by West, Shay
--Are you still there?
--Yeah, just chatting with Jenn
--So would you want to go out sometime?
Alex couldn’t believe her eyes. She stared at the chat box for a moment to gather her thoughts. She wanted to go out with him so badly and yet what if she was out on a date and Stygian decided at that moment to go back in time? He could find out her secret and he’d probably never want to see her again.
Maybe I should wait until I beat Stygian.
If she turned him down, he might not ask her again. Her heart raced and tears built up behind her eyes as her anxiety rose. He was important to her, had been with her in the past no matter which time period she had visited. Alex knew in the depths of her soul that they were meant to be together. What right did she have to keep this secret from him?
Get a grip, Alex!
If she stopped everything in her life because of this gift of time travel, it would mean that Stygian and Poder won, even if she managed to foil their plans. Unless both men were killed, she would live in fear for the rest of her life. Even if they weren’t killed, she would still live in fear. What if someone else came along who wanted to use time travel for nefarious purposes? She might never be able to live a normal life.
Unless she made a stand and refused to hide.
Alex typed her response into the chat box. --I’d love to
--You took so long getting back to me, I thought you were going to say no
--No, just checking my email
--Would you like to do something tomorrow night?
Alex had to keep up the sick routine. –I doubt I’ll feel better by tomorrow. But maybe Saturday?
--We can do dinner and a movie. Or just dinner. Or just a movie
Alex laughed at his quick responses. It made her feel better that he was obviously nervous.
--I’ll have to ask my mom but I’m pretty sure she’ll let me
The two chatted about what they would like to see and settled on an action movie that started at eight o’clock, giving them plenty of time for dinner. She typed her address and promised to ask her mom as soon as she got home from work.
Alex knew that if she were going to go on a date, she would have to go to school tomorrow. Her mother would never let her go out with Chandon if she thought Alex was sick. It made Alex feel empowered, not allowing the bad guys to run her life. And yet she was nervous about going against Gavin’s wishes.
I can take care of myself.
She knew she had survived thus far and even though she was scared of Stygian, she thought she could handle him if he traveled back in time. The ability to sense when he was near would help her stay one step ahead.
Guilt gnawed at her belly. Here she was planning a date when her uncle could be dead soon. It’s just not fair. She got back on Facebook and chatted with Jenn, asking what she should do.
--If it was me, I’d go
--Really? You don’t think it’s horrid of me to go out on a date when my uncle’s life is in danger?
--Your uncle is a bad ass, Alex. He can handle those guys. And if he’s in jail, then it’s not like just anyone can sneak up on him
Alex began to feel a little better. Her uncle was a bad ass. –I guess you’re right
--Of course I am. Now I gotta go. Dinner’s almost ready. Back on later
Alex couldn’t help but laugh. When her mom walked through the door, Alex accosted her before she had time to set her purse on the end table.
“Alex, slow down and let me at least get out of my coat,” Patricia said.
“There’s a new boy at school and he asked me out to a movie Saturday night. I’m feeling better and was planning on going to school tomorrow.” Alex bounced on the balls of her feet and smiled as big as she could just to prove how much better she was feeling.
“Were you feeling good before or after this boy asked you out?” Patricia asked with a raised eyebrow.
Alex rolled her eyes. “Before. I ate lunch and everything stayed down. He didn’t ask me out until just before you got home. So can I go? Can I? Please?”
“Only if he comes to get you and I can meet him. You know the rules.”
“Of course, that’s fine. Thanks, Mom!” Alex hugged her mom and bolted back down the hallway to her room.
She sent a message to Chandon and waited for him to reply. While she waited, she sent a quick email to Gavin, hoping that he wouldn’t answer it until after she had already gone to bed. The last thing she wanted was to get into an argument about her leaving the house. Alex had nearly died of boredom staying home for one day. She couldn’t imagine being stuck at home until Stygian decided to travel. Gavin was sure it would be soon but what if it was a week away? Alex couldn’t play sick for that long.
