by Jane Stain
Peadar sort of stumbled backward, shrugging the shoulder she’d touched and looking deep in thought.
OK, not the reaction she’d been expecting. Most guys flirted back. But it wasn’t a disastrous reaction, either. Apparently, Peadar was shy. It was as if no woman had ever flirted with him before. That surprised Vange, but she could adapt to it.
As if Dall had just broken out of some sort of stupor, he shook his head quickly and then walked over to Peigi and spoke to her in soothing tones.
Emily came around then. Vange could tell that her friend was no longer mad, because Emily got that excited look on her face like when she was scheming something.
“Vange, remember how we came here to the trailer using my phone last night?”
“Huh.” Vange gasped. “You mean I’m going to use your phone to take Peigi back to Scotland?” OK, now Vange was sure she had that excited look on her own face. In fact, she was jumping up and down.
Emily smiled at her. “Yup.” She looked like she was going to say some more.
But that was plenty.
“Ooh.”
Vange was finally squealing with glee. She grabbed Emily’s shoulders and jumped up and down again, and then she remembered that her friend was pregnant and quit doing that.
“And I’m guessing you can’t take Peigi home because of the baby, right?”
Emily smiled some more and nodded yes. “You’re smarter than you look, Vange.”
“Huh.” Vange gasped again and turned to Peadar. “And you’re going too. I know because you said ‘we’.”
Peadar smiled his cool manly smile at her. “Everyone will be going but for your best lass Emily. We shall sup first and have a sleep, however.”
Yeah right. As if Vange would be able to sleep a wink that night. The anticipation was killing her.
She sat next to Peadar at dinner. They never quite touched, but she was keenly aware of him sitting next to her. It was as if he put out some sort of energy field and she was an absorber of it.
Up to and during dinner, Peadar, Peigi, and Dall talked about their relatives in Gaelic. It seemed like Emily joined in on their conversation, but that couldn’t be. She hadn’t been to Scotland to meet them yet, not to mention she hadn’t had time to learn Gaelic.
Vange tried to figure out how the three Scots were all related and to follow the conversation and know who they were talking about. But it was impossible, and she just tuned out and looked at her own phone awhile, still keenly aware of Peadar sitting next to her.
“Oh, that’s right.” Emily exclaimed on Vange’s other side. She put her hand on Vange’s arm and wore her serious business face. “Vange, we need to teach you a little Gaelic, in case something goes wrong with the app you’ll use to take Peigi back to Scotland.”
“Huh?” Vange put her phone down and tried to let what she’d heard sink in. “Oh, I mean, OK, yeah, I guess.” She’d been going to ask what Gaelic had to do with a phone app, but when you came down to it, a phone app that teleported you to different places had to be magic, so anything was possible.
Emily called across the room to her husband, who had moved back to the couch with Peigi.
“Dall. Teach Vange the ‘do over’ phrase.”
Vange never would have thought one little phrase could take an hour to learn, but Gaelic was an inflected language, they said. Depending on her pronunciation, they said, words could have drastically different meanings. Meanings that could make the ‘wee phone app’ do drastically different things.
Sure enough, Vange spent a mostly sleepless night in the pink bedroom of the trailer.
And then in the morning over pancakes and coffee—with Peadar sitting beside Vange again—Dall spent another hour going over that Gaelic ‘do over’ phrase.
Just to be safe, they said.
Peadar watched and listened, which was distracting. It was almost too much, him sitting next to her. But neither of them moved, and Vange passed Dall’s Gaelic test. He said she had the phrase down pat.
Compared to that, the app Emily showed her next was easy.
But Emily kept showing her anyway.
Vange loved her friend, but she was not herself lately. Em used to be fun. Now, she was having a baby in a place designed for fun, while at the same time, she took everything way too seriously.
“OK,” Vange said, anxious to get on with it, already, “I’ve got it. I remember the part about how everyone in contact with me will go along.” She pointed to part of the phone’s screen. “This is the destination menu. I can choose any of these places, or I can choose any of these people’s pictures and go wherever they are—which is really cool, by the way.”
With her hands on her middle, Emily smiled in a dreamy, faraway kind of way. “Yeah, it is cool, isn’t it? You were always a natural at learning new phones and new apps. I’m sure you’ve got it handled.”
For a second, Em met Vange’s eyes and was actually smiling at her.
Otherwise, Vange got the distinct impression that her friend was thinking about her baby.
Vange put her hand on Emily’s arm to get her attention. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, though.”
Emily’s dreaming eyes sort of vaguely focused on Vange. “Hm?”
Vange brought Emily’s phone up so that they both could see.
“It says here this app is named Time Management. Why’s it called that when it’s a teleportation travel app?” Vange smiled then, at how she had said ‘teleportation travel app’ as if that were no big deal. She tried to get Peadar in on the joke, but he looked like he was watching a science show. Just looking at him, you’d think they didn’t have cell phones in Scotland.
“Oh yeah,” Emily said, also like it was normal, but Vange got the impression Emily actually thought so. “I can tell you now. It’s mostly a time travel app—“
“Wait, what.”
