PREVIOUSLY: Carrie/Elizabeth forked the timeline. This allows her to become a Temporal God in the timeline she created.

PART 96b: RESOLUTION

Chartreuse counted to ten before following Frank and Beth around to the front of the library. She watched as the time trippers piled into the time car and, after Frank grabbed the briefcase from the trunk, finally pulled away from the building.

She then ducked down as the gunman who had fired in their direction ran down the front steps of the library, waving his weapon. The guy managed to prevent a vehicle that had been pulling out of the parking lot from leaving. It was as the guy climbed into the passenger seat, pointing his gun at the driver, that Chartreuse knelt down in the snow, to open the trombone case she was carrying.

She pulled out the temporal gun. Along with one other item.

As the gunman’s hijacked car drove out onto the road, there was a flash of light. The driver swerved to avoid hitting the glasses-wearing teenager who had appeared. The car hit a patch of ice and spun out, slamming into a nearby telephone pole. The passenger door was wedged shut in the impact; for the moment, there was nothing to worry about there.

Chartreuse attached her item onto the recharge port of the gun. She then moved to get herself a good bracing position at the bottom of the staircase, kneeling down, pressing the bottom of her boot back into the concrete pillar. She knew the kickback from the gun would be a problem.

A second blond man ran out of the library, followed closely by Lee and Luci. The guy dashed down the stairs, and got about three steps further before being clocked in the head by the dictionary Lee had thrown. Their adversary went face first into a snowbank. Not that far away from him, another familiar person appeared from out of nowhere.

“Tim?” Luci gasped. She took the stairs down two at a time, pausing at the bottom. “Chartreuse? What are you doing?”

“Preparing,” she muttered back. She took aim across the parking lot.

Luci blinked. “When did you end up with the temporal gun? And why is the safety off?”

Luci reached down for it, and Chartreuse slapped her hand away.

“Chartreuse!” Luci said. “You’re being reckless - and what do you have on the recharge port?”

“A battery.”

Luci’s eyes widened. “WHAT? You CANNOT be thinking of charging that thing while you’re firing. That’s INSANE.”

“So is she,” Chartreuse whispered.

A short distance away, Laurie appeared.

Luci now reached down with both hands, and so Chartreuse shoved her friend back, out of the way. Luci fell into the snow. “Luci, I’ll, you know, explain later, there’s no time now!”

“Why not? Chartreuse, what is going on?”

Chartreuse looked back at the asian girl, and then at Lee, who was helping her stand back up. In that instant, Chartreuse wondered, what if she died here, and never got to explain?

“Okay, fast version? The day after we, like, talked to Mr. Waterson, I had a vision of today. Looking into it more led me to this experience ten minutes ago, where I used a set of paired relaxation crystals to tell our Carrie to, you know, nudge Mindy’s time car. And now I know that in, like, a few seconds, I’ll have my only chance at saving her.”

Chartreuse looked back across the parking lot. Which was when the blonde teenager appeared, her maniacal laughter echoing eerily around the whole area, her feet starting to lift off the ground as temporal energy sparked all around her, originating at her fingertips.

Chartreuse fired.

Energy lanced out of the gun.

The cackling blonde girl absorbed it. At first.

Chartreuse never moved her finger off the trigger. Even as her own body was driven back into the concrete post behind her, she continued the sustained burst. Tears sprang to her eyes as she felt an ankle give out with a snap, but she kept the gun up and on target. The battery on the port chirped… and the energy blast continued. Across the parking lot, Carrie stopped laughing.

“Chartreuse, stop!” Luci shrieked.

“I’m not losing her again,” Chartreuse cried. “Carrie! Carrie, I love you! CARRIE, COME BACK TO ME!”

“Chartreuse, the gun’s overloading!” Luci reached out again, only to have Lee pull her back, twisting his body around and using it as a shield.

The temporal gun exploded in Chartreuse’s hands.

But not before Carrie’s head had snapped back, her body falling into the snow as the golden light in her eyes faded away.

Carrie listened to the voices around her for a minute or two. From the sound of things, she was again in a hospital. And… geez, had the entire temporal group come to pay her a visit? She cracked open an eyelid.

“Carrie’s awake now,” Luci said immediately.

Opening her other eye, Carrie was able to make out… well, Luci, Frank, Clarke, Julie, Corry, Laurie, Tim, Lee, and even her own father. But not… “Char-treuse?” Carrie croaked out, through dry lips.

Laurie clasped her hands together. “Carrie immediately wants her girlfriend. The one who saved her soul. Oh my God, all the squee!”

The people closest to the head of the bed moved away, and as Lee did so, he made an elaborate gesture towards the next bed over. Carrie followed his motion, where she saw…

“Hi Carrie,” Chartreuse chirped. “I’d, you know, give a thumbs up, except…" She held up her arm, which had been completely wrapped up in bandages.

“She’ll be fine,” Clarke broke in, as Carrie found herself unable to avoid looking horrified. “Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, in fact we originally came here to see Chartreuse,” Corry remarked, crossing his arms. “We didn’t know when you’d wake up. So don’t get a swelled head, Waterson.”

“Speak for yourself,” the older Waterson objected.

Carrie licked her lips, her gaze shifting over to her father. “Dad. Gods, I’m sorry, I never meant to leave you alone in the present for so lon– geuh, I… I mean…"

“He knows about the power,” Frank reminded Carrie. “There was this whole thing where you had a double named Beth wandering through the school last month? So we kind of had to fill him in?”

“Oh. Right.” Carrie brought her hand to her forehead. Last month? “What day IS it?”

“January second,” Tim supplied. “H-Happy new year.”

“I really hope having no coins means we’ll get a few months before we see more time travellers,” Julie observed.

Carrie exhaled. “Yeah, there… there won’t be any more of that happening. Not now. We’re on a parallel time track now.”

The people around her bed exchanged glances. “Carrie,” Frank began. “Based on the temporal theory that a Future Luci explained to me, it’s highly unlikely that multiple time tracks–"

“TRUST me,” Carrie interrupted. “Our Luci’s path itself could be different going forwards. We can talk theory later, but for now, even if anyone from the revised future does try to rewrite us? Believe me when I say I know how to divert them out of our timeline.”

“In a SAFE way, yes?” Chartreuse piped up. “Because I don’t want a rerun. Even setting aside the, you know, temporal gun blowing up on me, I had to stick close to Beth last month in order to get a read on her majorly displaced temporal energy. That way I could, like, use it, in order to forecast my way further into the future than I ever have before. And that sort of ‘vision plus’? Featuring Insane Carrie clarifying the library events I’d seen? Not my, you know, happiest place.”

“I’ll find a safe way of dealing with time travellers,” Carrie assured. She checked herself. “Actually Chartreuse, we both will. Together.”

Chartreuse beamed.

Carrie’s gaze shifted back to her father. “Thing is, in this timeline, I can’t bring Mom back. I’m sorry. If it means anything, she was alive, in the future of another timeline… maybe that’s why some part of you felt like Mom never died?”

Hank Waterson flinched. “Oh. Well. Was she happy there?”

“I… I don’t know. Damn it, I didn’t even check.” Carrie’s head hit her pillow. “I’m sorry. I should have. Hell, maybe I could have even brought her too, I had all that power, it’s just I didn’t even think, I was so focussed on the separation. Dad, I’m so sorry…"

His hand reached out to squeeze hers. “It’s okay, honey. Let’s assume she was happy, and focus on the present. Because Carrie, you’re what’s important to me right now.”

She squeezed his hand back, and found that she was able to meet his hopeful look with a smile.

Lee cleared his throat. “Uh, hate to interrupt a moment, but we already DO have two other time travel guys? Arrested at the library?” He jerked his thumb towards the window. “Do we worry about them?”

Carrie frowned. “No, I wouldn’t. If they were trying to disrupt the awakening of my full potential, it didn’t work.”

“I’ve filed a police report there anyway,” Mr. Waterson added. “Along with what happened at the library, they’re being charged with the attempted kidnapping of my daughter. Never mind that it was technically that Beth girl at the time.”

“So, like Shady, they’re going to end up in the justice system,” Luci mused.

“S-So what’s next for us then?” Tim wondered. “Anything?”

“No,” Carrie groaned. “I pass on doing ANYTHING for the next while. Well, aside from schoolwork, which I guess I’m massively behind on, since my leaving during the talent show.” She looked towards Laurie. “Meaning guess what? You’re still in charge of the cheerleading. In fact, if you’re willing, it’s yours for the rest of our senior year.”

Laurie blinked. “Golly. Thanks.”

Carrie smiled. “Just because this new timeline has me staying in town, that’s no reason to take your future away from you.”

“But Laurie’s behind in her schoolwork too,” Corry protested. “She left for her fake art camp right after you vanished, Carrie!”

“So I’ll work hard,” Laurie said, crossing her arms in imitation of her brother. “Plus I have lots of friends who can help. I’m not letting Carrie or the other cheerleaders down, bro!”

“Ooh, watch out, Power Cad,” Lee said, chuckling at Corry’s sigh of resignation. “Double V here might end up running the school with the Cross One. Instead of it being you and the Rich Witch.”

Clarke frowned. “Witch? Lee, you might want to consider updating–"

“No, no, it’s fine, Phil,” Julie interrupted. “After all, those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. The only thing that matters to me right now is how the two of us could work on the time car together. To kind of… find ourselves again.” She fingered her rose brooch before leaning into him with a smile. Clarke grinned back, raising his arm to encircle her shoulders.

Frank turned to Carrie. “That reminds me. We didn’t spot the car anywhere in town. Did you send it back?”

Carrie pressed her hand to her head. “Oops. No… I forgot. Didn’t want to do a global removal, or we’d likely have ended up with our Glen again. He’s a headache I don’t need. It’s probably for the best though? No time machine, no time gun, no Temporals, just us, and our normal, everyday lives from this point on.”

“No car and stuff?” Laurie moaned, her arms uncrossing. “Golly, I really hope alt-future-Laurie enjoys using my art supplies.”

Mr. Waterson cleared his throat. “Well, as much as I’m enjoying learning more about recent events, unless there’s anything else that’s urgent, I think my daughter and her girlfriend could use their rest.”

Carrie’s eyes went wide. “Oh. My. God. Dad, NO, do NOT say girlfriend yet, we haven’t really officially - oh NO!” She jerked her gaze back over to the adjacent bed. “Chartreuse, you said you had to get close to Beth? Are you saying you two have, like, kissed the way we did, and that the whole school now knows about… about…"

“No,” Chartreuse gasped. “Carrie, you’re, you know, the only one for me. And if you want, no one outside of this room has to, like, know that.”

“Okay. Okay, good.” Carrie let out a breath. “I mean, others can know. I just need a few days here, minimum.”

“Confirming it IS a relationship?” Luci said, winking.

“She did say kissed Beth ‘the way we did’,” Corry remarked.

“Plus there was that whole soul saving they did,” Julie observed.

Carrie felt her face getting warm. She pulled her bedsheets up over her head. “My Dad said it’s rest time. Goodbye now!” There were a few chuckles, followed by a shuffling of feet as people started moving away.

She gave it a good ten seconds, then pulled the sheets back down to her neck. “But before you leave? Thanks. For everything. I mean it.” She made a point of meeting each of their gazes with a smile, as they looked back at her. “Because I wouldn’t be here now. Not if it weren’t for each and every one of you.”

NEXT: Respite II, an Epilogue of sorts. Please stick around.

ASIDE: Part of the reason for splitting the last entry at this point is for site transition time back to Epsilon Project. (You can vote for that plot here.) But it’s ALSO because Drew Hayes was taking guest posts this week on his site. Read my post here, which in continuity, takes place a few months after the events above. Then consider sticking around on Drew’s site to check out his material, and the other guest posts.

PREVIOUSLY: The time machine has been rebuilt into a car. We know events will send Frank (et al) back in time to pick up Laurie.

PART 85b: CLOSING THE LOOP

“Coin goes in here,” Julie said, indicating the slot on the Cavalier’s dash, where a radio might once have been. “The silver box thing from the old machine - which was a pain to install, by the way, but is one of the few items we can’t reproduce yet - is back there. It’ll auto-set the year and ultimately flash fry the currency. Keypad here is for entering the other coordinates, namely month, day, and time.”

“So you’ve fixed that random variance thing?” Corry mused.

Julie shook her head. “Nope, still a factor. If you arrive an hour or even a month off from the time you input? Don’t blame me. Now, when you hit the hashtag, or rather pound key, it routes the entry through the assembly on the floor of the passenger side. Including Luci’s old modified circuits, meaning the pocketwatch you see here should also display your actual time of arrival.”

“Wait, you kept the pocketwatch?” Luci asked, reaching to tap where it had been mounted in the dash. “Why not use the digital time display from the car itself? Still an overheating problem?”

“Because the watch belonged to Carrie," Mindy interjected. “Or rather her mother. From when she was left at the orphanage. Right?”

“I think so,” Frank agreed. “It never actually kept time, but in Luci’s first reparations over a year ago, Carrie insisted on trying to hook it in. So we did, to humour her - and it’s somehow synched up accurately upon arrival.”

“Mmm hmm. Thought so,” was Mindy’s final word about it.

“As to the DNA,” Julie continued, undaunted, “this blank looking panel here is actually a thumbpatch. It will pinpoint your geographic location. Hold part of your body there - presumably your thumb - for three seconds with the switch in the ‘on’ position. That’s the signal for the time jump to activate. Have two people press against it if you’re going for a point between them.”

“What about rematerializing ten feet in the air?” Corry demanded. “I still remember that from my first trip.”

“It… shouldn’t do that,” Clarke offered, hesitantly. “That’s part of the new stuff we’ve been hooking into the undercarriage. But it’s also one of the things we wouldn’t mind having a fresh set of eyes on.”

“The licence plate and registration are also for Ontario, and next year,” Luci pointed out. “How will that play out in the past?”

“Look, I’d be much happier with hologram technology and three years to perfect this," Mindy admitted. “But you play with the cards you’re dealt, okay?”

“Just show us the schematics then,” Frank stated. “We’ll see if we can offer any input.”

“Well, show those two tech wizards anyway - why did you want ME here so early?” Corry wondered.

Julie opened the car door. “So that you’d know how close we were to bringing your sister home, partner.” She smiled. “Oh, also I need your help hauling the briefcase of coins up from Linquist’s lab. It’s damn heavy.”

“So I’m like the hired help. Fun,” Corry grunted.

“You know,” Corry mused, as he closed the secret passage behind the china cabinet. “Since my ankle’s healed, what’s to stop me going back with Frank and Mindy so that they don’t need Laurie?"

Julie shrugged. “The fact that you didn’t do it, so you can’t?"

“Yeah, I’ve always hated that logic. What’s the REAL reason?” He hefted the briefcase, and the two of them headed for the hallway.

“I guess it has something to do with the future situation…" She paused as Jeeves strode towards them, looking worried. “That’s about to happen?”

“Mr. Waterson called for that waitress, Theresa,” he stated. “She’s on the phone with him now, and she sounds agitated.”

Julie dropped the electronics she was carrying, hurrying towards the phone in time to hear Mindy say, “Sir, this is important, did either of the two have red hair?” A pause, then, “Don’t worry. I was expecting this. We’re on it.”

“What?” Julie asked as Mindy hung up the phone.

“Two suspicious people at the Waterson house looking for Carrie,” Mindy replied curtly, already heading for the front door. “They held Hank at gunpoint and searched the place. Beth wasn’t home, perhaps fortunately, however she forgot to bring Carrie’s cell phone along. Hank told me - and them - that ‘Carrie’ had gone to the public library."

“The public… Lee’s working there today,” Julie said. As Mindy strode out, Julie doubled back. “Call the library. Ask to speak to Lee,” she asked Jeeves. “Tell him to keep an eye on Beth, and anyone looking for her. That is, for Carrie. Oh, he’ll know what I mean.”

“Certainly,” the butler responded, heading back for the phone.

“Bad?” Corry asked.

“Is it ever good? We’ve got the coins and the electronics for tracking the hairband, let’s at least load those up while Mindy explains more precisely what it is that she was ‘expecting’.”

“We’ve reached a temporal crossroads,” Mindy stated, after getting everyone into the garage. “Today is the last day ‘Carrie’, aka Beth, will be seen in the present before ‘Future Carrie’ abducts her from the past.”

“But we’re going to recover Carrie and prevent that act!” Clarke protested.

“If we do, today becomes the last day me and Glen remain in this time,” Mindy countered. “Because I still hope to get him away from Carrie. It all paints a target on December 30th.” She shook her head. “I had hoped that the future war would leave our departure day alone, but it IS a potential kick they’ll have at averting a predestined outcome. At actually affecting the timelines. Must have been too tempting of a target.”

“Why not travel back sooner, and stop us then?” Corry wondered, as he loaded the trunk of the Cavalier.

“If they had, this day might not have occurred,” Frank reasoned. “Ripple effect.”

“Also, the fact that I kept things so quiet and controlled would cancel any earlier advantage,” Mindy added. “Acting before now, they’d merely have a greater risk of my snaring them into our predestined outcome.” She jerked her thumb at the car. “Frank, get in, we’re off to the library to get Beth.”

“Wait,” Julie protested. “What was the deal with red hair?”

“No time.” Mindy opened the driver’s side door.

Julie kicked it shut. “Make time. What if those two come here next, after you’re gone?”

Mindy muttered under her breath.

“Rude,” Luci observed. “Also, not yet in our Temporal dictionary.”

“All Temporals have red hair,” Mindy confessed. “It’s genetic. The two who pulled apart the Waterson house? Were blonds. So either they were Mundanes, or they were of your time, being influenced by a Temporal. Happy?” She yanked the car door open again. “Either way, if they do come here, lay low. My best guess is that the future travellers want to abduct Carrie or Glen for themselves; they shouldn’t do more than injure you. Luci, get out of the car.”

“Oh no, I’m going back with you and Frank,” Luci asserted.

“Oh, for… we’ll argue on the way,” Mindy groaned.

They reached the library in record time. “Okay,” Frank wheezed, as he released his fingers from their grip on the back seat. “I see now why your limit is five people - there’s only five seat belts. Mindy, do they relax some traffic laws in the future?”

“I’m not letting over a decade of time stuck here in the past come to naught!” Mindy snapped. “Which may be the case if we can’t shake these time travellers and restore Beth to our past, when she’s supposed to be. Now, any way to tell if that girl’s still inside? Or her pursuers?”

“I’ll send Lee a message,” Luci said.

Frank pulled out his phone as it buzzed. “I’ve got a message from Chartreuse. She’s on her way - one of the others must have called her.”

“Yeah, hey, NO phones on once we’re out of the present!” Mindy reminded, eyeing the two of them. “Also, your argument for bringing Luci was unconvincing. I can translate whatever Glen says.”

“But will you do it accurately?” Luci questioned.

“I don’t like your tone.”

Which was when the gunshot rang out.

“Okay, those are NEVER good,” Luci noted, her door open before she had finished speaking. Frank ran out after her, despite Mindy’s protests. They were met at the steps up to the library doors by a number of panic stricken people running out.

“Lee says go ‘round back,” Luci said, eyeing the message on her phone. They rounded the building. There was a small theatre entrance there, as part of the structure also housed a small stage for local plays. Frank reached the door first, only to find it was locked.

“Now what?” he asked.

Luci eyed the keyhole. “Now… we need lockpicks?”

The door opened out unexpectedly, causing Luci to stumble back and fall on the ground. This left Frank staring at Lee, who was dragging after him a very scared looking blonde. “I’m sorry!” Beth was wailing. “I know I shouldn’t have been looking up my own past, I couldn’t help it, please PLEASE don’t let them kill me!”

“Math whiz, take her!” Lee said. He shoved Beth towards Frank. “I clubbed the guy who had the gun with a set piece shaped like shrubbery, but there’s another dude here somewhere. Go do whatever you’re supposed to do to prevent this from ever happening, I’ll keep them–”

“Lee!” Luci shouted in warning. Barely on her feet, she jumped past him, tackling the blond man who had been about to swing the piece of wood. The two of them fell to the floor as Lee spun back around.

“Luci!” he shouted, moving to help.

“Wait!” Frank cried, stepping around Beth - too late to reach the door before it swung shut again. After verifying that it remained locked on this side, he lifted his palm to pound on the metal.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” came Beth’s tearful voice.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s, you know, not your fault,” came another voice, making Frank turn. It was Chartreuse, looking winded as she ran up carrying a trombone case. She fired off a weak smile at him, before hugging Beth close. “It’ll be okay, our wonderful Carrie stand-in. As long as you, like, go NOW,” she emphasized. The last sentence seemingly meant more for Frank.

“But Luci’s in there…”

“I, you know, saw bits of this,” the pink haired girl assured. “Tim’s with Mindy back at the time machine. We’ve spoken, and he’s good to go instead. Oh, speaking of, cool car!" She gave a quick thumbs up. “Too bad I’ll never get to ride in it.”

“Tim?? But…”

“Frank, PLEASE, those guys are gonna charge out in less than four minutes!” Chartreuse said, finally releasing Beth. “Go! Go, go! Give Laurie my best."

The door banged as if something heavy had hit it, but it failed to re-open. Frank hesitated only a moment more before grabbing Beth’s hand and heading back for the library parking lot. “Is this why you didn’t mind me knowing about the future?” Beth asked tearfully. “Is it because I’m going to die now?”

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Frank answered. “You’ll only forget a few things.” He saw Mindy already had the car running, and Frank noticed Tim in the front seat. He helped Beth into the back, then ran to the trunk, slapping his hand on it.

“What are you doing? Get in!” Mindy said, poking her head out of the window.

“We need a coin,” Frank said. “Pop the trunk!”

“Let’s get to safety first, then… oh fine,” Mindy sighed, sensing Frank wasn’t going to budge. She hit the release, and with some effort, he pulled out the briefcase. The second shot rang out as he was climbing into the back seat again.

Mindy ceased her mumbling – it was English, so Frank caught something along the lines of “create a fully mobile time machine and they all just stand around it” – in order to step on the gas.

“S-S-Seatbelts?” Tim suggested.

Frank tried to ignore the effects of acceleration long enough to peer out the back window. A man was running down the front steps of the library. He waved his gun at another car that had been about to pull out, forcing it to stop. Oh no, he hoped this wasn’t going to become a car chase.

“Coin?” Mindy said pointedly.

“Oh, uh…” Frank fumbled with the briefcase, only to slide into Beth’s lap as Mindy turned another corner. “Can we slow?”

“No. I’m busy being ticked off about your group substituting Tim for Luci.” With one hand on the steering wheel, Mindy moved her other to hover over the keypad. “What date shall I set?”

Tim flinched. “I thought we’d be going three weeks back…”

“We have to drop off Beth first,” Frank said, managing to get his hands on the coin changer for the 1950s. “Not to mention pick her up. Hey, maybe that works as one trip - Beth, on what day did we find you?”

“I… uh… I…” the blonde stammered, gripping the seat in front of her, tears in the corners of her eyes. Then her eyes closed and she began to whisper a prayer.

Frank sighed. “Well, for continuity, use the same date as her arrival in our present,” he decided. He was reminded of what Clarke had said - this Beth would need to bury her blue hairband somewhere in the forest, so that no one would be able to track her down again.

Mindy’s fingers flew over the keypad, as Frank handed Tim the necessary coin. “Drop it in that slot,” he advised. Tim did so - after which Mindy flipped the time switch and reached out for the DNA trigger.

“Mindy!”

“I didn’t exist then,” she assured him. “My failsafe should ensure that we end up in roughly the same spatial–”

“Mindy, we’re in MOTION,” Frank insisted. “What if we appear in front of a wall back then?!”

The redhead spun the wheel one handed, throwing Frank into Beth as the car swerved into an alleyway. She immediately stomped on the brake, thumb on the pad. “I was ABOUT to get us out of the–”

There was a bright light and a popping noise as the car disappeared.

NEXT: Miami is Nice

ASIDE: The next scene? You already saw in Part 84a (picking up Beth), followed by Part 83b (picking up Laurie). Which brings us to shortly after Part 4 (Elaine at the airport). You follow? How about a vote for T&T?

PREVIOUSLY: Megan is suspicious of Carrie’s behaviour - not knowing that the person is really Beth, who is substituting until the time machine is rebuilt.

PART 85a: POWERING UP

Beth Parker wasn’t stupid. Naive, she would grant - and could hardly deny after how she’d been duped by Ms. Peabody - but stupid? No. She had kept some savings back then. And this time, it had taken her less than a day to realize that the ‘astral plane’ of her ‘angels’ was the very same town where she lived, somehow decades in the future. The dates she put on Carrie’s class notes merely confirmed it. It explained a lot.

At the same time, she wasn’t about to let on about what she knew.

Oh, surely Carrie’s friends had to be aware of her suspicions; Hank Waterson most of all. In a way, Beth’s heart went out to the poor man, who’d had to put his faith in a bunch of teenagers, a waitress… and herself. An aspiring singer who had, thanks to a twist of fate, been sent back into high school. To learn about her future in a history class.

But there was no point in inviting trouble, and that seemed inevitable were she to treat this experience as anything other than an ‘astral plane’. Besides, she had wanted to help her ‘angels’, and now, at last, she was. It was a pity they hadn’t told her what to do about this girl Megan though.

Beth regarded the junior student in the crisp white blouse and dark skirt who was glaring up at her, and she responded the only way she felt she could. “Judge not, Megan, lest you be judged.”

“Nice try, Waterson,” Megan fired back. “Can you even name the origin of your mangled quotation?”

“Matthew 7. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Beth countered.

Megan took a half step back. “Huh. Okay. So you’ve seen the musical ‘Godspell’, good job. Doesn’t mean you found God.” She seemed rattled though.

Beth slipped her hands behind her back, hoping she looked disarming. “Listen, Megan. While I’m not going to outright claim to you that Carrie Waterson has become religious, or that your demands on me are hypocritical, any truth I speak here? Would be rather subjective. And you know as well as I do that such truths would not set you free. So, what’s the real issue behind cornering me here?”

Megan pursed her lips. “Okay. Okay, I guess I want to know what Corry’s up to. Is he getting you to read up on scripture in order to attack me on my home turf?”

“I think Corry’s too worried about his sister right now for such planning.” A thought struck Beth. “Is this about Claude?”

This time, instead of backing up, Megan reached out to grab the front of her shirt. “Who have you been talking to?!”

Beth eyed Megan’s hand. “Um, no one, outside of the few close friends I have here. But I notice things. Like how you were lurking around the music room last week, at the same time as me and Julie were there. Watching Corry’s band rehearse for the Christmas assembly.”

“I’m taking music. I was wondering if Mrs. Willis was around.”

“At first, maybe? But you were there for quite a while. And your attention wasn’t on Lee or Tim. Now, I suppose it could have been directed at Corry, except didn’t I hear that you were the one who got Claude into that band in the first place?”

Megan’s grip relaxed somewhat. “I may have insisted, yes. Because Claude knew the music, and while he’s not the best bass guitarist, he’s a lot nicer than that jerk Tommy.”

“Nicer? You knew Claude personally?”

“Not really. Not then. But he didn’t snark back at me that Friday when I said maybe he shouldn’t disrupt the talent show. In fact he–" Megan stopped herself, using her hand to push Beth away. “How dare you? Have your talks with Chartreuse been about how to handle me?!”

Beth regained her footing and shook her head. “Um, again, no. Your religious nature might have come up in conversation - not that I couldn’t spot it - but no, Megan, Chartreuse didn’t say anything about handling you. Or Claude. Do you fancy the guy, is that it?”

“No!” Megan sized her up, then blurted, “B-But he did ask me out.”

“Okay. So did you reject him, is that the trouble?”

“I… I didn’t. Not outright. Except it wouldn’t be appropriate, me dating Claude! Not with me and Corry being rivals. The poor guy might then become a lever that Corry could use against me, and moreover it’s a clear conflict of interest.”

Beth shook her head. “Corry wouldn’t use Claude against you.”

Megan scoffed. “Just when I thought you were making sense.”

“Really, he wouldn’t. His friends wouldn’t let him do that,” Beth insisted. “Haven’t you noticed how they act as his conscience? Are you sure you’re not using Corry as an excuse?”

Megan visibly flinched. “I’m not scared of a relationship. I’m strong, I wouldn’t be tempted into sin.”

“Great! So what’s the real problem?”

Megan’s lips pursed again. It took a moment, but finally she answered again. “The problem? Is it’s a man’s world out there, Waterson. Consider Corry. Mister Hunt. Even God, if you buy into the personal pronouns. Women like us? We have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. I don’t want to lose it all by dating Claude.”

That one forced Beth to stop and think. Since Megan wasn’t wrong. In fact, Beth had been surprised by how much certain things had changed in the intervening decades - and by how much some other things, which she might have expected to change, had not. “Valid point,” she granted. “You said Claude was nice though. Do you think he would take control away from you?”

“Not intentionally.”

Beth mused again. “Well, it’s a risk then. Though I don’t think anyone would accuse you of being weak simply on account of a relationship. Not if they’re smart, anyway. And regret? That’s a terrible thing. So if it were me? I think I would go for it.”

Megan’s eyes narrowed. “Did Corry tell you to say those words?”

Beth sighed. “No - and why would it matter if he had? In the end, you’ve got to do what’s right for you. Seems like Corry is the plank in your eye. Try to remove him.”

Megan flinched, frowned, and then let out a long breath. “Damn. That’s the second time your little inner circle of seniors has surprised me. Maybe Chartreuse really was onto something with her talk back in the woods.”

Not sure how to respond to that, Beth simply stood quietly. Megan fingered the cross on her necklace as she came to a decision. “Okay Wat– Carrie. You can go. Maybe I’ll even loosen the screws I’ve got on Corry, and focus more on my own grade level. Provided the rest of you can keep him in check.”

Beth nodded, but couldn’t help but ask before she left, “And… Claude?”

A hint of colour crept into Megan’s cheeks. “Time will tell.”

Word had spread of her budding relationship with Claude even before classes ended for the December holiday break.

“Megan emailed me yesterday,” Corry remarked, walking behind Luci and Frank, his hands clasped behind his head. “Told me not to let my guard down in the new year. Said that she’d resume demands if I tried to hurt her through Claude. Even included a picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar holding a cross out. Can you believe that? What, does she think I’m a vampire?”

“Just don’t antagonize her any more,” Luci sighed, boots crunching through the light snow on the sidewalk. The three of them had agreed to meet at the last intersection and walk to Julie’s together. “Considering what Beth told us about their conversation in the library, we dodged a bullet back then.”

“Hey, how is it vampires are still a thing anyway?” Frank asked. “Like, I’ve found that they’ve been in pop culture for our entire life - either of you seen that ‘Forever Knight’ show from the late 90s?”

Luci turned, raising her eyebrow.

Frank held his hands out. “Look, you said not to obsess over time travel. I thought I’d ease into the horror genre.”

Corry face palmed. “You’re both missing my point. This means me and Julie did the right thing, by staying out of it. We’ve got control back! But don’t worry, we’ll take care not to abuse our power. I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Peachy,” Luci stated. “I’m a bit more focussed on the fact that it’s December 30th, and after what felt like the most subdued Christmas ever, we’re finally getting to see what Mindy and the others have put together to fix this whole temporal mess.”

Corry reached out to grab Luci by the arm, but at the last second, seemed to think better of it. He jammed his hands into his jacket pockets instead. “Luci, you’re talking to the guy who’s spent all month without his TWIN SISTER. And I’ve had to call Mindy three times in the past week to maintain the charade with my parents. So don’t you DARE lecture me about how hard it’s been, or how relieved you are for things to be over. Because that all goes double for me.”

“Right. Sorry,” Luci apologized, wincing.

“Look at the bright side,” Frank offered. “In a way, the extra time has given Beth a chance to be changed back. Me and Carrie, we apparently turned her religious on our first trip. Now? Well, she’s considering expanding beyond mere gospel singing.”

“Okay, sure, but don’t forget that Mindy’s going to have to excise parts of Beth’s memory,” Corry pointed out. “Unless you want her becoming some kind of future prophet.”

“Right.” Luci tugged on her hat. “I hate that. We were on such a high horse when Mindy first revealed her mind manipulations, telling her off… and now? We’re becoming just as guilty.”

“Do you see an alternative?” Frank asked. “We know she’s worked it out.”

“No. But I still hate it.”

They reached the LaMille mansion’s front door and Luci rang the bell. To their collective surprise, Jeeves directed the teenagers around towards the garage.

“They did recruit Clarke,” Frank pointed out as they approached. “Maybe they’ve got a DeLorean in there.”

“Chevy, actually,” Mindy said, walking out of the garage while wiping her hands with a rag.

Frank froze, and Luci almost plowed right into his back.

“Of course,” Mindy continued, “my original designs were for something more environmental, maybe a smart car. But I quickly realized the space in one of those is roughly equivalent to a phone booth. For this mission? We might need extra space. Besides, we can always pull the time interface and plug it into another vehicle later. Well, maybe. Kind of.”

“I was joking,” Frank murmured.

Clarke poked his head out from around the opening to the garage. “At last! Guys, you’ve GOT to check this out… it’s pretty cool!”

After exchanging glances, the three of them filed in. “It’s… a Cavalier,” Luci said, nonplussed.

“I got a good deal,” Mindy asserted. “The guy was half ready to donate it to your high school, for their shop class to disassemble.”

“Huh. Well, I have always said that you were supposed to be able to ride around inside a time machine,” Corry yielded.

“It’s more impressive than it first appears,” came Julie’s tired voice. She poked her head out the driver’s side window. “And we’ve still got a couple adjustments to make, but at this point, a second - fourth? - opinion might be of benefit. Plus it means someone other than me can pass the information on to the others.”

Luci was the first to stride over. “I don’t have a driver’s licence!” she protested. “Nor do some of the people in our time group who ARE of age, seeing as we live in a small town and can bike most anywhere. Why make the time machine a CAR?!”

“Safety,” Clarke said. “From what I understand, having an enclosed object means everyone’s sure to be pulled through the vortex.”

“Right,” Mindy concurred, giving up on cleaning her hands and throwing aside the rag she was holding. “The old cash register version? It sucked through whatever was touching the handle, or more dangerously, whatever was touching people touching the handle. Here, you get the whole car, a metallic enclosure, and thus we won’t have to worry about leaving anyone behind. Just, you know, make sure you’re inside. Not touching the doors. Definitely not hanging onto the hood. Okay, so it’s not that much safer.” She smirked. “Still, I always SAID it could be done, but noooo, they were fine with using their stationary temporal generators instead.”

“Could be worse,” Frank decided. “Could’ve been a fridge, we wouldn’t want anyone trapped in one of those. And this means there’s a built in age requirement to get a time travel licence.”

“Actually, the car doesn’t need to be in drive,” Mindy countered. “In fact, probably better that it’s not. Unless you know you’ve got plenty of runoff room at your destination time.”

“Does the DNA sensor track everyone in the car then?” Luci said. “How does it know where to put you spatially?”

“Hi! If you’ll let me EXPLAIN,” Julie said, motioning again in obvious exasperation. She waited until they were peering in the car windows at her, then she pointed to the modified dashboard.

NEXT: Closing the Loop

ASIDE: If I mangled religion somewhere in there, let me know, so I can fix it. Not my forte. Also, time car! Why a Chevy? Well, I used to own one.

PREVIOUSLY: Beth is replacing Carrie in the present, as a time machine is rebuilt. Laurie was taken on a time trip.

PART 84b: CROSSING PATHS

“Should we really let Chartreuse spend so much time with her?”

At Frank’s remark, Luci looked up at him, then followed his gaze towards Beth. Their stand-in for Carrie was back at school this Friday, after two days out “sick”. Beth seemed to be adjusting surprisingly well to the present, all things considered. She had just stopped en route to their table in the cafeteria, in order to talk with the pink haired mystic. Luci considered that fact - it wasn’t the first time the two had spoken. “Why not?” she answered him.

Frank frowned. “People might start to talk. And if Carrie’s not actually here to defend herself against rumours…"

“Defend herself against what? A relationship that we’re pretty sure was forming anyway? For all we know, us being here together, there’s rumours concerning our old relationship too. Besides, before Glen, Carrie used to spend time with both us and Chartreuse. So, since he’s gone, why wouldn’t ‘Carrie’ resume talking to our group again?”

“Okay, well, that’s another thing. Did Glen really leave?” Frank countered. “I got an email from him yesterday.”

Luci pursed her lips. “Yeah. I got one this morning. Vague ‘watching you’ stuff though, and according to the school, his ‘parents’ pulled him out - I think he must have timed those emails to send off in advance. Before he left with our future travellers last Sunday. To keep up appearances.”

“Or Glen could be hiding out in town,” Frank countered. “And covering it up with his powers.”

Luci shrugged. “Maybe. So what if he is? Frank, at this point, I’m done with my second guessing. It’s given me nothing but grief. We have to trust our future selves.” She glanced back at Beth. “As to Chartreuse, look at it from her point of view. In the span of a weekend, she lost her potential girlfriend, and Laurie, her best friend. If hanging with Beth is her way of coping, I don’t think we can fault that.”

“Right… right,” Frank sighed. He ran his fingers back through his hair. “And the busier Beth is, the less she might be prone to exploring our ‘astral plane’ too much. Which is good. I’m just worried that we’ll end up missing something.”

“You need to take a break from time travel analysis for once,” Luci decided. “Don’t follow anyone. Don’t look up articles about Mindy in old newspapers. Don’t watch temporal television. Just relax.”

Luci tapped a finger against the cafeteria table. No one was paying attention to them, and Chartreuse seemed to be in the process of passing a crystal around Beth’s head, so maybe now was as good a time as any to bring it up. “Besides, when the time machine’s done, I plan to go back with you. So you’ll have extra support there.”

Frank flinched. “What?”

“The later time trip will include Mindy, and possibly Glen, yeah? The only way you’ll catch everything is if you have someone with you who can speak Temporal. Now, me and Tim have been putting together a rudimentary dictionary, but in a pinch it makes more sense to have one of us there in person. We’re also the experts in the temporal gun, as Carrie herself pointed out in her letter.”

“But Mindy said only four people could go…"

“Or five.”

“And your double wasn’t there at Julie’s!”

“Meaning I was off guarding the new time machine. Frank, the only people who we can be sure WON’T travel back are Glen and the Venitis."

“But…”

Luci reached out to touch Frank’s palm. “Look, it’s an option we should consider. Okay? Not worry about! Only consider. And, ah, by the way, my intention to go is based on a concerned about all our futures thing, not a romantic thing.”

Frank blinked. “Sure. Er, did I give off a romantic signal?”

Luci shook her head. “No. I’m hoping I didn’t, by touching your hand here.”

“I didn’t clue in. You’re the observant one, not me.”

“Right.” Luci exhaled, pulling her arm back. “Okay, last card on the table. I’ve now been wondering if I broke up with you in part because you died in an alternate timeline. I… I feel kinda bad about that.”

“Oh?” Frank half smiled. “Well, don’t. I mean, so what if you did? In this timeline we had a good run, we both had issues to deal with, and in the end, we’re still able to talk about it like we are now. I think, if we couldn’t, that would somehow be the worst thing.”

Luci nodded, and found she could smile back. “Okay then. End of the second guessing - and of the obsessive temporal stuff, yeah?”

Frank hesitated, but finally nodded in reply.

“Heya Frank, Luci,” Beth chirped as she joined them. “I don’t care what Chartreuse says - have either of you tried adding ketchup to this poutine stuff they serve here? It tastes really good that way!”

Luci’s smile faded. She wondered whether they could truly steer Beth through another couple weeks of approximating Carrie… and despite her own assurances to Frank, whether a failure to do so correctly would result in temporal issues before the trip back in time became possible.

Corry watched as Beth joined Frank and Luci, then resumed poking at his cold pasta with a fork. “Anything?” he asked absently, when he sensed the person sitting down across from him.

“No,” Julie answered. “Megan’s a cipher.”

He made a face. “Yeah.” Corry tossed his fork aside. “We should have anticipated that Megan would blame me for Laurie vanishing to attend that ‘camp’. There was no advance warning.”

“We had bigger concerns. Amusingly enough, Megan’s suspicions are not wholly unjustified.”

“Yeah, funny!” Corry said bitterly. “Trouble is, it means my telling Megan to ‘go for it’ might have screwed things over, rather than fix them. She doesn’t trust that I’m passing on Laurie’s true message. I should have pressed my sister for more information.”

Julie shrugged. “Might be nothing to it. ’Go for it’, could simply refer to a new story Megan’s writing.”

“Yeah, or it could be a plot to mess up the school. One that Laurie hadn’t clued into.” Corry picked up his fork, only to drop it again. “Geez, how could my sister think anyone but her would be a good choice for encouraging Megan? Laurie’s the one who should be here now. Not me. Why did I let her go?! I mean, she’s so naive, so innocent, so… so…”

“Corry,” Julie said quietly, reaching out to take his hand. “Laurie’s fine.”

“I know that! You think I don’t know that? Of course I know that. Who do you think I am?” He tried to pull away but Julie held fast.

“You’re someone who cares about his sister, and who’s realized in the last couple days that he’s no longer there to protect her. But part of you knows your sister had to one day be free to make her own decisions, right? For good or bad.”

Corry opened then closed his mouth. “Goddamn it,” he grumbled at last. “We should have at least sent someone aside from Frank. Like Clarke. Sure, she’s over him, and I wouldn’t want to mess that up, but he does think a bit like her. And he’s more streetwise.”

“Corry.” She squeezed his palm. “Me and Mindy are working as fast as we can… and as soon as the time machine is completed and activated, Laurie will be back.”

The redhead sighed and kicked his foot out at a table leg. “I know. You don’t have to remind me.”

“Don’t I?” She smiled. “Look on the bright side. You’re starting to appreciate your sister’s ability to connect with people on a level that you can’t.”

“Hey, I never said Laurie didn’t have good qualities.” He briefly squeezed Julie’s hand back before pulling his arm away. “I guess there’s also a part of me wondering how I would be treating her running off if I were on the outside. Like Megan is.” He shook his head. “Do you think that sometimes, there’s stuff going on that truly is none of our business?”

Julie lifted her eyebrow and gave him a pointed look. It served to remind Corry about his flyer about her from last year, not to mention her own hushed up parental situation.

“Ah. Dumb question,” he answered himself. “Better question - what about this ‘go for it’ thing with Megan? Should we keep prying, or is THAT none of our business?”

“I think we should monitor, in case it becomes our business… but you’re not wrong. Inserting ourselves into it can only make the situation worse.”

“Mmm. I guess you’re right.” Corry toyed with his fork for a moment, then finally had some pasta. “Okay then, to change the subject, Carrie’s double, this Beth… how will Frank and the others locate her in the past? Is your team working on that, as well as fixing the machine?”

Julie’s brow creased. “Actually, that’s kind of another funny thing… we don’t have to work on it. You remember how Frank gave us a rundown on his first encounter with Beth? And how she and Carrie traded clothes?” Corry nodded. “Well, soon after that, Phil wondered if I hadn’t left a small tracking device on what became Beth’s hairband over fifty years ago…”

Clarke walked into the central cafe and hesitated, not sure if he should find a table or simply wait to chat with Theresa/Mindy. He decided to do the former. She brought him a hot chocolate moments later, then waived him off as he pulled out his wallet. “On the house. My shift’s done in ten minutes, see you outside.”

Although the first snowfall of December hadn’t stayed on the ground, it was cold enough that the hot chocolate was appreciated. At the same time, Clarke made sure not to leave Mindy waiting outside, heading out as soon as he saw her. She immediately set out for the LaMille mansion, jamming her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

“So… what did you want to talk to me about?” Clarke asked, after a few minutes of walking.

Mindy chuckled. “I’ve acquired the necessary parts for retrofitting the time machine. I had to tell Julie about it, since we’re storing it all at her place - and she insisted I tell you too. Funny enough, I agreed. Not merely because of your potential expertise, but because I think it will be educational.”

There was a playfulness to her tone that Clarke couldn’t figure out. “Educational? How so?”

“In that you’ll finally have a secret you can’t talk to the others about. Since Frank and the rest of them can’t know. Not yet. The more people who know, the more temporal danger there is.”

“Theresa… Mindy… really? More secrets?”

She stopped walking and turned to him. “Yes, really,” Mindy asserted. “Because first, Glen might still be in town. I want to make it difficult for him to prepare counter-measures. But more than that, the only thing I can think of that would send us back to ourselves unprepared? Is a future incursion. And the fewer people such an incursion can target for information about what’s going on, the better.”

“What happened to time travel is predestined?”

“Oh, I’m sure we’re going back,” Mindy said. “The question is what wreckage we leave in the present - what we leave for Carrie to have to fix. I figure we should minimize that. That said, if you’re not willing to help? I’ll understand. This will ultimately be your decision.”

Clarke sighed. “I guess I’m willing, but why did Julie even think I could help? I’m not so technically minded.”

“To answer that, I need a more firm commitment. In now? Or not until the end?”

Clarke looked up the street towards the LaMille mansion. He couldn’t turn away, not if Julie was offering this olive branch. “I’m in now.”

Mindy’s smile returned. “That’s good. Because you’ve taken tech classes, including auto shop, right?”

Megan Falls wasn’t sure exactly what was going on with the seniors. She only knew that Carrie Waterson was somehow at the centre of it. The blonde had been acting flighty ever since the talent show, and Glen’s subsequent disappearance. It was like she was a changed person - yet also someone reverting to old habits, by hanging around those other students of her clique again. Who were, Megan decided, sheltering her. Even Carrie’s father had rebuffed her when she’d tried to drop by cheerleader’s house.

Megan was having no more of that.

On the Tuesday of the last week of classes before the winter break, she got some of her associates to corner the rest of Carrie’s entourage, ensuring her meeting wouldn’t be interrupted. Then she got Kim to personally escort the blonde to the library.

“All right, Waterson,” Megan began, after waving Kim off. “I want to know what’s going on. The truth.”

Carrie glanced left and right, as if looking for an exit. “We’re talking in the library?” she offered.

Megan glared. “Don’t give me that. You know what I mean - it’s your whole ‘changed person’ routine over the last few weeks. The prevailing rumour is that you ‘found God’! Well, as an authority in this school on God, I don’t buy it. At all. So either you tell me the truth, right here, right now, or I’m going to make things VERY unpleasant for the rest of your friends.” She smiled, placing her hands on her hips. “Starting with Chartreuse. So what’ll it be, Carrie? As always, the choice is yours.”

NEXT: Powering Up

ASIDE: Care to indulge in the weekly vote? Or idle speculation?

PREVIOUSLY: Recreating a time machine will take weeks. Future incarnations have appeared, with a plan for making Carrie appear to still be in town.

PART 84a: ADJUSTMENTS

“Saints alive!” Beth Parker crossed herself and fell to her knees at her apartment door. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, uh… look, get up.” Frank pocketed the radio transmitter with one hand, the other rubbing his forehead. Damn Carrie and her whole divine intervention story the first time they’d encountered Beth. “Truth be told, I was never actually an angel, and I - we - kinda need your help.”

“I always wanted to thank you properly. I’d hoped you’d return to me,” Beth said breathlessly as she scrambled to her feet. “I’ve become very religious in the last year, did you know that? What am I saying, of course you know. And my part time work at the Clayton hotel has almost earned me enough to get professional singing lessons! I plan to do gospel. Are you pleased? Am I on the right path?"

“Beth, please, I’ll explain everything.” Frank paused. “Okay, no… that would confuse you. But I’ll hit the highlights, so long as you come with me now. To the, um, oh heck with it, to an Astral Plane.”

Beth peered out into the hall. “Why now? And where is your partner? The one who looked like me, the one named Carrie?”

“That,” Frank concluded, “would be why we need your help."

“We’ll pull a girl out of the past,” Luci whispered to Frank. “Is that ethical? That can’t be ethical.”

Frank eyed the blonde girl who was currently gaping at all the television channels and other technology Julie was demonstrating. “We have to assume our future selves know what they’re doing,” he muttered back. “And I mean, we’re right - while Beth is a couple years older, with a little makeup and Mindy providing an external boost on any naysayers? She could pass as Carrie at school. At least in the few weeks we need leading up to Christmas vacation.”

“And EVERYONE on your astral plane has these ‘sell phones’?” Beth gasped. She looked up at Julie. “But why even call them phones if they do other things? Are you sure they’re not demonic devices?”

“Oh yeah,” Luci said dryly. “It’s like she and Carrie are the same person.”

Frank sighed. “We’ll need to monitor her. The bigger question is Laurie. Can we really hold that situation together for upwards of three weeks?”

“No, nO, NO, no, and, oh wait, how about a side dish of NO!”

“You know, Corry,” Mindylenopia observed. “We’re telling you as a courtesy more than anything else."

“I’m trying to say ‘no’ in a courteous manner. You’re not listening.”

The former waitress sighed, and looked to Frank. Or Bernard, Corry supposed, what with those two apparently being time displaced. Bernard was rubbing his forehead again. “Look, Corry - we can, and in fact did convince your family that Laurie’s away at an art camp. That she was recruited after someone saw that drawing that Megan published for her back in October. All we need is for you to warn Mindy if your parents seem about to–”

“What about the school Laurie would be missing?” Corry challenged. “Not to mention potentially Christmas! You think my family will buy her being away for something like that?!”

“I’m in the room,” Laurie said, quietly.

Both Venitis had been called and asked to come to the mansion a little earlier than everyone else. Corry turned to her on the sofa. “I know. Sorry Laurie, but based on your reaction, I figured I should advocate on your behalf.”

Laurie’s hands tightened where they held her skirt. “When they said what this trip would mean, I was shocked. I needed a moment. But there really isn’t an alternative, right?”

“I’m the alternative,” Corry asserted, waving off Mindylenopia before she could speak. “My ankle’s not that bad, and–"

“No, Corry.” Laurie stood up and turned to face him, her fingers releasing her skirt, in favour of twisting together. “You’re always jumping in, trying to protect me, and while I appreciate it - we’re seniors now. It’s like Megan says, I gotta do more on my own. Besides, my memory is still shaky, but I think maybe we’ve had this discussion before? When you volunteered for time travel a year ago, to go after Julie? And I don’t think I liked that. Even this year, when you and Frank were gone for two days after the van crash, I could barely handle it - no way can I bluff mom and dad for weeks! Whereas you can.”

Laurie pulled her hands apart, forcing her arms to her sides. “I’ll do extra studying, plus I’m taking History, and this is history. And Dad was away for the holidays two years ago, for work, so it’s not that weird. I can even record a message now for you to use, saying my plane home was cancelled or the camp was extended or something. Because bottom line, the time group needs me, so I’m going to go.”

“C’mon little sis, you can’t really…”

“Two minutes!” she reminded her brother, pointing at him. “Not THAT little. In fact I’m not only doing this for them, it’s for me too.” She paused for a breath. “Because here’s the thing, Corry! I admire Carrie. I have for a long while. I admire all things she can do so much better than me, even including her power of time travel. But know what I’ve learned? She can’t do everything. Not on her own. She needs people like us. So I’m stepping up. Last week with cheerleading, and now with this.”

She then crossed her arms, imitating the posture Corry so often made - with only a slight shiver betraying her nervousness. “Corry, I care about this group and what they’re doing a lot more than some stuffy classes,” she continued. “Except maybe art class, because here’s ANOTHER thing, I also want to be a professional animator. And this cover story will make my parents see that maybe, I’m just that good. So… so there. Deal with it, bro. I’m going.”

Corry opened his mouth to protest… and found he couldn’t. Not after a speech like that. For some reason, he was reminded of something Chartreuse had said to him, back when Julie had time travelled: ‘If Laurie wants to help someone, she’s going to do it. No matter what EITHER of us has to say.’ After a few moments of standing with his mouth open, he finally found enough of a voice to say, “Damnit Laurie, of all the times to make me proud, you just have to do it when there’s a chance of mortal danger, don’t you?!”

Laurie blushed faintly, smiling back at him. She then nibbled on her lower lip and let her arms fall back to her sides as she looked back to Bernard. “Golly, there won’t be MORTAL danger, will there?”

“Look at it this way,” Bernard offered. “Things go screwy for us in your future, our present. So maybe the safest place for you to be is with us, in the past.”

Corry didn’t feel entirely reassured, but he decided pushing the point would only make things worse for Laurie.

“Okay,” Laurie sighed. “So how many days do I need to pack for?”

“In theory, none,” Mindylenopia pointed out. “We won’t stay long in the past, then we’ll simply be returning to your future. In practice, of course, whatever an art camp would need.”

“Okay,” she repeated. “Though before I do that, I’ll need to teach this Beth girl our cheerleadering routines.”

“Heck. That’s a good point,” Bernard realized. “Let’s go see if Julie and the others are done with their technology primer.”

Laurie nodded, then looked back to Corry. “And one last thing? Since I’m not going to be here, please, tell Megan to go for it. Okay?”

Corry lifted an eyebrow. “Go for it?”

“Yeah, I think she’ll need extra encouragement. You can say I asked you to pass it along. Thanks Corry!”

Corry was tempted to ask what his sister meant by that, but she seemed to have a lot to worry about already. Besides, he reasoned, it couldn’t be too hard to figure out whatever Laurie was referring to.

The whole group met, and everyone was brought up to speed. Only Glen wasn’t there, having said he’d render his decision about leaving or not once Mindylenopia and Bernard came by the hotel with Laurie.

They’d then determined that the people to tell Mr. Waterson the truth about Carrie would be: Frank and Luci, as two of the originals, Mindy, as the adult, plus she’d been to his house yesterday, and Chartreuse, who knew of mystical powers.

Hank took it well, all things considered.

“So you’re saying that, ever since she was shot, Carrie - my daughter - has been a time traveler?”

Frank glanced over at Luci, then back to Hank Waterson. “Right.”

“I’ve been helping Carrie come to grips with it,” Chartreuse offered. “There are, you know, strange things in this world that at least 99.9% of the general population isn’t aware of.”

“Thing is,” Luci finished, “until we can get Carrie back, we’ll need a girl named Beth to act like her double in the present. Because as long as the future thinks Carrie’s still here, there won’t be repercussions.”

“Time travel,” Hank reiterated. He moved to sit down in one of the living room chairs. “This is like something out of a bad novel.”

“It’s really happening though,” Mindy (or to Hank, Theresa) observed. “Now, if you like, I can essentially hypnotize you into being okay with everything. It’s simply better for everybody if you’re dealing with Beth of your own volition instead, should any issues come up that I cannot foresee. Also, it avoids me needing to reiterate that ‘everything’s fine’ every few days, as you start to feel like it’s not.”

“We do have things more or less worked out,” Frank added. “Beth will need to be in school Monday and Tuesday, for continuity, then you can take her out for some sick days as we regroup. Her being sick will also help explain away any odd behaviour. From there, we’ll play it by ear.”

“How long will this go on for?” he asked.

“At least three weeks. Maybe to the end of December,” Mindy stated.

“Three WEEKS?!”

“Mr. Waterson,” Chartreuse said, reaching out for his hand. “Listen, there’s no way I can, you know, fully understand what you’re going through. Because you’ve gotta take a lot more here on faith than I do. But PLEASE sir, know that I, like, get some of it. Because Carrie and me, we’ve been, you know, pretty close lately. Like, extremely close, actually. So know that I’m scared for her, and that large parts of me now want to scream, or sob uncontrollably, or lash out at Theresa here… except I know those things won’t help. This thing with Beth? It will.”

He searched her expression. “How can you be sure?”

She swallowed. “I… I can’t. Not entirely. But we’ve met future counterparts, and they say this is our best shot, so I figure it’s gotta help. Please, sir, if nothing else, please trust that we all want the same thing here. We all want - no, we NEED - to, like, bring Carrie back to the present. To have her here with us again, all safe and sound.”

Hank realized that Chartreuse was trying hard not to cry. His grip on her hand tightened, and his expression settled into one of resolve. If Carrie’s friends could manage? Then he would as well. “All right then,” he said. “Tell me more about this Beth, and what I have to do to bring our Carrie back home.”

On the bright side, the first week was only mildly problematic.

NEXT: Crossing Paths

PREVIOUSLY: Julie decided the best plan was to bring Glen (who wants to preserve the future) and Mindy (who wants to change the future), together.

PART 83a: TEMPORAL ALIGNMENT

“Oh, what’s Theresa doing… here…" Glen’s voice trailed off as the two redheads locked eyes. Despite everyone now being present in the LaMille sitting room, an unsettling silence fell. It lasted precisely five seconds.

“You scared Carrie off, this isn’t on me,” Mindy accused, quickly rising to her feet. “I’ve been passively watching, and only occasionally slowing down your orders at the cafe.”

Glen shot a glare at Clarke before turning back to her. “%You expect me to take YOUR word, you traitor?!%” he hissed back in Temporal. “%I’d be gone with Carrie by now if not for your interference.%”

“%Preserving a terrible future! Who wants that?%” Mindy argued. She looked to Julie. “This might have gone better if you’d said he was coming.”

“This might have gone better if you’d been more up front with us from the start,” Julie reminded her.

“Move away,” Glen said to Luci, Lee and Chartreuse, who were between him and Mindy. The two girls automatically took a step to the side, but Lee remained where he was.

“Dude, we might as well hear her side before the hurling of more garbled profanities or potentially heavy objects,” he remarked. Glen edged to the side, but Lee matched his movement, keeping the two Temporals apart. “Look, I don’t like getting physical, but I will if I have to.”

“That person is a traitor to everything a Temporal stands for,” Glen seethed, pointing past Lee, towards Mindy. “I’d banish her again myself if I could!”

“Glinephanis, our stance shouldn’t be that every Mundane is the enemy,” Mindy shot back. “%Remember, they created us.%”

“%Yes, and we are superior,%” Glen reminded. “%Until they learn to accept that…%”

“%They’re not servants. Not slaves.%”

“%No, but they are SO helpless,%” Glen scoffed. “%Playing around with technologies that they don’t understand, it’s not unlike giving teenagers a time machine. Let it continue, and everyone will be killed.%”

“%No, it’s sweeping generalizations like that which will kill everyone,%” Mindy responded. “%Don’t conveniently forget, fundamentally we remain human ourselves.%”

“What gibberi–” Corry began, only to be quickly silenced by a motion from Luci, who had been exchanging glances with Tim.

“%Temporals are the next generation of humans,%” Glen continued, ignoring Corry’s outburst. “%Imagine what we could accomplish without the petty restrictions of their society.%”

“%We could turn more innocent girls into weapons?%”

Glen managed to step around Lee, who had become distracted by Corry’s outburst. Showing no finesse, his fist went flying for Mindy’s face. Reacting quickly, Mindy stepped to the side and reached for Glen’s arm. As she tried to pull him off balance though, he twisted out of her grip, and the two of them faced off, eye to eye. Lee circled around, reaching out for Glen’s shoulder from behind, only to hesitate as the redhead simply resumed talking.

“%I’m not the one who woke her powers early,%” Glen seethed. “%That was a Mundane! I’m trying to HELP her.%”

“%Future her. Not the her of this time!%”

“%They are the SAME.%”

“%Not now. Not according to this one,%” Mindy asserted, pointing at Chartreuse.

“%That harlot?%”

“Whoa,” Tim gasped. Glen turned to stare, and the blonde boy slapped his hand over this mouth. Glen narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Mindy. “Oh no. No, this is unbelievable, did you teach all these Mundanes how to understand TEMPORAL?”

“No,” Mindy protested. “Though, okay, apparently they did find one of Linquist’s logbooks in our language…"

“Meaning you taught HIM? Oh, I’m out.” Glen’s posture relaxed then - as did Lee’s. “Future Carrie can destroy your lives as she likes,” Glen decided. He turned away from the group.

“Glen, wait," Frank objected. “Truthfully, most of us have no idea what happened and would like to get caught up.”

“Yeah, um, what were they, like, saying about me?” Chartreuse asked.

Glen paused, looking from Frank to Mindy to Tim. Mindy simply clasped her hands behind her back, adopting a neutral expression. Tim looked towards Luci. Luci seemed about to speak, then thought better of it and gestured back his way. “I caught words. You’re the linguist, Tim, you probably have a better idea of how it all fit together.”

Tim exhaled slowly. “Oh. Okay. Um. S-Something about them - as Temporals - being superior, and how our ignorance could kill us… though at a fundamental level we’re all the same? Except Glen didn’t buy that. Then they were arguing about Carrie’s powers, the use of her as a weapon, some garbling of tenses - hey, using a future imperfect tense almost makes sense now - and then on to Chartreuse. Which, ah, there’s a particular page where Linquist was spouting off about aliens, and he used what seemed to be cursing, so while I’m not entirely sure of the specific word…” He hesitated.

Mindy cleared her throat. “That ass called you a–"

“Never mind,” Chartreuse interrupted, her hands making fists. “I can guess.”

“Right, talk as if I’M the ass,” Glen said, his gaze settling back on Mindy. “Passively watching us, were you? If Carrie’s different, you’re the one who changed this past without considering the consequences!”

“I had no MEMORY when I met Linquist,” Mindy countered, jabbing her finger at her head. “Because of what YOU made Carrie do. So don’t you DARE lecture me, that man was like a father to me, he–“

“The change to Carrie’s timeline had to be more recent, traitor. You couldn’t have simply left town, noooo, you had to stay here and–"

“Yes, I had to TRY to create a better future, because it’s not like anyone else knew–"

“What gave YOU the right to decide–"

“Okay, this was funnier when I didn’t know what they were saying,” Corry grumbled.

Glen took a step back towards Mindy, only to have Lee again step between them. Then Julie clapped her hands twice, drawing everyone’s attention. “HEY! Temporals. Laying blame isn’t going to help bring Carrie back. So how about we all shut up and listen to each other until we’re on the same temporal page, allowing us to actually find a path forward through all this mess. Okay?”

Glen and Mindy glared back at each other. Then Glen rolled his eyes. “Fine. Feels like that’s the only way I’ll find out where the present day Carrie is.” He marched over to sit himself in a chair.

“Fine,” Mindy agreed. “Most of my cards are on the table already.” She sat back down on the couch.

“Lovely.” Julie put her hands on her hips. “Chartreuse, since you’re the one who understands Carrie’s timelines best, how about you guide us through the discussion?”

Chartreuse ceased her fumbling with the crystal around her neck, pursed her lips, then slowly nodded.

Frank found that the various timelines made sense. Mostly. There was one notable issue. “Here’s the thing,” he said once Chartreuse was done, which took some time given the questions of others along the way. “When ‘Shady’ initiated timeline three, that was a change. But Glen came back within that timeline - it was predestined. Mindy then initiated timeline four. That was a change. In fact, the very change that put us in this situation. So why the differences? What makes time travel predestined or not?”

“All time travel is predestined,” Glen grunted.

“Until it’s not,” Mindy added, with an impish smile. Frank frowned.

“That’s not an acceptable answer,” Luci protested.

The two Temporals exchanged glances. “You want to waste your time on this?” Glen said, gesturing.

Mindy raked her fingers through her hair. “Oh, sure, let’s give it a whirl.” She looked to Frank. “Say you burn your dinner. You’re bummed out. You travel back a half hour through time, to remind yourself to take it out of the oven. Meaning you don’t burn your dinner. Awesome. So why even take the time trip? Things worked out fine!”

“Because you’re predestined?” Frank ventured.

“Exactly,” Mindy concluded. “On an unconscious level, you need to go. For consistency, and so that your time travelling version has somewhere to return to. Perhaps the trip even avoids you being stuck in some sort of infinite time loop.”

“Wait. So did that dinner EVER get burned?” Laurie asked.

Mindy smiled. “Nope.”

“Unless dinner’s connected to paradox inducing Carrie Waterson,” Glen added, rising to his feet and wandering over to the china cabinet.

Lee scratched his head. “So time travel has become a way to remind yourself to do stuff that’s gonna happen ANYWAY?”

Mindy’s smile widened. “Yup.”

“Hence, all time travel is predestined,” Clarke echoed. He looked to Glen. “Except possibly when Carrie’s involved.”

“What’s the damn point to doing it then?” Corry asked.

“Funny you should say that, we keep telling the Mundanes as much…"

“Oh, Glen, lighten up,” Mindy said. “Thing is, even setting aside having actual motivation via one’s relative present being affected by a predestined trip, there are exception cases outside of Carrie too. It’s a matter of getting your time trip to knock the prior timeline completely out of alignment, such that it starts getting overwritten with your new one. To do that, you need to aim for a lynchpin moment. Which, alas, are almost impossible to spot, even in retrospect. So sometimes a Mundane tries anyway, hoping to get lucky.”

“For instance, instead of going back in time to warn about dinner, you go back in time, disabling your time machine,” Frank offered. “Lynchpin, and new timeline.”

Mindy shook her head. “Actually, that can be predestined. You might think you’re disabling it, when in fact you’ve enabled something that will force the trip.”

“Then the usual paradox of going back to kill your grandfather is a lynchpin,” Luci stated.

“Predestined,” Glen countered, now leaning against the wall. “You never take the shot. Or he survives. Or it’s a case of mistaken genetic identity. Time is more of an active force in this than you realize.”

“Okay, I know going back to try and kill YOURSELF does something,” Julie declared. “All I’m missing is the T-Shirt.”

“That can set up temporal waveforms,” Mindy acknowledged. “Are you alive? Are you dead? Even are you both at once, that’s a messy quantum possibility. But ultimately the timeline will collapse down into the most stable configuration… which is usually one of predestination.”

“Kinda hating the, you know, lack of free will here,” Chartreuse observed.

“You have free will in your actions,” Mindy noted. “And in your perceptions, which honestly is the most important thing. After all, two people can see a single event very differently.”

Chartreuse grimaced, as Mindy’s remark reminded her of the incident at school with the broken violin.

Mindy looked around at the others. “So yes, you get less free will about the final destination, but that’s all. To be blunt, everyone dies, the question is how did they live their lives.”

“Then you’re s-saying global warming was always going to happen,” Tim said.

“No,” Glen sighed. “She’s saying something was always going to happen. Free will and general human stupidity meant that the something became global warming. And now we’re kind of stuck with it, along with a host of other somethings… Mundanes really screwed over the Earth we’re trying to inherit.”

“But Mindy, doesn’t this temporal inertia mean your mission to separate Carrie and Glen was always doomed to failure?” Frank protested.

Mindy nodded. “Maybe. But there’s also early nudges on timeline alignment which can help knock it out when the lynchpin arrives, and with Carrie involved here, that was my goal. For while a mission to prevent Carrie’s departure entirely would likely have failed, mine was to prevent her from going with Glen. Which, frankly, seems to have worked.”

“Temporarily,” Glen grumbled. “Look, lecture over. Have we reached the point where you’ll all tell me when Carrie took her time trip to yet?”

Frank looked around the room at the others, seeing varied levels of confusion but no real argument. “They might as well know. Chartreuse? Feels like you should do the honours again.”

The pink haired girl nodded, again touching the crystal around her neck. She drew in a deep breath. “We’re almost certain that Carrie went back in time to get her mom. So that Hank Waterson would have someone here with him, after losing his daughter.”

“Oh, well, that won’t work,” Glen and Mindy chorused. They turned to glare at each other, as if irritated to be so in synch.

“Why not?” Luci demanded, perching herself on the couch again. “Carrie’s involved. Can’t she change things?”

Glen lifted an eyebrow. “Ooh. Gonna tell them all about it, ‘Mindy’?”

“Shut up, Glinephanis. I’m trying to work through the repercussions of that.”

“What repercussions?” Corry asked. “What’s the problem?”

“Sorry,” Mindy sighed. “I can’t. This goes beyond temporal theory, it’s need to know information only.”

“She’s my girlfriend!” Chartreuse insisted. “I need to know!”

Mindy merely pursed her lips.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Glen said. “If your Carrie went back to that time? My Future Carrie will pull herself out of there. Probably has already.” He smirked. “There’s nothing we can do about it here in the present. You’re screwed.”

NEXT: Double Trouble

ASIDE: A couple weeks ago, I submitted a serial profile to the “Serial Fiction Digest” FB group. Check it out if you want to know how I get in the minds of my characters, and check out @SerFicDigest on twitter.

PREVIOUSLY: Mindylenopia is at the LaMille mansion, as others prepare to meet Glen in Willowdale Park.

PART 82b: AFTER EFFECTS

“So why are you the official substitute for Frank?” Luci asked.

Corry carefully lowered himself down into the park swing. “Damned if I know.” He used his cane to brace the swing and arrest it’s motion. “Might as well focus on Glen. What did you turn up?”

In the swing next to him, Lee grinned. “Luci, show him the article about–"

“Hold that thought,” Clarke interrupted, looking towards the tree line. “Let’s tell them both at once.” Luci turned to see that Glen had emerged, and was approaching them, looking around warily.

“You’re short a few people,” the redhead pointed out, stopping at least three metres away.

“Research is ongoing,” Lee countered, before Clarke could speak. “You didn’t specify we all had to be here.”

“Right. Look, if your plan is for the others to knock us all out, then ply me for secrets about my abilities? Save your time, I won’t talk.”

“Oh, shut it,” Corry barked. “As if locking you in a box somewhere would be of any use. Me, I’m interested in what’s been discovered so far. Up to you if you want to listen too.”

Glen glared, but did close the distance between them. “Do you actually have documented evidence that Mindy has been hiding out in the town’s past?”

Luci glanced at Clarke, who nodded. She pulled a page out of the folder she held. “To start, an article from ten years ago. Talking about Linquist’s research taking a bizarre turn ‘since taking in that street girl’.”

Glen motioned with his hand, and after a momentary hesitation, Luci handed over the page. The redhead scanned it. “There’s nothing conclusive in this,” he objected. “No mention of who that ‘street girl’ was.”

“But notice the bizarre turn,” Clarke said, pointing. “Linquist publishing a paper about relativity. Wormholes. Surely that points to an influence by Mindy.”

Glen shook his head. “No, it proves the opposite!” he said scornfully. “I guess Carrie never said? Mindy’s memories of such things would have been scrambled by the temporal banishing. Linquist would have needed something in his own background to put her pieces together this way, yet you’ve now said this was a bizarre detour for him. You’re wasting my time.”

“Except we also have some later news articles!” Luci protested. She pulled out another page. “Including this one, where an interviewer says Linquist believed that aliens were feeding him information. If he started to think that Mindy was–"

“Luci, wait,” Clarke interrupted again. “Glen, you say Mindy’s memories would have been affected?” When Glen nodded, Clarke turned to look at Lee. “The stuff Linquist was doing before that bizarre turn, wasn’t it about memories?”

“Thought experiments, yeah,” Lee agreed. “Including recollection under hypnosis. It was good enough to get that minor award.”

Corry leaned forwards. “Maybe that’s the real proof then. Linquist got access to the wormhole stuff by fixing Mindy’s mind.”

Glen’s eyebrow twitched. “Show me the rest of your articles.”

“My original mission was to get ‘Glen’ away from Carrie, using any means possible,” Mindy answered Frank.

“How does a time machine help you do that now?” Frank asked.

Mindy shrugged. “It could have let me reason with one of them, away from the other. Worst case scenario, it creates the option of travelling back and planting as many subconscious triggers for Carrie as I could. Anyone spot that poetry I submitted some five years back?”

“So you again admit you’re trying to manipulate us,” Julie noted.

Mindy sighed. “Seriously? My poem was minor. Calling you last weekend, so you wouldn’t lose hope, was minor. I haven’t done anything major.”

“You crashed a van into our school library,” Frank reminded.

“Anything lately! Though short term damage like that is also minor,” Mindy said dismissively. “Time recovers. Also, I was younger and more impulsive then, stop trying to corner me.”

“What about the note you wrote me in Carrie’s handwriting?” Julie accused. “It was you, right? ‘Rebuild it, in secret,’ et cetera?”

Mindy shifted uncomfortably. “Right. Kind of minor? To be honest, I tapped Carrie to write that note herself, but it was years ago, back before her powers awoke. Kept it vague, removed the memory… I mean, it stood to reason that Glen would have her destroy the machine, after the stunt you all pulled on me with it. I just had to figure out who would be the best person to give that note to afterwards.”

“SIX WEEKS of my LIFE, Mindy!”

Mindy ran her fingers back through her hair. “Okay. Okay, sorry. That was a bit more long term - but come on, less than 12% of a year? It’s not as bad as it could have been. Not as bad as what happened to Linquist.”

“Why, what happened to him?” Laurie asked, biting her lip.

Mindy exhaled. “Euh. Well, I mentioned I had language trouble after the banishment, right? Truth is, we Temporals have our own language, and what with switching back and forth due to my memory blanks, Linquist kinda figured it out.”

“Hold on,” Tim said. “You mean, the language in his logbooks…?"

“%That little witch%…”

Luci jerked her gaze from Clarke back to Glen. “What??”

Glen waved dismissively. “Mumbling gibberish, never mind.”

Luci frowned, trying to peg why the strange words felt familiar, but Glen was already addressing them again. “Okay. It’s not a strong case, but it’s more of a case than I thought you’d pull together. For the moment, I’m on board with your suspicions.”

“Okay,” Luci said, temporarily setting aside his mutterings. “So, do you have any idea where Linquist and Mindy could be hiding out?”

Glen handed the sheets over to Corry. “No. In fact I may have run into them a dozen times and not known; Mindylenopia would have been on her guard for me, while I can’t say the same. That witch would even slip past Carrie’s headaches now, given how Carrie was the one who sent her back for those fifteen years or so.”

“So you’re not much help, is what you’re saying,” Lee remarked.

“I’m saying I’ll be looking now. You want a suggestion? Let’s talk with the guy Carrie referred to as ’Shady’.”

“Him? But he’s in jail somewhere,” Clarke protested.

Glen waved his hand in the air. “Hi, I have mental powers. Plus Tim’s father is a lawyer, right? The combination should be sufficient.”

“But how does getting to that guy help?” Luci asked.

“Simple. ‘Mindy’ would have known ‘Shady’ was coming,” Glen countered. “To awaken Carrie. More, that he had a time machine. Excellent opportunity for our nemesis to refresh her own knowledge, and perhaps obtain anything else he’d brought along, before mentally adjusting him and leaving.”

Luci and Clarke exchanged glances again. “So, that’s a scary thought,” Luci admitted. “Still, if Shady got adjusted to forget, what’s the point in us seeing him now?”

“Because wherever ‘Shady’ was staying in town back then could be a good place for Mindy to stay now,” Corry concluded, looking up from the articles. “Besides, it’s the only temporal lead we have, right?”

Glen crossed his arms. “Unless your missing friends have a better plan?”

“I’ve give Julie a call,” Clarke decided. “Wait here.”

“So, is that it, Mindy?” Julie said, her hands tightening on the back of the couch. “Is that all your manipulations?”

“Yes,” Mindy said. Then, glancing sidelong at Tim, she sighed. “No.”

“What else?” Frank asked, rubbing his forehead.

“It’s okay, you’ll like this one,” Mindy assured. “The time travel chip? The one that you had Tim bring here last week? It survived.”

Tim nearly fell forwards off his chair. “What? But I SAW Carrie destroy it!”

“She destroyed something, sure. You’re forgetting that I was paying attention to the time machine situation, thus had prepared a worthless dummy chip of my own. Just in case. And when Tim came to the cafe before heading out on the mission? I saw my chance.”

“You had him pull your dummy chip out of his pocket to give to Lee instead,” Julie reasoned, working to rein in her anger.

“Oh, I couldn’t be sure exactly what would happen, but I left Tim with the suggestion to hide the original once he was alone, and to use mine in all interactions,” Mindy admitted. “He brought the correct one to me the next day. He didn’t know at the time. It was to keep him safe.”

“I feel so used,” Tim said, biting his lip.

“Mindy, honestly? With all those manipulations, you’re not sounding much better than Glen,” Frank said.

“Rude! I’m on your side. The temporal gun? For helping Carrie with her temporal self? My doing. You’re welcome.”

“It was hidden in a safe,” Julie reminded. “Was that done by manipulating Linquist?”

“Okay, a bit, yes!” Mindy said, becoming visibly exasperated. “But I couldn’t fix him, or do anything that might prevent Carrie from actually banishing me after my first trip into your time. So I made the best of a bad situation. It’s all worked out to this point, what’s your problem?”

“You were, like, silent too long.”

Everyone turned to regard Chartreuse, standing in the doorway. Julie glanced reflexively at the china cabinet; Chartreuse must have come up through the pantry access. She wondered how long the mystic had been listening.

“What do you mean, Chartreuse?” Laurie asked, standing and moving closer to her.

Chartreuse took a deep breath. “Carrie’s WHOLE deal was in how she’d ended up, you know, destroying timeline three. The one Glen and ‘Future Carrie’ wanted. Except she hadn’t.” Chartreuse advanced into the room, ignoring Laurie’s outstretched hand. “You beat her to it, Theresa.”

“Very flattering, but Linquist’s knowledge was not a direct–”

“Not merely due to Linquist. It was through your cafe interactions with us. Both the, like, covert, in convincing us to be part of Carrie’s life, or, you know, the more overt, creating that fire to split Carrie and Glen apart on their first date. We’re in YOUR timeline now. We have been since the beginning.”

Mindy shook her head. “Minor, minor, all minor, major events would still happ–”

“Minor stuff ADDS UP,” Chartreuse interrupted again. “Before this? I could still kinda make it work. Now? No way. There is NO way the Carrie in ‘timeline three’, the one who once left with Glen, has ever been my– been our Carrie. Except our Carrie never, like, knew that before she ran away! And if she’d known, maybe she could’ve stayed, could’ve figured something out!”

Mindy leaned forwards. “Even IF Carrie is now different, Glen still has the power to steer her back. Remember, he’s the villain here, not me. I came to you today of my own free will.”

“Free will?” Julie cut in. “Or did you come here because talking with Tim made you realize we’d soon have Glen identify you?” Mindy shot her a look. And Julie jumped as her phone rang again. She glanced at it, and upon seeing Clarke’s name, excused herself from the room.

“So, Glen’s talking about breaking us into a jail, how are you doing?”

“We’re with Mindy. She’s been rewriting time,” came the response.

Clarke nearly dropped his phone. “What? A-Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine. We’re all fine, but in her own way, this woman’s been as manipulative as Glen. It’s annoying.”

“So… um, what do we tell Glen…?"

“Nothing. Simply bring him here. I think these two Temporals need to talk it out.”

Clarke blinked, sure he’d misheard. “Bring him? Julie… Jewels, those two hate each other.”

“Right,” she agreed. “But Mindy needs someone to take her down a peg, and we can’t keep this from Glen for long. Besides, it might be the only way to figure out whether all their plots are because of their time war… or whether one of them truly has Carrie’s best interests at heart.”

Clarke glanced towards the others. From the way their voices had begun carrying, it sounded like an argument had arisen about whether Linquist could have learned the power of mental manipulation. “Okay. We’ll be there in less than half an hour.”

NEXT: Temporal Alignment

ASIDE: That’s Mindy’s history for you. I think the only missing piece at this point is how timelines work in the “Time & Tied” universe; that’s coming next. Are you enjoying? Care to vote or recommend?

WARNING! MASSIVE REVELATIONS INCOMING. YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO READ PRIOR PARTS THE SAME WAY AFTER THIS. ARE YOU CAUGHT UP?

PREVIOUSLY: Did Carrie go back in time to find her mother? Is Mindy somehow pulling strings in the present?

PART 81b: DO YOU MINDY?

“No, that feels wrong,” Clarke objected. “Glen wanted Julie’s time machine destroyed. Why would ‘Future Carrie’ want it restored? Why work against the person she sent back? We’re missing something.”

Luci frowned, but apparently couldn’t think of an immediate defence for her position. After a troubled glance in Frank’s direction, she resumed her pacing.

“Let’s all back up,” Lee suggested. “Consider ways our rich witch’s note COULD have been written by our version of the track tease. For example, maybe it was dropped off after destroying the chip, but before she went after her mom? Thinking it was possible for us to make another chip or something.”

Julie shook her head. “Doubtful. Carrie’s started using new stationery in the last couple months. My note was on plain paper. Why the difference?”

“Also, Carrie was pretty adamant about not invoking more time travel,” Chartreuse added. “Problem is, I’m not sure I, like, buy Luci’s theory either. After all, the mystery note’s basically led to all of us, you know, being here and theorizing about time travel. Which is, like, exactly what ‘Future Carrie’ would want to avoid, yeah?”

