by West, Shay
“I love you, Alex, but you are seriously the biggest nerd I’ve ever known.”
Alex punched Jenn in the arm as they walked to Jenn’s car. “I can’t help it if I actually enjoy school. Maybe it’s because it comes easy for me.”
“Rub it in why don’t ya?”
“Hey, I can’t help it if I’m academically inclined,” Alex said.
“At least we’re friends and I can take advantage of your large melon.”
“Oh, so you’re just using me for my brain, is that it?” Alex said.
“Of course,” Jenn said with a grin as she slipped into the driver’s seat.
Jenn turned up the radio and the two sang along as they drove the few blocks to the college. Alex had tried to talk Jenn into leaving her car at the high school and just walking over to the college, but Jenn enjoyed driving too much and the thought of walking back to the car after dark wasn’t too appealing.
“What if we get mugged or something?” Jenn had asked when Alex teased her about driving a few blocks.
“There are plenty of other students who walk back. If we’re all together, I seriously doubt anyone will mess with us.”
“Well, you can walk. I prefer driving.”
As the girls walked to the theater building on campus, Alex sensed Jenn wanting to ask her something and she had a feeling she knew what Jenn wanted to bring up. Alex’s stomach coiled into knots.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen Drake?”
“Why does it matter?” Alex said, trying to do the math in her head. She didn’t want to admit that it had been so long since she’d seen Drake that she couldn’t remember exactly when they had seen each other last.
“Well, at least he’s moved on, right?”
“I guess.”
Jenn stopped before she opened the door. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling bad all of a sudden. Every time I brought him up, you just blew me off.”
“I’m not feeling bad about not wanting to see him anymore. I’m mad that I had to find out about it on Facebook.”
“Since you refused to even speak to him...” Jenn said, looking away.
“You’re right, is that what you want to hear? You’re right and I’m wrong and everything is as it should be. So let’s just get in there and get this over with.” Alex pushed past Jenn and opened the door.
Ms. Ashton was near the stage handing out packets that contained the parts and lines for the try-outs. She refused to give parts to anyone that didn’t come to the try-outs. Just because someone starred in one play didn’t mean they would automatically be in the next one.
“Our first play this year will be Rehearsal For Murder. This will be unlike anything you’ve ever done before. Try-outs will be next week so you don’t have much time to learn the lines of the character you want to play.”
Alex tuned out Ms. Ashton as she flipped through the packet. It gave her something to do other than staring at Drake and the girl hanging on his arm. Alex thought her name was Andrea or Angela or something like that. When Drake’s new girlfriend smirked when she saw Alex watching them, Alex fumed and refused to give them the time of day.
“This looks like it’s gonna be a fun play, Alex. Too bad we’re in it and will know whodunit,” Jenn said.
Alex mumbled incoherently and continued flipping through the packet, hardly noticing anything about the characters.
“You’re not fooling me ya know.”
Alex shoved Jenn and smiled.
“Hey guys!”
Alex looked up and grinned. “Hey, Amy.” She didn’t have any classes with Amy this year and she missed seeing her friend.
“I read this book over the summer. You guys, this play will be the coolest ever!” Amy clapped her hands.
Amy chatted about what she did over the summer, her classes, and her budding relationship with Paul. Alex was happy for them both. Jennifer, Amy, Paul, and Simon had been the only ones that had spoken to her when she had first moved to town just before her freshman year. She had been so worried about making friends but the four of them had made it so easy.
Alex stole glances at Drake and the new girl while pretending to be enthralled with Amy’s description of her family vacation to Yellowstone National park. Drake tried so hard not to look at Alex that he might as well have been screaming her name.
You’d think I would care more about being dumped by my first boyfriend.
She wasn’t happy about the status change on Facebook that announced their break-up but if she was honest, Alex had to admit that she wasn’t even really that upset about it.
“So can you come, Alex?”
“Huh, what?”
“You didn’t hear one word I said, did you?”
“Sorry, Amy. I was concentrating on reading the parts,” Alex said, knowing Amy didn’t believe her.
“I was inviting you to come to Banana’s Fun Park for my birthday tomorrow.”
Alex groaned. “I wish I could but I gotta work tomorrow after school.” Sometimes Alex wished she didn’t work at her aunt’s clothing stores. However, it was nice having spending money.
“You can’t ask for the night off?” Amy begged.
“I was the one that picked this schedule so I feel bad asking for the night off.”
“Well, it sucks that it’s the weekend of my birthday. Looks like rehearsals are over. Gotta run!”
Alex hurried after Amy, unwilling to spend another minute stealing glances at Drake and afraid he would want to speak to her. Her heart rate slowed as they got further from the theater.
“You can’t avoid him forever you know,” Jenn said.
Alex sighed. “I can sure try.”
CHAPTER 6
DRIFTER WALKED with a brisk pace, hand flicking to his head in brusque salutes when he approached a senior officer. He ignored the wide eyes and quick side-steps of those in his way as he barreled across the tarmac, heading back to the barracks.