Alex and Chandon chatted, settling on a time for him to come pick her up the following evening. With a racing heart, Alex sent a message to Jenn, barely able to contain the euphoric giggling threatening to erupt. The girls chatted about the possibility of having a double date sometime, Jenn demanding Alex to tell her every detail of the date, what Alex should wear, and how she should style her hair.
For the first time in a long time, Alex felt like a normal teenage girl. She hoped Stygian would hold off his traveling long enough for her to enjoy it.
CHAPTER 30
ALEX NEARLY SCREAMED in frustration as she stood in front of her mirror. She peeled off her shirt and threw it on the bed atop dozens of other shirts and jeans. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks.
Get a grip, Alex!
Chandon would be there in half an hour and she had yet to find an outfit that she even remotely wanted to wear. She wished she had a thousand dollars to blow on new clothes. I can’t impress him with these old things. Alex shoved a mass of clothes off the bed and onto the floor. She only felt a little guilty at acting like a child. This was a first date, after all, and she couldn’t be expected to wear just any old clothes on a first date.
She glanced at her alarm clock and moaned in frustration. She was wasting so much time trying to find an outfit that she would barely have time to put her make-up on before Chandon arrived. Alex hurriedly grabbed a pair of dark denim jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. It was too cold to wear anything else. She thought other girls were silly when they ran around in the freezing cold weather in clothing that was meant for warmer temperatures, and shivered, turned blue, and complained about being cold.
Alex grabbed a pair of knee-high boots and sat on the edge of the bed to pull them on. She avoided looking at herself in the mirror so that she wouldn’t be tempted to change clothes for the hundredth time. She hurried to the bathroom to put on her make-up.
As she was putting mascara on her last eye, the reflection in the mirror changed to the nurse from World War II Germany.
“No! Not now, not now!” Alex made a futile attempt to back away from the bathroom counter but her legs wouldn’t budge.
She strained against the urge to touch the mirror with a strength she didn’t know she possessed. Cords stood out on her neck and she tried to force her leaden legs to move.
Tears fell from her eyes as her hand moved of its own accord to reach up and touch the mirror. The familiar pain shot up her arm as her finger touched the mirror which was now the consistency of thick pudding.
Alex’s mouth opened in a silent scream as her essence left her body.
CHAPTER 31
ALEX AWOKE on the floor. She groaned. Every part of her body hurt. She opened her eyes and noticed a chair lying on its side.
Guess that’s why I’m so sore.
She stood slowly, holding on to the edge of the vanity to steady herself. She grabbed the chair and righted it, sitting down to gather her thoughts. It didn’t take long to figure out the woman’s name and a few other useful things about her. Her name was Agnes and she was a nurse who worked in Hitler’s army. She had just come off a double shift but was expected to return to the tents in a few short hours.
Alex studied the woma
n’s face in the mirror. She had pale skin, blonde hair, and the biggest blue eyes Alex had ever seen. The woman’s eyes were shrouded in shadows that spoke of the long hours she was forced to work treating injured soldiers.
Whatever Stygian plans to do, it obviously has something to do with Hitler.
She wondered if Stygian was going to try to help Hitler win the war. It seemed like an impossible task to her. There were many allied armies that fought against the German armies. Alex didn’t know how Stygian was going to turn the tide. But she vowed to stop him. A world where Hitler and his armies won the war was something Alex didn’t want to see.
Would I even exist?
As she got dressed, Alex pondered that question. If Stygian had managed to alter the past in any of the times he had visited, would the world Alex knew still be there? Would she still be here? The thought made her sick to her stomach. Alex couldn’t help but wonder if it would hurt to just wink out of existence.
