NOVA: The Time Bender Series Book 1

by Isabelle Champion

  “And this must be my beautiful fiancée?” His voice was posh to the point of annoyance but he said it in a bored tone.

  “Yes my Lord.” My father stood up. “This is my daughter, Marion.”

  “What a beautiful name.” He released my hand and focused his eyes on my father, ignoring my glances all together. This was the most uninterested I’d ever seen a man be in my presence.

  “Thank you,” I managed from behind him. The room held their breaths as they watched him rotate back to face me, looking up and down before sighing. Was this is? They thought. Is he interested? Will he reject her?

  That would be a first for me.

  “How about a tour around the estate?” The Count suddenly shifted to my father once again, who grinned brightly and sighed out of relief.

  “Of course.”

  I quickly turned to face the doors, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. How the hell was I supposed to make him submissive when he didn’t even look my way for two seconds without looking bored.

  I reached for the door handle the same moment the doors swung open into me. “Crap,” I shrieked, trying to grab hold of the person before I fell. We staggered for a moment and in an attempt to regain my balance I held on to the small table, which wobbled against my weight.

  The man had reached forward in an attempt to catch me but it was too late, I’d awkwardly slumped onto the edge of the table sending a candle flying.

  The room was silent as I quickly jumped to my feet and flattened my dress. My father’s face was red with embarrassment… or anger and the crowded room held its breath.

  The Count watched me for a moment before turning his attention to the man and suddenly his face broke out into a large grin. “My god Jack!” He clasped the man on the shoulder and I turned to face him with a glare. He was young, maybe a couple years older than me. Soft curls of rich dark brown - almost black hair was flattened to the back of his head and gathered into a loose leather band. He had high cheekbones and a sharp, angular face and his deep brown eyes had a playful yet determined twinkle that focused on me.

  “This is my good friend Jack, he works for me now.”

  Jack looked at me with wide eyes and mouth open. Though I wasn’t sure if it was because he found me attractive or because he’d just sent his bosses potential fiancée flying and had gotten away with it.

  “Hello,” he said, snapping his attention away from me, letting out a breath and smiling at my father, who returned it cautiously - like he’d seen the look Jack had given me and thought of it as a threat to my marriage.

  He was handsome, and I certainly wouldn’t mind him being a threat but alas he had just embarrassed me so maybe not.

  Jack cleared his throat, “splendid building.”

  I turned to face my father and watched as his jaw tightened and the smile slipped from his face.

  “Well let’s be on our way,” the Count said, strutting past me. My father dropped beside him and I followed weakly after them.

  I was bored and embarrassed. I hadn’t looked so badass when both my legs were in the air and I was stumbling around in a tight corset unable to breathe.

  Listening to my father and the Count joke and boast in an awfully formal manner was tiring and these shoes were gripping my feet like tight claws. I was sure no one would notice if I just slipped them off and walked barefoot but I kept them on to avoid drawing attention to myself.

  When we finally stepped outside I was instantly smacked by a blast of hot air. The breeze was light and did nothing to relieve me of my uncomfortable pain.

  Jack was walking behind me and I was painfully aware of his eyes watching me - the same feeling you got when you were on a bus and could feel people watching you. So I looked back, matching my own gaze to his; only he didn’t look away embarrassed. He held it until I was forced to look back at the Count.

  What on earth was his problem? Would he somehow play an important role in Marion’s life - her real lover? I cast a quick glance, appreciating his rugged - yet somehow boyish appearance and decided I would be most happy to play into Fate’s plan if it involved him.

  Once we stopped by the lake behind the estate the Count sighed breathlessly. “What a stunning place to live.” He then proceeded to talk about how Eldermore had a lake twice the size of this and much larger land. I didn’t know who he was trying to impress more, me or my father?

  I attempted to admire the landscape, watching the sunset behind the trees across the cool green lake. There was a group of geese eagerly swimming towards us in the hopes of food. Screw that. Geese were evil. If they weren’t already extinct they definitely could have taken over the world - attacking children with their spit until it gradually became Planet of the Geese.

  I could barely breathe and sharp blades of grass were tickling my ankles. The heat of the sun on my neck was unbearable and although I was wearing a hat my eyes were still squinted and I wanted nothing more than to remove the itchy torture device.

  “We’ll leave you for a moment.” My father bowed his head and began walking backwards with my aunt who shared a look of ‘remember what I said’ with me.

  “Come along Jack,” my aunt said, keeping her eyes focused on the Count carefully as he watched Jack turn his eyes away from me squinting curiously. Jack cleared his throat and adjusted the white scarf under his shirt.

  We stood in silence for a moment, our eyes watching the sunset and the reflection of trees on the water, mirroring our surroundings perfectly.

  “Apologies for being abrupt. But I assume you know of my past wives who were unable to give me a child.” He was smiling with an underlying threat, but both covered what was underneath. Fear: Fear of being judged that was covered up by lies.

  “Hopefully with my age and fertility God will provide.” Ugh kill me, I was not religious at all - barely anyone in the future was. We relied on science. We believed in science. And the mere thought of trying for a baby made me sick. Had he ever considered he was the problem? I wouldn’t be successful anyway.