He couldn’t remember ever being this angry. It took every ounce of will power not to grab the nearest man and squeeze the life out of him. When these fantasies filled his mind, the man always had Mark’s face.
“Where you headed, Stygian?”
Drifter refused to look at Mark. The infernal man matched his quick pace. “Barracks.”
“Having more issues with your ‘condition’?”
Drifter remained silent, refusing to rise to the bait.
“This chat was nice. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
Lane Stygian made his way to the barracks, fury flowing through his veins. He wished Master would send the meddling man to some far corner of the globe on a fake intel mission. How can I complete my mission with Mark looking over my shoulder?
Drifter opened the door to the barracks so forcefully he nearly tore it from the hinges. He stalked to his trunk and grabbed his laptop. He may not be able to travel back in time but he could still move forward on Master’s plan. If he was to be successful, Drifter knew he would have to spend some time on the internet looking for the research article Master wanted him to find and spend even more time memorizing the contents.
As he waited for the laptop to start up, Drifter grinned, the eerie blue light from the computer illuminating his maniacal grin.
***
Mark watched Lane Stygian walk into the barracks. He curled his hands into fists. If he didn’t need to report to a debriefing in ten minutes, he’d follow the man to see what he was up to. He’d never forget the day he walked in on Lane lying on his bed, eyes staring at the bunk above, body cold as ice. The story Stygian and Max Poder had cooked up about Lane having some sort of affliction sounded even more ridiculous now than it did when they had first said it.
The only affliction Mark knew that caused a body to go cold like that was death.
As he made his way to the debriefing, Mark vowed to keep an eye on Stygian and find out more about his mysterious affliction.
CHAPTER 7
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN you didn’t do the assi
gnment I gave you?” Alex glared at Beau, trying to ignore how sexy he looked when his blonde hair fell over his forehead.
“Come on, Alex. I’ve explained this to you before. I am going to be a professional football player and don’t need to worry about school. The lame assignment you gave us is just a waste of time.”
Alex gulped as Beau moved closer. He smells so good! He smiled down at her and her heart skipped a beat. She hoped her face wasn’t turning red. She wasn’t one of those girls that looked good when she blushed.
The moment was ruined as the rest of the students filed into the classroom. They split into their two groups and Alex asked for their note cards she’d asked them to make over the weekend. Only four students had them. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly. She gathered the note cards and motioned the students to come with her to the far corner of the room.
“Do you want us all to follow you?”
Alex turned and faced the students who hadn’t done their note cards and she bit back a smile at their uncertainty. Some were standing while the others were sitting and looking confused. “I only need the ones who actually did their assignment. You guys are on your own for the day.”
Alex bit her lip at the indignant snorts and comments that followed her.
The afternoon flew by as Alex took turns quizzing the students with their note cards. They couldn’t quite get through all the questions without having to look at the answer but Alex was pleased with their progress.
“If you guys keep this up, you’ll pass your classes for sure,” she said.
Alex hurriedly shoved her books in her bag and trotted out the door. Her stomach was fluttery and just a bit nauseous. She replayed her Driver’s Education book in her head, trying to remember everything she had been studying. For the first time since Jenn’s revelation that Sean and Gavin may be alive in the present, Alex wasn’t thinking of locating the pair, nor why she had returned so abruptly before saving anyone from the past. She wasn’t even thinking about Beau and how good he smelled, how he drove her crazy and not necessarily in a good way.
Her focus was on obtaining her driving permit.
She’d studied until she was sure she could recite the book by heart. Her Aunt Karen even let her read a little when not waiting on customers at the store. Her friends encouraged her and yet teased her as only best friends can do since she was the only one who didn’t have her license yet. Alex was bummed that she had to have the permit for a year and that she had to keep careful logs of her driving time with a licensed adult.
At least I’ll get it before I’m thirty!Alex jumped as her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and smiled when she saw the text message from Jenn: -Good luck on your test!
In seconds, her phone vibrated again, this time with words of encouragement from Amy. Alex smiled when Simon and Paul sent similar messages, although their texts were more sarcastic than supportive.
Her heart filled to bursting with happiness, she rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks.
Drake and his new girlfriend were standing by the lockers and they were locked in a passionate embrace. The pair didn’t notice her approaching. What the heck do I do now?
Alex took a deep breath and stared at the phone in her hands, pushing buttons as though she were texting or checking her Facebook status. She refused to glance at Drake and his new girlfriend macking on each other. Her face flushed and her hands shook so badly she hoped she wouldn’t drop her phone. She swore the kissing noises got louder as she walked by but she ignored them and bolted out the door, still staring at her phone as though engrossed in the best conversation she’d ever had.
Her mom was waiting in the parking lot. Alex tossed her bag in the back seat of the Blazer and scrambled into the front seat. The uncomfortable encounter in the hallway stole some of the excitement at the prospect of getting her permit.
“You seem distracted, Lexi. What’s up?”