“We weren’t always working together,” Clarke pointed out.

Julie winced. “Yeah, look, about that… Clarke, I…"

He flashed her a tired smile. “We’ll talk later.”

“Know what? We’re putting a lot of faith in handwriting here,” Corry decided. “And handwriting can be forged. Moreover, Julie, the note never referred to you by name, did it?”

“No,” she admitted. “You think it was a setup by someone else? But who outside of our group would know enough to be able to pull it off?”

Corry pointed his cane at her. “Mindy.”

“But that… actually fits,” Frank realized. “Mindy did have a couple hours in our time. She could have devised backup plans, gone to Carrie’s house, planted notes…"

“Mindy DID go to Carrie’s,” Clarke recalled, leaning forwards. “The day after the banishment, when I was with Carrie? She mentioned a letter by Mindy that had been left with her father.”

Luci leaned forwards against the back of the couch. “So Julie’s been working for MINDY all this time? Why? Surely if Mindy had enough knowledge to build a time machine, she’d have hired a reputable scientist rather than work to dupe a bunch of teen… she’d hire a…"

She snapped her gaze over to Tim at the same time as he turned to look at her. “L-Luci, the person in L-Linquist’s notes. Who might have been a relative, or associate…"

“No way. No WAY!”

“It would explain why that associate came up with the idea for the %gun of temporal freezing%.”

“Okay! Context for those of us out of the loop, please?” Lee requested, waving his hand.

As Luci seemed too stunned to speak, Tim turned to address them. “Linquist’s work on time travel. F-From once sensing the problem in Luci’s DNA to creating the t-temporal gun we found in the safe. What if all of his recent work was due to Mindy?”

“Linquist used to be a more reputable scientist,” Frank agreed. “Even won a local award once. When did that change?”

“When Mindy arrived,” Julie concluded, smacking the back of the chair. “After her banishment. She’s been working with him this whole time.”

“That can’t be,” Chartreuse gasped. Laurie reached out to again grasp her friend by the hand.

“But if that’s true,” Luci finally vocalized. “Mindy’s temporal banishment was, what, back fifteen years MAX?”

“That girl was Carrie’s first ever banishing attempt, right?” Corry remarked. “Maybe she didn’t do that great of a job.”

“Unless Mindy moved away and then came back into town,” Clarke countered.

“Well hey, why not look for evidence?” Lee suggested. “I’m working some hours in the library this afternoon. Now that you know what to look for, why not come with me and see if there’s something tying that Mindy to this Linquist? Maybe we can even figure out where they are now.”

“Wait, that plan, um, it doesn’t seem to help us get a time machine to pursue Carrie,” Laurie pointed out, waving one hand in the air as she continued to hold Chartreuse with the other. “Since even if present Mindy is tracked down, it still leaves us at the mercy of her, um, mental powers, right?”

“Lee’s immune, and I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve,” Julie said.

“No, Laurie right,” Frank sighed. “Without Mindy’s help, we have no time machine, and we need one. So Mindy can demand stuff, and we’ll have no choice. Worse, I don’t think she’ll have wanted a time machine so that we could all save Carrie.”

“Threaten Mindy with that gun maybe?” Corry suggested.

“Not if she h-helped to invent the thing,” Tim reminded. “Wouldn’t she know h-how to defend against it?”

Clarke sighed. “How about using Glen?”

Chartreuse jerked out of her thoughts. “Clarke, seriously? HIM?!”

“Maybe Mindy’s been warning us away from him because he’s the one guy who can take her down,” Clarke said, shrugging.

“Maybe we, you know, WANT her to take him down.”

“The devil we know, or the devil we don’t,” Julie muttered. “It’s like choosing Corry instead of Megan all over again. But in that respect, Clarke’s right - at least with Glen, we know what we’re getting.”

“Megan was merely misunderstood,” Chartreuse said.

“Maybe Glen is misunderstood too,” Clarke insisted.

Luci came around the couch to step between them. “Here’s the thing though. If Glen’s goal is to get Carrie back, and our goal is the same… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe Clarke’s right. Maybe we should at least ask Glen if he wants to help retrieve Carrie?”

Everyone in the room exchanged uncomfortable looks.

Glen stared back at Clarke and Lee, an expression of disbelief on his face. “You’re serious, aren’t you.”

“Hey, I’m inclined to ask that question of their group quite a bit lately,” Lee put in, before Clarke had a chance to respond. “But instead I roll with it. Turns out anything that doesn’t make sense either eventually does, or doesn’t matter.”

“Ha!” the redhead scoffed, turning away from the two other boys. He leaned against the window frame of his hotel room, staring outside, trying to find the flaw in their reasoning. It wasn’t coming to him. “So you expect me to believe that Mindylenopia has been in town for years? That she somehow remembered enough to be behind Julie’s time machine? And that getting the machine away from Mindy is our only chance to help Carrie?”

“Right, though Mindy doesn’t have it yet,” Clarke noted. “We only know that she told Julie it could be rebuilt with her help. So we can’t simply take Mindy out pre-emptively. Unless you can make us a time machine as well…"

“I’m not a technical guy,” Glen grunted. “I only know the theory. Mindylenopia was a full-on tech, that’s why it was a big deal when she supposedly joined the idiot Mundanes in the resistance.” He shook his head. “She shouldn’t have been capable of introducing such technology into the past though. Not to mention the issues with causality… unless she figured it was less of a deal to tell all of you, since you knew already?”

He began to tap his fingers on the windowsill. Mindylenopia. Was it true? How much might she remember? Was this a game changer? Did he want to work with Carrie’s so-called friends?

Clarke cleared his throat, as if he was going to speak again. Out of the corner of his eye, Glen saw Lee signal him to stay silent. Yeah, of course they would have sent along the guy who couldn’t be influenced. They didn’t trust him - nor did they have any reason to. So was this a trap, or were things just that serious? Glen grimaced, continuing to tap his fingers for another minute or two, before turning around again.

“When did Carrie travel to?”

“We’re not sure,” Clarke answered.

“But you must suspect. Hence wanting the machine.”

When Clarke hesitated, Lee spoke up instead. “That information isn’t on the table here, dude. If you agree to help, and to never again pull any sort of stunt like you did with that chip, then maybe. BIG maybe.”

Glen narrowed his eyes. “And how do I know Julie didn’t create two chips? Or maybe once you have the time machine, your whole plan is to return to yesterday and take Carrie away for yourselves!"

Clarke’s jaw dropped, a sign that either those weren’t, in fact, possibilities, or that the guy was a better actor than Glen gave him credit for. The latter seemed unlikely, as the blonde only pulled himself together when Lee’s hand fell on his shoulder. Then again, maybe the others simply hadn’t told Clarke the true plan.

“High guy. We’re getting nowhere. We should go."

“I guess,” Clarke said. “Unless… Glen, is there’s anything that might convince you that Mindy’s the real enemy here?”

Glen rubbed his chin. “Proof might. Yes, proof of actual scheming by Mindylenopia over the last ten years.”

Clarke nodded. “Okay, well, Tim and Luci are looking back over their notes, and Frank is already at the library, which is where we’re headed. So by tomorrow, we should–"

“Nope, by 5pm today.”

“What? Glen, that’s less than six hours away! And there’s so much data we’ll have to sift through!”

“Well, I can hardly give you the time to come up with a grand song and dance number for me, can I?”

Lee shook his head. “Paranoid much, red barren? You could use your mental gifts to see if anyone is trying to trick you.”

Glen shrugged. “Maybe your plan would be to try and figure out how I use that power, in order to turn it against me. No, I think if you’re really serious, you’ll put the effort into making my deadline. Oh, and I choose our meeting site, which won’t be the LaMille mansion, so don’t even bother.”

“Okay,” Clarke sighed. “Okay, fine. We’ll have something for you. And then you’ll see, Glen. You’ll see that we’re on the same side here!”

Julie had a sip of her tea as she sat in the kitchen, peering at her laptop. She, like Corry, had opted to do some searching online, rather than get in the way at the library records room. Besides, with Chartreuse and Laurie down in Linquist’s lab doing… whatever Chartreuse had insisted on doing, it had made sense for her to stay at home with them anyway. Unfortunately, the internet wasn’t providing much aside from a couple of references to Linquist’s jargon filled papers.

Julie glanced towards the pantry, which held the access down towards the hidden room. It was already past 4pm. What was going on down there? Chartreuse had said something about mapping timelines, and Laurie was popping up every so often to ask Julie about a specific date, plus there had been that one time for sandwiches… should she disturb them?

Julie shrugged. One of the library group was due to phone her soon, giving them the location where Glen wanted to meet. If the mystic and her friend hadn’t materialized by then, then she’d go down and see what was happening for herself.

The doorbell rang as she finished her tea. Jeeves would have already left to pick up Corry by car, what with that turned ankle, so Julie closed her laptop and rose to answer the front door herself. Maybe Clarke had come back to share some information in person?

Except it wasn’t any of the library people - when Julie opened the door, she found Tim standing with a rather more unexpected visitor. “Theresa?” the brunette questioned Tim’s companion. “What’s going on? We don’t usually see you out of the cafe."

The waitress half smiled. She wasn’t even wearing her cafe outfit, instead she wore a red blouse and dark pants. “Yes, well, I was talking to Tim here and realized that the time had come to explain certain things.”

Julie frowned. “What things? What do you…" She stopped. Noticing Tim’s worried expression, she looked a bit more closely at Theresa. And at her red hair.

“You know what things,” Theresa said. “In fact, you came damn close to figuring me out once before. Don’t worry, I won’t mentally guide you away this time.”

It hit with such force that Julie felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She grabbed for the doorframe. “No. It can’t be. You mean you… you’re…"

“Yes, Julie.” The seemingly twenty-something cafe waitress stretched her arms out to the sides. “I was once known as Mindylenopia."

NEXT: Remaking History

ASIDE: Anyone seen my microphone? I seem to have dropped it. Feel free to speculate on the repercussions of this part in the comments. Oh, and vote for T&T, maybe even encourage friends to read?

PREVIOUSLY: Carrie vanished during the school talent show. Everyone has parts of the puzzle…

PART 81a: MUM’S THE WORD

Hank Waterson opened his front door almost before his visitor had a chance to knock. “I’m sorry to have called you so early,” he apologized, opting to get straight to the point. “But I couldn’t sleep. I don’t know what to think about this, but her note mentions you, so I thought you might have more information. I don’t want to leave the house either, lest she come home…”

“It’s fine,” Luci assured him. “But like I said, I’ll need to see what Carrie wrote for myself.” She gestured to her companion. “And I hope you don’t mind, but I brought Julie along. She, um, specializes in cryptic Carrie notes.”

Julie gave him a quiet wave.

“That’s fine,” Hank said, beckoning them both inside. “At this point, I’ll take all the help I can get. From what I can gather, Carrie was last seen at the talent show? Is that why she insisted to me that I not be there? How far in advance had she planned her trip? Why didn’t she tell me about it, and when is she coming back?”

The two teenagers exchanged a glance, Julie offering Luci a small shrug.

“We’re not sure about any of that stuff,” Luci hedged. “Aside from yeah, she was last seen at the talent show. Maybe we don’t know that much more than you. Can we see the note?”

Unable to get any sort of read on their expressions, he nodded. “It’s upstairs, in her room. I left everything the way it was. I’d appreciate if you’d do the same, in case we need to open any sort of police investigation into her disappearance.”

“Why, do you think Carrie was coerced into writing whatever it was?” Luci wondered, as they ascended the stairs.

“I don’t know what to think,” Hank admitted. He let them into her room, gesturing at Carrie’s desk, over by the window.

Both Luci and Julie walked over, peering down at the note. Almost immediately, Julie turned to speak for the first time. “How long has Carrie been using this stationery? With the little pocketwatch in the corner?”

Hank shrugged. “I don’t know. I think maybe she bought it a couple of months ago?”

As the brunette considered that, there came a knock at the front door. Hank turned and ran back down the stairs, but instead of seeing Carrie when he opened it, he saw Chartreuse instead. She had a redheaded girl with her, whom he belatedly identified as Laurie.

“H-Hi, sir,” the pink haired teenager said nervously. “Sorry if we’re, like, disturbing you…”

“Did Luci tell you about the note as well?”

Chartreuse tilted her head to the side. “Note?”

Dear Dad, (it read)

  Some things have been happening in my life recently that I… I can’t deal with. So I have to disappear. Please know that this isn’t because of anything you’ve done, or didn’t do - I like how things have been getting better between us. I really do. But I don’t think I can go on, not with the path that’s been laid out for me. That said, my leaving? It means she can return. All the best to both of you,

Carrie

PS- Luci, if things DO go horribly wrong, do NOT hesitate to use the item that you found in that safe!

Julie crossed her arms. “It’s Carrie’s handwriting,” she confirmed for Luci. “And the ‘disappear’ remark would seem to confirm what Chartreuse said.”

“While the postscript obviously refers to the gun. But what about ‘she can return’? Surely that doesn’t mean…” Luci’s voice trailed off as footsteps approached, and moments later, Mr. Waterson was showing Chartreuse and Laurie into Carrie’s bedroom as well.

Chartreuse looked better than she had the previous night. Of course, Julie reflected, it would have been difficult to look worse. After Carrie’s girlfriend (should she now think of Chartreuse that way?) had run off, the rest of them - minus Glen, obviously - had waited around in the hall, making awkward small talk.

Eventually, they had gone back into the auditorium. No one had seemed to know what to say, Julie least of all, given how little she’d spoken to any of them of late. Chartreuse and Laurie hadn’t returned. They’d all left separately, and Julie probably wouldn’t have made any efforts to talk with them today if Luci hadn’t called her.

Julie watched silently as Chartreuse and Laurie read over the note, emitting twin gasps as they got close to the bottom. With Chartreuse though, there seemed to be a dawning realization, if not yet a complete understanding.

“Mr. Waterson?” Luci was speaking again, and pointing to Carrie’s dresser. “That empty picture frame. Do you know what picture used to be in there?”

He turned to look. “Yes, of course. It was Carrie’s mother. My wife, Elaine.”

Chartreuse’s eyes got even bigger than they had the previous night. “Oh my GOD,” she gasped. “She was trying to–"

“Mr. Waterson,” Julie said, cutting off Chartreuse. “We’re developing a working theory here. If you can give us a little time to network with the rest of our friends, we might be able to provide you with some answers by –" She looked from Luci, to Laurie, to Chartreuse, and then back to him. Based on their expressions, this wasn’t going to be straightforward. “The end of the weekend.”

Carrie’s father shook his head. “I can’t wait that long. If my daughter is out there, in trouble…"

“We’ll talk to you sooner if we can, but here’s the thing.” Julie rubbed her forehead. “Did it occur to you that Carrie’s letter might have been referring to the return of your wife?”

“It sort of did,” Mr. Waterson admitted. “But that’s ridiculous, since Elaine disappeared back when Carrie was only three years old.”

Julie nodded slowly. “Thing is? Rather a lot of ridiculous stuff happens at our school. And it’s going to take us some time to figure out where that possibility ranks on our events scale of ‘pop quiz’ to ‘van totalling the library’.”

Lee was the last person to arrive at the LaMille mansion. Julie couldn’t think of a time when they had all been together - herself, Frank, Luci, Clarke, Corry, Laurie, Tim, Chartreuse, and now Lee. Of course, there was one notable missing person.

She fingered the small jade figurine in her hands before placing it carefully back onto the table. At least this time, they knew Carrie couldn’t arrive and object to their gathering.

Julie cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Okay. We all have various pieces of the puzzle, but I don’t think any one person knows everything, so we’re going to have to tackle this in pieces until we’re all up to speed. Make sense?”

Corry looked like he might want to say something, fidgeting with the cane he was using owing to his twisted ankle, but he kept silent.

“Okay,” Julie concluded. She sat down in the last available chair and pointed to Luci, perched on the arm of the couch. “Carrie’s letter to her Dad. Go for it.”

Luci outlined what had been in the message that had been left at Carrie’s house, adding that the photo of Carrie’s mother had been missing from her bedroom.

“Meanwhile,” Chartreuse piped up, “I, you know, saw Carrie with a photo as Glen was putting her into that trunk. And Tim saw her with a photo the night she, like, destroyed the chip.”

“You mean Carrie was using her mom’s photo as a focus,” Laurie reasoned. “To strengthen her resolve.”

Frank drew his gaze up from the floor. “There’s another link. That time, in the hospital, with Shady? When Carrie first went a bit crazy? She told me that the presence of her mother had been a strain on the timeline. That, after giving birth, her mom had to disappear, that she and Carrie couldn’t co-exist.”

“Whacky,” Lee mused. “But no more so than the rest of it, I guess. So when did her mom end up instead?”

Frank shrugged. “Carrie couldn’t see it. All we know for sure is that Elaine Waterson disappeared 14 years ago, on a flight from Miami to Bermuda, in the so-called Bermuda triangle.”

“So last night, Carrie went back to get her,” Clarke concluded.

“It would TOTALLY explain why she was so scared,” Chartreuse agreed. “On top of the, you know, issue of seeing her missing mom again, she would also have had to deal with airports or airplanes. She hates those.”

“She managed it not TOO terribly on one of our first time trips,” Frank admitted. “But yeah, point granted.”

“And since neither Carrie, nor her mom, are currently back in the present,” Luci remarked. “The trip can’t have gone well.” Frank nodded, and resumed looking at his shoes.

“Can I say something as the designated jerk in the room?” Corry remarked, waving his cane in the air.

Julie half smiled. “Please do, I rather like that you’re offering to take that title before I end up claiming it.”

“What’s the damn point in knowing when Carrie went? We don’t have a time machine to chase after her.”

“D-Don’t we?” Tim spoke up. As his gaze went to Julie, many of the others looked to her as well.

Julie let out a long breath. “Yeah, not presently. But Tim’s right, in that maybe we could.” She grimaced. “With Mindylenopia’s help.”

“Mindy?” Laurie gasped. “But she’s the one who crashed that van at school! She made Corry and Frank miss two days back in October and she… didn’t Carrie, um…"

“Mindy was banished through time,” Clarke finished. He looked curiously at Julie. “Right?”

“Here’s where it gets fuzzy again,” Luci said. She hopped down from her sofa perch and began to pace. “Frank found an article in the local paper five years ago, a poem simply signed ‘Mindy’, which told us not to trust Glen. Good advice, all things considered.”

Frank picked up the tale. “Then last weekend, Julie got a call from someone claiming to be Mindy. They said that they could help with rebuilding the time machine. But it was a ‘don’t call me, I’ll call you’ thing, and she hasn’t called back - has she?” Julie shook her head.

“Soooo, this is a Mindy with a time machine then?” Lee asked.

“Unlikely,” Luci said. “Our current theory is that she’s the same banished person, who has been in town for the last fifty years or less. Possibly waiting for the chance to get her hands on a time machine again.”

“But then how did Mindy find out about Julie’s work?” Tim protested.

Julie threw up her hands. “However Glen found out, maybe? I swear, I should have taken out a billboard for all the good my secrecy did. But Carrie’s letter TOLD me that I was to–"

“What did THAT letter say?” Corry interrupted. “Do you have it?”

Julie sighed. “No, sorry. I ripped it up. Then burned it. It said I should do that. But give me a second, I’ll see if I can remember…" She closed her eyes trying to see the words again. Recalling the last time she’d looked at them, on that day, before taking off her rose brooch… damn, at this point, she really should get that back out of her drawer.

“Okay, it said, ummm, ‘Please help. It has to be you. You need to watch me now, and when I dispose of the time machine, save the key pieces. Then rebuild it. In secret. Please. Now destroy this note. Yours, Carrie.’”

“Kinda vague then,” Lee remarked.

“And that, like, makes no sense!” Chartreuse asserted. It was chiefly the tone of her voice that drew Julie’s attention - along with that of most of the others. Chartreuse winced under the scrutiny, and began fiddling with a crystal in her hands.

“Chartreuse, why does it make that much of a lack of sense?” Laurie asked, resting her hand on Chartreuse’s leg.

Chartreuse sighed. “It’s… oh boy. See, in timeline three? The one where the old time machine was, you know, still around? Um, Frank died.”

Frank’s posture straightened as he gave up on the plan of mostly staring at his shoes. Luci froze in her pacing. Many of the others present either inhaled or exhaled sharply.

“When?” Tim gasped.

“That time when Carrie was in hospital,” Frank realized. “Oh, geez, it had to be. Since that’s when she destroyed it.”

Julie rose to her feet again. “But my note WAS written by Carrie! Why would she want me to restore a timeline where one of you DIED?”

“Ohh. Oh no. I have a really bad thought,” Luci said. She waited until all eyes were on her before continuing. “What if Julie’s note was written by Glen’s ‘Future Carrie’? The one who wanted our Carrie to run off with him, and who would be extremely annoyed otherwise? Maybe she was trying to restore her timeline.”

NEXT: Do You Mindy?

ASIDE: Last chance to speculate before some massive revelations. Also, consider TWF voting if you didn’t on Friday?

PREVIOUSLY: Megan’s actions seem to be interfering with Chartreuse’s mystic readings. Chartreuse, Corry and Megan have gone to Linquist’s old cabin in the woods, looking for Laurie.

PART 79b: CROSS PURPOSES

“What did Corry say this was? A sonic grenade?” Megan peered at the object on the table. Corry had gone out to scout around the vicinity of Linquist’s old cabin, looking for signs of Laurie, leaving the roughly spheroid object behind. He’d said to ‘use it in case of trouble’.

Chartreuse looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, I think Frank’s been getting, like, bored this month. He also said he might try to make me a sonic lipstick, he must be watching reruns of that, you know, British TV show again.”

Megan shook her head, then looked back around the room. Aside from the table, there were a couple chairs, a small bed, some sort of cooling unit plugged into an old portable generator, and a filing cabinet that Chartreuse was revealing to be empty. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in months. Why would Laurie have wanted us to come out here? Why would SHE have come out here?”

“I’m kinda thinking it was to, you know, get us to talk more,” Chartreuse offered. She closed the last cabinet. “For instance, have any of us people whom you associate with Corry ever, like, congratulated you for getting that short story published?”

Megan eyed the pink haired girl warily. “Only Laurie did. Why, did she suggest you use that as a way of getting on my good side?”

The pink haired girl sighed. “No, Megan. I’m not… or rather, I like to THINK I’m not as bad as you, like, perceive. But in thinking on it, every time we’ve crossed paths, I’ve tended to see you as an obstacle. Perhaps I should be the one taking Corry’s story to heart. I haven’t been, you know, getting the facts about you before opening my mouth.”

So this was apparently Act Two of ‘let’s get Megan to behave the way we want’? “Self awareness is nice, Chartreuse, but you have a LONG way to go if you’re aiming for redemption.”

Chartreuse sat down on the corner of the bed. “Redemption… Megan, are you Catholic?”

“Oh, the cross on my necklace tip you off?”

“Plus the story you wrote, now that I think about it. I did, like, read it, you know.”

“Of course you did. But only because of how it related to Laurie’s picture, right?”

Chartreuse pursed her lips. “Is it, you know, difficult for you? Living in a town that doesn’t have a separate Catholic high school, I mean.”

Megan sighed, gripping the edge of the table as she leaned in. “I’m not the only Catholic in the school, Chartreuse.”

“That’s not what I meant… um, wait, is religion, like, a touchy subject?”

“No. Though it sure doesn’t come up much with Corry or Julie, so you MIGHT want to stop before you dig yourself into a deep pit.”

Chartreuse sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I can’t help it, I gotta know - are my mystical ways part of the problem here? Does it offend more religious people like you?”

Megan nearly fired off a blanket ‘if that’s what you think, sure’, but something told her that Chartreuse was trying to be sincere. So she took a second to gather her thoughts, resting her elbows on the table instead of her hands.

“No,” she admitted. “Granted, I think your talk of crystals and visions is not at ALL the sort of spiritual guidance Laurie needs. But I don’t hate you for your beliefs. I try not to hate at all, frankly. You may be aware of how it’s rather against our underlying philosophy?”

“So it’s more you think I’m destined for Hell, and you don’t want me, you know, dragging Laurie down there with me.”

“Wrong again.” Megan looked up for a moment, trying to figure out how to put things in a way that Chartreuse would understand. “Chartreuse, the whole point of us being on Earth is that we have free will. No one is predestined for Heaven or Hell, and as such, what I’m trying to do at school - and with you - is better educate people about their own consciences. Granted, some of you seem beyond my ability to educate.” She eyed the door, wondering what was taking Corry so long.

“And so instead you… what? Hold such people up to your followers as, like, examples of what’s wrong in the world? Try to, you know, tempt them with evil, in the hopes that they’ll reveal that fact to everybody? What?”

“I…" Megan frowned, starting to feel a bit uneasy as she realized that Chartreuse wasn’t exactly wrong in her assessment. “I do what I can to illustrate the dangers of hubris, envy, wrath and so forth.”

“Then you do think you’re, you know, influencing people.”

“It’s more helping to illuminate the…”

“Darkness already there,” Chartreuse finished. “I got that on our way out here. But isn’t the very act of, you know, doing the illuminating having influence? Like, consider, it’s only by ignoring big problems in society, like religion, race and politics, that those things don’t, like, change. Change happens when people like you shine the light, pointing the bad stuff out.”

Megan raised her eyebrows. “Are you seriously proposing that I ignore what Corry does around the school instead? To keep the status quo?”

“No, no… it’s more about, you know, accepting responsibility. And admitting that you’re influencing things and people a lot more than you might want to take credit for.”

Megan pushed herself back from the table, equal parts fascinated and disturbed. When she’d entered into the conversation, she hadn’t thought that Chartreuse had a prayer of making any coherent arguments, but Laurie’s pink haired friend was making surprisingly good points. Granted, the girl had missed out on something rather obvious. “Chartreuse, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take the credit. Hubris is one of the seven deadly sins.”

“Megan, you totally shouldn’t take pride in everything you’ve been doing anyway. For instance, there had to be better ways for, like, Sue Simmons to get her counselling. Right?”

Megan’s lips tightened. Now she saw where Chartreuse was steering them. “I’m still not going to issue orders about the talent show for your benefit.”

“Megan, no, this isn’t, like, about that any more!”

“No? Then what IS is about?”

“I… I don’t know!” Chartreuse flopped back completely onto the bed, a puff of dust rising around her. “But, you know, the Lord’s Prayer says ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’, and our talk is making me wonder if we’re both here now because there’s forces out there trying to, like, remind us of what that really means.”

As Megan attempted to parse the inclusion of ‘both’ of them, there came a scream from outside the cabin. Chartreuse jerked back up into a sitting position, while Megan grabbed for the ‘sonic grenade’ and ran to the doorway.

‘Oh no, not now,’ Chartreuse thought, scrambling to push herself back up onto her feet. She succeeded on the second attempt.

“Laurie? Is that you?” Megan called out. She ran out of the cabin.

“Damn,” Chartreuse cursed, fumbling in her pocket for her phone. She switched it to video recorder mode as she charged to the door after the dark haired student.

A few metres away, slumped at the base of a tree and illuminated by light from a nearby phone, was a redheaded form in a dress. “Laurie, what’s wrong?” Megan asked, hurrying over.

Chartreuse hesitated, her finger over the record button. Then, with sudden resolve, she reached up, turned her device off, and jammed it back into her pocket.

“Laurie, are you–" Megan’s voice became a high pitched shriek as a form in a lab coat jumped down out of the tree above her. She tried to backpedal, but stumbled, belatedly attempting to throw the grenade. Except she was already falling backwards by then, so the spheroid slipped out of her hands, arced behind her, and cracked the glass of one of the cabin windows where it hit.

“Don’t you come near me!” Megan yelped, sprawled on the ground. She crossed herself. “I have friends, I’ll be missed, I’ll… I’ll…" Her panicked shouts ceased as she realized that the person in the lab coat wasn’t advancing, but rather continuing to dangle in the air. Then, with the release of a rope, the “person” collapsed on the ground like a bundle of clothing. Which it was.

The redhead in the dress started to rise, leaning back against the tree. “Chartreuse, did you get it?”

Chartreuse didn’t respond. Instead, she walked over to pick up the nearby grenade. In her haste, Megan hadn’t even hit the trigger button; Chartreuse wondered idly if the device would have actually added to the confusion, or been a complete dud.

“This was a setup,” Megan gasped.

“Chartreuse, do we have Megan’s reaction on tape or not??”

Chartreuse looked back up at him. “No, Corry, we don’t.”

Corry tried to take a step closer, only to lurch back against the tree he’d used to claw himself to his feet. “Are. You. KIDDING. Me?! I twisted my ANKLE getting that rope set up!”

“You two… you LIED to me!” Megan accused, pushing herself back up into a seated position.

“A bit, but we mostly ‘suggested’,” Corry countered, raising one hand to make a set of successive air quotes. His other palm still busy acting as support against the tree trunk. “Remember, you brought yourself out here, by your own choice. Does that methodology sound familiar?”

Chartreuse sighed. “Okay, Corry? Don’t help. That won’t, you know, help.” She moved to crouch down next to Megan, wincing at the glare she was receiving. “Megan, this was, like, the nuclear option. We really were, you know, hoping that the talk on the way up here would be enough.”

“What was Laurie’s part in it?”

“Minimal. She, you know, recorded that bit of phone conversation for us. That’s it. She’s probably asleep at home right now.”

“Yeah, I would NOT have let Laurie up and run off like this,” Corry said, attempting to limp in their direction. He nearly tripped on the hem of the dress. “You really DO have a low opinion of me, huh, Megan?”

“I’d say my low opinion has been more than justified tonight.”

Chartreuse winced. “Corry, can you please let me do the, you know, talking from here? Please?”

“Oh, FINE. I’ll need to find a branch that I can use as a cane anyway.”

Chartreuse turned her full attention back on Megan as Corry moved off. “Okay. So Corry brought up the blackmail, and I went along with it, and we brought all this stuff up here in advance… but I, like, purposefully turned off my camera then. Not that I expect you to believe it, or, you know, anything I say at this point, but I did. Because I think I get it now. Like, not all of it, no way, but I get you a little better, and, you know, maybe I finally realize what the spirits have been trying to tell me too.”

The intensity of Megan’s glare seemed to subside, even if her overall expression didn’t. “That freaked me the hell out, Chartreuse. Laurie will hear about this, mark my words.”

“Oh, I know. I’ll tell her myself. I’ll even let you tell her first, if you want. Thing is, Laurie really did want us to talk, you know? That’s why she provided the recording. She’s desperate for everyone that she likes to get along, particularly now that she’s got the extra cheerleader responsibility on her mind.”

“Sounds like Laurie.” Megan looked up towards the sky. “That girl is SUCH an optimist, huh? Trouble is, me and Corry, we are NOT compatible.”

“I get that. Perhaps because he involves himself too much… while maybe you imply some of the same stuff, then don’t involve yourself?”

“Meaning?” Her glare was back.

Chartreuse nibbled on her lip. “Words can be, you know, very powerful. They spark emotions, ones which can lead to a total override of a person’s, like, higher reasoning… and while, as a writer, I’m sure you already knew that… maybe you’re not always testing what you think you’re testing in people?”

Megan eyed her, then finally lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. “Okay. Okay, maybe I talk too much. And God does not tempt us to sin, so perhaps there were times I should have been leading more by example.”

The dark haired junior started to push herself back up to her feet. Chartreuse quickly straightened up, reaching down out a hand to help her. After a hesitation, Megan accepted her help and was soon brushing herself off. “What you’re saying is about MY beliefs though,” Megan pointed out. “What about you? With that reference to ‘the spirits’ telling you things?”

“Oh. That was, um…” Chartreuse sighed as Megan looked at her expectantly. “Okay, long story condensed? Something’s gonna happen with Carrie at the talent show. But she’s being evasive with me. So I sought spiritual guidance, except instead of Carrie, I got visions of all the stuff you were stirring up. Hence me going a bit crazy this week, trying to negate your influence.” She exhaled. “Which was a mistake. Because maybe, the spirits were trying to get me to stop being tempted by their gifts. They wanted me to put my faith in Carrie instead, the same way you test the faith of the people you talk to.”

“Hmmm. Reaching a bit?”

Chartreuse shrugged. “As mere mortals, can we ever TRULY know what the cosmic forces are trying to tell us?” Chartreuse ventured a smile, and was relieved when it was reciprocated, however tentatively, by Megan.

“Got your talent show deal figured out yet?” the male Veniti twin asked, hobbling up next to them, leaning on a large branch. “Because if so, I find I’m in considerable pain and would prefer to leave these woods sooner rather than later.”

Chartreuse nodded. “I have my answers. Let’s get going.”

She received a message from Carrie later that Friday.

NEXT: Vanishing Act

ASIDE: During edits, the last two parts were completely gutted and rewritten from how they were before. Read this Sunday’s Commentary for more info. We’ve now reached the talent show; a vote for T&T is always appreciated.

PREVIOUSLY: Megan beat out Corry for control of the school. To read Carrie, Chartreuse needs Megan not to interfere with the upcoming talent show. She was told Corry’s biggest weakness was also Megan’s.

PART 79a: TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

“Megan, I need some help? If you can, please get Chartreuse, and both of you come out here now to this cabin in the woods where I’ve –"

Laurie’s voice cut out as the line went dead. Megan frowned, punching the redial button, only to be told Laurie’s phone was off or out of service. She stood quietly in her bedroom for a moment, eyes flicking over towards her clock radio - it was almost 11:30pm - then to her bed, then to the pyjamas she’d been about to change into.

“Damn it,” she muttered. What did that poor girl’s brother have her doing now? She walked back over to her desk, opening her laptop and looking up the necessary phone number. Chartreuse picked up after the first ring.

“Like, hello?”

“Something’s up with Laurie,” Megan said. “She just called me.”

“What? You found her??”

“Found? What do you mean found?”

“Laurie ran away from home this evening. It’s, like, totally on me. I was kind of pressuring her into, well, talking to you about the talent show actually. Where is she?”

“I don’t know, but she said something about a cabin in the woods.”

“A cabin? The Veniti’s don’t own a cabin. Megan, what specifically did Laurie, you know, say?”

Megan began to fiddle with her necklace as she thought back. “Laurie wanted help. She asked me to get you, and to come to some cabin in the woods. Then her phone cut out.”

“Okay. I wonder why Laurie phoned you, and not, you know, me?”

Because I’m the better influence on her now, plus I can talk like a normal person? “Chartreuse, you JUST said you were pressuring her to do something she didn’t want to do. Why do YOU think she called me now?”

“Okay, okay. She could be in trouble though, if her phone, like, cut out. Shall we do a little, you know, search and rescue?”

“Chartreuse, it’s 11:30 at night! This is a job for the police.”

“We don’t want to get Laurie in trouble. Her parents, like, don’t know she’s gone. Corry found this note when he went to say goodnight to her, and since then we’ve, you know, both been out searching. Hoping we can work this out without causing Laurie more grief. And since she, like, called you, maybe you’re the best person to come help us investigate the woods…?”

Megan suppressed the urge to groan. “Chartreuse, what’s the point in having all of us stumble around in the woods, in the dark of night?”

“Laurie’s the point. But if you don’t want to, you know, help, it’s fine. I get that you’re tired. I think maybe I know the cabin she was talking about anyway, so, like, thanks for the tip. Should I call you in the morning?”

“Chartreuse…"

“Megan?”

You’re not better than me. “You know the cabin?”

“Maybe.”

Laurie phoned ME, not you. “Then I’ll meet you where the forest runs up against that new development north of town in half an hour.”

“Yeah? I’m not ‘demanding’ that you meet me, you know…"

“Funny! Half an hour.” Megan hung up, hesitated, then went to her laundry basket, stuffing a bunch of dirty clothes underneath her sheets in case her parents poked their heads in. They were already in their bedroom though, making it easy for Megan to sneak downstairs, grab her jacket, and leave the house.

“What is HE doing here?” Megan said, pointing.

Chartreuse looked from her, to Corry, and then back. “I said we were both out here. Come on, Megan, Laurie’s his sister. He cares about what happens to her.”

“Right. Pity Laurie didn’t think he cared, or she would have been able to talk to him for help. Instead of running away.”

Despite the darkness, the glow from the light on their phones revealed the scowl on Corry’s face. His hand clenched into a fist. “I waited for you instead of going on ahead, don’t make me regret that.”

“Oh, so you know where this cabin is as well? Then why didn’t you check there as soon as Laurie went missing?”

“It’s a place that used to, like, belong to a scientist called Linquist,” Chartreuse put in quickly. “Hardly the first place we’d think to look. Heck, it might not even be the cabin Laurie mentioned, but it’s, you know, the only one I know of that’s in the woods.”

“Linquist?” Megan blinked. “Wait, that guy who owned the mansion is still in town?”

“Maybe,” Corry said tersely. “He abducted a girl and held her in that cabin just over a year ago, so can we get a move on already to make sure he hasn’t done the same thing to Laurie by this point?”

“Yeah, it’s this way… I’m pretty sure,” Chartreuse offered, heading off onto what might pass for a trail between the trees.

Megan jammed her hands into the pockets of her coat, resigning herself to the situation and falling into step behind Chartreuse. She tried to ignore how Corry was following her. It proved difficult, as not ten seconds later, he asked, “So, Megan, do you think I’m the devil?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Megan countered, without turning.

“I was gonna say, I’m pretty sure there’s people out there who are worse than me. Linquist for one.”

“Corry, your being here doesn’t mean I have to talk to you.”

“True enough. As you seem to be listening though, let me tell you a story about Josh.”

“Please don’t.”

“You wouldn’t know him, because you were at that other middle school in town, and he moved away before high school.”

“I’m going to stop listening now.”

“Laurie came close to getting him hooked on cigarettes.”

Megan nearly tripped over a tree root. ‘He’s baiting you!’ she chided herself. ‘Don’t let him!’ She clenched her jaw, focussing on where Chartreuse was leading them, waiting for the inevitable follow-up. Yet behind her, Corry now opted to remain irritatingly silent.

Her mental resolve lasted at least a minute, but her desire to better understand whatever Laurie had to suffer through every day won out. “How does that even make sense? Laurie’s never smoked,” she pointed out.

“You’ll need the whole story. See, my hobby hasn’t always been high school domination,” Corry began. “Back in Grade 6, I was content to have a small circle of friends.”

“Oh, give me strength,” Megan sighed, clutching at her jacket, feeling for her necklace beneath it.

“There were seven… no, eight of us. I organized a game night every week or so. It was the gaming we liked most. Laurie wasn’t part of that group, of course. It’s not that we were all guys, we weren’t, but despite the two of us being twins, I’m sure you’ve seen how we run in different social circles.”

“You run in entirely different shapes.”

“At the time, I was trying to ease off and let Laurie do her own thing,” Corry continued, undaunted. “After a couple years of keeping an eye out in grade school, not letting anyone bully her, that sort of thing. I figured, time to see if she could manage on her own. That’s why Laurie wound up hanging out with Josh that year.”

Corry paused momentarily as the three of them climbed over a downed tree trunk. “Now, Josh was pretty insecure. A bit like Laurie. Problem was, Josh wanted to be popular. To be a real rebel. And Laurie encouraged that, she told him he should follow that dream, and stop being so concerned about the things it would take to achieve it. A bit like how you enjoy encouraging people to do things, Megan… without considering the consequences.”

“I don’t like where you’re going with this.”

“I’m not surprised. So yeah, it wasn’t long before Laurie suggested to Josh that he get his hands on some cigarettes, like a couple of the “cool” kids were doing. Because that was sure to help him out. And hey, if the things were TRULY that bad for you, the government would crack down on it, right? In this perfect world we live in?”

“Corry, she meant well,” came Chartreuse’s quiet voice from up ahead.

“Laurie ALWAYS means well. Except she doesn’t understand how terrible things really are! Meaning when Josh got caught with them, he was suspended, followed by Laurie too, once she tried to take the blame. Worse, that idiot Josh didn’t learn. He was caught smoking up again a month later.”

“Corry, even if he didn’t learn, your sister, you know, did. And after realizing what she’d done, she started putting more effort into her studies.”

“Thank goodness. Though she also became more prone to talking in excessively illustrative sentences, to give people extra background detail. Tradeoff.”

“Hold on,” Megan cut back in. “Corry, are you implying to me that your whole desire to control your middle school was not merely because of some craving for power, or out of some desire to save your sister from the world - but rather, you hoped to save the world from your sister?!”

“I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but sure, it’s one interpretation.”

“Wow. Way to blame your pathological narcissism on poor Laurie.”

“In actual fact,” Chartreuse said, speaking over Corry’s growl. “I think we accept that Josh’s story is, like, only part of the puzzle. Part of Corry, you know, probably craves power too. This stuff’s not so black and white.”

“Mmmm. There were other factors,” Corry granted. “But they detract from the moral I was aiming for here.”

Megan glared over her shoulder. “What, that schools need better anti-smoking campaigns?”

She couldn’t see his face, but she suspected Corry was rolling his eyes. “Given how those campaigns are easier to put in place once you’re in control of a school, sure, I’ll grant you that too. But I think you know where I was going with this.”

“Oh, sure. The moral is that you’re a narcissist.”

“The moral is to know all the FACTS before you open your mouth!” he snapped. “And to consider the consequences of your actions before you speak!”

“My bad. It was that you’re a narcissist with rage issues.”

“Oh for… this was a bad idea. Chartreuse–"

“We’re nearly there now,” she insisted. “You can’t turn back here.”

Corry let out a rush of air. “One last try then. Megan, do you even remember how you were the one who incited things with Sue last September? How I nearly DIED because of it?”

“Corry, please. First, an attack on you was a mere suggestion, Sue’s the one who took it to extremes. And second, you weren’t fated to die that day.”

“How do you know I wasn’t??”

“Because you didn’t. Obviously.”

It sounded like he was grinding his teeth. “Oh, a perfect circle of Megan logic. Tell me, do you think Sue was always fated to need psychological counselling too?”

Sheesh, how long was Corry going to harp on her here? “Based on what happened, yes,” Megan explained. “I grant I might have accelerated the process…"

“Accelerated?!”

“But it’s just as well that I did, so that it happened in high school, while Sue was still able to get proper help. Who knows what would have happened a year later, away from home?”

“Damn. You really do have a rationalization for everything you’ve done, don’t you.”

“I merely help to illuminate the darkness that’s already there.”

He grumbled again. “Great, so what has fate decreed about the talent show tomorrow? Or rather, now that it’s after midnight, today? Still chaos?”

“Who knows? As mere mortals, we’ll only know for sure once the show itself is over.”

Corry finally fell silent, and Megan smiled to herself. He’d been sloppy at the end there, allowing her to confirm the fact that he really had sent Chartreuse after her at school. The nerve of them, trying to use Laurie’s disappearance here as an excuse to double team her! Still fixated on the school’s stupid talent show. No wonder Laurie had run off - it made Megan want to help the poor Veniti twin all the more. Maybe she could find the girl a prayer group.

“Here we are,” Chartreuse declared. They emerged from the brush in front of what seemed to be a one-room cabin structure. Strangely, the front door was hanging ajar. After exchanging a quick glance with the others, Chartreuse edged forwards and peered around the door frame, looking inside. She immediately motioned them over.

“Look,” she said, pointing.

Megan pushed the door open a bit wider, spotting Laurie’s jacket and phone on the floor right inside the doorway. But there was no sign of the young redhead anywhere.

NEXT: Cross Purposes

ASIDE: I recently gave an author interview here at Alastair Luft’s site. Consider checking it out, he has a number of other interviews there too, and a number of them have published. 

PREVIOUSLY: A violin was broken, and Megan said she’d be blamed. She told the principal there would be repercussions if he believed the others.

PART 74b: THE MEDIANT

“Hey, Corry. Sorry, but Mrs. Willis can’t talk with you now. She had to see someone about a violin. She did mention that this was on the music podium for you though.” Megan held up the USB drive.

“Oh. I see,” Corry said, frowning.

“Though you know,” Megan continued blithely, “since I’ve been so nice to you lately, I think it’s time you did me a favour in return.”

“Depends on if I get my recordings back,” Corry said, moving towards her.

“You didn’t make a backup, did you!” Megan smirked, dodging away from him. “Come come, there’s no need to rush. Let’s talk about Kim Carpenter.”

“Okay… well, I know of her,” Corry said with a shrug - and a glare.

“Kim is in the chess club,” Megan elaborated. “They’re having a tournament next week, and I owe her for the Julie deal, so I’d like for the girl to do well. If you catch my drift.”

“That’s outrageous,” Corry protested, even as he heard his sister murmur something to Chartreuse.

“… more going on … indebted to Megan …” was all Corry could pick out of Chartreuse’s reply, seeing as Megan was continuing to speak at him.

“I’m not saying she has to win,” the dark haired girl stated. “I just want you to get her in the top three. I mean, it’s about time I flexed my authority over you - or would you prefer I demand a more humiliating action?”

“Listen Megan,” Chartreuse cut in, stepping forwards. “Corry’s right not to, you know, get involved in this stuff just now.”

“Oh come ON,” Megan fired back. “Kim deserves a shot. And we’re going to keep talking about this, so long as I’m holding this USB drive!” She held it up again for emphasis.

“Thanks, I’ll take that,” Julie remarked, plucking it from Megan’s hands as she walked into the room behind her.

Megan jumped as Julie continued past her to set a violin down on the teacher’s large central podium.  “Next person to see Mrs. Willis, could they tell her the violin’s arrived?” the long haired brunette asked. “She was supposed to be picking it up from the office but I guess she got sidetracked. So I said I could bring it here.”

“Oh, of course,” Megan retorted, folding her arms as she looked from Julie to Corry. “The two of you working together. I should have guessed.”

Julie flashed Megan what Corry interpreted to be an apologetic smile before handing his recordings back to him. Then she leaned in, in order to whisper into his ear.

“Kim would want to win on her own merits,” came Julie’s quiet advice. “I’m betting that Megan never even asked her permission.”

Megan’s attempt to interrupt Julie by saying something about Kim’s disappointment was similarly cut off by an exclamation by Chartreuse. “Betting!” the pink haired girl challenged, hands on her hips. “You’re betting on the outcome of the game!”

Megan fired a confused look back at Chartreuse. “Well, what’s wrong with some friends making a wager?” she said defensively.

This whole situation was starting to click for Corry though. Julie would, after all, know Kim’s preferences, having been a former ally of Kim herself. So Megan getting him to rig the chess tournament would only be of benefit to her and any betting friends, regardless of whether his involvement was successful, unsuccessful, or even discovered. “Let’s have this out with her then,” Corry quickly whispered to Julie in return.

Instead, Julie drew back, shaking her head. “I can’t stay,” she asserted. “It’s probably best to leave you all to your own devices.” She glanced at everyone, then as she turned away, mumbled, “No need for the voice of another, right?”

Corry opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it and simply pocketed his band’s recordings. Megan was the first to speak up after Julie left. “Corry, please,” she insisted. “Don’t make me break out the big guns here or anything.”

The redhead frowned, not sure if Megan was turning her gaze towards his sister or the violin, so settled for a blanket, “You wouldn’t dare,” as his reply.

However, by that point Laurie had also started into a bit of a panicky run-on sentence about the feasibility of Corry giving help to Megan. Laurie stopped only when Chartreuse interjected with, “Oh, we’re, like, total witnesses! If anything happens here, we’re, you know, on Corry’s side!”

“HEY!” Megan shouted in obvious irritation. She rounded on Chartreuse. “Does that mean you would even lie for him?” Without waiting for an answer, she began to advance on Corry. “As for you,” she started, but got no further, lurching to the side. It was a little hard to tell if the stumble was genuine or planned, but Corry moved to help her regardless.

“Yeow!” spilled from Corry’s lips instead, as he misjudged the location of the central podium, bashing his elbow hard against it. The podium vibrated, even as Megan managed to catch herself on a stand, raising a hand to halt Corry’s advance. He raised both his own hands to acknowledge he’d keep his distance - which was when things took a decidedly bizarre turn.

“Watch it, the violin, the violin!” Laurie gasped, and out of the corner of his eye Corry saw his sister charge forwards, trip, and slam into the tall podium, wrapping her hands around the musical instrument.  The podium itself, which he granted might have been unbalanced by his earlier actions, now began to tip.

Megan began to lower her arm. “Is your sister… okay?” she mused, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, don’t involve me in things with my sister around!” Corry retorted, turning to try and help Laurie out. Chartreuse was able to move a little faster.

“I’ve got ya!” Laurie’s friend shouted, jumping to catch her. However, Laurie was apparently more concerned with the violin.

“Here, quick, take it!” the redheaded girl said, shoving the violin at Chartreuse.

“I’ve got it,” Chartreuse retorted, and with a finesse that managed to impress even Corry, she was able to slide the violin onto the floor while dropping down on one knee, yet still get her arms back into a position to brace Laurie.  Though with her hands free, Laurie was also able to partially break her own fall.

As the podium fully overbalanced itself, Corry turned back towards Megan to check her reaction. Only to have the dark haired girl reach out and jab him in the chest. “Now Corry, about Kim,” the girl began.

Unfortunately, the half step back that Corry had taken to try and avoid Megan’s jab caused him to knock against Chartreuse’s leg, and now he was the one off balance. He instinctively reached out for Megan, trying to keep from falling. She only stared, dumbstruck, as he grabbed her arm.

“What ARE you DOING?” Megan protested, trying to twist free by pushing at him.

“Don’t shove me!” Corry warned her simultaneously - but it was too late. He felt himself falling back, and pulling Megan along with him.

It was the feeling of landing on the violin that pained him more than the physical contact with the instrument itself. Though Megan dumping herself into his lap didn’t help the situation. Shoving her out of the way, Corry quickly rolled up onto one knee, but it was too late. It was possible that the neck of the violin had already been hit by the podium, but as to the rest… well, at this point the body of the instrument seemed beyond repair. The violin let out a feeble twang as one of it’s strings popped loose.

“Oooh, NO,” Corry sister gasped upon moving the podium aside.

“Brilliant,” Megan muttered, glaring at him.

“What do we do now?” Chartreuse wondered, also looking to the redheaded boy.

Corry fell silent after completing the story. Hunt scrutinized him briefly before speaking. “So your story is that while you were the direct cause of most of the damage, there were certain extenuating circumstances.”

Corry nodded. “Pretty much. Laurie tripping, Chartreuse’s leg, Megan being NO help… of course, I have no idea if their stories corroborate that. Laurie and Chartreuse weren’t in the best position to see, and while we were waiting outside, Megan said she’d put the worst possible spin on events unless I agreed to her terms about Kim. Needless to say, I didn’t do that.”

“Mmmm. Thing is, it seems possible that you would be accepting the bulk of the blame here simply because it helps your situation with Megan. Or alternatively, in order to avoid the breakage being blamed on your sister. What do you have to say about that?”

Corry shrugged noncommittally. “You’re certainly welcome to interpret the entire situation as you see fit. I’ll pay up, if that’s your decision.”

The principal rubbed his forehead, the whole situation abruptly reminding him of a movie he’d seen. “Rashomon,” he muttered.

“Sir?”

“Nothing.” The principal stood. “You may go. Come by the office fifteen minutes before school starts tomorrow. At that time, I’ll advise you and then the others as to my decision regarding culpability.”

Chartreuse slid into the seat next to Corry, plunking her cafeteria tray down on the table. She stared at him pointedly for a few seconds, before saying, “So??”

He looked back at her. “So?” he repeated easily.

Chartreuse sighed. “So, come on! You know, what did Hunt decide?! When I went to talk to him, he would only say it, like, wasn’t my concern any more.”

“So, maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s not.” Corry bit into his sandwich.

“Co-rry!” Chartreuse sighed in exasperation. “I’m serious! I mean, sure, Megan was at fault, but I’m worried I, like, came down too hard on her. In order to deflect away from Laurie. I’ve even, you know, started worrying that I mixed up who said what in a couple of places.”

Corry shook his head as he swallowed. “I wouldn’t worry about that. We all have selective memories to a degree. Come to think, it’s something Glen could manipulate, if we’re not careful.”

“But if I dug in too much, maybe Megan will target me - us - next or something! Aren’t you worried about her reaction at ALL?”

Corry sighed, then glanced around to see if anyone was specifically listening to their conversation. No one was. “Fine. If you must know, when Julie found out what happened, she went to see Hunt first thing this morning. And she’s using her own funds to pay for a replacement. As such, I got let off with a warning, violin case closed.”

Chartreuse blinked. “Oh!” She thought on that for a moment. “You figure Julie felt responsible, considering she, like, brought the violin into the room in the first place?”

“Beats me. Any discussions I have with Julie these days tend to be initiated on her end,” Corry said. “But it’s likely, and while her actions may consolidate our alliance, it doesn’t give Megan a reason to start a civil war. Satisfied?” He bit again into his sandwich.

“I guess.” Chartreuse looked down at her cafeteria tray. “So what are you going to do about the, you know, chess match?”

“I’m going to keep out of it and gamble that Kim’s smart enough to not need any help.”

“Ah. Makes sense.” She pushed her peas around on the plate. “So are you SURE that Megan has, like, no reason to–”

“Chartreuse, really? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had some skeleton in your closet that you didn’t want Megan exposing.”

Chartreuse dropped her fork back onto the tray. “Right, well, that’s silly, because, you know, my default mode is weird, so what could she do to me? Thanks for the info, Corry! I’m gonna go eat with Laurie instead. To, like, reassure her.”

She stood back up and grabbed her tray, glancing briefly over her shoulder as she moved away, to see if Corry was still watching her. He wasn’t. No one was watching her. Especially not the blonde girl in the corner, talking to future-boy, about the things that THEY’D once shared together…

Chartreuse let out a breath through pursed lips. God, she had to stop obsessing. She HAD to. But thus far, every effort to distract herself from Carrie had ultimately led nowhere. Except back to her classmate. The girl she loved.

Chartreuse winced. Could it be that she had no option left aside from… confrontation?

NEXT: Hi Anxiety. You could vote at WFG with a click.

ASIDE: Anyone else know about “Rashomon”? ‘Farscape’ did something similar with their episode ‘The Ugly Truth’ - Hunt’s remark to start us off in Part 73a.

PREVIOUSLY: A violin was broken, and both Laurie and Chartreuse explained what they knew… from their perspective.

PART 74a: LEADING TONE

“Corry broke the violin,” Megan Falls said simply. She sat down, smoothing out her long skirt. “You won’t hear that from the other three of course, because they’re in their own little clique. In fact, my account is likely to be the only truly unbiased view you’re going to get… since I don’t particularly care what happens to them.”

“That strikes me as a bit pessimistic,” Mr. Hunt mused.

Megan shrugged, levelly meeting his gaze. “It’s simply the truth of the situation. Now, where did you want to start? When Julie first brought the violin in, or with Laurie’s klutz routine?”

“How about you tell me why you were in the music room in the first place,” the principal suggested.

“Oh, that? Well, I AM in the band,” Megan sighed, leaning back in her chair. “As such, I came by to talk to Mrs. Willis about one of our pieces. After classes. It was during our discussion that she was paged away, on account of the donated violin in the office. I said I’d wait around for her to come back, she agreed and added that if Corry came by, I was to let him know his USB drive was on her podium, if he needed it. That they could always talk about the contents tomorrow."

Mr. Hunt nodded. “All right. So then Corry and his friends showed up, and you said…”

“Hey, Corry. Sorry, but Mrs. Willis can’t talk with you now. She had to see someone about a violin. She did mention that this was on the music podium for you though.” Megan held up the USB drive.

Corry made some random retort, after which Megan cut to the chase by asking about a favour, but all Corry could think about was his dumb band recordings. He made a grab for the device.

“Concerned? Didn’t you make a backup?" the dark haired girl sighed, moving quickly out of his range. That made their whole situation awkward, as what she wanted to explain with regards to Kim Carpenter could look like blackmail. Nevertheless, she broached the topic, and Corry grudgingly accepted the conversational shift.

“Kim is in the chess club,” Megan continued, with exaggerated patience. “They’re having a tournament next week, and I owe her, so I’d like for Kim to do well. If you catch my drift.”

“This is outrageous,” Corry protested, as Laurie and Chartreuse began mumbling to each other.

Megan shook her head. “Look, I’m not saying she has to win. Simply hint to your people that she should be in the top three. It’s about time I flexed SOME authority, and she’s a devout follower of mine. Is this really so inconvenient?”

“Okay, like, listen Megan,” Chartreuse randomly put in, stepping forwards. “It is, you know, totally not cool for Corry to, like, do stuff like this, or some junk.”

“Oh come ON,” Megan fired back. “Kim deserves a shot. Now, how long am I going to be holding this device?”

“Thanks, I’ll take it,” Julie remarked, entering the room behind Megan and plucking the USB drive from her hands.

Megan jumped as Julie continued past her to set a violin down on the teacher’s large central podium. “Next person to see Mrs. Willis, could they tell her the violin’s arrived?” the long haired brunette asked. “She was supposed to be picking it up from the office but I guess she got sidetracked. So I said I could bring it here.”

Megan paused. “Why DID Julie end up with the violin anyway, Mr. Hunt?”

The principal interlaced his fingers. “Mrs. Willis was apparently delayed in getting to the office by a matter of some importance with a colleague. The person donating the violin had to depart, and rather than leave the instrument with the secretaries, as the office was closing soon, he preferred to give it to a reliable student who would come directly to the music room. Namely Miss LaMille.”

Megan tapped her finger against her lips. “Hm. I suppose I’d assumed it was something of that sort,” she said noncommittally. “Anyway, after JULIE got there…”

Megan looked from Julie to Corry and folded her arms. “Oh, of course. The two of you together, I should have guessed.”

She watched as Julie flashed a weak smile, handed Corry’s USB drive back to him, and then leaned in to whisper something in his ear. “Hey!” Megan shouted, hoping to break up the scheming. “Whether you have the recordings or not, Kim will be disappointed if things don’t go the way I’ve indicated!”

“Betting!” Chartreuse said, again randomly tossing in nonsense. She kept on yammering more inane stuff, and being more caught off guard by the interjection than anything else, Megan couldn’t disguise her surprise as she looked back at the pink haired girl. Were people seriously at the point of wagering on her abilities?

“Well, what’s wrong with some friends making a wager?” Megan challenged, refusing to back down. Chartreuse seemed puzzled as to how to answer, which is when Julie stepped back from Corry.

“I can’t stay, it’s probably best to leave you all to your own devices,” Corry’s partner-in-crime decided. She then turned to look at Megan. “I’m not his significant other, all right?”

Megan paused, but ultimately gave Julie a slight nod of acceptance at her desire to be seen as separate from the redhead. With that, the brunette left the room, and Megan stepped forwards.

“Corry, please,” she began. “Don’t make me break out the big guns here or anything.” She paused, realizing belatedly that she didn’t really have a big gun plan, and thus glanced quickly all about the room for inspiration.

Laurie cleared her throat. “Um, Megan, maybe Corry could help you if you call the betting off, though I can’t see how he’d be of use since he doesn’t play chess even though you’re right he must know people who do and I’m a little confused here at what you want me to do even assuming I should be helping you out now…”

“Oh, we’re, you know, totally witless!” Chartreuse cut in. “And, like, completely on, you know, Corry’s side!”

Corry had spoken also, but it was hard to hear him along with everybody else. “HEY!” Megan broke back in. As everyone quieted down, she looked to Chartreuse first. “Are you saying you would even lie for him?”

That seemed to make Chartreuse stop and think, so Megan took a few steps towards Corry. “As for you," she started - but got no further as her raised heel caught on the carpet, and she stumbled.

“Uh oh!” Corry said, reflexively moving in to catch her. He smacked his arm into the podium even as Megan grabbed a music stand for stabilization. She held up a hand to keep Corry at bay, but before she could speak again, Laurie was jumping forwards and babbling about the violin.

Megan watched in surprise as Corry’s sister literally tripped into the huge music podium, grabbing at the instrument. “Is your sister… okay?” Megan muttered.

“Yeah, don’t involve me in things with my sister around!" Corry said back to her, coldly. However, as they spoke, their eyes were on Laurie’s antics.

“I’ve so totally got ya and such!” Chartreuse was shouting, jumping to catch Laurie as the girl seemed about to pull the podium down with her, violin and all. Fortunately, Chartreuse was able to grab the violin away and set it on the ground before it got tangled up in the whole mess. She even more or less stabilized Laurie’s fall.

That’s when, hoping to regain her control of the situation, Megan took the opportunity to reach out and jab Corry lightly in the chest.

“Okay, Corry, about Kim…”

“Hey, don’t shove me!” Corry exaggerated, stepping back… falling towards the ground… and grabbing for Megan, yanking her down on top of him.

“What ARE you DOING?” Megan shrieked, trying to twist out of his grip. However, both them and the podium were on the ground before she was able to pull her arm back. Megan quickly scooted to the side, out of Corry’s lap, and Corry rolled up onto one knee… and the violin the redhead had landed on let out a feeble twang as one of it’s strings popped loose.

“Oooh, NO!” Laurie gasped as both she and Chartreuse got their first good look at the damage. The body of the instrument itself seemed beyond repair - and of course, Corry had managed to put Megan into a physical position that made her seem at fault. No doubt for the benefit of Mrs. Willis, who entered moments later.

“Brilliant,” Megan said sarcastically to Corry. “What do we do now?”

“So,” Megan concluded, leaning forwards in her chair. “Since neither Chartreuse or Laurie got a good view, I’m guessing they either blamed me, or tried to act as if it was an accident. Corry’s testimony? That’s sure to blame me too, as he’ll claim I was the one who actually landed on the violin, courtesy of his ridiculous manhandling. But really, what happens now if you go with majority rules?”

Megan smiled, hooking some hair back behind her ear. “Let me present the likely scenario. I unjustly lose face to Corry in public. My many friends urge retaliation. Things escalate, school politics erupt, and you end up with a big mess on your hands! I’m also hardly in a position to be able to afford replacing the violin all by myself, so you’d be hearing from my parents too. Now, let’s compare that to putting the blame on Corry, where it belongs. He won’t DARE retaliate against me. Trust me on that one.”

The dark haired girl brought her closed hand down on the arm of the chair. “Heck, even if you don’t blame Corry, it’s his silly friends who put the violin on the floor in the first place. So I’m not the one who’s at fault here! Surely you see that now!”

Mr. Hunt remained silent for another few moments. “Are you done?” he said at last.

He wagered it was his cold expression more than the words that helped Megan realize she had overreached. She presumably had to force herself not to flinch, making a show of smoothing her dress again. “Yes, thank you."

“Then you may go, and send in Corry,” the principal concluded. “I’ll advise you of my final decision tomorrow morning. See to it that nothing ‘escalates’ in the interim.”

“So,” Mr. Hunt began, after a few moments of meeting Corry’s gaze in silence. “Who do you believe was at fault for the property damage?”

Corry frowned, then shifted in his seat to lean against the arm of the chair. “With all due respect, sir… the fact that you don’t seem sure of my answer after three prior accounts confirm for me that this situation is, ah, complicated. In light of that, I’d prefer to tell you the story from my own point of view. After that, you can decide on the answer for yourself.”

A pause, and then the principal nodded slowly. “All right, Mr. Veniti. Begin with your arrival in the music room.”

NEXT: The Mediant; Corry wraps it up. Thoughts on Megan?

PREVIOUSLY: A violin was broken, and Laurie explained what she knew… from her perspective.

PART 73b: DOMINANT NOTE

“So that’s when Mrs. Willis came in and saw the scene," Laurie finished, blowing her nose again. “Meaning the whole thing was really just an accident, but if you have to lay blame, then… then it WAS my fault. For knocking over the podium. I’m SO sorry Mr. Hunt! I promise that if you only suspend me for a week I’ll try ever so hard to never be so clumsy again!!"

Tears sprang anew to her eyes and Mr. Hunt sighed, handing over his entire box of kleenex. “Ms. Veniti… Laurie… please calm down. If things are as you say, then I won’t be assigning you a suspension. It would be a matter of making a form of financial remuneration to the music department.”

Laurie blinked. “A… a remue-what?”

Mr. Hunt shook his head. “Never mind. You’re free to go for now, Laurie. Tell your friend Chartreuse to come in next, if you would.”

Chartreuse marched in, closed the door and leaned against the back of the chair facing Mr. Hunt’s desk. She had to start strong, right? “Okay,” she began. “I’ll remind you up front that it’s totally not my style to blame people… but that said, if anyone HAS to get blamed for this, it should be, you know, Megan!”

“Please sit down, Ms. Vermilion,” the principal said, gesturing. “Try to leave the theatrics outside.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t get too dramatic,” Chartreuse assured as she came around the chair to sit down. “Still, it’s important that you, like, understand the depth of what’s really going on here. Megan’s got it in for Corry, you know!”

“I am somewhat aware of their situation,” Mr. Hunt countered. “But I will not allow my opinion to be swayed by internal politics. Let us stick to the scene at hand, and begin with what Megan said when you all first arrived in the music room.”

Chartreuse bobbed her head. “Okay then. Here’s totally how it all went down…”

“Hey, Corry. Sorry, but Mrs. Willis can’t talk with you now. She had to see someone about a violin. She did mention that this was on the music podium for you though.” Megan held up the USB drive.

Corry frowned, immediately suspicious. “Oh, I see…”

“Though you know,” Megan continued, narrowing her own eyes, “since I’ve been so nice, telling you this, and letting you call the shots since the library, I was thinking it’s about time you did me a favour.”

“It depends, now give me those recordings,” Corry countered, stepping forwards to make a grab for it.

“What concern! Didn’t you make a backup?” Megan taunted, dodging out of the way. “Come now, Corry, don’t rush me. Let’s talk about Kim Carpenter!”

“Kim who?” Corry said in irritation, glaring at her.

“Carpenter. In the chess club,” Megan elaborated. “They’re having a tournament next week, and I owe her for letting slip the news of Joe to Julie. Hence I’d like Kim to win that tournament… if you catch my drift.”

“This is outrageous,” Corry protested, even as Laurie leaned in to ask Chartreuse why Megan thought her brother played chess.

Chartreuse looked back at her friend. “Well, there’s more going on here than that,” she murmured. “That is, Corry is still indebted to Megan after she helped with your picture.”

Of course, Chartreuse had suspected that it would only be a matter of time before Megan pulled something like this. Whether the girl had been giving Corry leeway merely because of how he’d helped get her unconscious body out of the library during the incident that day, or because Megan rather liked the idea of waiting for the best chance to publicly humiliate him, it was hard to say. But since this junior class girl never seemed to think ahead to the consequences of her actions, as evidenced by speaking so blatantly to Corry of these matters while his own sister was present, it was obvious to Chartreuse that Megan couldn’t be allowed to–

“Chartreuse,” Mr. Hunt interrupted with a sigh. “We are dealing with a single incident in the music room. Let’s leave the colour commentary out of this?”

“Oh, well, I’m just, you know, explaining why I chose to speak up to Megan when I did,” Chartreuse defended herself.

“Fine,” the principal stated. “You spoke. What did you say?”

“Listen Megan, now is not the time to get Corry involved in something like this,” Chartreuse objected, stepping forwards.

“Oh come now,” the dark haired girl countered. “Kim deserves a shot. And this talk is going so well, what with me holding on to Corry’s music,” Megan added, holding the device out again.

“I’ll take that then,” Julie remarked, plucking it from Megan’s hands as she walked through the music room door behind her.

Megan jumped as Julie continued past her to set a violin down on the teacher’s large central podium. “Next person to see Mrs. Willis, could they tell her the violin’s arrived?” the long haired brunette asked. “She was supposed to be picking it up from the office but I guess she got sidetracked. So I said I could bring it here.”

“Oh, of course. The two of you, working together. I should have guessed,” Megan glowered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Julie flashed Megan a quick smile, handing the USB drive over to Corry. She then leaned in close to whisper something in the redhead’s ear. Chartreuse only caught “… would want … betting … Megan …” over Megan saying something about being disappointed, but it was enough.

“Betting!” Chartreuse challenged Megan then, hands on her hips. “You’re betting money on the outcome of the game!”

Megan glanced back at Chartreuse in shock. “How did you… well, what’s wrong with some friends making a wager??”

Even as Megan spoke, Corry was muttering back to Julie, “… have this out with her…!” But Julie drew back and shook her head.

“I can’t stay,” Julie decided. “It’s best to leave you all to your own devices.” She backed away, turning to look at Chartreuse. “Don’t act like his mother, all right?”

Taking that as a hint to back off, Chartreuse fell silent again, allowing Corry and Megan to circle each other, while Julie left the room.

“Corry, please,” Megan said after a moment. “Don’t make me break out the big guns here or anything.” She paused, then glanced over towards the violin on the podium.

Laurie tried to say something helpful, but Corry already knew where Megan was about to go with this. “You wouldn’t dare,” he challenged.

“Hey, we’re total witnesses!” Chartreuse offered, to back him up. “If anything happens here, we’re on Corry’s side!”

“Hey! Does that mean you would even lie for him?" Megan challenged back. Chartreuse merely glared, watching her closely. Which was when Megan took a few steps forwards… and jumped for the violin.

“No!” Corry said, moving to block her, hitting the podium himself.

“Watch it, the violin, the violin!” Laurie gasped, charging in from out of the blue. For a moment, Chartreuse stood frozen in shock at Laurie’s heroic actions, even as her friend tripped and slammed into the podium, simultaneously grabbing for the instrument. Corry and Megan, looking as if they’d been about to come to blows, both stopped moving, looking at Laurie in surprise, one of them muttering something inaudible to the other.

“I’ve got ya!” Chartreuse shouted, preoccupied with leaping forwards and reaching out for the redhead. It looked like the podium was going to fall, and take Laurie down with it.

“Here, quick!” Laurie said, shoving the violin at Chartreuse rather than allowing herself to be caught.

“Fine, I’ve got it,” Chartreuse said, taking the handoff only to just as quickly slide the musical instrument onto the floor, in order to properly catch her friend. Now down on one knee, she managed to keep Laurie from knocking herself on the head.

Which was when Chartreuse heard Corry’s voice from over her shoulder say, “What ARE you DOING?”, followed almost immediately by Megan’s snarky voice, “Hey, don’t shove me!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Chartreuse saw the podium hit the floor near to where she’d placed the violin. Then Megan sat herself down deliberately right on top of the instrument.

As soon as Megan scooted free, the violin let out a feeble twang, with one of it’s strings popping loose. Corry let out a gasp and fell to one knee, staring in horror at the ruined violin. Chartreuse turned to better see herself, as Laurie finished moving the podium aside in order to get a better look too.

“Oooh, NO!” Laurie gasped. The body of the instrument itself seemed beyond repair.

Chartreuse fired a glare at Megan before looking over at Corry. “What do we do now?” she wondered.

“Which is when Mrs. Willis got there and so you’ll know the rest from her,” Chartreuse concluded. “Odd set of circumstances to be sure, but, you know, it’s pretty obvious Megan is guilty!”

Mr. Hunt frowned. There were obvious differences between her account, and the one provided by her friend Laurie, but one thing in particular stood out. “It sounded like you were facing the opposite direction from the violin. Did you actually see Megan fall on it so deliberately?”

The pink haired girl hesitated. “Well, okay, didn’t see that as such,” she admitted. “But Megan was sitting right next to it afterwards, and that fakey ‘shoving’ comment was, like, pretty telling!”

Mr. Hunt steepled his fingers in front of him. “Is it possible the podium itself fell on the violin?”

Chartreuse shook her head. “That, no. I wasn’t, like, being totally stupid when I put the thing down, sir. Is that what Laurie said? She must have got it wrong because I was, you know, blocking her view.”

Mr. Hunt looked a little closer at Chartreuse, gauging her sincerity.  “Very well,” he concluded. “You may go. Tell Corry and Megan that I’ll summon the next person in momentarily.”

Chartreuse nodded, bouncing up out of her seat. “Don’t go TOO too hard on Megan, yeah?” she added as she started for the door. “It might be possible for Julie or Corry to, like, reform her!” Then she was gone.

Once the office door had closed, Dell A. Hunt grimaced and looked over towards his window. He had hoped things would be a bit more clear cut after two accounts, instead they were even less so. Had it been an accident, and was Chartreuse now covering for her friend? Or was Megan really to blame?

Neither option felt likely. While Chartreuse did have a habit of making up stories, her heart was usually in the right place - so why defend Laurie by attacking Megan in this manner? And while he had recently determined that the Falls girl was trouble, it tended to be because she was pulling the strings… not deliberately sitting on them, so to speak.

Well, perhaps the up and coming Grade 11 student herself would be the best one to clear up the mystery. Yes, she had to be the next person he would talk to. Dell rose from his desk and went to summon her inside.

NEXT: Leading Tone. Megan’s account. Want to Vote at WFG?

ASIDE: Part of the reason for the various accounts is to emphasize perception, which is a theme. Partly it’s to get into the heads of some characters, especially Megan, who’s rather new. Thoughts?

PREVIOUSLY: Megan reigns supreme among the student body, having manipulated Corry and Julie. Julie spoke with Clarke’s sister about relationships.

PART 73a: FOUR PART HARMONY

Mrs. Willis heard the raised voices while still halfway down the arts hall. It helped that the hallways were empty, school having ended over half an hour ago. In fact, the music teacher was able to identify two of the voices - those of Megan Falls and Corry Veniti - yet there seemed to be other people in the music room too.

That’s when she heard the crash. Mrs. Willis began to walk faster, as there was the sound of more talking, along with the painful sound of a musical string twanging…

She rounded the corner of the music room door to see Megan, Corry, Laurie and Chartreuse grouped around the smashed remains of a violin. The violin that had been donated to their music program today.

The normally calm teacher’s eyes widened. Chartreuse opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Willis raised her hand, palm out. “Not - one - word. All of you. To the office. NOW!” she demanded in cold fury.

Corry patted his sister on the shoulder. When she didn’t raise her head from where it was buried in her hands, he angled his gaze towards Megan instead.

Megan, the junior student who had a habit of sowing chaos from behind the scenes, generally with her own selfish desires at heart. The girl who had also managed to get one of Laurie’s pictures published the previous month, in conjunction with a short story she had written. Thereby ensuring that Corry couldn’t go after her. Not using any of the same methods he’d once employed against Julie, at least.

Corry had known it would only be a matter of time before Megan’s demands would begin. She’d picked a hell of a day to start.

As if sensing the scrutiny, Megan turned her head, letting go of the cross on her necklace. “I’m going to tell him what you did,” she hissed. “Unless, perhaps, you agree to help Kim, as I requested?”

“I never pegged you as a woman of conscience,” the redhead said dryly. “But if it comes down to my word against yours, are you so sure they’ll believe you over me?”

Megan opened her mouth to reply, which was when the principal’s office door opened and Mr. Hunt strode out, followed by Mrs. Willis. He nodded to the music teacher, who flashed him a grateful smile and departed. Hunt turned his attention to the four students, seated in a row.

“All right,” the principal sighed, crossing his arms. “As Mrs. Willis was not present during the incident itself, I am going to give each of you a chance to explain what happened. I expect nothing less than the ugly truth. That is, unless one of you would care to come forwards and confess right now?”

Chartreuse leaned in from behind Megan to look uncertainly at the rest of them. Corry kept his gaze on Megan; he heard Laurie sniffle quietly on his other side. “Very well,” Mr. Hunt sighed. “Laurie, in my office first please.”

“Wait, Mr. Hunt!” Chartreuse protested. “She was, you know, only there because of me and Corry. She’s not involved!”

“Then perhaps she can provide me with an initial objective viewpoint,” Mr. Hunt countered. His tone allowed for no argument.

The principal waited as the redheaded girl blew her nose and took a few deep breaths. “It… it all happened so fast,” Laurie said at last. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know where to start, I can’t… I’m just so sorry!!”

“Please stay calm,” Dell Hunt said patiently. “At the moment, you are not in any trouble. Perhaps you could start at the beginning - why were you and the others in the music room after school in the first place?”

“Oh. Well, that’s easy,” Laurie realized. She began to speak all in a rush. “Corry’s band - you know his band right? - they’d recorded some new songs and my brother wanted Mrs. Willis' opinion of the music so he gave her the files last week and she said she’d listen, then to come by today so she could speak with him about it. And Chartreuse came too because she was going to be meeting up with Lee later - he’s the drummer and Tim’s on keyboard and Glen does bass guitar y’see but I guess you knew that too, right? - so I tagged along too and when we all got there we walked in and found that instead of Mrs. Willis it was Megan Falls who was there and she had Corry’s recordings!”

“Er, right. Okay, slow down,” Mr. Hunt requested, leaning back in his chair. “Now then, what was the first thing that Megan said to all of you?”

“Hey, Corry. Sorry, but Mrs. Willis can’t talk with you now. She had to see someone about a violin. She did mention that this was on the music podium for you though.” Megan held up the USB drive.

Corry nodded. “Oh, I see.”

“Though you know,” Megan said. “I’m doing something of a favour for you by telling you this. I was wondering if you could do something for me in return?”

“Depends what it is,” Corry said, stepping forwards.

“Wait now, back up,” Megan said, shifting sideways and backing up too. “Don’t rush me. It’s about Kim Carpenter.”

“Okay, well, I know of her,” Corry said, shrugging. “She’s in the chess club, right?”

“Exactly. In fact, they’re having a tournament next week. And since I owe her one for talking to Julie, I’d like Kim to do well in that tournament. If you catch my drift.”

Laurie’s brow furrowed and she leaned closer to Chartreuse. “My brother doesn’t play much chess,” she pointed out. “Why would Megan select him to be Kim’s coach?”

“I think there’s more going on here than that,” her pink haired friend replied. “Remember, Corry is kinda, like, indebted to Megan for her help in getting your picture published.” As Megan finished saying something else, Chartreuse took a step forwards. “Listen Megan, Corry’s right not to get involved in something like this.”

“Oh come now,” Megan said, pleading. “Kim deserves better than that. Besides, I’m still holding your recordings,” she added, holding the device up again.

“Thanks, I’ll take that,” Julie said, pulling it from Megan’s hands as she walked through the music room door behind the other girl.

Megan jumped as Julie continued past her to set a violin down on the teacher’s large central podium. “Next person to see Mrs. Willis, could they tell her the violin’s arrived?” the long haired brunette asked. “She was supposed to be picking it up from the office but I guess she got sidetracked. So I said I could bring it here.”

Megan looked from Julie to Corry. “Oh, of course. The two of you together again. I should have guessed.”

Laurie watched as Julie turned back to the dark haired girl, flashing a smile and handing the USB drive over to Corry. Julie then leaned in to give Laurie’s brother a kiss on the cheek. Laurie let out a gasp of surprise, blinking several times.

“You know,” Megan continued, pouting as she looked to Julie and Corry, “recordings or not, Kim will be very disappointed if things don’t go the way I’ve said.”

“Betting! You’re betting money on the outcome of the game!” Chartreuse spoke up. “That’s not, you know, nice!”

Megan looked back at Chartreuse, surprised. “Why? What’s wrong with making a friendly wager?”

“I can’t stay. It’s best to leave you all to your own devices,” Julie broke in, now backing away. She turned to look at Laurie. “Keep an eye on your brother, all right?”

Laurie blinked and nodded wordlessly back at the brunette, who then left the room. When she looked back at Corry, she saw he was taking a few steps backwards at the advance of Megan.

“Corry, pleeeeease,” Megan was saying. “Don’t make me break out the big guns here.” She paused, then glanced over to meet Laurie’s gaze, seemingly asking her for help.

Laurie swallowed. “Um, maybe Corry could help if you just call the betting off?” she attempted.

Corry frowned as he saw where Megan was looking. “You wouldn’t dare,” he said.

“Oh, we’re total witnesses!” Chartreuse said. “If anything happens here, we’re totally on Corry’s side, you know!”

“Hey! Does that mean you would even lie for him?” Megan protested. Chartreuse then seemed uncertain. Megan took a few more steps forwards, only to stumble and fall sideways.

“Whoa!” Corry said, moving to try and catch her - but, in so doing, his arm smacked into the central podium.

“Watch it, the violin, the violin!” Laurie gasped, charging forwards to grab at the musical instrument before it could fall. She scooped it up into her hands, but becoming unbalanced herself, fell against the heavy podium. The podium rocked and began to tip.