“Here, this is where you set the date you want to go to, but it’s better to use this calendar…”
Vange’s head was spinning by the time Emily finished, but she would not let Emily be cooler than she was. Vange continued to act like this was all normal. She smiled and lightly backhanded Emily’s upper arm.
“Oh. So that’s why you said to bring my costume.”
“He ha ha.” Emily laughed, a real laugh that kind of brought her all the way back to reality for a moment. “I can just imagine why you thought I said to bring it. Ha.”
Vange rolled her eyes and went into her pink bedroom to change. But when she came out, Emily looked kind of like she wanted to say, “Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?” Vange asked Emily.
“I meant you should bring your English renaissance festival costume, not your Scottish one in the MacGregor plaid.”
Peadar sauntered over just then, though. Oddly, he was now wearing a kilt with a strong blue color in the plaid, rather than his usual red one.
He must have been watching and deliberately come over to stop Vange from getting into an argument with her friend. Again.
Vange smiled at Peadar gratefully.
He smiled back. “Och, lass. I do love the figure you do cut while you be wearing the plaid that does mark my family.” He made no secret about openly admiring her … figure, leaning this way and that and even bending down and looking sideways. Really closely. “Mmmmm. Aye, I do find you very appealing dressed this way.”
Whoa, he was so not shy. And who cared why he’d decided to after all, so long as he was flirting with her. Vange turned this way and that, helping him admire her.
But Emily ruined it.
“Too bad, Peadar, because she’s going home and changing into her English peasant costume. Probably no one will see you guys when you take Peigi home, but Vange definitely doesn’t want to be seen wearing MacGregor colors inside a house where Campbells live now.”
Ug.
“But I just got here.” And then Vange got an idea. “Ooh, but I won’t mind going home to change if you come with me, Peadar.” She smiled
at the highlander.
He smiled back, and she could have sworn he was about to throw his arms around her.
But Emily pushed him away.
The nerve.
Here Emily was pregnant, for goodness sake, and she wouldn’t let Vange even get a hug from the guy she liked. Well, OK, Emily was married and pregnant, but still.
Vange whirled on Emily, but then she thought of the baby…
And anyway, Emily was talking. “No, silly. You don’t have to drive home. Use the app. I have my parents’ garage marked as a destination.” She held out her hands for her phone.
But Vange wanted to do it herself. She started fiddling with the app.
Emily quit trying to get the phone out of Vange’s hands and just leaned in so she could watch. “Yeah, you can find it. Go ahead. It’ll be a good practice run.”
Vange found the destination, and then she started looking through the calendar. “Look. You said green days were available days, right? All the days are green for me except for a few days ago.” She looked at Emily for an explanation.
Only half of one came.
Emily pointed to the date and time destination settings. “Set it for after midnight next Monday, when you’ll just be asleep in your room anyway.”
Vange thought about that for a moment, picturing herself on Monday night, sleeping and then popping into Emily’s parents’ garage and going to her room again to change clothes, leaving, and then being in the bed again. She shook her head and tried not to think about it anymore, but it was confusing.
Peadar was still nearby, and he opened his mouth to say something.
But Emily put her finger in his face.
How rude.
“No. You’re not going with her, Peadar.” Emily paused just a little bit.
Peadar probably didn’t even notice, but Vange knew Emily, and she could tell her friend was thinking of an excuse why he couldn’t go with her.
“What if one of our parents sees you?” Emily said then. “My parents wouldn’t think twice about Vange being in their garage. But if you were there too, they might get nervous.”
OK, that was a pretty good excuse, but Peadar was older than Emily. What made her think she could tell him what to do?
The situation would have been comical if Dall hadn’t backed Emily up with a stern look on his face.
Rolling her eyes, Vange showed the settings to Emily one last time. “Do I have this set up right?”
Emily acted like a teacher who was checking Vange’s schoolwork, all self-important. “Mm … mmm … Hm mm … Yep, that’s right. Go ahead and push the ‘Go’ button when you’re ready— Oh wait.” Emily grabbed the phone before Vange could push ‘Go’.
“What?” Vange was annoyed. That was how eager she was to try this.
“I need to make sure you can get back here OK.”
Emily fiddled with the settings some more and made Vange change them back and forth five times before she ‘passed’ Em’s little test and was deemed worthy of teleporting by herself.
If this was what those pregnancy hormones did to you, then Vange hoped she didn’t have to be around her friend much during her pregnancy.
“Can I go now?”
Vange knew she was acting the snarky student to Emily’s self-important teacher, but she didn’t care. That was how she felt at the moment, just like an impatient high-school kid.
“Wait, let me have your phone, since you have mine.”
Em held out her hand for Vange’s phone just like the teachers did in school, too.
But Vange wanted to go already. She got her phone out of her pocket and handed it over, then jumped back a step so she wasn’t touching anyone.
“OK, I’m on my way.”
Vange pushed the ‘Go’ button before Emily could stop her again.
What happened next was like in old movies when the character falls asleep and is about to start dreaming. Everything seemed to go around and around until Vange blacked out for a second.
And then she was in Emily’s parents’ garage. It was midnight, so the garage was dark, but moonlight came in through the windows at the top of the garage door.
