Maybe I can earn enough money working for Aunt Karen to buy a cheap phone. And maybe some new clothes.
The rest of the week passed quickly. Alex was pleased that she managed to keep her mind off of her strange trip back to medieval Ireland and that she hadn’t seen any more strange girls appear in any mirrors.
She was even more pleased that she managed to impress Beau in Biology class. They were supposed to identify the parts of a flowering plant. He had had no clue and had sat scratching his head. She, of course, had read the assigned chapters and finished labeling the picture before anyone else did.
“How do you know all of this?” Beau asked after she handed in her paper.
“I read the book.” Alex said, trying not to stammer and make an idiot of herself.
“I’m glad I have a smart Biology partner.” Beau said, flashing his best smile.
He is the hottest guy on the planet! “If you think this is impressive, you should see me with history.”
Beau wrinkled his face. “I’ve never been able to get into history. So boring.”
Alex found herself becoming defensive. “It’s not boring. There are lots of really cool things that happened, not just here but all over the world. Reading history is like reading a good book, only instead of being made up, the stories are true.”
Beau waved her off. “If you say so. So are you going to help me with this or what?”
Alex was torn. She was angry at his dismissal and yet she was glad that he asked for her help. She leaned in close, touching his arm with hers and her heart fluttered in her chest. He smelled so good it made her giddy. Oh God, I hope my voice doesn’t shake.
Alex felt Catelyn’s eyes boring a hole in her back. With uncharacteristic rebellion, she leaned in closer, reaching to point something out. Alex swore she could hear Catelyn’s teeth grinding from the back of the room. What has gotten into me?
The bell rang and Alex dutifully wrote down the chapters to read for the weekend. She looked over and noticed that Beau wasn’t writing anything down.
“Don’t you think you should write this down? Then maybe you can do your own assignment next week.”
Beau slung his backpack over his shoulder and winked at her. “But I have my brilliant lab partner to help me out.” He walked out of the room with Catelyn snuggled under his arm.
Alex let out an exasperated growl. She didn’t want to do his assignments. He does play football though. Maybe he’s busy with practice and games and needs some help.
Alex and Patricia were alone again for dinner and ordered pizza. Alex opened up to her mom and told her about Beau. Patricia seemed eager to hear everything about him, so Alex obliged, telling her mom everything she could remember about him, which was every excruciating detail.
“Your aunt wants you to come to the store with us Saturday morning. She has a new shipment coming in and needs help with inventory. We’ll be home in time for your friend to pick you up for the game”
“Sure. Sounds great.”
The next morning Alex and her mother rode with Karen to the store, called Uptown Girl, located in a quaint building on Main Street. As they drove past the beautiful scenery in her aunt’s neighborhood, Alex decided she loved where her aunt lived. The red sandstone formations of the Colorado National Monument were fantastic. She made a mental note to do some research on the geology of the Grand Valley.
“There are a lot of really great trails up there, Alex. You should go exploring sometime.” Karen suggested when she saw the way Alex stared at the rocks.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Patricia asked.
“As long as she sticks to the trails and watches for snakes, she’ll be fine. There
are always lots of people on the trails, hiking and climbing and biking.”
It sounded great to Alex. She decided to begin exploring on Sunday.
The delivery truck was waiting so the girls got to work. Patricia and Alex helped to unload the truck while Karen opened the store and waited on customers.
Alex couldn’t believe how amazing the clothing was. The pieces were rich and luxurious, unlike anything she had ever seen. She gasped aloud when she turned over the price tag. No wonder she lives in that giant house.
She figured most of the money her aunt and uncle made was from his military career. Alex knew that her uncle Mark was some sort of high-ranking official in the Marines. He was rarely around and Alex wondered how her aunt could stand being in that huge house all alone most of the time. Alex thought it was cool having an uncle doing top secret stuff. She often pictured it being like the movies, all excitement and danger and intrigue.
Now she wondered if the money came from the store. The price of the clothing was outrageous. The most she had ever spent on an article of clothing was about thirty dollars and that was for a thrift store winter coat.
I can’t believe someone would spend $150 for a shirt! Alex tried unsuccessfully to squash the jealousy. She wished she could afford to buy things like this, to have so much money that it was no big deal to spend a hundred dollars on a shirt. I could buy several outfits with $150.
Her aunt ordered lunch from an Italian restaurant just down the street from the store. The owner brought over their order, and chatted with Karen about their businesses, and how things had slowed down since the economy had gone bad.
“It is very nice to meet you both. If you ever want to order from my store, tell them Karen’s name and I’ll give you a good discount.” The rotund man winked at Patricia and Alex as he left.
The afternoon flew by. At four, her aunt popped her head into the back storeroom and told them to finish up. Alex’s stomach did flip-flops. She was excited and nervous about the football game. I wonder what I should wear? She went into the rest room to wash the dust off her hands.