“I’ve got ya!” Chartreuse shouted, diving forwards to help her friend.

However, Laurie quickly realized she wasn’t going to be able to regain her balance before Chartreuse arrived, so she tried to hand off the violin. “Here, quick, catch it!” Laurie offered, holding out the instrument.

“I’ve got it!” Chartreuse said. However, she immediately moved the violin down to the floor, being more concerned for the welfare of her friend. Luckily, Laurie managed to break her own fall, while Chartreuse kept her steady.

“Wha… What are you DOING??” Megan said baffled, now trying to see past Corry’s shoulder.

“Hey, don’t shove me!” Corry protested.

The podium finished it’s crash to the floor moments later. Right on top of the violin! “Oooh, NO!” Laurie gasped. In desperation, she got to her knees and pushed past Chartreuse in order to roll the podium off of the instrument. The violin let out a feeble twang as one of it’s strings popped loose; the body of the instrument itself seemed beyond repair.

Laurie wrapped her arms around herself, looking towards Corry and Megan, who had dropped to the floor as well. “What do we do now?” she murmured.

NEXT: Dominant Note. Chartreuse’s account.

PREVIOUSLY: Luci and Frank have each talked to Mary, Clarke’s sister. Carrie is trying to convince Mary of time travel.

PART 72a: KILLER CONVERSATION

Carrie collapsed back onto the couch, breathing hard.

When she reopened her eyes, it took a few moments for the image before her to resolve itself into the concerned and slightly confused expression of Mary. “What… what just happened?” Clarke’s sister inquired softly.

“What did you see?” Carrie said testily.

Mary hesitated. “It looked like my quarter… vanished. Only to reappear a second or two later. But it could have been a trick of the light…”

“It wasn’t the light,” Carrie said, clenching her jaw. “I moved it forward in time.” Whereas if she’d moved it back, causing coexistence instead? Boom, and no more quarter. Not only more difficult, but far too dangerous.

Mary’s pause was longer this time. “And that’s the proof,” she concluded.

“That’s it,” Carrie affirmed, finding the strength to sit up and wipe her brow. “It’s the best I can do right now, without losing complete control. I’m still in training. Hence, using a quarter, not a person.”

She held Mary’s gaze until the older girl was forced to look away, back towards the coin. “I’m not sure I’m convinced,” Mary admitted. “However… I’m no longer as skeptical either.”

“Will you at least accept that time travel may be possible for the remainder of our dialogue?” Carrie pressed.

Mary re-pocketed the quarter. “I’ll accept that there is something beyond the norm that you and your friends are experiencing. We’ll call it time travel.”

“Don’t call them my frie–” Carrie cut herself off with a wave of her hand. “Never mind. On to my more ‘personal difficulties’, as you put it earlier. Okay?”

Mary nodded. “All right…”

Carrie took in a breath. Suddenly faced with the prospect of admitting it, she was no longer sure she wanted to say it any more. But if she couldn’t tell Clarke’s sister, who else was there? “I killed Frank,” she blurted. “And I had to wipe out an entire timeline to erase that misdeed.”

At first, Mary could only stare. Her voice, when it came, was uncertain. “You killed…”

“I don’t expect you to believe it,” Carrie interrupted. “Hell, I sometimes wonder if the mind that merged with mine was outright lying - the power I would have had to tap into to accomplish what I did would be immense. But the memories were too vivid. The pain too raw. So the fact remains that, by delaying my destruction of the time machine, I killed my frie– killed someone.” She slumped back into the couch, feeling exhausted. “I can’t even tell Glen that. He thinks we’re living a whole other timeline.”

“All right,” Mary said slowly. “Then you’re telling me that you are capable of altering past events?”

Carrie couldn’t help it, she laughed. She had to check herself to avoid coming across as hysterical. “That and more. Me and my powers, we’re balanced on a knife’s edge, and if I fall off… well, I don’t know, but I suspect it would be very, very unpleasant for anyone around me.”

“That’s why you’re retreating from everybody?”

Carrie tensed. “I’m not… well, okay, I am. But I have to. It’s the only way they’ll all be safe.”

Mary pursed her lips. “Seems you and Julie could have something in common then.”

“I don’t want to hear anything about Julie.”

“No?”

“NO!” Carrie said, standing up. She had to throw her arm out for balance, as the sudden motion made her dizzy after her earlier efforts. “Look, I didn’t tell you what I did merely so that you could psychoanalyze me into inviting people back into my life!!”

“Then why did you tell me?” Mary continued patiently, rising as well.

To her surprise, Carrie found she actually had to think about that one for a moment. “Because I had to tell someone,” she said at last. “It’s been gnawing at me inside. I thought… I thought maybe talking about it with someone would help.”

“And has it?”

“I don’t know,” Carrie admitted. “Does knowing about what I did change your opinion of me?”

“I suppose it explains why you’re pushing people away. But the killing you speak of, it doesn’t sound like you did it intentionally…"

“Of COURSE not!”

“So why would it change anyone’s opinion of you?”

“Because it changed my opinion of myself.”

Mary hesitated once more, so Carrie decided to save her the trouble of answering. “Look, it’s fine, I’ve said my bit, thanks for listening. It’s time you moved on to Julie. She’s someone you might actually be able to help.”

Without waiting for another response, Carrie turned and headed for the basement stairs. She heard Clarke’s sister offer up some final platitudes about friendship, but she chose to ignore them.

“Goddamn it, stop ignoring me!” Corry shouted. She heard him thump his fist into the wall of the LaMille living room.

“I’m not ignoring you,” Julie said, still refusing to meet his gaze. “I’ve heard every word.”

“Fine. Shall I drop by tomorrow to bring you to Clarke’s house, or can you make it on your own?”

“Corry…”

“Julie, you are GOING! End of story.”

Julie finally spun. “If I’d known you were going to act like such an ass today, I would never have let you in the house!” she snapped.

“If I’d known what a selfish bitch you were becoming, I never would have offered you that partnership in running the school!” Corry shot back, meeting her gaze.

The brunette pursed her lips. “Touche,” she yielded. “But my going to see Mary… it won’t change anything!”

“Changing things is not the point!”

“What? Then what IS the point?!”

“The point is, Clarke is damn worried about you,” Corry answered. “And he’s not the only one. This closing yourself off simply because of - what is it anyway? Glen and his mental powers? Whatever your reasons, it isn’t healthy! I admit, Glen worries me too, but there’s not much we can do about him right now. Besides, he plays a good bass guitar."

Julie sighed. “It’s more complicated than you make it sound.”

“I don’t doubt that!” The redhead paused. “Thing is, if you don’t go today, Clarke’s efforts will all be for naught. Efforts with my sister, with Chartreuse, hell, he’s risking being sent to the nuthouse by his own relatives for pity’s sake! He doesn’t deserve that. So you need to talk to Mary. Doesn’t matter what you say, be it the truth, some sob story about repressed issues with your parents, or what you’ll have for breakfast in the morning. Just go see the damn shrink, okay Julie?”

The two teenagers stared unflinchingly at each other across the room. “Fine!” Julie said at last. “But don’t expect miracles.”

“I never do,” Corry retorted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Unless, that is, they’re the type of miracle which people like us manufacture, eh?” He fired off a grin, one that Julie found she could meet with a wan smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Frank replied, turning his head. He moved to rise from the swing he was sitting in, only to have Luci shake her head and sit herself down in the swing that was adjacent. She looked at the ground. So Frank did too. The ensuing silence was eventually broken by the sound of laughter from across the park, where a couple of kids seemed to be playing an evening game of tag. “You wanted us to talk,” Frank said at last.

“I’m not sure I love you,” Luci countered.

He jerked his gaze back up to see her looking at him, a sad, worried expression on her face. “Oh…” was all that came to mind.

“I’m sorry,” Luci continued, speaking in a rush. “It’s NOT you. It’s me. All me. Things in my history. Things that maybe, on a subconscious level, have had me pulling away ever since that logbook turned up. Leading to some conflicted feelings, and as long as I’m busy working through those, I don’t want to be in a relationship. Not with you, not with anybody.”

Frank stared. “So… we’re breaking up then?”

She winced. “I don’t… it’s… yeah,” she whispered. “We are. I’m sorry.”

“Do I get a say in this?”

She swallowed. “I… I guess? Thing is, some of my issues are about rejection.”

Frank tried to figure out where to take that. He felt strangely numb.  “Well, for the record, what I feel for Carrie isn’t the same thing I feel for you.”

“I said it’s NOT about that!” Luci retorted, frustration creeping into her tone. “It’s about something from my past. About a time when I chose to be silent, and yet probably should have spoken up!”

“And it’s something you don’t think I can help with?”

“I didn’t say that either!” Luci countered. “Maybe you can. Actually, part of me hopes you can. But part of me also feels like it would be weird, talking to you about it as a boyfriend.” She rubbed her temples. “It’s like, when these memories charged in, it was a harbinger of the end of our relationship.”

She drew a deep breath. “Ugh, which sounds STUPID, now that I say it out loud. I don’t know, am I the only one who’s been feeling weird about events lately? Have you felt ANYTHING like this too??”

She looked so insistent that Frank felt a need to think back. And a thought did occur. “Now that you feel mention it,” he said slowly. “Shortly before Carrie woke up in the hospital last week, I felt… I can’t describe it. Adrift, somehow. Like something about my relationships with people had… changed. At the time, Chartreuse gave me a funny look. But then Carrie regained consciousness, so…” He shrugged.

“But then it’s not just me.” Luci finished. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth. “Except…” She shook her head. “Somehow, I don’t feel like that changes this. Changes us breaking up. I don’t know, I hope I can explain it better once I can process it myself. For now, know that I’m truly sorry. REALLY. For hurting you this way. It’s the last thing I… I ever wanted to…” Her voice caught.

He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and handed it over. “So we’re breaking up then,” he concluded, this time not making it a question. “I suppose it would be worse to string each other along, right?”

Luci finished blowing her nose. “I guess. Though maybe I’ve been doing some of that too, recently.”

“Or maybe it’s that I wasn’t paying attention. I’m good at that.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “There really are no easy answers, huh?”

Luci choked back a laugh. “Oh no. Did you talk to Clarke’s sister?”

“Er, maybe. That is, yeah. I hope she’ll have better luck with Julie than with us.”

Luci’s different coloured eyes shimmered slightly in the fading light as he looked at her again. “She didn’t do such a bad job with us, did she? We’re talking again.”

“Yeah,” Frank admitted. “Yeah, we are.” And despite all the confused feelings he was experiencing, when he grasped Luci by the hand, he found that he could still smile.

NEXT: That’s a Wrap

Previously: Hank Waterson writes a story about woodland creatures with magical powers who have the names of Carrie’s friends. Raccoon Glen found evidence Fox Julie was a traitor.

PART 3.21b: WOODLANDS OMEN 2

“Right, a fox got double crossed, I’m so sure,” Carrie retorted.

“Carrie, she should get the benefit of the doubt,” Clarke put in quietly. “If we persecute people based largely on their animal heritage, we’re no better than the humans.” Carrie blinked at the beaver in surprise, appeared to think about that for a moment, then with a frown, she released Julie’s tail.

“But, okay,” Laurie said, puzzled. “If this documentation IS fake, and Julie’s NOT the traitor… who else COULD it be?”

As if on cue, there was the sound of something breaking the surface of the earth less than a metre away. Everyone turned in time to see a groundhog poke his head out. “Oh, g-g-good you’re still h-here!” it said in relief, scampering out of the hole. Behind him, a squirrel peered out of the hole as well.

“Luci?” Frank said in shock. “Where have you been?”

“Covert work underground,” Luci explained. “Sorry that me and Tim are late, but he can’t conjure his flashlight any more and we took a couple wrong turns.” She jumped out of the hole and shook the dirt off of herself.

“We were able to translate a pertinent passage though,” Tim said, holding a sheaf of papers out towards Julie. “I think you’ll be p-pleased with the r-r-results!”

“Passage? Covert mission? What the devil is going on here?” Corry said.

“Something I turned up in the warehouse the other day,” Julie said, running her eyes down the top sheet. “Evidence of the fact that the humans have been planning their recent dumping activities for MONTHS, along with the ‘inside informant’ - who, ergo, is not me. The problem was, the critical passages were either in code, or a language I didn’t recognize. So I somewhat reluctantly called for Tim and Luci’s services.”

“This is a very clever smokescreen you’ve put together in case of capture Julie,” Glen said, folding his arms. “But you underestimate our ability to see through it.”

“Hold on. Let’s see what Luci and Tim turned up first, then compare,” Lee suggested.

Julie flipped to the second page, then quickly the third, before looking up at Tim in surprise. He nodded and shrugged. “Let’s get him then,” Julie declared. Throwing the sheets aside, she pounced - however, Glen was already moving.

With a speed no one had expected, Glen dove to the side, rolled a metre away and came up with one palm extended. “Freeze,” he ordered. All the other sentient animals stopped in place, with looks of surprise on their faces.

“Whoa, you’re totally more powerful than you look,” Chartreuse said, trying in vain to move her feet or her wings.

“Damn straight,” Glen said, now making no effort to hide his evil grin. “Of course, it helps that all of you have had your powers mostly leeched away by this point.”

“But… but you’ll soon be losing your powers too!” Laurie protested. “Glen, why are you doing that?”

“Because,” Glen explained patiently, “as Tim’s translation no doubt revealed, my powers aren’t tied to this forest like yours are. And once you all revert, the humans will be granting safe passage for me and one other, all the way back to my real home. Far, far away from here!”

“The translation actually wasn’t that specific,” Tim admitted. “It just said the r-raccoon wants out of here.”

“We were kinda hoping that by doing things this way, you’d give everything away,” Luci added.

“Oh. Well, whatever,” Glen said with a shrug.

“Wait, who’s the other one you’ll be with?” Clarke asked.

“Who else?” Glen said, gesturing towards Carrie.

The bunny twitched her nose. “Me?? News flash, Glen, I don’t I want to go with you if this is how you treat my friends! I mean really, Glen, how COULD you?”

Glen shrugged. “Carrie, my mission was to track you down, and use a magic charm to help you understand your own inherent powers of sentience,” he replied. “Unfortunately, at the same time as I was awakening YOUR powers, Mindy and Shady were prowling through the forest, scouting for ways to expand that human settlement. To keep my item hidden from their probing, I buried it in that clearing - not realizing that it’s aura was still active, and able to affect other animals!”

“So, what, you think we gained our intellect and magical abilities because of this magical charm you owned?” Luci scoffed. “Please. I’m more special than an ordinary, everyday squirrel!”

“Believe what you like,” Glen said airily. “All I know is, after years of travel to track down the Chosen Bunny, I had to spend even MORE time messing around here, to learn how to reverse sentience on a bunch of useless creatures!” Glen shook his head. “I had hoped that by splicing together my Linquist contract with the signature I found for Julie, you’d all be thrown all off the track… and in another day, things would no longer matter… but, no matter. You’ve become weak enough for me to gain the upper ‘paw’ regardless.”

“Glen! If this is the real you? I’m staying right here!” Carrie said. Her body tensed. “And… and I’d totally put my paws on my hips to emphasize that point if only I could move!”

“I am sorry to hear you say that. But you’re coming with me regardless,” the raccoon said, smirking. “Because if you hadn’t figured it out yet, you dumb bunny, your powers aren’t tied to this forest either. It’s not the dumping, but rather that pendant I gave you earlier in the week which is suppressing your abilities. And once you’re powerless, we’ll be going. Don’t worry, your powers will be restored when we arrive back at my home.”

“But that’s kidnapping!” Carrie shrieked. “You won’t get away with that, or with using my powers in order to start a future war!” She shuddered. “Wait, how did I even know that’s what you were involving me in?”

“As the Chosen One,” Glen said. “Deep down, you knew all along.”

“You… you spent all this time tracking me down because your faction needed more power in order to stage takeovers of neighbouring forests!” Carrie realized. “And somehow you knew I could be more powerful than any of the other animals on Earth!”

“Oh, great, Carrie’s a powerful weapon. This information would have been useful a week ago,” Corry sighed.

“Too bad there’s no such thing as time travel,” Julie agreed.

“But Carrie, if you’ve got a bunch of magical power inside you, how come you can’t use it to shatter that pendant you’re wearing?” Laurie said.

“I… I’m not sure how to even move,” Carrie said. She grimaced in an internal effort, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry guys. I… I don’t think I can do anything!”

“Here, let me get that for you then,” Lee offered, moving to take the offending jewellery off Carrie’s neck. There was a beat, as all eyes shifted to the porcupine. “Yeah, hey, I could move all along, I just wanted to hear Glen reveal the plot,” Lee said, tossing the pendant aside.

“Hmmmm. A natural immunity? That’s not good,” Glen mused.

Freed of the magic draining item, the blonde bunny quickly rounded on the raccoon, her blue eyes bright. “Kidnap ME will, you? Threaten MY friends?! Well then, it’s YOUR turn to freeze, you EX-BOYFRIEND!”

Carrie bounded forward, catching Glen before he’d even taken two steps. One tap on his forehead, and he dropped like a stone, lying on the ground as if he was frozen in time. Carrie blinked down at her paw in surprise. “I can DO that?”

With Glen down, all the other animals gave a collective sigh of relief, having regained their own mobility.

“Nice work, Carrie!” Chartreuse said, gleefully clapping her wings together. “And that was a totally cool fake out, Lee!”

Lee shrugged, tugging at his jacket lapels. “I live closest to the affected clearing - I must have built up a little extra internal power or something.”

“So what do we do with Glen now?” Tim wondered.

“Humans don’t look twice at roadkill,” Julie said offhandedly, producing another nail file from her fur.

“Julie dear, that’s a little gruesome, even for you, isn’t it?” Clarke said, reaching out to touch her arm. Julie hesitated, then gave a yielding nod.

“I say give HIM that pendant,” Luci suggested. “Seal it permanently around Glen’s neck somehow. I mean, if it worked on Carrie’s powers, surely it will work on his.”

“Good thought,” Frank agreed. “In fact, now that we know who our insider is, we can threaten the humans with exposing all this dumping they’re doing. If Shady really wants to keep things quiet, they’ll have to stop their interference.”

“Ooh, but what about cleaning up the damage that’s already been done?” Laurie said worriedly. “Chartreuse, your conjurable conjuring crystals, could they purify the area?”

Chartreuse shook her head.  “Already considered it. There’s, you know, too much there for me to handle.”

“Well, from what I learned about this glop from Mindy, there is a primary ingredient,” Julie offered. “I believe all we’d need to do is figure out how to neutralize that. Then the problem will take care of itself.”

“In that case, it’s a good thing I’ve spent the last few days analyzing slime from the clearing,” Corry spoke up. “You’ll be pleased to know that we’re not up against anything radioactive. Though the strange thing is, the primary ingredient - and believe me, I triple checked this - it seems to be… well… lime jello.”

“J-J-Jello?” Tim said, surprised.

“If jello neutralizes magic, remind me not to forage for it,” Lee said.

“Hah. If THAT’S all it is, I’m sure we can come up with a counteragent,” Carrie asserted, dusting off her paws after having given Glen a kick in the ribs. “Why, by working together, there’s nothing we can’t do!”

“What’s more, Corry’s analysis also explains why these humans were able to dump so much of that stuff within a fairly limited area,” Frank remarked.

“Oh?  How do you figure?” Luci wondered.

Frank shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? There’s always room for Jello.” He had no time whatsoever to parry before the hammer and the croquet mallet came crashing down on his head.

Hank Waterson leaned back in his chair, letting out a yawn and massaging a cramp in his wrist. How had he managed to get through all that in one sitting? A glance at the clock showed that it was after 2 am. What incredibly inspired writing!

Yet now that he was actively thinking about it, Hank realized that he had questions. For instance, where exactly had the idea for that Mindy person come from? Why had he made accusations against Carrie’s friend Julie? And why had he turned Carrie’s boyfriend into the traitor? Was his subconscious trying to tell him something? Maybe he should keep Carrie grounded, so that the two of them wouldn’t be able to spend time together…

“What am I saying?” Hank muttered aloud. “This is fiction. It has no basis in real life." Besides, Carrie was good at finding a way around rules she didn’t like, so it wouldn’t do to keep her away from Glen. Moreover, he would be changing the names of the characters anyway. He could even change the villain’s identity once he got into editing. The whole story was still in a rather indeterminate state.

Shaking his head, Hank Waterson carefully stacked the story’s character sheets, and placed them back into his ‘Woodland Creatures’ folder. He then reached out and turned off his desk light, blissfully unaware of that fact that everybody’s temporal reality had recently entered a very similar indeterminate state, courtesy of his own daughter.

-Next Episode: Do You Mind?

-I hope you enjoyed this little detour/omen. Had you figured out who the traitor was? Do you see how things might tie into the real plot? Feel free to comment or vote for T&T.

Previously: Hank Waterson writes a story about woodland creatures with magical powers who have the names of Carrie’s friends. … Roll with it.

PART 3.21a: WOODLANDS OMEN 1

Hank Waterson did a quick scan back over what he had written. His short story had thus far incorporated most of Carrie’s friends as woodland animals with human sentience. Along with them, he had now written in two actual human characters, whose mysterious conversation had implied that there was a traitor within the animal group. Who was it?

Hank rubbed his chin. He wasn’t quite sure which one of them to use, and thus he decided to simply see where the narrative took him.

Slowly, the woodland creatures came out of hiding.

“So… what do you think about that?” Frank wondered.

“Mindy’s got a nice back end, for a human?” Lee offered.

“Okay, pretty sure Frank’s referring to the fact that there’s totally a TRAITOR among us!” Chartreuse wailed.

Lee shrugged. “Trying to lighten the mood.”

“Don’t. Now is the time to get serious," Corry growled. “Because if one of us is feeding these humans lies, and telling them things that will lead to us losing our powers within a week? That’s a MAJOR problem."

“It can’t be one of us. Whoever the traitor is, they already knew about this clearing having ties to the magical effects,” Julie noted. “Remember, that Shady guy implied it was their dumping here that caused a neutralizing effect."

“Hey, any of us could know more about this clearing than what we’ve said,” Luci said, glancing about suspiciously. “The question is, why would anyone want us forest creatures to go all mundane?”

“Unless the traitor knows of a way to keep themselves immune,”

Carrie suggested. “And they’re hoping to use their sentience to rule over the rest of us.”

Everyone’s eyes shifted towards the fox and bear. “Oh great, predators being persecuted again,” Julie grumped, twitching her tail.

“Hold on, everyone. Finger pointing doesn’t do us any good," Clarke said. “We need proof to make an accusation.”

Laurie raised her paw. “Why don’t we simply ask the humans which animal is working with them?”

Her brother sighed. “Laurie, approaching humans is not wise, they - oh, wait, they keep records. Maybe we could obtain some of their files? That could tell us something."

“We’d have to go into town for that though,” Frank pointed out, beginning to pace. “And the longer we’re out of the forest, the more the magic fades too. If we’re caught, we’d lose everything.”

“Someone could do it if they already had as idea as to the specific bases of operations used by these particular humans,” Lee noted.

“So Glen could do it," Carrie realized. “He’s spent some of his evenings skulking about in town. If anyone knows the layout, it’d be him.”

“But what if he’s the traitor?”

“Frank, stop accusing Glen of things already,” Carrie sighed, turning and slamming her mallet down on his head in exasperation.

“Um, but Carrie, I, like, said that,” Chartreuse noted, waving a wing as Frank fought to keep his balance.

“Yeah, Carrie, stop hitting on my boyfriend!” Luci declared, swinging her own hammer at Carrie. Carrie managed to block with her mallet… then both objects simply disappeared. Both Carrie and Luci blinked at each other in surprise.

“The magic problem is worse here,” Clarke decided. “We need to get going. Let’s at least see what Glen turns up, it could give us a starting point. Okay?”

Everyone present exchanged glances and nods. “And as a show of good faith, maybe Glen can grab me some of that aspirin stuff while he’s in town?” Frank mumbled.

“Crazy other animals,” Glen grumbled as he scampered down the alleyway. “As if I didn’t know it’s been four days - they didn’t expect me to know where Shady and Mindy were right away, did they?"

The raccoon peered out onto the darkened street and then headed down towards the part of town where the warehouses were located. “For a small town, it’s sure trying to work towards having more industry,” Glen observed. He soon found a hole in the fencing around the complex, and squeezed through. “Now, let’s see… that paper I found in Shady’s trash yesterday, it said Linquist was using Warehouse 3… hopefully I can find something in there to appease the masses.”

As it turned out, the warehouse was locked, but a few smashes on the padlock with a large rock allowed Glen to gain access. “Hmmmm,” Glen murmured as he scanned the interior - which was not much larger than your average sized human apartment. “If I know these humans, there’ll be a… yup, right over there.”

He hurried over to the corner that held the video surveillance equipment, and after giving it a look, he wound the tape back to erase his presence. He then pulled out his magical magnet and waved it over the devices for good measure. If it was strong enough to attract a garbage can, it was probably strong enough to mess with their electronics.

“At least the town’s still small enough to have lousy security,” Glen muttered. “Shady probably installed this in here himself. Still, it’s possible that there’s a silent alarm too, so I should work fast.”

The raccoon turned to start a quick search of the bins and filing cabinets, pausing as a file out in the open caught his attention. Sitting right next to the TV monitor, it was labelled ‘Security Breach 08/22/88’.

“Yesterday?” Glen mused. He flipped open the folder and his eyebrows went up. “Oho! Well then, it would seem we’ve found our traitor…”

“It’s, like, ridiculous, having to be up this early,” Chartreuse yawned as she looked out at the lake. “The sun’s barely up. Why can’t Glen stay up later, rather than, you know, waking us earlier?”

“Time is of the essence at this point,” Corry grunted. “Hell, last night I couldn’t get my yardstick to stay around long enough to take a precise measurement!”

“He’s trying to install new drapes in our cave,” Laurie explained brightly. “The old ones are so drab, even if they do compliment the existing decor so well. Soon we may even get a window to go with them too though looking at your faces I’m probably acting too perky for the hour so I should shut up now, should I?”

“It’s not THAT early,” Carrie insisted. “I’ve been up at this hour to meet with Glen before. We’ve watched sunrises together, it was romantic.”

“Hm, speaking of romantic, has anyone seen Luci?” Frank asked. “She seemed to disappear after yesterday morning’s meeting.”

“I’m sure she’ll be along,” Julie replied, filing her claws once again. “Unless she’s the traitor, that is.” Frank frowned.

“Well, hey, let’s just hope Glen has a stronger lead today, okay?” Lee put in. “What with infighting giving me a worse headache than the ones Frank gets from not reacting in time."

A silence fell upon the group. A few minutes later, Glen hurried out of the treeline and headed towards them. “Glen!” Carrie cried out happily, her bunny ears quivering. “Have you brought us good news at last?"

“Well, I have news,” Glen said, holding up a folder of papers. “It’ll be good for some, not so good for others.”

“Meaning what?” Clarke asked.

“Meaning, I think we’ve got our traitor," Glen explained. He flipped open the folder, and tossed a picture out onto the grass. Everyone leaned in for a closer look. There was a moment of silence. Then Corry made a lunge for Julie.

“Get her!” the bear snarled as Julie rolled away, firing her nail file at him. It grazed by Corry’s ear. Coming up on all fours, Julie then made a leap towards the trees, only to have the flickering forms of a broom and a tennis racquet crisscross in front of her. She hesitated only momentarily before making a move to dodge underneath them, but that moment was enough to allow her to be brought up short by a yank from behind.

“Ow ow ow ow!” Julie shrieked, falling onto the ground. “The tail is attached, you know!”

“Consider it retribution for all the times you’ve salivated over me and my kind,” Carrie shot back. “Now it’s time for a rabbit to put YOU on a hotplate!”

“Again with the persecution,” Julie said, turning her head, eyes flashing. “You have no evidence that I’m the traitor! So I’ve been in a human warehouse, so what??”

“So,” Glen said, clearing his throat, “you know more than what you’ve been telling. I also turned up THESE files–” He paused to toss some more pages on the ground. “–which show an agreement between Linquist and an unnamed co-conspirator to do the dumping in that clearing. Unless I’m very much mistaken, that top document has your paw print on it.”

“What??” Julie shrieked.

“I always knew you were a sly fox, Julie,” Corry said, glaring at her while rubbing his ear. “But I never realized how low you’d stoop to get your own way around here.”

“I should have guessed," Carrie said, bitterly. “I know she made friends with me only to secure the bunny vote in our part of the forest, so I should have KNOWN she’d betray us.” She took firmer hold of the tail in her paw and twisted it.

“Will you CUT THAT OUT?” Julie said, baring her teeth at the rabbit. “For the moment, I’m not going anywhere! And fine, I’ll admit that I’ve started doing a little covert work with that human Mindy, but it was only to discover what was really going on!”

“Then how do you, you know, explain this contract?” Chartreuse inquired, holding it out.

“I don’t know,” Julie said, peering at it. “Mindy did make me put my paw on something after I approached her, for her own protection. But that wasn’t it.”

“And what’s the reason for the security photo?” Frank asked.

“Mindy gave me the key to their warehouse the other evening. I went looking for files relating to the dumping. But Mindy said nothing about surveillance equipment… I think I’m being set up!”

-We’ve shifted from ‘Detour’ into ‘Omen’, as there will now be elements of foreshadowing for the end of this Book, and into Book 4. Any thoughts? Any desire to vote at WFG?

Previously: Hank Waterson writes a story about woodland creatures with magical powers who have the names of Carrie’s friends. … Roll with it.

PART 3.20b: WOODLANDS DETOUR 2

“The others… are coming…” Carrie panted out as she skidded to a halt at the water’s edge. She reached out to splash a little water on her face. “Oh yes, didn’t even take the direct route, and I still win!"

“Some things never change?” Clarke said, swimming closer to the bank.

“Ooh, yes, you always seem to do it, Carrie!” Laurie said, having come closer herself. “You’re so cool, with the hopping and the bouncing and the dashing and it’s hard to say whether a bunny can tap into the magic better than we can or if you’re just naturally so athletic but either way you’re an inspiration to us all and I really wish I had some of your coordination because I can never seem to stand on my ball for very long without falling off of it though you know that stuff could be completely different from magical ability so forget I said anything about it and oooh, what’s that new thing you’ve got hanging around your neck??”

By the time Carrie had explained to Laurie about the charm Glen had given her, Frank, Luci and Chartreuse had all made their way to the lake. “I found, you know, most of the early sentients,” Chartreuse hooted at Clarke. “I figured we didn’t need Jeeves or Megan or especially Azure or…”

“This is fine,” Clarke assured. “Now, the reason for calling you all here is because of what I found while felling some saplings to the north.”

“Near the human settlement?” Corry said, arcing an eyebrow.

“Right,” Clarke answered. “See, there’s this place that’s kinda glowy and tingly which does not feel good and… well, you have to see it for yourself. I ran into Lee up there and he’s keeping an eye on things.”

“Freaky,” Luci said at last. None of the others had spoken since arriving at the outskirts of the small clearing. “So,” the squirrel continued, “any ideas on what’s causing the weird green glow? Or any of the other effects, like the dying trees?”

“Nope, but I wouldn’t suggest going in there to find out,” Lee said. “I tried shuffling closer to that tree in the clearing’s centre and nearly sank right into the bog.”

“It must have freaked you out,” Corry observed. “You’ve let your quills do a shredding job on your jacket again.”

Lee shrugged. “Life of a porcupine is never easy.”

“Well, I could totally fly out to that tree,” Chartreuse offered.  “Except, you know, I’m more of a water bird and the thing looks like it’s dying so might not support my weight…”

“You see now why I thought we should check this out though, right?” Clarke noted.

“Yes,” Julie replied, frowning. “The question is what does this mean?”

“Ooh! Ooh, wait,” Laurie broke in. “I know this clearing! I used to play around here a couple years ago - in fact didn’t we all have that big forest glade party here? It was around the same time a number of us were getting that whole self awareness thing!” She began nodding vigorously. “Yeah, yeah, we were celebrating that, and I’m pretty sure the party was here, because it was shortly thereafter that I first conjured my clothes and my ball! Am I right or am I right??”

“I think you’re right,” Frank realized. “Except this clearing didn’t look the same, not back then. It wasn’t marshy, there was more grass, less of an odour…”

“And less general eerieness,” Corry agreed. “But we stopped coming here shortly thereafter. When the human settlement expanded.”

“Bah, you’re imagining things, I haven’t been here before,” Carrie countered. She had moved to a position a little ways around the perimeter. “Now c’mere and check this out, I’ve found some partially submerged human looking barrels!”

Everyone headed over to see what Carrie was looking at. “Um, hate to tell you this Carrie, but those barrels don’t look like humans at all,” Chartreuse noted.

“Thank you Miss Literal,” Carrie countered. “Sheesh, why couldn’t we have magically learned a language that was less ambiguous than English?”

“Barrels of human origin, I understood you,” Luci said. “Moreover, that has to be the source of the ground acting like some wacky bioengineered sports drink.”

“Say, I think that’s a label out there,” Lee said, pointing. “Fell off a barrel. Anyone want to get close enough to read it?”

“Allow me,” Clarke offered, pulling out his magic lacrosse stick and extending it into the clearing. He used the mesh to snare the paper and pull it back in to the group.

“Okay, um, it says… ‘Linquist’s Dribs and Drabs’,” Frank mused, after smoothing out the sheet. He looked up. “What’s a Linquist?”

“Whatever it is, it sounds really evil,” Luci decided.

“Look, guys… I really don’t think we should hang around here any longer,” Julie decided. “And when someone as fearless as me is saying that, I’d pay attention!”

“Much as I hate to admit it, Julie has a point," Corry chimed in. “After all, what if we’re exposing ourselves to the very source of the recent magical drain? We could be getting dumber and less powerful without realizing it.”

“Hold on a minute,” Carrie said, having again moved a short distance away. Her ears twitched in the air. “I’ve found a wide path back here and… do you hear that? There’s some sort of engine approaching.”

There was a pause as everyone listened for the noise.  Then Lee’s eyes went wide. “Truck!” the porcupine announced.

“Humans?” Laurie gasped.

“Scatter!” Clarke shouted.

The 4x4 backed carefully down the trail, up to the edge of the clearing, after which both driver and passenger exited the vehicle. The red haired driver turned to regard her companion, who kept his hat pulled down low over his eyes. “Hey, Shady,” she ventured as he climbed into the rear of the truck. “You SURE we should be dumping this stuff so close to our town?”

The man in the hat gave an irritated grunt as he undid the rope that was holding two new barrels in place. “It has to be here, Mindy,” he affirmed. “It’s the only way to deal with our little sentient animal problem.”

“Right. I know. But what we’re doing, it won’t harm anyone, right?” Mindy pressed.

“You say that like we’re blowing up a hospital or something,” Shady grumbled. “Trust me, all this glop will do is shut down a crazy ecosystem that should never have existed in the first place.” He threw the rope aside. “In a couple months, this whole area will be clear for more development, more businesses, more jobs, and better living conditions.” He pulled the top off of one barrel of green slime, and then kicked it out the back hatch of the truck. It fell into the edge of the bog.

“Ah. Good points, I guess…”

“Besides. Even if what we’re doing here comes to light, and people object, I’m reworking things so that Linquist takes the fall,” Shady added, his grin visible beneath his hat. “We have a bright future ahead of us, Mindy, mark my words!”

“Yes, well, I want to believe that,” Mindy sighed. “But then there are other times when I get to thinking about the animals, and I wonder…”

Shady cut Mindy off with a growl as he rolled the second barrel out the back. “First concern for humans, now animals?” he rasped. “For gosh sakes, Mindy, pick a damn side!”

“Can’t I be on both sides?” Mindy protested.

Shady mumbled something under his breath. “Look, I can guarantee to you that what we’re doing here is perfectly fine for the animals. Okay?!”

“Oh? And how can you do that?”

“Because I’ve been in contact with one of them sentient beasts for weeks now,” Shady said with a grin. “In fact, that’s the thing that assured me any so-called magical effects around here will dry up after another week or so of dumping. So don’t cry for the animals, Mindy. Because they want to be rid of their mistakenly acquired human-like sentience as much as we want it too!”

That said, Shady closed up the back of the truck and returned to the passenger seat. He only looked back out when he realized Mindy wasn’t following him. “Aw, what is it NOW?” he sighed.

Mindy blinked and shook her head. “Oh, sorry. It was the weirdest thing… but when you spoke of the animals that way, I could have sworn I heard a collective gasp coming from all around us.”

Shaking her head, she returned to the cabin of the truck, started the ignition, and drove away.

-Shady’s back! Kind of. Not really. Are you enjoying this? Care to vote for T&T, or otherwise let me know?

-Incidentally, at less than 1500 words and only 9 kB in a text file, this marks the shortest entry in the series… ever. Even Part 47 (Respite) was over 1500, and having completed edits on Book 4 last weekend, I can say all future parts are longer than this.

Previously: The time group fractured. Mindy used mental powers to get Hank Waterson to write a letter, warning his daughter Carrie about Glen.

PART 3.20a: WOODLANDS DETOUR 1

“This isn’t working,” Hank Waterson decided, after another twenty minutes of struggling with his novel. “I need to take a step back and get away from all this angst. Maybe… yes, of course. There was that collection of short stories requesting submissions before the end of the year. I’ll have another go at that.”

Hank closed his current document and reached into his desk drawer to pull out a small folder labeled ‘Woodland Creatures’. “Now, let’s see… I was superficially basing these new characters on Carrie and some of her classmates… I must remember to change the names later.” Hank half smiled as he browsed back over his character outlines, then began to write.

It was a bright sunny day, and Carrie was hopping merrily down the woodlands path, her long bunny ears jutting out cutely behind her.

“Did you want some barley to go with your hops?" chattered a nearby voice. Carrie turned to see a chipmunk watching her from a nearby tree stump. She immediately produced a huge croquet mallet from out of nowhere, using it to bonk Frank on the head.

“No rabbit puns!" the bunny girl accused.

“And stop watching Carrie!” came another voice, a smaller hammer coming down next to the mallet. “Remember, you’re dating me, not her.” Luci adjusted her skirt and twitched her long squirrel tail, after which both her and Carrie’s magical objects were dispelled back to the nothing from whence they came.

“I… I just thought Carrie might need some cheering up…” Frank protested, his eyes spinning around in a swirly pattern. “After last night’s date with Glen…”

“Hm. How DID that go?” Luci asked, scampering closer to Carrie. “Did you learn any more about him?"

“I learned he’s very generous,” Carrie said. She reached into her tank top and pulled out a small pendant on a chain. “Seeing as he gave me this present!"

“I still don’t trust him,” Frank protested. “I mean, Glen’s always wearing that mask…”

“He’s a raccoon,” Carrie reminded. She pulled out her mallet again for an over the shoulder shot, but this time Frank managed to produce his magical tennis racquet in time to block her. “There you go, much better reflexes that time,” the bunny applauded him.

“Your pendant seems to be glowing though," Luci mused, scampering left, right, over Carrie’s head and then under her arms to try and get a better look. “Is that normal? Should we analyze it?”

“It does make me feel all tingly,” Carrie admitted. “But this is a magical forest. One expects to have such tingles.”

“Does one? Because we’ve been feeling less and less of those," Luci reminded her, whiskers twitching. “It must be that the magic is fading, and we don’t know why.”

“Right, good point," Carrie sighed. “Soon the humans in that nearby settlement are going to see through the illusions, and start wondering why we wear clothes and have opposable thumbs on our paws.”

“Actually,” Frank piped up again, “we English-speaking clothes-wearing animals are the exception in this forest, not the norm. It’s more likely that we’ll simply lose the ability for higher thought, reverting back to being much more typical forest creatures."

“Yes, thank you for that uplifting reminder, Frank,” Carrie grumbled.

“He does make a point though,” Luci chattered. “If this magic fade keeps up, we may lose the ability to conjure our items, which makes us more vulnerable to… FOX!"

Luci made a jump for a nearby tree as Carrie spun, already whipping out her mallet. It’s handle connected solidly with a long pool cue, and Carrie grimaced with the effort of holding the solid length of wood at bay. “Why don’t you give this up already?” the bunny said through gritted teeth. “You’re never going to get me, Julie.”

“Just keeping you on your toes, much like how you do with Frank,” the fox replied, flashing a smile from behind the cue. “You don’t really think I’d eat a friend, do you?”

“I’d be more convinced if you’d stop licking your lips at the sight of me,” Carrie retorted.

“Aw. You know I can’t control my biology,” Julie said innocently. “Come on Carrie, have faith. This is only a test. Because here’s the thing, it feels to me like your parrying skills are slipping, and if I really wanted to, I could probably–"

Julie stopped speaking as, with a little flash, Carrie’s croquet mallet completely vanished. With a shout of surprise, Carrie jumped to the side, even as Julie executed a quick flip over her pool cue to land on her feet instead of her face.

“Hey!” Frank shouted in surprise. “You shouldn’t be able to counter her conjured item like that! Not that I’m complaining or anything,” he added, as Julie turned her gaze upon him. “And I’d get stuck in your throat, we know I would.”

With a shake of her head and a swish of her long red tail, Julie flipped her long wooden pole back into the null space from whence it had come. “I’m so misunderstood,” she lamented. “I’ve never so much as nibbled on a fellow sentient creature. I eat berries, grasses and fruit.”

“And insects, and fish, and mice…” Luci muttered.

“None of whom talk back to me. What, a fox girl can’t vary her diet from time to time?”

“Don’t change the subject," Frank protested. “What was with your dispelling of Carrie’s mallet??”

“Julie didn’t do that,” Carrie admitted, her bunny nose twitching. “It’s weird, I just… couldn’t hold it any more. You were right, Luci. This magic fading stuff is accelerating.”

“Or you’ve been playing around with your magic abilities too much, Carrie,” Julie retorted. She produced a nail file from the fur behind her ear and began using it on her claws. “It’s like I’ve always said. Only strike when it’s to your advantage to do so.”

“Still, in the year since we got these powers, none of us have ever really questioned where the source magic came from,” Frank chattered. “That now feels like a major oversight on our part.”

“Yeah, you never know what you’ve got until you start losing it,” Luci agreed. “But at this point, where would we even start looking for the source of our sentience power?”

The four animals exchanged uncertain glances. The silence was broken by a familiar voice came from overhead. “News, news, I’ve totally got news, you know!” Chartreuse called. “Calling all sentients, I’ve totally got… oh hey, there you guys are!”

“Oh good, a visit from our resident loon,” Julie said dryly.

Chartreuse dipped down lower, circling above the others as she spoke. “There’s news over at the lake!” the loon wailed. “Clarke’s found something that could be important, we should all, you know, get together and get over there ASAP! I’ve already notified Corry and Laurie and they…”

“What?!” Julie interrupted, jerking her head up. “Nuts!”

“Hm? Nuts?” Luci said, perking her head up.

“Chartreuse! I asked you to STOP telling Corry stuff before you tell me!” the fox girl shouted. Quickly discarding her nail file, Julie dropped to all fours and dashed off in the direction of the lake.

“Well, Corry was totally closer,” the loon said to Julie’s retreating form. “Now, hey, has anyone seen Glen?”

“He’s doing his nocturnal thing,” Carrie replied. “It’s okay, I can fill him in later. Come on, I’ll race everyone to the water’s edge!”

“Race? Oh, sure,” Frank mumbled as Carrie bounded off without waiting for a reply. “Except since the rabbit is always the fastest, what’s the point…”

At the mouth of the lake, the only sound was that of the river water splashing down over the rocks. A bear sat quietly on the bank, looking into the rushing current, apparently scanning for fish. He adjusted his silk shirt, cocked his head to the side… then quickly spun, producing a reinforced yardstick. “Don’t even try it.”

“Try what?” Julie inquired, standing up from where she had been crouched the grass. She brushed off her jeans.

“You know what,” Corry grumped, still pointing the yardstick at her. “You and that pool cue, you’re always searching for some balls to smack around. There will be none of that happening here!”

“Ugh, well what ELSE am I supposed to do with my stupid cue?" the fox sniffed. “At least YOU got a handy measuring tool.”

“Hmph,” the bear grunted noncommittally. He dispelled his stick and turned back to the water. “I still can’t believe how we predatory animals were somehow reduced to conjuring up little more than makeshift clubs. I mean, who decided that any potentially useful weapon could only be generated by the prey?”

“Fate?” Julie guessed, moving closer to Corry while still keeping a respectful distance. “Or, see it as a challenge. If we don’t have an actual mallet, we’re forced to think, which keeps our minds fresh."

“Mmm. Yeah, I guess. Still, if I had a human crossbow, I could take over your part of the forest in no time.”

“And if I had a human rifle, you’d be ousted from your area so fast it would make your head spin,” Julie smirked. “But since that’s not the case, we have to make the best of our situation. Like how your sister does.” Julie pointed past Corry towards the treeline. Laurie was now visible there, amusing herself by trying to balance her beachball on her nose.

Corry’s face took on a pained look. “I say again, you and your pool cue leave my sister and her artistic interests out of this! She may be more teddy bear than brown bear right now, but eventually she’ll realize how she’s capable of so much more.”

“Right. Last I heard she was catching fish by talking them to death.”

“Julie…” Corry began dangerously, but he stopped upon hearing another animal approaching from the forest. At almost the same time, a beaver broke the surface of the water nearby.

“Hey!” Clarke called out from the lake, shaking water from his head. “Everyone assembled yet?"

-Yes, we will get a few parts of this. Are you enjoying it? Do you think it’s a colossal misstep? Does the animal mapping at least feel accurate? You can always vote or comment.

Previously: Clarke is talking to his sister Mary about visiting people on Sunday. Luci blew up Tim’s bedroom mirror using the energy gun.

PART 3.19a: SHATTERED 1

“My God! Phil, were you all right?!”

Clarke pulled his gaze down from the ceiling. “Yeah, Mary, I was fine. I even reacted in time to shield Tim. Luci got nicked in the arm by a shard of glass but it was nothing serious.”

“Why in the world would Luci heave a latin dictionary at the mirror on Tim’s dresser? She had to know it would shatter!”

Clarke winced. “I didn’t exactly say it was a dictionary. I mean, that’s what we told Tim’s father but… it’s complicated.”

“You keep saying that,” Mary sighed. “Phil, sister or therapist, I can’t do you any good when you keep sidestepping the truth.”

“I know, I know, it’s just… look, I’m sorry sis. The full truth is something I don’t think you’d be able to buy into right now.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Mary responded. “But okay, putting that aside for the moment, I’m getting the distinct impression that everything to this point? Has been background events. It’s like you’re avoiding some major issue. What else happened today? Who else were you talking with?”

Clarke swallowed. “Uhm, well, actually I ran into Corry and Laurie after leaving Tim’s,” he ventured. “They were outside the Veniti household, heading off for the rest of the day with their parents. Chartreuse was there too, to see them off.”

“Hi Clarke!” Laurie said, beaming at him as she ran down the driveway. She paused when she was two steps away and tilted her head to the side. “Um… hey, I think you’ve got ice in your hair.”

Clarke blinked at Laurie and reached up to where she was peering.  “Er, thanks,” he replied, plucking the small shard off his head. “It’s glass actually.”

“Oh. So, what, did you come by to see me? Or you just taking the really long way around to Julie’s house?” Clarke flinched as he realized the accuracy of her statement.

“Glass? Like, why would you have glass in your hair, Clarke?” Chartreuse asked, coming up beside Laurie.

The tall blonde sighed. “Let’s just say that Luci and Tim still have a ways to go with Linquist’s translations. Not that they’ll be able to do any more of it today.” He could still recall Luci muttering over and over ‘That wasn’t supposed to happen’, while the two of them had been escorted out of the Whitby residence.

“Oh,” Laurie repeated. She glanced from Clarke to Chartreuse, then back. “Well… I’ve said ‘hi’, so I guess I should get back to helping my brother load bags in the car.”

“Ah, don’t bother,” Corry said, walking up to join the three of them. “Dad says he’ll take care of the last thing once Mom’s got her camera packed inside it. Which will be once they find it. Which will be once he stops berating her for not finding it last night.” He clapped a hand on Laurie’s shoulder. “Good to know your scatterbrained nature is hereditary, eh, little sis?”

Laurie flushed a bit in the cheeks, glancing at Clarke out of the corner of her eye. “I’m not THAT bad,” she protested to her brother. “I mean… at least I’m not the one who’s grounded all next week!”

Corry’s expression turned dark. “I’ll thank you not to mention that again. After all, I wouldn’t be in any trouble at all if I’d been allowed to time travel back, as planned!”

Clarke exchanged a quick glance with Chartreuse, who shrugged. “Corry, your parents didn’t buy our excuses as to your two day absence then?” the tall blonde inquired.

Corry looked over at Clarke. “Hm? Oh, well, they sort of bought it,” he yielded. “Only the idea of me staying over at Julie’s for two days is a stretch, even if you did somehow get Jeeves to vouch on my behalf. Now, for it to be after all the crazy stuff that happened at school…? Let’s just say I got the whole ‘family values’ speech, with this outing thrown in to boot. My dad in particular isn’t as easygoing as Frank’s parents are.”

“Plus Mom now thinks Julie and my brother are a romantic item,” Laurie put in. “So that’s awkward.”

“Yeah, there’s that too,” Corry sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“You get what Julie was, like, saying about why we couldn’t, you know, send you back though, right?” Chartreuse asked.

Corry waved off the pink haired girl. “Yeah, yeah, I understand the whole didn’t-happen-so-can’t-happen-and-don’t-piss-off-freaky-golden-eyed-weapon-girl reasoning. Doesn’t mean I have to LIKE it. For that matter, I’m surprised Julie was so willing to go along with placating Carrie. Reading between the lines of Laurie’s catchup story, I gather Carrie was treating Julie pretty rotten after me and Frank left.”

“They’ve both been under more strain than usual,” Clarke put in quickly. “With Mindy gone, I’m hoping we can smooth things over once again.”

“Mmmm. That’ll take effort,” Corry said slowly. “Assuming it’s even possible. But then again… I now have a gaping two day HOLE in my life, so what the hell do I know, right?!”

“Hey, one more day and you’ll be, you know, caught up from the extra few days you spent in the past last year,” Chartreuse offered up.

Corry fired Chartreuse a look. “NOT helping,” he said pointedly. “For that matter, I’m not getting suckered into any more time trips. Keep me apprised of your group’s situation, yes, inform me of any attempts by Glen to use - what was it, strange mental powers? – hell yes, but DON’T count on me for physical assistance in any further temporal shenanigans!”

Laurie pulled her gaze away from Clarke long enough to turn back towards her brother. “Shenanigans? Aren’t those like polygons?”

Corry opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of it and simply shook his head. “Nevermind. C’mon sis, let’s help the parental units get a move on.”

Laurie hesitated, then nodded. “Sure you don’t want to stick around for, uh, a glass of juice or anything, Clarke?” she asked, casting one final glance his way.

“No. Thanks though,” he replied.

“Oh, and hey, Clarke?” Corry called out over his shoulder, even as he began to walk back towards the house. “Keep an eye on Julie for me tonight, okay? She was looking kinda vulnerable and I think you’d be a better person to talk with her than me.”

“Aha! Now I know what you’re hiding!”

Clarke froze. “Hiding, Mary?”

“Julie,” his sister stated. “Our conversation is all about Julie.”

There was a moment of silence. “Why…”

“Your voice is catching every time you say her name,” Mary pointed out. “And you’ve been trying to avoid mentioning her, despite how your connection to her has been referenced in every single conversation so far.  Come on, Phil, you’re running out of other people to talk about. You must have seen Julie earlier today. So what’s the big mystery?”

Clarke rose from his bed and went to his window, staring out at the darkening sky. “No mystery,” he said at last. “Here’s how that conversation played out…”

Clarke was a little surprised to see Julie herself answer the front door. “I saw you heading up the driveway,” she began by way of explanation. “I knew you’d come today. We… we have to talk.”

“I agree,” Clarke said. He held up a small box. “And I brought some eclairs along, to try and help with the mood.”

Julie’s eyes slipped down to the box. She closed her eyes. “Damn. I wish you hadn’t done that,” she whispered. Reopening her eyes, she turned. “Come into the sitting room.”

Clarke hesitated for a moment, then shut the door behind and followed after her. “This… seems pretty serious,” Clarke observed as Julie sat down on the couch. He dropped the eclair box on the table. “But look, it’s important that you don’t think what happened last night was your fault, we never–”

“We’re through,” Julie interrupted.

Clarke nodded as he sat. “Carrie said the same thing,” he admitted. “But I don’t think–”

She spun to face him. “No, not ‘we’ as in the time group. We. Us. Whatever the two of us have. I’m sorry, but it’s over.”

Their eyes locked. He saw the determination in her gaze… and he didn’t understand it. Not at all. “Jewels,” he said softly, reaching out towards her. “You can’t mean…” His voice trailed off as she stood, slipping just beyond his reach.

“Ph– Clarke, please don’t make this harder than it has to be,” she replied, back now towards him, her hands tightening into fists.

Clarke paused, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say to that. It was like Grade Ten all over again. But why? “Jewels, I don’t understand,” he admitted. “I mean, you wanting to back out of the time traveling makes some sense to me but this…? I need an explanation!”

It took a moment for Julie to respond, and when she did, her voice sounded empty. “Where I’m going next, I can’t take you with me. If I did, at best you would slow me down, and at worst… you could be used against me. And I won’t have you hurt like that. Not like everyone else I’ve managed to harm in the past few days. Not that way.”

Clarke stood. “Jewels…”

“Julie!” the brunette snapped, her body shaking slightly. “Gods, Clarke, just… just call me Julie…! Please, Clarke… PLEASE…” Her voice nearly cracked.

He swallowed. “Julie then. You… you’re talking nonsense! What do you mean where you’re going? Are you leaving town? Or are you planning to leave this time period entirely? Because I don’t think that… wait, your parents aren’t doing something more to you, are they??”

Julie turned back to face him, her expression one of anger and disbelief - but her gaze swiftly softened and became one of quiet sadness. “Oh Clarke… simple, unaware Clarke… no, my parents aren’t a factor. And I didn’t mean going physically, or temporally. It’s about… about me fitting in. The only way I can.”

“Yes, right, we talked about that the other day,” Clarke said desperately, searching for meaning in the conversation. “And with teamwork…"

“No, Clarke.” Julie shook her head. “I don’t do teamwork, remember? If you don’t believe me, just ask Carrie, she’ll set you straight.”

“She’s sorry for slapping you. She told me. She said your idea was good.”

Julie smiled, but it was a sad smile, and her tone still sounded hollow. “That’s nice to know, but… it doesn’t matter. Not now that I know that the only way to fit in… is to cut myself off from the rest of you. Completely. The next choices I make, I must make them on my own.”

Clarke ran a hand back through his hair. “DAMN it, Julie… what you’re saying, it makes no sense!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. But you can’t change my mind on this matter, Ph–” She swallowed. “Clarke. Please, for all our sakes, don’t try.”

It was at that moment, that Clarke knew she was lying. There was resolve in Julie’s face, but lurking behind that mask was something more. Some hope that he would see an alternative, and be able to try… something. But how could he do that when he didn’t even know what in the world she was talking about?

-BOOM. It can’t get worse than this, can it? (idle whistling) Incidentally, anyone spot the callback to Book 1, with the eclairs? Also the last time we saw Mary.

Previously: When Mindy reappears, Glen and Carrie plan to banish her, while Julie and the others plan to capture her. Luci has discovered a “temporal gun” in Linquist’s safe.

PART 3.17b: BANISHMENT 2

“Well?” said the voice Glen recognized as belonging to Luci. “Does it say the gun freezes people in time or not?”

“I d-don’t know yet! I can’t t-translate under these conditions!” came the reply.

“Steady on Tim,” Clarke soothed. “Here, I’ll hold the flashlight.”

Glen moved to intercept the four individuals. “Clarke!” he called out amiably. “Luci, Julie, Tim! Fancy meeting all of you here.”

“Glen?” Julie said. “Uh, didn’t Carrie tell you that this is an incredibly unsafe place to be right now??”

“Is it?” Glen said, blinking. “You should all be on your way somewhere else then.”

“Can’t,” Luci retorted. “We have some presents for Mindy, when she arrives here.”

“They can wait,” Glen insisted. “I really, REALLY think we should convince ourselves that it would be safer somewhere else.”

The four teenagers looked at each other. “G-Good enough for me,” Tim said, turning around.

“It does make sense,” Clarke agreed. “We should head home.”

“I’m not so sure,” Luci said, frowning. “Yet I’m thinking of a lot of places where I’d rather be.”

“No. No way. There’s nowhere else I would rather be right now,” Julie murmured, her body starting to shake. “Not after what I’ve caused.”

“Julie should bring you back to her place and serve some hot chocolate,” Glen continued calmly. “It’s getting cold out here and you’re all thirsty.”

“It IS cold,” Luci agreed.

“And I am thirsty,” Clarke added.

“Aren’t you guys coming?” Tim wondered, already three steps away.

“Why… what… why…" And Julie’s gaze focused in on Glen. “My God. YOU’RE ONE OF THEM!"

Glen turned quickly to focus all of his attention onto her. “Julie, don’t–” he began, but he got no further. With a speed and agility that surprised him, she had leapt to his side, while dashing a liquid out onto a rag in her hand. He tried to push her away.

“Nap time, mind warper!” the brunette cried out, slipping under Glen’s arm and slapping the rag against his face.

“No!” Glen protested, trying to keep from breathing in. “I have to wake…” His knees buckled, his vision blurred. “…goddamit… uhn, C-Carrie, SWAN SONG!” His last cry delivered in little more than a speaking voice, Glen then fell unconscious.

Julie stared down at her unconscious adversary. “Okay,” she decided. “Weird choice of last words…”

“Uh, guys? Whatever Glen meant by that, it was loud enough to get someone’s attention,” Clarke said, raising a finger to point over Julie’s shoulder. Julie turned, in time to see the figure rising up from the ground in the vicinity of the swingset. The figure had long blonde hair flowing out behind her, and when she turned, her eyes were glowing gold in the darkness.

“You will be banished,” Carrie said, raising her finger to point at the group of them.

“Ohhh HELL!” Julie swore, eyes going wide.

Luci immediately reached into her jacket, yanking out the gun she had been concealing. Originally in multiple parts within the safe, it’s six inch long barrel had now been screwed into the base, which itself was comprised of numerous of dials and lights. The main one showing four settings. Fortunately, while it seemed to be an energy weapon, it was at least partially charged, and included a standard trigger.

“Tim?” Luci said, trying to keep her hand from shaking. “We need the stats on this sucker like NOW.”

Electricity began to spark at the end of Carrie’s fingertips as she strode forwards. Clarke grabbed Tim, and both of them backed off to the right, as Luci and Julie began to circle around slowly to the left. Carrie paused as they split up.

“Okay, Carrie,” Julie began. “Stay calm here. We’re your friends.” She saw the movement in Carrie’s elbow a split second before her hand came out, and only just managed to dive out of the way of the crackling energies the blonde fired at her.

“Tim?” Luci called out again. “I can’t simply start firing this thing at random, I may only have the one shot! Is there a setting I can use to merely knock Carrie out?”

“D-Don’t rush me!” the small boy called back. “I need a minute, Linquist’s short form never makes sense!”

“I hope you have a minute,” Luci mumbled before dodging in a little closer to Carrie. “Hey, hey, ignore Julie, look at me!” She then backpedalled furiously, even as Julie became aware of the sound of more running footsteps approaching.

However, while Carrie did begin to focus on Luci, the bright flash of light and the appearance of three more individuals about a metre in front of the blonde quickly had everyone’s attention.

“Oh, GEEZ!” Frank choked out, stumbling to his feet. Next to him, Corry and Mindy remained on the ground, unconscious.

“Frank, get DOWN!” Luci screamed out. “You’re spoiling my shot!!”

“Oh look, more people here I can banish,” Carrie said with a smile.

Julie saw a tall figure spring out of the encroaching darkness, slamming into Frank even as electricity lanced out from Carrie’s fingertips. Frank was knocked back off his feet, his head hitting a partially concealed rock as he fell… but with that, the crackling energies passed harmlessly by both him and his rescuer.

“Ohmigod,” Chartreuse breathed from the edge of the park. “Lee tackled him in time.” She then joined Frank in the land of unconsciousness, the additional weight on Laurie’s shoulders almost pulling the redhead to the ground as well.

As Chartreuse collapsed, a certain redhead sprang to her feet. “Everyone back off!” Mindy shouted, whipping a knife out of her pocket. And Julie realized that Mindy had only been faking unconsciousness, to allow Carrie to get close enough for an attack. Oh no, she had to get in there with the chloroform!

“Mindy! Stop!” Julie cried out. Not even thinking about how she’d managed to completely ignore the redhead’s implicit command to ‘back off’, while everyone else had taken a few steps back, she launched herself forwards.

But Mindy saw Julie coming out of the corner of her eye. She checked her swing at Carrie in favour of leaping out of the way, so Julie’s dive only resulted in her ending up back down on the ground.

“Good! Everyone stay down, out of my line of sight!” Luci yelled. “Tim? Setting for Carrie OR Mindy? TIM?!”

“Calm down!” came Clarke’s voice out of the encroaching darkness. “Everyone just calm…”

Mindy jumped in towards Carrie again, her knife raised. The two of them were almost face to face now, Mindy’s knife held in the air, inches away from Carrie’s chest… and Julie saw Mindy hesitate. “Dammit Carrie,” Mindy whispered. “I never wanted to hurt…”

The electrical discharge hit the redhead at point blank range. She barely even got a chance to scream before she had disappeared in a crackling of energies and the sound of a thunderclap. “One down,” the golden eyed Carrie said calmly. She turned to face Julie, who had been readying herself for another attack on Mindy, and Julie abruptly discovered what it was like to be a deer caught in a car’s headlights. Oh lord. Did chloroform work on a temporal weapon?

“Luci!” Tim called out. “Setting four, on Carrie!”

Luci cranked the indicator over and immediately pulled the trigger.  For a second it seemed like her actions would have no effect at all, but then a sequence of lights on the gun lit up and a pulse of energy flew out of the end of the barrel, striking Carrie in the side. The effect was immediate. The building energies in Carrie’s palm fizzled out, and the blonde crumpled to the ground, Julie seeing her eyes flicker back to blue as they shut.

Luci, however, was unaware of this, as Julie then realized that the recoil on the gun had propelled the shorter girl back a good ten metres, right into the trunk of a tree. She now lay slumped at its base, out cold.

At last, all was silence.

The quiet stretched on for what felt like an eternity to Julie, however it was really under a minute before there came the sound of Laurie’s tentative voice from the treeline: “Is… is it all over?”

Julie looked up from where she had crawled over to check Carrie’s pulse - the blonde had one. Which meant either Carrie was only knocked out, or her heart rate could still be read through that gun’s ‘temporal freezing’.

“I think it’s over,” Julie agreed, her voice shaking.

There was another moment of silence. “So,” Lee said, clearing his throat as he pushed himself up. “Uh, will you guys still be needing my help? For moving all of these unconscious bodies?”

Not very far away, though completely unaware of recent events, Hank Waterson sat at his writing desk. He stared at the page in front of him in irritation. “This letter has nothing whatsoever to do with my novel,” he muttered. “It doesn’t even make sense. Where did it come from?” He scanned down the words on the sheet once again:

‘Waterson.

‘If you read this, it’s been over two days since my arrival. I assume either my mission is failing, or I neglected to turn off the equivalent of a post hypnotic suggestion. Either way, no more beating about the brush:  Glen ‘Glinephanis’ Oaks may not be a time criminal, but neither is he whom he appears. He is not merely a trainer. He represents a junction point for the entire temporal war. Please, DO NOT TRUST HIM. I retroactively apologize in advance for whatever methods I may use, or may have used, to convince you of this.

‘Yours, Mindylenopia.’

“It must be some game of Carrie’s,” her father concluded. Except, if that was true, how could it be in his handwriting? He shook his head. “I guess I’ll show it to her once she gets back from the movies with Glen… and she’s NOT going to put off our little talk about responsibility any longer.”

That decision made, Hank set the sheet aside and turned his attention back to his novel. Trying to figure out what he could do to fracture his character dynamics even more.

-Next Episode: Making the Rounds (aka the fallout from this)

-We’re maxing out on character tags in this post, even Hank’s involved. Was the resolution with Frank at all what you expected? Feel like casting a vote or comment?

Previously: Mindy visited Mr. Waterson. The temporal teenager group are plotting to capture Mindy, using the time machine. Meanwhile, Carrie tries to understand timeline theory with Glen.

PART 3.15b: FRAGMENTED PLANS 2

Glen shook his head. “Carrie, you’re forgetting your immunity to paradox. You can send me back in time to make sure your powers don’t overwhelm you or kill you now, in timeline three, and yet still have it be the same timeline where I wasn’t here - because that’s not a thing. I was always here. It’s all the same timeline.”

Carrie dropped her head down onto the table. This was really bugging her. Not because it didn’t make sense, rather because it did, and yet she felt like it shouldn’t. “Okay, fine. You also said there’s a faction within the Temporals who disagree with our - their - policies, which is the reason the Mundane we call Shady was able to get a time machine and come back to activate my powers in the first place.”

“Starting our timeline three,” Glen agreed.

“Mindy is ALSO a part of this faction, and she came here to finish the job that ‘Shady’, her future blow-up-the-hospital friend started. Which potentially starts timeline FOUR. Which is what we now need to prevent.”

“There you go, you’ve got it!” Glen agreed.

Carrie sat for a moment. “It’s LUNACY," she decided. “Can’t I give Frank a call? He’s a lot better at following this time-space junk.”

Glen reached out to grab Carrie’s arm before she could retrieve her book bag. “No phone calls. I meant that, Carrie. Not to Frank, not to your father, not to anyone. We don’t know how many people Mindy has compromised.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. No one is better at wrestling with temporal mechanics than you."

Carrie pulled her arm free of his grasp. She tugged hard on a strand of her hair. “Come on, Glen, you really think my own FATHER is going to give me up to Mindy? I mean, he’s probably so worried, after what happened at school!” Glen said nothing, merely shifting his weight back and forth uneasily in his seat. “Fine then, I’m calling.” She reached for her bag again.

“Wait,” Glen sighed. “Fine. There’s something I haven’t mentioned. Mindy has these… mental powers.”

“Oh, of course,” Carrie sighed. “Everyone who wants me dead HAS to have THOSE." But she felt too weary, too mentally drained to continue with an argument, so she gave up on her book bag in favour of looking expectantly at Glen.

“If she chooses, Mindy’s voice can make people do things they might otherwise be unwilling to do," Glen explained. “And being an actual Temporal, she’s damn good at it. Better than this Mundane you previously encountered. Granted, the power works best on adults, or on people who are emotionally vulnerable, but, given access, Mindy could eventually convince even the President of the United States that he was a rodeo clown.”

Carrie felt a chill run through her. “Glen? Your description feels very personal. Something in your tone tells me you’ve got an inside track on this mental ability too."

Glen smiled wryly. “Can’t put anything by you, hm? You’re right, Carrie. How else do you think I managed to set myself up here so quickly? Obtain all the required school documents? Deflect questions as to where my parents have been for over a month? I can do it too, if I choose.”

“Fine,” Carrie said. “Then you use your mental powers to go and deal with Mindy. I’ll be home, in my bedroom, drawing up a new cheerleading routine.” She moved to rise, only to have him reach out and take her arm again.

“I’m sorry, Carrie,” Glen said. “It doesn’t work like that. Even setting aside that I’ve only used my mental power very sparingly here in the past, me and Mindy, we’d be locked in a stalemate. The only one who can deal with the temporal threat right now is you.” His grip tightened. “Mindy needs to be banished from this time period. It’s okay, I’ll show you how to do it.”

“Why? Why ME!?” Carrie protested, banging her free hand down onto the table. “I’m just a girl! All right? A senior student trying to juggle her offbeat social life with her studies! I never asked for these temporal powers!”

“No,” Glen agreed. “You didn’t. You were born into them. But remember timeline one? Without these powers, you wouldn’t have been born at all.”

Carrie bit down hard on her lower lip. She felt like screaming. Or throwing something, hitting someone, lashing out at whatever future forces were conspiring to make her present a living hell.

But there was no one to attack. Even if fate were some sort of living entity, Carrie doubted it could be punched in the face. No, the truth was, Carrie had been born - when she never should have existed. With no powers, there was no Carrie. Simple logic.

As such, there was only one outlet currently available upon whom Carrie could vent her frustrations. The person who had smashed up their school library in an effort to start timeline four.

She sank back down into the booth. For a few moments, she remained with her elbows on the table, her blonde hair clenched in her fists, staring down at the pathetic looking strawberry chunks floating in what remained of her shake. Her decision, when she made it, was the only one that could make sense.

“What?” Glen asked. “I couldn’t hear you.”

“I said,” Carrie repeated, still barely above a whisper, “Tell me what I have to do to banish Mindy.”

She felt tired. So very, very tired.

“I must admit, I still don’t get why you two need me,” Lee said. Julie had sent Chartreuse to corner their classmate after his shift was up at the library, getting him to come to Willowdale Park. Where he was now standing, giving them a puzzled look.

“I swear, we’ll explain everything,” Julie assured. “But for right now? It might be better that you don’t understand. That way, if something goes wrong, you’ll have deniability.”

“You do understand the plan?” Chartreuse asked.

“Well, yeah. I lure this Mindy girl over to that place in the ravine where Corry and Frank are hiding. By pretending that Corry is Glen, given the similar hair. Pretty straightforward. You sure this Mindy will show?”

“Pretty sure,” Julie sighed. “I mean, I called Glen’s room at the Clayton and left a message on his answering service for her. It makes sense that she’d be monitoring. But remember, Lee… if Mindy pulls her gun on you, or does ANYTHING to make you think she’s dangerous - or even inexplicably friendly - we abort. Your safety is paramount.”

“Cut and run, yeah,” Lee agreed. “No problem there.”

Julie grimaced, starting to have second thoughts. After all, what if Mindy saw through the facade before Frank and Corry could link up with her and use the time machine? Was dusk enough to mask what was going on, or should they have waited longer? What if Mindy hurt somebody? Was using Lee even necessary, or just mere paranoia?

All objections voiced by the others, all objections Julie had countered in her drive to make sure they disposed of this Mindy girl. But, Julie wondered, was she truly acting out of concern for Glen, Carrie and everyone else? Or, as she had done earlier in the day, was she doing it more in the hopes of regaining some of her former glory? Or worse, of being the one who was in control, when faced with a person so similar to the man who had manipulated her in the past?

Julie hated when she started questioning her motivations. She no longer liked what she found. However, she had at least been up front with everyone this time. That is… almost everyone.

“Look, Lee, this really could be dangerous,” Julie said, speaking before she could think about it. “Mindy has these… okay, know what? Never mind. I’ll talk to Mindy instead of you. Sorry to bring you all the way out here for nothing. You should go.”

“Hey, if you went to the trouble of getting me involved, I’m sure you had a reason,” Lee countered. “Besides, I’m good at dodging. Plus I really do feel indebted to you and Carrie and everyone for finding Sing’s necklace. It meant a lot to her - just as this seems to mean a lot to you guys.”

“But…”

“Too late now anyway,” Lee said. “I wager that approaching shadow is your Mindy.”

Julie spun to see where Lee was looking, then with a curse, flattened herself down onto the ground and rolled under the evergreen shrub, next to where Chartreuse was already hiding.

Lee moved away from Julie’s position, towards the person that, Julie had to agree, looked like Mindy. It occurred to her now that they could be playing real havoc with the timeline - would Carrie double over in pain somewhere as soon as the time machine was activated? Why the hell wasn’t she answering their messages?!

Well, Clarke and Laurie were out looking for her. As well as looking for Luci, and even Glen. What more could they do? After all, it wasn’t Julie’s fault that time girl had gone AWOL. Or been kidnapped. Maybe tortured. Julie grit her teeth. She would fix this. She would.

She felt a hand reach out for her own, and she squeezed Chartreuse’s palm back in response. Not certain which of them was reassuring the other.

Frank resisted the urge to pop the top of the time machine open, to check the controls for the umpteenth time. He knew they had been set correctly. The coin was in, the only thing left to do was pull the handle. Which he would do as soon as Corry reached out and grabbed hold of Mindy.

Julie had made it all sound so terribly easy… as she had with her plan in the computer lab before lunch. Of course, that train of thought took him to Luci. Where HAD she disappeared to after that class? If she was upset with him, why hadn’t she at least called someone else?

“Hold tight, we’re up,” Corry muttered. Frank felt his heart rate increase as the sound of Lee’s voice reached their ears. He gripped Corry’s ankle even tighter.

“Yeah, well, as I say, Glen’s always bugged me,” their dark haired friend was saying. “So when I heard you wanted him, I decided to ambush him and tie him up in the woods for you. I’m getting decent pay for this, right?”

“I’m skeptical!” Mindy retorted. “He’s sneakier than you’re making him out to be.”

“Well, check it out, he’s gagged back there behind that tree,” Lee continued. “See the red hair?”

Frank heard Mindy take a step closer. Then another. Then… “Hey, that’s not–”

“NOW!” Corry shouted, making a dive for Mindy’s leg. Without even thinking about it, Frank yanked down on the time machine’s lever with his free hand.

He felt the usual effects of the time distortion, dimly aware of the fact that he’d kept hold of Corry’s foot. Then he was forty eight hours in the future. Back in the park. With Carrie Waterson standing no more than a metre away, her blonde hair trailing out behind her in waves, her eyes glowing a brilliant gold.

“Oh, GEEZ!” he choked out, letting go of the time machine and stumbling to his feet. Some sort of electricity sparked at Carrie’s fingertips. It helped him make out the forms of Corry and Mindy, unconscious on the ground - and that of Glen Oaks, who was also lying on the ground nearby.

“Frank, get DOWN!” Luci screamed from somewhere behind him in the dark. “You’re spoiling my shot!!”

“Oh look, more people here I can banish,” Carrie said with a smile. Electricity lanced out from her fingertips, Frank was knocked back off his feet, and everything faded to black…

Cliffhanger! Theories? New Commentary coming this Sunday, including a preview. Voting remains a weekly option.

Previously: Someone called “Mindy” appeared in the present. Carrie met with Glen, who revealed he’s also from the future. Julie called for a temporal meeting, and Laurie overheard.

PART 3.15a: FRAGMENTED PLANS 1

“All right, we can’t wait any longer,” Julie decided.

“But Carrie and Luci aren’t here…”

“Frank, for all we know they’ve fallen under the influence of this Mindy girl already.” Julie crossed her arms. “Look, we’ve sent messages, and spoken to their parents, and that’s all we can do until they decide to respond.”

After clearing out of the school, the group of temporal teenagers had sent a series of messages back and forth, to the effect of reconvening at the LaMille mansion as soon as possible.

Corry cleared his throat. “Before you start, I’d like to once AGAIN voice my objection to my sister being here."

“In which case I’ll totally overrule you again,” Chartreuse declared. “Laurie has as much right as the rest of us to know the truth! Remember, like me, she knew before. Prior to that memory wipe at the hospital affecting, you know, all non-time travellers."

“Too bad that didn’t stick on you,” Corry griped.

“Look, Corry,” Clarke offered. “Chartreuse once forgot, and now she knows, and it hasn’t traumatized her. Plus she’s Laurie’s best friend, so it must have been tough not being able to talk about it. What’s the harm?”

Laurie’s head bobbed. “Yeah, stuff makes more sense this way! I wondered why Chartreuse was doing, like, those weekly readings on Carrie. Actually, I was starting to think that maybe Chartreuse and Carrie were in some sort of roman–"

“Laurie! Ixnay!” Chartreuse gasped.

“Except,” Corry said to Clarke, ignoring the outburst, “the situation got pretty dangerous last year. And there’s no reason to believe it’ll be any less so now. THAT’S the harm. I notice no one’s called Tim or Lee to bring them back on board?”

“Corry has a point there,” Frank granted. “Maybe…”

“No! Laurie’s here, and she’s staying!” Chartreuse argued.

“Chartreuse, you’re not running things!” Corry said. “Clarke, you understand this is a safety thing, right?”

“I suppose it is a consideration.”

“Um, shouldn’t I get to decide for myself?” Laurie ventured.

“See? She, like, wants to stay!”

“Corry did make a good point though, so…”

“Chartreuse, she didn’t say THAT.”

“Guys, let’s allow Frank to complete his thought?”

“Golly, I didn’t mean for this to be a fight.”

“HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!!!”

It was hard to say whether it was Julie’s scream that caught everyone’s attention, or the crash that came as a result of her smashing the jade figurine against the lemonade pitcher Jeeves had brought in earlier. Regardless, all eyes were now on the brunette as she stood, fists clenched, with broken glass and lemonade flooding the silver tray beside her. She took in a deep breath and threw the figurine on the ground.

“Much as we all might enjoy a good argument with Corry, we… don’t… have… the… TIME!” she shouted. “In case you hadn’t noticed, there is a homicidal redheaded girl from the future after Glen, Carrie and who knows who else… and what’s more, that girl seems to have the power to control people’s minds! I know first hand how that makes your argument here, and even our huge problems with Megan at school today, look so damn small that they’re barely even an afterthought!"

Corry was the first to break the ensuing silence. “Um, back up. Mind control? Julie, with all due respect… maybe you need to lie down.”

“I know what it sounds like,” she replied, jaw clenched. “But I also know I’m right. Don’t you remember? About that guy from the future who was held captive in this very room back when Carrie was in the hospital? He could do mind control too.”

Frank nodded slowly. “I wasn’t here, but I gather you mean Shady, the one who gave you the gun and turned you against Carrie. Who then told Luci that Carrie was a temporal weapon who would destroy the world. Who ultimately tried to kill everyone by blowing up the hospital.”

“No, the OTHER guy from the future,” Julie said, unable to hold back her sarcasm. “Obviously him!”

Chartreuse frowned. “Ooh, that does SOUND familiar… but I’m, like, a little sketchy, probably because of the memory wipe…"

Corry folded his arms. “Oh, please. You’re forgetting I saw this ‘Shady’ guy too, in the basement of the hospital. And while he did have some sort of power over us, if it was mind control, wouldn’t he have used that same power to talk his way out of jail?”

“Carrie might have done something to prevent that,” Frank put in.

“Okay guys, stop. Jewels, we’re all on board with the redheaded girl being our priority here,” Clarke said, moving to touch her arm. “What have you turned up so far?”

Julie flashed the tall blonde a grateful smile. “Right. So, after talking with the van driver and then going to visit the Clayton Hotel after school, I know this much about Mindy, our newest arrival.” She pulled out her small black book, to thumb through her notes.

“This Mindy was picked up somewhere out of town by Lars. According to the hotel desk clerk, Mindy stormed in this afternoon, asking about any long term guests, claiming shortly thereafter to be a relative of Glen Oaks and asking for his whereabouts. She was sent back to talk with the manager. Despite being seen entering his office, said manager told me he didn’t remember seeing anyone of Mindy’s description. I don’t think he was lying.”

Julie drew in a breath. “Mindy then went back out to Lars' van, and got him to drive not only TO the school, but INTO the library, with nary a second thought. Mindy proceeded to get the principal to talk about Glen, and give up the location of a student, namely Carrie, without even a single wave of her gun. That’s VERY unlike Hunt.” She looked up. “So call me crazy if you like, but this all implies mental powers. Worse, as Carrie ran out, she looked to be in some sort of temporal pain.”

“Plus Carrie knew this girl,” Corry admitted. “As Mindy arrived, Carrie said ‘It’s HER’. You think she was able to see this coming?"

“We could ask Carrie, if she were here,” Chartreuse murmured. She began to fidget. “I’m starting to think this Mindy has, like, taken her hostage and is even now writing up a ransom demand!”

“No, Carrie can defend herself,” Frank asserted. “I’m sure she put Mindy in her place.” Nevertheless, his fingers drummed nervously on the couch. Another silence settled on the group.

“Okay, Julie’s onto something,” Corry admitted. “New question, how do we corner this Mindy person and find out what her true intentions are with respect to our resident temporal weapon?”

“Yeah, uh, I was just trying to figure out how you corner someone who can control your mind,” Clarke said.