She pushed those morbid thoughts to the back of her mind. They wouldn’t help her stop Stygian from whatever it was he was planning. Alex was sure it must be big if he and Poder had to get her uncle out of the way first. She hoped Mark wasn’t still stuck in the brig. Mostly because she hated the thought of her uncle behind bars. But there was also the possibility that if he was free, he would find a way to stop Stygian, maybe wake him up before he could finish his mission. It had been so nice to have an adult on her side, someone who knew her secret and believed her.
She finished tying the strings to her white pinafore over her light blue dress. It took a little longer to get the hair pins just right to hold her hat in place. Alex smoothed her skirt, grabbed the lunch pail that Agnes had already prepared from the small wooden table in the even tinier kitchen, and headed out of the small apartment.
Using the other girl’s memories, Alex made her way to the hospital. The German armies had taken some casualties and Agnes had barely had enough time to catch a few hours of sleep and a quick bite before having to return. The thought of dealing with sick and injured people made Alex want to throw up. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the hospital
The smell hit her first. It was a mixture of antiseptic, blood, unwashed bodies, and something underneath all that that smelled foul, disgusting, sickly. Like death. Alex nearly gagged.
But the sounds were worse than the smells. Moaning, crying, wailing, men screaming for their mothers, snipping of scissors, shouting of doctors and nurses, wet, squelchy noises as wounds were sutured, the buzzing of saws as limbs were cut off. Alex wanted to cover her ears and walk right back out of the hospital.
“Nurse! I need you.”
Alex turned at a shout from a nearby table. A doctor stood hovering over a soldier with a gaping chest wound. The Agnes part of Alex’s brain knew it was hopeless, that the man would never survive. And yet the doctor was doing everything in his power to save the man.
Relying on Agnes’ knowledge, Alex moved by reflex. She ran to the table, grabbed a packet of gauze bandages, and applied pressure to his chest wound. It soaked through in a matter of minutes.
“Start an infusion while I try to find the artery to clamp it!”
Alex ran to a nearby refrigerator and grabbed a bag of plasma, tubing, and a needle to start an IV. It was so surreal watching herself expertly shove the needle into the man’s vein, although it took a minute to find one since the man had lost so much blood.
She turned to the doctor, who had his hands shoved into the soldier’s abdomen. The dying man screamed hoarsely, his upper body coming off the table. Alex was surprised he had the strength to yell.
“Shall I give him some morphine?” The guttural German accent coming from Agnes’ throat almost made Alex laugh.
“Not yet. He’s already had a dose. Another with this much blood loss could kill him.”
He’s going to die anyway.
Alex hoped the voice in her head was wrong. She absently checked the IV to make sure fluid was flowing and watched helplessly while the doctor futilely tried to stop the bleeding. The soldier’s movements slowed, and then stopped as the bleeding slowed. Not because of the heroic efforts of the doctor, but because his heart was stopping.
“You can stop the IV now, nurse,” the doctor said as he stared down at the dead soldier.
Alex worked quickly. The plasma was a precious resource that couldn’t be wasted. The doctor peeled off his bloody gloves and threw them violently into a trashcan.
“Take a good look, nurse. We can expect more of that as the war continues,” the doctor said as he gestured to the dead soldier.
“Der Fuehrer will win this war very soon.” Alex said the words she knew Agnes would say.
“Maybe. As long as the United States doesn’t get involved.”
“If they are stupid enough to join the fighting, they will fall to our armies.” Alex gritted her teeth as she spoke the words. She knew how things really turned out and it took all of her will power not to tell the doctor that Hitler would lose the war.
The doctor did not respond. He walked away slowly, peeling off his bloody gown as he made his way to the back to his office.
Alex knew Agnes had many other patients to visit during her rounds. The hospital was full, but not with soldiers. The war was in its infancy so most of the patients were normal every day citizens dealing with a variety of ailments. Alex spent the next several hours changing bed pans, sheets, soiled clothing, giving baths, dispensing medications, giving what comfort she could.