Alex smiled at her mom’s pet name for her. “Just having trouble with some of the kids in the tutoring group.”
“Are they giving you a hard time?”
“Yup. But if they fail, it won’t be because I didn’t try to help.”
Alex was dismayed at the line at the DMV and hoped she would even be able to take the test. After choosing a number and taking a seat, Alex stared out the window, her mind wandering back to her last trip through the mirror, which made her think of Sean and Gavin. She wished she truly did have Internet on her phone so she could kill time doing Google searches for the Scottish pair.
“Karen invited us over for dinner this weekend. Mark’s back in town for a while.”
“It must be hard for her to have him gone so much.”
“I’m sure it is. At least she has the stores to keep her busy.”
Alex nodded. “That’s true. Still, to only see him a couple times a year. Not sure I could do it.”
“Karen knew what she was marrying into. Mark was in the military when they met and he was very honest with her about what he wanted as far as his career and family.”
“It was his idea not to have kids?”
“It was both, I think. Karen never showed any interest in having kids and Mark never mentioned wanting them as far as I know.”
“Why didn’t you ever have more?”
“Because I stopped after having the perfect daughter.”
Alex smiled as her mom hugged her. The words made her feel special even though she knew she wasn’t perfect. She’d always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. A big brother, or little sister perhaps. Her other friends had brothers and sisters and they assured her it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, although none of them would give their siblings away.
“Number 243.”
“That’s us, Alex.”
Alex shook her head. “So soon?” She peered around the room and was surprised to find that many of the chairs were now empty.
Alex rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans and made her way to the front desk. She waited impatiently while the clerk took down the information, marveling at how quickly the woman’s fingers tracked over the keys.
The woman handed Alex the test packet and pointed to a partitioned desk. There were several other people there, heads bent, hands moving over the keyboard furiously. She found an empty spot and opened the program on the computer. When the answer to the first question came quickly and easily to mind, Alex relaxed and finished her text before many of the others that had been there before her.
“So how do you think you did?” her mom asked.
“I think I passed. I feel like I knew everything.”
“Knowing you, you aced it.”
When the nice lady called her back up, Alex walked to the counter on wobbly legs. The woman had a smile on her face which put Alex at ease.
“You passed with flying colors, young lady. Congratulations.” She handed Alex a packet. “Here’s what you need to know before getting your license. Read through that and make sure you give the driving log sheet to your mom. Now, if you’ll step over here, we’ll get your picture.”
Alex cradled her learner’s permit as she followed her mom out to the car. She wanted to hold it forever.
“You should put that in your purse, Lexi, so you don’t lose it. They charge for that, you know.”
Alex put the permit in her wallet. She walked to the passenger side and stopped abruptly when she ran into her mom.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
“You may as well start your driving hours now. Besides, it will be nice to be chauffeured around for a change.” Patricia tossed the keys to Alex.
Alex trotted around to the driver’s seat. The seat was a little too far back for her feet to reach the pedals so she moved it forward until she felt comfortable.
“Make sure to check your mirrors.”
“I know, I know.” Alex adjusted the rearview mirror and glanced in the side mirrors.
“What do you say we go out to dinner to celebrate? Your cho
ice, my treat.”
Alex pursed her lips. “Uncle Nubs?”
“Sounds good. Drive on, Jeeves.”
Alex giggled as her mom fluffed and primped her hair. She put the car in reverse and glanced once more in the rearview to check that the coast was clear.
She gasped when she saw an unfamiliar face staring back at her.
CHAPTER 8
“WHAT’S WRONG, ALEX?”
“Nothing. Someone just ran behind me.” Alex tried to keep her voice steady as she stared at the image in the rearview mirror.
She didn’t have the same out-of-body feeling she usually got when she spotted someone else in the reflection. Alex squinted, trying to get a good look at the woman. Her eyes were bright blue and ringed with dark circles. Alex couldn’t see any more of the strange girl than that.
“Is there a reason we’re just sitting here?”
Alex shook her head and the woman vanished. She backed out slowly, heart still racing from the encounter. She didn’t have the urge to touch the mirror like she usually did and there wasn’t that impending sense of doom weighing her down.
Who is she?
Alex tried to focus on her mom’s chatter but all she could see was the woman’s tired eyes. Every time Alex glanced in the rearview mirror, she willed the woman to return and step back so Alex could see what she was wearing. It might give her an idea of what the evil Traveler had planned.
At the restaurant, the pair ordered fried green tomatoes as their appetizer. Alex picked up the menu and tried to focus on picking something for dinner, but her mind was on the woman. When the waiter returned to take their order, Alex hurriedly picked one of the hamburgers, hoping it was good.
“You seem distracted.”
Alex looked up at her mom. “Just been a long day.”
The pair sat in silence and waited for their fried green tomatoes to arrive. The first time her mom had ordered them, Alex hadn’t wanted to even try it. She had wrinkled her nose and tried a tiny bite. And was hooked.