“Lee,” Chartreuse concluded. “Julie, the other day you said Lee never, like, seemed to be influenced by any attempts to control him?”

“Yes, that’s true,” Julie sighed. “And I guess Lee owes us one for finding Sing’s necklace. But even if he has some type of mental immunity, would he really be able to catch this Mindy? She seems to be a lot more in-your-face than Shady ever was.” She paused. “To be fair, we’d have to give Lee all the background information too. Tell him what he’s getting into.”

“I don’t think Carrie would go for that,” Frank said.

“Carrie’s not HERE,” Corry pointed out. “Damn it Dijora, you can’t play favourites, bringing Laurie in while hesitating on Lee!”

“Um, hello?”

Everyone turned, blinking at the person whose presence they’d all but forgotten. Laurie sat there, her hand raised in the air.

“Sorry, Laurie. Go ahead,” Clarke encouraged her.

She brought her hand down. “See, um, I was thinking that if you can do all this time travel stuff - which sounds totally cool and all by the way, despite the additional freakiness that seems to come with it - er, but anyway, if you can do it then why don’t you simply transport this Mindy girl to another time? Like days in the future? That would give us all longer to plan, maybe get a jail cell set up for her that traps her powers. Or something like that?”

“If Mindy’s a time traveler, she’d only time jump her way back out," Corry countered.

“No… no, no, hold on, Laurie’s onto something there,” Frank realized, leaning forward in his seat. “If Mindy really could time travel freely, wouldn’t she be acting with more finesse? She’s been as subtle as a brick - as if she’s on some sort of deadline. Maybe she’s due for a temporal pickup. And if our time machine yanks her out of time, maybe it thwarts that. After all, we now know she doesn’t have to be touching the handle of the time machine to be transported, only one of us does. Heck, if whatever her story is checks out later, we can return Mindy moments after she was taken.”

“Nice thought, but how would we manage Mindy reappearing in a cell?” Clarke asked.

“It would take some doing,” Julie said, frowning. “But, as was the case with us, an initial time trip might knock Mindy out. And assembling a cage in a day or two isn’t impossible, not with my resources. Meaning as long as Lee’s the one to guard her, we’re in the clear.”

“In that case, we should, you know, displace Mindy from time as soon as possible, right?” Chartreuse asserted. “Given how, the longer this Mindy’s in town, the more people’s lives are in danger. Notably Carrie’s and Glen’s.”

Julie thought back to the expression on Mindy’s face, when she had scanned the library and then squared off with principal Hunt. “Agreed,” Julie said. “We’ll act now. Tonight. I think I’ve got a plan…”

Carrie swirled her straw unenthusiastically in her strawberry shake as she contemplated what Glen had told her. She finally looked up, and after verifying that no one else was paying attention to them in the corner booth of the cafe, spoke to her companion once more.

“All right,” Carrie said quietly. “Let me try to work through this. Please help me out if I ask?” When Glen nodded back, she took in a deep breath. “You’re saying we both exist in timeline three. The first timeline being the one where I didn’t exist.”

“Right. A poor timeline, if you ask me.”

“Shut up, I didn’t ask for help there.” She couldn’t handle his efforts to be charming, not now. “That initial timeline was overwritten with timeline two, the one wherein someone brought my mother back in time, and then she met my father, creating me. But within that second timeline, my powers only awakened in the far future, for me to fight in a war. A war between us - the Temporals, for lack of a better word - and some others, which you call the Mundanes.” She rubbed her forehead. “You seriously use that term? It’s so cliche.”

“If the shoe fits.”

“Fine. Enter timeline three. Which is this one, the one where my powers have awakened as a teenager, due to that war spilling even more into the past. As such…” She paused to regroup her thoughts, taking the opportunity to sip at her shake again. “As such, I’ve kind of expected Carrie from timeline two to intercede at some point, steering me back on whatever path she originally took. Steering me back into alignment with the unpowered timeline. Why are you not from that one?”

“Versus me also being from timeline three, where you’ve had your powers for decades? Yeah, I see your issue,” Glen yielded. “Thing is, timeline two Carrie, what little I can gather about her, would have been little more than a pawn, being used by others. You, by contrast, with years to perfect your abilities, are a force of nature. Why would you force yourself back onto lousy timeline number two?”

His argument did make some sense. After all, if the present were to morph around a person, turning them into a millionaire, why would they fight it? “I guess I follow that,” she said. “But in that case, why would I send you back at all? It’s simply creating timeline four, where I’m getting early training. I’m sabotaging my own past… aren’t I?”

What do you think? Hurrah for timeline theory! You can comment, or click the vote above, or tell others about the serial, or know what, thanks for simply being here.

Previously: Luci discovered Linquist’s logbook was in another language. Someone named “Mindy” crashed a van into the school library and chased after Carrie, claiming Glen was a temporal fugitive.

PART 3.14b: THE CONSPIRACY UNFOLDS 2

At the warning, Julie spun to face Clarke. “But…”

“Frank ran to the office to keep tabs on things there,” Clarke continued doggedly, “And there was an announcement that all students are get into a classroom and remain there until further notice. We need to comply, to avoid calling attention to ourselves.”

Julie clenched her jaw, but based on the van driver’s expression, she realized that she had probably obtained as much information as she could from him. “Okay. But listen, we’ll need to convene a meeting of all time travellers ASAP,” she asserted, moving around the van. And coming face to face with Corry.

“A meeting which will include me, I presume?" the redhead said.

“Not today," Julie said, trying to dodge past him.

“Hold on!” Corry countered, moving to block her. “With something of this magnitude? I could cause even more damage by being out of the loop. Besides, if I’m not aware of whatever time travel stuff you and your friends have been unleashing, how can we be expected to effectively run the school together, partner?”

Invoking the partnership caught Julie off guard. She was tempted to point out how Megan was really the one in charge now, only to have a small voice interject, “T-Time travel?” from behind the adjacent reference shelving unit. Everyone spun as Laurie Veniti poked her head out.

“Laurie!” Julie said. “I told you to stay back, out of sight!”

Corry’s twin made a little shrugging motion. “Yeah, but that announcement said to go into the nearest classroom, and since I saw my brother creeping up on you I figured we could all go somewhere together… with Clarke too! S-So what are you saying? Because there’s something about time travel… something I can’t quite put my finger on…”

“Hold on,” Clarke interrupted, raising his hand. He’d noticed the school librarian hang up his phone, and Mr. Price was now heading towards them. “We really need to table this discussion for later.”

The halls were deserted. Hunt had apparently managed to evacuate the school during the hour Carrie had spent in the auditorium. Good. At least, Carrie assumed the building had been evacuated – she supposed some people might still be managing a silent lockdown inside the classrooms. But there were no police officers roaming the halls like she might have otherwise expected, and the level of ache in her head implied the massive changes were done with - for now. She decided to risk visiting her locker.

She found the note inside. It was unsigned, but Carrie knew who it had come from, given the handwriting. ‘Suggest you don’t go home.’ it read. ‘Meet behind park, at ravine. Will explain.’

“Yes, I think you’d better explain,” Carrie murmured. “Who is this sister of yours, this Mindy-onomatopoeia? Are you really some fugitive from the future? Or are you merely from a time traveling family that you elected not to tell me about, GLEN??”

She crumpled the note in her hand before grabbing her coat and bookbag and slamming her locker door shut. She felt confused, frustrated, and even a little scared. “Goddamn time travel,” the blonde cheerleader concluded, striding to the nearest hallway door and kicking at the crash bar with her heel to open it. “Why can’t I have a normal life?”

Moments after Carrie’s departure, a nearby door clicked open and a young asian girl poked her head out. She glanced up and down the vacant hallway before closing the door again. “I think we’re in the clear, Tim,” Luci whispered. “That noise had to be the last people evacuating. My guess is that no one expected people to duck into the yearbook room. That’s why no one came to get us.”

The blonde boy shifted uncertainly from his position under the table. “You think?” he asked. “I mean, that lockdown can’t have been a drill, not with people sending messages about a car crash and a gun. Maybe we should stay a bit longer? After all, we’ve sent something to our parents to tell them we’re okay, and it’s not like we’ve got nothing to do…” He gestured at the notebook open on the floor.

Luci grinned. “I’m glad you find Linquist’s language as fascinating as I do. But you said you had some reference books at home - so if the coast IS clear? We could make better headway there. It would probably put your parents more at ease too.”

Tim considered, then nodded, gathering up the pages of notes he and Luci had been making since lunchtime that day. Shortly after, Linquist’s logbook in hand, the young girl followed Tim out of the room.

Carrie paced back and forth at the tree line of the park, glancing in mounting annoyance at her watch. “An hour,” she muttered. “On top of the time it took to get to the note, so where the hell…” She paused as she caught sight of someone motioning to her down in the ravine. Stomping a little closer, she was able to recognize Glen’s coat, so she hurried down to meet him. Finally.

“Don’t you shush me!” Carrie said, noticing that Glen had a finger pressed up to his lips. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, buddy!” Nevertheless, she did keep her voice down.

Glen simply sighed, leading Carrie back deeper amid the tree trunks before speaking. “Is it true then?” he asked. “Was the person who crashed the van into the school looking for me?”

“She wasn’t only looking for you,” Carrie shot back, “this ‘Mindy’ girl waved a gun around and went out of her way to tell me you were a fugitive from the future. What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Glen looked genuinely shocked. “Mindy? It was Mindylenopia? Oh, I’m so sorry, Carrie. I had hoped to have a little more time before explaining the nature of my mission, but if she’s forcing my hand…”

“Mission?!” Carrie felt a cold hand grabbing at her heart. Somehow, she’d still held out hope that this was all some sort of cosmic misunderstanding. That Glen would be as confused as her about the situation. No such luck. “You mean you really ARE from the future?”

“If you are indeed the ultimate temporal weapon.”

Carrie took a step back, stumbled on a root, and fell to the ground. “Oh God. Oh God, y-you knew about… the whole time?! B-But… does this mean you’ve never cared about me as a p-person?!?” Insanely, that felt like the thing which mattered the most. “I mean, on that first date, when you said you’d be honest with me, and that you merely sensed some extraordinary ability - was it all lies to get close to this weapon that I’m supposed to become?!”

“Oh, Carrie, no,” Glen said, kneeling down beside her. “I do care about you. And that is how I felt about you at first… about future you. The reason I never said anything to you about your destiny was because, well, your friend Chartreuse seemed to be providing you with something of a power basis. And there was no reason for me to start your training right away.”

“You were… sent back to train me?” Within her spinning thoughts, something clicked. “Of course. The reason you didn’t trip my headache that day in the drama room, out of time - is because you were somehow already a time anomaly. That’s also why, whenever I centred on you in a vision, my senses inevitably pulled me forwards into the future… because that’s where you originated.”

Which was what had also led her to see Mindy, that time at the dance. Her jaw clenched at the memory. “But if you’ve come back for me, who’s this Mindy? Is your sister an agent for the other side??”

“Actually, if this is the Mindylenopia I know, she’s an agent from our side gone bad,” Glen explained ruefully. “And she’s not my sister. For the record, Temporals don’t use ‘last names’ - those imply a certain ancestry. I’m more properly known as Glinephanis. I selected the name Glen Oaks shortly after my arrival in your time. It was the name of some memorial gardens in a nearby town. She must have learned of my name at the hotel here, then given herself a similar last name, to play with your mind.”

Carrie wished the pounding in her temples would cease. It wasn’t a temporal headache any more, but it was almost as bad. “So… the Chronologic Patrol?”

Glen frowned. “Chrono what? Carrie, there is no such thing.”

“Oh gawwwwwwwwwd,” Carrie moaned, lowering her head down to between her legs. “I can’t take this. Not now. I was all set to have a nice, relaxing evening… instead, I’ve got a girl from the future trying to kill a trainer I didn’t even know I had, and possibly me as well! Assuming you’re not lying, being some fugitive yourself, out to kill me in my sleep!”

“I assure you, I’m here to help,” Glen said. “Is there anything you’d like me to do to prove my sincerity?”

“Yes! No… I don’t know!” Carrie said, grabbing two fistfuls of her hair. “How could you even… wait, yes! If you really came from the future, you must have a time machine! Tell me, where is it?”

Glen stood back up. “I didn’t come here via a time machine, Carrie.”

“No? If not, how in hell could you end up in my present?!”

He smiled. “Carrie… you sent me here. Your future self did. Using your abilities.”

Mindylenopia forced herself to stop and take in a few deep breaths before approaching the house. She had to stop rushing things - she’d made it back. The hard part was over. There was more time now, time to work carefully, time to be cunning. Time to control the people she was talking to with more finesse.

Time to come up with a better cover story.

She wasn’t used to having that time. In retrospect, her improvised crashing of the van had done little aside from paint a target on her back. But for all she’d known, “Glen Oaks” had already recruited past-Carrie as his personal temporal guardian! She’d had to gamble that while at school, they wouldn’t be together. Hadn’t she?

Well, they were probably together by now.

Mindy continued her advance towards the house. Having time or not, after a half hour of observation here, with no sign of either Glen or Carrie, she had to DO something. “This world better appreciate what I’m going through for them,” Mindy muttered as she adjusted the zipper on the jacket she’d ‘borrowed’.

She rang the bell. An older man answered the door and looked down at her. “Yes?” Hank Waterson said tentatively. Mindy simply smiled.

Hopefully you’re enjoying this. Maybe even enough for the weekly vote? Or better yet, some sort of remark? Views are actually down since publishing twice per week. Bad form?

Previously: Last year, Julie was mentally influenced to shoot Carrie. Carrie recently had a future vision at the dance. Megan beat Corry for leadership at school, right before a van crashed into their library.

3.14a: THE CONSPIRACY UNFOLDS 1

Chartreuse had just finished the table of observations for the physics experiment she and Lee were conducting when the sound of screeching tires and a loud crash from outside caused her pencil to slip from her fingers.

Lee, along with a few other students, quickly moved to positions where they could look out the second floor window. “Holy geez,” Lee said after a moment. “It’s kinda hard to tell from this angle, but it looks like some crazy driver crashed right into the school library!”

“Whoa,” Chartreuse gasped. “That must be, like, why I got bad vibes from the place this morning.” A number of other students in the classroom exchanged glances. Frank and Clarke immediately registered Julie’s absence, and before the teacher could stop them, they dashed out of the room.

“Julie, get my sister to safety!” Corry called out.

Julie noticed that Corry had elected to pull Megan away, as the younger girl had apparently passed out from shock. Did Corry think keeping their new rival safe might reverse the junior’s coup? Julie shook her head - she could think about it later, right now they had more immediate concerns.

“On it,” Julie responded, taking hold of the arm of Corry’s wide-eyed sister. She deftly maneuvered the two of them back, further away from the crazy redhead with the gun.

Even as she did, the crazy redhead’s attention was drawn to the man who was now slowly advancing upon her. The school principal raised his hands and froze at her attention. “Stay calm,” Hunt said. “Put the gun down. We don’t want any trouble.”

“Then you’ll hand over Glen Oaks,” the girl retorted. Her gaze was fully upon him now as she spoke very deliberately. “Tell me, where can I find Glen?”

“He… he’s a student here. He would be in class now,” the principal responded.

“What class? Where?” she pressed.

“I… I’m not sure…” Julie noticed that the principal’s eyes seemed to be glazing over, as they locked with those of the redheaded intruder. Julie’s own eyes narrowed. Something about this struck a chord inside her. An unpleasant chord.

But it was hard to get a bead on things, as she was still leading Laurie back into the book stacks, with other students shouting around them, either trying to hide, or run for the exit.

“WHERE?” the gun toting girl repeated.

“I… really… don’t… know,” Mr. Hunt replied, his voice shifting into a rather eerie monotone. “I can… look it up…”

The redhead let out a sigh of frustration. “Never mind. How about Carrie Waterson, where is she?”

“Right there.” Mr. Hunt lifted his finger to point. Julie snapped her gaze over in the direction the principal was indicating, in time to see her blonde classmate dashing out of the library doors, one hand pushing hard into her temple.

“Stop! Carrie!” the girl with the gun cried out. She began sprinting after her. “I have to warn you about Glen!”

Corry, who had been hauling Megan towards the same door, froze as the armed redhead ran right past. Julie registered that fact even as her gaze shifted back towards the principal. He seemed to be blinking in confusion at the latest development, only now turning to look towards the main library doors.

“Damn it,” Hunt cursed, moving back for the library office. “Did I just tell her…? Mr. Price!” he called out. “Tell the main office to announce that students are to remain in their classes when–”

The bell rang signifying the end of the school day. Frowning, Julie watched as Hunt disappeared into the small office with the librarian. She then swept her gaze back across the scene, ending at the shattered picture windows, which were now letting the wind blow in among the book stacks. Most of the students were gone. The van was simply sitting there with the driver behind the wheel. The driver.

Julie took a step forwards, only to have a hand clutch at her shoulder from behind. She twisted her neck around, seeing Laurie’s frightened face. “G-G-Golly, Julie,” Corry’s sister stammered. “W-What’s going on??”

“I don’t know,” Julie replied, clenching her jaw. “But I’m going to find out, okay?” She clasped Laurie’s hand. “Duck down, and stay quiet. Wait for me or Corry to come back here for you.”

She was going to get some answers.

‘Why is it time travellers enjoy pointing guns at me?’ Carrie wondered as she charged down the hallway. ‘I mean, don’t they have some better technology available to them yet? Something less lethal, maybe? That’d be nice…’

She heard the library doors get bashed open behind her. “Carrie, stop! Listen to me!”

“Pass,” Carrie mumbled under her breath.

It didn’t help that it was getting hard to think at all, what with the temporal pressure hammering at her temples. That van should not have crashed into the library. More to the point, this redheaded girl was not supposed to be in their time. Of that, Carrie was certain. Yet at the same time, she recognized her pursuer as the one who had been in her vision at the dance last month.

Carrie swallowed. That’s right. In her vision, this same girl had been standing in front of her, and the redhead with the hazel eyes had raised a hand, holding that knife… oh, hold on. Knife, not gun. So why the gun now? And what was her connection to Glen?

Before those thoughts could manage a foothold, the bell rang, signifying the end of classes. Students began to pour out of the classrooms. “Perfect,” Carrie moaned, feeling the vice around her temples tightening. She closed her eyes, squeezing out tears of pain.

No way could she think about whys. Not now. She had to lead that crazy girl in the red dress somewhere NOT IN THE HALLS, somewhere SAFE, somewhere she’d STOP damaging their timeline. And that place wasn’t out into the parking lot, with all the parents, no, that was liable to make things even worse. So where?

‘All right, track star,’ Carrie thought. ‘Time for some fancy action.’ With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure the gun toting maniac was still in pursuit, she summoned up a burst of speed, sprinting into the (thankfully) deserted school auditorium, down near the stage podium.

In one fluid movement, Carrie yanked open the loose door she knew about down on the lower right corner of the stage. She boosted herself through it feet first, landing between the rows of extra chairs stored there. She immediately reached up to slide the door shut behind her, then lay quietly, trying to keep herself from breathing too hard. The chair leg poking against her bottom really didn’t help matters.

The sound of running footsteps in the auditorium turned into walking footsteps, then there was nothing. “Carrie?” came the redhead’s voice.

A pause, and then Carrie heard her pursuer ascend the steps onto the stage itself. “Carrie, I’m fairly certain that you didn’t time jump, and thus are simply hiding in here. It’s not my intention to harm you. Come on out so that we can talk.”

Carrie remained where she was. She heard the sound of a brief search, interrupted only by some sort of muffled announcement over the public address system. Then more silence. Her headache was ebbing. That felt like a good sign.

Right when Carrie thought it might be safe to move though, she heard the girl’s voice again. “All right, Carrie, have it your way,” the redhead declared. “But in case you can hear me – I, Mindylenopia Oaks, member of the Chronologic Patrol, am here for Glen Oaks. My brother is a dangerous fugitive from the future. You must not trust him! I will be in touch.”

A pause, then running footsteps, then the auditorium door, and then silence. Still, Carrie waited twice as long as she had the last time before finally edging the stage door aside. When nothing happened, she pulled herself back into the auditorium.

There was no one there. What’s more, the throbbing in her head had regressed to a point where it was almost bearable. Letting out a sigh of relief, Carrie headed cautiously for the hallway, rubbing absently at the sore spot where the chair had been jabbing her. Wishing she had any idea as to her next move.

The van driver still seemed partially dazed as Julie pulled open his door. She noticed that while he had a bump on his head, his seat belt had managed to protect him from serious harm. “Vat’s goin’ on?” the driver murmured, turning his head to regard the brown haired student. “Vere am I?”

“I’ll ask the questions here,” Julie asserted. “Who are you, who was the redhead, and why is she after my friends?!”

“I… I be Lars,” the driver stated blearily. “Vat redhead you mean?”

“Your passenger,” Julie said, peering a little more closely at him. Did he have a concussion or something? “You know, the one with the gun.”

“Gun?!” Lars said. He turned to regard the empty seat next to him, then finally made an effort to sit up. “She’s gone! Mindy’s gone!”

“Mindy?” Julie said, jumping on the name. “Is that the person you were driving here?”

Lars reached up to press a hand to the bump on his head as he replied. “I tink… yes, she tell me to drive her into this town, and her name, it sounded like Mindy.”

“Sounded like? You’re not sure? You’d never met her before today?”

“No, I… oh my goodness! My van is in library?!?”

“Focus please, just a couple more questions,” Julie said, snapping her fingers to retain his attention. “Did Mindy say anything to you when you were driving? About what she was doing or why she came here?”

“No, I… we came to town, we stopped first at hotel, she go in, then come out and say Glen is at school. So we come to school. I mention school probably over soon, so she tell me to keep on driving towards window.”

Julie blinked. “So you did?”

“I… I did. Somehow it make sense at the time…”

Julie felt a chill run up her spine. It made sense at the time. She remembered thinking the exact same thing before shooting Carrie last year. After that man had spent time talking to her on the phone. Influencing her with his voice. There had to be a connection.

“Who introduced Mindy to you?" Julie pressed. “And did Mindy mention anyone else she was working with??”

“We meet by bridge… I… I don’t think she say,” Lars replied, throwing up his hands. “Who you be anyway? Student?” He only now seemed to realize Julie’s age.

“Irrelevant,” Julie said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. “Tell me, was it Mindy herself who convinced you to listen to her? How did she do it?!” Lars simply opened and closed his mouth, a baffled expression on his face.

“Jewels,” came a quiet voice from behind her. “The police are on their way and teachers are trying to get everyone into lockdown. We need to get out of here.”

-Some of this makes sense, right? If not, please let me know.

-Hello to new blog follower professorumbraum! If you were also the person reading the entire archive on the weekend, you made last week’s views look normal instead of rather sad, thank you.

Previously: A mystery girl appeared in front of a jogger. Julie got her friends to pit Joe and Tommy against each other, in order to focus on Megan’s plans.

PART 3.13b: UNDER ATTACK 2

Julie nodded back at Carrie. “Thank you. See, as soon as Chartreuse said that Megan Falls was involved, I knew that this school was in trouble. Deep trouble. That girl not only works in the shadows, she tries to make people believe her opinions without a plan in mind. Without consideration of immediate consequences.”

She straightened her posture. “Ironically, Megan’s unpredictability means she probably has the best shot at Corry. So our first step HAD to be clearing the board of Joe and Tommy. To better get a bead on her. THAT’S why I sent you both on your missions this morning.”

Julie looked towards Frank. “It only occurs to me now that you were pretty reluctant about messing with Joe’s head. I guess all I can do at this point is ask for your forgiveness.”

“Yeah, well… in retrospect, the guy WAS taking things a bit far,” Frank admitted, thinking back to the image he’d seen. “So as long as you’re more forthcoming with us next time, sure, I can forgive you."

Julie then turned to Carrie, but the blonde was already waving her off. “Don’t sweat it. I was only miffed at your attitude. I rather enjoyed playing off Tommy’s paranoia, he’s kind of a jerk.”

“All right,” Julie said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Thing is, Megan’s too canny to be fooled like those two. In fact, I discovered that she’s been recorded as absent from school today. Given that, I asked Phil to scout around a bit at lunch, to see if he could find out where she really is.” She eyed the drama room door. “Since he hasn’t joined us yet, I can only assume that he’s had no luck so far.”

She looked at each of them in turn. “And while I grant that this may be partly my ego, if Megan takes charge of the balance of power in this school? Chaos is sure to follow! Do you understand now? And will you help me help Corry?”

“Okay Julie,” Chartreuse chirped. “Except, what exactly should we do, aside from look around too? I mean, like, what is it you’ve, you know, learned about Megan’s plans so far?”

Julie brushed some of her long hair off her shoulder as she moved to lean back against a nearby wall. “As a matter of fact,” she said, letting out a frustrated sigh, “as of this point in time, I’ve learned nothing at all about her plans.”

Lunch period ended. The image of Tommy, serving tea to the chess club while clad in a full length green dress, only appeared in printouts - given how the school’s server mysteriously went down. But, true or not, seeing how he could be manipulated was enough to discredit the boy in the eyes of many of his supporters.

Similarly, the sight of Joe walking through the halls with a bloody nose, wearing nothing but his boxers, was not seen by many either - he was quickly taken to the main office. However, as with the dress picture, word soon spread, and it became apparent that Joe had also lost leadership credibility in the eyes of the school.

The quick interventions of the faculty aside, Tommy and Joe had cancelled each other out - as Julie had engineered. She tapped her fingers against her desk. Yet here it was, last period, and she STILL wasn’t sure what Megan was up to!

Carrie, Frank, Chartreuse and Phil had all come up empty. Granted, they hadn’t actually tried to invoke Carrie’s powers again - but Julie was coming to understand Carrie’s argument for why it might not be in their best interests to do that. Not if it fixed the outcome, and it was one in Megan’s favour.

Julie left the mechanics of her physics lab in the hands of her partner, busy racking her brains for what it was she could have missed. It wasn’t until Laurie Veniti was paged to the library fifteen minutes before the end of the school day that Julie realized what a blind idiot she’d been. Whispering to her lab partner that she’d handle the writeup for them, and to please cover for her, Julie slipped out of the room. Only to bump into Corry, who was doing the exact same thing down the hallway.

“Fancy running into you like this,” Julie said as the two of them headed for the stairwell. “Is my ‘rampant paranoia’ catching?”

Corry opened his mouth to fire off some response, then simply grimaced. “Okay, I deserved that,” he admitted. “The more I’ve thought about what you said this morning, the more I’ve realized how good the timing was for a major attack. You were right. I was wrong. I have been overconfident. Were you the one who rerouted Joe and Tommy?”

“Damn right,” Julie responded. “Though… I had some help.”

“I see,” the redhead replied as they reached the stairs. “And I can only assume this last plan is the work of Megan Falls. Do you know what she’s been getting my sister mixed up with?”

“Afraid not,” Julie sighed. “I SHOULD have been tailing Laurie all day. I’m out of practice.”

“No more so than me,” Corry grumped. “You know, if we get through this intact, maybe I should start treating you as more of a equal again. You know my blind spots, and can help to keep me on my toes.” Julie blinked over at him in surprise, but said nothing.

The two teenagers arrived on the ground floor and approached the library. They quickly spotted Carrie, who was trying to peer covertly through the glass doors of the main entrance. She looked over at them as they approached.

“Oh! Uh. I… I was in drama class with Laurie when she was paged away,” Carrie explained. “It wasn’t until right after she left that I remembered what Chartreuse said this morning about evil library vibes, and given Julie’s talk at lunch, I… I thought Laurie might have been walking into a trap.” She gestured vaguely. “But, hey, maybe not? It doesn’t look like there’s anything nefarious going on in there.”

“Knowing Megan, it’s probably too devious to look nefarious,” Corry asserted. “Thanks, I’ll take it from here."

Corry marched past his two classmates, shoving the library doors open and striding inside. He was able to pick out his twin sister almost immediately, standing over by the bookshelves. Next to Laurie was a shorter girl with shoulder length jet black hair. Megan.

“Okay, stop right there!” Corry said as he ran up to them. His run was brought up short as he noticed Principal Hunt, formerly hidden from view, standing amongst the bookshelves beside the two teenage girls. “Or, ah, not,” Corry amended, stumbling.

A trace of a smile flickered over Mr. Hunt’s face, as if some suspicion of his had been verified, before he turned back to regard Megan. “So see to it that there is no more of this unauthorized use of the public address system,” he concluded. “Whatever you had to tell Laurie, it could have waited until the end of the school day.”

“Yes, sir,” the junior girl replied meekly. “Never again.”

“Very well then,” the principal concluded. “One detention for you. As well as for Mr. Veniti, Ms. LaMille and Ms. Waterson for cutting class.” Corry flinched at the news, then glanced over his shoulder. He hadn’t even heard Julie and Carrie follow him in.

The smile tugged at the corner of the principal’s lips again as he turned to regard them all. “And, ladies and gentlemen? Let’s have no more of this tomfoolery for at LEAST the rest of the month, hmmm?” With that, Mr. Hunt walked off, apparently to talk with the head librarian.

“Well, that sucked,” Carrie mumbled. “Is it me, or is Hunt himself getting more devious lately too?”

Corry barely heard her, more concerned with whatever Megan had been up to with his sister. “Laurie?” he inquired, turning to meet her gaze for the first time. He braced himself, not certain what sort of expression he would see on her face.

The pure rapture that Laurie had on display still managed to catch him completely off guard.

“Corry?” his sister breathed. “Corry, I… I’ve been published! Megan got me published, isn’t that the most WONDERFUL news you’ve ever heard in your whole LIFE?”

Corry felt his throat seize up.

“H-How?” came Julie’s voice.

Laurie held up a small bound paperback. “A drawing I made for art class last year! Megan got a copy and wrote a short story based on it and submitted it to a regional contest put on by this short story publisher looking for best illustrated work and he liked it and all winners were basically being printed in this little book and oh golly it actually WON so I’ve had a picture published and my name is actually in print here right next to Megan’s!” She clasped the book back against her body.

“Yes, it’s thrilling isn’t it?” Megan put in, firing off a sweet smile in Corry’s direction. She brought her fist up to her heart. “Kind of gets you. Right. Here.”

Corry’s eyes linked with Megan’s. Her eyes narrowed, her smile widening. And she had him, and they both knew it. Owing to what Megan had done for Laurie here, Corry was not only indebted to her, but any move that he now made against the girl might well end up hurting Laurie emotionally. He had been outflanked by an act of pure generosity.

“Risky move, Megan," Julie piped up, her voice providing Corry with the excuse to look away. “After all, what if Corry had been dethroned earlier today? He’d have no social strings for you to pull on.”

Megan shrugged, her hand moving to idly finger the cross she wore on her necklace. “Well, no fun playing the game if you’re sure of the outcome each time,” she said. “But I had faith in you, Julie. After all, who do you think got Kim to tip you off in the first place?”

The brunette took a physical step back. “You– Damn you.”

“Okay, well, not to break up the happy fun times here,” Carrie broke in. “But maybe we should let the tension bleed out by heading back to class? I’d say the school’s had as much excitement as it can handle for today.”

Carrie was immediately proven wrong, as someone nearby let out a scream. The five students all turned, barely in time to see the van with the license plate reading ‘LARS 02’ jump the curb outside and crash through the library’s large picture windows, the vehicle coming to rest in the reference section. A girl with short red hair swiftly kicked open the passenger door, held up a gun, and hollered, “All right, where the hell is ‘Glen Oaks’ at?!?”

Owing to all the screaming and shouting that followed, only Corry heard Carrie’s horrified reaction: “Oh my God. That’s HER.”

The first domino falls… do you see how the rest of them have been set up yet? A reminder, you can Vote for T&T.

Previously: Sue attacked Corry at September’s dance, claiming she did it for Julie. A time trip to help Lee’s sister led to questions about what triggers Carrie’s temporal headaches.

3.12a: POWER STRUGGLE 1

The morning jogger stopped and turned at the sound of crackling energy. He frowned as it ceased. There were no power lines near that bridge, were there? So what was that all about? “Hallo?” Lars called out. He began to jog back. “Is anyvun…”

Lars stopped as the girl stepped out from the shadows. She hadn’t been there a moment ago, surely. The red dress the teenager wore looked to be a pretty good match for her short red hair, so she would have been pretty hard to miss. But then where had she come from? The energy? He watched in confusion as the girl looked around, before affixing her gaze upon him. She approached.

“I require transportation,” the redhead stated, a hard edge to her voice. “You will drive me.” And somehow, there was more to her voice than an edge, the girl’s tone seemed so compelling that it removed any trace of resistance Lars felt to her request.

“Ah, vhere you vant to go?” the jogger replied. She merely smiled.

On that same Thursday morning, Principal Hunt arrived at his high school a full hour before classes started. He proceeded directly to his office, where he sat down, opened his lower drawer, and pulled out four files. His eyes scanned down the tabs as he set them on his desk: Corry Veniti. Julie LaMille. Tommy Kvish. Joseph Drew. All of them seniors, all of them polarizing forces within the school, directly or indirectly. Hence the reason for keeping his own separate records.

“Pity I can’t suspend the lot of them for the next two days," the principal mused, turning his chair to look out the window. “But of course, we have no evidence of their wrongdoing.” He rubbed his forehead. There was also the fact that, even if he COULD suspend them, he likely wouldn’t. As a general rule, he disliked the idea of sending students away from the education they often so desperately needed. Not that he’d ever tip his hand by saying so.

There was a knock on the open door. Hunt glanced at his clock. Right on time. “Come in and close the door behind you,” he said, turning back around.

Melanie Willis did so. “You wanted my opinion on something?”

Hunt gestured for the school’s music teacher to sit, then folded his hands on his desk. “Indeed. As you have expressed some interest in a more administrative position in the future, I’m curious to get your read on the school atmosphere over the past two weeks.”

“You mean ever since Sue Simmons’ outburst at the dance?” Melanie inquired, smoothing her dress. Hunt nodded. She seemed to consider before responding. “It’s made a target of Corry Veniti. Other senior students are realizing that he’s not untouchable. They’re thinking they have a shot at dethroning him in the social order, claiming his status, maybe even becoming valedictorian themselves.”

She was good. But then, he wouldn’t have brought her in here if he hadn’t already believed they were on similar wavelengths. “And when do you think the hammer will fall?”

“Hard to say, but I’m going to guess soon. Otherwise why would you talk to me now?”

Hunt smiled. “In fact, I think it will be today. Or perhaps tomorrow. Certainly this week, a week which was already shortened due to Thanksgiving Monday. People’s guards are down, and acting shortly before a weekend will prevent immediate retaliation.”

Melanie sat back in her chair. “Whereas the longer they wait, the greater the risk that a rival gains the coup first,” she mused. “All right. So what can I do to help?”

“Be a sounding board as I run through the likely suspects. Let me know if you’ve seen anything going on that I might have missed.”

The music teacher nodded. She then reached out to tap the folder belonging to Tommy Kvish. “I can tell you right away that he’s trouble. Corry always kept him honest, but the falling out over Sue getting into that band? It’s had Tommy pushing at the envelope for months, with students and faculty alike. I could see things getting physical with him.”

Hunt nodded. “What do you think has been holding him back?”

Melanie shrugged. “Educated guess, he’s not sure how much support he’ll be able to pull from within Corry’s ranks. I think he has more than he realizes.” She eyed the other folders. “I don’t know Joseph.”

Dell Hunt picked the folder up. “Never a problem until that flyer about Julie appeared last November. Since then, he’s been trying to amass support towards drumming Julie and/or Corry out of school. Most of his initial support was from Julie’s supporters in the school, likely people who were blackmailed in the same way he claims he was. His attempts stalled early on, but he’s recently gained more support from junior students in his clubs this term.” He set the folder back down. “Corry, I think we both have a handle on.”

Melanie nodded. She seemed to want to say something else, so Hunt gestured at her. “Please, speak your mind.”

“I can’t help but wonder - why did you allow the Corry and Julie feud to go on for as long as it did? I mean, if the flyer Corry engineered was true, and over the years Julie was scheming she got to the point of blackmail…" Her voice trailed off.

Hunt sighed. “I didn’t know the LaMille girl had sunk to that. I did know it was in my best interests to give those two certain latitude in their shenanigans. Consider, they were never violent, and they rarely disrupted daily school business. What’s more, as neither of them were smokers or drug users, they rarely tolerated such behaviour from the people who wanted to associate with them. In fact, the more the student body became polarized towards them, the more rule breaking incidents actually went DOWN.”

“Hm,” Melanie Willis mused. “Never thought about it that way.”

“That said, I may have erred in my analysis back then. Julie LaMille did suffer for it. I cannot afford to do make that mistake this time.” Dell looked down at Julie’s folder.

At least she was in counselling now. He could still remember how she had looked in this very office, nearly a year ago, practically begging him to sign the school over to her. All because of some internal struggle Julie had been having with her parents. Could he have anticipated that? Should the family domestic being the only point of contact have been a red flag to him?

“Do you think Julie’s still a threat then?” Melanie asked, breaking into his thoughts. “I mean, the other three make sense to me now, but why also have her folder out?”

Hunt looked back up. “It’s more due to people who might act on her behalf. As Susan Simmons did. For instance, there’s Philip Clarke, perhaps even Carrie Waterson who would advocate for her.” He separated out the folders. “Thus we have four factions… and at least one of them will act against Corry, or each other. Likely today. But who will act first, and what will they do?”

“What about Megan Falls?”

The principal kept his face neutral. “Who?”

“Megan Falls. Not a senior, a year behind them. But lots of the younger students who were once backing Julie have gravitated her way. As well as the new freshmen this year. After all, Megan is rather pretty, and personable. But she’s also devious, in that she’s good at deflecting attention and playing innocent. In fact…" Melanie paused.

“Go on,” Hunt insisted.

The music teacher sighed. “Far be it from me to spread rumours. But there has been some talk that Megan is the one who initially encouraged Sue to remove Corry from the social hierarchy. Claiming to Sue that it would be in Julie’s best interests.”

Dell Hunt raised an eyebrow. “Oh my.”

“Exactly. So our school doesn’t have four factions. By including Megan, it has five.”

Hunt steepled his fingers. “Very well then. I’ll open a new file on Megan. Meaning five groups of teenagers, all vying for final control. What do you think that I, a mere principal, can do to stabilize such a situation?”

She had to tap Corry on the shoulder a second time before he turned towards her. “Yes?” he sighed.

“We need to talk. Now. Before class starts,” Julie stated.

“I think not.” Corry looked back down at his homework.

Julie clenched her jaw. “Corry, we really have to speak. Away from everybody else in here. Right NOW,” she insisted.

His look this time was visibly irritated. “Julie, I don’t think–”

“Dammit Corry I saved your life at the last dance so you will listen to me now!” the brunette hissed. “We… need… to… talk!”

Corry froze, and for a moment Julie wondered if she hadn’t pushed him too far. But then he rose and headed back for the busy hallway, motioning to her over his shoulder. She hurried after him, glancing at the clock as she passed - still three minutes before the final bell. Once outside of the room Julie opened her mouth to speak, but this time Corry beat her to it.

“Don’t you ever, EVER speak to me like that again!” he said in cold fury. “Because in case you forgot, I spent four days in the past, trudging around Illinois for you. And I’ve been keeping a lot of nasty people off your case ever since you returned to school! Anything you’ve done for me since doesn’t even come CLOSE to settling the score!!”

With effort, Julie bit back the first response that came to her mind. Along with the second, and the third. “I’m sorry,” she yielded. “But PLEASE listen. Joe Drew is coming after you today, and according to a reliable source, he’s going to do it by implicating me too. We have to stop him.”

Corry snorted. “Please. Joe Drew, the business and chess club guy? He’s a dreamer, and the axe he grinds is rarely levelled anywhere specific. What ‘reliable sources’ are you yammering about?”

“Kim Carpenter.”

This time Corry outright laughed. “Kim? The chess nerd with the huge glasses?”

“Yes. She used to be a follower of mine,” Julie continued doggedly. “Apparently she’s since hooked up with Joe. But she had some qualms about what he was planning to do today, thus talked to me after I arrived at school.”

“Oh dearie me. What, is Joe going to make it look like you helped me cheat on a test or something?” Corry said.

Julie wasn’t sure if that was a jab at what she’d done to his sister Laurie or not. She decided it didn’t matter. “I don’t know exactly!” she admitted. “Kim was upset enough to speak to me, but she wouldn’t go into detail. I mean, monitoring threats is supposed to be your department. It’s not like I have the power to do that any more!”

“As it should be,” Corry countered. “Especially given these rampant attacks of paranoia you’re having! I’m going back into class now. Please don’t bother me again today.”

Julie clenched her fists as Corry turned his back on her. “Your overconfidence will be your downfall!” she called after him. Corry paused briefly, yet did not bother to turn as he passed back through the classroom doors.

“Jerk,” Julie whispered after him. The anger she felt towards Corry was quickly burning itself out though - because despite his current attitude, he had been right. He’d done SO much for her the past few months. More than she could have ever imagined from the guy a year ago.

So, the onus was on her now. To return the favour. To get Corry out of trouble. She couldn’t do that alone though, not if she’d correctly read Kim’s state of mind. So, who could she turn to for help?

If you missed Sunday’s Commentary, yes, we’ve gone Semi-Weekly.

3.09: TONE DOWN

“Carrie! Carrie!!”

She began to turn at the sound of her name, yet was not fast enough to avoid being blindsided by the fast moving splash of colour that was Chartreuse.

“Carrie!” the pink haired girl repeated desperately, grabbing onto Carrie’s arm to keep her from falling over. “Thank goodness I spotted you! Listen, Corry doesn’t, like, believe me when I say someone’s out to kill him. We’ve got to use your powers so we can, you know, stop this terrible thing from happening.”

Carrie coughed. “Ahem. My what? What are you saying, Chartreuse?” she asked, inclining her head towards the person standing next to her.

Chartreuse turned to look at Carrie’s red-headed companion. “Oh, hi Glen. Uhmmmm, I need to use Carrie’s powers of persuasion. Mind if I borrow your date for a little while?”

“Chartreuuuuuuse…”

Glen laughed. “It’s okay Carrie, I don’t mind. I could use a dance break, and was planning on watching Corry’s performance anyway. You go tend to the serious matters your friend is referring to.”

“I’m sure they’re not that serious,” Carrie protested. It didn’t matter - Chartreuse had already muttered a quick thanks and was pushing her towards the hallway.

Sighing, Carrie allowed herself to be led into the nearest unlocked classroom before confronting the pink haired girl.

“REALLY, Chartreuse?” Carrie said irritably. “What is so important that you felt it necessary to pull me away from the first truly enjoyable date I’ve had in months?”

“It’s like I said. I sensed something when I was with Laurie earlier, but it didn’t, like, hit me until I touched Corry’s hand,” Chartreuse explained in a rush. “It was one of my, you know, wham bang powerful impressions that told me he’d be dead before the night was out. And I bet it’s somehow related to the musical sets he’s gonna do!”

She leaned in. “But I can’t see more than that without meditating, and I never know how long it’ll take to pick up something, whereas Corry’s starting in less than five minutes. So since you’re so much more powerful than me, you could look ahead–”

“Whoa, STOP,” Carrie interrupted. “Dial that back. I’m at a dance here. With Glen. This is NOT temporal session time. And even if it WERE, we’d started to work on mental shielding, not running up and down my timeline. Think about it, I still have no idea whether something from the future will become fixed as soon as I see it. What if I see something horrible, and then we can’t change it?”

“But we have to do something,” Chartreuse insisted. “Please, Carrie, can’t you at least help me work out the cause? Or get a list of suspects? Or a time frame? Something?? I swear, I’m not overdramatizing here. Well, okay, so Corry may not DIE, but I know Laurie’s brother will get badly hurt - unless we do something.”

Carrie groaned and pressed a couple fingers to her forehead. She contemplated Chartreuse’s request, the pleading look on her friend’s face, and in particular, how the two of them would feel should something disastrous actually happen to Corry now.

“Okay. Okay! I’ll try a few tiny image jumps forward,” Carrie yielded. “But you leave me and Glen alone for the rest of the night after this, understood?”

“Of course. Unless your help is needed again,” Chartreuse said brightly. Carrie opened her mouth to protest, but then decided it probably wouldn’t do any good. She simply sighed as she sat, cross legged on the floor of the classroom, and closed her eyes.

‘Thank goodness,’ Chartreuse thought, going down on her knees in front of the seated blonde. ‘We can fix this, I know we can! Still, I gotta take it easy on her…’

“All right, Carrie,” Chartreuse began, grasping the blonde by the hands. “I realize we’re not at my place with the crystals, but try to relax and–”

“I’m there,” Carrie murmured, eyes closed. “In the time stream.”

Chartreuse resisted the urge to flinch. ‘Damn, that was fast. I can see why it worries her.' “Er, okay,” she continued. “See if you can centre in on Corry? Visualize that he’s standing there in front of you.”

Carrie nodded. “It’s not difficult, I’ve mentioned former time travellers are always a bit out of synch. He’s… yes, I’ve got it. He’s out in the cafeteria. They’re making preparations for their first number.”

“Do you sense any danger?”

“I don’t think so?” Carrie muttered. “The crowd is chattering, talking about his chances. I don’t know if I want to wade into it, my astral self has ended up back by the coat check. Oh, wait, Joe Drew is scowling at me! No, wait, it’s through me - towards the stage. Towards Corry.”

“Don’t forget, spirit body. Totally insubstantial, no one can see or do anything to you.”

“I know, I know. It troubles me, that’s all. Do you think I ended up back here because Joe’s planned something?”

“Maybe. Or maybe it was a subconscious attempt to avoid the crowd.” Chartreuse tightened her grip slightly. She had rather hoped to be able to sense something through Carrie, but so far, there was nothing.

Was that because there was nothing to sense? Or because it didn’t work that way? How else could they interface? Her gaze started to wander, and she pulled it back to Carrie’s face.

“Okay, Corry’s announcing the first song. Now what?”

Chartreuse sighed. They needed more. “Are you up to trying a skip into the future? To establish a time frame? Please be honest. My prior attitude aside, I don’t want to push you beyond what you can, you know, handle.”

Carrie bit down on her lower lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted after a moment’s thought. “After all, I don’t want to physically time travel. Only project. But maybe if I simply imagine that I’m stretching forwards, moving faster than the water currents?”

Julie allowed Clarke to lead her towards the cafeteria. “No deafening, pulsating beat,” the tall boy said to her, as he tugged at his necktie. “My guess is we’ve arrived just in time for Corry’s bit.”

“Um,” was all Julie could think to reply. After numerous wardrobe changes, she had finally selected a low key shirt and sweater ensemble with a long skirt. As they entered the cafeteria, only a couple of people picked up on her presence; Corry’s imminent performance was helping to divert attention.

‘Interesting,’ Julie mused. ‘A year ago, this sort of neglect would have infuriated me. Now I’m simply relieved.’

As the quartet of students started to play up by the stage, Clarke guided her back against the wall. “They’re quite good,” he reflected. “Tim’s looking a little out of sorts though. I hope Corry’s been treating him decently.”

“Clarke!” came a hushed cry. Both Clarke and Julie turned as the younger Veniti twin ran up, dressed like a red candle. “Clarke, we need your help! Chartreuse thinks Corry’s life is in danger!”

Clarke blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“Chartreuse got this feeling that Corry was going to die or get hurt,” Laurie explained. “And she thought Carrie could help and so went to find her but now they’ve both disappeared and so you’re tall maybe you can see them since I’m not sure what’s going to happen any more and I’m so worried for my brother and by the way that’s a lovely tie you’re wearing and golly it’s such a pity that I’m not seeing it under better circumstances…”

The redhead was obviously distressed, Julie realized. She normally did a better job of controlling her run-on sentences these days, particularly in front of Clarke. The guy she’d once liked. Or still liked? Julie didn’t like to reflect on that too much.

“Whoa, okay Laurie, calm down,” Clarke was saying. “You’re saying you need to find Chartreuse and Carrie?” Laurie nodded wordlessly, eyes wide and full of concern. Clarke turned his attention to Julie. “Jewels, will you be okay here for a couple minutes while I try to track down Laurie’s companions?”

Julie nodded. “It’s fine, Phil, no one’s paying attention to me. And if someone tries to start something, I’ll simply go back outside.”

Clarke looked at her for another moment before returning her nod.  “Okay. Now, Laurie, given Chartreuse’s preference for coloured outfits, I’m pretty sure I could spot her if she were in here,” he said. “Maybe she went to the washroom, or out for a breath of air? What was she wearing?”

Julie watched the two of them depart the cafeteria, then shrank back against the wall.

“Breathe, Carrie, breathe!” Chartreuse shouted desperately. “You’re not really drowning! Focus back in on Corry! Focus!!”

Carrie sucked in a great, heaving breath, her fingernails digging into Chartreuse’s palms. The pink haired girl ignored the pain, all of her attention on the blonde cheerleader who was now twitching in front of her.

“Okay Carrie, never mind Corry,” Chartreuse decided. “Come back to me, all right? Focus on me. On the present.” The fear that she was losing her friend was starting to tug at her heart.

Carrie didn’t reply, the twitching ceasing as her eyes snapped wide open. At least those eyes were blue, Chartreuse noted, and not golden. But they were focussed on nothing.

“Okay, bad idea, I’m sorry for pushing you into it,” the mystic continued, trying to suppress her rising panic. “I wasn’t, like, thinking straight. We can simply look into the usual suspects here, yeah? So come on, come back to me now, PLEASE Carrie…!”

“Char… treuse…?”

Chartreuse felt the tightness in her chest release. “Carrie! Carrie, are you all right?”

“Am… fine,” Carrie murmured. “It’s… whoa, headrush.”

Carrie’s grip relaxed enough to allow Chartreuse to pull one of her hands away. She waved it in front of Carrie’s eyes. There was no reaction. “Carrie, what’s going on? Where are you?”

“Am… in future,” Carrie murmured. “Astral me. About ten… no, five minutes. Had to resist the pull to bring all of me. Th-Thank you for anchoring me in the present, Chartreuse.”

“No prob - are you SURE you’re okay?” Chartreuse knew her own heartbeat was still racing.

“Well, I’m… reorienting.” Carrie’s vacant eyes drifted closed once more. “Okay, Corry’s still performing. New song. I’m closer to him this time, near the front. Tommy is elbowing his way up here through the crowd, he’s… he’s going to throw something! But… it’s a tomato. That’s not life threatening… maybe there’s… something else. Oh, Joe!”

Carrie’s head whipped to the side. “Yes, Joe has left the coat check and he’s heading towards Corry! Or, no… it’s towards Julie. She’s edging away from him, so they’re both headed towards Corry. Damn!” Carrie mouth twitched. “Too many people. Too many, I don’t know so many of them, I’m not in the present, everything’s a jumble…”

“Stay calm,” Chartreuse soothed. Should they abort? “You’re only there for Corry. What’s, like, happening to him?”

“Corry,” Carrie murmured. “He’s singing. He’s… wait, Tim’s jumping up. He’s shoved his keyboard at Corry! Ow, audio feedback… something sparked… the crowd is reacting… Corry’s on the floor? Someone’s on top of him, everyone’s staring… now Glen is up here too.” Carrie shivered. “It’s like that time I saw him in the cafe, he’s staring at me. Are we sure I’m– OH!!!”

“What?” Chartreuse asked, gripping both of Carrie’s hands again as the blonde cried out.

“Where the hell am I? Who’s this girl in red?!” Carrie choked out. “Chartreuse, I’m… I’m in the wrong time again!!”

“Okay, Carrie, come back, time to come back,” Chartreuse declared. “Session over, we know enough, you have to return to the present!”

“Such piercing hazel eyes… she’s raising her hand… she’s…”

“Carrie, ohmigod, don’t let the forces take you. CARRIE!”

“I’m out!” Carrie screamed, flinching backwards.

However, as Chartreuse was still grasping onto the blonde’s hands, the sudden movement served only to jerk her off balance. With a little yelp of astonishment, she fell forwards into Carrie, both girls collapsing back onto the floor of the classroom. Chartreuse faceplanting into the blonde cheerleader’s body.

And Chartreuse found that her first instinct wasn’t to roll away. Rather, it was to grab harder for Carrie, to press her ear against Carrie’s front, to better hear her friend’s heartbeat. Still there. So fast. Mirroring her own, beating away, racing, because of this shared experience. Between the two girls with powers.

She had only felt this sort of close connection with someone once before.

Last time, the feeling had been instantaneous. This time, it had crept up on her. Because the blonde did look so pretty, in that dress with it’s plunging neckline. More to the point, Carrie wasn’t as shallow as Tope had been, the cheerleader did care about people. In fact, even after learning about Chartreuse being bisexual, Carrie had kept it quiet, and hadn’t called off any of their sessions.

Both of their hearts were racing now. Almost in synch. So maybe it was time to accept what that meant, it was time to take their relationship to the next level…

“Unhh,” Carrie groaned.

Chartreuse knew she couldn’t have pushed herself up and away any faster, not even if she’d been lying on a bed of hot coals.

“C-Carrie?” she choked out. What the hell was she thinking? She’d almost nuzzled in against Carrie’s neck. Carrie was her friend. That was it. Only her very close friend…

“Chartreuse?”

“C-Carrie?” Chartreuse repeated. She swallowed, trying to bury the flood of emotions welling up inside. “Ah, so, are you, like, you know, okay?”

“I’ll manage,” Carrie said. Her chest was heaving - don’t look there, idiot! - as she sat back up. Thankfully, as their eyes met again, Carrie didn’t seem to notice Chartreuse’s discomfort.

“I just saw…” Carrie looped some hair around her finger and tugged. “I don’t know what I saw. Either way, I’ve had enough of this for tonight, okay?”

Chartreuse nodded vigorously. “Yes, um, we’ve certainly discovered enough here.”

“Hello? Someone in here?” came a new voice.

The two girls on the floor turned as the classroom door opened and Clarke poked his head inside. “Ah! I thought I heard voices. Laurie thought she’d lost you.” Clarke turned to look back into the hallway. “They’re in here.”

There was the sound of running feet, and then the freckled girl poked her head in next to Clarke. “Chartreuse, thank goodness,” Laurie said, not trying to disguise her relief. “Are you two okay? What happened? Have you figured out what’s wrong with my brother?”

“With your bro… right!” Chartreuse jumped to her feet. “It’s Tim. Tim’s going to snap and throw his keyboard at the guy, that starts a chain reaction in their equipment. We’ve got to get in there, fast!”

“Tim?” Clarke said, shocked. “What are you talking about?”

“No time, hurry,” Chartreuse said, charging past the two of them and out into the hall. As much to get away from Carrie’s perfume as to get back to the cafeteria.

Julie took another step closer to the student quartet. Since they really were quite good, and she wanted to hear them better – okay, no. She knew the primary reason for her approach was to distance herself from Joe Drew. He’d been giving her irritated looks ever since Clarke had moved off with Laurie. Hoping to ignore the scrutiny, Julie soon found that more difficult once Joe left the vicinity of the coat check in order to move closer to her position. Causing her to move further away.

So why was she moving towards the band? Why not outside? Heck, why react at all? Was it because Corry Veniti was one of the few people (aside from Clarke) who bothered to stand up for her on those occasions when she was being mistreated? If so, Julie knew this was a poor decision - Corry was busy right now. Besides, Joe wasn’t much of a threat on his own.

She made the decision to stand her ground. It was at that moment that Julie happened to glance beyond Corry - catching sight of the look in Sue’s eye.

And Julie knew Sue from when they had been allies. She knew that look, knew it meant trouble. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later, during a drum solo, when Sue used the opportunity to let go of her guitar and reach for something back in the shadows, next to the stage.

Tim apparently noticed her action as well, and when he saw what she was grabbing, he stood up, reaching out towards her. But his leg buckled, sending him crashing into his own keyboard, palms first. The keyboard stand gave out, pitching forwards, sending the equipment towards Corry.

That’s when Chartreuse charged through Julie’s field of vision, reaching out in vain for the toppling instrument. Feedback erupted from the nearby speakers as it hit the floor at Corry’s feet. Then Clarke was there, catching Tim, and everyone’s attention was on what was happening with them - so it seemed like no one but Julie saw what Sue was about to do.

“Watch out!” Julie shouted, sprinting forwards. She threw herself at Corry, catching him around the waist, using her momentum to jerk him off his feet. The microphone Corry had been holding in his hands jarred loose and fell to the floor. An exposed wire created a small spark in the fresh pool of water. Water that had been thrown by Sue, who had not been able to check her swing. A few more sparks were seen, but Lee quickly reached his foot out to kick the power bar near the drums, killing all the electronics.

Julie breathed a sigh of relief. The brunette then discovered that, somehow, she had managed to land largely on top of Corry. One arm was caught underneath him, the other encircling his waist, and her sweater was pressed up tightly against his silk shirt. She quickly pulled back with an apology on her lips, but her voice got caught in her throat when she saw the bemused look on the redhead’s face.

“Julie… what the hell?” he questioned.

“Noooo!” came a cry of frustration from above them. Freeing her arm, Julie rolled away from Corry, looking up to see the brown haired guitarist. Sue was now being restrained by both Lee and Clarke. Carrie and Chartreuse had replaced Clarke at Tim’s side. Glen was there too.

“No, no, don’t you see?” Sue wailed. “I attacked him for you, Julie! Corry’s never been as good as you were. He never should have beaten you out the way he did! So I pretended to go along with him until I had this chance, this opportunity to shake him up a bit, to let him feel once again the wrath of Julie LaMille! So… so why did you save him, Julie? Aren’t you proud of me?!”

Julie blinked up at her former ally. “I… am going to be sick,” she realized, lurching to her feet and clapping a hand against her mouth. With a burning sensation at the back of her throat, she dashed for the nearest exit.

By departing, Julie didn’t hear the increasing chatter of the student body. Or how it was soon dispelled by the sound of an irate chemistry teacher, clearing his throat at the DJ’s independent electronics setup. “This dance,” Larry Fisk stated authoritatively, “is…”

“Going to continue shortly with more great songs from DJ Tuneup,” Mrs. Willis, the music teacher interrupted, grabbing the mike away from her colleague. “So please calm down and return to enjoying yourselves! I’m sure we all agree that it would be a shame to see this event come to an early end.”

Frank let out a low whistle. “I can’t believe it. Sue, out to get Corry. Who could have guessed?”

He and Luci had pulled back from the crowd of teenagers, to stand by the wall. With the DJ back in control, the dance was gradually getting back up to full swing. Carrie and Clarke had run out of the room after Julie, Chartreuse had gone over to talk with Laurie, and all the members of Corry’s band had been taken to the office to talk with Principal Hunt.

“I could have worked it out,” Luci decided, looking towards the stage. “If my mind hadn’t been wandering so much this week. After all, Sue’s looked distracted lately. Possible family troubles. And she lost her grandmother back around the same time as she ‘lost’ Julie… so it could be a case of displaced emotion? Not to excuse her actions, but that might be why she went a bit nuts.”

“Your whole school’s a bit nuts,” Glen remarked, approaching the both of them. “From what I’ve heard, some people are siding with Sue and her assault on your friend!”

“For real?” Frank raised his eyebrow. “I guess Corry doesn’t have the same support in his ranks that he once did.”

“On the bright side though,” Glen continued, “If Sue is out, there will be a vacancy in my fellow redhead’s band. So I can offer up my own guitar playing skills instead.”

Frank’s eyebrow twitched. “Uh, Glen? That’s not exactly a bright side.”

“No?” Glen shrugged. “It’s just, I’d hate to see Corry’s band dissolve on account of this. Wouldn’t you?”

“Hey, Carrie!” Luci shouted, waving. Frank turned, seeing that Carrie had entered the cafeteria again. Luci lowered her voice again once the blonde girl had paced over to join them. “How’s Julie faring?”

“She’ll be all right,” Carrie sighed. “Her stomach’s settled anyway. Clarke’s gone with her to the office, to give a statement to Mr. Hunt along with the band, though I think that’s mostly a formality. It’s pretty clear that she had no direct involvement in tonight’s activities.”

Carrie linked arms with Glen, leaning some of her weight onto him. “Still,” she admitted. “Now I feel guilty for insisting to Julie that she come. It’s not like she’ll have had a very good time.”

“It is a good thing she was here though,” Frank pointed out. “Or Corry could have been hurt.”

“That’s right,” Glen agreed. “Of course, one must still take care when using one’s powers of… persuasion. I imagine the results can be misleading, until the user has sufficient experience.”

Carrie turned to look into Glen’s face, and Frank wasn’t sure if it was her expression, or something in Glen’s tone that he found troubling. The redhead simply looked back at his date with a quiet smile. “Oh, whatever,” Carrie said aloud. “Come on, Glen. Let’s dance again?”

“I would be honoured,” he replied.

Frank and Luci exchanged a quick glance themselves as the new transfer student took the head cheerleader out for a spin around the dance floor. Meanwhile, a short distance away, Chartreuse turned away from Laurie, watching the pair herself while biting down on her lower lip.

(So, how much of that did you anticipate? If any? I suppose you’d at least anticipate another click request to vote for T&T at ‘Top Web Fiction’…)

3.08: TUNE UP

The band hit the final chord as Corry finished singing. He turned to smile at them. “Great work, guys. Thanks for agreeing to the extra practice. We’ll knock ‘em dead tomorrow night.”

Tim smiled back from where he sat behind the keyboard. Lee hit the cymbals and gave Corry a thumbs up. Sue adjusted the strap of her bass guitar.

“What was the significance of that song anyway?” Sue inquired. “Flying to the moon, it’s a little sappier than our normal fare."

“Request from my sister,” Corry shrugged. “Reminds her of some animated TV show she likes. Actually, maybe we should wrap up today with something different?”

“Which one?" Lee inquired, spinning a drumstick in his hand.

“That one which is also a popular theme song," Corry said. “Remember? It goes like this…”

Glen smiled as Carrie’s father opened the door. “Hello, Mr. Waterson. I’m here to pick up Carrie.”

Hank Waterson stepped aside. “She’s still getting ready, but do come in. I’ve been hoping to get the chance to meet you.”

“I figured.” Glen entered the house, knotting his tie a little tighter. Inwardly, he cursed whatever human had invented the things, and wondered who had made this school dance a semi-formal affair. At least a nice shirt sufficed, no need for him to have a jacket. “I hope to make a favourable impression,” the redhead continued. “As my intentions are completely honourable, and I’ll try to have your daughter home by whatever time you specify."

“I’m glad to hear it.” Carrie’s father closed the front door again. “I gathered as much from her, but there were a few things that she was unable to tell me. For instance, you seem to have no family in town. What is the story with your parents?”

“Oh, they’ve now purchased a house over in that new development to the north,” Glen replied, gesturing vaguely. “But mom’s still wrapping up with business out east, and as such they’ve arranged to have me stay at the Clayton Hotel for a few more weeks.”

Hank Waterson’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re staying at the hotel?”

“Ah, yes.” Glen supposed that Carrie hadn’t mentioned that detail. Made sense, in retrospect. “It’s not a big deal, really. The room has a small fridge and hotplate, and the maid service tidies daily. My parents wanted me to be here for the full semester, you see, and this was the best way to do that.”

“I see,” Mr. Waterson said slowly. “And what business is it that your parents are involved in?”

“My mother is a scientist - that’s what’s keeping her out of town, at the lab - while my father is a pilot, so he’s all over the place,” Glen said easily. “I’m hoping to go into the field of sciences myself someday. It certainly seems profitable enough.”

Mr. Waterson seemed to size him up. “Yet Carrie tells me you’re a long distance runner.”

“Yeah, well, I run, I act, I skate, I paint… everyone needs hobbies,” Glen said. Time to spin a question back, perhaps. “A person should be well rounded, don’t you think?”

Before Hank Waterson could answer, Carrie’s voice came from upstairs. “Is that Glen down there? Don’t you dare give him the third degree, Dad! Tell him I’ll be down in another few seconds!"

Glen half smiled. “You heard her - so, any final rules I should know about, before your daughter comes charging down and admonishes you for giving them to me?"

Hank eyed Glen again, then shook his head. “Nothing that isn’t common sense,” he decided. “And you seem to be the sort of boy who knows what I mean by that. In fact, I’ll level with you, a part of me is glad to see Carrie making new friends like this. She’s seemed a bit more withdrawn from her peers ever since she was hospitalized last year.”

“Ah, when she was shot?” Glen said. “I heard about that. Nasty business.”

“It was,” Mr. Waterson affirmed. He then leaned in closer to Glen’s face to speak more quietly. “An incident which has helped me to realize that, should you or anyone else lay an inappropriate finger on my daughter’s body, I will be forced into drastic action. Understood?”

“Naturally,” Glen affirmed, maintaining his composure. “Indeed, I would have been disappointed not to hear such concern from her only surviving parent.”

A frown tugged at Hank Waterson’s features, but before he could say anything more, Carrie appeared at the top of the stairs. “Glen! Glad to see you.” She lifted the skirt of her long purple dress slightly in order to avoid tripping during her descent. “I trust my father hasn’t been bothering you?”

“Oh, no, not at all,” Glen said, turning to face her. “And may I say, you look radiant in that outfit.”

“Why thank you,” Carrie said, pinkening mildly in the cheeks.

Her father cleared his throat. “Carrie, remember our deal. You’re home by eleven thirty.”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad.” She grabbed her jacket out of the closet. “Come on, Glen, we don’t want to arrive at the dance TOO fashionably late.”

Glen nodded in reply and the two teenagers left the house, Carrie’s father watching them from the front door until they reached the sidewalk. Glen glanced back as the front door closed. “So, you made a deal with your Dad?”

“Yeah, he’s letting me wear the dress with the plunging neckline on condition that I come home right after the dance ends at eleven,” Carrie admitted. “Probably realized that I was going to wear this thing no matter what, and tricked me into that compromise.”

“Ah. Clever man. Something that runs in the family, I see.”

“Ha! He wasn’t so devious back before my brush with death. I swear, last year, he didn’t care at all! It’s only been during the last several months that he’s taken an interest.”

“Must be a real pain then, huh?”

Carrie pursed her lips. “No,” she murmured. “It’s nice. We need to be home on time.” She reached out to take Glen’s arm. “But never mind about my Dad, let’s get to this dance! I want to make sure Julie has someone to talk to when she turns up.”

“Uh oh.” Chartreuse looked down. “It’s, like, that bad, huh?”

“Oh, I didn’t say anything!” Laurie protested.

“That’s the thing, normally you have so much to say,” Chartreuse pointed out. She fanned out her skirt, staring down at the multiple splashes of colour that adorned it. “I, you know, thought it would compliment the sparkly sequins I added to my blouse. No such luck?”

“It… kinda works? It must be the lighting in the room. Don’t worry Chartreuse, I’m sure lots of people will ask you to dance!” Laurie Veniti adjusted the big, puffy shoulders of her own long, red dress. “Now me, I probably shouldn’t have gone with this choice of colour which is so similar to my hair because I probably look exactly like a tomato or a big red candle or something and the dress is too formal anyway plus so many people here are already in couples so I doubt I’ll be asked to dance by anyone!” She sighed.

“Laurie, stay calm. You look fine,” Chartreuse countered. “Anyway, worst comes to worst, we can always dance with each other.” Which didn’t mean she fancied her friend in that way, but Laurie was probably the only girl she could dance with and not spark gossip.

Chartreuse looked out across the dance floor. The music had started under half an hour ago, yet there were only a few people out there. Semi-formal dances seemed to be less popular these days - student council should have picked her suggestion of a Hawaiian theme. “So, when is your brother’s band going to be, you know, performing?”

Laurie’s brow furrowed in thought. “Golly, it’ll be at least another half hour, because I remember Corry saying something about Lee not being able to make it until after eight. But I know they’re doing two sets, whenever the DJ wants a break!”

Chartreuse’s gaze settled on where Corry and his group had set up their equipment, near the stage. It looked like Sue was double checking the electronics. Which is when Chartreuse realized she was getting a vibe. Why was she getting a vibe? “Remind me how the four of them, like, hooked up? It was second semester of last year, right?”

“Yeah. Partly on account of me,” Laurie agreed. “See, Corry had practically given up on the band idea after the mess with Julie. But last March I pushed for him to give it another go, particularly after Clarke talked to me, saying that Tim was trying to come out of his shell, and that he was a pianist. Knowing how hard it can be to put yourself out there, I had my brother hear Tim play, then Corry finally held guitarist auditions. Sue had the best one. And Lee got personally invited in, after Corry heard him drumming after school at around the same time.”

“Sweet. Nice that they’ve come such a long way in, like, a relatively short amount of time.”

“Corry really wanted to do this performance too,” Laurie continued. “In fact, he’s pushed for more and more rehearsals since school resumed… to the point where it kinda worries me that the other members resent him for that.” She followed Chartreuse’s gaze over to the band setup, then back again. “You’ve got that look. Why?”

“A feeling.” Chartreuse shook her head. No point causing her friend to worry. “Probably nothing. Yeah, it’s nothing Laurie, never mind. Come on, let’s head closer to the door. I think the guy there is, you know, trying to get your attention!”

It wasn’t a standard code, since rearranging the words - if you called them words - hadn’t helped. Luci hadn’t had any success reading the first letter of every word either. Or with ROT13. But perhaps if she… the young girl’s thoughts were interrupted by a pinch in her side. “Yipe! Hey, what was that for?”

“Well, I only asked you twice if I could take your jacket for you,” Frank pointed out with a grin.

“Oh. Sorry.” Luci felt her cheeks warm as she shrugged it off. “Guess I got lost in thought.” She looked down at her outfit. “Gods, I hate that this is a semi-formal affair! I don’t have any clothes like that, and even though Carrie offered to help me shop, I didn’t want to do that either.”

“Luci, don’t worry, those are nice pants and you look just fine in that blouse. It’s a nice shade of blue. Anyway, it’s not like I’m wearing a tie.”

“But you have a proper jacket. Which you can simply toss on a chair. Why can men can get away with that stuff, while we’re supposed to be all dressy?” Luci grumbled. “High heels should be against the law.”

Frank adjusted his glasses. “Well, I see some other girls around who aren’t in heels either. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Luci sighed. “Says the guy who won’t get laughed at behind his back for his outfit. Girls are the worst.”

Frank stared, then reached out to take Luci’s hand, gently squeezing it. “Okay, what’s bothering you? It’s not simply the dress code here, you’ve been in a bit of a mood all week. Are you still upset with me? Is this a test to see if I’m actually paying enough attention to you?”

“What? Oh, no, it’s not that,” Luci assured.

“Then what’s the problem?”

Luci shifted her weight back and forth. “It’s that logbook of Linquist’s,” she admitted. “The one Julie found. I’ve been working on cracking the code, to figure out exactly what sort of stuff that nutcase was doing, but I’ve had no luck! It vexes me. And because I was working on that, I didn’t go shopping, and so now I’m going to look like an social idiot, and it’s all that Linquist’s fault again!”

“Ah. Um, that last is a bit of a stretch - are you sure you’re not simply looking for more reasons to hate the guy?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I wish they’d picked Chartreuse’s suggestion of a Hawaiian theme,” Luci groused.

Frank lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’d prefer to be wearing a grass skirt? I mean, not that I’d be complaining, but…”

“But, ugh, point made,” Luci realized, looking back down at her legs. “Fine, point to you, it could be worse, let’s enjoy what we have.” She attempted a smile.

Frank grinned back. “Okay then. I’ll just check our coats, be right back.” He moved off towards the coat check area.

Luci spent a couple of seconds admiring the decorations, but she couldn’t help it, her mind was soon spinning with more ideas, more possibilities for that book. Perhaps a Caesar cipher…

“How’s business, Joe?” Frank inquired as he set the jackets down on the table. The late September dance was usually better for snacks, as compared to the coat check part, which was better in February. Regardless, their booth was a way for the business club to make a bit of money, splitting the proceeds with Students’ Council.

“Slow but steady,” Joe Drew replied. “Actually, we haven’t missed your expertise back here at all. I’d be worried for your job.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” Frank said dryly. His fellow senior tore off a couple of numbered ticket stubs, exchanging them for his quarters. “But I have to say, I prefer Luci’s company to yours.”

“I can understand that,” Joe granted. The blonde boy leaned in a little closer. “By the way, I’ve heard Julie might turn up later tonight. Can you believe that girl? I bet a brawl will break out, and Mr. Fisk will cancel all future dances forever!”

“Oh, come on Joe… I think she’s learned how to behave herself,” Frank said, hoping he sounded reassuring.

“Hrmph,” Joe retorted, drawing back. His eyes shifted to the stage. “I suppose that, deep down, it’s all that idiot Corry’s fault. Guy should have dealt with her last year. I mean, he exposed what Julie did! How she manipulated folks like me! So why did he turn around and start acting all nicey nice to her?!”

“Yeah, uh, I suppose there’s stuff we don’t know about the situation,” Frank offered. He began to wonder how to best extract himself from the conversation.

Joe shook his head. “I know as much as I need to. Julie probably paid him off, so Corry’s even worse than she is!”

Before Frank could think of a good reply, a couple came up behind him to place a coat on the table. “Service, please,” the boy stated.

“Coming right up,” Joe said, finally handing off Frank and Luci’s coats to his co-worker before moving to deal with the newcomers. Frank took the opportunity to escape back to Luci’s side.

Carrie tried to decipher the noise Glen made upon their arrival. Failing that, she spoke up. “What? Is this so different from dances at your last school?”

Glen shook his head, still eyeing the decorations. “The faculty there didn’t believe in dances. So you’ll have to forgive me if I tread on your toes, dancing’s a skill I never really developed.”

“Ooh, amazing, something you’re not good at,” Carrie teased. She smiled. “We’ll manage, just don’t make a habit of toe crunching.”

“Scuze me, comin’ through!”

Carrie recognized Lee’s voice, and she turned to see him dashing though the front doors, dodging nimbly around the nearest couple. “Whoop, sorry ‘bout that, gotta hook up with the power cad, pardon me, scuze me…”

“Glory be, now his gang’s all here.”

This time, it was the sheer bitterness in the tone that made Carrie look for the source. Which turned out to be a light haired boy leaning against the wall. He was glowering at the crowd in general, but when he saw that Carrie was observing him in particular, he turned and shuffled towards the cafeteria/dance floor.

“Wonder what that guy’s problem is,” Glen mused aloud.

“That’s Tommy,” Carrie explained. “Looks like he’s still upset that Corry picked Sue to play bass guitar in the band, over him.” She tugged idly on a strand of her hair. “See, Sue was a side switcher - with Corry in Grade Nine, but then she joined me and Julie. Only to return to Corry last November, after Julie’s secrets got exposed. Meanwhile, Tommy’s been on Corry’s side since grade school.”

Glen grimaced. “So this is some kinda loyalty thing?”

Carrie nodded. “Yeah. I mean, Corry wasn’t wrong to choose Sue for his band, in that she IS the better guitarist. But it might have been the last straw for Tommy. It was the people who were closest to Corry who were blindsided the most, you see. When he cracked down on any attacks against Julie. Speaking of, you WILL look out for her here, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Glen rolled his eyes. “School politics. How irritating. Stop me if I ask again.”

“Why? Is that another thing that you didn’t see much of at your last school?”

“Not over such petty issues,” Glen countered, shaking his head. “Where I come from, it’s all about world domination.”

Carrie blinked. “Pardon me?”

He winked at her. “Kidding. So, shall we go and have a dance or two?”

Kidding? Or were they back to him keeping her off balance? Carrie pursed her lips. Every so often, he said something to make her wonder if she should be more suspicious. Except, she’d recently realized that Glen didn’t trigger any temporal headaches. Implying that no changes were occurring to her timeline. No, this was on her, not him - she had to stop overthinking this.

“Yes, dancing. Watch the feet,” she warned, hooking her arm around his as they headed for the doorway.

“I d-d-don’t know if I can d-do this,” Tim said, peering around the door frame at all the people out on the dance floor. “I d-d-didn’t think there would be so many p-people here. N-Not given the theme, and what happened last year!”

“Tim, first of all, breathe. Second, you can’t cut out on me now!” Corry crossed his arms. “Not after all the hard work we’ve put in.”

“W-W-W-Well…”

“Yo, dudes and dudette,” Lee said, breezing past Tim at the door to emerge into the far hallway. For once, his worn suit jacket was actually appropriate to the occasion, even if the T-Shirt he wore underneath it was not. “Have I missed anything?”

“No, but you are five minutes late,” Corry said, irritably. “What’s more, that’s becoming a habit for you this month.”

“Hey, cut me some slack, jack,” Lee protested. “I told you when I came on board that family matters and schoolwork would have to take precedence over this band.”

“All right, come on, everybody calm down,” Sue put in. “There’s still plenty of time to tune up and decide on the songs for our first set. We’ll knock ‘em dead, no worries.”

“Right, good, I like that philosophy,” Corry said, pointing at her. “Now, I’ve already seen to the drums, the keyboard and the electronics… so Sue, let’s go get the guitars and do one final check. The DJ told me we’re on after another couple songs.” The two of them hurried off to the music room, leaving Tim and Lee behind.

“I’m n-not so sure about this,” Tim murmured to Lee, after checking to see that Corry was out of earshot. “What if I mess up notes? What if we g-get heckled off the stage?”

“Don’t even think about it, tiny T,” Lee soothed. “Mrs. Willis said we sounded great, and the school crowd ain’t that hostile.” He glanced towards the cafeteria. “Well, okay, some of ‘em are, but it’s only towards the power cad. We’re clear.”

“I g-guess,” Tim said uncertainly. He took a few slow breaths. “I’ll feel SO much better after tonight. When Corry isn’t so obsessive.”

Lee rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, uh, I wouldn’t totally count on that though?” he warned. “I figure the better this goes, the more the guy will want to perform. If you can’t handle his scheduling, you’re gonna have to learn to stand up to him. Like I do sometimes.”

“Oh,” Tim said sullenly. He shuffled his feet. “How about you stand up for me too?”

Lee shook his head. “Sorry, T. I would, but I don’t really want the guy on my case any more than he is already. Besides, you’ll eventually have to learn to do it yourself.”

“I g-guess.” Tim sighed. “Know what? It’s gotten to the point where I wish Corry would disappear. Only for a little while.”

Lee frowned. It looked to Tim as if he wanted to say something further, but before he could, Laurie Veniti peered out of the cafeteria. “Corry?” she said, timidly.

“Hey, double V. He’s on his way,” Lee offered, turning towards Corry’s twin. As if on cue, Corry and Sue appeared at the far end of the hallway with their guitars, walking towards them.

“Great!” Chartreuse said brightly, stepping out from behind Laurie. “Because the two of us wanted to, like, wish the whole group the best of luck on your little, you know, debut.” She offered an encouraging smile to all the members, before reaching out a hand towards Corry as he strode up.

“Sure, thanks,” Corry said absentmindedly, reaching out to shake Chartreuse’s outstretched palm as he passed. He was brought up short, however, when Chartreuse didn’t release him. Instead, she grabbed hold with both of her hands. He turned to fire an irritated look at her, only to flinch back upon seeing Chartreuse’s horrified gaze.

“Ohmigod,” the pink haired mystic gasped out. She shifted her attention from Corry’s hand up to his face. “You, like, totally can’t go out there!” Chartreuse declared. “If you do… you’ll die!”

(Return for Corry’s fate next week. A reminder that a vote at TWF is appreciated.)

3.03: CARRIE ON

“I called the cafe," Chartreuse said, re-entering her bedroom. “And there’s, like, nothing out of the ordinary happening there. Certainly no fires.”

“I don’t care. I know what I saw, Chartreuse!” Carrie finished off her glass of water. “There was smoke billowing out of the back and flames spreading into the dining area. I didn’t simply imagine it!”

“I’m not suggesting you did,” Chartreuse assured. “But is it possible you were no longer seeing the present, but some other time period?”

Carrie shook her head. “I don’t see how. It’s not like I made an effort to leave the present.” She frowned. “Though now that you mention it, I didn’t notice Frank and Luci any more…”

“Cosmic forces can be kinda unpredictable," Chartreuse admitted. “I mean, I know your abilities are fundamentally different from mine, but there’s probably similar rules that apply. I remember one time I wanted to learn the outcome of a football game at school, but when I tried to do a vision quest forwards I saw–”

“Chartreuse, I’m here so that I can gain control over my powers,” Carrie snapped, cutting her off. “I’d rather not have you tell me they can’t be controlled, all right?!”