Vange went out the back door and made her way across the street and down the block to her own parents’ house, let herself in with her key, crept upstairs to her room, and changed into her English peasant woman costume.
It seemed silly to go back to Emily’s parents’ garage again to teleport back, but she wasn’t sure if she needed to or not. She found her own number in Emily’s contacts and called it.
At midnight on Monday night.
Which was five days into the future for Emily.
Em answered. “Vange. Is everything OK? Where are you?”
“Uh, I’m in my room at my parents’ house, where you just sent me to change into my English peasant costume. Why? What’s wrong? You sound awful, Em.”
“Oh. Oh… Yeah. Oh yeah. Well, OK. Uh, what can I do for you, Vange? Why are you calling?” Em was trying to be the self-important teacher again, but she wasn’t fooling Vange.
Something was wrong.
But again, if Emily was going to act like everything was fine, then Vange was, too. Otherwise, Vange would be breaking the cool code. You know, the unwritten rule that you must be as calm and sure of yourself as the person next to you. Or else you lose cool points.
“I just want to know if I can teleport back to you here in my room, or if I should go back to your parents’ garage and travel back to the trailer from there. It’s kind of tricky going down stairs in these long skirts. Heh.”
Emily took a while to answer.
Vange studied the posters on her wall while she waited. They were from when she was in high school. She hadn’t changed them since then. Being in this room was almost like time travel. She and Em had been roommates in college, and now Emily was married, so talking to Em on the phone was something Vange didn’t do much anymore. Not like back then when they had giggled over nothing until late in the night.
Finally, Em said something.
She spoke really fast.
“It would be great if you came back from right there. That way, we’ll have your room marked as a destination, and you’ll be able to pop right in there next time. Maybe come back from inside your closet, so your mom won’t see you pop in if she’s in there vacuuming or something. OK, got to go.”
And the call ended.
Super curious about what was up, Vange called again.
She got her own voicemail greeting and couldn’t make herself leave a message.
Knowing she would continue to get voicemail if she kept trying to call, Vange fiddled with Emily’s phone until she was sure she had it set to go back to the trailer. Then she thought of a few things she might want and put them in the pouches that hung from her belt.
Feeling sorry for Em even though she wished her friend would tell her what was wrong, Vange texted: “It will be okay.”
And then she went back to the Time Management app and pressed the ‘Go’ button.
Round and round everything went.
“Oh good,” said Em, “you made it back. Now you pretty much know how to use the phone. And good, you have your solar charger brooch, so you won’t run out of charge. Just remember the Gaelic ‘do over’ words. I can’t tell you how many times that has saved us.” Emily was calm once more. Serenely pregnant.
Vange was still kind of freaked out.
“Em, while it was Monday and I was there in my room, I called you to ask if I should go back to your parents’ garage or just travel from my room.”
Emily wrinkled her forehead, and then she immediately smoothed it out. “Well, sorry I didn’t answer, but the phone usually doesn’t work during travel.”
Vange must have made a face.
“What?” Emily asked.
“You did answer, Em. That’s just it. You were upset. It sounded like come Monday, you aren’t going to know where we are. It sounded pretty bad.”
Vange saw Emily’s f
ace contort for just a second, as if she was going to take Vange seriously and get afraid. And then the oddest thing happened.
Emily’s face relaxed. She just calmed down all at once and was Ms. Cool again. “Aw, I was probably just missing you, Vange.” She smiled and even gave Vange a little hug. And then she rose her voice enough so that everyone in the room would hear. “OK. Sit down here with Vange, you guys, and she’ll take Peigi home.”
But the trailer door opened just then.
Siobhan came barging in like she owned the place.
And now that Vange came to think of it, the festival did own the place, and Siobhan was Dall and Emily’s boss.
But Siobhan spoke to Emily like the two of them were best friends. “Emily, do you want Dall to age faster than necessary?”
Emily serenely turned to Siobhan and answered as if it were the most normal thing in the world for the woman to barge in like this. “No, of course not.”
Siobhan raised her chin. “Dall.”
“Aye?” Dall looked confused.
“Dall, you already have six months of time debt in your own timeline, which is the time you are supposed to be at the castle. Do you intend to serve that time?”
“Aye, it is my duty to Alasdair and the clan.”
Siobhan slowly made her way over to Emily. “Very well, I will send you there the usual way later, but you may not also time travel with Vange. That would age you faster than your dear wife desires to have it happen.” She put her arm around Emily.
Dall probably thought Siobhan was comforting Emily.
But Vange suddenly knew that Siobhan was controlling Emily. That was the only way all this weirdness made any sense, level-headed Emily having a baby in a place like the festival most of all.
Now if only Vange knew what to do about it.
Siobhan gave Emily’s shoulders a gentle squeeze and then leisurely walked to the trailer door. Just before she closed it behind herself, she told Emily, “Go on and tell the rest of them they can go now.” And then she left.
If it had been just the two of them, Vange would have said something to Emily. But Dall was there, and he was intimidating, and he was just as taken in as Emily, by the idea of having kids at the renaissance festival. Which, let’s face it, was not a … wholesome environment.