  He swallowed tightly, looking away from my gaze and back to the lake. I watched him, placing a hand on his forearm and watching as he became stiff by my touch.

  “I suppose we should make it formal then.” His lips were thin as he turned to face me allowing my arm to drop. I bowed my head with a smile when he reached into his pocket and produced a large sapphire ring. Well, I guessed he was rich.

  He held my hand out and slid the ring onto my finger. It was official. I was engaged to the most uninterested man alive.

  I began to lead the way back to the house, our arms interlinked as we strolled through the gates.

  “Until later.” He kissed my hand formally and turned away from me abruptly. Jesus, was he really the first man to find me unattractive?

  I climbed the stairs slowly, thinking of how easy it would be to escape this marriage, but that would unnecessarily change the future. I reached the first floor and turned to climb the next set of stairs when two hands caught me by the shoulders and pulled me through a door and onto one of the balconies overlooking the stables.

  It was Jack and he looked relieved. “I wasn’t sure if I was grabbing you or someone else.”

  “Can I help you?” I asked curiously, as he took a step away from me.

  “Well, providing you don’t kill me first,” he took a breath and continued, “Nova.”

  My mouth had pretty much dropped to the floor, but I was quick. Hell yes, I was going to kill him. I’d been waiting for this moment to come and it was finally here. I sprung into action, my leg swiping up despite the material of my dress preventing me from doing much and I caught his face.

  He too was fast, grabbing my leg and turning in an attempt to get me to fall. It was predictable, so I twisted free and jumped, slamming my other leg into his stomach causing him to gasp. Before I could finish the job he reached into his pocket, a click was heard and a pistol was pressed to my head.

  Jack grinned as I stilled. “Believe me. I’d like
to kill you as much as you want to kill me, but you’re my only way out of here.”

  “I suppose you didn’t realise going this far back would be a lot harder,” I replied cockily.

  He huffed. “Well I don’t see you safe and sound in your heated bed.”

  I panted. “Well then what makes you think I can help you?”

  He stumbled on his words for a moment. “I just need you to tell me what you see.”

  “Why would I tell you that?” I snapped. He pushed the gun further into my head. “You might as well. We aren’t going to get out of this life unless the other Time Benders find us and you’re not going to last long anyway - not in your condition,” he replied and I felt myself go cold.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ah, so you Time Benders weren’t smart enough to figure that out. How many times do you reckon you’ve fucked up the past?” he hissed.

  “It’s not fucking up the past you-”

  “So killing and wiping out generations isn’t fucking up the timeline. Are you shitting me?” He swore a lot, more so than Ace and Aeron combined together. Those three in a room together would be interesting.

  “It’s called being helpful.”

  “Maybe to your kind,” he snapped. His voice was cold and I wouldn’t be surprised if he shot me then and there. I was egging him on by this point.

  “Hey don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just doing my job-”

  He growled. “Just tell me what you know.”

  “Tell me what you know,” I mimicked.

  “I reckon you’ve got a couple months before your illness takes over so how about we speed this up?”

  “What illness?” I asked, half believing him but refusing to fully trust he knew anything about it. I wasn’t ill, but every part of me was telling me I was. There was no natural or healthy part of going into your past lives every week.

  “The one your friend Landon suffered from for months.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Nope, my turn. What do you see?”

  “Well right now I’m staring-”

  “I’m not playing around Nova. We both want to get home and we can if we work together.” He had a point.

  I sighed. “My timeline is gone, along with all the others and my Totem has vanished.”

  I felt him lower his head to my ear. “What’s a Totem?”

  I barked out laughter. “Here you are playing games of chase in the past with me and you don’t even know how Time Bending works.”

  He snarled, forcing my back into his chest and whispering into my ear. “We have your god damn cure. Although I don’t know why we’d waste it on you. Now tell me what you know.”

  “Your Totem is the thing you follow. In every life, you’ve gone into, you've seen a Raven. Correct?”

  I felt him nod. “I could follow you because I knew your Totem was the Raven. Mine’s a blue light - we all have different ones.”

  “I know that - but why the hell do you call it a Totem?” he spat.

  Perhaps I shouldn’t have told him what my Totem was - but did it really matter? It was gone.

  “I didn’t come up with it.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s something to do with Native Americans.”

  “Okay, well how do we get them back?”

  And wasn’t that the million-dollar question.

  “I don’t know.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Time: 20th July 1661

  Location: England, Montgomery Estate

  Laughter rose from behind the doors and Jack took the gun away from my head. I felt my shoulders relax as I realised I didn’t want to risk dying. Not when there was someone from home now. I wasn’t alone.

  Even if it was my enemy.

  “Do you have a protocol?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I scowled. "But I’m not supposed to go this far back, my own pride told me I could find you in time.”

  “Well, you can tell them you found me first,” he replied jokingly - but there was a hard - judgmental look in his eyes and his mouth was stretched into a tight line. I rolled my eyes in irritation.

  “There’s another Time Bender on this timeline, Ace. But he’s an asshole in this life.”