Chartreuse stopped. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m just telling you what I, you know, have discovered though my own experiences.”

Carrie pressed a hand to her forehead. “I know. I know, I… I’m the one who should be sorry, it’s… look, maybe we should call it a day. All right? We’ll pick things up again some time next week.”

“If you think that’s best?”

“I’m not sure what I think. All I know is I’m no longer in the mood to deal with this right now!” Carrie rose and marched for the bedroom door, only to stop and turn back. “Chartreuse, you were watching me the whole time I was in that vision, right? My eyes, they… they didn’t turn golden at any point, did they?”

“Not that I saw, no.”

The blonde let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Good. Good, okay. So, see you in school tomorrow then?”

Chartreuse nodded. “Of course. Here, let me at least come with you to the front door.”

The next few days passed without incident – unless you counted Glen’s continuing attempts at getting closer to Carrie. She discovered that even Phil Clarke had started taking notice of it, when he asked her about it over lunch that Friday. Carrie had decided to spend the time with him and Julie, to give Frank and Luci some time for themselves.

“Then you’re sure it was Glen who left those flowers on your desk this morning?” the tall blonde inquired.

“Only origami flowers," Carrie clarified. “But yes, who else?”

“The origami looked pretty,” Julie acknowledged, fingering the flower brooch she was wearing. “And it takes time to do something like that. Glen must really like you."

“I’ve been getting those vibes, believe me,” Carrie sighed.

“But you don’t like him?” Clarke wondered.

Carrie paused. “It’s not that,” she admitted. “I mean, I don’t dislike him, he’s courteous and everything. There’s just something about him…"

“I bet he’s trying too hard," Julie offered. “You never did like guys who came on too strong.”

“Maybe,” Carrie acknowledged. “But then, he backs off on request, and it’s not like he’s ever invaded my personal space or anything. More to the point, it’s not like I’m seeing anyone else."

“So you don’t want to reject him, but you don’t want to go out with him either?” Clarke said, looking confused.

Carrie grimaced. “I guess? Sounds stupid, doesn’t it. Glen’s been pretty quiet about his past and about his family though, I think that’s part of the problem. I’ll be talking with Corry later today, hopefully he’ll have come up with some data.”

“Maybe Glen simply has family issues,” Julie murmured, looking back down at her salad.

Carrie flinched. “Oh, gods! I’m sorry Julie, I was speaking without thinking. H-How has your family situation been?”

Julie offered up a wan smile. “No worries, Carrie. Jeeves has been like a father, and he’s great at handling all the legal stuff. My parents have backed off, and my counselling sessions are down to once a month now.” She sighed. “And while it’s hard, reinventing my very understanding of myself and my goals, let’s face it, life’s never been easy for me.”

She continued on before Carrie could speak. “I’d rather talk about something else, okay? For instance, aside from Glen, what else have you been up to? We didn’t get to speak much over the summer, I was trying to make up those couple credits I lost due to - you know.”

Talk then shifted to a trip which Carrie’s father had arranged for both Watersons during the previous month.

Carrie tried not to give Glen any more thought until she encountered Corry at the end of the school day. “So?” Carrie said pointedly, when he didn’t look up. “What’s the story, do I rate a few facts?”

“You mean with respect to Glen Oaks?” Corry inquired, finally turning away from his locker.

“No, the Easter Bunny. Of course Glen!”

Corry made a face. “Funny you should ask that," he said. “Because as much as it pains me to admit this, you may well know more about the guy than I do.”

That brought Carrie up short. “What?”

“The information I get is all conflicting," Corry explained. “He’s from Calgary, or Halifax. His parents are both doctors, or they’re artists. He’s allergic to strawberries, or they’re his favourite food. About the only thing my sources can agree on is that Glen has the hots for you. He hasn’t even tried to hit on anyone else. Which indicates to me that this is one seriously disturbed individual!”

“I see. That’s it?” Carrie said dryly, allowing Corry’s last remark to slide for the moment.

“Aside from the standard stuff, yeah. He’s seventeen, a good runner, he’s got a permanent room in the Clayton Hotel until such a time as his parents finalize their house deal and get here – though again goodness knows exactly when or where that is – am I telling you anything you don’t already know?”

“No, you’re being utterly useless, thank you.”

“Anytime for you, Carrie. Though hey, if you ever do take this guy up on an offer and learn something useful, I might reward you for it. Okay?”

“Right. Whatever,” Carrie said, waving at Corry over her shoulder as she continued on her way down the hall. She wasn’t about to start dating the guy simply to get some future favour from Corry! Hell, she’d never entertained thoughts of being in a serious relationship in her life!

Carrie froze mid-step. That wasn’t the problem here… was it? ‘Oh no. Is my problem with Glen?’ she wondered. ‘Or is it with… me?'

“Okay Frank, this is the point when I start getting jealous.”

“Shhhhh, Luci, he’ll hear you!” Frank whispered. He poked his head out from behind the bushes to glance down the sidewalk.

“Frank, this is the third day in a row that you’ve followed Glen home from school,” Luci continued in a quieter tone, toying with her phone, not bothering to look herself. “Do you really think you’ll learn anything about him that Corry Veniti can’t?”

“I don’t know. But you’ve seen how interested he is in Carrie! We can’t simply ignore that!”

“Can’t we?” Luci muttered.

“No, think about it, Luci!” Frank insisted. He moved ahead a few paces to another hiding spot before continuing. “We have here a transfer student with a clouded past who shows up out of nowhere and starts hitting on a girl who holds within her the temporal power to destroy a solar system. Why, they even have the same course schedules! How is that mere coincidence?? The whole world could be in danger again!”

“Or, how about this? The guy is a normal teenage male with an eye for female beauty who appreciates Carrie’s various ‘assets’,” Luci quipped, adding air quotes. “I mean, it’s not like Glen’s done anything shifty. We should be cautious, sure, but we can’t make a preemptive strike against everyone new in town."

“But…”

“Plus schedules are schedules. Laurie’s classes are identical to Carrie’s too. And she also admires Carrie,” Luci continued. “Do you think Laurie Veniti poses a threat?”

“Well, no, but…”

“No, because we’ve had time to get to know her. AND Carrie told me over the weekend that her hesitation might not be about Glen. It might be a mix of fear over who she really is, coupled with an inability to put old commitment issues behind her. You DO remember why Lee refers to Carrie as the ‘track tease’, yes? It’s not merely for the running.”

“Okay, valid points, all of them,” Frank yielded. “Still, if Carrie eventually DOES go out with Glen, we should know more about him, right?”

“IF. This gets back to my jealousy. You’re not Carrie’s father, Frank. Not unless there’s been some severe temporal warping going on! So until Carrie asks for help, let’s let the girl live her life.”

Frank sighed, then glanced out towards the redhead once more. “Okay, look, he’s going into the cafe today. Nowhere near his hotel. Let’s at least see what he’s up to there! Okay?”

“Fine,” Luci said, rolling her eyes. “But this weekend, I’ll pick the movie. No more James Bond for you.”

“So. I heard you’re finally going out with him,” Frank said. “Carrie, is that wise?”

“We’re going to the central cafe after school today,” Carrie answered, twirling the cafeteria’s spaghetti around her fork. “Barely a date. Why? It’s not like you’ve seen him do anything suspicious during your little investigations this past week, have you?”

“Well, not as such…”

“Fine. Then this encounter will give me the chance to finally make up my mind about him,” Carrie concluded. She brought the noodles to her mouth.

“But what’s the rush? If he really likes you, he can wait,” Frank insisted.

At first, Carrie could only lift an eyebrow, her mouth full of pasta. “The RUSH?” she said after swallowing. “Frank, it’s the cafe. We’re not making out behind the bleachers.”

“Frank, sweetie, I love you to pieces, but give it a rest already,” Luci sighed, having swallowed her own bite of sandwich. “There is NO evidence that Glen is anything more than what he claims to be, yeah?” She turned to Carrie. “So go. Enjoy yourself. And if Glen does anything uncomfortable, walk away!”

The young girl smiled, then pursed her lips. “Though, okay, maybe fish for more information from him too. Because… yeah. Just in case?”

“Um, okay,” Carrie agreed. “Will do.”

Glen swung the door of the cafe open and held it there for Carrie as she entered. “We can sit at the counter, if you like,” he offered. “This is meant to be informal, after all.”

“Right,” Carrie agreed, moving to take a seat on one of the stools. Glen sat next to her as a waitress approached. Her nametag read ‘Lita’; Carrie supposed Theresa had the day off.

“Can I take your orders?” the server asked brightly.

“Um, strawberry shake for me,” Carrie replied.

“That’s it? Whatever you want, it’s on me,” Glen assured her.

“Yeah, a shake’s fine. I’m not really hungry yet.”

“Make it two then,” Glen concluded. Lita nodded and headed off.

There was a momentary silence. “So, a strawberry shake. You’re not allergic to strawberries?”

Glen fired off a smile. “Of course not. Where did you hear that?”

“Oh, well, you know, around,” Carrie said, reaching up to twist a few strands of hair about her finger.

“You shouldn’t listen to rumours,” Glen admonished. “Particularly with respect to me, since I’ve been spreading disinformation around the school.”

Carrie blinked. “What? Why?”

Glen leaned his elbow on the counter. “Because I figure to really know a person, you should come out and speak with them, one on one. Word of mouth is not to be trusted! Heck, if I went by the rumours, I would have to believe that you’re a self-centred individual who enjoys using guys and tossing them aside like last week’s laundry. But that’s not the case, is it?”

Carrie felt her cheeks growing warm. “No!” She turned her interest to the nearby napkin holder. “Not lately, anyway.”

“There you are then. Too often, rumours get way out of hand - for instance, I find it hard to believe that ANY girl could have slept with the entire football team.”

“WHAT?! I’ve never even… who said THAT?!”

“Nobody. I didn’t say that was a rumour about you. Could you please let go of my shirt?”

“Oh, uh… yeah, sorry,” Carrie said, releasing her grip on Glen and sinking back into her stool. He was doing this deliberately, right? Was he trying to be funny, or was it to keep her off balance? She studied the countertop.

Glen smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful when you’re indignant?”

Having no idea how to reply to that at ALL, Carrie was thankful that Lita chose that moment to deliver their shakes. After thanking the waitress, she sipped in silence, trying to figure out how to turn the conversation around. “I think I see a problem with your philosophy.”

“Oh? What might that be?”

“If you assume that everyone you speak to is merely passing on rumours, you’ll never tell anyone the truth. Which means you get a legit reputation for being a liar.”

“Aha, but one can be honest about certain things, and it’s the people who’d trust the liar reputation that I’d want to keep off balance,” Glen countered. “Still, I see your point. So how about this? I’ll answer any ONE question you have completely, utterly, one hundred percent honestly. Fire away.”

Carrie blinked at Glen in surprise before regarding her shake again. Only one question? Okay – then should she ask about where he came from? About his relatives? His most important memory? “All right,” she said, turning back. “Why me? Why have you set your sights on me?”

“Oh.” For the first time since Carrie had met him, Glen finally seemed unsettled. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to know about my favourite sports celebrity or something instead?”

“No,” Carrie said. “Me. Why me, Glen? The truth!”

Glen shifted his attention to behind the counter. “Fine. Here it is. The first time I saw you, I sensed something. Not love at first sight or anything so trite, but I sensed that you possessed some sort of… extraordinary ability. That was enough to get my attention.”

He turned to regard her again, leaning his cheek against his palm. “From there, I realized you’re a bit of a… paradox. Athletic but still studious. Reserved yet outspoken. Atypical, yet not someone who stands out. Rumours and history aside, I can’t believe you don’t have a steady boyfriend here. So I thought, what the heck, I’ll try my luck.” He raised an eyebrow. “Plus, I can’t deny it, you have a sizeable chest. Which also counts in your favour.”

“You were doing so well.”

“Hey, I said I’d be one hundred percent honest. Feel free to smack me for– okay then. Feel better now?”

“Much,” Carrie said, shaking out her hand. He was still trying to keep her off balance. She took another sip from her shake, contemplating the first part of his answer. “You say you sensed an ability in me,” she said. “What ability, exactly?”

“Aha, well, that’s a second question, isn’t it?” Glen remarked.  “Though I must confess, I’m still trying to figure things out here. And it’ll probably take me more than one date to do it accurately.”

“So you’re hoping that I let you…” Carrie’s voice trailed off. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Something wasn’t right here. It was like deja vu. Something was… Carrie leapt out of her seat. “Out! Everyone, get out of here!!” she shouted.

As heads turned towards her, there was an explosion in the kitchen. Smoke began billowing out from the back room, along with a few licks of flame. People screamed as customers began to run for the doors.

“Okay, everyone stay calm, let’s exit in an orderly fashion!” Glen called out, standing up next to Carrie. A cook stumbled out of the back, coughing, his face streaked with soot.

It was in the middle of the chaos that Carrie went numb. As she looked around her, all she could think was how she’d seen this before. In that vision she’d had with Chartreuse over a week ago. Except now, it was actually happening. What she’d seen was actually coming true! No, no, how could it possibly be so REAL?!

“Carrie, come on!” Glen called out. The curtains near the kitchen had caught fire. Yet still, Carrie couldn’t move. Was she going to start seeing these sorts of things regularly? How could she possibly deal with that?!

Glen marched back toward her. “Carrie, if you don’t move right now, I’m going to carry your ass out myself!” he shouted.

His words finally broke through. Carrie began to run for the door. She and Glen were the last two to exit, the sound of approaching fire engines reaching their ears as they collapsed onto the ground outside. Carrie knew she hadn’t inhaled that much smoke, yet she felt sick to her stomach. Because she’d had a vision of the future. A terrible vision - that had come true.

“Well, ten out of ten for foresight, minus a few points on reflexes,” Glen said, coughing next to her. “Are you all right, Carrie?”

“I need to go home now.”

Glen blinked. “Hey, I know this hasn’t been the best way to end our first informal date, but…”

“It’s not you,” Carrie interrupted, fighting to keep the sensations of nausea and panic in check. “But I have to go home now! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” She stumbled to her feet and began to run away, back to the safety of her house, as fast as she could go.

“Can we take another stab at this sometime in the future??” she heard Glen call out after her. Carrie didn’t reply.

She managed to make it home before she threw up. She told her father she didn’t want dinner, and went to bed early.

She then stayed in her room all day Saturday. Ignoring attempts at communication. Fearing that another vision would happen. And worrying about what to do if it did.

On Sunday, she had a more persistent visitor.

• GOLLY - got my first 2016 coin today, a quarter as change at a Canadian Tire. The time frame is about right.
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• More next week, with some of my favourite bits of writing ever, featuring said "persistent visitor"!

3.02: NEW ARRIVAL

“Welcome back to school!” the teacher announced. “I am Mrs. Haye, and this is senior English.” She came around her desk. “Now, many of you already know each other, seeing as our scheduling algorithm tries to synch you up based on your homeroom from last year. But it’s been a whole summer, and I don’t know all of you! So, as I call out your names, please tell me about something that interests you.”

Carrie Waterson tuned out the glorified roll call, choosing instead to look around the room. She noted that everybody who knew of the existence of the time machine remained in her homeroom, which was kind of nice. Though none of them had made any time trips since last year. Well, as long as Carrie ignored whatever the hell had happened - would be happening? - back on her birthday.

When the first present day minted coins had started to appear in late June, allowing for a round trip return to their present, Carrie had shut down the idea of time travel. She’d been keeping the machine under her bed since last December, wanting to be able to escape with it, if anyone came after her. Like, someone from the future, wanting to tap into her lurking demonic temporal powers.

The very thought of those powers caused Carrie to shudder involuntarily. This despite her mounting familiarity, due to the sessions she’d ended up doing with Chartreuse over the summer.

Mrs. Haye finally reached ‘W’, so Carrie gave her name, remarking on her athletic skills. She started to zone out again, only to have a knock at the classroom door pull her back. “Oh yes!” Mrs. Haye said. “And I would like you all to welcome Glen Oaks. He is a new student from out of town who will be joining our homeroom.” She gestured for the boy with the short red hair to enter. He did, smiling amiably at everyone in the room, though Carrie fancied his gaze rested a little longer on her.

“Glen, there are still a few desks free, so if you’ll take a seat I can pass around the course syllabus,” Mrs. Haye said.

Glen nodded, then headed straight for the empty desk next to Carrie. He turned and smiled at her again as he sat. She offered him a quick smile back, even as something about him struck her as being a bit unsettling. Why? What was it? She resisted the temptation to stare, lest he get the wrong idea.

‘I’m overreacting. Can’t blame him for taking an interest in me, after all. Merely shows I’ve still got it,’ Carrie mused to herself. Mrs. Haye began to talk about senior level English.

“You know Luci, it’s not too late for you to switch into Physics,” Frank Dijora remarked, as he joined both Carrie and Luci at the lunch table. “That would give us an afternoon class together.”

“Hey, I like Drama,” Luci Primrose protested. “Besides, you could always switch out of Business and into Biology with me.”

“Touche,” Frank observed. “I guess we’ll have to live with mornings.”

“If you ask me, the both of you could stand to have some time apart at school,” Carrie Waterson interjected, resting her chin on her hand. “After all, didn’t Frank’s marks slip last year, after you two started going out?”

“They did not!” Frank objected. “That is… I should have studied a little harder for June exams, I misjudged the difficulty level.”

“Uh huh, suuuure. And what were you two doing instead of studying? I bet I can guess…”

“Carrie!” Luci hissed, glancing to see if they were being overheard.

“You were inventing some new thingamajig, right? What did you think I was going to say?” Carrie finished innocently.

“Carrie, enough,” Frank sighed.

“All right, all right,” the blonde laughed, raising her hands in surrender. “Apologies. But you’ve been dating since, what, last December? It’s not like your relationship is some big secret here.”

“That’s still no reason to turn it into a newspaper headline,” Luci grumbled.

Frank leaned in a little closer to the young girl. “Carrie can’t help it, she’s jealous I picked you over her,” he whispered. At that, Luci smothered a laugh.

Carrie reached out to flick her fingers at the back of Frank’s head. “My hearing is still excellent, you know. So let’s not pretend that I ever asked for our friendship to turn into anything more, okay?”

“Fine, fine,” Frank remarked, still grinning.

“Anyway, I’m happy for the two of you,” Carrie finished, reaching out to pick up the apple from her cafeteria tray. “Plus, I could still get any guy I wanted. Were I to actually try.” She took a bite.

“Like that new guy in our English class, for example,” Luci noted. “Glen. He seemed to be taking an interest in you.”

Carrie nearly choked before managing to swallow. “So that wasn’t my imagination?”

“He tried to hide it, but I noticed,” Luci remarked.

Carrie frowned. “You would, you see everything. He’s in my history class too… I’m not quite sure what to make of him.”

“Well, here’s your chance to find out,” Frank said. “He’s coming this way.”

Carrie turned as Glen approached. The redhead waved in greeting. “Hello! Is this seat taken?” he inquired, indicating the one next to Luci and opposite Carrie. When Carrie shook her head no, he sat down.

“I hope I’m not intruding,” Glen continued. “Still trying to find my way around. You’re all in my homeroom, right?”

“Right,” Frank confirmed. “I’m Frank, that’s Luci and that’s Carrie.”

Glen smiled. “Of course. Actually, I’m a little surprised to find Carrie here with the two of you."

Luci arced an eyebrow. “Oh? Why?”

“Because - forgive me for being blunt - Carrie, you strike me as being more a athletic type. Less intellectually inclined.”

“Are you saying I’m a dumb blonde?!” Carrie said, narrowing her eyes.

“And I’m not athletic?” Luci chimed in, equally annoyed.

“Oh, no, I don’t mean that!” Glen corrected. “Just that Carrie’s athletic talents appeared superior, compared to Luci’s. Was that incorrect?”

“Well, no,” the blonde admitted guardedly. “But that doesn’t mean I can only hang around with jocks, does it?”

“Certainly not. I’m sorry, I’m getting off on the wrong foot here, aren’t I,” Glen sighed. “I fear my higher reasoning has left me, it does that on occasion when I am confronted with such overwhelming feminine beauty.”

“Oh brother,” Luci mumbled under her breath.

“I’m not excluding you from that remark, Luci," Glen assured. “For while you seem to have skipped a grade or two, and present as more cute than beautiful, you also strike me as a most captivating young woman. You are bound to make someone very happy some day.”

Luci opened her mouth to respond, only to look over towards Frank, seeming flustered. “Ahem,” Frank offered. “Not to be rude myself here, Glen, but is it your intention to hit on every girl in the cafeteria?”

“No, merely the most beautiful and intellectually stimulating ones,” Glen assured him with a grin. “Which is why I chose to sit with Carrie, who I now realize is the best of both worlds. But if I am intruding on your group, you have only to say the word, and I will go.”

“You’re not intruding,” Carrie said quickly, before Frank could speak up. “But when we know so little about you, can you blame us for being skeptical as to your motives?”

“Understood,” Glen said. “I shall more formally introduce myself. My name is Glen Oaks, I’m seventeen, and I’m here now because my parents are planning on taking up residence in the area. I enjoy skating, acting and I am an excellent long distance runner.”

“You run?" Carrie asked.

“Indeed. Perhaps we should have a race sometime.”

“Perhaps,” Carrie agreed, her curiosity spiking again. “You say you like acting too, are you taking Drama?”

“Last period,” Glen confirmed. “Right after Art.”

Carrie blinked. “We have identical schedules then."

“Is that so? Well, what a happy coincidence. I suppose we’ll be seeing a lot of each other this term.”

“Yes, it does seem that way,” Carrie agreed, not quite sure how she felt about that.

She still wasn’t sure at the end of the lunch period forty five minutes later. Glen had managed to sidestep a lot of the questions asked of him, while learning more about the rest of them in the process. It reminded Carrie a lot of the way Julie LaMille and Corry Veniti interacted with people.

Which gave her an idea.

“Corry! Hey, Corry!”

The redhead turned towards Carrie, arcing an eyebrow. “Something I can do for you, Waterson?” he asked.

“Actually, yes,” Carrie said, as she reached his locker. “I’d like information on the new student in our homeroom, Glen Oaks.”

“Okay then. He’s a new student in our homeroom,” Corry said. “Oh, and he also has red hair. You really should pay better attention.”

“Corry, come on. You know what I mean.”

Corry crossed his arms. “Sure I do. Just like YOU know I’m not inclined to help out all of Julie’s old associates, simply because she’s no longer the active force around the school.”

“Hah! I’m a little more than THAT to you,” Carrie countered. “Not to mention how you’ve spent months helping out Julie herself!"

“Julie actually NEEDS the help,” Corry said pointedly. “Heck, it’s partly my fault she does, after I turned so many against her.” His gaze turned wistful. “There’s a part of me that misses the rivalry too… but that’s neither here nor there.”

He lowered his voice. “You know how I feel about you, Waterson. That doesn’t change simply because of what you may or may not become in the future. So why should I do anything for you? For that matter, what help can I possibly be to someone who has the power within her to destroy the world?”

Carrie winced. “Corry, please. I’m trying to put that behind me. Moreover, I haven’t asked you for any special treatment since those events – and all I want here is a bit of information! Is that so hard?”

Corry paused, sizing her up. “I’ll think about it,” he yielded. “After all, I was going to look into Glen myself. Come back in a few days, and I’ll decide then whether what I have will cost you."

Carrie nodded, deciding that was probably the best she was going to get from the male Veniti twin. She proceeded down the hall towards her own locker.

That evening found Carrie Waterson knocking on the door of the Vermilion residence. She and Chartreuse had decided to continue their temporal sessions despite the end of the summer. After all, despite how much Carrie wanted to simply banish the strange forces raging inside her, she knew they weren’t going anywhere. And keeping those powers in check was the only way to avoid another incident like the one last November, which had nearly cost the lives of… well, everyone on the planet.

Actually, Chartreuse had accepted Carrie’s explanation of those events with remarkable poise, despite the later memory wipe. Maybe the pink haired mystic would have put the pieces together herself, given enough time? Carrie sighed. It was more likely she wanted to rationalize getting Chartreuse involved, after that conversation with herself last March.

Carrie reached up to knock again, but before she could, a young girl with short blue hair opened the door. Carrie offered up a tentative smile. “Hello Azure, is your sister here?” she inquired.

Azure peered at Carrie, then turned and shouted, “Chartreuse, your girlfriend is here to see you!” She stepped back, allowing Carrie to enter the house. “Go easy on her tonight, okay? She was all dizzy the morning after you two bunnies had your session last week.”

Carrie frowned. “I beg your pardon?”

“Oh, like I don’t know what you two do in my sister’s bedroom for hours at a time. I’m fourteen, I read about these things.”

“Azure, I know it’s a strain for you, but pull your head out of the gutter when you’re, you know, talking with my friends, okay?” Chartreuse sighed, coming down the stairs. “Sorry Carrie, I was just in the washroom.”

“She’s all pretty for you now,” Azure noted. “Be sure to compliment her new perfume.”

“Azure…”

“I’m going, I’m going,” the blue haired girl said. “Just don’t be too loud, I have homework to complete. On the first day! Seriously, what’s the deal with high school anyway?!”

Chartreuse sighed and shook her head as her sister went upstairs. “Really sorry about that,” she said, closing the front door. “Honestly, just when I think she can’t get any more annoying, her hormones explode all over the place.”

“Sounds messy,” Carrie remarked.

“I’m hoping it’s just a phase,” Chartreuse said. “Anyway, my sister’s not the reason you, like, came here. Let’s get upstairs. I have everything we’ll need laid out on my bed.” She paused. “Which, come to think, is not at all as dirty as it sounds.”

Carrie seated herself across from Chartreuse. “Okay,” the pink haired girl said, passing a cleansing crystal around Carrie’s head. “Remember what we’ve been talking about. Relax, and let the sensations, like, come to you.”

“They already have,” Carrie murmured, as all of time coalesced around her. The best description Carrie could give for the phenomenon was that it was like she was standing in the middle of a swiftly flowing river, being gradually pulled along by the current as the seconds ticked by. The separate drops of water, they represented the millions of people and other objects moving through time. By looking upstream, Carrie could see the events of the past. By looking downstream, Carrie could see different branching paths of the future. The metaphor wasn’t perfect, but it was serviceable.

Carrie now knew that she had the ability within her to travel this time stream under her own power, not to mention affect it in other ways, but usually she was more than content to simply let the current pull her along.

“Oh,” came Chartreuse’s voice, reminding Carrie of where she really was. “You know, it never ceases to amaze me how easily you do that lately.”

“Yeah, I find it quite unsettling myself,” Carrie murmured. “What now, Chartreuse?”

“Well, as I recall, we were working on finding individuals who aren’t in physical proximity to you. Want to, like, try for anything in the past or the future yet?”

“No, let’s stick with the present for now. I’m going to see if I can locate Frank again. It’s easier to pick up former time travellers, they feel a little out of synch with the rest of the world.”

“All right,” Chartreuse agreed. She reached out to take Carrie’s hands. “Visualize him then. Imagine that he’s standing right in front of you. Then, once you have that image, see where it takes you.”

Carrie nodded, taking in a deep breath, concentrating on Frank and on where he might be in the torrent of water rushing around her. “He’s… he’s with Luci,” Carrie realized as a picture of the girl swam up before her eyes. “That will make it easier. They’re not at his house though… or her’s… it’s… the cafe. They’re at the central cafe.”

The scene practically leapt out of the water at her then, and it was like she was standing in the cafe herself - except her body had no substance. A spirit body, as Chartreuse called it. Able to see things, but invisible to them, and incapable of interaction.

“Carrie, what’s happening?” Chartreuse’s voice inquired, sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a well.

“I’m now here too,” Carrie replied, forcing down a feeling of panic. “In the cafe. There’s a lot of people around. It’s so much more chaotic than any of my previous experiences!”

“Stay calm,” Chartreuse said. “Just centre in on Frank and Luci, you’re not there for anyone else.”

“Right… right, okay,” Carrie said, taking in a few deep breaths. “They’re in a corner booth together. They’re… aw, they’re sharing a basket of fries. That’s so sweet.” She paused. “Luci would kill me if she knew I was eavesdropping like this.”

“You’re not really eavesdropping, it’s a public place.”

“I guess. But they can’t see me. And last week when I centred on Frank, he was inventing stuff in his basement.”

“Look, Carrie, if you’re this concerned about spying on them, just don’t, like, centre in on them in future.”

“Well how the heck am I supposed to know when they’re together?” Carrie grumbled. “But whatever. Now that I’m here, do you have any recommendations?”

“How about this – pick out someone else there that you could, you know, shift your attention to instead,” Chartreuse proposed. “You don’t have to take it in all at once, just scan the room.”

“Okay,” Carrie called back, turning her spirit form to do a slow pan.  “It’s mostly kids from school. Looks like Theresa’s the one waiting tables, like usual. Oh, wait a minute…” She hesitated.

“What?” Chartreuse asked.

“It’s him,” Carrie said at last. “Glen Oaks, that new boy in our homeroom. It… it’s weird, it feels like he’s looking directly at me. He can’t see me, can he?”

“I doubt it, my mom’s the only one I know of who can see spirit forms,” Chartreuse replied. “Maybe he’s looking at something behind you.”

“There’s a wall behind me. I don’t think that… OH!!!” Carrie shrieked. “NO, NO, GET ME OUT, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!”

All at once, Chartreuse was kneeling in front of her, shaking her shoulders. She was back in the bedroom. “Carrie! Carrie, calm down, it’s all right!!” the pink haired girl was saying. “You’re all right, you’re safe now, you understand?” Carrie nodded wordlessly, struggling to regain her breath. “Thank goodness,” Chartreuse breathed. “What, like, happened?”

Carrie felt a shiver run down her spine. “I… I saw… oh god, I was in the cafe, and suddenly I saw… fire. The place has caught on fire, Chartreuse!”

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PART 47: RESPITE

“Ten seconds. Sorry guys, I guess Carrie’s gonna, like, fry us after all,” Chartreuse said glumly. The three teenagers were all sitting on their hands now, Shady standing far enough away from the wall to shoot them - probably even if they all moved at once.

“I should have jumped him,” Lee murmured. “Damn it, I’m not going to get to say goodbye to my sisters.”

“You’re a real bastard, you know that?” Corry shouted at their captor.

“I will die for our cause,” was his only reply.

Chartreuse wondered if it would be better to have her eyes open or closed when the bomb detonated. Which was when a gust of wind blew through the area, as if a freight train were rushing by, and then Carrie was standing there with them. The blonde with the golden eyes raised her palm to the bomb timer.

“Or not," Carrie remarked.

“NO!” Shady shrieked.

The gun fired, even as Carrie’s other palm went up facing him. Chartreuse could now see the bullet moving through the air towards the blonde with all the speed of a paper airplane. Which was clearly impossible. As impossible as Carrie sidestepping it, yet she was doing that too.

And then Carrie flicked her index and middle fingers off her thumb, and Shady’s head snapped back. The fingers of his gun hand twitched again, but this time his weapon fired at the ceiling - because Lee was there, pushing his arm up. Corry joined him, and it occurred to Chartreuse that maybe she should get off her ass too.

She didn’t go for Shady. Lee and Corry were subduing him. Instead, she stepped over to Carrie, who now had both palms facing the bomb. The timer seemed to be oscillating back and forth between five and four seconds. Sweat was pouring down Carrie’s face as if she were running a marathon.

“What kind… of fail-safe… IS this…?"

“How can I help?” Chartreuse asked.

Carrie grimaced. “Catch me.”

And the timer clicked down, to three seconds, then two… where it froze, even as Carrie crumpled towards the floor. Chartreuse let out a gasp, supporting the blonde and guiding her carefully down into a prone position.

“Okay. That’ll hold for a while,” Carrie murmured weakly. “Only one more thing to take care of.” She looked up at Chartreuse. “Farewell, everyone.”

The blonde closed her eyes, and a wave of energy seemed to spread out from her position. It passed through everyone in the room, then out through the walls and up through the ceiling until it had encompassed the entire building… the entire town…

Carrie was released from hospital a week later, having been treated for a case of severe exhaustion. Her eyes were their normal blue colour as she trudged through the new fallen snow, following the path in the ravine behind her house that went up into the park. She continued over to the swing set, brushing it off and then sitting down.

“Kinda hoped you’d be here," she murmured to the boy in the swing next to her.

“Was it hope?” Frank wondered. “Or your powers?"

Carrie shuddered. “Please, Frank, PLEASE, no talking about my powers. Somehow, I managed to suppress them, but I can still feel them as this dull ache inside me. Even now, I’m not sure if I was controlling them, or if they were controlling me. Trying to use them again… would be dangerous. Hell, I thought I’d die after what I did.”

“Right, okay, no powers talk then,” Frank reassured. “Better question, will you coming back to school tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Carrie said. “Have I missed much?”

“You mean in terms of what teachers like Fisk think is important, or in terms of what’s actually important?”

Carrie smirked. “The latter, naturally.”

Frank grinned back at her. “The social situation is completely warped. Julie’s been the target of a lot of hostility since the flyer, not to mention her disappearance, and yet she refuses to let the information about her parental situation become common knowledge. So she’s not getting much in the way of sympathy. But guess who’s started looking out for her welfare - Corry Veniti.”

“What? No!” Carrie laughed. “Oh, boy. That must be confusing the daylights out of everybody.” She kicked her legs a little to start the swing moving. “How is Julie holding up?”

“She’s started her counselling," Frank said. “Tim’s alibi plan, putting her in the cafe when you were shot, has her in the clear for that. The information about Holly Rhodes, we gave to Jeeves. He was able to track the domestic down, and armed with the information, he has started acting as Julie’s de facto father. He seems to really care about her. And while Julie’s parents are putting up a bit of a fight, they’ve stopped short of any direct action, probably to avoid the potential publicity.”

“I think they’d lose a custody battle anyway," Carrie said, making a face. “Good. I mean, Julie may have done some terrible things to people, but it must have been a special kind of hell for her growing up.”

“Speaking of parents,” Frank said slowly. “Dare I ask about you and your father…?”

Carrie let the swing stop its motion. “Unh. Yeah. Me and dad are doing all right,” she replied after a moment. “He doesn’t remember being frozen, of course. Seeing as that last blast of mine somehow wiped all my temporal actions from the memories of everyone in the vicinity of the hospital building - time travellers excluded.”

She extended her leg, pointing the toe of her boot. “Dad still knows I was shot, of course, and I think that has him trying to make up for lost time. He offered to take me to a hockey game next weekend."

She lowered her foot. “Hockey. Sheesh. At the same time, he’s trying.” She bit her lip. “In fact, I think maybe he’s been trying for a long while. Which is… nice.” A small smile graced her face.

There was an extended silence. “By the way, me and Luci are dating,” Frank blurted.

Carrie turned her swing sideways. “Seriously?” He nodded, and her grin grew wider. “It’s about damn time. You want some dating advice then, as one friend to another?”

Frank became busy staring at a spot in the sky. It was hard to say if his red cheeks were due to the cold. “Um, yes? But maybe not right now? That is, I… we’re puzzling through it together for the moment.”

“Well, good for you. Don’t screw up the Christmas gift.”

His eyes widened. “Oh no, Christmas!”

Carrie fought back the urge to laugh. “Calm down. You two will be fine together. Here, change of subject. Elephant in the room, actually.” She took in a deep breath, turning away again. “What became of the time traveler who wanted me dead?”

“What? Oh, well, Shady was arrested of course,” Frank assured. “Blowing up buildings being against the law. In fact, the police on scene ended up thinking they were there because of him, not you. He’s also become the lead suspect for shooting you in the first place - which he did, in a roundabout way - so I wager he’ll be going to prison. The only surprise is that is he didn’t manage to talk his way out of it using his future ability.”

Carrie rubbed her nose. “Yeah, uh, along the lines of messing with people’s memories… I think was able to block Shady’s personal history for how to do his - what did Lee call it? Jedi trick? - but I’m not positive whether my tampering was permanent.”

She let out a long breath, visible in the cool air. “Damn this power of temporal paradox that I have. Or whatever you want to call it. It’s going to be an attractive weapon for everyone who knows about it.”

“Don’t worry. We’re not going to tell anyone,” Frank assured her. “We won’t be using the time machine again either - namely because, in a few weeks’ time we’ll have no coins to return us to the present.”

“The future, Frank. They know in the future. And they’ve now tried to get at me once, so I’m going to need to keep my guard up.”

He stared, then frowned. “You mean… this isn’t the end of it."

“No,” Carrie sighed. “No, I fear this is only the beginning.” She jumped up off of the swing. “But, hell with it. Until anything else happens, I’ve got a life to live in the present.” With that, she reached out and smacked Frank lightly in the back of his head.

“Ouch! Hey, what the heck was that for?!” Frank protested.

“Retribution. You hit me in the hospital.”

Frank crossed his arms. “You told me I was allowed to hit you. You even encouraged it, in this very park!”

Carrie pursed her lips. “Oh, right.” She shrugged, then winked at him. “Fine, then consider it my way of telling you everything is back to normal.”

“Except I’m not taking it lying down this time,” Frank countered, springing up off his own swing, and extending his gloved hands as if to tickle her.

Carrie let out a little yelp of astonishment, before athletically sidestepping him. “Catch me if you can!” she declared, breaking into a sprint. Frank could only shake his head in resignation as the smiling blonde teenager disappeared back down into the ravine.

END... FOR NOW

See the accompanying Commentary Post for ARC 2.4 or Funny Arc 2.4 Outtakes.

More was written back in the early 2000s, but I'm going back to "Epsilon Project" for a bit. You can vote on that.

UPDATE: Book 3 is now running, the above link is active.

PART 46: OUT OF TIME

Lee joined the others at the hospital. He’d already been tracking Shady in the vicinity, so it had been easy enough to hook up with the group after hearing from Clarke about the latest development.

“So, you’re saying future guy is gonna make a play for the track tease again, and that this act is what will make her explode?” he confirmed.

Chartreuse nodded vigorously, then frowned. “Okay, we aren’t totally sure,” she admitted. “But probably.”

“The new problem,” Corry mused, “Is whether we should try to stop this Shady - or merely warn him that Carrie knows he’s coming.”

“Warn him?” Lee asked, doing a double take. “Why?”

“To let him try something that would be more effective.”

“WHAT? Are you, like, SERIOUS?”

Corry reached up to pull the pink haired girl’s fingers off his shirt. “Chartreuse, Carrie seems bent on killing everybody no matter what,” Corry countered. “How does that old saying go, ‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one’?”

“Corry,” Laurie said quietly. “Didn’t you tell me two days ago that you would never, ever do something that would kill a person? Was that a lie, for my benefit?”

“Laurie, no! But we’ve been told Carrie isn’t really a person, she’s more of a…" Corry’s voice trailed off as he saw his sister’s expression. He gulped. “Okay. Thanks for the conscience check, sis. My bad. So, we stop Shady then. The question is how?"

“Maybe the track tease knows a way,” Lee suggested. “She seems to know about everything else going on.”

“You think she’d tell us?” Chartreuse wondered.

Lee shrugged. “Can’t hurt to ask.”

“You might be surprised,” Laurie said, wincing.

Lee pulled on the lapels of his jacket. “I’ll go anyway. She hasn’t vented at me yet, so maybe I’ll get lucky.”

He turned away from the group and proceeded down the hallway. Hospital staff had been working for the last half hour to remove patients from the area; it was now mostly deserted.

About two paces from the door to Carrie’s room, Lee stopped. He turned, a puzzled expression on his face. Then he walked all the way back. “Hey, why was I going to that room again?” he inquired.

The others exchanged a glance. “You were, you know, going to ask Carrie if she knew more about the crazy guy from the future who’s out to kill her,” Chartreuse reminded him.

“Oh yeah,” Lee said. “Sorry, memory glitch.” Again, he went back down the hall to Carrie’s room. Again he paused about two steps away, and then returned, mind spinning. “Hey, why was I going to that room again?” he repeated.

“Never mind,” Corry said, waving his hand dismissively.

“She is getting more powerful, isn’t she,” Laurie said, shivering.

“Hey!” came a new voice. A security guard approached them in the opposite direction from Carrie’s room. “What are you kids still doing here? Get downstairs, all of you. This whole floor’s being evacuated.”

“Um, right, we’re on our way!” Lee assured him.

“Oh no,” Chartreuse moaned. “I hope that Luci and Frank devised a more cunning plan. At this point, that may be all we’ve got left."

Out in his backyard, Frank flipped open the time machine and inspected the pocketwatch inside. “Great timing,” he said. “We’re back a minute before we even left.”

Luci nodded beside him, belatedly realizing she had a bit of soot on her face. Yet as she attempted to wipe it off with her fingers, she only succeeded in smearing it even more. She sighed.

“Anyway, so I have the name Holly Rhodes,” she concluded. “As the only female domestic listed for exactly three years, beginning ten years ago, dismissed for no given reason. There was an address listed. Think it’s enough?”

“Hopefully,” Frank said, eyeing her.

“We’d better get to the hospital then,” Luci concluded. “To tell the others and help them deal with the Shady situation.” She stood and started walking off, only to see Frank wasn’t following. “Something else?”

He blinked. “No. Yes. Just, ah, thinking about what you must have gone through there to help Carrie and Julie out. Not only on that trip itself, but in dealing with a missing day for that long.” He cleared his throat. “You really are amazing, Luci.”

Luci shrugged. “It had already happened. I couldn’t avoid it.”

“That doesn’t negate the sacrifice.” He coughed. “So, I was thinking, if we survive, you want to get a soda together tomorrow? At the cafe? Maybe even… make it a regular thing?”

“Regular thing? What do you…” Luci stopped, seeing his expression. She felt her knees go weak. “Now? NOW of all times you bring this up?”

“Well if we DON’T survive, I’d hate for you to have thought that… that I didn’t care.”

“Frank, if you’re only saying this because you think we might die, you better realize that I am SO holding you to any promise you make here!”

He smiled. “I would expect nothing less of you. Sodas then?”

Luci felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She ran back to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He grabbed her back, pulling her close. “Heck yeah, sodas,” she said in delight.

She savoured the moment, the hug, the way Frank’s arms were running up and down her back, the safety of his embrace, for as long as she could. Ultimately, she sighed. “And I think that’s our extra minute gone.”

“Mmm hmm. Apocalypse prevention time?”

“Apocalypse prevention time,” she agreed. “Let’s get to it.”

“Clarke,” Tim said quietly.

Clarke looked up from his magazine. He’d been hoping that the distraction might help his subconscious come up with some sort of plan. “What is it, Tim?” he asked, smiling encouragingly at his friend.

“W-Well… I was just thinking,” Tim began. “The police think Julie shot Carrie. We don’t want them to think that. Right?” Clarke nodded. “So, why not give Julie an alibi?"

Clarke frowned. “I’m not sure lying to the police is the best plan.”

“Oh, I don’t mean lie,” Tim protested. “I mean, well - time machine alibi.”

Clarke stared. Then he sat bolt upright. “Of course. We can take Julie back to the evening of November the twelfth, and be somewhere in public during the shooting. With an alibi on her birthday, the police would have to close the investigation. Great thinking, Tim!”

“Y-You think so?” Tim said with a partial smile.

“Definitely,” Clarke said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s see if Julie can handle another trip, then I’ll give Frank another call.”

“I don’t like this,” Chartreuse murmured, looking around the hospital lobby. Several police officers had now arrived. Granted, they seemed to be ignoring the teens, more interested in what was happening upstairs with Carrie than the earlier investigations at school surrounding Julie.

“Well, look on the bright side,” Corry remarked. “With all this added security, Shady will find it almost impossible to get upstairs.”

Chartreuse frowned. “Except I’m sensing from a lot of people here that they’re going to die. Only they don’t know it, so I can’t put my finger on when or how.”

“Y-You think Shady’s going to shoot his way up to her?” Laurie gasped.

Chartreuse slowly shook her head. “No? It’s not… I can’t figure it out,” she said, frustrated. “I’d try for a vision, but interfacing with Carrie has really tapped me out.”

“You know, we’re missing something,” Lee realized. “To save Carrie, you might have to be close to her - but do you have to be close in order to destroy her?”

Corry blinked. “No, of course not,” he agreed. “In fact, you’d be foolish to do it that way. She’d see you coming.”

“Plus I’ve seen future cult guy in this hospital before,” Lee continued. “He could have been scouting the place out. After all, say you wanted to destroy someone that you couldn’t approach directly, yet you still knew where they’d be - how would you do it?”

“More specifically, how would you do it if you didn’t care about any additional casualties?” Corry finished.

“Oh no,” Chartreuse said, feeling her blood run cold. “That’s it. That fits with what I’m sensing.”

“Do you know where it would be?" Corry said, grabbing Lee’s arm.

“Basement,” Lee said. “Bombs are always in the basement."

“Luci?” Clarke said in surprise. “Where’s Frank?”

“By now? He’ll be at the hospital,” Luci said, marching into the LaMille house with the time machine. “Your alibi plan is great, but we’re short on time. Since Frank is maybe the only one Carrie will listen to any more, I told him to keep going.”

She continued into the sitting room, stopping only once she’d reached the couch where both Tim and Julie were sitting.

“Luci?” Julie murmured, looking a bit dazed as she tilted her head up. “Do you have soot on your face?”

“I do,” Luci admitted. “And it’s your fault. But that’s a long story, and you need an alibi. So we have a time trip to take.”

The rest would be up to Frank.

A police officer questioned Frank’s arrival at the hospital, but the teenager managed to fake stomach cramps in order to gain access. Inside it was a bit of a madhouse… officers milling about, circulating around doctors and orderlies who were attempting to deal with both any incoming patients, and the ones being shuffled around inside the building due to the impromptu quarantine on Carrie’s floor.

“We can’t get close,” Frank heard someone say. “People tend to come back with no memory of their assigned task to negotiate. When they come back at all.”

‘That could be a problem for me,’ Frank realized. He soon discovered the stairwell was under guard, and that there was an officer in both elevators as well. ‘Assuming I even get up there…'

“Frank!”

He turned in time to see Laurie Veniti push her way past a couple of people to reach his side. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she whispered. “Chartreuse, Lee and my brother think that the time fanatic set an explosive charge somewhere in the basement. They’ve gone to check it out, it might be connected to Carrie’s plan for ending the world.”

“Laurie,” Frank said, taking her by the shoulders. “I’m glad to see you. I have to get up to Carrie’s room.” He pointed. “Can you distract that police officer over there? The one guarding the stairwell?”

Laurie shrank back at first, but then she clenched her jaw. “Golly, I’ll try,” she asserted. “I’ll babble at that cop so much he’ll have no choice but to escort me elsewhere.”

She turned to move in that direction - only to pause and look back at him one last time. “Frank… you be careful, all right?” she requested. “I… I really don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“Of course,” Frank said. He smiled at Laurie reassuringly, attempting to project a confidence he didn’t really feel.

“See anything?” Chartreuse called out.

“Yeah, the need for better lighting,” Lee remarked. “I can’t believe there’s so much stuff down here.”

“Hold on guys, I think I’ve found something,” came Corry’s voice. “There’s a digital readout connected to a bunch of wires and… oh hell!”

Chartreuse hurried towards where she’d heard his voice. As she turned the corner, she heard the voice say “Stop moving” - and then she couldn’t move. Her eyes went wide.

Shady was standing there, next to Corry, who was partly bent over what could only be the bomb, given all the wiring with what Chartreuse decided were high explosives underneath. “Stop moving,” Shady said again.

“Thinking no,” Lee retorted, stepping past Chartreuse.

Shady pulled out a gun, and directed the barrel directly at her. “Stop or your friend dies.”

Lee stopped. Which is when it occurred to Chartreuse that the guy hadn’t said ‘don’t talk’. “Stop him, Lee,” she pleaded. “Or EVERYONE dies.”

“I can also shoot Lee,” Shady pointed out. “And I’d say bleeding out is more painful than vaporization.”

“Maybe I die lifting the whammy you’ve put on my friends,” Lee observed.

“Or maybe you use the next five minutes and forty seconds of your lives thinking of a better plan,” Shady reasoned.

Chartreuse couldn’t see the timer from where she was, so she could only assume that was a reference to the countdown to detonation.

“I hate stalemates,” Corry interjected. “Though it does seem like you’re running out of time to get clear yourself, buddy.”

“Yeah,” Shady granted, sounding annoyed. “The timer’s been giving me problems. Cruddy present day merchandise. Seems like I may die down here with the rest of you.” He shrugged. “Oh well. It’s not like I could ever go home again. My future currency was stolen.”

He waggled his gun. “Lee, go sit against the wall. Pink hair, you join him. Redhead, you too.”

Chartreuse found her feet pacing over towards Lee. “It won’t work,” she blurted out. “Carrie, like, knows what you’re doing. She… she can stop you.”

“Then she’d better try,” Shady said. He grinned. “Because at this point, I have nothing to lose. I’m perfectly willing to die, knowing that I brought down our greatest temporal adversary.”

The three teenagers exchanged horrified looks, as behind Shady, the clock on the bomb ticked down past five minutes.

Frank stared into the hospital room. A golden-eyed blonde stared back at him. “You should not have come,” Carrie said at last.

Frank eyed all the frozen people surrounding them. “I get the impression you could have stopped me,” he observed. “Why didn’t you?”

“There was no point,” Carrie admitted. She turned away from him. “You’re going to be dead in exactly four minutes and twenty six seconds either way.”

Frank felt a chill run through him. “What?”

“There is a bomb in the basement that will go off then,” Carrie explained. She sounded fatigued. “When it detonates, I will channel its destructive energy through me, into the rivers of time. The future will explode, and the past will implode right along with it. Should make for a fun little light show… a pity that no one will be alive to see it.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life,” Carrie said calmly. She turned back. “That fool with the explosives, he has no understanding of the true powers at my command.” She grinned. “Since focussing in on the bomb, I’ve been messing with him, making his timer run fast, slow, even backwards one time.”

Her expression shifted, becoming more wistful. “My only regret is that I’ll never get to experience a normal teenage life. No mother, no boyfriend, no one who could possibly understand the real me–”

“So we’re back to Selfish Carrie then.”

Her lips thinned. “Pardon?”

Frank decided it was all or nothing. “I mean, you have to be pretty full of yourself now, yeah? To not notice what PAINS the rest have been going through to FIX it all for you? I can see now that it didn’t matter. Sorry we were giving a damn.”

“You think YOU’RE in pain?” she shouted back. “My life never should have been! Right now, Julie’s past, Julie’s future, they hinge on me, a girl who should never have been born in the first place.” She pointed at her head. “And no matter what you do, with her or anybody else, I will still FEEL that inside me. A dull, throbbing ache that will never go away!”

Carrie slumped. “It was always meant to come to this. Destruction is my very reason for existence. It’s simply happening sooner than expected.”

“This from the girl who believes in temporal theories allowing free will.”

“I didn’t KNOW,” Carrie screamed back. “I was too naive, too stupid to understand the role I had to play!”

“So you’re giving up.” Frank found that it wasn’t hard to sound disgusted. “Carrie Waterson is giving up, and blowing up the universe.”

“Don’t exaggerate, Frank. I’m not destroying the universe, the effect will be localized to our solar system.”

“Oh, pardon me, big difference. What would your mother have to say about all this, I wonder?”

Carrie lifted her arm, pointing at him. “Oh no. Don’t you dare, don’t you DARE bring her into this.”

“Why not? It occurs to me that if you have all of time at your disposal now, you might have looked her up.”

Carrie was next to him in two strides, arm raised as if to strike him. “My MOTHER…” She stood still, then brought her arm down. “Was a time traveler,” she admitted. “Brought back from the future, she was left at an orphanage when she was very young. Adopted, and brought inconspicuously into society, she eventually met and married my father. They then had me. In this timeline. Which is, in a nutshell, the reason why I’ve become what I am. My hands are tied.”

A tear trickled from Carrie’s eye, but Frank forced down his instinct to apologize. He had to keep pushing her. Hell, maybe every time she’d pushed at him, he should have been pushing back. “So?” he demanded.

“So?” She reached up to wipe off her cheek. “Given that the decades long presence of my mother had always been a strain on the new timeline, my existence made the problem worse. She had to disappear. I know that now. We can never co-exist again. Which leaves me, a motherless girl, out of time and out of place.” Her hands clenched. “Is it any wonder I’m feeling a little… OUT OF MY MIND?”

“Who says she had to disappear?”

“I… I don’t know.” Carrie swallowed. “I can’t see where or when she disappeared to.”

“And now Carrie Waterson has lost her curiosity.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t curious.”

“Oh no, you’re just blowing up the solar system instead of investigating…”

“I can’t help it, Frank,” Carrie choked out. “I’m sorry, but this explosive force, this pain inside me, it’s too damn strong to resist.”

That was getting closer to the Carrie who had opened up to him in the park, weeks ago. The Carrie that he cared about, in spite of everything. “If it’s inside you, it’s only as strong as you make it,” Frank insisted. “So here’s the real question. Do you want to destroy everything now? Rendering everyone’s actions on your behalf completely meaningless?”

“Stop.”

“Or will you push on, letting me and the rest of your FRIENDS help you through this?”

“Stop it, Frank…”

“Do you WANT answers to the questions that remain unanswered?”

“Frank don’t DO this to me.”

“Damn it, Carrie, will you DESTROY or will you ACCEPT OUR HELP?”

Her body shook, her scream was incoherent, and her palm came flying at his face. But he had half expected that reaction.

He ducked.

Then he sprang back up, his own palm out, and scarcely believing that he was doing it, he slapped it hard against the cheek of the girl who could destroy them all. “DO YOU WANT TO CHOOSE US OR NOT, CARRIE?”

“I DO!” she shrieked back.

Her look became one of astonishment, though whether it was at being struck, or at her own words, it was hard for Frank to say. But for a second, when she blinked, her eyes flickered back and forth between gold and their more normal blue.

“I… I choose the unending pain,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Frank apologized at last. “But on behalf of the world, thank you.” He shook out his hand, then extended it towards her. “Thank you, Carrie.”

“Problem though.”

Frank frowned. His hand fell back to his side. “What?”

“Bomb in the basement, exploding in about twenty seconds, still taking out this whole building and everyone in it.”

“Oh… uh…”

Carrie cracked her knuckles. “So, here’s perhaps the last thing I will ever do. Show ‘Shady’ what a temporal weapon is REALLY capable of.” She flashed her fellow time traveller a sad smile.

“Thank you, Frank. For everything. And goodbye.” No sooner had she said it, then she seemed to wink out of existence, leaving a gust of wind in her wake.

PART 45: FULL CIRCLE

“Uhhhnnn,” groaned Clarke, gradually regaining his senses. He looked around to find that they were in the somewhat familiar environs of Willowdale park.

Corry was struggling to his feet, Frank was looking over the time machine, and Julie, still unconscious, was lying next to him. The bikes and the rest of their gear was in a heap nearby. “Uh, hey, when are we?" he asked uncertainly.

“One day late," Frank replied. “Either bad luck or I wasn’t able to properly recalibrate the chips. Should be an easy fix though, and we can always write off the missing day as us searching for Julie.” He looked up. “On the bright side, I guess this confirms some kind of geographic failsafe if we have no doubles around.”

Clarke nodded, looking back down at the young brunette girl. “I’m going to take Julie home then.”

“You do that,” Frank agreed. “I’ll get the time machine and our other supplies stowed away, then go to the hospital to check on Carrie.”

“And I’ll head right there,” Corry remarked. He shrugged at the other two as they stared at him. “What? I’m rather hoping to learn that our four day trek into the past wasn’t all for naught.”

“All right then, I’ll see you shortly,” Frank concluded. The three of them turned to go their separate ways. Completely oblivious to the fact that the world would soon be ending.

“Carrie… ohh, Carrie,” Chartreuse choked out. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head to clear it before opening them again. Luci was now crouching down next to her.

“Um, Chartreuse… is this what you were trying to do?” Luci whispered.

Their friend was now sitting up in bed. Carrie’s eyes were glowing yellow, and her blonde hair was rippling out behind her in waves. A remarkable feat considering the lack of any wind.

“No,” Chartreuse answered. “She’s… she’s hurting, Luci, but I don’t understand it. I’m not sure any of us can.”

The two girls watched as Carrie scanned the room. Her golden eyes alighted upon the man sitting next to her, who had been momentarily stunned into silence.

“Carrie?” Hank Waterson now said. “Carrie, is it you? Are you all right now? What–”

“Freeze,” Carrie said calmly, reaching out to touch her father in the middle of his forehead.

He froze. Literally. It was as if he were a mannequin, suspended in time. Carrie then turned to face her classmates.

“Whoa, Carrie… Carrie, you, like, don’t want to do anything rash,” Chartreuse said, nervously. She managed to struggle to her feet with Luci’s help.

“I’m not going to do anything rash,” Carrie replied, her voice far too calm. “I am merely going to make all the hurting go away. For everyone, forever.”

“Kinda sounds rash.”

“How will you do that, exactly?” Luci murmured.

Carrie paused. “Still working that out,” she admitted. “Perhaps I can shift everything a few milliseconds into the past.” The blonde extended her palm out towards a small glass sitting next to her bed. The glass shattered into a hundred pieces as it tried to coexist with itself, the water spilling everywhere - the same way Carrie had done it less than two weeks earlier.

Both girls jumped. “Or perhaps I can come up with something else,” Carrie countered.

“Carrie, you totally don’t want to do this,” Chartreuse pleaded. “We can fix up this present for you. For Julie too. I know we can.”

Carrie laughed hollowly. “You really think so? Because for the past few weeks, I have been trying to cope with knowing that in the first timeline, the original one - I never even existed. Do you know what that feels like? Being aware of a timeline where you had never been born?”

Chartreuse shook her head, not sure how else to respond.

“Not only that,” Carrie continued, “but this timeline where I AM alive has been coming apart ever since Julie pulled that trigger. We can’t even change that, because if I was never shot, I sense that my powers would now awaken regardless, and pull me apart.”

So, Shady hadn’t been lying about that then? Damn.

Carrie shook her head. “This must end,” she finished, dispassionately. “I will end it. It is, after all, the only reason for my even being here.”

“Carrie, wait,” Luci insisted. “Give us a chance to restore things first. Okay? To fix the present, make it better for everyone - including you and Julie! You won’t need to destroy our timeline then, right? Right?”

Carrie stared at the younger girl. She didn’t agree. On the other hand, she didn’t disagree either.

Which was when they heard an unexpected voice coming from the doorway. “Holy… what the hell is going on here?” Corry Veniti demanded.

“Y-You’re back!”

Clarke blinked in surprise at the person who had opened the door of the LaMille mansion. “Tim?” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“L-Lee called me,” Tim explained shakily. “Luci asked him to, when she and Chartreuse left to go to the hospital. To have someone else here. But even so, me and Laurie, we didn’t get here in time.”

“In time? In time for what?”

“To stop their t-t-temporal refugee from escaping.”

Not sure exactly how to take that, Clarke decided to ignore it for the moment. “Can you help me get Julie into the house?” he requested. The brunette was now semi-conscious, and standing upright, but she was using him as a support post.

“Allow me to assist also,” Jeeves said, approaching from behind Tim. Between the three of them, they were able to get Julie inside. Laurie gasped as they came into the sitting room.

“CLARKE! Then, my brother? Is he back too, is he okay, why isn’t he here with you??”

“He went to the hospital to check on Carrie,” Clarke explained.

Laurie proceeded to dance nervously back and forth from foot to foot as they lay Julie down and covered her with a blanket. Apparently torn between wondering how she could help them, and wanting to ask more about what had happened.

“Go to Corry,” Clarke suggested once Julie had been settled in. “I’ll stay with Tim.”

Laurie looked to Tim, who nodded, and then with a grateful smile, she dashed out of the house, nearly forgetting to grab her jacket in the process.

“Now, what’s this about a temporal refugee?” Clarke asked, looking to Tim.

“S-Some guy from the future,” Tim explained. “Lee didn’t seem too clear on it himself, but apparently this ‘Shady’ was responsible for Carrie being shot. She’s now gained mystical time powers.”

“Wait, back up - this guy is the one who blackmailed Julie into doing the shooting?”

Tim shook his head. “Not blackmailed. Lee said the Shady guy can do mind tricks like some J-Jedi,” he clarified. “And Lee is the only one who’s immune.”

Clarke fumbled to sit in a chair. “And given Julie’s mental state that day… easy target. Damn. How could you let this guy get AWAY?”

“I’m afraid that was my fault, sir,” Jeeves spoke up. “I untied him when Mister Lee’s back was turned. In retrospect, I’m not certain why, but he must have said something to me.”

“Lee headed out to look for Shady once Laurie and I got here,” Tim noted. “I should maybe call to tell him that J-Julie’s back…?”

“Yeah, do that,” Clarke agreed. He sighed. “We’re not out of the woods yet, huh?”

“Frank? Frank!”

“Luci?” he said in surprise. He watched as she ran down the road, then barely managed to avoid falling down as she charged full tilt into him, throwing her arms around his body.

“Frank, thank god you’re here and still alive,” Luci said. Not sure what else to do, he gave her a quick hug back. The small girl finally pulled away, only to reach up and give his cheek a smack. “Now that’s for making me worry you were gone forever,” she accused.

“Ouch,” Frank protested. “Geez Luci, maybe you have been hanging around Carrie too long. But what’s been going on? My mom was on me about skipping school today, saying something about police coming by? She almost wouldn’t let me leave the house again!”

“It’s all become very complicated,” Luci sighed. “That’s why, when I learned from Corry that you’d returned, I knew that I had to find you. You see, Carrie’s conscious, but Chartreuse believes she’s going to destroy the Earth with her time powers unless we can make everyone around here forget about how Julie shot her.”

Frank blinked. “Run that by me again, please?”

“I’ll explain on the way back to your lab,” Luci said. “The time machine, I hope it can handle one more trip?”

“Yeah - maybe more than that, we got the circuits back from Julie. It needs a bit of fine tuning though, and there’s maybe another hour before it’s recharged. Why?”

Luci gave him a quick summary of the day.

“But if we can force Shady to explain when he tipped off the police,” she explained, “we can go back and try to stop him then. To undo this. I’m not sure what that means for our present, but with Julie back now, her parents should remember her and the house - and with no police questions, her life is liable to fix itself! I mean, her family will simply be happy to have her home after she was gone for more than a week, right?”

Frank pursed his lips. “No. Unfortunately, Julie’s family situation is a lot more complicated than we first suspected…” He began to explain quickly about his own trip into the past.

“I’m here,” Laurie said breathlessly as she charged out of the elevator. “I’m here, what’s going on, where’s my brother?”

“Hold on, little sis, I’m right here,” Corry said, raising a hand. He was standing a short way down the hall, along with Chartreuse. She hurried up to him. “Please, Laurie, don’t go any further than this point.”

After giving him a quick hug, Laurie looked past him, down the hall. A few doctors were speaking in hushed tones and glancing almost fearfully towards a familiar door.

“Why, Corry? What… what’s happening there?” Laurie asked.

“We’re not exactly sure,” Chartreuse admitted, stepping forwards. “But Carrie is awake, and she’s hurting, and she kinda, like, wants to destroy all of time. After Corry showed up, she told us to ‘Get out’. Luci’s got a plan though, she’s gone to find Frank.”

“Oh. Golly,” Laurie said quietly.

Chartreuse’s look became thoughtful. “Though… you know, you may know Carrie better than we do. You’re a cheerleader on her squad. Maybe she’d be willing to talk to–”

“Hell no,” Corry interjected. “Even the doctors don’t want to go in that room now. It’s far too dangerous.”

“Hush, Corry,” Chartreuse asserted. “You had your turn with Julie. Carrie talk is more of a Laurie thing.”

Laurie swallowed. “But w-what would I even say to her?”

“That you care about her, despite everything,” Chartreuse suggested. “That we’re trying to, you know, help her. That she needs to give us a chance. To give us more time.”

“What would THAT accomplish?” Corry scoffed.

Chartreuse shrugged. “Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.”

Laurie stared at both her brother and her mystical friend. She turned again to look down the hall. Towards the girl who was better than her. At school, at athletics, at popularity, at practically everything… including, perhaps, at taking things a bit too far. And Laurie started walking.

“Laurie, no! OW, Chartreuse that’s my FOOT.”

Laurie didn’t look back. Not even after peering into Carrie’s room, and seeing the doctor and another orderly frozen to the spot. In the same manner of Carrie’s father, who was sitting by her bed. Though the redhead did let out a gasp when Carrie turned to face her. The blonde’s eyes were yellow-gold, and her hair and hospital robe were fluttering around her in some nonexistent wind.

“Why did you come here?” Carrie demanded.

Laurie felt her throat go dry. “W-Well, y’see… Steve’s done a pretty lousy subbing job for you at cheerleading, so I was kinda looking forward to you coming back.”

“The school will soon cease to exist,” Carrie stated. “Everything will cease to exist.”

“Oh,” Laurie said, nonplussed. “Well, he hasn’t done THAT bad of a job, really.”

“Laurie Veniti,” Carrie said, a dangerous edge on her voice. “I have no desire to talk with you or anyone else who knows about the existence of time travel. You should leave, unless you want to end up like them.” She gestured at the frozen individuals.

“It’s hard,” Laurie said, the words tumbling from her lips before she could even think about them. “Okay? I know it’s hard, realizing that you’re stuck in this box, seemingly unable to do any better no matter how much you try, always comparing yourself to others who seem to have it so much better than you… but you know what I’m realizing, Carrie? Maybe we’re all struggling. Even the people who seem to have it together. And maybe that’s okay, because when we push at the edges of our boxes, we grow, and we become more than what others tell us we’re supposed to be.”

Laurie took a step closer. “I know what Lee and the rest of them have told me, Carrie, but you’re more than some weapon. You are. To me, and to so many others. And so I want you to know that I forgive you for what happened back at the dance, and I want you back at school running new routines for us, and I think that’s gonna be REAL hard if everything will no longer exist, so… so please reconsider? For me?”

Carrie seemed surprised. Her gaze dropped to the floor. “I am sorry,” she said quietly. “I can’t, not now. Now that I know how it’s all going to end. Shady is putting us on a road that has no turns.”

“But…“

“LEAVE NOW,” Carrie commanded. Her gaze came up, her face twisted in pain and sadness, her eyes glowing, and energy seemed to crackle around them in the air. With a little shriek, Laurie ran back out of the room.

She hightailed it all the way back to the elevator, where her brother grabbed hold of her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” she apologized, struggling to catch her breath as she clutched at him. “I… I don’t think Carrie’s going to listen to me or to anyone else.”

“It’s all right,” Corry said, hugging her. “It’s all right, Laurie. I’m sure you did what you could.”

“Did Carrie say anything, like, useful?” Chartreuse said hopefully.

Laurie shook her head. “No, only that everything will no longer exist because Shady’s putting us on a road with no turns.”

Chartreuse sighed, and the three of them turned to look back down the hall. Then the pink haired girl tilted her head to the side. “Putting. As in, still present tense?”

Laurie nodded. And Chartreuse jerked her gaze back towards Corry.

“He’s GONE?” Luci said.

“So I’m told,” Clarke answered from the other end of the phone line. “Jeeves is very sorry. Lee is trying to find this Shady even now.”

“And I thought things couldn’t get any worse,” Luci muttered. “Now how are we supposed to figure out when he spoke with the police?”

“Clarke,” piped up Frank, listening in through speaker phone. “How influential are the LaMilles? If they wanted to, could they throw their daughter’s attempted murder case out of court, that sort of thing?”

“Possibly,” came the dubious answer. “But even if they were willing to do it, Julie’s life would only become an even bigger hell, given how she’d owe them.”

“Except her parents might not do anything if we threatened to expose what they’ve already done to Julie. That’s not the sort of thing the LaMilles would want to be made public.”

“Whoa, hold on, Frank,” Luci objected. “You’re saying we resort to blackmail? That’s a big can of worms there.”

“Yeah, plus Julie HERSELF said she doesn’t want this to go public,” Clarke added. “Besides, her parents were always very careful. We have no proof.”

“Always?” Frank said, frustrated. “For sixteen years, no one ever saw or heard ANYTHING? That’s really hard to believe, given their tendency to employ hired help.“

There was the sound of Clarke drumming his fingers on something. “Well, we saw nothing,” Clarke reminded him. “And I’m pretty sure Jeeves and Mimi didn’t either. But maybe, if we look further back in time…"

“We’ll have to at some point. That’s the sort of proof Julie will need,” Luci realized. “In order to get into proper counselling, over her parents’ likely objections or suggestions.”

“I’ll check with Jewels and give you a call back,” Clarke decided.

“Okay,” Luci agreed. “We’ll be at Frank’s, making final adjustments on the time machine. Oh, also give us a call if you hear any more about the location of our fugitive from the future.”

“Will do,” Clarke agreed.

Frank took the call from Clarke less than a half hour later. Luci closed up the time machine as he hung up. She turned. “What’s the word?”

“You want the good news or the bad news?”

“We could use some good news about now.”

Frank nodded. “Julie managed to recall a time, back before she was ten, when a servant came back unexpectedly and caught her parents chewing her out. The woman, who had worked with them for three years prior to that event, was dismissed soon after - though Julie recalls her being a sympathetic individual. If we track her down, she could be our evidence.”

“Okay. And the bad news?”

“Two flavours,” he sighed. “First, Julie’s too shaken up right now to remember any more, and then when Clarke went to check the records being stored in the mansion himself? The ones detailing the servants for that period of time were missing. Jeeves recalls a small fire some time last year, shortly after the LaMilles transferred those very same records to the house for storage.”

“How convenient,” Luci said dryly.

“My thoughts exactly. Second problem, Chartreuse called Clarke with an update. Something Carrie said makes our resident mystic think Shady is going to make another attempt on Carrie’s life. Which could render all of our efforts to restore this timeline to a sense of normalcy rather moot.”

Luci resisted the urge to bang her head down on the table. “Joy. Okay, one problem at a time. When was this small fire? Maybe we can time travel back to before it took place, and obtain the information then.”

“And how do you propose we get into the LaMille mansion to retrieve it?” Frank countered. “The Julie from our past would never let us stroll in and search. The only one of us who might have a chance is Clarke, except tampering with his past connections to Julie could cause us much bigger problems now.”

“That’s true, but there must be some way,” Luci insisted. “Maybe we could go back in time a year, to a day when we were all in Grade 10, and tell a past version of ourselves that if they ever get the chance to visit the mansion…” Luci stopped. She felt lightheaded. “Oh my God.”

“What?”

“It fits. Oh my God. My second day of high school. It fits!”

“What fits? Luci, what are you talking about?”

Luci took a deep breath, as the missing piece that had puzzled her for over a year snapped into place. “It’s my missing day, Frank. The second day of high school has always been a complete blank to me. All I know is that it had something to do with me getting involved with Julie and Corry, not to mention seriously ticking Carrie off somehow. I’ve always wondered if there was more to it than simple amnesia.”

“What? Are we heading into ‘Butterfly Effect’ territory here? Because that movie series was not–”

“It’s more,” Luci interrupted. “Consider that while I might have grown a little since then, it’s negligible, and after Linquist I’m only ballpark my real age anyway.”

She took a deep breath. “You say the only place we can get these records is in the past? Fine. None of you knew me at the start of last year. That makes me a wild card. So, we’re about to use the time machine to travel back to that September, at which point I can take the place of my younger self for a day. My second day of high school. A note you leave in my locker is all it will take.”

He stared. “Luci, that’s crazy.”

“Maybe,” she admitted. “Thing is? If I’m right, it’s already happened anyway.”

(Option: Go With Luci, Full Circle, Back to Part 25)

PART 44: TURNING POINT

***PAST: ILLINOIS

“Great. No LaMilles listed in the phone book,” Frank stated, throwing the volume aside. “Why did phone books ever exist, if important people weren’t listed in them?”

“The LaMilles were pretty rich even at this point in the past,” Clarke observed. “They could’ve asked to be unlisted - or maybe they only came here because it’s their winter home? Or property they were hoping to flip?”

“The point being, we have no idea where Julie could be," Frank moaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. “What’s worse, now we’re not only fighting to keep Julie’s suicide plans from succeeding, we’re probably also fighting the time streams, as they try to kill her off again.”

Clarke stared. “Frank… are you saying that Julie died in that car accident? Before we came back?”

Frank winced, then nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking I need to revise my initial time travel theories,” he admitted. “Because while that news article you found would scan the same whether we were here or not, if Shady was acting to change his past - our present - it follows that our presence here could have changed Julie’s past - now our present.”

“You mean Julie’s future,” Clarke noted.

Frank grimaced. “I guess, relatively speaking. But it means our REAL present could be in trouble too.”

“Julie’s at the hospital.”

Frank turned at Corry’s interjection. “What?”

The redhead turned towards the other two teens. “It’s time for us to go on the offensive.”

Clarke sighed. “Corry, now is not the time to–”

“You’re wrong,” he asserted. “It’s now or never. Think about it. Julie has been reduced to a defensive game here, and if we let her fortify that position, we’re sunk."

“But why the hospital?" Frank asked.

Corry lifted up three fingers, then curled one up. “First, when that girl has a goal in mind, she needs to know all of the related variables. The layout of the hospital, the staff on duty, et cetera. Even if she accomplished all of that before our arrival, she might want to observe our actions there.”

He curled up his second finger. “Second, I believe that our presence is going to make Julie act sooner, rather than later. She’ll bribe a doctor somehow, or switch around crucial medications, and then lead us on a merry chase as far away from the scene as possible. That chase likely starts at the hospital.”

“And third?” Clarke wondered.

“Third,” Corry said, curling his last finger before letting his hand fall open, “where else is she going to go? Like me, she has no allies here, no provisions, and for that matter, the hospital is where her double seemed to be headed. Though that was almost a half hour ago, so I suggest we get a move on.”

“And do what? Grab her when we see her? That didn’t work,” Frank protested. “We obviously need a better plan.”

“Maybe not,” Corry asserted. “In particular, because I’m now going to tell you what Julie did in front of me that day in January. I’ll warn you now, if you believe what I’m about to say, you won’t ever look at her the same way again.” He eyed Clarke. “But between her hating us forever, and her being dead? I think we want the former. Don’t you?”

“False labour indeed,” the woman grumbled. “It felt real enough. What do these small town doctors know anyway?”

“Now, now,” soothed her husband. “I made sure he was qualified, and you wanted the smaller town, to surround the event with a certain anonymity. Give it another couple of days; we can induce if we have to.”

“Peachy," she groused back, sitting herself down. “Well, I’m not budging from this spot for at least a half an hour. I need to recover my wits. Plus I may go into real labour sometime in the next few minutes.”

“Whatever you think is best,” the man consented, taking a seat next to his wife.

Mere metres away, around the nearest corner, a girl with wide, staring eyes was breathing heavily. Because those were her parents. Out there, in the hospital waiting area.

Julie could scarcely believe her luck - this must be why they hadn’t been at the house. She could end it all, right here, right now. This late in the evening, there were very few hospital employees around. She still had the gun, tucked away in a jacket pocket. She could easily get off one shot before anyone could stop her.

Except.

Those were her parents.

It wasn’t her mother’s fault that her daughter had turned out to be a huge disappointment. And the very thought of raising a gun to the woman who had given birth to her was making Julie sick to her stomach. Worse, what if it was for nothing? What if the doctors here were able to save the unborn child? To save Julie’s life? Did they have that ability in a hospital this size?

She became very aware of her heartbeat.

Julie swallowed. No. She had to act now. She had to risk it, before her future classmates could stop her. After all, no one would be expecting this, right? And she could shoot, and shoot, and shoot… until she ceased to even be here. The doctors, they would try to save her mother first, right?

Julie reached into the pocket of her borrowed clothing, trying to ignore her case of the shakes. Her fingers touched the gun. The safety clicked off. She began to walk around the corner. Somehow, it felt like she was moving through water. Like everything around her was happening in slow motion.

Like time itself was holding its breath.

There were running footsteps.

She began to draw the gun out.

A hand seized her wrist.

“We have to talk,” came the unmistakable voice of Corry Veniti.

Julie tried to twist out of his grip, to yank the gun out and point it at him instead, but his grip tightened, preventing the movement. She wanted to scream.

“No,” he said firmly. “Give me ten minutes, Julie. Then, if you still want to kill me - I’ll probably deserve it."

She refused to look at him. Her eyes darted about the waiting area as she searched wildly for some escape. Screaming still felt like an option, yet calling attention to herself was the last thing she wanted to do. At least she didn’t see any sign of Phil or Frank. Only her parents. And even now, she saw they were ignoring her.

“I pick where we talk,” Julie choked out.

Corry nodded, but maintained his grip. The two of them proceeded down the nearest hall. Julie passed up the first obvious choice for a room, choosing the next empty one. They entered, Corry leaving the door partly open.

“I’m going to release your arm now,” the redhead told her. “Bear in mind that if you shoot me before the ten minutes are up, it’s bound to affect your plans, and may even be something I accounted for in mine.”

Julie nodded slowly. He released her, and she immediately moved a few steps away. Hand on the gun. Waiting. Staring. At least half a minute ticked by.

“Okay,” Corry began at last. “Now… what goddamn fool stunt do you think you’re trying to pull?!”

Julie flinched. Any doubts she’d harboured as to whether this was truly the Corry she knew were now gone.

“I mean, I know you’ve had some complex plots in the past, but my God, killing yourself THIS way?” he snapped. “It’s the most twisted thing I’ve ever heard of.”

“Why does it matter to YOU how I kill myself?” she retorted.

“How could it NOT matter, Julie?” Corry asserted. “This isn’t what I wanted when I led my campaign against you. I wanted you brought down a peg, not taken off the ladder completely! Consider, if you do this, and we remember you? We feel guilty. And if we don’t remember… I lose all the experience I gained from having you as my adversary.”

He clenched his jaw. “Because as much as I hate to admit it, you pushed me to new heights, Julie. You broadened my universe. In no small way when you tried to kill yourself two years ago on the gym balcony. I didn’t think anyone could go that far! And since I wouldn’t let you act on it then - I’ll be damned before I let you do it now!”

The memory came to her, unbidden.

<< Her movement was quick. Blood began to well up from the cut on her arm. Corry was next to her in an instant, grabbing her wrists and holding them apart as she lifted her gaze back up towards him. >>

She pulled herself away from the image. That had been a gamble. This was all too real. “So here we are again,” she whispered. “The two of us, locked in a stalemate. Me with the weapon.”

“And me - with backup.”

Corry stepped to the side as Frank entered the room. Julie immediately yanked out her gun, pointing it at the brown haired boy. “How did you find us?!” she shrieked.

Frank swallowed, his eyes on the gun barrel. “H-Hid, and followed Corry. Look, Julie, n-no one has to die here.”

“Frank’s right,” Corry chimed in, Julie readjusting her target to the one who was speaking. “More to the point,” he added, “no one has died yet. Don’t cross that line, Julie.”

Julie shook her head. “No, no… I shot Carrie!”

<< Carrie stumbled back a step, reflexively bringing her hand up to her side. Her eyes dropped down to the redness that was now starting to stain her shirt. “Then again, maybe we can negotiate," she gurgled out, before collapsing down onto the floor. >>

“Carrie’s alive,” Frank asserted.

“I also shot you.”

“You missed me.”

“And then I killed that homeless woman.”

Frank hesitated.

“That was an accident,” Corry yielded. “No way did you intend for that to happen.”

“Julie, we can still fix things,” Frank insisted. “It’s not as bad as you think it is.”

<< Her father tore again, and again. >>

“No, no, NO,” Julie said, pressing the palm of her free hand against her temples. “I have to die, I know I have to die…”

“Why do you have to die?”

Julie spun to point her gun over at Phil, the latest arrival. Then she shifted it back to Corry, then Frank, then again to Phil. The three of them were too far apart. But she could get at least one of them.

“Why do you have to die, Jewels?” Phil repeated softly.

“B-Because I do,” Julie said hoarsely.

<< Her father tore again, and again. >>

<< The document she'd signed with the principal that morning was soon scattered on the floor like so much confetti. >>

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Julie said, not only pushing that memory aside, but grinding it beneath her heel and burying it. She had to focus on the present. Past. Whatever.