Her lunch break was short and spent alone. According to Agnes’ memories, she always ate alone. And lived alone and pretty much spent all of her time alone. There had been a man once. Long ago. He promised her the world, swore his undying love for her. Agnes fell hard and fast, certain she had finally found “the one”, that elusive other half she had always heard the other girls speak of. They were wed after a short engagement.
Several affairs left Agnes with a shattered heart and untrusting spirit. When her husband left after a few short years, Agnes shut herself off from the world, preferring to be alone rather than open her heart to anyone.
Alex wanted to weep for this lonely beautiful girl. The emotions tucked into Agnes’ brain were familiar. Alex felt the same way about her father. A stab of guilt shot through her when she thought of her behavior toward her mom’s new boyfriend. Her mom didn’t seem scared to open her heart. Why am I so scared?
The thought of what it would do to her mom if Bruce left made Alex cringe. They had just gotten their lives together, had their own house, her mom was coming into her own helping her sister run the stores. The last thing either of them needed was to have their lives upheaved again.
Suddenly, the face of Chandon Rose flashed through her mind. Alex stood in a panic, forgetting up to now that she was standing in her bathroom back in her own time waiting to go out on a date with Chandon. The initial disorientation of waking up in Germany in 1939, trying to save the soldier’s life, and working Agnes’ shift had made her completely forget about her date.
She tried to remember what time it had been just before she had traveled back in time. The last thing she could recall was having a difficult time finding anything to wear. Alex sat back down and put her hand over her face. She knew she needed to focus on finding Stygian and stopping him from whatever his plan might be but all she could think about was her mom walking in on her while she was traveling. There was no way she could come up with a lie to explain why she was ice cold and standing in front of the mirror in a trance. Worse, if her mom broke the connection, Alex wasn’t sure if she could make it back to stop Stygian. She tried to remember if Gavin or Sean had ever mentioned what would happen in a scenario like this.
Get a grip, Alex!
Her mind was running in circles and she needed to focus. There was nothing she could do about her mom or Chandon. What she could do was find Stygian, stop him from changing history, and get back home so she could out on a date with the hottest guy in school.
; Alex finished her lunch and got back to Agnes’ rounds. She didn’t know how the woman did it. With all the work she was doing, Alex thought for sure she should be falling down exhausted but Agnes’ body just kept going and going and going. Alex giggled at the picture of a pink bunny with a German accent that flashed through her mind.
The sun had long since set when Alex clocked out for the day. Agnes’ body was finally feeling the effects of the long shift. Part of it was the hard work, but part was knowing she would repeat it all tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. Alex knew that the woman’s days would be more grueling as the war continued and the injured and dying piled up.
Alex couldn’t help but wonder if Adolf Hitler was here or off somewhere with his troops. Since it was 1939, Alex knew Hitler could be in Poland. She couldn’t remember exactly when he invaded Poland but she knew it was sometime in 1939. And her instincts told her that wherever Hitler was, Stygian was sure to be.
If Stygian was in Poland, then I’d be there too.
Alex shook her head as she walked back to Agnes’ small apartment. Of course Stygian was here in Germany. Either her skills were slipping or she was more distracted by the date with Chandon. She mentally kicked herself. If she was going to beat Stygian and stay alive in the process, she’d have to do a lot better than she had thus far.
CHAPTER 32
ALEX YAWNED SO HARD her cheeks creaked and her eyes watered. It had been difficult to sleep. The noises were unfamiliar and she woke at every creaking of the apartment and voices coming through the paper-thin walls. In a daze she went through Agnes’ morning routine. She looked all over for some coffee but didn’t see any in the apartment. It was probably considered a luxury item in this time period. Alex didn’t see how she was going to make it through another busy day without some caffeine.
After nearly leaving without grabbing her lunch, Alex considered calling in sick to the hospital. She would probably end up killing someone. There was nothing in Agnes’ mind pertaining to sick days or time off. Considering where she was now, Alex figured there was no such thing. Rather than get Agnes fired, Alex trudged to the hospital, trying to stay awake enough to avoid being hit by passing cars.