  “Where did he go?” Jack asked urgently, taking hold of my shoulders and looking down on me.

  “Well... I don’t know,” he sighed and his face dropped. I felt a slight stab of guilt but I shouldn’t feel guilty - this was his fault.

  “Meet me here at midnight,” he said.

  I shook my head. I think not. “It’s too risky, I tried running away when I first got here. I’m not allowed to leave my room.”

  “Where is your bedroom?”

  “Next floor - at the front of the house. Why?”

  But he’d already disappeared into the house. I watched the back of his head with a sensation in my chest - a sort of hope?

  I sat on my window seat staring out into the night, deep in thought as my aunt took my hair apart. She ran her fingers through my hair and I curled my legs up to my chest.

  The door opened to reveal Abigail wheeling in a tray of food. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, you’ve got to eat,” my aunt said, revealing a colourful dish. The cook had clearly gone out of his way to impress the Count. “Would you rather sit and eat with the men?”

  Ugh ‘The men’. I ate only because it smelt so good.

  “So what did you think of him?” my aunt asked, brushing my hair for me. I shrugged, eating and looking at the stars, wishing every sky looked that way.

  I could see in the reflection of the window the look Abigail and my Aunt shared. “The first meeting is always uncomfortably awkward. Besides once you’re married you will barely see each other.”

  That was true.

  “My lady.” A knock on the door and then Cecilia entered with a bright smile on her face. My aunt leant away from the wall and placed the hairbrush next to me.

  “Sweet dreams Marion.” Abigail also followed my aunt and her mother out of the room and closed the door. I stood up from the window once I heard Harold lock the door shut.

  I climbed under the covers of my bed, not sure how Jack was going to get to my room. Harold was outside and I’d been looking out the window. There wasn’t much opportunity to scale the side of the wall a few flights and climb into my bedroom. And I didn’t have long enough hair for him to climb up either.

  To think a couple of weeks ago I followed him into this nightmare of a life to find him and negotiate until it turned into the intention of just killing him. Then I lost my Totem and my intentions turned to survival and my hatred towards him got personal because he’d clearly decided to go back before the 19th century (which I had coming for me since I told the whole city it was my least favourite period).

  But now - now the Raven had a name and a face. He too was trapped here himself - like a hunter caught in his own trap. He was going on about this illness, which I chose to ignore since it was clearly a way for me to rely on him, but the dizziness? The fact I look like death and the hallucinations of Williams? It made sense, I couldn’t argue with that.

  Somehow, with my mind running at 200mph I fell asleep for once (the best sleep I’d had in years might I add) and a finger poking my cheek interrupted it.

  I panicked and froze, keeping my eyes shut and then grabbing the finger, twisting it back until there was a sharp yelp. I swung my body onto whoever was trying to spoon me and wrapped my hands around their throat. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I realised the person I was strangling was the person I needed help to get the hell out of here.

  I let go of him and climbed off of his waist with an awkward cough. He kept a blank-face when he said, “you snore.” And then he proceeded to grab my pillows and stuff them behind his head, Jack sighed and closed his eyes.

  My mouth fell open. “How in the hell did you get in here?”

  “I opened the door?” he said, opening one eye. He kicked off his leather boots and climbed under the covers. I moved to th
e side, a good distance away from him and sat crossed legged watching him.

  “I can feel you staring at me. Please stop, I want to sleep.” Did he just? What? He just waltzed into my room, past Harold, unlocked my door and made himself comfortable in my bed?

  “I think the hell not,” I snapped, coming to my senses. But I didn’t know what to do with him? Roll him off the bed? Pinch him?

  “I’ve been travelling all day. I think I deserve some beauty sleep.”

  “God knows you need it,” I snapped. That was a lie. He was incredibly attractive. What was it with all Time Benders looking unearthly gorgeous? “How did you get past Harold?”

  He snorted. “Who the hell is Harold?”

  “Oh I don’t know, maybe the guy sat outside my bedroom. He just let you sneak in?” I hissed.

  He began laughing and then sighed, chuckling slowly until he closed his eyes again.

  “Well?”

  He groaned. “Shut up or I’ll find my own way back and kill you now.”

  Dumbfounded I stared at him sleeping, watching the freckle above his cheekbone move up and down with each breath. “At this rate, I don’t care,” I mumbled to myself huffing.

  “What?” he murmured, lips parting slightly and he turned to his side to face me.

  “You’re drooling. Get out!” I shrieked, and then lowered my voice instantly. I grabbed the pillows from under his head so it landed on the mattress with a dull thud.

  “Fine.” He stood up and walked to the door. “There’s no guard outside your door genius.” He swung the door open and he was right. There wasn’t anybody sitting outside as I’d expected.

  Much to my despair, he didn’t leave. Instead, he walked back into the room and sat on the chair facing my vanity table. He opened the diary I’d left on it and began flicking through the pages bored.

  “So?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “Why are you here?”

  He settled on a page, his eyes drifting over the words and smiling. “Dear Diary, today I forgot to feed Nugget.” He smiled, adding his own words and thrusting his fist into the air as though he were a part of a theatrical performance. “How will I ever forgive myself?”