Frank spoke again. “Julie, don’t you see? We’re on your side here. And it’s not only the three of us." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, extending it towards her with a shaky hand.

“Nuh uh. You open it,” she asserted, waggling her gun.

He did so. Nothing exploded out of it. Instead, Frank removed a sheet of paper, and extended that instead. “From Luci,” he said.

Julie eyed him. She cautiously reached out to take the page, keeping her gun trained his way so that the others couldn’t make a move to disarm her without unpleasant consequences. She unfolded the paper, and risked a quick glance down.

To Julie’s surprise, the message she held simply read: ‘Sorry we had to send the guys. Come back safe, okay Julie? We miss you.’ It had been signed not only by Luci, but also Laurie and Chartreuse. Exactly how many people knew about the time machine now??

Julie snapped her gaze back up. All that had happened was that Corry and Frank had taken a step back, leaving Phil in front. “Carrie didn’t sign,” she observed.

“That’s because she needs you back most of all,” Phil said softly. “Jewels, please - don’t do this. Don’t let them get to you this way."

“Who?”

<< The culmination of six - seven? eight? - years of effort. So many setbacks. But now - they had to understand. They had to see that she was capable, that she was worthy of being their child, that she deserved their love and attention...

<< "What damn fool stunt are you trying to pull?" >>

“You know, Jewels. It’s time to stop letting them control you.”

“No one controls me,” Julie snapped. She dropped Luci’s letter, hoping two hands on the gun would provide a better grip. “Phil, in all the time we’ve been at school together, when have I ever, EVER let anyone else tell me what to do?"

“I’m not talking about at school.”

<< “Juvenile delinquent," her father spat out. "Well, you've forced the two of us to use your birthday as an excuse to come back here to handle things. I hope you're happy."

<< Her mother sighed and pressed a hand to her temples. "Dear, you deal with this today, all right? It’s going to give me a headache, I’m sure of it.” >>

The gun began to shake dangerously in her hands. “Phil… don’t do this to me… don’t make me choose…”

“I have to,” he said sadly. “Don’t you see, Jewels? I have to. Because if you go through with this, and you die - they’ve won. I can’t let them do that.”

<< "Leave it to a girl to take things too literally."

<< He tore the document in half. >>

“It was my fault…”

“No.”

“I didn’t do it right…”

“They never gave you a chance!”

<< The document she'd signed with the principal that morning was soon scattered on the floor like so much confetti.

<< A single tear splashed down. Then the glass covering the image cracked as the picture was thrown forcibly against the wall. >>

“I love them,” Julie whispered. “Why don’t they love me, Phil? Why??”

“I don’t know, Jewels.” Phil took another step forwards. “I don’t know. But I want to help you understand. To help us both understand.”

<< "This is going to give me a headache."

<< “Juvenile delinquent.”

<< "She's your *daughter*, after all."

<< ... scattered on the floor like so much confetti. >>

“No… No, I can’t!!!” Julie said, desperately trying to cling to the only reality that had ever made sense. Without it, what did she have left?

“It’s okay, Jewels,” Phil soothed. “I know you’re hurting. But please. You’re stronger than this, I know you are. We all know it. And we all care about you so very, very much.”

The tall blonde took another two steps forward. Julie blinked the tears out of her eyes and cocked her gun back up, now pointing it directly at his chest, point blank range. “I should kill you now for speaking ill of my parents.”

“But you won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because of what I see now. The brooch. Even after everything you’ve been through, after exchanging the rest of your clothing… you kept my birthday present.”

Julie’s eyes fell back down to her chest. The silver brooch in the shape of a rose seemed to smile back up at her. “It w-was pretty.”

“As are you.”

Julie slowly brought her gaze back up.

<< He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small neatly wrapped package. >>

<< "Here’s something to remember me by. Happy birthday.” >>

<< "Happy birthday.” >>

“Oh PHIL,” The gun clattered to the floor as the brunette flung herself at him, pulling him to her, burying her face in his chest, blinded by tears. He was really there this time. It wasn’t her imagination. “They tore it up, Phil,” she choked out. “They tore up my whole agreement!”

“There, there, Jewels,” Phil said softly, hugging her back. “It’ll be all right. Everything’s going to be all right now.”

He held her tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Seeing his opportunity, Corry quickly dodged around Clarke and Julie to retrieve the gun from the floor. Opening the chamber, he removed the bullets, then allowed himself a long sigh of relief.

Frank moved up next to the redhead and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks Corry,” he murmured. “Hardly the most well organized approach, but your plan sure got the job done.”

Corry allowed himself a relieved smile. “Yeah, well, it seemed to me that, deep down, Julie didn’t really want anybody to die. With me to remind her of that, you to remind her that we all cared, and Clarke to follow up with his more personal connection… that felt like our best shot.” He looked at the gun, then tucked it away. “Ugh, BAD way to phrase that. Anyway, with the right counselling, I hope Julie can pull through.”

“She’s in pretty good hands already,” Frank observed, looking towards Clarke. “At this point, I figure we let her calm down a bit more, then ask what she did with the missing microchips. Once I have those, it shouldn’t be too difficult for me to repair the time machine.”

“Right then,” Corry said, dusting off his hands. “Mission accomplished. Good to know that we’re finally through the worst of it!”

***PRESENT: ONTARIO

There was nothing but blackness all around. She was floating in it, surrounded by feelings of loss and loneliness. It was completely overwhelming. Chartreuse wondered how anyone could possibly deal with this.

“Hello?” Chartreuse called out into the void. “Carrie?”

Lee and Jeeves had remained with their captive back at the LaMille mansion, while Chartreuse had returned to the hospital with Luci. After all, the pink haired girl reasoned, there had to be some way to get through to the blonde cheerleader. Now that they knew about the problem. I mean, sure, Carrie held within her the power to destroy the world - but she was still their friend. Right?

Once in the hospital room, Chartreuse had laid out a series of meditation crystals around the bed. Then, holding a small healing orb in her hand, she had worked to form a connection with the unconscious girl for the second time today.

It had apparently succeeded, in as much as it had brought her here. Wherever here was. “Carrie?” Chartreuse called out again.

The sound of someone singing floated towards her from out of the darkness. The voice sounded as hollow and empty as their surroundings.

“I once wished to travel through time. To have such a power seemed really sublime. But I never imagined the problems I’d face. So now I’m lost in time and also in space.”

Chartreuse looked, but saw nothing. “Carrie, is that you?”

“I can speak of tomorrow but not yesterday, for when history changes your past goes away,” the singing voice continued quietly.

Chartreuse shivered, as she recognized the song Corry had sung at the dance. But the familiar tune was a bit off key, and there was an eerie tone of finality to the vocals.

“I see now that these forces can’t be understood, I’d return things to normal if only I could, but the ramifications have damaged my brain… it won’t be long now before I’ve gone insane…”

“Carrie, if that’s you, please stop this,” Chartreuse pleaded. She tried to push forwards, into the darkness. There was a shadowy outline there. It resembled Carrie, but it was facing away, so it was hard to tell for sure.

“Where are we, Carrie?” Chartreuse asked. “What’s going on?”

The singing stopped. Then the voice murmured, “You should not have come back, Chartreuse.”

Chartreuse stared. “Back?” she asked. “Have I been here before…?”

“Ah, that’s right. I removed that memory. Thing is, you should not have saved me then. Part of me was looking forward to death. Now, now this pain within me, it has become too great to bear…”

“Carrie, don’t give up,” Chartreuse interrupted. “If the problem with timelines is whatever’s happened to Julie in the past - like, we’ll do whatever we can to fix it for you. Surely you’ve realized that by now.”

The shadowy figure of Carrie seemed to think about that. “No, the ripples from the past are subsiding,” was her eventual reply. “Those who travelled back, and caused the waveforms to appear - the waves which were amplified at this time by my premature awakening - they will have been collapsed. There is no longer a… Schrodinger’s Julie. She has survived.”

“Oh… good?”

“But what of the future?” Carrie challenged. “Julie will be wanted for attempted murder. She will face severe punishment from her parents. One of many things that should not be occurring to her. One of many things that have come about, because of me. Me… the girl who who didn’t even exist, in the original timeline.” She laughed.

And something about that laugh was off, and somehow, Chartreuse knew that Carrie was broken.

“That’s the real problem, you see,” the blonde concluded. ”How it’s all about me. This story has always been all about me.”

Chartreuse swallowed hard. “Carrie, please stop. You’re scaring me.”

“None of this should have happened, I know in my gut,” Carrie’s voice sang again. “Yet our future is hist’ry, and I’ve lost what’s what. We must now beware, time is not playing fair, I would solve this crime it’s just I’m… outta time… outta time… outta time…”

Carrie’s silhouette spun, her palm thrust out towards Chartreuse. With a cry, both of surprise and pain, the mystic felt her spiritual self being hurled backwards. She collided with her own body, then somehow continued moving, her physical self propelled back into the far wall of the hospital room. The pink haired girl hit hard, then slid down onto the floor with a groan, struggling to remain conscious.

Carrie Waterson sat up in her hospital bed, her formerly blue eyes now blazing brightly with golden fire.

PART 42: TIED IN NAUGHTS

***PAST: ILLINOIS

“You know,” Corry said as he wheeled his bike along the sidewalk. “If I ever decide to take another trip through time with you guys? Stop me. I don’t think I could take another day of this traveling through unknown territory, sharing cramped quarters and dishwashing for money and food.”

“I know there’s something I can’t take much more of,” Clarke murmured.

“My previous time trips haven’t been like this," Frank said, half slumped over his own bike. “But here, we had to allow extra time to find Julie, and we lacked enough currency for this time period. You knew all that before you came.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know this would be a one way trip,” Corry argued.

“It won’t be,” Frank assured. “Remember, all we have to do is figure out what Julie did with the circuitry she removed. With that, I can repair our version of the time machine, and get us back.”

“Oh, and I’m sure Julie will be very forthcoming with that information," Corry groused.

“Don’t mind Corry,” Clarke suggested to Frank. “Complaining seems to be his way of coping. We’ll manage, somehow.”

“Phil Clarke. Always the optimist,” Corry grumbled. “Oh well, at least this ordeal is almost over. How much time until… uh, the big event we’ll need to stop?” Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to say ‘death’.

Frank checked his watch. “If our newspaper was to be believed, we’re over two hours out. And we’re…” He glanced up at the nearby road sign. “Now five blocks away. So time to spare."

“How about change to spare?” came a hopeful voice.

Corry turned with the others, to see a young homeless woman. Or, if she wasn’t homeless, the early twenty something was at least down on her luck. Her clothes were ragged, her long curly brown hair was frayed, and she was carrying her possessions in a small, tattered bag.

“Well…” Frank began slowly.

Before Frank could say more, Clarke fished a couple of bills out of his pocket. “Here you go,” he said. “It’s not much, but it’s all we have to spare.”

“Bless you,” the woman said with a small smile as she took the handout.

“Oh, brilliant, Clarke,” Corry said once the woman was out of earshot. “That’s brilliant. Sure, let’s give away the rest of our money. It’s not like we might NEED it or anything! Gods, sometimes I can’t figure out what’s going through your heads."

“She’ll be around to use it tomorrow, unlike us,” Clarke rationalized.

“Only assuming we get through to Julie, remember?”

“Look,” Frank cut back in. “It’s fine, what’s done is done. Though for future reference, Clarke? We want to minimize our impact here in the past. Not call attention to it that way.”

“Right. Sorry.”

They were within a block of the hospital when Clarke cleared his throat. “So Corry, based on whatever Julie did with you that day in January - what are the chances she’ll be throwing herself into the path of this ambulance on purpose?”

Corry grimaced as he was forced to consider the possibility. “Hard to say. Why, do you think she’d be in a low mental state based on whatever talk she had with you after my flyers went out?”

“And here’s another thing,” Frank interjected. “You two need to stop being so… passive-aggressive with your whatevers.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Corry asked dryly.

Frank turned to face them, visibly frustrated. “Look, apparently you each have secrets about Julie. And while I commend your ethics, in that you both don’t seem to want to reveal them to each other without her approval, after four days, those conversations are getting REAL annoying.”

Corry tried to protest, but Frank kept talking.

“More to the point, the Julie I saw right before she time travelled didn’t seem to be in complete control of her faculties. Which for all we know, is going to be ten minutes before she shows up here. So, if you don’t want to reveal secrets about Julie, fine. But will you both stop fishing for information from the other guy about those past encounters? It’s time to focus on the Julie in our present.”

Corry wondered if Clarke’s look of surprise was mirrored on his own face. He hoped not - but he never would have figured on Frank having an outburst like that. “Fine,” he said. “Sorry if it felt like I was fishing, Clarke.”

“Yeah, me too,” Clarke said, looking sheepish.

“Okay.” Corry eyed Frank. “With that out of the way, what are your next orders for us, oh glorious leader?”

Frank merely sighed.

***PRESENT: ONTARIO

Lee sighed, as he looked at the text message from Judy. Apparently the new books hadn’t come in yet - so no extra hours today. In fact, since he wasn’t scheduled for work, that meant no need to go to the library at all. Oh well.

His original plan had been to use tonight to catch up on homework, so he supposed he might as well head home to do that. However, he found his footsteps were taking him towards the hospital instead.

Whatever events were happening between Clarke, Tim, and the rest of them? They had escalated. Not only into absences at school, but now the local constabulary was hanging around. The hospital wasn’t very far out of his way - it couldn’t hurt to check in on Carrie, right? Maybe one of the others would be around too, and he could do something more to help.

Lee absentmindedly scanned the building as he approached. As such, he was able to spot the figure darting out of one of the emergency exits. Was there a fire? No one else seemed to be evacuating.

Then another person ran out the door, apparently in pursuit of the first individual - and even at this distance, Lee recognized the profile, what with the bows in her hair. The two of them were heading more or less in his direction, so Lee decided to intercede on Chartreuse’s behalf.

He moved to box in the running man, who, upon realizing that he was caught between Lee, Chartreuse, and the building itself, headed for his one remaining option.  The shrubbery and fence surrounding the hospital area. Breaking into a sprint, Lee managed to catch the mysterious figure and haul him down before he could make good his escape.

In the process Lee made a startling discovery: this person, the one wearing the uniform of a hospital orderly, was the same guy who’d been loitering around the hospital on Saturday. The one who had been looking for information on the LaMilles previously. With a bit of leverage, Lee managed to get the guy face down onto the ground, arms pinned behind him.

“Thanks… thanks Lee…” Chartreuse wheezed as she caught up to them, sweat running down her face. She paused for a second to rest her hands on her knees and catch her breath before bending down to stare their captive in the face. “Now, why were you trying to kill Carrie Waterson?” she demanded, jabbing out a finger.

Lee blinked at Chartreuse. “Kill Carrie?”

Chartreuse nodded sombrely. “Well?” the pink haired girl demanded again, off the man’s silence. “Tell me, or I’ll… I’ll do something mystical and unpleasant to you. Don’t think I won’t!”

Their captive attempted to flex his arms, but Lee held him down. “You have no idea what you’re doing,” the man said at last. “That ‘girl’ will destroy us all. I must be allowed to complete this mission.”

“Uhm, if your mission involves harming a hair on Carrie’s head, I so don’t think so," Chartreuse countered. She pursed her lips in thought. “All right, here’s what we’re gonna do. Lee, keep this guy here while I get Luci. Then the four of us can, like, go find someplace nice and private to have a good, long talk.”

“Er, you don’t think this is a matter to leave to the police…?” Lee protested.

Chartreuse shook her head. “No, the police might be kinda looking for me and Luci. Please, just, you know, hold Shady here - I’ll be right back.”

With that, the pink haired girl jumped up and ran back in the direction of the hospital. Lee was left in the shrubbery with his captive. “Guess this is what I get for not asking enough questions on the weekend,” he mused.

“Lee, you are going to do something for me now,” the man on the ground articulated. “Listen carefully. You are going to get off of me and let me go on my way unmolested. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” Lee answered. “But I think we’ll stay here anyway.”

The man smacked his forehead down. “Oh well,” he muttered. “It was worth a shot.”

“Miss Primrose, I’m afraid I don’t have authorization to allow any of you to enter.”

“Jeeves, it’s important,” Luci insisted. “We can’t risk going to any of our homes, while this is probably the last place anyone will think to look for us. Besides, what we discover here today may well save Carrie - as well as clear Julie’s name.”

She watched his eyebrow arch. Good, he knew Julie was a suspect now, that saved explanations. “The police don’t have it quite right, Jeeves,” she added. “Please, if you care about what happens to Julie, you’ll let us in.”

It felt like an eternity, but the LaMille butler finally swung the front door of the mansion open wider. “See that I don’t regret this,” he cautioned them.

The four of them filed past Jeeves into the foyer: Luci, Chartreuse, Lee, and the man with his hands tied behind his back, aka Shady.

After closing the door, Jeeves headed for the telephone.

“All right,” Luci said once they were in the LaMille sitting room, having tossed their captive onto the couch. “Start talking. Who are you, what are you doing here, and why did you try to kill Carrie?”

Shady remained silent.

“All right then, I’ll start talking,” Luci decided. “You can correct me if I say anything wrong, all right?” She leaned against the back of a chair, staring at him.

“The first question we have to ask ourselves is why someone who once professed to be Carrie’s ‘Guardian Angel’ would attempt to kill her. Answer? It was, in fact, your goal all along. But you had to wait for the right moment. For the point of maximum entropy. You had to protect Carrie until then.”

Luci drummed her fingers on the fabric in front of her. “It explains why you got Julie to shoot Carrie in a non-fatal way. Putting your target into the hospital, you could indirectly get some preliminary readings on her.” Chartreuse let out a little gasp. “And don’t even try to deny being involved with the shooting,” Luci added. “Because even setting aside your call to Frank, I remember now that when I returned to his house on that night? Someone was sitting in a car less than a block away. Foolishly, I didn’t give it much thought, but seeing you here? It was you. And Julie had to get the gun from someone.”

Luci paused to give Shady a chance to speak. When he said nothing, she continued on.

“So, Carrie has been your guinea pig. Time travel - it’s not a fine science for you future guys, I guess? Sure, you used it to get back here, but prolonged exposure, that’s what Carrie was for. For some reason, you believed that all of her time trips would grant her special abilities, and once she got them…” Luci snapped her fingers in the air. “Dissection time.”

She turned away, as Chartreuse’s increasingly ill look was becoming too much of a contrast to Shady’s inscrutable expression. “But Julie running off with the time machine, that threw off your timetable,” Luci reasoned. “You had to delay, leading to checking on Julie’s past, contacting Frank, and generally messing with us to ensure we were looking anywhere BUT at Carrie. But now we are. And since we know your intentions, we’re not going to let you get away with it.”

She whirled back, folding her arms across her chest. “Well? How’s that, am I close?”

“And don’t even think about, you know, lying,” Chartreuse added, shaking a crystal at him. “Or I’ll totally know.”

Their captive frowned, as if trying to come to a decision.

“Look man,” Lee offered. “If you tell ‘em what they want to know, they’ll get off your back, and we can all walk away from this roller coaster ride of science fiction. Right?”

Shady sighed. “You are very observant, young Luci,” he said at last. “But largely incorrect. For instance, none of you need to fear developing any powers yourselves - Carrie’s abilities are not because of her time travel. They have always been within her. They are tied to her, bound to her by fate.” He smirked. “Which is the very reason I came back to this time to recruit her.”

“Recruit?” Luci blurted, before she could stop herself. She glanced sidelong at Chartreuse. The pink haired girl shrugged, meaning either she couldn’t detect any trace of betrayal, or she’d been bluffing about the lie detection thing. Lee merely looked nonplussed.

Luci decided she needed to sit down. Moving into the chair she’d previously been leaning against, she steepled her fingers, continuing to stare at their captive. “By all means then,” she said. “Explain to us how you can recruit someone by KILLING them.”

Shady inclined his head slightly. “If I do, will you let me go?”

“No,” Luci said, sourly. “But we’re definitively keeping you here until you do, so start talking.”

The man glanced at Lee. “Oh, very well. The crux of the matter is that there is a war going on in the future. One which we humans are losing very badly, I might add. But then, at the point when many of us were about to give up all hope, we discovered the identity of a woman. A woman with extraordinary powers. Powers which could extend into the very fabric of space and time itself - the problem being, she was already dead to us. So, with great effort, we managed to obtain a time travel device, and I was chosen to come back in time to find this woman. Back when she was a mere girl.”

“Okay,” Lee said, as Shady paused. “So far this sounds like a reverse plot from those Terminator films. Did the robots send someone back after you, dude?”

“No. We’re not fighting robots,” Shady said in an annoyed tone. “Can I finish my story?”

Lee gestured magnanimously.

“As such,” he continued, “I have been in sync with your time period now for close to three years, working at verifying this woman’s identity in her youth. Not as difficult a task as I originally thought, given how I picked up a temporal disruption in Algonquin Park a couple years back, and had to personally rescue her. Still, I wanted to be sure, so it was only a couple of months ago that I left my time machine out for Carrie Waterson to find.”

“Then your time machine is what became our time machine,” Luci affirmed.

He nodded. “It’s not like I brought a spare. The things ARE damned hard to get your hands on.”

Meaning Shady couldn’t escape through time. Good to know. “Still waiting on the whole death equals recruitment thing,” Luci pointed out.

“Did you want context for it or not?”

“Context is helpful,” Chartreuse said brightly.

“Fine. So, experiencing time travel was the first step towards awakening this obj- er, wom- this girl’s powers. She had to learn what she could accomplish, in a practical sense. She then had to learn how to put her own life into the cosmic perspective.” He paused briefly before muttering, “That second phase required a near death experience.”

Luci stood. “Then I WAS right, and you ARE responsible for influencing Julie.”

Shady sighed. “Being displaced from time, I did not think it wise to act as the trigger myself. An ex-friend, who had been targeted at school that day? That seemed plausible. Anyway, you yourself noted how Julie’s shot was intended to miss any vital organs.”

“Okay, but, like, hold on,” Chartreuse protested. “This power awakening stuff, it seems to have gone wrong. Carrie’s not doing so hot."

“Oh, no kidding?” Shady said contemptuously. “Apparently you teenagers have an interesting way of keeping things ‘safe’.”

“Julie’s time trip,” Luci realized. “It did throw things off. Merely not how I thought.”

Shady nodded. “That part is as I said to your friend Frank. Carrie could not reconcile Julie’s death with how history proceeded prior to her powers awakening. But instead of following my advice, you all devised some asinine plan of your own! I finally used my own power to get the police involved this morning. Unfortunately, checking on Carrie’s condition afterwards, I found it was too late.” He folded his hands together. “Carrie is now irredeemably insane, and my mission has failed, thus killing her… well, at this point, it’s a form of mercy."

Luci shuddered, as she realized how wrong she had been. And Carrie was paying the price. She reached out for the chair again, using it to keep her from sliding down to her knees. “But there must be some way to still save her,” Luci asserted. “Something more we can do.”

Shady scoffed. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough already? You have doomed most of your friends, as well as an entire war going on in your future. I ask you, how many more people must pay the price for your bad decisions?”

***PAST: ILLINOIS

“How much time?” Corry hissed.

“At a guess? Five minutes, give or take,” Frank answered quietly. He peered out of the alleyway to look up and down the street.

Clarke stood there, surrounded by some of the locals who were going about their business in the early evening. Upon spying Frank, the tall boy raised his arms, palms up, indicating he hadn’t seen any sign of Julie yet. Frank slumped back against the wall; the group had locked their bikes up at the nearby library half an hour ago.

Corry sighed. “I hate us splitting up like this,” he groused. “I mean, I agree Clarke’s the best choice to reason with her, but Julie probably still has that gun, right? The one she used to shoot Carrie? What if she simply kills him, then picks us off, one by one, before jumping in front of the ambulance? I mean, maybe that’s what my sister is reading in the newspaper in the future at this very moment.”

“Corry, now is not the time,” Frank said tersely.

“But… ah, you’re right," came a grudging admission, much to Frank’s surprise. “Look, sorry if I’m a little hard on you and Clarke, Frank,” the redhead continued. “I’m accustomed to knowing a lot more about my surroundings. This whole trip has put me out of my element.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But I guess you don’t need both me AND Julie going after your jugular, huh?”

Before Frank could reply to that, they heard Clarke call out “Julie!” in a loud and clear voice.

The two teenagers poked their heads back out of the alley to see what Clarke was up to. He had crossed the street, and was hurrying after someone. A girl with long brown hair, who was wearing a dark green sweater with a blue pleated skirt. She was moving in the direction of the hospital.

“Julie! Jewels!” Clarke called out again.

The girl seemed to half turn before quickening her pace. Frank emerged from the alley and headed down his side of the street. He wasn’t quite sure how to help, but he didn’t want to lose sight of them.

What happened next occurred so fast that, upon later recollection, Frank would be forced to admit that there was nothing he could have done.

Having almost reached her, Clarke reached out to grab Julie by the shoulder. Sensing she was about to be caught, the girl twisted away, stumbling as she did so. It was then that Frank finally noticed the ambulance, which had not bothered to turn it’s siren on, as there weren’t any other cars on the street.

“Look out!” he screamed, even as Julie, off balance, staggered backwards. Right into the path of the oncoming vehicle. There was no time for anyone to run and push her out of the way, no time for the driver to brake - the ambulance simply hit her, head on.

“No…” Frank gasped as he saw Julie fly several feet through the air.

“NO!” he screamed. She had been their only hope of rescuing Carrie. Their only hope of getting back home. Four days, FOUR DAYS they had spent in the past, knowing that this would happen. And yet they had failed!

But maybe, just maybe, Julie wasn’t dead yet. So she could tell them where the time circuits were, and they could somehow try again, try to fix this… a crowd was already gathering, and Frank moved to push his way through them. He was restrained by a hand on his shoulder.

Frank turned to see Clarke, his face ashen, his body shaking slightly. “Clarke,” he gasped. “We have to–”

“It’s not her, Frank,” the tall boy said quietly.

It took a few seconds for Clarke’s words to sink in. Even then, they didn’t make sense. “What?” Frank finally managed.

“It’s not Julie.” Clarke released him. “As that person twisted away from me, I got my first good look at her face. The person who was hit… it was that homeless woman we saw earlier today. For some reason, she had put on Julie’s clothes.”

That still didn’t make any sense. “How? Why?” Frank protested.

“Because Julie knows we’re here,” Corry said, having come up behind them in time to hear Clarke’s revelation. His lips thinned. “She must know we’re here to stop her from killing herself. And she sent that woman towards the hospital as a decoy."

Frank let Corry steer them both away from the crowd, his mind now completely in a whirl. Julie knew they were there? But how? What was even going through that poor girl’s mind? A shudder ran down Frank’s spine as he realized that there was no way of knowing. No way at all.

And for the first time since they’d landed in Illinois, Frank felt very, very scared.

See the accompanying Commentary Post for ARC 2.3

PART 41: RESCUE EFFORTS

The wind blew through the empty field, bending the long grass back. A few clouds floated by overhead as the sun approached its highest point in the sky. There was no one around for kilometers - miles, even.

Which is when, in the wink of an eye, three individuals appeared, along with a bunch of equipment. There was a brown haired boy with glasses, a tall blonde, and a redhead. Only the first of them was conscious. As such, only he was able to cry out in horror before all of them plummeted metres – feet, even – from the air down towards the ground.

***PAST: ILLINOIS

Clarke pressed a hand to his forehead. “Corry, that language isn’t going to improve the situation.”

“Falling bloody well HURT,” the redhead fumed. “Damn it Dijora, you didn’t say we’d arrive in free fall. Good thing I DIDN’T let my sister go on this trip, she’s liable to have ended up with a broken leg for gods' sake!”

“Clarke’s right, calm down," Frank said, taking deep breaths to try and steady his own nerves.

They were all regaining their bearings in the middle of the empty field where they’d fallen. “Obviously there was a little spatial problem with altitude that we didn’t account for,” Frank reasoned. “But the long grass cushioned us, and I get the impression no one sustained any injures above some bad bruises.”

“This from the guy who didn’t half land on a BIKE,” Corry fumed. He flexed his arm, then rubbed his shoulder. “Little altitude problem, my ass… I’ve half a mind to force you to take me back home right now.”

“You mean back home to Miami?” Clarke asked. “Since that is where you’re living at this time, right?”

That remark finally shut Corry up, as he turned to regard the black box which had facilitated their arrival. Frank picked it up, turning it so that Corry could see the digital readout.

“A week before Julie’s birth,” Frank observed. “Alternately, four days before she gets hit by an ambulance and dies. Let’s hope it’s enough time to track her down and prevent that."

“Son of a bitch,” Corry muttered at last. “It really has happened, hasn’t it. We’ve traveled through time.”

Frank nodded. “We have.”

Clarke turned away from the both of them, starting to sift through the rest of their supplies.

Corry rubbed his chin. “Damn. I’m not sure I truly believed it until now. Even after getting that letter."

“You thought you were lying to yourself?” Frank wondered.

“No, no,” Corry said, shaking his head. “Bringing up my history with Julie convinced me I was serious. It’s more that, writing the letter out myself, right after receiving it? Sort of took the edge off. Made it feel like it could be a prank.” He tugged his earlobe. “Why couldn’t we simply bring the original back in time with us again?”

“Because until you wrote it out, there was no original,” Frank reminded. “If the letter we have with us now had been the same one we received, it would have been created from nothing. And we couldn’t risk adding that kind of paradox, not on top of all the other temporal problems we’re dealing with at the moment.”

“Oh yeah, right,” Corry said, irritation creeping back into his tone. “Just like Tim had to obtain fresh copies of the required documentation on his end. I don’t know, it still sounds like a big waste of time to me.” He sighed. “And what was that other note Luci gave to you?”

“I don’t know,” Frank admitted, glancing towards his backpack. “I’m supposed to give it to Julie.” He frowned, remembering that conversation.

“I don’t understand,” Frank protested. “What’s the point of this?”

“The point,” Luci said, tapping the envelope edge first on his chest, “is that without Laurie going along, you’ve become an all male team.”

“So?”

The asian girl shifted to tapping the envelope on his forehead. “Think, Frank. Julie might be a little intimidated by that.”

“Julie? She’s in charge of half our school, Luci. Nothing intimidates that girl.”

“WAS in charge,” Luci reminded. She reached out for his arm, using it to pull out his palm before slapping the sealed letter down into it. “Humour me. Call it a feeling. Give this message to Julie.”

“Oh well,” Corry said, scattering Frank’s thoughts. “On the bright side, I can’t feel my writers' cramp any more - due to the pain in my shoulder!”

“You know, Corry,” Clarke said, moving close to them once more. “Me and Frank are here to save someone’s life. Someone who is very important to me. If you’re only tagging along because you didn’t want your sister to be here, maybe you should wait in a hostel somewhere for the next few days. We can circle back to pick you up again before we go.”

“Hmph,” Corry grumbled. “Thanks, but no thanks. At this point, I’m not letting either of you out of my sight.” He raised his hands defensively off Clarke’s expression. “Look, I AM here to help, okay? After all, as much as I dislike Julie, I know things. Plus the thought of her being in this twisted little suicide plan you’ve described… I can’t let that go. No one should end up like that. No one.”

“So, Clarke, how did our supplies fare?” Frank asked of the taller boy, hoping to change the subject.

“We got lucky,” Clarke replied, turning to him. “A dislodged chain and a couple bent spokes, nothing I can’t fix. The compass is also fine, and between that and the maps we have, we should be able to find shelter in a nearby town before sundown.” Clarke shifted his gaze to the black box. “What about the time machine, Frank?”

“Good question,” he realized, reaching out to grab the lever and pop the lid off. On the bright side, there was no smoke. On the down side…  “Clarke, get me the small toolkit out of my pack,” he requested worriedly, putting the machine down and crouching over it.

“Uh oh,” Corry said as Clarke complied. “Another little ‘calculation problem’?”

Frank didn’t reply right away, instead spending the next several minutes carefully poking around the wiring. When he finally looked up, he suspected his face was pale. “I’m sorry. I should have known,” Frank apologized. “I should have realized.”

“Realized what?” Clarke prompted. “What do you mean?”

Frank took in a deep breath. “Remember how we figured on the time machine only being good for two, maybe three trips? Well, a sixteen year trip alters the recharge time, and puts more strain on the whole assembly which in turn…”

“Cut to the chase,” Corry interrupted. “What’s the situation?”

Frank swallowed. “The time machine is broken again," Frank stated. “And I don’t have the right materials to fix it here. So even assuming we rescue Julie… there is no way for us to return.”

***PRESENT: ONTARIO

Luci sensed Laurie’s presence behind her even before the redheaded girl sat down next to her in the school library. She chose not to acknowledge the arrival. Not even after Laurie had cleared her throat twice.

“Okay,” Laurie said at last. “You want to be alone all lunch then.” She rose.

“Wait,” Luci sighed, reaching out for Laurie’s arm and missing. She looked up from the empty spot on the table where she’d been staring for the last half hour. “Stay.”

Laurie twisted her fingers together. “But if you’re upset…”

“Better you talk to me than Chartreuse,” Luci said, returning her attention to the tabletop. “I’m guessing she sent you over.”

“Chartreuse did figure the two of us had something in common right now, what with it being both my brother and my longtime crush on the trip with Frank,” Laurie admitted. She hesitated, then sat back down. “That’s what’s on your mind, right? Whether they’re okay?”

“What’s on my mind,” Luci began slowly, “Is that we’ve failed. Again. We doubled down on our bets, and we failed. AGAIN.” She reached up to grab her twin tails in her hands, yanking hard on her hair. “HOW? What did I miss? Why is this still happening? How do you normal people LIVE with the agony of knowing you can fail so SPECTACULARLY?”

“Whoa! C-Calm down, Luci,” Laurie pleaded, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Sure, it’s Monday, but it was going to take the guys a few days to reach Julie in the past.”

“Yes. In the PAST,” Luci reiterated. She turned to fully face the redhead. “Laurie, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but if they were coming back… they would be here already. They left Sunday night. They were going to return on the same day, so that Frank could call the police if he had to. Except now it’s Monday! Over twelve hours later.” Luci clenched a fist. “They’re not coming back, Laurie, and it’s all my fault. I never should have let them leave.”

The redhead swallowed. “Maybe they set that machine wrong? They could come back tonight instead.”

“I don’t think so,” Luci countered. She pulled the creased paper out of her pocket, shoving it back at her companion.

Laurie unfolded the sheet. “It’s that article Clarke talked about,” she realized. “Describing Julie’s accident with the ambulance. So?”

“So don’t you see?” Luci said. “If the others had been successful, we would know right away. That article would never have been WRITTEN sixteen years ago. No, something has gone wrong.” She squeezed her eyes shut.  “Something has gone very, very wrong, and for all my supposed intellect, I can’t figure out what. Let alone what to do about it.”

There was another long pause. “You will,” Laurie decided.

“What?”

“You will figure it out,” Laurie concluded. “You’re smart, Luci, you’ll figure it all out. So don’t give up hope. Okay?”

“Laurie…”

“Please?” Laurie said more insistently. “Please, Luci? Because if this is beyond you, I don’t know where else to turn, and I… I want to stop thinking about it. Okay?”

As she continued, her voice started to become more desperate. “I have to think it will work out, so I want to stop thinking about it, but all I can see is Chartreuse wondering about what they might be doing, and you being so worried and upset, and Chartreuse also being worried not only about them but about you, and about me, and I only want Frank and Clarke and Corry to be okay, so please can’t we all go and have some french fries for lunch and not think about this for the next little while, please, please, PLEASE Luci can we stop thinking about this now??” The redhead began to choke on her words.

Luci looked up again. She was momentarily taken aback by the tears shimmering in the corners of Laurie’s eyes, instinctively reaching out to touch Laurie’s arm in imitation of the redhead’s earlier gesture.

“I…” Luci stopped, not sure what she could possibly say that was reassuring. Maybe an apology would be enough. “All right,” she decided. “I’m not giving up. Let’s go get some fries.”

The two of them met up with Chartreuse by the library doors. Their resident mystic had been fidgeting with some multicoloured crystals, but upon seeing Luci and Laurie approach, she quickly put them away and offered up a halfhearted smile. The three of them proceeded towards the cafeteria.

Before they could arrive, Tim rushed up to meet them. “L-Luci. L-Laurie. Chartreuse,” he said quickly, trying not to stumble over his own words, having become short of breath once more. “Thank g-goodness. We, we’ve got to get out of here!”

“Why, Tim?” Chartreuse prompted.

“P-P-Police,” Tim forced out. He took in a long breath. “I saw them going into the main office, and they were s-saying something about an anonymous t-tip concerning the attack on C-Carrie. They w-wanted to question Frank, p-plus any students who were close to Julie.”

The three girls exchanged a quick glance. “Perfect,” Luci murmured. “Just perfect.”

As expected, it wasn’t long before the disappearances of Frank, Clarke and Corry were remarked upon. The three time travellers had covered for themselves the previous night by leaving messages stating that the three boys were sleeping over at each others’ houses - just in case. But now?

Chartreuse figured it wouldn’t be long before an investigation traced their missing friends' whereabouts back to the same group of students who had met at Frank’s the previous day.

Thus, after Tim’s warning, the group had all fled to the local cafe. Skipping their afternoon classes. From there, there’d come up with a plan.

Tim had agreed to take Laurie to the library. Extra research couldn’t hurt, plus in all the excitement of Sunday, they hadn’t ever clued Lee in as to what was happening. As such, and assuming he was working there later on, he might be the only one left who could afford to be seen out in the open. Meanwhile, Chartreuse and Luci had elected to go to the hospital.

“It’s all about Carrie, after all,” Chartreuse concluded as she looked at the floor indicators inside the hospital elevator.

“Hm?” Luci said.

The elevator doors opened and the two girls stepped out onto the floor which housed Carrie’s room. “It’s all about Carrie,” Chartreuse repeated. “I mean, you know, she found the machine, she does paradoxes, she’s supposedly in trouble because of changes to the past… like, why her, anyway? There’s gotta be some answers with Carrie.”

“The thought did occur to me,” Luci admitted. “Unfortunately, unless Shady calls again, we’ve got no one around to ask. Carrie herself is in no condition to talk. Or at least no condition to make sense when she does talk.”

The two girls reached Carrie’s room, Luci giving a tentative knock on the open door. Mr. Waterson looked up from his bedside vigil and offered back a tired smile through his two week old beard. No police, Chartreuse noted. Good sign!

“Hello there, Luci and… Chartreuse, is it?” Carrie’s dad asked.

Chartreuse nodded back. “Totally. We thought we’d stop in right after school to, you know, see how Carrie was doing,” she said.

The older Waterson turned back to his daughter. “No improvement, I’m afraid,” he said sadly. “Still unresponsive, with the occasional period of incoherent babbling.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Luci said. “But it means she’s not getting any worse, right?”

Mr. Waterson rubbed his neck. “Yeah. But considering they still don’t know what the trouble is, it’s hard to take comfort in that. Though the police are still following some leads on the shooting - they were by earlier, and said that Carrie’s friend Julie might have had something to do with it. That maybe she’s run off somewhere now to hide out. Can you believe that? I don’t suppose either of you know anything about it?”

Crud. Chartreuse looked to Luci, who winced. “No,” Luci said slowly, almost painfully. “We can’t help you there.”

“Oh well,” Carrie’s father sighed. “Still, it’s fortunate you came by. I don’t want to leave Carrie alone, but I need to use the restroom… please stay with her until I get back, all right?”

“Of course,” Chartreuse assured him, stepping into the room.

Mr. Waterson gave his daughter’s hand a final squeeze before standing up and releasing his hold upon her. “I’ll be right back,” he said. The pink haired girl took his place in the chair, reaching out to take hold of Carrie’s hand herself.

“Chartreuse… do you think YOU can reach her? Mystically?” Luci asked, once Mr. Waterson had departed.

Chartreuse bit her lip. “Whenever I’m here, I always hope I’ll get an impression or something from her. But still nothing.”

“Can you force it?”

Chartreuse turned and blinked at the younger girl. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Supposedly, she has powers. You have powers. Maybe you can… interface? I know, I’m grasping at straws here, but straws seem to be all we have left.”

Chartreuse looked back down at the blonde cheerleader. She was reminded of her classmate’s condition during the vision quests she’d done the previous week. There would come a point this week when Carrie would start twitching, convulsing, gasping for air, and then… then Chartreuse had pulled away, not wanting to know more. Unable to bear seeing more.

But Luci was right. They had to know more. For instance, was there some way of pinpointing exactly when Carrie’s condition would deteriorate? Would that give them another avenue to follow? “Carrie’s an Aries, right?”

“I don’t know,” Luci admitted.

Julie had thrown a birthday party for Carrie the past two years. “Pretty sure she’s an Aries,” Chartreuse concluded.

She reached back into her backpack, pulling out a small, smooth grey stone. She placed it into Carrie’s hand, wrapping the blonde’s fingers around it. Luci watched in silence as Chartreuse leaned over the bed, closing her hands over Carrie’s before shutting her eyes and concentrating.

“Ohm, ohm, oh my,” Chartreuse murmured quietly. “Spirits… tell me more about Carrie’s condition.” She swallowed. “Please.”

“Chartreuse!” Luci shouted. The asian girl was right up in her face, and Chartreuse flinched away out of reflex. Only to discover that Luci was holding her by the shoulders, having apparently yanked her away from Carrie’s body.

“Wow, what?” Chartreuse said, trying to regain her balance.

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Luci stated. “What was all that counting about?”

“Counting?” Chartreuse said in confusion. Wait, when had Luci moved close enough to grab her anyway?

“For the last minute and a half, you’ve been standing over Carrie with your eyes glazed over, counting backwards from 208 in one second decrements,” Luci stated. “It was REALLY starting to freak me out. When you wouldn’t answer me, I decided I didn’t want to let you hit zero.”

Chartreuse furrowed her brow, thinking back. She’d been leaning over Carrie, then… what? What had she even been thinking about? “I have no memory of counting,” Chartreuse admitted. “Are you sure?”

“Chartreuse - why would I lie about something like this??”

“I don’t know.” Chartreuse looked back towards the blonde lying comatose on the bed. “Carrie didn’t move or anything, did she?”

“No,” Luci replied. “In fact, the both of you were essentially motionless. Are you sure you don’t know what you were counting down to? Because it’s now about sixty seconds away.”

“No idea,” Chartreuse replied, reaching out to retrieve her stone from Carrie’s hand. Yet, no, that wasn’t exactly true… Chartreuse could now feel an overwhelming sense of impending doom. Somehow, Carrie’s deterioration was imminent. Yet how did she know that? And what was going to be the cause?

“Excuse me,” came a male voice. Chartreuse turned to see a hospital orderly. “I have to take another blood sample,” the man stated.

Luci moved aside with a sigh. “So, we’re back at square one then?” she asked.

Chartreuse was only half listening. Her attention was zeroing in on the thirtysomething orderly with the longish, dark hair as he readied his needle.

Lightning quick, her arm flashed out to grab him by the wrist and twist his arm away from the bed. He gasped and turned to her, a look of shock on his face.

As soon as their eyes locked, Chartreuse knew.

And Shady knew that she knew.

“Luci, get help,” Chartreuse ordered.

The man jerked himself out of Chartreuse’s grasp and sprang for the door. She launched herself after him, too late to grab hold, knocking the wind out of herself as she fell on the ground.

Quickly stumbling to her feet, Chartreuse dashed into the hallway in pursuit of the fake orderly. The one who had been about to kill Carrie Waterson.

***PAST: ILLINOIS

Some sixteen years before the attempt on Carrie’s life, two adults had been having a small difference of opinion. “I tell you, the baby’s coming,” the woman snapped.

“All I asked was ‘are you sure’,” the man countered, helping his wife put on her coat. “Because I don’t think your water broke.”

“Nnnnngh… look DEAR, if I need to have the child YOU want, YOU are going to drive me to the damn hospital when I damn well tell you to do it. Understood?!”

“Okay, okay,” her husband soothed. “Calm down, we’re off to the hospital.” He quickly moved to help his pregnant wife out the front door, locking it behind them.

Seconds later, a vortex opened in their home. It deposited a black box and an unconscious girl with long, naturally curly brown hair, which was still damp from a recent rainstorm. Their future daughter.

PART 40: REPARATIONS

“Corry… I want to know what’s really going on.”

Her twin blinked back at her in surprise. “What’s going on with what?”

For a moment, Laurie regretted saying anything. However, after both knocking AND waiting for Corry to invite her in, she decided she might as well see things through. She closed the door behind herself, to make it harder to leave.

“What’s going on with Carrie and Julie,” Laurie explained softly.

Corry sat up on his bed. “What has Chartreuse been telling you?”

Laurie tried to remember; she shouldn’t have left this talk for so late into the evening. “Not much. But she said that you both talked, and that she’d decided to tell you a bit about what was going on, and that you didn’t think there was any point her discussing more about the time traveling stuff with me today."

“Okay,” Corry said, visibly relaxing. “So?”

“So… I’ve decided I’m going to go see Chartreuse’s other friends tomorrow. To learn more about this on my own.”

Corry’s face clouded again. “I see. Why is that?”

“Because I want to,” Laurie stated. She forced herself to breathe, and speak in short sentences. “Because Chartreuse is right about stuff a lot more often than you give her credit for. And also because I need to know what really happened to Carrie and Julie. Even if that means finding out that my own brother is behind it all.”

Corry’s look became one of confusion, and he swung his legs off the side of the bed. “What?”

Laurie took in another breath. “Look, I know I’m naive, but maybe I’m not actually stupid,” she asserted. “You’ve never liked Carrie. Then you led that whole flyer campaign against Julie. The next day, Carrie’s in the hospital, Julie’s gone, and you barely look into it. So… so what part did you play in what happened to them?”

“You think I’m somehow responsible for what’s happened to those two?” Corry said. Now he looked shocked - but maybe he was faking it for her benefit.

“Aren’t you?”

“No! No, Gods no, Laurie, ruining a reputation is one thing, but have I ever done something that would threaten a person’s life?”

He seemed legitimately horrified. Oh no. Laurie looked down at her feet. “M-Maybe you’ve come close a couple of times.”

She heard Corry jump off of his bed and approach her. “Laurie… Laurie, look at me. Please,” he insisted, taking her by the shoulders. Slowly, her eyes came back up to lock with his. Okay, it didn’t look like he was upset with her, more - scared?

“Laurie, listen. I know sometimes I can get a little carried away. But you have to believe me, I would never, ever, do something that could outright kill a person,” he said. “Understand?”

Laurie searched her brother’s expression for any sign that he was lying. If he was, she couldn’t see it. She nodded, relieved beyond belief. “Okay. But then, if you aren’t behind what’s happened - why couldn’t what Chartreuse said be the truth?”

Corry released Laurie’s shoulders, shaking his head. “Laurie, time machines are science fiction. Apply Occam’s razor - meaning the simplest answer is likely correct. Carrie caught some disease after the shooting, and Julie ran away. And while I grant that I may have been indirectly responsible for that last thing, it was Julie’s decision to go.”

Laurie shook her head. “No, Corry. The right answer isn’t always the one that makes the most sense - otherwise I’d have higher marks. Besides, remember when Chartreuse found mom’s missing keys last August? Or when she had that premonition before our pop quiz in math class last month? Or when she predicted the Star Trek franchise coming back, despite the weak interest in that TV show ‘Enterprise'?”

“Sis, predictions related to Scott Bakula do not imply that a person can leap through space and time.”

“You KNOW what I mean,” Laurie protested, stamping her foot. “And it’s not only Chartreuse this time, apparently it’s Frank, and it’s Clarke, and so unless they’re all crazy there HAS to be something to this, yeah? So why couldn’t we at least talk more about that?”

Corry took another long, hard look at her before speaking again. “You’re not going to drop this subject no matter what, are you,” he realized.

“No, I’m n-not,” Laurie said, swallowing. She summoned up all of her resolve. “So please Corry, don’t blame Chartreuse for anything that happens now, because I’m doing it myself. You may like your more simple answers, but me, I’ve got to know more.”

Corry frowned. At first, Laurie thought he was getting upset again, until he said, “Honestly, I’m not that satisfied. All right, Laurie. If Chartreuse can somehow PROVE to me - to us - that her time travel theory is correct, I’ll go along with it.”

“Oh, thank you! I knew you’d be reasonable,” Laurie said, grabbing her brother in a big hug. “Let’s call her first thing tomorrow.”

“But at the first sign of a setup, we’re both out of there, okay?” Corry added, hugging back.

Laurie nodded. “Don’t worry,” she said happily. “I’m sure Chartreuse’s explanations will make PERFECT sense!”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Luci muttered to herself. “The circuit is closed, it should be getting power, so why isn’t it working?”

“Problems?” came the tired voice of Frank Dijora from the stairway.

Luci turned. “Frank, you said you’d get at least six hours of rest,” she accused.

Frank yawned. “I’m surprised I managed five,” he admitted. He gestured at the clock. “Besides, it’s almost time for breakfast. My mom’s up and making pancakes. Though I can bring ‘em down here if you don’t think we’ll make the noon deadline.”

“No, no, we’re on track,” Luci sighed. “But it’s frustrating - whenever we replace parts, they’re not as compact as whatever was in there before, and the wiring gets awkward. This would be so much easier using futuristic technology.”

Frank smiled wanly. “Tell me about it. I’m sure you’ve done the best you could with it though.” He moved next to her in order to peer down inside the black box himself.

Luci felt her cheeks warming at his proximity, and was not entirely successful in hiding it. “Er, sorry… too close?” Frank said, taking a step back upon realizing.

“It’s all right,” Luci murmured. “Some silly worries I’ve been having, which when coupled with my feelings… look, assuming we get this fixed, you make sure you’re careful while you’re back in the past, okay?”

Frank seemed surprised. “Of course,” he assured. “And…” His gaze drifted away from her face. “Luci, I realize it’s been three weeks now since… since you made your feelings clear to me. So… so I’m sorry that I’m still trying to sort it all out. But there’s been a bunch of other things happening lately and… well…” Frank stopped, obviously at a loss for what to say next.

Luci sighed. “It’s okay, Frank,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm. “I’m a patient girl. It can wait until after we get through this crisis.” She smiled, as a thought struck her. “Besides, with this impromptu sleepover, I got to spend the night with you, in a way. I’ll let that carry me through.” She winked, and watched in amusement as Frank turned away to hide his own reddening cheeks.

“Frank, there’s a Chartreuse on the phone for you,” came the voice of Frank’s mother from the top of the stairs. “She says it’s quite important - something about Laurie’s brother?”

The two teenagers exchanged a quick glance before heading back up the stairway together.

“This is preposterous,” Corry said dourly. “You expect me to believe that pile of junk is a time machine? I mean, aren’t you supposed to be able to ride in them?”

“You can, you know, believe whatever you like,” Chartreuse declared. “The fact remains, it’s true.”

Corry hmphed, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall of Frank’s basement. Frank and Luci seemed to be in the process of some sort of repair work on the thing. Tim, who was apparently mixed up in this as well, had been delayed. Which meant the Veniti twins were being brought up to speed by, of all people, Chartreuse and Clarke.

Corry glanced sidelong at his sister - she looked skeptical, but it still seemed like she wanted to see things through. Fine. He shifted his gaze to Clarke, the tall boy seeming the saner choice. “So let me see if I have this straight,” Corry began.

“Carrie found a time machine last September. Julie found out about it, shot Carrie, and then used the thing to time travel back to the year of her birth, where she died. Carrie’s present condition is related to the fact that Julie’s death was not supposed to take place.

“Add to this a mysterious caller from the future, the rediscovery of your time device back here in town, and the fact that you need someone who was in Miami at the same time Julie was born to end up in the correct geographical location for this rescue operation. Is that right?”

“Yeeeeah,” Clarke said. He frowned. “I grant it doesn’t sound so plausible when you put it together like that.”

“So me, Frank and Clarke would be trying to track down Julie in Illinois?” Laurie said, chewing nervously on her lower lip.

“Right,” Chartreuse confirmed. “We need you, otherwise they’d end up in the wrong place. Though even so, you’ll probably be, you know, several kilometres off where you have to be, that’s why you’ll have, like, bikes and rations and stuff with you.”

“Miles, Chartreuse, they use miles in the States,” Corry reminded. He glanced around the room, scrutinizing everyone present.

“You’re all insane,” he decided. “I mean, it’s a fun little fantasy story, but you have yet to offer us any concrete proof. So please, give us an example of your magical ‘time travel’ abilities?”

“A demonstration is going to be a problem,” Luci said. She turned, tossing aside a screwdriver. “Because even though we’re finally done here, I can’t see the machine holding up for more than two, maybe three time trips.”

Everyone’s gazes shifted over to where she and Frank had been working.

“I’m forced to agree,” Frank said with a sigh. “Meaning there and back. Besides, we don’t have enough coins from the present year to waste on demonstrations. You’ll simply have to take our word for it, Corry.”

“How convenient,” Corry observed, rolling his eyes.

“So you… you can’t prove it to us?” Laurie asked quietly. Her gaze was pleading, but Frank and Luci shook their heads.

“Well then,” Corry concluded, pushing himself away from the wall. “Either you are making this up, and trying to ridicule me and Laurie with your ludicrous tales, or you are serious, and thus hope to get my sister to participate in a potentially lethal trip, chasing after my bitter rival. Does the phrase lose-lose situation mean anything to you?”

“Look, there is a better way to put this,” Frank insisted. He paused. “I just… don’t know what that is.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Chartreuse shouted. She reached out to seize Laurie’s hands. “You believe everything that we’ve been saying, right? You’ll help save Julie and Carrie no matter what Corry thinks?”

Corry grimaced, but he held his tongue, wondering what his sister would say. Laurie opened and closed her mouth a few times before actually speaking.

“I… I want to,” she said at last. “I really do. But…” Her gaze slipped away from Chartreuse and down to the floor. “This whole thing is getting more crazy and more serious, and I didn’t think it would be exactly like this, and Chartreuse, I… I’m scared.”

“But it won’t be, you know, so bad,” Chartreuse said, desperately. “I mean, Clarke would be along, and you like him, and he can make sure nothing real bad happens.”

Corry moved to put an arm around his sister’s shoulders, at the same time firing an angry glare at Chartreuse. “Sis, don’t let anyone pressure you into doing something you don’t want to,” he soothed.

Laurie lifted her gaze back up to look at her brother, then she turned to regard everyone else in the room. She bit down hard on her lower lip, the conflicting emotions inside of her evident in the changing expressions on her face.

“Come on now, why don’t we go home and put this whole sorry affair behind us,” Corry suggested.

For a moment, there was silence. And when Laurie finally opened her mouth to reply, a new voice broke in instead.

“G-G-G-Guys,” stammered Tim.

Frank turned as he heard the blonde boy nearly fall in his haste to get down the basement stairway. “Tim?”

Tim didn’t seem to hear him. “Is C-C-C-Corry s-still here?” Tim called out desperately. “I’ve g-g-g-got s-something s-s-so important!”

Clarke moved to his friend’s side, at the bottom of the stairs. “Hold on now, Tim,” he said calmly. “Everyone’s here, including Corry. Don’t stress yourself out. Take a few deep breaths, then tell us what’s happened.”

Tim blinked up at Clarke, then nodded and did as he suggested before looking out at all of the others in the room. He held up what looked like an old envelope. “It’s this m-message… it was l-left with my father’s l-law firm, sixteen years ago. I’m l-late today because he had been told to g-give it to m-me this morning… and it’s f-f-for you.” Tim concluded, bowing forwards slightly as he held the sealed envelope out towards Corry.

The redheaded boy blinked in surprise. He glanced around the room, Frank noting how everyone else was basically as taken aback by this new development as he was. Snatching the envelope from the smaller boy, Corry turned it around suspiciously in his hands.

It looked to be a perfectly normal envelope, with ‘Corry Veniti’ written on the front. But then Corry’s grip tightened. “This is my handwriting,” he realized.

“Wait, Tim, you got this message through your father’s law firm years ago - when exactly was this left with them?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know,” Tim said. “It actually came with some message from my Uncle Hubert, probably to appease my dad. Corry’s envelope there was inside a larger envelope for me. With a note saying to b-bring it here.” He shook his head. “That’s all I’ve got.”

“So we wrote ourselves a letter, telling us how to, like, deal with the current situation,” Chartreuse said.

“Hmmm… there is some logic in that,” Luci agreed. “After all, we now have a working machine, which reopens the free will debate. And if the only trip we’ll be taking is to get Julie, paying someone in Tim’s family to send a delayed letter would be the best way to communicate with ourselves now. I think I even saw this on a TV show once…”

“But then why address it to Corry?” Clarke objected.

“Maybe we’ll know when he opens it,” Laurie proposed. She looked over to her brother. He sighed, then ripped open the envelope, pulling out a whole stack of paper. The redhead’s eyes widened as he scanned over the top sheet of handwritten information.

“This is… impossible…” he muttered. “It has to be trick.” Corry’s gaze snapped back up. “How the hell did you all pull this off?”

“Pull what off?” Frank asked.

Laurie shifted position slightly so that she could see the pages over Corry’s shoulder.

“Well then,” Laurie murmured as she scanned across the page. “Either you are making this up, and trying to ridicule me and Laurie with your ludicrous tales, or you are serious, and thus hope to get my sister to participate…” Laurie stopped and looked back up. “The words written here are the same as what Corry said earlier,” she said in surprise.

“This is what everyone said,” Corry corrected, having flipped to a later page. His face had taken on a slightly paler shade than usual. “It’s a transcript, which includes Laurie’s fears, word for word… and what I’m saying right now…?!”

“Oh, neat. So how will our conversation end?” Chartreuse asked.

“I don’t know, it stops at what you said,” Corry answered through clenched teeth. Throwing the sheets aside, he reached out for Tim, grabbing hold of his shirt. “How did you do that?” Corry demanded. “Have you been upstairs listening in, did you learn to forge my handwriting?”

Tim let out a strangled gasp. “N-No, I-I-I-I-I–”

Clarke got a firm grip on the redhead’s arm. “Corry, I suggest you let Tim go. Now. Whatever is going on, it’s not his doing.”

“Besides, even if Tim was listening, how could he write out a conversation still in progress?” Luci pointed out.

“How could anyone write anything so precise?” Frank added, thoroughly confused. “I’m not recording down here, and it’s not like we could have time traveled back to plant listening devices… uh oh, do you think the government has found out about us?”

Having released his hold on Tim, Corry now turned to Frank. “You mean you really don’t know how that could have been recorded?” he marvelled. Frank shook his head.

Corry stared at him for another long moment before reaching into his own pocket. He walked over to the lab bench, slapping down a device. A miniature recorder. For a moment, no one was quite sure what to say.

Laurie spoke first. “So, um, hold on,” she said. “Corry, you mean YOU recorded this whole conversation, in order to use it to convince yourself that everything being said was true, even though you don’t really think the conversation is true and you didn’t think that when you started recording it either?” She frowned. “My head feels funny.”

“Look, I was recording everything because I thought I’d better have an account of what really happened, in case someone here tried to claim otherwise,” Corry stated. “Standard procedure for me. Why a transcript should appear in a letter that claims to be over sixteen years old, I have no idea.”

“I d-do,” Tim said, having stooped down to retrieve the pages Corry had thrown aside. He held up the final sheet, tapping at it. “Did you r-read this at all, Corry?”

Corry snatched the page back from him, scanning it over. His grip tightened, and his face went almost white. Laurie again crept in to read over her brother’s shoulder, Chartreuse also joining her friend.

“Now that I have your attention, I have a proposition to make,” Chartreuse read aloud, for the benefit of everyone. “Namely that I, Corry Veniti, take the place of my sister on the trip. Not only to, like, ensure her safety in the present, but also the safety of Frank and Clarke in the past - based on what I know of Julie. Based on how she, you know, acted that one January, our first year of high school.” She tilted her head. “Corry, what did Julie do then?”

When Corry didn’t respond, Laurie continued to read. “That said,” Laurie murmured, “Feel free to use free will and disregard this suggestion. All I ask is that I, Corry Veniti, now write it and send it back sixteen years in order to preserve the timeline.”

Corry slowly walked back to the lab bench, placing the page down next to his recording device. He leaned in against the edge of the table, lost in thought. Luci opened her mouth to say something, but Laurie held up a finger, shaking her head as she looked at her brother.

“Frank,” Corry said at last. “Did Julie go back in time with the express intention of killing herself?”

Frank flinched. “How could you have known that?”

Corry didn’t immediately respond, staring back down, re-reading the passage over and over. Finally, he turned.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Okay, if this were to hypothetically persuade me that you’re not outright lying, and furthermore convince me that I should, in fact, join you in your efforts… can you please guarantee to me that time travel won’t devise anything this CREEPY for me ever again?”

“I wish I could,” Frank sighed. “Believe me, I really, really wish I could.”

Corry raked his fingers back through his hair. “Damn.” He glanced at his sister, then back at Frank. “But fine. When will I be joining you to save Julie?”

PART 39: RECOVERY MODE

Corry Veniti tapped his pencil on the page before him as he contemplated the conversation he’d had with his sister. Despite telling her to put the whole Carrie/Julie situation behind them, Laurie’s mannerisms had suggested to him that she wouldn’t be able to do that.

Truth be told, the unanswered questions were gnawing at him too. He’d never been fond of mysteries relating to Julie. How was it no one at school knew what had happened to her? Could she have been kidnapped by someone? On account of those flyers he’d printed? Was her disappearance his fault?

“Stop that,” Corry admonished himself. “This isn’t my problem. It’s HER problem.” He reached out to resume the play of Beethoven’s fifth. Then stopped it again minutes later. “I brushed Laurie off too quickly though,” he decided. “I should have done something more to distract her.”

Making up his mind, Corry rose from his desk, leaving his chemistry unfinished. However, as he reached his sister’s bedroom, he heard Laurie exclaim something which sounded like “TIME machine??”. Chartreuse’s voice followed, mentioning “tricky special stuff”.

With his hand raised to knock, Corry instead found himself leaning in closer to the door, to catch more of whatever was going on. He didn’t like what little he heard. He decided to challenge Chartreuse about it as soon as he had the chance.

“We have to talk,” Corry repeated icily. “Now.”

Chartreuse eyed him uncertainly. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably, you know, wrong,” she ventured.

“I think you’re creating some sort of time travel delusion for my sister, so that she feels better about whatever’s happened with Carrie and Julie,” he said. “And while I’m all for improving her mood, I don’t think now is the time for such silly, mystic games. Particularly if they’re as “risky” as you seemed to be implying.”

The pink haired girl’s nose crinkled up. “How do YOU know what I was implying? I mean, I know you look out for Laurie, but are you seriously, like, bugging her room now?”

“What? No, hearing you was an accident,” Corry said defensively. And a bit too loudly; he lowered his voice as he moved closer to his sister’s friend. “I was merely coming to Laurie’s room to speak with her, and overheard some of your talk. Don’t change the subject. What nonsense are you getting my sister mixed up in?”

Chartreuse shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Ummm… okay, so… it is kinda like what you think, except there’s no nonsense here," she yielded. “There really is a time machine. Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“It’s, like, missing.”

Corry stared. “You must think I was born yesterday.”

“Oh, not at all,” Chartreuse assured, perking up. “Since if you were, we wouldn’t be able to use your family DNA to travel back to recover Julie.”

Corry felt taken aback by her sudden certainty. “My what?”

“Okay, it has to do with spacials and…. you know, is it too late to say this was part of a Home Ec project?”

“Yes,” Corry replied, frown deepening.

“Figures.” She licked her lips. “Thing is, Luci, like, explained this part better.”

“What do you mean recover Julie? Is this one of her plots?”

Chartreuse opened her mouth, then closed it, then crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Know what? Not gonna tell you,” she decided. “Not here, not now. After all, you have, you know, a blind spot where Julie is concerned.”

Corry felt his hands curling into fists. “Then you’re not going to say anything more to Laurie either. I’m nipping this H. G. Wells nonsense in the bud! She’s upset enough as it is without your–“

“Corry, do you seriously think I’m trying to hurt Laurie here?” Chartreuse interrupted, visibly frustrated. “You know I care about her as much as you do. Thing is, without her help… it will cost the lives of two other people.”

“Don’t overdramatize,” Corry scoffed. “Now, I know Laurie looks up to you, and values the time you spend together, but really - at some point you have to stop deluding her with your mystic ramblings.”

Chartreuse stamped her foot. “Okay, first of all? Laurie values her time with, like, everyone to some degree. Not only me, and perhaps certain people even more than you may realize. And secondly? Merely because YOU don’t believe in something, that doesn’t make it a fantasy. I’m speaking the honest truth here, Corry!”

Corry peered a bit closer, to gauge her sincerity. She definitely seemed serious. Except the stories she was weaving - they were nonsense. “Even assuming I believe you,” he decided. “Your plans seem far too dangerous.”

“Yeah, well, you know, life can be like that. Besides, if Laurie wants to help someone, she’s going to do it. No matter what EITHER us has to say.”

“Unless she’s not given the option.”

Chartreuse winced. “Corry…”

“From this point forwards, whatever you have to say to Laurie about this matter goes through me first,” he decided. “I will then decide whether it’s worth passing on. Understood?”

Chartreuse must have sensed his unwillingness to compromise, as her gaze dropped down to the floor. “Okay,” she sighed. Then she looked back up at him. “But, you know, think about this - what if I AM right? And what if, because of you, we do nothing, and people die terrible, needless deaths? How will you feel then? And how will Laurie feel when she learns about what you did?”

She strode away before Corry had a chance to formulate any sort of reply, fleeing downstairs to the kitchen. He watched her go with a frown. Time machine? Family DNA? Needless deaths? Ridiculous.

So where had Julie disappeared to? “She’s not my problem,” he asserted aloud, clenching his jaw. “Not. My. Problem.”

Lee shuffled home from the library, lost in thought. No matter which way he turned things around in his head, he couldn’t figure out what Clarke and Tim wanted with that old black box. It had been, what, two years now since his mom had grabbed it at the LaMille yard sale? So why were they asking about it today? And what did they mean, saying it could save lives? This was all very strange.

Oh well. Clarke had said he could explain it, after getting the okay from some other people. So Lee had said he’d get the box to them, after which they’d gone their separate ways.

He’s LEE KING.
Think about that name. And about his siblings. (Sorry.)

‘Which is good,’ Lee reflected as he trudged across the railroad tracks. ‘Since I don’t think many people have bothered to figure out my exact address, and I’d rather keep it that way.’ He proceeded further into the poorer section of town, finally stopping at an old two story house with a faded nameplate on the mailbox that read: ‘King Residence’. Taking a deep breath, Lee entered the house and called out, “I’m home!”

“LeeLeeLeeLeeLeeLeeLee,” came the excited voice of a young girl. Moments later she came tearing around the corner, jumping up into his arms. “Missed you,” she concluded, innocently batting her eyelashes as she stared up at him.

Lee couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at her. “Hi Soh,” he said, giving her a quick hug. “And how’s my favouritist youngest sister?”

“I’m okay,” Soh said brightly as Lee let her back down to the floor. “We did finger paintin' in class today an' I made a palm tree.” She giggled at her own joke.

“Well, I’m sure you did a wonderful job,” Lee assured. He glanced up. “What have you done with everyone else then? Playing a big game of hide and seek?”

“No, silly,” Soh declared, blonde pigtails flicking back and forth as she shook her head. “They’re all upstairs. ‘Cept momma, she’s cookin’.” The young girl lifted her hand, counting each person off on her fingers.  “Granmamma’s sleepin', Sing’s readin' her books, an’ Faye, well, she’s sulkin'.”

Lee’s heart sank. If the oldest among his younger siblings was sulking now, it meant only one thing: their father had cancelled out on them for dinner. Again. Poor Faye, she’d never been the same since the divorce. “And how about you, what are you doing?” Lee inquired genially, pushing those thoughts back out of his mind.

“Colourin’,” Soh said happily. “Come on, comeseecomesee, I’m even stayin' inside the lines this time, kinda.”

“Maybe a little later, okay?” Lee said, reaching out to pat her head. “I should check in with mom first.” He winked. “And hey, don’t be too worried about those lines. Hate to see you become a conformist.”

“Silly,” Soh reiterated. “I won’t be no confar miss.” With that, she turned and skipped back into the dining room area. Lee headed for the kitchen, where his mother was stirring something in a pot on the stove.

“He’s not coming then?” Lee said, leaning back against the doorframe. It wasn’t really a question.

“No,” his mother admitted, turning to flash her only son a tired smile. “He’s not. His excuse this time was work, keeping him out of town, but Faye’s blaming me as usual. Maybe you can talk with her?”

“I can try,” Lee said. “But not before dinner, I’m afraid. I told some friends I’d bring them something important. I’m only here to grab it.”

“Oh? Then if you’re going out again, can you pick up your grandmother’s medication?” his mother asked. “She was grousing about needing a refill when I got home today.”

“I guess so,” Lee said, scanning over the food on the counter. Looked like spaghetti again. Third time this week.

“You won’t have to use your own money either,” his mother added. “I was paid yesterday, so there’s some cash on top of the fridge.”

Lee nodded, moving to retrieve a couple of bills. “That reminds me, I might be able to work some extra hours at the library in the coming week,” he remarked. “Think the extra income would be of use?”

“Well, your father IS supposed to be sending us another cheque soon,” his mother answered. “But if it’s late again…”

“Gotcha.”

“I’m SO sorry about this, Lee…”

“Hey, no big deal, used to it by now,” Lee said dismissively. He smiled and moved in to give his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll try not to be gone longer than another hour. Keep some sauce on the stove for me?”

“Will do,” his mother assured.

Lee proceeded out of the kitchen and upstairs; he then pulled down the additional flight of steps leading up to the attic, and continued up to his room. It didn’t take long for him to find the old black box - he knew it had been here somewhere, though he hadn’t realized it had been his end table.

He moved his lamp off the circular panel and picked the object up, turning it around in his hands a couple of times. He absently pulled down on the lever. Nothing happened. “Well, okay, if it’s that important to you guys,” he muttered. “Not like I store tons of stuff on it anyway.”

“How is Carrie?”

“No change,” Luci sighed as she approached him. “Though that does mean no worse. Any sign of Lee yet?”

“Nope,” Clarke replied, turning to glance around the main area of the hospital. “But this is where we agreed to meet, so I figure he’ll be along any minute.”

Luci nodded, turning to look around herself. She frowned. Then took a step back to lean against the wall.

“Luci? I’m sure Carrie will pull through,” Clarke offered up. “She has that sort of personality.”

Luci looked up at the tall blonde again. “Hm?”

“You look worried,” Clarke said. “I’m assuming it’s from seeing Carrie?”

“Oh! Right. Except no. That is…” Luci pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m worried about Carrie, but I have some other things on my mind today too.”

Clarke cocked his head to the side. “You mean like whether we’re going to pull off this whole crazy rescue operation?”

“Yeah…” Luci paused, then reached out to grab Clarke’s shoulder, maneuvering him away from the people nearby. “Maybe I need to talk to someone who’s not Frank,” she decided, glancing briefly back over her shoulder before looking up to meet his gaze. “Clarke - are we doing the right thing here?”

Clarke frowned. “You don’t think we should save Julie?”

“Oh no, it’s not that,” Luci corrected with an immediate shake of her head. “Not even Julie deserved to die this way. It’s more… what if we’re all being manipulated into doing it?”

“Manipulated?” Clarke repeated back, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly. Think about it,” Luci continued quietly. “This ‘Shady’ guy who spoke to Frank may now be manipulating things - by staying out of them.”

“You already lost me.”

“When Carrie first got her hands on the time machine, Shady didn’t step in with any tips, or helpful pieces of information,” Luci elaborated. “Carrie had carte blanche to do as she liked. Then after she was shot, okay, he made the one call to Frank, but otherwise he has done nothing. This, despite his apparent power to “push” his will onto others. Now, Frank thinks it’s because Shady likes free will, but what if Shady’s been employing some sort of reverse psychology? Maybe he’s the one behind everything, and by trying to save Julie, we’ll end up playing right into his hands!”

She fell silent. Clarke seemed to consider her argument. “Except,” he reasoned, “by that logic, we’d have to second guess everything we do. And even then, if other people are second guessing our second guessing… well, er, it’s all kinda pointless in the end. Right, Luci?”

“I… guess?” Luci wrung her hands in the air. “Yet I’M the one who insisted to Frank that he wait on calling the police - and I can’t even go on the time trip we’re all organizing. So what if I’ve made a mistake? Like I did with Carrie’s personality and Julie’s reactions and what if Frank gets HURT, all because of my stubborn resolve?” She dropped her eyes to the ground. “I know, I know. Silly thing to worry about.”

Clarke reached out to place a hand on Luci’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s not silly at all,” he reassured. “In fact, you’re finally making more sense. I’m thinking you’re not used to being wrong much?”

Luci flinched. “I… it’s atypical, yes.”

“Me, I’m wrong a lot,” Clarke said easily. “And usually, it’s not a big deal, so I keep trying - or if it’s real important, and I’m not sure? That’s when I rely on others to take care of it for me. Heck, sometimes, to score the basket, you have to know when to pass the ball.” He smiled, and patted her shoulder. “Don’t second guess yourself, Luci. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure Frank’s kept safe for you.”

Luci felt her cheeks getting warm again. “I-I’m not ONLY worried about him, y’know…”

“Whoa, there y’are,” Lee said, choosing that moment to make his appearance. “Thought you’d be outside, but then I realized, wait, it is a bit cold for that. Oh, hey short stuff, you involved in this with the high guy too?”

“So to speak,” Luci said. Her attention was immediately drawn to the device in Lee’s hands. “So you DO have it,” she breathed.

Lee held out the black box. “Yeah, this what you were looking for?”

“That’s it,” Clarke confirmed off of Luci’s reaction. She accepted the device, turning it around in her hands a few times. She tried pushing and then pulling on the lever, but nothing happened.

“As I said, it’s broken,” Lee noted.

Clarke nodded. “That’s fine. You want to come with us then? The truth about all this might blow your mind.”

“I can’t,” Lee apologized to them. “Family errand stuff at the pharmacy. Can we delay the big scoop ‘till Sunday? Or whenever works for you?”

He watched as Clarke turned to Luci, who shrugged. “We probably don’t need Lee,” she admitted. “But then who knows what we’ll find in this thing.”

“I will be working at the library again tomorrow,” Lee reminded them. “So you can find me there if you have questions.”

“Okay then,” Clarke said, reaching out to shake his hand. “Thanks very much, Lee.”

“Hope you save those lives you were talking about,” Lee said, shaking back and flashing them both a grin.

“Come on Clarke, let’s get this to Frank’s,” Luci said, already moving off. “Time is of the essence.” Clarke nodded, and the two of them turned to leave the hospital.

Lee watched them go, wondering even more now about this whole affair - but family came first. More to the point, he had to think of a good way of talking to Faye, once he got home.

How was he supposed to explain to her that it wasn’t their mother’s fault dad didn’t visit more often? The man had been trying to distance himself from the family ever since Soh, the fourth King child had been born… but Faye couldn’t see it.

Lee shook his head and walked for the hospital exit. And stopped. Something had caught his eye. He scanned back over the crowd inside the waiting area a bit more closely, his gaze finally settling on a man who was sitting near the door. His quarry immediately pulled his newspaper back up in front of his face, but not before Lee got a good look.

‘That was the same guy from the library,’ Lee realized. ‘The weird cultist who wanted that information on the LaMilles. Huh, so he can dress normal. But why would he be hanging around the hospital now? Is it related to Clarke and Tim… and that box?’

Lee pretended to scan the area a bit more, then shrugged and turned away, hoping to present the illusion that he hadn’t seen whatever he’d been looking for.

‘I’ll mention this to one of those guys the next time I see them,’ Lee decided. ‘Because I’m starting to understand what they mean by this being a big deal…’

Frank rubbed the side of his head. “So, you all want the good news, or the bad news?” he asked.

All the teens that Chartreuse had once dubbed ‘time trippers’ had gathered back in his basement lab, where they had finally managed to pry the lid off the time machine with a crowbar.

“Let’s have the good news,” Clarke said. “About time we had some.”

“Well,” Frank began, looking up from his inspection. “I should be able to reconnect the lever mechanism to the top panel, making the time machine physically functional again.”

“A-And… the bad news?” Tim asked.

“With regard to actually activating it, there’s a couple of rather important circuits missing. Now, I THINK we can replace them too, the same way we did in October…” Frank let out a long breath. “Except the information for doing it was on those sheets of paper Julie grabbed before she left. So we’ll be working from memory.”

“You think Julie took out those circuits on purpose?” Luci speculated. Frank could only shrug.

“Then of course there’s the WORSE news, which is that Corry’s not going to let Laurie come quietly,” Chartreuse moaned. “I’m SO sorry about him finding out, guys. Though, you know, even I’m starting to have second thoughts about Laurie’s involvement.”

“Our work is cut out for us,” Frank said dryly. He cracked his knuckles. “But it’s still Saturday night. We have twenty four hours. So, unless any of you think you’ll be able to assist with repairs on the machine? It’s best for you - and your families - that you go home, and get some sleep. I’ll do what I can overnight, while you all think about Corry. We can regroup tomorrow.”

“I’m staying,” Luci asserted. She continued on before Frank had a chance to protest. “Since I CAN assist with repairs, and more to the point, you’ll need to get some sleep tonight yourself, Frank. Don’t want you traveling into the past tomorrow night without having slept.”

“I guess,” Frank yielded. “Okay. Let’s meet back here tomorrow at noon. Alternatively, if you have any new ideas, or me and Luci make better time on the repairs, we can get in touch.”

The matter was settled shortly thereafter. Not only at Frank’s house, but also in a discussion taking place at the Veniti residence.

PART 38: COMING TOGETHER

Laurie finished shading in her drawing, then leaned back to get a better overall look. The kitten stared up at her from the page with small, sad eyes. “Oh, who am I kidding?” Laurie whimpered. She pushed aside her sketch pad and leaned over her desk, cradling her head in her arms. “Drawing won’t cheer me up. I should get back to my math.”

The redhead reached out and flipped open her textbook, pulling it over and staring down at it blankly. Golly, this unit was hard to figure out! It was bad enough trying to understand math under normal circumstances… now, what with Carrie in the hospital, and Clarke withdrawing, no doubt due to Julie’s disappearance…

“I can’t concentrate,” Laurie wailed aloud. She pushed the textbook away and picked up her pencil again. However, after less than a minute of doodling, Laurie had tossed it aside once more.

“I’ll see what Corry’s up to,” she decided. Heading out of her room, she went down the hall, making a point of knocking on her brother’s door.

“Who’s there?” Corry called out.

Laurie turned the knob and peered around the corner. “Who d’you think?” she answered.

“I said ‘who’s there’ not ‘come in’,” Corry observed dryly, turning away from his own desk. He reached out and hit pause on his music player, cutting off the sound of classical music.

“Close enough,” Laurie said. “I did knock.”

Corry rolled his eyes. “Guess that’s what confused me. Okay little sis, what’s up?”

She didn’t even think to call him out on the ‘little sis’ remark. “Guess I was wondering what you were doing.”

“Finishing my chemistry write-up,” Corry noted. “It’s due soon, and I’ve been putting it off.”

“Oh.” Laurie edged a little further into the room, glancing over at the music player then back at her brother. “So… that was Beethoven, right? One of his symphonies?”

Corry nodded. “Glad to see I’m finally having a positive cultural effect on you.”

“But you only listen to his symphonies to calm down when you’re upset about something,” Laurie pointed out. “So… so does that mean you’re troubled by what’s been happening?”

Her brother looked away. “Troubled? No, I wouldn’t say troubled. It’s been an interesting few weeks, that’s all.”

Laurie leaned back up against the door frame. “Oh.”

He looked back. “Laurie, are you feeling troubled?”

She shifted her weight back and forth. “Maybe.”

“About Julie or about Carrie?” Corry prompted. Laurie didn’t reply, merely shifted back and forth again. Corry sighed. “Look sis, there’s no point in getting all worked up over those two,” he continued. “After all, whatever’s happened with them, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Yeah… I know,” Laurie admitted. “Still it’s… well, it’s upsetting, yeah?”

“If you ask me, it’s nonsensical,” Corry countered, annoyance creeping into his tone. “Julie disappearing without a trace? Carrie going stir crazy in the hospital? I don’t get it. Makes no sense. So, better to put it all behind us and move on.”

“But… but how can you just DO that??”

“Simple, look towards the future. Not back at the past. For instance, have you started your math homework yet?”

“Kinda,” Laurie admitted sullenly. “It’s too hard though.”

“Tell you what then,” Corry continued. “Give me a half hour to finish up my stuff here, and then I’ll help you out with it. Okay?”

“O-Okay. I guess.”

Corry smiled reassuringly. “Cheer up, Laurie. Whatever’s happened, I’m sure it will work itself out in time. Until then, we move on with the rest of our lives. I’m sure Clarke would want you to do that, right?”

Laurie pursed her lips, then nodded again. “Yeah. Okay,” she repeated. “See you in half an hour then?”

Corry nodded, and Laurie slipped back out of his room, closing the door behind her. She still couldn’t bring herself to smile though. What was she going to do for the next half hour anyway? Maybe she should call Chartreuse. Yes, that was a good idea, Chartreuse always helped her feel better.

Laurie headed back to her room. However, before she reached it, she heard the doorbell ring. Straining to hear who the visitor was, Laurie heard a familiar voice speaking to her mother.

“Chartreuse, I was just going to call you,” Laurie said, bouncing down the stairs towards her. “Maybe this is one of those psychic ESP things you’ve talked about?”

Chartreuse smiled at her red haired friend. “There must be some good alpha waves going on,” she agreed. “Though I’m kinda here on a mission too. Mind if we, like, have a quick talk about something? In your room?”

As they walked upstairs, Chartreuse debated possible ways to broach the subject of what had happened to Julie. The direct method was probably best. Right? Except Laurie still looked a little distraught. Could she handle direct?

“So, what’s up?” Laurie asked, moving to sit cross-legged on her bed.

“Well, it’s, you know, something very secret,” Chartreuse began tentatively, as she closed Laurie’s bedroom door. She forced herself not to pace back and forth. “Along the same lines as your dream to become a professional animator.”

Laurie’s eyes widened. “But… you’re the only person I’ve ever told that to. Not even Corry knows about it.”

“And he can’t know about this either. Not right away,” Chartreuse asserted. “So promise you’ll, like, keep this quiet forever n' ever, or, um, at least until circumstances change?”

Laurie nodded wordlessly.

Chartreuse took in a deep breath. Yeah, best to simply say it. “Okay then. So, Frank, Carrie and Luci had a time machine. But Julie took it to, like, escape into the past. So now we need your help to get Julie back. You follow that?”

Laurie stared. Her nose crinkled. “Waaaait… TIME machine?? And… me? Why me?”

“It’s got to do with some, you know, tricky spacials stuff. It hinges on the fact that you were born in Miami during the right year,” Chartreuse explained. She was having trouble figuring out if Laurie was more confused or excited.

Laurie’s frown deepened. “But… okay, well, I was obviously only in Miami from May 21st onwards, because birthday, so how does that connect and where did this time machine come from, did Frank and Luci invent it and how did you find out about it, for that matter how long have you known and does this have anything to do with why Carrie’s in the hospital now because oooooooh, golly, hold on, she wasn’t shot because of this machine WAS she, I mean there aren’t international spies running around trying to get it back from you are there, is your life in danger or is Julie’s, or was Julie in on it and is that why she was usually able to best my brother - it could explain some things - though it raises a lot of other questions too and golly I’m not really sure where to begin anymore but give me a second to keep processing this–”

“Laurie, hold on,” Chartreuse cut in quickly as Laurie paused for a lungful of air. At least the nonstop talking was a really good sign. “All your questions will be answered. For right now, what I have to know is… are you willing to help us out? Because it could be dangerous.”

Laurie’s lips pursed. “Seems like if I don’t help, nothing will get better for Carrie or Julie. Right?”

Chartreuse nodded reluctantly. “Probably. But regarding time travel, there’s a lot of stuff we’re still not sure of. So don’t, like, base your decision only on them… you’re hardly close friends.”

“Chartreuse, how long have you known me?” Laurie said indignantly. “If I can help make people feel better, I want to do it. Doesn’t matter if they’ll thank me or not, what goes around comes around, and I know there’s loads of times when I’ve needed people to help me out too.”

“Right… I should have, you know, figured on you saying that,” Chartreuse admitted. She should have found a way to phrase things better.

“So when do we leave?” Laurie asked, uncrossing her legs.

“Whoa, hold on,” her friend protested. “We don’t even, like, have the machine back yet. In fact there’s a lot of stuff still being organized, and… well, we’ll have to talk to your brother first.”

Laurie folded her arms. “Chartreuse, you JUST said that this was a secret that he can’t know about!”

“Welllll… it’s more we don’t want him finding out at a time which isn’t of our choosing,” Chartreuse corrected. “Otherwise he might react badly, given how Carrie and Julie are involved too.”

Laurie shook her head. “That makes NO sense. If you have a time machine, how can it NOT happen at a time of your choosing?” she protested.

“Okay, it’s not as simple as that,” Chartreuse sighed. “Again, we don’t have the machine now, plus I also said this was, you know, tricky and dangerous.”

“But you’ve travelled through time, haven’t you? And you look okay!”

Chartreuse blinked in surprise. “No,” she corrected. “I haven’t done any time traveling yet.”

“Oh.” Laurie thought on that for a moment. “Why not? I thought you’d jump at the chance.”

Chartreuse took a moment to try and phrase things right this time. “The opportunity never really, I don’t know, presented itself.”

“So when the two of us go, it will be your first time too?”

Chartreuse realized she still hadn’t properly explained the situation.

“Laurie, wait. This time trip that we need your help for, it’s very possible that I won’t be able to come along. You’d be with Frank and Clarke,” Chartreuse clarified.

“Oh,” Laurie repeated.

Which was when, looking into Laurie’s innocent green eyes, Chartreuse really began to wonder whether bringing her best friend in on this had been the best idea. If something did happen to Laurie now, would Corry ever be able to forgive her? Would Chartreuse ever be able to forgive HERSELF?

Maybe she should do another vision quest to ensure that Laurie would come through this safely. Though after reading Carrie, another experience so soon after would be quite a strain on her system. And would it even work, since she forecasted the future, while Laurie’s future would be in the past?

“Chartreuse?”

Chartreuse refocussed. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Why can’t you come?” Laurie asked again, softly.

Chartreuse sighed. “More tricky spacials stuff,” she said. “You know Laurie, it’s not too late to back out. We… we might be able to manage without you.” Oh yeah, THAT was convincing.

Laurie bit her lip, yet at the same time she shook her head firmly. “I still want to help,” she declared, although it was apparent that some of her earlier eagerness was being replaced by worry and doubt.

As it should be, Chartreuse reasoned. So why was she starting to feel so bad about this? “Look, Laurie, let’s put the time travel stuff aside for now, okay?” she proposed. “I’ll, like, get back to you on details either later today or tomorrow. All right?”

The redhead hesitated, but ultimately nodded slowly in agreement.

Chartreuse smiled encouragingly. “Great. So, how about some meditative exercises? Might, you know, help to take your mind off of things?”

Laurie shook her head again, surprising her friend. “I don’t think so,” she said quietly. “That is… maybe later, but right now I think I still want to spend a few minutes thinking about this. By myself. Okay? Maybe you can get us a couple glasses of water?”

Chartreuse looked closely at Laurie’s expression before nodding back. “Okay, sure,” she agreed. “Maybe even some orange juice instead?”

Laurie agreed to that, so after squeezing her friend’s hand supportively, Chartreuse headed out of Laurie’s room and down towards the Veniti kitchen. Yet she had only reached the top of the stairs before a voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Chartreuse. We have to talk.”

Chartreuse turned to face Laurie’s brother, offering a quick smile. “Hi Corry!” she greeted him. “Sorry, can’t stop, I…”

The words froze on her lips as she got her first good look at the expression on Corry’s face. It was in that instant that Chartreuse realized that he knew… that he had somehow overheard part of her conversation with Laurie. Oh no. Was he bugging his sister’s room?!

“We have to talk,” Laurie’s twin repeated icily. “Now.”

Chartreuse wondered fleetingly if things could get any worse.

“It’s worse than we thought,” Clarke agreed. “There aren’t ANY useful scientific records for the area and time period in question.”

Tim sighed. “I d-didn’t think there would be much call for small town American newspapers in our library anyway,” he said in resignation. “Still, given you found that one about Julie’s death, it was worth a shot.”

The shorter blond boy sat down at the table in the records room. “So… what now? The internet’s hopeless when you only have vague search terms, and we’ve now exhausted our town library.” He frowned. “What’s even the point in continuing to search like this?”

Clarke flinched. “I beg your pardon, Tim?”

Tim looked momentarily embarrassed. “Oh, d-d-don’t get me wrong. I still want to help Julie, it’s more… well, listen Clarke, what if the time machine we need really IS still around in this present time? Will that do us any good if we learn the machine is still somewhere down in Illinois? Or in Area 51?? We now have less than forty-eight hours to somehow recover it, a-and we can’t do that, we don’t have the resources.”

Clarke paused to consider the blonde boy’s words. “That makes sense,” he yielded. “But if I understand Frank’s logic, once we’re SURE about where the device is, someone could leave town to go there, and then use the machine’s geography to time travel back to here, now, when the rest of us can use it.”

Tim began to drum his fingers on the table. “Yeah, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around those time travel rules. So… so maybe our best move is to ignore them. To play for the chance NOW.”

“You’ve lost me,” Clarke apologized.

“It’s l-like in the game of bridge,” Tim explained. “What if the only way you can make your contract is if your opponents' hearts are split 3-3? Obviously, you play for that chance, since it’s the ONLY way you’ll win. S-So… what if the only way we’ll win here is if the time machine has already found it’s way back to us?” He pushed himself back to his feet.

“Yeah,” he continued, enthusiastically. “We shouldn’t be figuring out where the time machine COULD be. We should start by figuring that it’s already HERE. In town. After all, we’re the source of the problem. And this is where Carrie is. I mean, okay, Luci said we can’t set ourselves up, but why can’t fate or time or something be working on our behalf? Because otherwise… w-well, otherwise we’re wasting time looking for the needle in a haystack.” Tim paused, becoming unsure of himself. “R-Right?”

Clarke couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Tim that animated. But did that mean his reasoning was correct? “Maybe,” he agreed slowly. “But if that’s so, what do we do about it?”

“A local news search,” Tim proposed. “Mysterious arrivals of people or weird things here in t-town over the last seventeen years. Or since the LaMilles arrived. It c-could point us in the right direction.”

“Agreed,” Clarke stated. “It’s worth a shot.” His eyebrow lifted. “By the way Tim, when did you start playing bridge?”

“What? Oh, I d-don’t,” Tim assured him, looking embarrassed again. “But I read a lot, and I enjoy that c-column.” He licked his lips. “For that matter, the whole idea of acting on a chance… I never quite understood it. I mean, if taking the chance could leave you worse off than if you’d done nothing, why do it? But maybe I get it now. Now that it’s important, now that people’s lives are involved - we have to try this. Don’t we?”

Clarke smiled. “We do. Stop doubting yourself, it’s a good thought.” He cracked his knuckles. “Let’s get to it.”

Over an hour later, Tim’s doubts had fully reasserted themselves. They’d tracked back five years, and still hadn’t found anything that looked very promising.

“M-Maybe we need to make it even more personal,” Tim piped up at last. “Could we have missed something ourselves in events over the last month…?”

Before Clarke could answer, the voice of Lee cut in through the book stacks. “Beats me,” the library employee said. “But whatever you’re missing, I hope you find it in the next ten minutes. That’s when the library closes.”

Clarke looked at his watch, then over to Lee as their classmate ambled into view. “Damn. When does the library open again tomorrow?”

“Hours are posted right out front.”

“B-But we need to keep searching these records,” Tim stammered out. “It’s important! C-Can’t you make an exception? Or let us check some of them out tonight?”

“Nope,” Lee said apologetically, as he glanced down at the bound books of newspapers. “Those sorts of papers can’t leave the library. Though you can probably photocopy stuff, if you’re quick enough to avoid my deja vu.”

“Your… what?” Clarke asked.

Lee flashed a grin. “Sorry. You’ve reminded me of this incident over a week ago, when this weird cult-like guy was back here researching newspaper records too. Similar books, also happened as the library was closing. Say, you don’t know the guy, do you?”

Clarke and Tim both shook their heads. “B-But, wait, this guy…” Tim began slowly. “I d-don’t suppose he was reading anything related to a s-strange black box, was he?”

Lee quirked up an eyebrow. “Nope. He was reading up on the LaMilles. Granted, I once got a strange black box from them, but the cultist couldn’t have known that.” He chuckled.

Clarke took a step forwards. “Stop. Lee, you got a black box from the LaMilles?”

“Yeah,” Lee said, gesturing dismissively. “My mom bought it from the LaMille yard sale. You know, that big one their family had soon after moving into the mansion? If you ask me, I think they mixed in some old, broken stuff they’d been keeping in storage along with Linquist’s clutter. Hoping to take advantage of us small town Canadians.”

“Lee,” Tim said, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. “What did this black box look like?”

Lee thrust his hands into his pockets. “Oh, kinda like a flattened jack-in-the-box, except jack never popped up when you yanked the lever. Maybe because the digital readout was broken? Who knows - there weren’t any screws or other means of getting inside to fix the darn thing, so I… uh, did I spill something on myself? Why are you two staring at me like that all of a sudden?”

“Lee, this may be VERY important. Do you know where that box is?” Clarke said, reaching out to take him by the shoulders.

“Somewhere in my house,” Lee said, in obvious confusion.

“C-C-C-C-C-Could we s-s-s-see it?” Tim forced out.

“Maaaaybe,” Lee replied slowly. “Why? What’s this all about??”

Clarke let out a breath he seemingly hadn’t realized he was holding. He smiled at Tim. “It’s about playing for a chance,” he explained. “As well as saving a couple of our classmates’ lives.”

To Tim, it looked like Lee wanted to make some sort of joke. Except the seriousness of Clarke’s tone had him at a loss for words. Tim leaned back in his chair, wondering how everybody else would feel about letting one more person in on their time machine secret.

PART 33: JULIE’S SECRET

Principal Dell A. Hunt let out a sigh as he drove in to work. His job had its ups and downs, to be sure, yet for some reason the downs were outweighing the ups of late. Especially surrounding that one student:  Julie LaMille.

Her requests were becoming persistent, and he couldn’t get any information from her parents, as he had been unable to contact them directly. “I wonder what she’ll have to say this week,” he mused aloud to himself as he pulled into the school parking lot.

She was standing near his parking space. Over an hour before classes would start. “We’re starting early today," he realized. Upon exiting his vehicle, Mr. Hunt leaned back against it, letting her approach and have the first words. She cleared her throat.

“It’s November 12th. We have to end this today," Julie stated simply.

Mr. Hunt pursed his lips. “Inside,” he decided.

When Mr. Hunt made the offer to sit down, Julie accepted. She hoped that the concession to his current position of superiority would make him more amenable to her news.

She then waited patiently as Mr. Hunt closed the door to his office, and walked around to stand behind his desk. “All right,” the principal said. “Explain. What do you mean by ‘we must end things today’?”

“Very simply put, the date I’ve been anticipating has finally arrived,” Julie responded. “Something will occur today, a major event, one that cannot be resolved peacefully unless you have my cooperation. You know what that means."

The principal leaned forwards, placing his palms flat on his desk. “Miss LaMille. I grant that you have been “predicting” events for me for over a month. From incidents as large as the discovery of those drugs in one student’s locker, down to Mrs. Latour’s missing potted plant. I also grant that the incidents are too varied to be traced back to you directly, and that the faculty have been unable to prevent them. Yet do you remember what I said to you in this very room, after school, on the day we discovered those drugs?”

“Of course. You told me that you would not grant any requests merely because I provided you with some advance information,” Julie recalled.

“My position on that has not changed."

“But this is IMPORTANT!” That sounded too desperate. She worked to reign in her emotions. “You need me on your side today," Julie continued more calmly. “If I don’t defuse the situation, hostilities may well break out between certain factions of students.”

Mr. Hunt regarded her quietly for a moment. “Let’s go off the record here,” he decided. “Contrary to popular belief, I am not blind as to what goes on in my school. I know about your disagreements with Corry Veniti, and I know that the two of you have spent years polarizing the student body. To that end, it seems likely that you - or your friends - have had a hand in most, if not all, of your “predicted” events. Granted, I have no proof. Still, if this major event today is in the same vein, and you are using it to threaten this administration…"

“No,” Julie gasped. She took in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay. Cards on the table.”

She met his gaze anew. “You’re right. I may have played a part in some of the events I revealed to you. But you of all people must realize that knowing about something, and being able to stop it - those are two very different things. I can guarantee to you that I will have no say in what happens today. Only in how the events play out around the school. And I’m willing to be on your side. To keep damage to a minimum. All it takes is a simple signature.”

The principal slowly shook his head. “Miss LaMille, your continued requests for my signature on that document are unreasonable. It would give you full control of the school.”

He paused to size Julie up once again. “Know that I am not unsympathetic. I do want to help you. That is why I have allowed things to go on for as long as they have. However, until you agree to see a guidance counsellor, or some other specialist concerning these control issues of yours… there is nothing further for us to discuss here.”

“But…” Julie flexed her hands, mind whirling. She was fast running out of options. However, a last ditch idea was taking shape in her mind. “A compromise then. Sign the school over to me, for today. Just for today. If you do that, I… I will voluntarily attend your guidance sessions. Starting tomorrow.”

“I will not be blackmailed.”

“It’s NOT blackmail!” Julie protested. She fought down the urge to scream. “Listen, give me today. You don’t even have to change your routine. Whatever you do, you merely tell me first, so that I can make a point of approving it. I’m sure I won’t contradict you - why would I need to? In return, I will seek whatever counselling you recommend.”

Silence. Then, “What guarantee–”

“I’ll co-sign a separate paper with you on the counselling subject,” Julie interrupted. “You get what you want, and I get what I want. In fact, you get more, because with me controlling the school, I’ll have to take care of the upcoming situation with Corry in the most diplomatic way possible. Consider this a learning experience for me. Please, Mr. Hunt. You might even be surprised by some of the things I know, not only about everything that happens in this school, but about how to run an organization smoothly.”

Julie took in a deep breath, feeling her nails digging into her palms. “Also, it’s my birthday today,” she admitted. “So if you find yourself needing an excuse to fall back on for the faculty, you can use that. All right? How about it? What do you say?”

Mr. Hunt finally sat down in his chair. Julie’s tone held more than a hint of desperation - but her gaze was determined. More to the point, he saw pain lurking behind her outward expression. This teenager needed help. Was agreeing to her request the only way to ensure that she got the necessary treatment? It was starting to look that way.

He knew the LaMille girl well enough by now to recognize that she wouldn’t simply dismiss any contract she put her name to. Moreover, her proposal actually made sense, to a certain degree. ‘This also wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ever gone out on a limb to help a student,' the principal reflected.

“Miss LaMille,” Mr. Hunt began. “I will agree to your proposal, subject to three conditions.”

“Name them,” Julie said.

“First, I want copies of any documents we sign. Particularly the one which ensures your compliance with a counselling session.”

“Done,” Julie agreed quickly.

“Second, I want your assurance that no one will be harmed by any action you take while at school today. Such an event would void our agreement.”

“That’s fair," Julie yielded.

“And finally… I would like to know why this one act of scholastic control means so much to you.”

Julie felt her heart drop. She had never revealed her true motive to anyone before. Even at that boarding school in England, she’d never gone into detail. However, she couldn’t take the risk of lying now! Not with so much at stake. So… perhaps a half truth would be enough.

“It’s…” Julie faltered, as she felt her body start to shake. No, not now, get ahold of yourself, stupid! Swallowing hard, Julie sat up straighter in her chair.

“It’s my parents,” she explained softly. “I have to show my parents that I’m a capable d-daughter. They… I have to show them this.” She swept some hair back off her shoulder, in the process reestablishing her mental control. “Now, will you sign the necessary papers?”

Again Mr. Hunt looked back at her in silence. Three seconds passed, then five, then… he nodded to her in agreement. It took all of Julie’s willpower not to burst into tears.

The school was hers. Her father had thought it couldn’t be done, but she had done it. She had the paper in her pocket to prove it. For so many years, she had been striving for this moment, handling setbacks from students and teachers alike, tiptoeing carefully around administration… and then there had been the time machine, forcing her to accelerate her plans prematurely. To prevent any discovery of her goals and motivations. Yet though it all, she had prevailed.

The principal had called her out of French class last period, in order to advise her about a requisition from the science department. She had of course given her go ahead for the purchase of new supplies. She had also agreed with how Hunt was handling an issue with a concerned parent, to the point of seeing no need have him provide her with the actual name.

The irony was, she couldn’t have succeeded here without Corry. Julie had required his final act against her that morning, the distribution of that flyer, in order to clinch things. The one thing she’d had no control over, that was what had given her control… and now that she was running the school, she’d make sure it didn’t fall apart through any misguided attempts to avenge her name.

Thank goodness Phil had pointed out the date to her, which had snapped her out of her constant over-analysis of the situation… Julie winced at the thought.

Phil Clarke. She’d been avoiding him. Would he even remain her friend after this? Well, as long as she had the paper in her pocket with Mr. Hunt’s signature on it, the rest didn’t matter. Right? No, the rest didn’t matter to her at all.

“So, LaMille. Do you yield?”

It was Corry’s voice. Julie looked up from her lunch, vaguely aware of everyone else in the cafeteria edging away from their position.

The brunette allowed herself a tiny smile. “Yes,” she answered quietly. “You win. Do whatever you like now, Corry. Thank you.”

Regrettably, Corry turned out to be something of a sore winner. At the least, whatever response Corry had been expecting, Julie supposed it hadn’t been that. The redhead glanced around the area briefly, perhaps wondering whether he’d come to the right table. “You… you wanted to have your network of deceit exposed to the entire school?” he said, incredulous.

Julie shrugged. “When you put it that way, no," she admitted. “However, what’s done is done. So you win. Though I will say that when you calculated out the number of my voluntary followers on that flyer? You overestimated by about five percent.” She placed a forkful of salad into her mouth.

Corry’s eyebrow twitched. “You’re planning something. You already have retaliation in mind. What’s your game, LaMille?”

“On the contrary,” Julie said, swallowing. She raised her voice. “Let me once again make it clear to EVERYONE here that any action of vengeance taken against Corry today? Will result in me giving out a punishment of MY OWN. And trust me, you do NOT want that.” Heck, she even had the power to give suspensions today - though she probably wouldn’t use it.

“Yeah, because you want to deal with this yourself,” Corry deduced. “But it’s too late! Some of your more embittered followers are already massing together to take you down, now that they know they’re not alone.”

“Let them come,” Julie countered. “It can’t happen overnight. They’ll need at least a few days to get themselves organized.”

“And you’re not concerned about that?”

“I have what I want. The rest doesn’t matter.”

Corry’s jawline tightened. “What the hell, LaMille?” The plastic fork in his hand snapped in half. “How could this POSSIBLY have given you what you want??”

Julie poked at her salad. “It’s like I told you in Grade Nine, at the very beginning of all this, Corry. Our motivations are fundamentally different. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m eating my lunch.”

Corry jabbed a finger at her and seemed about to reply to that, until it presumably occurred to him that there wasn’t much he could say without looking like the bad guy. He settled for a “Damn you!”, after which he threw the remains of his fork towards her and stalked off.

Julie belatedly found herself hoping Corry wouldn’t do anything more drastic now, on account of her subdued reaction. It’s not like she was acting that way out of spite.

Oh well. Even if he did something tomorrow - she still had today.

“Jewels, wait up!”

Julie turned to see Clarke approaching. The day was over, so there was still time to run out the school doors, to avoid him again… no. That felt cowardly. She was no coward.

“H-Hi Phil," she said, greeting him with a hesitant smile as he ran up to her.

“Jewels… what’s going ON?” Clarke asked. “I mean, I’ve spent the day trying to figure this all out but… but I got nothing. Is what Corry says in here true?” He held up one of the flyers.

Julie nodded. “It is,” she admitted, straightening her posture. “I have bribed. I have blackmailed. I have tried to keep this from people. From you most of all, actually.”

Clarke shook his head. “But… but WHY, Jewels? I mean, I always knew you did things your own way but THIS? This is… well… now I’m not sure what to believe about you any more.”

Julie felt her heart sink. “You’re disappointed.”

Clarke ran a hand back through his hair. “I’m confused. You’ve put so much effort into keeping your past quiet. Whenever I’ve asked, you’ve pushed me away. Yet now that it’s all come out here… you don’t seem to care at all.” He paused, visibly frustrated. “So, if this didn’t matter to you, why didn’t you tell me about it in the first place? Was it because you thought I’d hate you for it?”

Julie looked up at the blonde boy, the one person who was perhaps the closest she’d ever come to having to a friend, the one who had not only stuck by her through all of this, but had even tried to UNDERSTAND her. No one had ever done that for her before. No one.

She couldn’t push him away any more. “Come with me,” she said, tugging at his arm.

“What?”

“Come,” Julie repeated, leading Clarke back into an abandoned classroom. She didn’t speak again until after checking to ensure that they were alone. “Phil, it’s not that it didn’t matter,” she explained. “It’s simply that, as of this morning, the whole situation changed.”

“Situation?” Clarke wondered. Julie pulled the precious paper out from underneath her sweater and handed it over to him. He unfolded it, and gave the document a quick scan. His eyes widened. “Hunt let you run the school today?”

“Provisionally, yes.”

Clarke looked back up. “That’s why you got called down to the office so many times.” Julie nodded. “Thank goodness,” he sighed. “I thought that somehow you were getting into worse and worse trouble.”

“Because of Corry’s flyer?” Julie clucked her tongue. “Phil, you should know better. As devastating as it is, it’s all supposition and circumstantial evidence. No one’s even named in it, except for that Tracy.”

“Which won’t stop people from coming after you - perhaps with good reason.” Clarke glanced back down at the document he held. “Are you hoping this agreement with Mr. Hunt is going to protect you somehow? Because I don’t see–”

“No,” Julie said, shaking her head. She held out her hand, and he returned the sheet to her. “This agreement is for a more… personal matter, separate from Corry.”

Clarke leaned in closer, staring at her. “You’re still holding something back,” he realized. “Jewels… Julie… please. Tell me.”

“I…” Julie felt her throat go dry. She wanted to tell him. To tell someone who knew her, before she would be forced to spill all about her life to some counsellor who was liable to completely misunderstand. Yet even so, the words wouldn’t come. “I… c-can’t…”

Clarke stared at her for another long moment. “Then I don’t know what to do,” he said at last. “I want to help you. I’ve always wanted to help you. You know that. I’ve also believed that, deep down, you weren’t a bad person. That you weren’t using people. That you weren’t using me.”

He turned away. Julie found her breaths becoming shallower. “But now?” he continued. “Julie, I’m at a loss. Maybe Corry’s right after all. Maybe the only person who ever mattered to Julie LaMille was Julie LaMille. And if that’s true, then… then she sure doesn’t need me hanging around her any more.”

“No!” Julie gasped. Clarke didn’t turn back. But he didn’t walk away.

She swallowed again, yet somehow her throat was still dry. “Phil, don’t be like that,” she pleaded. She didn’t understand why this conversation hurt so much. Because they were breaking up? Had they ever truly been together?

“Then tell me,” Clarke said, turning back to her.

Fine. My parents. “My…” Two words. Not hard. “My…” Julie felt a tear forming and she wiped her palm over her eyes. “It’s my…” Julie shook her head. “God Phil, I CAN’T, okay?” She spun to face the chalkboard. “I’m sorry. Just break up with me already and go.” He was too damn good for the likes of her anyway.

She expected him to sigh in resignation and walk away. And she heard him take a step. But even as she realized he was moving closer, Clarke was pulling her into an embrace from behind.

“Jewels, even if I assume we’re going out, I would never break up with you on your birthday,” he murmured near her ear. “So if you need some help, anything at all… I’m still here for you. At least for now. The flyer doesn’t change that.”

Julie felt her legs go weak, and for the second time today, it took all of her willpower to keep her emotions in check. This didn’t make any logical sense. “Phil, no,” she protested. “How can you possibly still be so nice to me? After everything I’ve done?”

Clarke lowered his chin to her shoulder. “Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment,” he replied. “Or I’m a naive guy who can’t understand how bad this stuff really is. But honestly… I’ve seen you smile. And I still think that deep down, you’re not half as bad as you think you are. Not really.”

Julie turned, and she found her own arms encircling Clarke as he straightened, and she rested her own head upon his shoulder. The silence that followed his comment seemed to stretch on for an eternity. It might have been seconds, or hours, Julie didn’t know. However, once the words started to spill out of her mouth, she found that she couldn’t stop them.

“It’s my p-parents, Phil,” she admitted, a lump forming in her throat.  “They don’t love me, you see. They never have. Never even wanted me. My mom, she hates me, and my dad, he wanted a son. And as their only child, they’ve never, ever let me forget that.”

Clarke pulled back slightly in order to look Julie in the eyes. He searched them for any hint of deceit, and found none. “Did you just say what I think you said?”

Julie looked up at him. She didn’t speak, only bit into her lower lip. His first instinct was to say she must be misinterpreting things, that no one’s parents could be that mean, but she looked so earnest. Then he remembered something.

“You mean to tell me that, the time you were told you were insignificant… and that you would never amount to anything… it was your parents who said it?”

Julie managed a small shrug. “Yeah, well. That’s life.”

“Like hell it is,” Clarke countered. “My God, Julie, why haven’t you ever mentioned this?”

“You’ve met my parents,” she reminded him. “During the summers and on the few other occasions they’ve visited. Did you ever get the impression that they didn’t care for me? Or that they’d sent me away, so that they didn’t have to deal with me in person?”

“I… well… no,” Clarke admitted.

“Exactly. It’s like they have two faces, you see. The one they present to the public, and the one they present to me. So no one else ever gets to see how they really feel.” She smiled then, but it was a sad smile. “Come to think, maybe that deception is a trait I get from them, I don’t know. Still, it’s why I can’t stand anyone talking to me about my parents. On some level, their fakery disgusts me.”

“We have to do something about this then,” Clarke decided. “Talk to a counsellor, or child services or something.”

“And tell them what?” Julie asked. She shook her head. “My parents don’t physically abuse me. And you can’t prove a case of my word against theirs. Anyway, it’s not their fault. It’s mine.”

Clarke felt a knot forming in his stomach. “Jewels, no.”

“I’ve been a major disappointment from the beginning. Not the sort of person who could carry on the LaMille family line. As a child, I was weak and helpless in the face of confrontation. I even sucked my thumb until I was three years old. But I’ve been working hard over the years. Reading. Experimenting. And now, at long last, I’ve had an entire school and faculty under my control.”

She clenched her fist. “My parents will have to acknowledge me now. They thought it couldn’t be done. That a girl like me could never accomplish anything. But I did it. This PROVES that I’m worthy! So finally, it will be okay. It will all be okay.” Julie smiled, and the smile was sincere, and Clarke couldn’t bear it.

“Oh God, I never knew,” Clarke choked out. “I never even suspected. I’m so, so sorry, Jewels. Can you ever forgive me?”

She looked back up. “Forgive you? Phil, what are you talking about? Why are you crying?”

He reached up, only now discovering that his cheeks were wet. “I… I can’t help it, Jewels. I love you, and I hate seeing what you’ve become on account of your parents.” He pulled her close once more, and Julie hugged him back. Again, there was silence.

“Phil?” Julie ventured at last. “You mustn’t tell anyone else what I’ve told you. Okay? NOBODY. Promise me that.”

“Jewels… oh God, don’t ask that…”

“No one, Phil. Please. PLEASE,” Julie insisted quietly, her hug becoming something of a death grip. “Because no one will believe you. You’d only get in trouble. It’s all going to be okay after tonight anyway. Now that I have the agreement.”

“What do you– your parents are back in town, aren’t they,” he realized. Julie nodded. Clarke set his jaw. “I’m going home with you. You don’t have to face them alone.”

“No. You can’t,” Julie pleaded. “With you there, they’ll go all fake again. But don’t worry, Phil! As long as I have the principal’s signature on that paper, it’ll be okay.”

Clarke swallowed. “Right,” he said. He squeezed her a bit tighter before pulling back. “Look, I won’t say anything for now, but this conversation isn’t over yet, okay? I’m going to call you tonight.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped package. “In the meantime, here’s something to remember me. Happy birthday.”

Julie smiled again, and he felt his heart breaking. “Thanks, Phil. For remembering… and for everything these last couple years, I suppose.”

He shook his head in awe. “You are SO strong, Julie. Stronger than I realized. Just remember, there are people out here who love you, okay? We’ll talk more later tonight.”

“Sure we will,” Julie agreed. “I’m looking forward to it already.”

They didn’t speak again that day.

*Posted on Nov 12th, Julie's birthday! Huzzah!*

PART 28: HISTORY LESSON

Carrie was in trouble almost immediately after her alliance with Julie became public knowledge. It was Monday morning, so at first, she’d thought that she’d merely misremembered her locker combination. But after two more attempts, upon peering a little closer at the lock, she noticed a white substance congealed around the mechanism. She frowned.

“Here,” Julie remarked, coming up behind the blonde. She tossed Carrie a new lock. “Anticipated something of the type. Happened to me too. No sweat, we’ll get the janitor to cut off your old one before class."

Three days later, Chartreuse chased Corry down the hall. “Corry! Oh,  Corry,” the green haired girl called out. “I was sick yesterday. Could I, like, borrow your notes from science class? Please? You always take real good notes."

Corry stopped walking and turned to her. “That won’t be possible," he said tersely. “Seeing as I need to find someone with a fresh copy of the notes since Monday myself.”

Chartreuse blinked. “What? Why?”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” was Corry’s final word on the matter.

The following week, Julie opened her locker at the end of the day, only to have two dozen condoms spill out onto the floor. She pursed her lips, as around her, people’s eyebrows went up. “Crude, but effective,” the brunette murmured.

A week later found Mrs. Willis growing upset with one of her students.

“Corry, will you PLEASE correct your tuning?” Mrs. Willis pleaded. “Your notes sound at least a semitone out.”

“But I’ve already tuned twice,” Corry protested. “Maybe the flute is… wait a minute…” Corry leaned over to glance at the stand of the person next to him. Then he looked more closely back at his own music.

His eyes widened, then he bit down on his lower lip. “I’m sorry, I don’t think this is the same part you handed out at the end of last rehearsal. Do you have another copy available?”

The feuding continued like that right through into December.

A week before Christmas, Carrie dropped by the LaMille mansion in advance of a shopping trip. She was easily persuaded to hang around long enough for a cup of hot chocolate, in order to allow her friend to finish working on something.

“Julie,” the blonde began tentatively as she leaned back in one of the plush chairs of the sitting room. “Can I ask something about school?”

Julie glanced up from the coffee table, where she was making notes. “Hm? Sure, what is it?”

“It’s about Corry. At this point, we have pretty clearly defined friends, and he has other friends, and yet there’s still this dominance thing going on between you two. Which seems to be getting worse and worse,” Carrie added. “Yet a couple months ago, you said Corry would eventually cease to be a problem. So… I mean, how soon is eventually?”

Julie half smiled. “You’re not questioning my plans, are you?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Carrie said dismissively. “Just curious as to where this is going. I mean, you don’t want this to be a never-ending battle… right? Eventually some seniors will get caught in the crossfire, or lord help us, administration. And that Mr. Hunt, he can really freak a person out.”

“Don’t worry,” Julie assured. She scrawled a couple more items down before adding, “I’ve got something in the works. The feud will end before our exams in January.”

Carrie leaned forward once again. “I knew you had a plan! Come on, can’t I at least get a hint about what it is you’re up to?”

Julie sized Carrie up. “Okay. You remember that picture of Corry I tacked up on the bulletin board last week?”

Carrie grinned. “The cute baby picture? Yeah! Hey, where did you get that anyway, from his sister?”

“No,” Julie said, shaking her head. “But the source was someone close to Corry. Someone who has now proven that they are willing to assist me instead. Someone who will help bring things to a close.”

“Oooo, crafty,” Carrie remarked. “Okay then. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help."

“I will,” Julie assured her. “Patience. For now, simply wait and watch."

Carrie nodded. “Okay, okay, sure.” She tapped her fingers absently on the armrest as Julie resumed writing. “So, you almost done? I do want to get to the shops before they close.”

“Almost,” Julie confirmed.

“I still don’t know what to get as a Christmas present for dad," Carrie grumbled. “It’s been a tie the last two years, maybe I should show more originality. Not that he’ll really notice… hey, what are you getting your parents?”

Carrie turned back to Julie, only to find herself on the receiving end of an icy cold stare. “O-Oops,” the blonde said meekly. “No talking about your family, right. Sorry. Slipped my mind for a moment.”

Julie set her pencil aside and stacked the pages where she’d been writing. “I’m ready,” she said simply, her expression turning back into a smile. “Let’s hit the mall.”

The New Year came and went. School resumed, for the final weeks leading up to semester one exams. And Corry opened his locker at the end of the day on Thursday, to find a note lying on top of his books.

‘‘Friday marks four months since we first saw each other. We both know that’s when it’s going to end. Meet me before school on the balcony section of the gym. 8am. No recording equipment, no tricks, no sidekicks. Let’s finish this.’’

“Yes, let’s,” the redhead murmured, picking up the note and crumpling it in his hand.

The two teenagers stood staring at each other in the silence of the large gymnasium. As it had been back in September, their expressions were cold, neither of them willing to blink first. Ultimately, Corry succumbed. But Julie was the one who spoke.

“This can’t go on,” she began. “So it ends here. Today.”

Corry nodded. “I agree. One of us has to bow aside and let the other claim victory.”

Julie brushed some of her long hair back off her shoulder. “I believe the winner will be based on the results of the Christmas fundraising drive. I’ve heard that those numbers are being announced today."

“Correct,” Corry agreed. “It’s a bit silly really, the band raising money by selling Christmas ornaments. Fruit, now that’s where the real money is."

“I’ll take your word on it,” Julie shrugged. “Band isn’t my thing. That said, you have managed to sell quite a number of those ornaments.”

Corry grinned. “You did get that delivery then. Good.”

Hands moving to her hips, Julie began tapping her foot on the floor. “What, precisely, were you hoping to accomplish by signing me up for $200 worth?"

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Yes, but go ahead and confirm my suspicions. I’m sure you’re dying to any way,” Julie said, gesturing Corry’s way.

Corry inclined his head in acknowledgement. “It’s quite simple really. The fact that I got you to purchase such a large quantity of items from me would be seen by others as a lessening of hostilities. By paying me, you’re also implicitly accepting me in a position of authority. Thus there would be talk if you persist in rebellious activities following this incident. In particular, I would be most wounded and confused by any breach in our ‘ornament agreement'.”

“I could always refuse to pay you,” Julie countered. “Claim that you forged my signature. Seeing as you DID.”

“Oh! Such a lack of school spirit,” Corry gasped, bringing a hand to his chest. “Come off it, Julie. I wouldn’t have done it without knowing that your family could afford it. Besides, I think you knew what I was doing, and did nothing to stop me. It’s too late to cry wolf now."

“Indeed,” Julie said dryly. She shifted attention to a fixed point off to Corry’s right. “Not a bad plan, really. But here’s the thing. I obviously have more school spirit than you think, since I paid for $300 worth of those useless ornaments.”

Corry lifted an eyebrow. “You think raising the stakes gets you out of this?”

“Yes,” Julie remarked, looking back at Corry. “Particularly when the records reveal that everyone only expected that amount to be $200.”

Corry frowned. “You can’t change the past though,” he argued. “And you only received $200 worth of merchandise. In a war of my word against yours, I win out."

“Well, no,” Julie countered. “Because I DID receive $300 worth, and my personal records show a loss of $300. Which gives me the stronger case. I wonder, where did that extra hundred GO, Corry? Surely you’re not using it for anything unscrupulous!”

She brought her hand to her chest, mimicking his earlier action. “Now, we can write it off a simple accounting error - that I had to bring to your attention - but only if you acknowledge that I’ve come out on top in our little war of one-upmanship.”

Corry narrowed his eyes. “Impressive. However, you couldn’t have managed something like that alone.”

Julie tapped a finger against her cheek. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps there’s someone you shouldn’t have trusted quite so much.”

There was a moment of silence. “You got to Sue,” Corry concluded. “It’s the only answer. She’s one of the few who knew what I was going to do, but more than that, she offered to run the final tally sheets in to the company before the Christmas break. Gives her both means and opportunity. But what was her motive? What did you offer her?”

“That’s confidential, I’m afraid.”

Corry pursed his lips. “I could take $100 from my personal savings to cover the situation.”

“Which still means that underneath it all, I win,” Julie pointed out. “You have to acknowledge that.”

“True. Point, counterpoint, very nicely done. Except there’s one little detail we still need to cover.”

Julie’s hint of a smile vanished. “What might that be?”

“The fact that I already knew Sue was working with you. I’ve known for the past month,” Corry continued. “It was my idea to have her defect in the first place.”

Julie tensed. “Really.”

“Oh, yes,” Corry replied, a smile slowly returning to his features. “I even managed to suck it up for those couple of humiliating instances where Sue helped you out. Not the way I’d have preferred to go about things, obviously, but I’d hoped that an apparent defector would interest you. That it would pay off in the end. And it has, it really has.”

The side of Julie’s mouth twitched. “Indeed.”

“So, let’s review, shall we? You have $300 worth of little Christmas trinkets. I have a signed statement from Sue,” Corry said, pulling it out, “to the effect of you chipping in that extra $100 over my $200. Along with the reason why, so don’t even try to claim that you did it to be gracious. Which means - and correct me if I’m wrong - that however much you decide to pay me, I’ve won!”

Julie remained silent, so Corry tipped an imaginary hat her way. “I am sorry,” he concluded. “But you see, it all came down to loyalty. A concept you don’t appear to fully understand. Must make things terribly lonely for you.”

“I should have known,” Julie whispered at last, clenching and unclenching her fists as she glared at the paper Corry was holding. “Sue was always a little too eager to please. I should have seen through that.”

“Well, don’t feel bad,” Corry soothed. “I may still consider you a follower of mine sometime in the future. Though, based on what I heard from Sue, you have a ruthless streak. Got to make sure I don’t give you too much power, or people might get hurt.” With a final parting smile, he turned away.

“Wait,” Julie retorted.

Corry turned back. Not so much because he cared what she had to say, but because the tone of her voice had suddenly taken on a peculiar, even eerie quality. “I beg your pardon?”

“You have won this battle,” Julie said slowly. “Privately, I will admit that. And publicly, I will take no further direct action against you for the next couple of years. However, I ask that you do the same for me. No actions, and most of all, no lording this victory over my head. I concede… to a stalemate.”

Corry almost laughed. Except something about her demeanour was starting to spook him. “What possible motive could I have to do that?” he demanded. “Come on, accept that you lost, Julie. We’ll move on.”

“No.” Julie began to roll up the left sleeve of her blouse, all the while staring at Corry. “I can’t lose,” she said. “Not to you. Not like this. I have too much at stake. Again, I concede… no, make that I request a stalemate.”

“Julie, you’re not being reasonable.”

“You can do this. You will claim that the $300 was a joint effort we’re using to put aside our differences. You will not reveal your ‘signed statement’ to anyone. We will leave each other alone except in cases of indirect or third party involvement.” The corner of her mouth twitched. “Note I would be most wounded and confused by any breach of this new ‘agreement’.”

Corry spread his arms out. “Oh, please. And what are you going to do if I don’t comply with these ‘rules’?” he challenged. Her smile was off kilter. What was up with that face?

“You will, because if you don’t comply… I’ll kill myself," Julie finished softly. She raised her right hand, which now held a razor blade in it.

Corry’s eyes widened. “You’re bluffing,” he retorted.

Her movement was quick. Blood began to well up from the cut on Julie’s arm. Corry was next to her in an instant, grabbing her wrists and holding them apart as she lifted her gaze back up towards him. “The next cut might be lethal,” Julie said. “Now, accept the terms of my stalemate.”

“What the hell are you doing, Julie?” Corry asked. For the first time in his life, he felt panic, like somehow he was in way over his head. “High school freshman command structure is not something to kill yourself over!"

“It’s as I told you in the beginning,” Julie said quietly. “Our motivations are fundamentally different. Now, accept the stalemate.”

“Julie, you need help. This is not normal behaviour. Let’s go see a guidance counsellor, okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Once you accept the stalemate.”

“Stop saying stalemate and listen to me. I’m not going to let go of you until you listen!” He shook her slightly. A drop of blood dribbled off Julie’s arm and onto the floor.

“On the contrary,” Julie continued calmly. Too calmly. “I hear you quite clearly. Moreover, you’ll have to let me go sometime. Either that, or explain why you’re holding me with a cut on my arm.”

The corner of her mouth turned up. “My version of events might not match yours there. So I say again, accept the stalemate.” She tilted her head to the side. “Unless you are willing to let me die after all?”

Corry worked through a few choice facial features. Never, in a million years, could he have anticipated that things would turn this dark. “This is blackmail,” he pointed out. Julie didn’t respond.

He eyed her arms – there was no evidence of any other cuts there. This had to be a one time thing. Right? “Y-You won’t really do it,” he asserted.

No reaction. Damn, but that was creepy. It was like she didn’t care at all. Corry let out a rush of air. “Fine, I won’t take you on directly but don’t expect me to step aside for you.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, all right, I accept your goddamned stalemate! But I don’t accept YOU, Julie. Moreover, you need to get yourself some serious psychological counselling.” With that, he released her, remaining poised to act again should she lift the blade once more.

Julie merely nodded, swaying slightly on her feet. “We’ll see.” She produced a handkerchief, wiping off the the razor blade and putting it back in her pocket. Even as another drop of blood slid off her arm. “By the way, if you speak about this to anyone, I WILL deny that it ever happened.”

“Of course you will,” Corry said. “Which doesn’t change the fact that your parents need to get you a shrink.” He glanced down again at the cut across her arm and a shiver ran up his back. Turning away, he stalked out the nearest door.

Julie was left all alone. She glanced down at the pretty crimson stain she’d created. “Maybe they do,” she murmured. “But for that to happen, I must first prove myself to them.”

She finally used the handkerchief to apply pressure to her arm. “If only I hadn’t been forced to play this trump card so soon… now I’ll need to find another one.” She hurried off to find herself a better bandage.

“Carrie, wait,” Julie called out. She caught up to the blonde girl right before she could enter the school. The brunette smiled broadly. “There’s something I’d like you to do today, okay?”

Carrie nodded. “Sure, Julie, what’s up?”

Julie glanced around, to make sure there was no one nearby. “I’d like you to see about getting Laurie Veniti to discover, in advance, the location of the upcoming math tests.”

Carrie blinked. “Corry’s sister? But what about last week? I thought you and him had decided on some stalemate or something.”

“Yes, but I played some of my cards a bit soon,” Julie explained. “So I need a new ace. Please do this for me, without her brother finding out.”

“Okay,” Carrie said with a shrug. “Keep you updated as usual?”

“Of course,” Julie acknowledged with a smile.  “In particular, I want you to let me know when you’ll end up meeting with Laurie to discuss the tests' actual location. That will be really important.”

Monday lunch, Sue slammed her hands down on the cafeteria table.  “What the hell is going on?” she demanded in cold fury.

Corry looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? What do I MEAN? What you THINK I mean?” she hissed. “We had her, Corry, we had her in the palm of our hand, and you let her walk away! Why?”

Corry looked back down at his lunch. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“You’d rather not talk about it,” Sue repeated. She shook her head. “I thought I knew you, Corry. Maybe high school has changed you. What did she give you anyway, money? I turned down a new wardrobe to remain loyal to you. Was that a mistake?”

“Sue, I REALLY don’t want to talk about this right now,” Corry insisted, the grip on his utensils tightening. “Let’s leave it at ‘things got complicated’.”

“Well, isn’t that nice. Especially considering all the times you’ve wanted to talk with me about this, that, or the other thing. Time I put aside what I was doing for you. To talk, or research, or whatever. Because I believed in your ideals, and the things you were doing.”

She leaned in closer. “So now I’m asking you, Corry, as a friend… why didn’t you expose Julie for who she really is?”

“Because we don’t KNOW who she really is,” Corry shot back, angrier than he’d intended to be. “We don’t know who she is, or what she might be capable of. Trust me. We have no idea.”

“Oh, lovely. Now you’re questioning my research. She really has a put a spell on you.” Sue stared at Corry quietly for another minute. “So, as much as it pains me to say this, I don’t feel comfortable working with you any more. Not under these circumstances.”

“Look, what’s done is done, I can’t help that,” Corry stated, closing his eyes and wishing he were somewhere else. “At this point, it’s too late for me to go back on my public word. It would have… consequences.”

At least, he suspected it would. Yet to see Julie today, you’d never know she had suicidal tendencies. Assuming she honestly did. Was it possible that the whole episode had been a huge gamble on her part? He wouldn’t put it past her.

But then, he also wouldn’t put it past her to lie if he actually told anyone about the incident. Worse, there remained a chance that she really might do something to herself… so, as he’d said, he couldn’t change the past. Merely work to improve the future.

He reopened his eyes in time to see Sue shake her head. “Okay, Corry. It’s been fun. I’ll probably freelance for a while, but don’t take it personally if some day, I end up working for Julie. After all, it looks like a little ruthlessness goes a long way." That said, Sue turned and walked away.

Behind her, Corry clenched his fists. “Damn you, Julie,” he whispered.  “Whether you’re a lunatic or not, if you screw with my life to this extent again…” The plastic fork in his hand snapped in half. “No mercy.”

In early November, nearly twenty-two months later, two other students met in the balcony area of the school gymnasium, early in the morning. The male cleared his throat. “Laurie?"

The redhead turned, feeling her cheeks grow warm. “Clarke.”

“Did you… that is, were you able to find out anything?”

Laurie’s gaze fell to the floor. “Maybe.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Clarke assured her. “Not if you feel like you’d be betraying your brother. It’s only that, well… it’s been a month since that recording played at the dance. Since Carrie switched sides. Since Julie… I don’t even know. Initiated a cold war, to the benefit of nobody. It all hinges on Corry now. So any information I can get there is handy for trying to get through to Julie.”

“Yeah,” Laurie said quietly. “I know. Don’t worry. You, I’ll tell.” She took in a deep breath. “I went into Corry’s room when he was out at band practice and he’d flipped his calendar over to this month, and I saw he’d marked a date there, circled it in red, and it was the twelfth.”

She swallowed. “So whatever it is, I think November twelfth is gonna be the day he moves against her.”

“Julie’s birthday,” Clarke realized. He turned to look out over the balcony railing. “Damn.”

PART 27: FLASHBACK

It was hate at first sight. Then again, no, perhaps hate was too strong of a word, Corry mused. But this was at least mistrust. Before the male Veniti twin could think any more about it, his thoughts were interrupted by his sister.

“Golly, isn’t this exciting?” Laurie said, clasping her hands together. “High school. Grade Nine. A brand new school, with new teachers, new friends, new everything, even a new school notebook for me, I hope I don’t lose it or get lost in the halls either and oh what about classes, how hard do you think they’ll be I’m a bit worried about that but I can probably ask for extra help if I have to, or you could help me out too if I run into real trouble I mean that would be all right, wouldn’t it, Corry? Corry?” She tugged on his shirt.

Corry sighed softly. “Laurie, not right now. I’m trying to size up the crowd.” He turned to look for the brunette girl again, but she had disappeared.

Laurie sighed back at her brother. Here they both were, standing out in front of THE school, the only secondary public school in the small Canadian town where they lived, finally as high school freshmen… and he was fixated on people watching.

Although they both looked similar - at least in terms of their heights, their shoulder length red hair and freckles, and the fact that they were both wearing red shirts and dark pants - the similarities ended with appearances. Laurie simply had no idea how the both of them could have ended up with such different outlooks on this pivotal moment in their lives.

“Geeeezzz Corrrrrryyy,” she retorted. “If you’d stop your resizing for a minute or two maybe you’d realize how cool this moment is. I mean why are you getting all wrapped up in finding new followers already, we haven’t even made it to homeroom yet to see who’s there, why don’t you relax and have fun like you used to?”

“Corry, there’s more to life than position and statues!”

“Status,” Corry corrected absently.

“Ugh, whatever,” Laurie said, gesturing dismissively. “Look, this is our youth, we’re supposed to enjoy… oooh, golly, there’s Chartreuse, I recognize the green hair. Look, I’m gonna leave you to your moping and go say hi before the bell rings and all that, ‘k?"

Without even waiting for her brother to respond, Laurie hurried off to talk with her friend.

Corry took a moment to watch his sister go, smiling despite himself at her enthusiasm before he resumed his inspection.

“Okay, that guy looks influential, could be someone to have in my corner," he muttered to himself. “While the girl there with the glasses could be roped in once I’ve gained some prestige. The guy heading for the doors looks to be a senior - I’ll deal with them through music extra curriculars, at least at first…”

Corry stopped as he caught sight of THAT girl once more. She had long curly brown hair, and was wearing a conservative looking sweater. Again, he felt that sense of mistrust. There was something about her that he didn’t like.

When he finally put his finger on exactly what that thing was, the answer surprised him: she appeared to be sizing up people in the same way that he was. Even as he realized this, she turned, and their eyes met. For a split second, it was as if they were the only two people standing in the area.

‘Who are you?’ Corry thought. He took a step towards her, but a group of people chose that moment to disrupt his line of sight. By the time he reached her former position, she had once again disappeared. Corry pursed his lips. He decided he didn’t like this turn of events.

“Yo, Corry! High school, how about it?”

“Tommy, I have a job for you.”

Tommy blinked. “What, already? Man, don’t you ever relax? We haven’t even started classes yet.”

“There’s a girl, a brunette with curly hair down to about here,” Corry said, turning to his former middle school ally and motioning partway down his back with his hand. “I think she’ll be in our grade. I need to you find out everything you can about her. But make sure no one knows I’m the one asking.”

“Uh, okay,” Tommy agreed. “She some new love interest?”

“Just do it, please,” Corry sighed. He glanced quickly around at the crowd of high school students once more, hoping to pick her out again.

‘Where did you come from?’ he wondered. ‘More importantly, what’s your angle?’

“Julie LaMille!”

Julie turned to regard the red haired boy, who was leaning up against the side of the school building, right next to the door she’d exited. “Corry,” she said simply. It was his name, after all.

Corry pushed himself away from the wall. “You’re quite the mystery, you know that? All I’ve got after a week of asking around is that you’re part of the rich family who moved into the area about a year ago, after buying that mansion from old Linquist. A year, during which there’s never been any mention of the LaMilles having a daughter. Yet despite that, here you are.”

“Are you coming to a point?”

Corry shrugged. “Maybe.” He walked slowly around Julie, allowing her about a metre of space. She simply stared back at him, coldly, impassively.

“Forgive me,” Corry said at last, “But as far as I can tell, you haven’t had the chance to make many friends around town yet. Now, I can help you out there. I know people. I’m hoping to know more people. If you sign on with me, my friends can be your friends. We might even make a pretty good team, the two of us.”

A corner of Julie’s mouth quirked up. “Why Corry, are you proposing some sort of camaraderie between us?”

“Interested?”

Julie cocked her head to the side slightly, in order to make him think she was actually considering it. “No,” she said at last. “You see, I’ve determined that our motivations are fundamentally different.”

Corry blinked. “Different? How so?”

“Mmmm, that would be telling.” Julie now took the opportunity to pace her own circle around Corry. “Corry Veniti,” she began, upon completing the circuit. “Fraternal twin to Laurie Veniti. Former student of MacKenzie King Middle School, with a reasonable number of followers, though most known in musical circles. Instrument of choice, the flute. Birthday, May 21st. Parents’ names…”

“Stop.” Corry’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been busy.”

Julie allowed herself a small smile. “Being enigmatic is not without its advantages,” she explained. “People seeking to resolve that sort of a mystery can be coaxed into talking.”

“So it would seem.” A silence descended upon the two teenagers. As their eyes met, they practically dared the other to blink first. “You realize that if we cannot be friends, we will become enemies,” Corry said.

Julie lifted an eyebrow. “A threat?”

“An observation. You know, you have no dependable followers here yet, Julie. I do. I strongly urge you to reconsider my offer of partnership. I won’t make it again.”

“In that case, we have nothing further to discuss. You might as well run along home.”

Corry shook his head. “You’re making a mistake.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Julie remarked, mouth tightening. “However, you may find me a more formidable opponent than you think.”

“What, because your family is rich? I wouldn’t pin all your hopes on that.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

Corry turned away first. “Fine then, have it your way,” he concluded, a sour expression on his face as he walked off.

“Until next time,” Julie said, continuing to watch Corry’s retreating form without so much as batting an eyelash. “Until next time.”

***

Julie tapped her foot absentmindedly on the floor as she leaned back against the row of lockers. Much as she hated to admit it, Corry had been right about something during their encounter the previous week. She didn’t have any dependable followers yet. And sooner or later, people’s interest would wear off.

Meanwhile, Corry had taken the opportunity over the last seven days to start planting hints, if that boy Clarke’s remarks to her in the hall earlier today were to be believed. Phil Clarke had seemed a candid guy too, so she had no reason to doubt his word… being someone else not from this area, he could even be a good person to win over in the future.

However, in the here and now, Julie needed to find herself a more devoted follower. Someone others in the school would know, perhaps trust, hence someone who had lived in the area for a while. Someone who was also reasonably intelligent, thus could take direction, yet at the same time be sufficiently self absorbed so as to not to pick up on everything that Julie was doing. If that someone was of questionable conscience it would be all the better.

Julie had spent her first two weeks at school keeping an eye out for just such a person, and she now believed she had located a girl who fit most, if not all, of her requisite criteria.

“Hello Carrie,” Julie said with a half smile as the blonde with the long hair walked up to her.

Carrie Waterson stared back. “Julie?” She glanced up and down the hall before looking back to the brunette. “Why are you at my locker?”

Julie’s smile widened. “Because I have a proposition for you.”

“A… proposition?”

“Yes.” Julie stepped aside to allow Carrie to work her lock. “You seem surprised by my being here.”

“As far as I know, this is the first time you’ve ever approached anyone of your own volition,” Carrie admitted.

Julie nodded. “I’ve been thinking of changing that. Moreover, I’ve been thinking of doing that with you at my side.”

Tossing her books into her locker, Carrie slammed the door shut. “Why me?”

“Because Carrie, I believe you’re a relatively intelligent girl who has as much interest in status as I do. You already have some admirers, I have some ideas. By combining our efforts, well, let’s just say good things are sure to come our way.” There was no point beating around the bush - her best approach here was the truth.

Carrie gave Julie a wary look. “What exactly would I be getting out of this deal?”

Julie spread her hands out. “What do you want?”

Carrie laughed. “No, seriously, what would I get?”

“I am being serious, Carrie. Right now, what do you want?”

Carrie pursed her lips. “Right now? Revenge.”

“Revenge?” Julie repeated, not having quite anticipated that.

Carrie nodded. “Someone broke into my room late last Friday night and broke a crystal swan I keep on my desk. I’m not sure who it was, but they seemed familiar somehow.” Her mouth twitched and her hands briefly curled and uncurled. “I want revenge against whoever it was for what they did. I want them hurt, and hurt bad. Ideally without them ever knowing what hit them. Can you do that?”

Inwardly, Julie laughed. Carrie was even more perfect for her purposes than she’d first suspected.

Still, better to play things cautiously, at least to start. “Well,” Julie began. “That isn’t much to go on, but I’ll see if there’s anything I can do. In the meantime, I assure you that if you join forces with me, steps can be taken to prevent such a thing from ever happening again.”

Carrie worked through a few choice expressions on her face. “What if I don’t like the way things start working out?”

“Two week grace period,” Julie said easily. “If, during that time, you don’t like the situation? You can walk away. However, I would hope that we can deal with any problems that arise together, resolving them to our mutual satisfaction.” She winked. “Come on now, Carrie. What have you got to lose?”

Carrie sized Julie up one last time. “All right,” she agreed. “I’m in.”

(ASIDE: If you came here from part 1, you can see their friendship back in the present with this link to part 7.)

Corry paced in front of the two other people in the empty classroom. “So,” he began at last. “It’s been two days. What have you turned up on this Carrie Waterson? Sue?”

“Bits and pieces,” the brown haired girl replied. “As you must have figured out, she’s from the other major middle school that merges with ours at this high school. Casual inquiry has revealed to me that in many ways she’s your typical, shallow, blonde airhead. Unfortunately, the exception here is that her head isn’t filled with air.”

“She knows how to use what she’s got to manipulate people when she wants,” Tommy chimed in. “Bit of a flirt too.”

Corry leaned forwards, placing his hands upon a desk. “Popular?”

“Athletically, yes,” Sue confirmed. “Fast runner and fair gymnast. However, her social life outside school is erratic at best. She’s got an attitude and an ego. The few people I spoke with said that the only parties of note Carrie’s ever been invited to were ones thrown by guys hoping to get to first base with her. What followers she has are at least 80% male.”

“I don’t think she even gets out that much,” Tommy added. “Her mother is gone, either dead or divorced, which could mean she has an unstable home life. That may be carrying over into her personality. Appearances are a bit deceiving around Carrie.”

“I see,” Corry concluded. “To sum up, a lively, yet somehow vulnerable person. Julie chose well… she’s obviously not about to go down without a fight. As a team, how much of a threat do you think they’ll pose?”

Tommy and Sue exchanged a glance. “It’s too soon to tell, really,” Tommy admitted. “I mean, they may bond instantly or Carrie may decide to move on next week… our data on Julie is just too sparse to make any accurate predictions.”

Corry grimaced. “Well, you two have been at my side the longest. I trust you implicitly. If anyone can turn up more about Julie, you’ll find a way. Don’t worry about Carrie for the moment either… I’ll deal with her tomorrow.”

“Waterson,” Corry said as he approached her locker the following day.  “Just the person I wanted to see. A few words?”

“I have to get to class,” Carrie retorted.

“We’ve got ten minutes before the bell.”

Carrie hesitated, then shrugged. “In that classroom then,” she said, gesturing. The two of them entered the vacant room.

“So, you and Julie have hooked up together,” Corry remarked.

“Could be,” Carrie said noncommittally.

“I strongly advise you to reconsider that decision,” Corry continued. “There is a lot we don’t yet know about her. She may well prove dangerous.”

Carrie laughed. “What, you don’t know much about her, so you jump to that conclusion? Paranoid much?”

“I’m being serious,” Corry said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his tone. “I’ve been getting some bad vibes about the whole situation. Now, in contrast, I am willing to be perfectly candid with you.”

“I’m sure you are,” Carrie said, nodding. “Mr. Corry Veniti, fraternal twin to Laurie Veniti, former student of MacKenzie King Middle School, well known in musical…”

Corry slammed his books down onto a nearby desk. “Look, Waterson, Julie LaMille cannot be trusted! I’m sorry I didn’t get to you before she did, but believe me when I say it’s not too late to disassociate yourself from her.”

Carrie smiled. “Why Corry, are you proposing some sort of counter offer to me?”

“Well… yes, I guess I am,” Corry admitted. “If you’re willing to become another one of my backers, I’ll give you the associated benefits and speak out on your behalf once I’ve gained enough of a voice around here. Given time, I may even be able to support you with more than mere freshmen.”

“Let me see your books,” Carrie countered.

Corry raised an eyebrow. “My books?”

“I want to make sure you’re not concealing any sort of recording device that you’ll play back to Julie later.”

“Oh, please. Now who’s being paranoid?” Corry retorted.

Carrie simply looked up at the ceiling and began whistling idly, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Corry sighed. “Fine, fine, here,” he grumbled, shoving his books in her direction.

Carrie grabbed them and quickly flipped through the pages of his two texts, as well as his binder. Corry took the opportunity to lean back up against the wall. “Satisfied?” he said irritably once she’d finished.

“Sure,” Carrie agreed, reaching out to hand his stuff back. The textbooks slipped off the binder and fell to the floor.

Corry sighed again. “Are you trying my patience deliberately?” he asked, stooping down to retrieve the fallen texts.

“Not really. But about this deal of yours… you say follower. What about a partnership?”

“It may be possible someday,” Corry yielded, adding under his breath, “assuming you’re not always like this.” He stood and grabbed his binder back, stacking his texts on top of it.

Carrie regarded Corry quietly for a moment. “But Julie’s offering me partnership. And - correct me if I’m wrong - you did offer HER a definite partnership, didn’t you?”

“Hmph. Yes, of sorts,” Corry admitted. “But Julie is a unique case.”

“Because you’re worried about her,” Carrie said.

“She has qualities of which I’ve taken some note, that’s all.”

“It’s all right, Corry. It is understandable, fearing the unknown,” Carrie soothed.

“I wouldn’t go as far as fear,” Corry asserted.

Carrie pressed a finger on her chin. “Oh no? Funny. If I were you, I might go that far. After all, she has your reactions predicted down to a tee.”

“But she… wait, what do you mean?” Corry asked.

Carrie smiled again. “I mean this conversation is going almost exactly the way she told me it would. You know, it’s interesting, Corry. I wasn’t totally sold on Julie. But now, looking at how well she can handle someone like you, well… I think my friendship with her just might work out after all.”

Corry grit his teeth. “You’re making a mistake. If you’re with Julie, you’re against me. Are you sure you want that?”

Carrie flashed a patronizing look his way. “It’s okay, Corry. I think we girls can handle you.” She then produced a number of papers from behind her back, and unceremoniously dumped them into the garbage. “Bye now!”

As Carrie walked out of the class, Corry moved to see what on earth she had discarded. Lying on top of a few dirty Kleenex and a banana peel, he recognized his homework assignment for the day.

Eyes widening, Corry flipped open his binder, looking at the pocket where his assignment should have been. In its place was a small yellow card which read simply: ‘‘Your move now. –Julie’’

“All right,” Corry seethed, clenching his hand into a fist. “If it’s war you want… it’s war you get!" Grabbing his assignment from the trash, he wheeled and stormed out of the classroom.

PART 25: MISSING PIECE

Despite Luci’s best efforts, there were already a few students present when she reached her first period mathematics classroom. She had hoped to be the first one to arrive, to get a desk at the back, ideally near the door. A seat which would allow her to watch all the others as they came in.

She needed to find a new niche in Grade Ten, to make a clean break away from the Grade Nines, now that she was skipping that grade entirely. Trouble was, that had involved taking the long way here, to avoid any awkward encounters in the hall.

Fortunately, the desk she wanted was still available. As she slid into the chair, a brunette with long, naturally curly hair approached.

“Hello! Who are you?” the brunette inquired.

“Who’s asking?” Luci shot back, out of reflex.

The unknown girl frowned, leaning her palms against the edge of Luci’s desk. “I asked first. I don’t recognize you from last year, are you a transfer student?”

Okay, now this girl was bothering her. “What business is it of yours?” Luci demanded.

“Everything that happens around here is my business,” the girl said with mounting annoyance. “You always answer questions with questions?”

“What if I do?” Who WAS this girl?

More to the point, why was Luci sabotaging their relationship right out of the gate? She bit the edge of her tongue.

Her outspoken nature had never been of much help, before or after her adoption. She’d had no close friends last year, in Grade Eight. And so, in moving on to high school, Luci had put her foot down - new school, new circle of peers. Ones closer to being her intellectual equal.

At the very least, this way she’d be done with high school a year sooner. She’d deftly shot down every argument that had been thrown at her. That had been the easy part.

“Julie, don’t bother the newcomer,” came a new voice. Luci turned to see a redheaded boy entering the classroom. He looked vaguely familiar.

“I’m being sociable, Corry,” Julie retorted, pushing herself away from Luci’s desk. Corry, mused Luci… why do I know that name?

Right, back at MacKenzie King Middle School there had been a Corry Veniti in the grade ahead of her. He’d had delusions of grandeur, as Luci recalled. This had to be the same guy, now in her grade.

“Of course you are,” Corry was saying to Julie. “And by tomorrow, you’ll have the poor girl hauling your books to your next class."

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were interested in her,” Julie retorted. “By all means, convince her to carry your books instead.”

“Idiots,” Luci muttered under her breath, even as the two of them ignored her in favour of glaring at each other. She could do better than people so petty. Right? Maybe?

This small Canadian town wasn’t helping. With very few other asians around, and her fitting a number of the racial stereotypes, she’d trended even further into sarcasm when talking to people. Honestly, why didn’t people THINK before opening their mouths?

Though maybe it wasn’t their fault. Okay, positive thoughts. Luci eyed the classroom door.

As the five minute warning bell went off, Luci saw a girl who had to be Corry’s twin sister enter, given the physical similarity. She was accompanied by another girl with a crystal necklace, who had pink hair. Except the redhead was saying her friend hadn’t always had pink hair, last year it was green, though pink went better with her outfit, and oh God, their conversation seemed so boring and shallow. Rejected.

Then a shorter boy entered by himself; he looked too introverted. Then a taller blonde boy; he gravitated immediately towards Julie. Then more students, and in all cases, Luci found that she was rejecting them as possible friends for one reason or another. In large part because it seemed like the cliques here had already formed. For the first time, the advice of her counsellor hit home: ‘Skipping Grade Nine is a BAD idea.’

The teacher re-entered the room with a minute to spare, and people began finding seats. With less than thirty seconds before the final bell, there was a crashing sound in the hallway, and Luci turned again.

A blonde girl with long hair was sitting on the floor. Next to her was a male wearing glasses, now slightly askew. Apparently the two of them had collided, running to class from opposite directions.

“Pervert,” the blonde accused, moving to slap the male upside the head with her binder. “I felt that. How dare you try to cop a feel by crashing into me?”

“Ow! What? I was trying to keep myself from falling down,” the male protested, reaching up to adjust his glasses and rub the side of his head.

“Nice try,” the blonde retorted. She whacked his hand. “The last guy who fed me a line like that at least bought me dinner first!”

The final bell chose that moment to ring, the two teenagers turning and blinking in the direction of the classroom. They jumped to their feet and leapt for the entrance, both squeezing through at the same time.

As the announcements clicked on, the blonde hurried for what was apparently a reserved seat next to Julie, while the boy in the glasses slid into the closest available desk… right next to Luci. The young girl realized then that she had yet to take her eyes off of him. She snapped her attention back to the front of the room.

‘Okay.’ Luci resolved. ‘It’s socializing with that guy or nothing!’

Luci next encountered Frank - she’d obtained his name via attendance taking - during lunch. He was sitting alone in the cafeteria, poring over a book of some sort. Summoning up her courage, Luci set her tray down across from him.

“I’d like to sit here?” she said, belatedly turning the assertion into a question.

Frank looked up. “Hm? Oh, sure, sit where you like,” he said.

Luci nodded, sliding into the available space. Frank looked back at his book. “I see you’re interested in time travel,” she continued, unwrapping her sandwich.

“What?” Frank said, looking up again. Luci motioned to the book he was reading: ‘Time Machines’ by Paul J. Nahin. “Oh!” Frank realized. “Yes, it’s a passing interest. Alternately, a long and complicated story… uhm, forgive me for asking this, but do I know you?"

“No. Not yet,” Luci admitted. “I’m new to the school. But we were sitting next to each other in math class. Luci Primrose,” she offered, extending her hand.

“Frank Dijora,” he responded, setting his book down to shake.

“You know,” Luci continued. “That girl had no right to hit you the way she did this morning. Outside our classroom. You should have stood up to her.”

“Oh, you saw that?” Frank said, wincing. “That’s… well, yeah, maybe you’re right, except Carrie will be Carrie. Contrary to what some people say, she’s not all bad. Overly emotional maybe. It’s not entirely her fault. Uh, never mind. Did you transfer in from out of town?”

Luci noted the change of subject, but decided to roll with it. She swallowed her bite of sandwich. “No, I skipped Grade Nine.”

Frank lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you looked young! Nine is an odd one to skip though, it must leave you at a bit of a loose end with respect to the school.”

“Yeah, kind of,” Luci admitted. “Which is why I’ve been looking for someone to help me out. And you seem to be both nice, intelligent and…” She stopped herself before adding ‘good looking’, only to realize she was no longer sure where else to go with that sentence.

Frank’s other eyebrow joined his first. “And what, you want me to show you around or something?”

“Yes. I mean no. I mean, I don’t need a tour,” Luci amended hastily. “But maybe catch me up on what some of our classmates are like? Friends, enemies, personalities?”

Frank shook his head. “I’m not the person for that,” he sighed. “For statistics, go to Julie. Rumour has it that she’s got a file folder for every student. In our grade, and beyond.”

Luci wrinkled her nose. “Julie, I met. Didn’t like her.”

“She can evoke that reaction,” Frank agreed. “But she’s popular. Does things for people, throws good parties - she’s a LaMille, you know.”

“A LaMille?” Luci said, taken aback. “Related to that rich couple who own the old mansion in town?”

“Yup,” Frank said. “So if you’re aiming for popularity, you’ll need her on your side. Well, her or Corry Veniti. They’re the most influential people in our grade.”

“See, this is exactly the stuff I need to know! Tell me more.”

It took a bit of convincing, as Frank seemed wary of spreading misinformation, but Luci left their lunch period feeling a bit more confident in her ability to fit in. And in having found someone to talk to.

That’s when things took an odd turn.

Luci opened her locker at the end of the day, to find a note taped on the back side of the door. This, despite how she had only bought her lock last Friday, and had told no one about the combination.

Luci pulled the note off and scanned it. It read: ‘I have important information. Willowdale Park at 9pm tonight. Come alone.’

“Something out of a bad movie,” Luci muttered to herself.

She flipped the paper over, but it was unsigned and she didn’t recognize the handwriting. Luci tapped the paper edge against her fingertips. “All right. I’ll bite,” she decided. “But whoever you are, don’t underestimate me.”

The park was deserted when Luci arrived. As she was ten minutes early, she hadn’t really expected anyone else to be there yet. Seating herself in one of the swings, Luci took the opportunity to scan around in all directions, through the growing darkness.

She first heard a noise at a minute to nine. “Hello? Who’s there?” she called out authoritatively.

“Luci?”

“Frank?” Luci’s tone turned to surprise as she stood. “Frank, is that you?”

“Er, yes,” Frank responded. She could now see him approaching her. “Sorry about this cloak and dagger act,” he continued. “It’s all rather complicated.”

“Apparently,” Luci fired back. “First things first, how did you know my locker combination?"

Frank winced. “You told it to me, Luci.”

“I did no such thing.”

“No, you kind of did, actually,” Frank insisted.

She crossed her arms. “Explain.”

He stepped closer. “Right. See, I am, um, a secret government operative with the power to read minds. I was asked by my superiors to look into you as a potential recruit, due to your high intelligence."

Luci stared. Great, so she’d decided to befriend a crazy person. “Where’s your proof?”

“Well, right now you’re thinking that I’m crazy."

“That’s not proof! What agency is this? Why would it have a branch in Canada? What other science fiction books are you reading?”

“Okay, stop, that’s a lot to answer at once,” Frank protested. “We need to take this slowly, like where you think of a number, and I tell you what it is, and then after that we’ll move on to shapes, and you know what, now would be a real good time, Luci!”

Too late, Luci heard the noise behind her. She started to turn, but the cloth had already been slapped across her mouth and nose. The effect of the drug was almost immediate. After a short, futile struggle, the thirteen year old asian girl lay unconscious upon the ground.

The fourteen year old asian girl, still with her hair done up in two ponytails, was left looking down at her own body.

“Okay, sneaking up on one’s past self now officially ranks as one of the CREEPIEST moments EVER,” Luci said, shuddering.

Frank shrugged helplessly. “It’s not like we could tell your prior self about the time machine. You’re not supposed to learn about it until next August. Which is before it’s even discovered! Heck, my present day self knows about it, but we’re not telling him about this either.”

The new Luci held up her hand. “Okay, okay, stop rationalizing,” she sighed. “This WAS my idea. Anyway, what’s done is done, and so it had to be done again. Let’s just… get my past self out of here before anything has a chance to go wrong.”

The next day found Luci Primrose arriving at school a full half hour early. She had spent a good deal of time the previous night looking back over her prior self’s diary entries, to try and get herself back in the right frame of mind.

She only had twenty four hours here to find the information they needed in the future. Frank would be back in the park around 8:45 that night, for them to switch her back. And since he’d jumped there directly using time travel, they couldn’t change the plan now.

Not that there was much of a plan. They hadn’t had the time to come up with one. Fortunately, Luci still had a logical starting point, namely Carrie Waterson herself. Thus the reason behind her heading to the school’s outdoor track, where the blonde teenager was bound to be running some morning laps, in order to attract attention.

Sure enough, Carrie was there, her form fitting lycra outfit netting her a small group of interested onlookers in the stands. Mostly male. Luci leaned up against the fence enclosing the track area and observed herself.

The blonde slowed as she completed her final lap, reaching back to pull out the ribbon holding back her hair. The long blonde tresses cascaded out behind her, finally settling over her shoulders after Carrie shook her head. There were a few whistles and a smattering of applause as Carrie paused to fire off a wink towards the observers.

Luci suppressed the urge to gag. “Forgot how much of a show off Carrie was last year,” she grumped. She hurried after the athletic blonde girl, entering the otherwise empty girls’ locker room after her. “Carrie,” Luci called out. “Got a moment?”

Carrie turned. “Sure,” she said with a smile. “Let me guess, you were super impressed by my athletic ability, and want to learn just how I got to be so good? To be honest, a lot of it is natural talent. But I could give you some pointers if you and your friends put in a good word for me with Michelle… she’s the girl in the forerunning for the position of cheerleader captain this year. I’m pushing to be captain myself by next year!”

Luci bit her tongue to keep from making an immediate retort. “Actually,” she said, “I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me about Julie.”

“Oh,” Carrie said, her smile vanishing. She shrugged. “Maybe. Why, who are you anyway?”

“Luci,” Luci answered. “Luci Primrose. I’m new to the school but in your grade.”

“Really? How’d that happen?” Carrie asked curiously as she began to peel out of her running outfit. Luci couldn’t help but turn away at that; she really didn’t need the blatant reminder of how little she’d developed in comparison with Carrie. Even if, despite the time travel, she was still younger than the blonde.

“I skipped Grade Nine,” Luci answered, fixating upon a point near the corner of the room. “So do you think you’ll be able to help me find out some information?”

“Depends what I’m getting out of it,” the blonde replied.

Right. Grade Ten Carrie. Luci pursed her lips. “What were you thinking of?”

There was a pause, during which Luci heard the blonde head to the shower area and start the water running. “Are you in any athletic circles?” Carrie called out at last. “Because I can always use more cheerleading support.”

“You want more support, wear a better bra,” Luci muttered.

“Pardon?”

Luci bit her tongue again. God, past Carrie was so self-centred! If only their Carrie were able to answer these questions… and remembering why that wasn’t possible immediately focussed Luci’s attention back on the mission.

“Nothing. Look, I can’t promise anything. But all I need is to find out who was working for the LaMilles when Julie was about nine years old. Do you know how I might do that?”

“If you’re not promising, I can’t help,” Carrie fired back. “That’s not the way the world works.”

“Oh, fine then,” Luci retorted in exasperation. This had been a bad idea. She turned and headed for the door.

“Though to be honest, I don’t know that sort of stuff,” Carrie admitted. “So how about this? If you become part of Julie’s ‘in’ crowd, you can ask her yourself.”

The shower turned off and Carrie emerged, wrapping herself in a towel. “Step one, you’ll need to dress more appropriately,” she offered. “Your jeans and T-shirt look is SO tired. It’s no way to be remembered.”

Luci hesitated. Assuming she had no luck with her other potential sources, being inside Julie’s house was the only way to obtain the required information. “Okay,” Luci agreed. “How many steps before I could drop by the LaMille mansion?”

“Don’t push it,” Carrie said, waggling her finger. “Wait for Julie to throw a party. She’s sure to have one this month.”

‘Since I only have thirteen hours left, that’s no good,' Luci thought. “I’ll get back to you on that,” she sighed, turning back towards the door, idly trying to recall to what extent her past self had ever followed up.

“And if you DO see Michelle, tell her how dedicated I am to practicing, okay?” Carrie called out as Luci departed the change room.

The young asian couldn’t keep from rolling her eyes. There were now only ten minutes before the first bell, and she had more people to talk to.

“The LaMille hired help?” Clarke mused. “Never thought about it. Guess I assumed Jeeves and Mimi always worked for them. Why?”

Luci shook her head. “Random thought. Don’t worry about it.” She hadn’t held out much hope for an answer – the Clarke in her time hadn’t known. She was gambling that he’d merely forgotten.

“What’s Julie’s house like these days anyway?” Luci continued. “I mean, who can get invited there… that sort of thing.”

Clarke rubbed his chin. “Actually, I bet Julie’s curious about you, since you’re new in our grade. And I was planning on dropping by her place tonight, around eight. We could go together, if you like.”

Luci almost agreed. But she forced herself to consider the offer. If they both went, and Luci was caught sneaking off to track down the necessary files, it might reflect badly on Clarke. They couldn’t afford to take that risk.

The Julie-Clarke relationship was still tenuous at this point in the past. Besides, even if their past relationship was NOT affected by her time travel, any repercussions could still lay within Luci’s future.

It was really too bad that it wasn’t Carrie who was going to Julie’s house tonight. They had an established relationship now which would fragment in the future anyway.

“No,” Luci answered. “That won’t work for me. Still, is there anything more you can tell me about the mansion?”

Clarke shook his head. “Not really my place. Talk to Julie.”

Fine. Seemed like she’d have to go right to the source. Luci continued down the hallway into homeroom.

As she made for Julie, she saw the brunette jotting down something down in a small black book. It was tucked away under her sweater before the younger girl got too close. “What do you want?” Julie demanded. “Corry send you to spy on me?”

“No,” Luci answered. “In fact, I’m sure he’ll be annoyed by my talking to you at all. But I have something to ask.”

Julie folded her arms across her chest. “Ask away.”

“I need to know who was working for your family about six or seven years ago.”

If Julie wondered as to the request, she didn’t show it. “Why?”

“I can’t tell you right now,” Luci admitted. “But I can promise that the information won’t be used against you. Moreover, if you need me to do something for you today in exchange, I am willing. As long as it’s only for today, and within the bounds of reason.”

Julie remained silent for close to a minute before speaking again. “Oddly tempting,” she admitted. “But here’s a tip: I never give out information about my family. You want to learn more about the LaMilles? Read a newspaper.” Julie turned away.

“Wait,” Luci said quickly, shifting gears as an actual plan occurred to her. “What if I were to demonstrate my good faith by warning you about a certain plot against you? Happening tonight?”

Julie glanced back. “And I would believe you because of… your young girlish charm?”

“And the fact that I ALSO know about the plots you and Corry have for embarrassing each other at lunch today.”

Julie smiled. “You claim to know a lot.”

“I’m an observer,” Luci stated. “So, remember this conversation at around twelve o’clock today.”

Julie simply shook her head before turning away again. The five minute bell chose that moment to ring, and Luci stepped away, letting out the breath she hadn’t even known she was holding.

This was where things became risky, as she entangled herself in the plots of Corry and Julie. Made even more dangerous by the fact that Luci honestly couldn’t remember WHAT the two of them were doing – only that there had to have been something… something during that missing day of her life. Which was now today.

She had the rest of the morning to try and piece it together. If only there wasn’t so much at stake if she failed.

PART 24: UNDERSTANDINGS

“Chartreuse,” Mr. Veniti said in surprise. “We weren’t expecting you. I think Laurie’s upstairs, hold on.”

“I’m here to talk with Corry,” Chartreuse clarified.

Mr. Veniti blinked. “Corry?”

“Hello, yes?” Corry inquired, poking his head out into the hallway behind his father.

“Corry, we have to talk about what, like, happened today.”

“No, we don’t,” Corry refuted with a wave of his hand.

“Yes, we DO,” Chartreuse insisted. “But NOT, you know, here in the hallway.”

Corry sized her up. Then he nodded. “Okay, fine, come in. It’s a band thing,” Corry added for the benefit of his father. “Let’s go talk in my room, okay Chartreuse?”

Chartreuse nodded again and the two of them retreated upstairs. Once in Corry’s bedroom, with the door closed, the redhead leaned back up against the wall, hands behind his head.

“All right,” he said. “You’ve got your serious look on, so I’ll give you thirty seconds to convince me not to toss you out of here. Go.”

“Bzzzt. I’m sorry, that is an invalid statement. Twenty-five seconds.”

“Corry, look, there’s something sinister going on here involving you, Carrie and Julie. Julie went into Carrie’s locker after you. She saw what you did and yet she didn’t, like, stop you. Don’t you think that’s telling?”

Corry shrugged. “Tells me even Julie’s smart enough to yield to the inevitable. Fifteen seconds.”

“Come on, don’t you think Julie would have stopped you if she could have? I mean, like, we’re not talking, you know, simple detention here. This was suspension, verging on expulsion!”

“Chartreuse, I didn’t think it was possible for you to make less sense than usual. But what do you know, here we have it.”

“Are you honestly telling me you don’t think those drugs could have gotten Carrie thrown out of school??”

“Time’s up,” Corry said. “Please take your insane mystic ravings elsewhere.” He reached for the doorknob.

“Corry, this isn’t me being mystic,” Chartreuse protested. “Those drugs you put in Carrie’s locker would have resulted in at least a real long suspension if I hadn’t stepped in.”

Corry paused with his hand on the doorknob, looking Chartreuse up and down. “Drugs,” he repeated. “Geez, Chartreuse. I admit, at times I can be a cruel son of a bitch. However, I like to think I’m ethical enough not to threaten anyone with jail time simply because they’re a shallow brat with no respect for people like my sister.”

Chartreuse pursed her lips. “Corry, a teacher found drugs in Carrie’s locker, last period of school today. You can, like, check the story out with whatever sources you have. It’s true.”

Corry’s hand fell away from the door. “Wait a minute. Is that why Carrie and Julie were called down to the office? Because I was hedging to see if I wanted to take the credit for that.” He frowned. “Maybe I don’t.”

“But - what?” Chartreuse said, shaking her head in confusion. “If the drugs weren’t, like, Carrie’s, and you didn’t put them there either, how did they, you know, end up in her locker?”

There was a moment of silence. The answer came to both of them at once. “Julie!”

“No, wait,” Corry protested quickly. “Julie against CARRIE? Those two have been joined at the hip ever since Grade 9.”

“Not anymore,” Chartreuse asserted. “As I said, there’s, you know, something sinister going on. In fact, now I see what was wrong with my vision… Julie DID take out what you put in Carrie’s locker. But my vision shifted before I saw her put the drugs in.”

“Chartreuse, please, no mystic spacing on me now. You were down at the office when Carrie and Julie were there, right? Was Julie being blamed for these drugs at all?”

“Nuh-uh, Corry, not answering that. First I, you know, get to find out what you did do with respect to Carrie’s locker.”

“Oh, for crying out loud…”

“I’ve, like, given you quite a lot of information in the last few minutes,” Chartreuse said. “You owe me this!”

“You came to me, I don’t owe you anything,” Corry shot back. Chartreuse folded her arms and stood there obstinately. Corry finally sighed. “FINE,” he grumbled.

“If you must know, I actually took into consideration some of what you said on the weekend. All I did was go into Carrie’s locker, pinch a bag of her gym clothes and recipe cards, then chuck it into the sink in the men’s washroom. I figured someone else would have some fun with that. I also left a threatening note behind, saying that if it even LOOKED like the blonde brat was crossing me or Laurie in the future, she would get suspended. So fast it would make her head spin.”

He cracked his knuckles. “A bit generous, I admit, but I’m pretty sure Julie was behind the actual recording. Carrie wouldn’t have had that kind of foresight.” He paused. “In fact, if what you say is true, Julie took my note away. I’m not comforted.”

Chartreuse nodded slowly. “Well then, in response to your earlier question, I, like, don’t think Julie was at the office for the drugs. She was seen separate from Carrie.”

Corry grunted. “Still, I bet she was the one to tip off the teacher who found them - actually, that could explain her summons. Hunt would wonder how she knew.” His eyes narrowed. “Julie seems to be playing for keeps all of a sudden. What’s her game?”

“Apocalypse,” Chartreuse murmured in reply. “With us as her pawns.”

“No bloody way. I’ll die before I become a pawn of Julie’s,” Corry spat out. He then grimaced. “Still, hyperbole aside, the ante is rising alarmingly fast. I’d better make sure I’m keeping up.” He went over to his desk and flipped on a light. “You can go now, Chartreuse.”

Chartreuse blinked. “What are you going to do?”

Corry turned back to glare at Chartreuse. “You can go,” he repeated firmly.

Chartreuse opened her mouth to protest, but seeing his expression she thought better of it and simply backed out of his room. The mysteries behind the events of the day had been resolved to her satisfaction. And it was possible that her intervention in the office had been enough to derail the future vision she’d had.

Yet at the same time… Chartreuse couldn’t help but wonder whether it had been a mistake, talking to Corry.

“This is a mistake,” Carrie whispered to herself even as she knocked on the door. “I shouldn’t have come here. I’m making it about me again.” She turned to go but it was too late, as the door was already opening.

“Oh! Carrie, isn’t it?” Mrs. Dijora said with a smile. “Did you need to pick up some notes from Frank or something?”

“I… no, I… wrong house, sorry,” Carrie fumbled. “Goodbye.” Mrs. Dijora watched in confusion as Carrie retreated back down the driveway and ran off down the street.

She couldn’t do it. Fellow time traveler or not, supposed friend or not, she couldn’t simply unload on her classmate, not again. “I’m sure he’s busy talking with Luci anyway,” she murmured.

Carrie’s steps ultimately took her to Willowdale Park. The one near her house, on the other side of the ravine. Where she had first found the time machine, and where she had blown up at Luci and Frank less than a week ago.

She wasn’t sure why she’d come here, but she was here now at any rate. There was a swing set nearby, so she sat down on one of the swings, scuffing her shoes slightly in the dirt.

“I have nothing,” Carrie reiterated quietly to herself. Unable to hold back any longer, she buried her face in her hands. Yet the tears wouldn’t come. She’d held them back for too long - and now she couldn’t even cry properly. In the end, she didn’t even have that. Pathetic. God, she wanted to die.

“Carrie?”

The blonde stumbled to her feet. “Who’s there?” she choked out.

“Me,” came the quiet voice of Frank Dijora. He stepped closer, close enough for her to see him in the darkness. “My mom said you stopped by for some reason.”

A light wind started up, blowing through Carrie’s hair. As it had the last time they’d been here. She pulled the hair away from her face. “H-How did you find me?”

Frank shrugged. “A hunch. If you hadn’t been here, I suppose I would have tried your house.” The two teenagers stared silently at each other.

“Hey,” Frank ventured at last, moving towards a patch of grass. “You know this spot right over here? Isn’t this about where we ended up, after coming back from those days trapped in the woods? Boy, that was some trip, wasn’t it. Good thing you had that first aid knowledge.”

Carrie stared. “Why? Why are you being so nice?” she whispered.

Frank turned back towards her. “Because I’m guessing that things went badly for you in the principal’s office today. With that on top of everything else, uh, I’m thinking you could use a bit of cheering up?”

Carrie shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to you since I… look, you have no reason to do this. I’m hardly in a position to be able to grant you any favours.”

“I know.” Frank rubbed the back of his neck. “But you realize it’s never been about favours, yeah? And the Carrie I know - she tends to lash out at bad news. So I’d hate to see her lose control again tomorrow. Possibly doing even more stuff to people that she’d regret later.”

The wind blew more hair in front of Carrie’s face but this time she ignored it, her eyes fixated on Frank. “I really don’t understand people, do I,” she realized. A pause. “I am sorry for some of the things I’ve said and done to you. Really sorry.”

“I wasn’t actually looking for an apology.”

“You still deserve one.” Carrie paused again before gazing skyward. “It’s more than me not getting close to people, you know? I avoid it on purpose.” She bit down on her lip. “Maybe because, by keeping people at arm’s length, it never matters much to me when they go away. Or… disappear entirely.”

She began digging her fingers into her palms. “It’s also easier to manipulate people for one’s own benefit when feelings don’t enter into it. But now that I’m on this side of the exchange - it hurts, Frank. Gods, I never thought I was hurting people like this.”

Frank shook his head slowly. “I don’t understand.”

Carrie shifted her gaze from the sky to the ground. “Julie’s cast me aside, Frank. You and Luci were right about her. And with both Julie and Corry set against me now, by the weekend, I’m going to become a social outcast.” She swallowed, and only now felt a tear forming at the corner of her eye. “It’s been so long - I’m not sure I can live that way.”

Frank stepped towards her and reached out, tentatively taking hold of Carrie’s hands and uncurling her fingers. “I don’t know,” he said softly. “You may be underestimating your own strength.”

Carrie took in a deep, shuddering breath, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I… I’m scared, Frank! Worse than when you saw me two years ago,” she admitted.

She clutched back at his hands as he succeeded in prying her fingers loose from her palms. “Back then I could attribute the problem to being in the wrong time period,” she explained. “Now it’s the PRESENT I have no control over. And I can only imagine how many people at school have been waiting for this day to arrive.”

Frank released a hand in order to brush the errant strands of hair away from Carrie’s face. She finally met his gaze once again. “There’s at least one person who won’t be celebrating.”

Carrie choked back a sob. “Damn it, Frank! STOP being so nice to me, I don’t deserve it.”

Frank smiled. “Maybe. Maybe not. People change. I don’t think you’re half as bad now as you used to be.”

“I don’t deserve it!"

His image began to blur in front of Carrie’s eyes. “Oh God, I’m about to cry,” Carrie realized. “Promise not to tell–” She cut herself off. “No. You wouldn’t say anything. Thank you.”

Carrie buried her face into Frank’s shoulder, allowing the tears to flow freely at last. Feeling Carrie’s arms encircle him, Frank instinctively imitated the gesture, holding Carrie close as she shook and sobbed uncontrollably.

There was no way to tell exactly how long they remained like that, but eventually Carrie’s tears had run their course and she pulled away again.

“Feel better?” Frank murmured.

“Kinda,” Carrie said, sniffling and wiping her eyes. “Except now I’m sure I’ve been out past ten, so dad’s gonna be ticked.” She blinked a few times. “And geez, I’ve totally messed up your jacket.”

Frank glanced down. “Eh, it’ll wash.”

Carrie smiled halfheartedly. “I guess.” She reached up to loop a strand of hair back around her finger. “And don’t get the wrong idea here. If this is a… a friendship of sorts forming… it’s going to take some getting used to. At least for me. Probably for Luci too, if I end up hanging around you more often.”

Frank smiled back. “You say that as if you think I have friendships figured out. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we can work it out in time.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh! Which reminds me. I’ve been wanting to tell you since Monday… we can fix the time machine. But we’ll need parts and stuff, so we won’t be good to go until November. At the earliest.”

Carrie opened her mouth, then closed it again. “I see,” she said at last. “Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Because I feel like, somehow, time travel isn’t finished with me yet.”

Frank lifted an eyebrow. “You say that like it’s the time travel in control, instead of us.”

She let out a slow breath. “Yeah. I know.” Carrie shook her head. “Anyway, I… I promise I’ll be more patient with your efforts from now on. You’re allowed to hit me if I’m not, all right?”

Frank chuckled. “I trust it won’t come to that.”

“No, seriously, hit me, you need to get more assertive,” Carrie insisted. “It was bad enough when I was walking all over you - if you’re not careful, Luci’s going to end up doing the same thing.”

“Um… I’ll keep it in mind then.”

The two of them stood silently for another long moment. “Okay. Well, I should get back home,” Carrie said at last. “I’m late for curfew as it is.”

“Yeah, I should go too,” Frank agreed. He ran a hand back through his hair. “See you tomorrow?”

“See you then,” Carrie affirmed. “And Frank… thanks. Really.” They exchanged one last smile before going their separate ways.

The rumours had already started to fly by Friday lunchtime. Not all of them compatible. Some said Corry had managed to break up the friendship between Julie and Carrie, by getting them in trouble. Another story went that Julie had broken it off with Carrie, because of something Frank had done to them. Others believed Carrie had broken it off with Julie, related to something Corry had done to her and Chartreuse.

There was even a rumour that the breakup was a ruse, devised by Carrie, to pair off Corry and Julie, so that Clarke could date Laurie and Chartreuse could date Frank. It was all very confusing.

Naturally, no one was confessing to anything. However, none of the big names were officially denying anything either, which made it even more difficult to figure out what was really going on. After all, you could never truly believe anything until it had been officially denied by Julie or Corry.

By the end of the day, Carrie was so tired of all the questions she was getting that she was actually looking forward to the solitude of detention. She did take some small consolation in that her own changing social status was being lost in the shuffle, but she knew that wouldn’t last. The people staring and whispering around her, that was just the beginning.

Worse, her father had indeed been upset with her arriving home late - and admitting to her detention hadn’t helped matters - such that she wouldn’t be able to socialize in the evenings for a while anyway. At this rate, Carrie rather hoped she was due for a run of good luck.

She opened her locker door to toss in her books, only to have it immediately slammed shut again. Carrie blinked in surprise at Corry, who was now leaning against the locker in question. “We have to talk,” Corry stated.

“I have to get to detention,” Carrie retorted. “Big surprise for you there, I’m sure.”

“What happened to you in the office yesterday was not my doing,” Corry asserted, lowering his voice. Perhaps he need not have bothered, as people were again making a point of avoiding them. “And I really don’t care whether you believe that or not, my point is how we seem to have a common enemy.”

Carrie crossed her arms. “What, the enemy of my enemy is my friend? I don’t think so.”

Corry grimaced. “Thank heaven for that! Don’t get me wrong here, Waterson. I don’t like you. I think you’re shallow, self-serving and a terrible influence on my sister. After what happened at the dance, it’s taking a lot of willpower not to simply walk away, and let you swing in the breeze.”

“Nice talking with you, too.”

“But I’m not going to listen to that voice in my head,” Corry said, narrowing his eyes. “Because that’s exactly what Julie would expect of me.”

Carrie paused. “Okay, I’ll bite. Huh?”

“It’s becoming obvious that Julie’s manipulating us. And I hate being manipulated even worse than I hate you. So here’s the deal. You help me out in dealing with Julie, I see that you don’t become a social pariah at school. Subject to a few conditions up front, with the understanding that my offer may be terminated at any time.”

“How nice. Doesn’t sound like I’m getting a lot out of this deal, does it,” Carrie said dryly.

Corry shrugged. “Assuming you don’t break the terms of our agreement, you’ll get immunity from me for the rest of the semester. Julie won’t be able to touch you either, assuming I know she’s going to. I’m even willing to exert some authority to help you out at times. Within reason.”

Carrie hesitated. It seemed like he was serious. “Tempting,” she admitted. “But let me be honest with you. I never paid that much attention to Julie’s plans. I doubt I’ll be of much help.”

Corry shook his head. “Don’t kid yourself. You know things, even if you don’t think you do. For instance, in all your time with her, have you ever known Julie to self harm?”

Carrie flinched. “What? No. Where the hell did that come from?”

“Nowhere, I’m simply making my point. There’s also the fact that you have your own supporters around the school - primarily in athletic circles - and while they’d probably drift to Julie in time, for now, they’re still with you. Meaning they’re a potential asset to me. Now, can you honestly say you have no interest whatsoever in getting back at Julie?”

Carrie weighed her options. Going it alone, they didn’t look good. “All right,” she admitted warily. “All right, I’m interested. What are you proposing?”

Corry smiled. “After making me look like the villain in breaking you two up, Julie has to know I’m gunning for her now, even more so than before. She’s going to be on her guard, using every possible resource to try and head me off at the pass,” Corry explained. His smile became another grimace. “So, we wait. My next move will be dictated by her response.”

“Wait?” Carrie said in surprise. “You?”

“Yeah. Much like my approaching you, she’ll never expect it.” Corry turned away. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Hurry up Carrie, you’ll be late for detention,” was Corry’s only reply as he walked off down the hall.

In the car parked across the street from the high school, the man pulled his hat down lower over his eyes. He tapped his pencil against the notepad he was scrutinizing.

Carrie Waterson had been in possession of his device for a month now. Was that enough time? Moreover, had she taken that pivotal trip yet, the one for which he’d gone into the woods to rescue her? Alas, there was no way to know for sure. All he knew was that he couldn’t afford to rush things.

“On the bright side, I’m pretty sure I know who to target for Phase Two now,” the shady character mumbled. His pencil circled the name scrawled at the top of his notepad. That of Julie LaMille.

Clarke shook his head as he paced back and forth in front of the filing cabinets in the room. “Jewels, I don’t understand,” he murmured. “You let Carrie take a fall like that? Why?”

Julie leaned back in her chair tiredly, staring at the ceiling of her ‘play room’. “I saw the signs. Fool me twice, shame on me and all that,” she explained in a detached voice.

She sighed. “You see, Carrie was no longer willing to act against people who had wronged her. I couldn’t risk that becoming a betrayal of me at her next moral conflict, thus decided it was better for the both of us to help Carrie realize whose side she was truly on. Better I do it now, while events are still highly predictable.”

“So, what, will I be the next person you cast aside?”

Julie sat back up, eyes widening. “Oh, Phil, no,” she gasped. “You’re not like Carrie. I wouldn’t do that to you. Even when you say things I don’t like, you’re always still so honest with me.”

“I’d like to believe you mean that,” Clarke said slowly. “But Jewels, you’re worrying me more and more with every passing day. Like, this whole time machine thing - you told me yourself how you blew it way out of proportion. Frank didn’t know the future, and he wasn’t working against you. You’re jumping to conclusions, you’re wearing yourself out, and while I still want to understand, and want to help you out… you’re not making it easy.”

She stared back at him for a moment before looking away. “Okay. In that case, perhaps you will take some comfort in the fact that, for the moment, I’m finished. The time machine is no longer a factor, and I’ve reached an understanding with Mr. Hunt. Meanwhile, Corry has to have an inkling of how I’ve been manipulating things by now. Thus the ball is firmly in his court.”

She let out a long breath. “He’s sure to do something. My next move will be dictated by his response.”

Clarke sighed. “And what if Corry’s move is to get you suspended? Or expelled? Where will this end, Jewels? Is your goal really worth all the trouble?”

Julie nodded. “If I get the outcome I’m hoping for… everything will have been more than worth it. Finally, I’ll have what I’ve always wanted.”

“A big win over Corry? Look, he could do serious damage! How can you be so sure you’ll come out on top?”

Julie smiled sadly, as realization hit. “Oh Phil, I’m sorry. You really don’t understand, do you. Ever since I started this chain of events, that week when I set myself up with that teddy bear? I’ve known that I wouldn’t be able to emerge intact. In fact, most of my plans haven’t even been tailored with a victory against him in mind.”

Her gaze fell upon her map of the school, hanging on the wall. “No,” she finished quietly. “No, if things go as I anticipate… I fully expect to lose against Corry Veniti.”

END BOOK ONE

There have been "Author Aside" commentaries every couple parts; those will be less frequent now. I'm linking to the upcoming one here, which explains why I'm moving to "Book 2" versus "Arc 1.5" or something.

PART 22: LOCKER UP

“Chartreuse? Golly, Chartreuse, are you okay?”

The pink haired girl blinked her eyes open to see Laurie kneeling next to her. Laurie was holding her shoulder, and had been shaking her. Sunlight streamed in through the bedroom window. Chartreuse felt a shudder pass through her body.

“I’m… I’m okay,” Chartreuse murmured, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “I…” The memories of the previous night flooded back to her and her stomach wrenched. “Excuse me,” Chartreuse managed to get out, even as she stumbled to her feet and ran for the bathroom.

She emerged some minutes later, having cleaned herself up following a reencounter with the previous night’s dinner. “Chartreuse, I don’t think you’re okay," Laurie observed, moving to offer physical support.

Chartreuse smiled weakly. “Well, I will be. It was, you know, only a bad dream,” she assured.

Laurie frowned. “Don’t even. I saw your vision stones out on the floor, it was more than a dream, wasn’t it?"

“Golly, Chartreuse, it wasn’t a deep vision, you did, was it? I thought you’d given up doing real deep vision scans, aren’t they dangerous, didn’t you say something about them being dangerous or painful or something sometime?”

“It’s fine if you know what you’re doing,” Chartreuse soothed. “But yeah, it’s been a while - that’s probably why I’m having the bad reaction."

Laurie reached out to take Chartreuse’s hand, squeezing. “Are you sure that’s all? I mean, you didn’t see anything bad, did you?”

Chartreuse resisted the urge to collapse back to the floor, instead offering up a cheery smile. She couldn’t burden her friend with this. Not until she had more information.

“Nothing you need to worry about, Laurie. Come on, we should, you know, get ready for breakfast and school and stuff.”

“You SURE you’re sure…?”

Chartreuse nodded. “Your mom still make the best pancakes on the block?” Gesturing the way back to Laurie’s room, she followed her friend as the redhead launched into a soliloquy about the aforementioned pancakes.

Thank goodness Laurie seemed to be feeling better. It allowed Chartreuse to think about something else. Namely, the people who might be able to provide her with the necessary additional information.

“I d-don’t understand,” Tim murmured. “You’re worried about a locker?”

Chartreuse nodded. After taking a full day to think things over, she had called Luci and Tim on Monday evening, getting both of them to meet her in the school library before Tuesday classes. Where she had explained to them about her vision Sunday night. To a point.

The mere thought of the gun spooked her, so Chartreuse was holding out hope that they’d be able to avoid that outcome by playing the locker situation the right way. “A locker will be majorly important in the coming days, for sure,” Chartreuse reiterated.

Tim sighed.

Tim sighed. “I kind of thought this stuff would end after the d-dance.”

“Whose locker did you see?” Luci piped up.

“I don’t know,” Chartreuse admitted. “It’s never that easy to, you know, see details. But I’m betting that it’s either Julie’s or Carrie’s since they’re at, like, the centre of Corry’s wrath.”

Luci leaned forwards. “Well, from what I know of Corry, he would target Carrie first. There’s more signs pointing to her, and there’s some question as to whether Julie will even stick up for her friend. She’s staying tight lipped for the moment.”

“B-But Chartreuse didn’t see Carrie in the vision,” Tim put forth. “Only Corry and Julie. And if Julie was removing something from the locker, it could have been hers.”

Chartreuse began rolling one of her crystals between her fingers, trying to keep her mind focused. “I don’t know if there’s any way to tell,” she sighed. “There’s also the question of whether Julie was removing the same thing Corry stuck in. I think so? But I’m not sure.”

“Which raises the question of what was left for the teacher to find,” Luci remarked.

“Isn’t there anything you can say for sure?” Tim wondered.

Chartreuse bobbed her head. “Oh yeah! I’m sure we’re heading for, like, real deep, dark places… so is there any way we could all, you know, secretly ask around? Or at least keep an eye on both lockers for the rest of this week?” She smiled hopefully.

Tim ran a hand back through his blonde curls. “If w-we know this stuff, w-why not confront Julie or Corry with it? Get them to stop that w-way?”

“They’d simply change their strategy if we called them out,” Luci objected. “Julie in particular seems to have lots of backup plans in place. To the point where the dance outcome might have been inevitable.”

“We cannot lose our advantage,” Chartreuse agreed. “So we’ve gotta be, like, sneaky, sorta. But… Tim’s right. This is turning into a longer term commitment. Totally not my original deal. So, if either of you want to cut out here, that’s, you know, all right.” Chartreuse tried to keep the disappointment out of her tone; she had the feeling she was less than successful.

Luci and Tim exchanged a glance. “Well,” Luci began, “I’m willing to continue on. Except…” Her face clouded. “Carrie had a falling out with Frank over the weekend. He told me he tried calling her last night, and she wouldn’t even take the call. So I’m not sure I’ll be as much help as you originally thought.”

Chartreuse nodded, eyeing the soothing sparkles within her crystal. “Well, your input will still be, you know, valuable,” she said with a sigh. “I mean, it’s not your fault that Carrie gets like that.” When Luci’s face clouded even more, Chartreuse shifted her attention to Tim. “How about you?”

Tim squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “I-I-I’m not used to groups,” he explained. “But if this is really as important as you say… I guess I can keep helping out.”

Chartreuse smiled. “Thanks guys. If we stick together, I know we can beat this! Or, you know, minimize the damage.” She reached out her hand towards the others in imitation of her gesture from Friday. “Here’s to us then, the 2DEGS. Still together.”

Luci placed her palm on top of Chartreuse’s. Tim hesitated. “There’s… maybe one more thing,” he said.

Chartreuse withdrew her hand. “What is it, Tim?”

“A-At the dance…” He stopped. “You’ll think I’m nuts.”

“No, we won’t,” Chartreuse assured. “I mean, hey, you’re talking to someone who reads auras and sees the future. I’m, like, as nuts as you get!” She winked at him.

Tim smiled weakly. “I guess. Except, wait, I d-don’t mean you’re…” He sighed. “But fine. Know when everyone’s attention was drawn to that blow out between Corry and Carrie at the dance? Well, I was trying NOT to look… and so I swear I saw Carrie slipping out of the cafeteria, over by the stage."

“What, you mean, like, after they argued?”

“No. During,” Tim explained. “As if there were two Carries there. Dressed differently. Which I KNOW sounds nuts and I wouldn’t even bring it up - except Clarke told me that something like that happened to him a few weeks ago." Tim paused again.

“He did?” Chartreuse prompted.

Tim bit his lip. “Promise not to tell this to anyone else?”

Chartreuse nodded, then glanced over towards Luci, who was still frowning. Off a gentle nudge with her elbow, Luci nodded too.

“Well, as I say, this was a couple weeks back,” Tim continued. “Clarke went to the drug store for me on his lunch, to pick up some over the counter medication. While there, he ran into Carrie, looking sick. Yet at the same time, Carrie was apparently also having lunch here in the cafeteria, and was not sick.”

“So there’s been two cases of two Carries,” Chartreuse summarized.

Tim nodded. “Clarke thought he had made a mistake, and he told me not to mention it to anyone else after having had some conversation with Julie. I’d even forgotten about it until what I saw Friday. I only mention it now in case it’s important for your… your apocalypse thing. So don’t tell anyone else, please? I don’t want Clarke to be in trouble.”

Chartreuse smiled again. “Your secret’s safe with this group.” She turned to Luci. “What do you make of that?” Their youngest member remained silent. “Luci?”

“Oh! Sorry,” Luci apologized, squirming in her chair. “Well, um, it could be someone’s dressing up like a duplicate to cause mischief? I agree that not saying anything is by far the wisest course.”

Chartreuse nodded. “Okay. Let’s all keep our eyes peeled then yeah?” She repeated her earlier hand motion, and this time the three of them touched palms.

The next couple of days passed without incident. Chartreuse was on pins and needles throughout. She had seen Julie go into Carrie’s locker a couple of times, while Luci had observed Corry fiddling with the lock on Julie’s locker the other day.

By Thursday morning, Chartreuse was trying to use logic: If Corry was going to strike against someone this week, he would wait until Friday, to avoid the chance of immediate retaliation. Meaning he would hit Thursday if they thought he’d be waiting until Friday! Or did that mean nothing would happen until next Monday?

Damn it, last time she’d known the when but not the what, this time she knew the what but not the when! She could hardly find out through Laurie either, since Laurie was still innocent of all the goings on, bless her heart.

At least the gossip around the school with regards to the dance had started dying down, with more suspicions having been directed towards Corry than Carrie. Even less so towards Julie, perhaps due to the brunette saying relatively little. Chartreuse and the 2DEGs had to nip this madness in the bud.

It was last period on Thursday when Chartreuse spotted two fingers waving frantically from beside the door frame of the music room. The group symbol she’d thought up.

The funny honking noise that came out of Chartreuse’s clarinet at the sight was enough to attract the attention of their instructor. “Mrs. Willis,” Chartreuse said quickly. “I, like, need to get another reed from my locker.”

Their music teacher glanced at the clock. “The school day’s almost over, Chartreuse. Don’t worry about it.”

“I really need, er, at least a drink though, you know?” Chartreuse countered, coughing.

“Oh, very well,” Mrs. Willis sighed.

Chartreuse hurried out the door, pretending to go for the fountain. “Tim? What’s going on?” she muttered as she spotted him. They moved a bit further down the hall.

“I’m cutting class,” Tim replied, looking troubled. “I’m supposed to be in Geography. Clarke’s probably wondering if anything’s happened to me by now.”

“Tim! Is this, like, something to do with the locker?” Chartreuse pressed.

She now recalled that, at the beginning of the music period, Corry had needed to return to his locker to get his music. Of course, a perfect opportunity! All Chartreuse could say in her defence was that apparently Luci, who was also in their class, hadn’t picked up on his action either.

Tim nodded in reply. “Yeah. I noticed Julie was out of class for at least fifteen minutes at one point. It occurred to me that maybe she knew something, so I figured why not, I excused myself to go to the bathroom and went by both Carrie and Julie’s lockers. Just to see. One of the science teachers was at Carrie’s, and as I went by I saw him take something out of it.” Tim shifted his weight back and forth uneasily.

“Nuts,” Chartreuse cursed. “Then we’ve missed it. Did you at least notice what the something was?”

Tim nodded again. “Mr. Fisk tried to hide it from me and g-got upset that I was in the hallways between class, but I saw. It… it was a little bag of drugs, Chartreuse. Like, an assortment of p-prescription medications.”

Chartreuse felt her throat go truly dry. “Dear God,” she whispered.  “What are we going to do about that?”

The public address system came on with closing announcements for the day. The very first one was a request for Carrie Waterson and Julie LaMille to come to the principal’s office immediately. Tim bit his lip. “Apparently, nothing,” he observed.

“I wonder what the hell this is about,” Carrie groused to Julie as the two of them walked to the office. “Do you think it’s Corry’s doing?”

“Yes. I do.”

Something in Julie’s tone made Carrie stop in her tracks and turn towards her friend. “Julie… you know what’s going on here?”

“Yes. I do.”

Carrie frowned slightly. “Well, care to let me in on things before we face ol' Hunt?”

Julie stopped a few paces away and turned back to face Carrie. Her eyes were cold and unfeeling. “No. I don’t,” she said simply.

Carrie felt a shudder run down her back. She forced out a smile. “Uh, Julie? You’re kinda unnerving me here.”

Julie didn’t bat an eyelash. “Yes. I am.”

Carrie visibly flinched. “Julie, what’s going on? I thought things were getting back to normal between us.”

“Yes. You did.”

“Damn it, will you stop that?”

“Stop what?”

“You know what! Speaking so… so terse and ominously. What’s going on? What’s about to happen?”

Julie appeared to size up Carrie for a moment. “Let me tell you a story, Carrie,” she began slowly. “There was once a very powerful wizard. This wizard had an apprentice.”

“Julie…”

“One day,” Julie continued undaunted, “the apprentice was tempted away from the wizard’s castle. However, the girl quickly realized the error of her ways and returned, seeking the wizard’s forgiveness. The wizard, being a kind sort, took the apprentice back in.”

“And they lived happily ever after?” Carrie offered. She attempted to follow up her comment with a laugh but the intensity behind Julie’s stare caused the noise to die in her throat.

“No,” Julie stated. “The apprentice then stabbed the wizard in the back, deciding she’d really preferred that other way of life after all. Demonstrating the true danger of trust, and the folly of the wizard in not striking first.”

Julie took a deep breath. “Carrie, you’ve changed. You will get no help from me in this affair against Corry. It’s really a pity you weren’t more up front with me from the very beginning.”

“Julie, this isn’t funny.”

“No. It’s not.”

“STOP THAT!”

“Hey, pipe down in the hall please, the bell hasn’t quite rung yet,” came the annoyed voice of a teacher, poking his head out of a nearby classroom.

“We’re moving on,” Julie assured, spinning on her heel and continuing towards the office.

“Julie… Julie, wait, you were called to the office too,” Carrie pointed out, hurrying to catch up. “You’ve also been targeted. What are you going to do about that?”

“Nothing. I’ve been called in due to a slightly different personal matter.”

“You sound awful sure of that.”

“Yes. I am.”

The corners of her mouth turned up.

The chill Carrie felt seemed to be taking up permanent residence inside her. “You knew what Corry would do,” she realized. “And you were never going to help me get out of it.”

Julie said nothing.

“For how long have you felt this way towards me, Julie, since Sunday? Longer? Why, Julie? We’ve been friends for two years. Why are you ending it this way, why didn’t you just tell me it was over on the weekend??”

Julie merely kept walking, so Carrie reached out to grab her by the arm. “Damn it, Julie, I deserve an answer!”

Julie turned, and something about her stance made Carrie not only release the brunette but take a physical step back. “If you must know,” Julie said coolly, “The reasoning was simple.” The corners of her mouth turned up. “Doing it this way allows me to see the priceless expression you’ve got on your face.”

The bell rang signifying the end of the school day.

“What’s going on, Corry?” Luci said, peering at him as the two of them finished cleaning and putting away their flutes. “Are you responsible for Carrie and Julie being called to the office?”

There had to be something amiss, given how Chartreuse had yet to return from her supposed drink.

Corry smirked. “What business is that of yours?” he retorted. Luci opened her mouth to reply, but Corry cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I’m not saying anything. Word about this stuff always gets out, you’ll have to wait along with everyone else.” Luci frowned as he turned his back to her.

Continuing to ignore her, Corry closed the case on his instrument, gathered up his music and books, headed for the door, and in his continued efforts to avoid her gaze, managed to trip over Lee’s music stand. Luci then allowed herself a small smile.

Carrie was summoned into the principal’s office first, as Julie took a seat outside. The blonde knew Mr. Hunt’s reputation for being both fair and compassionate, but there was also a strict side to his personality. His strict face was firmly in place as Carrie sat down across from him.

“Ms. Waterson,” he began, folding his hands upon his desk. “A matter of some importance has been brought to my attention. First, I must inform you that a search was performed upon your locker. It is school property, as per the agreement listed in your agenda.”

Still feeling a bit numb from her discussion with Julie, Carrie simply nodded.

“That said, is there anything you would like to tell me?”

“Uh… I’ve been set up?” Carrie ventured.

The corners of the principal’s mouth twitched. “Do you know what was found?” he asked. Carrie shook her head, so he reached into the drawer of his desk, produced a small plastic bag, and set it down. Her eyes widened.

“Now, I know of no medical condition which requires you to have any one of these pills with you, let alone a mix like this. That said, it appears that there are no substances in there which are actually illegal. So while I am obligated to inform the school’s police liaison and guidance counsellor, there is still a chance we can resolve this matter internally. You have one chance to explain how these came to be in your possession. I suggest you use it to tell the truth.”

“Sir,” Carrie said, mind spinning. “I swear to you that I have never seen that bag before.”

Mr. Hunt leaned forwards. “Ms. Waterson, I want to help you here. But unless you tell me the truth…”

“Honest, the stuff isn’t mine, sir! I think it was planted there by–” Carrie caught herself in time. If it was indeed Corry’s doing, he was sure to have some way of dissociating himself from the act. And finger pointing would only make things worse for her among her peers.

“Planted?”

“Never mind, sir.” She straightened her posture and looked the principal right in the eye, trying to keep her body from shaking. “But I swear to you that those pills are not mine. I don’t know how they got into my locker.”

Mr. Hunt regarded Carrie silently for a moment. “I’m not sure why, but I’m inclined to believe you,” he remarked. “Nevertheless, this is a very serious matter, particularly in light of what took place at last week’s dance. Another event in which you had some involvement, as I recall?”

Carrie could only nod. “So, I cannot allow you to go unpunished,” the principal concluded. “You are definitively facing detention, and probably a suspension - unless some better explanation is forthcoming?”

Carrie slumped back in her chair. She wished she could think of something more to say. Then again, what was the use? Her life had essentially collapsed down into nothing. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to slam her fist through a wall, wring both Corry and Julie’s necks, or simply crawl into a hole and die.

“Well then,” Mr. Hunt concluded. “If you have nothing further to add, I regret to inform…” He paused as there was a commotion outside, resulting in Chartreuse bursting through the door to his office.

“Sir,” the pink haired girl said breathlessly. “It’s my fault, Mr. Hunt, sir! The drugs you found in Carrie’s locker, they’re not her’s - they’re mine.”

Both Carrie and the principal blinked back at Chartreuse, expressions of surprise and confusion upon their faces.

PART 21: SERIOUS MATTERS

Corry reached out a hand to knock on the bedroom door. “Laurie?” he called out. “Laurie, Chartreuse is here to see you.” There was no answer.

Corry turned to the pink haired girl. “Just go in. She doesn’t want to see me after what happened at Friday’s dance, and the phone call the school made afterwards didn’t help matters. Seeing as we’re already into Sunday… well, hopefully there’s something you can do for her.”

Chartreuse nodded, reaching out for the doorknob. “Laurie?” she ventured. “How are…” The door was unlocked, and her voice trailed off as she peeked around the frame, getting her first look inside. “Omigod. Laurie!”

Giving a curt nod to Corry, Chartreuse hurried into Laurie’s bedroom, shutting the door again behind her. She bent down near to where Laurie was huddled in the corner and reached out to grab the hand of the red-haired girl.

“Laurie, honey, you look terrible. You’re not still beating yourself up over what happened at the dance, are you?”

Laurie slowly lifted her green eyes…

Laurie slowly lifted her green eyes, which Chartreuse saw were red rimmed from crying. “Why not?” her friend lamented softly. “I was so stupid. I’m always so stupid, stupid, stupid! Go away Chartreuse, before my stupidity rubs off on you.”

“You’re not stupid,” Chartreuse soothed. “Besides, that whole math test thing was from, what, like, grade nine? Ages ago.”

“I still let Carrie trick me into getting Corry to sing,” Laurie countered. “That happened less than two days ago.”

“Well… Carrie can, you know, be sneaky sometimes. Julie has that effect on her.”

Laurie’s gaze fell back down to her feet. “Carrie asked me to sit next to her on the bus that day,” she murmured. “Coming back from cheerleading. Golly, I felt honoured. I thought that maybe after all this time, she’d started taking a liking to me.” She bit her lip. “It was all lies."

“You still look up to her, don’t you,” Chartreuse realized.

“Carrie does almost all the same stuff I do - and she does it so much better! I mean… wow, she has such talent. And authority. She commands so much respect around the school, a girl can’t help but be impressed by her, yeah?”

“Wait, back up. You are NOT going to tell me Carrie’s a better artist. There’s, like, no WAY she could paint something as beautiful as that,” Chartreuse said, pointing to one of the pictures on the wall of Laurie’s room. “Or that one there. In fact, I bet there’s no one in the school who can, you know, top you in art.”

“Art. Big deal. Don’t have it this semester.”

“Laurie, come on,” Chartreuse pleaded. “You can’t let Carrie, like, get to you this way. Corry’s real worried about you. So are your parents.”

Laurie scrunched up a little tighter into her corner. “They’re only upset that I never told them about the cheating thing earlier,” she murmured.

“Nuh-uh. It only, you know, took everyone a bit by surprise. No one, like, blames you for it.”

“They should. It was my fault.”

“I don’t believe it,” Chartreuse declared. “You’ll have to convince me. Tell me what really happened.”

“I took test papers from Ms. Adams' desk,” Laurie murmured.

“No, no, no. Tell me the whole story, in one of those cool no breath run-on sentence dialogues of yours that I like so much.”

Laurie looked back up to see Chartreuse’s hopeful expression and choked out a partial laugh. “Oh, please. You get as tired of my babblings as everyone else.”

“Humour me anyway,” Chartreuse insisted.

Laurie stared silently at her for a long moment before uncurling slightly from her ball. “Well, like you said, it was back in that first January of us being in high school,” she began. “I’d been talking to Carrie about a couple of the classes we had together, including math.”

She hesitated. “Carrie made it a challenge to figure out where Ms. Adams might be keeping Friday’s tests. She didn’t think it was possible to find out, and at the time I wanted to prove I could be, I dunno, a worthy friend, so I agreed to look into it. It wasn’t hard, I asked a few teachers and watched Ms. Adams one morning, then as to the key thing I remembered something you’d said in a conversation about how teachers mess up sometimes and I double checked, learning about the spare key thing at which point I told Carrie in…“

Her long sentence faltered. “In the conversation that… that everyone heard at the dance. I didn’t know Carrie was recording it.” Laurie stopped talking, digging her fingers into her palms.

“So Carrie made you steal the papers?” Chartreuse coaxed.

Laurie nodded slowly. “A smarter person would have known. I thought it was all in fun, maybe some initiation rite - until she actually wanted me to go through with the theft. I couldn’t refuse once she mentioned Corry either, because he was trying so hard to establish himself as an important person back then too, so to find out his own sister was in league with the enemy it would have been a real blow, which is why I took a copy of one of the papers and gave it to Carrie…"

Laurie stopped to pound her fist into the floor. “Golly, I’m SO STUPID.”

Chartreuse reached out to take Laurie’s hand again. “Stop saying that,” she pleaded. “You were taken advantage of, and you know, I bet you weren’t the only one back then. Besides, at the dance, didn’t you say you’d never looked at the test yourself?”

Laurie bit her lip. “I didn’t. But some scores were up that week. Had to be my fault.” She wiped her free arm across her eyes. “Chartreuse, why do people take advantage of other people? Carrie, Julie, even my own brother, they all do it. Why? WHY? I don’t understand.”

“I know you don’t, Laurie,” Chartreuse said, pulling the other girl into a hug. “That’s why you’re one of my closest, most specialest friends. Don’t ever change, okay?”

The two girls embraced silently for a minute. “Chartreuse?” Laurie finally murmured.

The pink haired girl pulled back slightly. “Yes?”

“Could you stick around the rest of today? Maybe even sleep over or something? I don’t think mom will mind, and with two teenagers in the house she’s always making tons of food…”

Chartreuse smiled. “I’d love to.”

Chartreuse slipped out of Laurie’s room. “How is she?” Corry asked, still leaning back against the opposite wall.

“She’ll pull through,” Chartreuse said. “I’m just going to, like, go home and get some of my stuff now, pal around with her for the rest of the day, maybe stay the night.”

Corry let out a breath. “Thank goodness. I don’t think she’s ever given me that much of a scare before. What the hell was she thinking anyway, dealing with Carrie?”

Chartreuse frowned, recognizing his tone. “Look, Carrie has always been kind of a popular girl,” she pointed out. “Leads the cheerleaders now too. Don’t do anything, you know, rash.”

Laurie had previously made Chartreuse swear never to tell Corry about the respect she held for Carrie. After all, Laurie had once mentioned to Corry about how much she liked Clarke. That had only served to add fuel to the Corry-Julie rivalry, once it became apparent that Clarke had chosen the brunette. Adding Carrie to the mix was simply asking for trouble.

“Carrie’s popular for all the wrong reasons,” Corry fired back. “In her own way, she’s as bad as Julie. She’ll soon regret what she’s done to my sister.”

Chartreuse shifted her weight back and forth uneasily. “I’m pretty sure Laurie doesn’t want revenge, you know.”

“You’re probably right,” Corry admitted. “But she doesn’t understand how the world works. If I let this affair pass without incident, it’ll only happen again. People must know that NO ONE can take advantage of a Veniti and get away with it. It’s a matter of family honour.”

Chartreuse peered a little closer at the red haired twin. “It’s not though. Not really. And if you really care about your sister, you’ll let this one go. Before the situation, like, gets out of control.”

Corry set his jaw. “No way. She’ll understand, in time.”

Chartreuse tried to find the words. “You know, in some ways, you’re more dangerous to Laurie than Carrie could ever be.”

Corry’s eyes narrowed. “Stop being overly dramatic. I thank you for your assistance, and hope that you and Laurie have a wonderful afternoon meditating. However, now that she’s improving, I have more important things to attend to.”

With that, Corry spun on his heel and stalked off into his own bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Chartreuse stood quietly for a moment. “You know, I do hope I’m overreacting,” she murmured to no one in particular. “I really, really do. But… I don’t think I am.”

It was after ten o’clock that night when Julie arrived at Carrie’s house. Carrie let her in through the window, whispering, “Sorry about this. But once Dad’s gone to bed, I can let you out through the front door.”

Julie nodded. “No worries… aw, you’re really looking worse for wear,” she remarked. “What did Frank do to you?”

Carrie moved to sit on her bed, gesturing for Julie to join her. Instead, Julie pulled out the chair at her desk. “Frank didn’t do anything, really,” Carrie answered. “Aside from bringing in Luci to screw things up.”

Julie froze, halfway to a seated position. “Luci?” She nodded slowly then sank into the chair. “Luci. Very well. What happened with her?”

Carrie grabbed one of her pillows, hugging it. “The infuriating little know-it-all mucked with the circuits of the time machine, dazzling Frank with her know-how while frying the machine in the process. It’s broken now.”

Julie sat rigidly for a moment. “Okay,” she said, managing a smile. “You can confirm the existence of a time machine then?”

Carrie nodded. “Yeah, I found the device in the ravine a little over four… no, less than three weeks ago. Seems longer, but what with the time travelling, I guess it has been.”

Julie’s eyes went wide. “You… FOUND it?”

Carrie nodded again. “Though Frank said you’d figured that much anyway. Right?”

“Not exactly,” Julie admitted warily. “I mean, could the machine have been planted there for you to find?”

“Oh, possibly,” Carrie said. She set her pillow aside. “Which reminds me - there could be strange government agent types watching us or something. That’s why I didn’t tell you anything. It’s probably better if you don’t tell anyone else about the machine either… you understand, right? For your own safety?”

Julie lifted an eyebrow. “Right. Isn’t the point moot, though? You said Luci broke the time machine.”

“Yeah. But, maybe not for good. I don’t know. That girl is so infuriating sometimes, huh? You’ve never been sure how to factor her into your plans,” Carrie said, attempting to change the subject.

“I can understand how troublesome Luci must have been if Frank was involved… speaking of which, are you sure you weren’t being manipulated by him?”

Carrie blinked. “What, by Frank? Please,” she scoffed. “If anything it’s been the other way around.”

“If he’s selecting the destination times though…” Julie said, her voice trailing off.

Carrie shook her head. “Nah, Frank only programs the machine, and even then it’s got some random component such that he can’t do it properly half the time.”

For a second time, Julie stared, wide eyed. “SERIOUSLY? Then you can’t… you haven’t been… how do you know this for sure?”

“Trust me, I’d know if he was faking it. In the beginning, neither of us even knew about the deal with the coins.”

“Coins?”

Carrie gestured vaguely. “Coins, yeah, they power the thing and set the year. It reads the dates… off of them… or something,” she finished as she realized that, once again, she was doing most of the talking. Like their lunchtimes lately. “Look, I’m done with all that now,” Carrie insisted. “So why are we still talking about it?”

Julie smiled. “I’m trying to get some idea of what would be a good way of striking back at Frank and Luci on your behalf. Perhaps mess up their next trip, assuming they fix the machine?”

Carrie reached again for the pillow. “I don’t know. Could be we shouldn’t do anything. I mean, Frank has been pretty patient with me overall, and Luci… okay, she sucks, but she likes Frank, and maybe Frank likes her back.”

“We are still talking about the Frank who spent a week stalking you?”

Carrie clutched the pillow tighter. “The time machine was kinda involved with that too. Look, can we not talk about scheming any more? Or at least, not against them?”

Julie leaned forward in her chair. “Are you sure that’s what you really want?”

“I… yeah, sort of,” Carrie amended, suddenly feeling like Julie had her under a microscope. She wondered how she could properly justify her request to her friend. Carrie licked her lips.

“It’s only, maybe there’s stuff we don’t know about people, you know? Reasons why they act the way they do? Because there’s stuff about me - us - that they don’t know about either. And I’m thinking that, after high school, maybe that’s the sort of stuff that matters more.” Carrie swallowed. “What do you think?”

“Interesting theory.” Julie pressed the tips of her fingers together. “Fine, no going after Frank or Luci.”

Julie leaned back in her chair again, and the tension in the air seemed to lift. Carrie let out a sigh of relief.

“On to other things,” Julie continued. “At this point, I am in a position to manipulate the situation in a couple of ways. As you may have suspected, one of the outcomes does involve implicating you, since I couldn’t be certain I had your full support.”

Carrie blinked. “Well, you’ve got it. I only want things to be the way they used to be between us.”

“I’m sure you do,” Julie said. She smiled, scooting the chair closer in order to place her hand on Carrie’s knee. “Don’t worry, Carrie. I’ll make sure Corry is dealt with.”

Carrie returned the smile, grasping Julie’s hand. “Thank you, Julie. I knew I could count on you.”

Yet at the same time, some part of Carrie warned her that it would be wise to not take her eyes off of Julie in the coming days. Not if she wanted to get through them completely intact.

“Laurie? Are you, like, asleep?” Chartreuse whispered quietly. There was no answer. Upon standing up, Chartreuse could see her friend dozing peacefully. Chartreuse, on the other hand, found herself unable to do so.

The unrest she had sensed all last week, despite being mostly dispelled by Friday’s dance, was building again. Being in the Veniti house seemed to be amplifying the disquieting vibes. The turning point she had foreseen, that was now in the past, yet somehow, it was as if the worst was yet to come.

“I guess I have no choice,” Chartreuse murmured aloud to herself. “I have to do it.” Moving her sleeping bag aside, she reached into her overnight bag and pulled out a few curiously shaped and highly polished stones.

Chartreuse idly recalled the way Tim had brought up her ‘abilities’ on Friday. Her reply, that she couldn’t purposefully tap into any visions without serious meditation, was true. But there was more to it than that.

In fact, using her powers that way was something she preferred to avoid whenever possible. Because even positive events could be painful for her to foresee.

In retrospect, however, perhaps doing a vision would have helped her to prevent what had happened at the dance. The cursory probing to find her group of helpers had certainly been insufficient. So, given the sensations she was having now - yes, she had to do this. Surely a vision would help to minimize the damage that would occur within the coming weeks. Surely.

Having rationalized this much to herself, Chartreuse placed the stones out in a circle around her. She then sat in a lotus position, bringing her hands together in front of her, palms touching.

It was verging on midnight, so it was very quiet, helping Chartreuse attain the necessary tranquil, meditative state. She figured that being able to do it here in the Veniti household, and in Laurie’s room, would help even more in terms of focusing her mind towards their role within the coming days. Chartreuse closed her eyes.

“Ohm, ohm, oh my,” Chartreuse murmured quietly to herself. “Spirits from beyond… show me… what is to come.”

Seconds passed, turning into minutes. Chartreuse remained sitting quietly on the floor, breathing regularly, waiting for the divine guidance she required.

It was impossible to rush these things. Sometimes they didn’t even work at all. But given all the vibes she’d been sensing, it seemed likely that…

Chartreuse’s eyes snapped open…

Chartreuse’s eyes snapped open, wide, unseeing. The school was there before her. She felt herself being drawn into it, the scene blurring around her.

Now she was in front of a locker. Corry was there too, though Chartreuse had the feeling that the locker was not his. Yet he was putting something into the locker.

Then it was later, and Julie was there, removing something from the locker. Then, even later, someone Chartreuse recognized as a teacher was at the locker. He was also removing something. That was the source of the upcoming disturbance.

Yet at the same time, it wasn’t.

The events surrounding the locker seemed to be merely another spike on the “roller coaster ride” everyone now seemed to be on. Chartreuse wondered if she dared to push forwards towards the true climax.

The lure to do so was powerful, not simply in terms of an attempt to find a solution, but because of the forces with which Chartreuse was currently playing. They had a way of drawing you in. It was a potentially dangerous addiction, as Chartreuse had once found out the hard way.

Indeed, even as Chartreuse contemplated pushing on, she found that it was already happening. The days after the locker incident slipped into weeks, events and people blurring as Chartreuse homed in towards the final outcome, the ultimate source of all the chaos she was sensing. Her eyes fell upon an object.

It was a gun. A gun in someone’s hand. Someone she knew, possibly even someone from her homeroom. But who? Who was holding the gun? Where were they pointing it?!

Chartreuse lifted her eyes to see, but even as she did so, she realized that knowing any more than this would be too much. Too much, too soon, more than she could handle.

Teetering on the brink of a metaphorical cliff, Chartreuse desperately tried to wrench herself back away from the scene at hand, to avoid seeing the face. The body sitting on Laurie’s bedroom floor twitched visibly as Chartreuse forced her spiritual form to return to it, fast.

The gun went off.

Letting out a soundless scream, Chartreuse collapsed back onto the floor of Laurie’s room, dead to the world.

PART 20: FALLOUT

Luci’s gaze snapped away from Julie and onto Lee, who was now standing in front of her. “Lee!” she said redundantly. “No, I… there’s something else I need to do right now,” she said, scrambling for words.

“Yeah? Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what brings you here tonight, don’t recall seeing you at these…”

“Later Lee, okay?” Luci interrupted. Julie was almost out of sight.

Lee shrugged. “Okay, whatever. You’re looking stressed though, you shouldn’t be stressed at a dance.”

“Y-Yes… I’ll work on that,” Luci said.

Lee snapped a finger and pointed at her. “Good idea.” He moved to follow a few others into the cafeteria while Luci hurried back down the hall in the other direction. But by the time she’d reached the hallway junction point, Julie was nowhere to be seen.

Julie strode purposefully down the hall, keeping one eye ahead of her and one behind. There was no point being sneaky - that would only draw unwanted attention. However, there was also no point being slow.

She didn’t stop until she saw the unexpected shadow back in the hall, outside the stairwell near the gym. Having climbed five steps to gain the high ground, Julie turned around, folding her arms. “Come out, come out, no point in hiding.”

“Do what?” Julie protested. “Shouldn’t you be back monitoring the coat check?"

“Never mind that. What you’re going to do…” Frank hesitated, then raised his hands in what she supposed was an attempt at an offensive stance. It looked more like he was about to give a ‘thumbs up’. “I can’t let you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Julie countered, pretending to fumble nervously among the pleats of her skirt. In the process, she tapped the button on the miniature remote she’d secreted away.

“You are about to play a recording that’s damaging for both Carrie and Laurie,” Frank clarified.

“Me? How could I EVER do such a thing?” Julie protested, a hand now to her heart. “You must have me confused with Corry. Or Carrie herself.”

“It’s not too late, Julie. Consider the consequences.”

“I have. You haven’t,” Julie countered, shifting her tone to serious. “Better go, Frank. There’s a cell phone ringing in your cloakroom.”

Frank blinked. “What?”

Julie smiled. “Ring, ring,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t hit that talk button if I were you. Might set off a terrible chain of events.”

Frank shuddered. “You can’t mean… you didn’t. You couldn’t have!”

“You start pushing buttons on that phone and it’s not me who will be responsible for consequences,” Julie said, narrowing her eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, DON’T follow me again… you time tripper.”

She hurried upstairs, leaving Frank behind.

Carrie bit back a series of curses. Of COURSE the circuit breaker would be locked, why had she thought otherwise? She couldn’t simply rush the DJ and unplug all his equipment either, he’d stop her, and then nothing would change except that she’d be in even bigger trouble. Not only temporally, but because there would be tangible evidence of her doing something on the stage. Carrie didn’t fancy talking herselves out of THAT situation.

She might still have a chance though. If she could shut down the main speakers by pulling out the leads at the right moment, there wouldn’t be any sound available after Corry’s song. Hence no way for the recording to be heard.

Edging cautiously into a position behind the stage, Carrie located the cables in question then fidgeted slightly, waiting for Corry to hurry up and finish singing.

~”None of this should have happened, I know in my gut

Yet our future is hist'ry, and I've lost what's what.

We must now beware, time is not playing fair,

I would solve this crime it's just I'm...

outta time... outta time... outta time..."~

“Yes, you are,” Carrie whispered, grabbing the cords for the main speakers and giving them a hard yank. The leads popped free from the stage setup. Carrie smiled to herself in the brief pause that ensued.

Then the silence was broken, not by applause, but by the voice of Laurie Veniti coming through the sound system.

“I’ve figured out where the test papers are,” she stated.

Backstage, Carrie reeled. She quickly traced the cords in her hands back towards their source. She had the right ones. Those speakers out in the cafeteria should not be projecting sound! Her gaze flickered back and forth over the setup in front of her, even as she realized she wasn’t going to have time to do anything more.

“What the hell?” Carrie whispered almost inaudibly in response to hearing her own voice coming from the sound system. Could someone have actually gone to the trouble of setting up a secondary feed? Or an alternate second set of hidden speakers? Who? Julie?

“Turn off all your audio equipment,” Corry snapped at the DJ.

“It’s not his audio equipment,” Carrie grumbled. She’d better get out of here though - Mr. Fisk was coming. Carrie beat a hasty retreat to the shadows on the far side of the stage.

“SOMEONE TURN THAT GOD DAMN RECORDING OFF!” Corry yelled.

‘Temper, temper,’ Carrie thought to herself. Actually, Corry’s act was really convincing, now that Carrie got a better look at it. She hadn’t been paying that much attention the first time. And Luci’s comment about how Corry was protective of his sister came unbidden into Carrie’s mind, casting further doubt on the whole situation.

But if it wasn’t Corry… no, it couldn’t be Julie either. I mean sure, maybe her friend had been acting a little weird lately, and should have given Carrie a heads up of some sort, but to outright lie about this later? No way!

No way…

Burying that unnerving thought, Carrie ducked out of the cafeteria whilst everyone’s attention was drawn to Corry meeting up with her prior self.

“Run that by me again?”

“I think Julie rigged a cell phone to act as a trigger for her recording,” Frank repeated.

“When did you run into Julie?” Luci pressed.

“She passed right by this classroom. I’d hidden the time machine, and didn’t see you, so I tried tailing her myself. Except, uh, she saw me. We talked briefly. And although she never admitted to anything… I think she set me up along with Carrie.”

Luci frowned. “I guess I’m glad that one of us spotted her. I should have remembered when I’d run into Lee.” She shook her head. “Still, rigging a cell phone? That’s overkill.”

“But it fits,” Frank insisted. “A cell phone rang towards the end of Corry’s musical number, I tracked it to Carrie’s jacket, and Joe said to answer it. I didn’t hear anyone on the other end of the line, and when I hung it up, that’s when I heard Laurie’s voice in the cafeteria. Me using the cell phone, that must have triggered it.”

Luci leaned back against the classroom wall, crossing her arms. “No, I still don’t buy that,” she said at last. “Too risky. Even if we assume that Julie has Joe Drew working for her, too much could go wrong with that scenario.”

“Luci, how else could Julie have known about the phone?”

“Oh, she planted that, obviously,” Luci agreed. “But only, I think, in order to play with your mind. To distract you.” She paused briefly. “Which means maybe I haven’t been giving Julie enough credit. Which bothers me, seeing as I’d already given her more than I felt she was due.”

“I don’t even remember where I put the phone after that,” Frank added. “I should ask Carrie if she got it back.”

“Got what back?” Carrie inquired, entering the room.

“Your cell phone.”

“I never lost my cell phone. What are you babbling about?”

“Your, er… you had a cell phone in your jacket pocket at the dance Friday. Today,” Frank amended. “I answered it when Corry’s song ended.”

Carrie lifted up an eyebrow. “Can’t have been my jacket. I wouldn’t leave my phone in there.”

“But I’m sure the jacket was yours,” Frank protested. “I’ve seen you wearing it.”

“Carrie, could Julie have slipped the phone in your jacket pocket?” Luci wondered as she paced back and forth.

“Oh, great. Here we go blaming Julie for everything again.”

“Actually, wait, it doesn’t matter. She could have gotten Joe to do that later,” Luci amended.

“Frank, could you remind the gifted little girl here that people should remain innocent until proven guilty?”

“Wow! Exactly when did that become your philosophy on people?” Luci countered, looking back up at the blonde.

“Oh, come on, we are NOT doing this again,” Frank said desperately. “You’re both right, okay? After all, we haven’t proven guilt… but Carrie, I did run into Julie in the stairwell. And she all but admitted she knew about our time machine.”

Carrie’s mouth twisted into a hard line. “That means she didn’t admit to the recording. And before either of you suggest Julie paying off the DJ, the sound still played even after I cut the connection going to the speakers he was using. So it wasn’t that.”

“You… what?” Frank said.

Luci resumed her pacing. “This is bad,” she observed. “To account for the speakers too…? Well, Julie certainly has the funds to set up a secondary system and listening devices, but… wow. I hate to say it, but I finally understand how Chartreuse felt all last week.”

“Oh, by all means, let’s mention the nutty psychic in our conversation as well,” Carrie said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Seriously, what is with the prejudice you people have against Julie?”

Luci whirled on her heel, eyes alternately flashing green and blue in the dim light of the classroom. “Julie’s dangerous, Carrie! For whatever reason, this year she’s started causing people real emotional pain. Don’t you give a damn about your classmates? Or do you truly only give a damn about yourself??”

Carrie didn’t back down, rather she took a step forwards. “Julie’s our classmate too! And for all your talk, you don’t seem to give a damn about her - so if she IS behind this, it has to be for a good reason.”

“Then what is it, Carrie? By all means, she’s your friend, so you tell us, what is it??”

Carrie struggled to speak. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “Okay? All I know is that my life was a lot easier to deal with before you two! I’ve… I’ve had it.”

Her gaze snapped over to Frank. “Time for me go back to the past now, okay? You know why - to fix that event that I wanted to fix in the first place. The week’s up, so I can do that now, right? Testing’s done?”

Frank cleared his throat nervously. “One successful test doesn’t necessarily mean anything…” Carrie took a step towards him, narrowing her eyes. “…but on the other hand…”

“You stand your ground,” Luci interjected on Frank’s behalf. “Don’t let your actions be dictated by this self-serving egomaniac.”

“You don’t know me,” Carrie protested. “Okay Luci? So STOP telling me what a horrible person I am, because you DON’T KNOW ME!”

“Girls, please,” Frank gasped, “Someone will hear…”

“Shut up, Frank!” both of them chorused. He shut up. Carrie and Luci glowered at each other in silence for a few more moments.

“I think,” Luci began coldly, “that it would be best if we all returned to the present before doing anything else.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said I agree with,” Carrie retorted, equally as icily.

“Yes, that’s, er, sort of what I was going to suggest,” Frank said, smiling weakly. It did nothing to alleviate the tension in the air.

At 9:35 that Sunday night, the park bordering the ravine near Carrie’s house had three unanticipated visitors. The shortest collapsed onto the ground almost right away, unconscious.

“Okay, she’s out,” Carrie said. She looked at the digital readout of the time machine. “And we’ve hit the mark for a second time. Your testing’s done. Next stop, the airport.”

“Carrie, we can’t simply leave Luci on the ground.”

“She’ll be awake in, what, ten seconds?? Come on! I’ve been looking forward to this, Frank. To the day when I can finally fix this mess that is my life. We pull this off and my mom will be there for supper tomorrow. And who knows what else will get fixed along with it? So hurry up and reset these circuits for me.”

With that, Carrie pushed back on the lever of the time machine, opening the device… and allowing a plume of smoke to billow out. She fell back, coughing.

Frank leapt for the machine, catching it and fanning a hand overtop to clear the smoke. She watched as he then peered down into the device. “One or two of the circuits fried,” Frank said slowly. “Uh, and not the new ones. So it will take some time to fix them, assuming…” He stopped himself.

“Assuming you can,” Carrie finished quietly.

“Kinda, yeah.” Frank looked up at her uncertainly.

So that was that. In the blink of an eye, everything she’d been hoping to accomplish, gone, vanished along with that puff of smoke.

Had the device always been fated to burn out? Was this some sort of cosmic karma, after she’d effectively rejected her ‘trapped in the woods’ resolution to be a better person? Or had it been the fault of Luci, the know-it-all girl with her new circuits, screwing up the existing ones?

Carrie’s gaze shifted over to Luci, who was now awake, and staring over at Frank with a concerned look on her face. Carrie knew what she wanted to believe. “This is your fault,” the blonde accused.

Except it wasn’t, the voice in her head warned her. This was Carrie’s own damn fault, for wanting to rush things. In order to push Frank away, like she did with practically everyone else.

Because she was selfish. And short sighted. A perfect match with her plans for time travel, which had also been selfish and short sighted. Only about benefitting her. Changing her own life. Worse, that desire to change the past implied she’d given up on trying to make the most of what she had. Because of that, what did she have left? Nothing. Possibly not even Julie.

“My fault?” Luci countered. “Frank said it wasn’t my circuits that failed.”

“But everything was going great before you two,” Carrie said, feeling herself start to shake with equal parts rage and despair. She used her rage to try and silence the damned voice inside her head.

“Now, you’ve not only screwed up the time machine, you’ve turned Julie against me. Without her - you’ve destroyed everything, EVERYTHING that was good about my life!” Me, me, me, still all about me…

Luci met Carrie’s gaze evenly. “Then only now can you understand how crushed someone like Laurie must have felt.”

Two strides later, and Carrie had backhanded Luci across the face. “Carrie!” Frank shouted in horror, jumping up to grab her arm. Feeling a strange sort of disconnect, Carrie looked over at her hand. Yes, she’d really done that. Why couldn’t she control herself?

At the same time, Luci turned her face slowly back to look at the blonde. “Nice. Does beating up people younger than you make you feel better?”

“Luci!” Frank admonished.

“No. It doesn’t,” Carrie admitted. A light breeze blew through her hair. As Frank released her arm, it fell back to her side. “It makes me feel in control. Except weirdly, I’m discovering that I’m not.” She turned away. “So, fine. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll leave now. Please, don’t either of you ever come near me again.”

There was nothing for it. With the time machine out of commission, she didn’t need them any more - and they sure didn’t need her. Of course, given some of her recent activities, was there anyone left who would want her around? She sprinted towards the tree line, a lump in her throat.

Carrie was nearly out of sight before the full impact of her statement had sunk in. “Wait… Carrie!” Frank called out after her. “We can fix the machine. I can fix it! Carrie, running away isn’t going to solve anything either.”

“Oh, let her go, Frank,” Luci sighed, finally standing up. “Remember all of the problems she’s caused you? Besides, she’ll be of no help fixing anything. Let her work through her anger issues. It will allow us to do some proper tests.”

“But…” Frank’s voice trailed off.

“But?” Luci prompted.

Frank struggled to find the words. “She’s a part of this.”

“So she’ll come back to her senses in a day or two.”

“Perhaps,” Frank said, not totally convinced.

Luci reached out to touch Frank’s arm. “Come on, I’ll help you carry the time machine back to your place, okay? We can give it a once over before I head home. Assess the damage. See if we really can repair it.”

Frank turned back to look at the young girl, finally nodding slightly in agreement. “Okay. Maybe that’s best,” he conceded.

Carrie sat on the floor of her room, hugging a pillow and staring at her telephone. She refused to cry, even though she felt like crying. There had been one tear, and it had been more than enough. She was stronger than that. She had to be.

Troublingly, the few prior occasions she’d found herself sinking into moods like this, a call to Julie and a little chatter usually helped to perk her back up. Now, Carrie didn’t think that was going to work. Because despite how fiercely she’d denied that Julie could be doing something underhanded behind her back… she knew they were right. It only made sense that Julie had been upset with her, owing to her keeping secrets.

Yet perhaps it wasn’t too late. Perhaps she could salvage something from the wreck her life was becoming. Two years with Julie, it had to count for something, right?

Carrie found her fingers dialling the mansion almost before she realized it. Soon Jeeves was summoning her former(?) friend to the phone.

“Hello?” Julie’s voice inquired.

“Julie?” Carrie said softly.

“Carrie, that you? Is something up?”

“Yes.” Carrie paused. Her free fingers obtained a complete stranglehold on a lock of her hair. “Julie, are you responsible for what happened at the dance?”

“What? I thought we covered this, of course not.”

“You’re lying,” Carrie contested. “What’s more, I think you’ve been setting me up.”

A laugh. “Whatever gave you that silly idea?”

“Time travel.”

Silence from Julie’s end. Then, “Interesting answer.”

Carrie drew in a breath. “But I’m not time traveling any more,” she continued in a rush. “It’s all been screwed up, and I told Frank to take a hike, and so I’d like for things to go back to how they used to be now. Okay? You don’t have to keep doing whatever it is you’re doing, and we can go back to being best friends again. Okay? Sound good?”

“Perhaps,” Julie replied, still in a neutral tone. “But how do I know you’re sincere about all that you’re saying?”

“I… I just am. I’ll tell you all about the things that happened if it’ll help convince you. Every detail.”

“Okay, then let’s meet,” Julie said quickly.

“Tomorrow at school?”

“No, tonight. Now. You sound like you could use the company. I can drop by, it’s no trouble.”

Carrie scrunched her knees up to her chest, yanking her fingers free of her hair, a couple strands coming out by the roots. She winced. “Yeah, okay, I guess. You’ll have to use the tree though, my dad’s gone curfew on me.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Sit tight, Carrie. Everything’s going to be all right,” Julie concluded. There was a quiet beep as she hung up the phone.

PART 18: DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION

“Luci, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Frank remarked. As a member of the school business club, he had volunteered to help man their coat check/concession booth once again this year. “You don’t normally come to dances, do you?”

“No,” Luci admitted. “They’re not my thing. I’d much rather be at your place.”

Frank blinked. “My place?”

“Oh, I don’t mean… that is, it’s to do with the… you know,” Luci attempted to clarify, glad no one else was in earshot. “Don’t think that I… that is, to change the subject, has Carrie said anything to you recently about Julie?"

Frank shook his head. “No. Should she have?”

“No. Maybe not. Never mind. I’ll see you later,” Luci finished, turning and hurrying away. She knew she was blushing now and she hated herself for it. It was hardly appropriate. She found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she could be a couple of years older.

“What was that about?” Joe Drew asked, returning to the counter next to Frank after hanging up a jacket.

Frank shrugged at his fellow business club member. “Nothing. Luci being herself,” he remarked.

On the other side of the cafeteria (which had been cleared of benches and tables for the dance), Lee leaned up against the wall next to Chartreuse.

“Sooooo, glitter girl, feel up to a dance?” he inquired with a grin. He tugged on the lapels of his well-worn jacket, then gestured towards the middle of the room, where a handful of people were swaying in time to the beat.

"…up to a dance?"

Chartreuse adjusted the straps of her sparkling green gown. “Maybe later, Lee, ‘k?” she said with a half smile.

Lee snapped his fingers and pointed towards her. “Gotcha,” he confirmed with a wink. He immediately turned away as a couple other girls passed by. “Ladies! Care to dance?” he inquired, following them.

Chartreuse turned her attention to Luci and Tim as they approached. “Okay guys!" she whispered excitedly, still managing to be audible over the music that had started up nearly a half hour ago. “Any news?”

Luci shook her head. Tim merely shifted his weight back and forth uncomfortably. “Tim?” Chartreuse prompted encouragingly.

Tim ran a hand back through the soft curls of his blonde hair. “I-I-I haven’t talked with Clarke since this afternoon. Sorry. He’s seemed more worried about Julie than usual. I didn’t want to upset him.”

“No news then,” Luci summarized. She sighed, feeling very conspicuous in her T-Shirt and jeans next to Chartreuse’s sequinned outfit. “This is silly. We shouldn’t have come. There’s always next week.”

Or if it really came down to it, convincing Frank to use the time machine as a more effective alternative.

“No, no, this is the turning point,” the pink-haired girl insisted, reaching out to clasp Luci’s hands. “We must do this, for the good of everyone.”

Chartreuse looked up as she heard a familiar murmur run through the crowd. “Ooh! Sounds like Corry and Laurie are, like, here now. That should provide a clue. How about you two dance together or something while I check it out?” She smiled brightly at them and ran off.

Luci exchanged a glance with Tim. He was approximately the same height as her, despite their age difference. “I don’t dance,” she said quickly.

“Yeah, me neither,” Tim echoed. “Uh, medical reasons.” There was a pause, then the two teenagers leaned back against the wall next to each other.

“Chartreuse,” Laurie said happily, catching sight of her friend exiting the cafeteria. “Golly, you look great, that dress really suits you though you know you don’t have to dress up for these things, it’s not like they’re formals, except of course I bought new shoes so who am I to say anything anyway and we’re probably not the only ones to do stuff like that, so at any rate who’s all here and have you danced with anyone yet?”

As Laurie and Chartreuse moved off together, Corry reached into his pocket and flipped a loonie to one of the guys standing near the doors. “Hey, Tommy,” he remarked. “Go buy me a pop, would you? The usual.”

Tommy willingly went inside to purchase the item in question as Corry turned his attention to another student. “Quick, what comes to mind when I say improv singing?”

“Screw you,” the student shot back sullenly.

“Mmmmm. Say ‘hi’ to Julie for me, would you? I do hope she’s ‘bearing’ up,” Corry concluded.

No hesitation, no smugness in that guy’s tone; if Julie had plans against him, the news hadn’t filtered down to some of her more well known supporters. Corry hadn’t really expected it to, but it never hurt to check. He proceeded into the cafeteria himself.

Larry Fisk monitored Corry’s arrival with a sour expression on his face. Kids these days, the science teacher mused. Hard to tell what they were getting up to half the time. But Corry Veniti and Julie LaMille? They were the worst.

Of course, given their place in the social hierarchy, few other students risked doing anything that might annoy them – which paradoxically kept the school relatively peaceful. Meanwhile, the mutual (if guarded) respect that Corry and Julie seemed to have for each other kept their own disagreements from escalating too high.

Regardless, Larry had told the principal, Dell Hunt, that some teachers should intercede. But Dell seemed to believe that, as long as the faculty didn’t take sides, the teens would eventually work things out themselves. Was that possible?

Larry had his doubts, and the dance chaperon knew he wouldn’t be able to keep from grimacing whenever he saw either one of the two ringleaders. It disturbed him to think about what might happen if the tenuous balance between them ever changed.

Inside the cafeteria, Phil Clarke was having similar misgivings. All that he’d been able to get from Julie about the dance was that she would be taking steps towards dealing with Corry once and for all. She hadn’t elaborated on how this related to her problem with Carrie and Frank. It felt like Julie was aiming for a diversionary tactic. But why?

It came back to her ultimate goals. Clarke had never thought that figuring out why Julie was so bent on her plans would come under a time constraint, but he was realizing now that time played a factor. Ironic in a way, if Julie’s claim of a time machine was true.

Scanning the room to try and otherwise occupy his mind (even if only temporarily) Clarke caught sight of Tim. That surprised him. Tim had never been one to come out to social events.

Heck, Clarke had befriended the boy after realizing how much Tim tended to be socially shunned. In retrospect, perhaps Tim’s earlier question to him, regarding whether Julie was likely to do anything troublesome tonight, made some sense?

Then again, it didn’t, because Clarke had admitted that there was a very good chance for something to happen. So why would Tim pick tonight as the first dance he would attend? Clarke then noticed Luci standing next to him. Was she the reason? A date?

“Clarke?”

The tall basketball player turned to see Laurie standing next to him. “Er, yeah?”

“Would you… are you… that is, you’re not dancing at the moment, but…” The redhead stopped, unable to complete her thought.

“Was I planning to?” Clarke attempted to finish for her. Laurie nodded mutely.

Her request didn’t surprise him. Laurie had previously indicated an interest in him. Except, given his current ties with Julie, he couldn’t afford to be connected to Corry’s sister, even casually. Besides, the redheaded girl had a tendency to talk a lot, something Clarke had trouble dealing with.

Yet even as he tried to think of how to turn her down gently, he realized that Laurie had been curbing her babbling tendencies of late, at least around him. And Julie wasn’t here yet.

Clarke opened his mouth to respond - when the word rippled through the attendees. Julie and Carrie had arrived outside. “Maybe another time,” he apologized, turning to head for the cafeteria door.

“Yeah, okay, right, sure, no problem, I’m fine with that… just fine…” Laurie murmured, even after Clarke was out of earshot. Her eyes fell down to her fingers, where they began to twist around the folds of her skirt.

Chartreuse, for her part, had left Laurie in order to check in with Luci and Tim.

“Okay guys,” she said eagerly. “Laurie says there’s, like, some singing thing which Corry might be doing tonight. That’s so likely to be when Julie strikes! I think Julie’s arriving too, so let’s split up and give a scan of the DJ’s stage area right quick.”

Despite the undercurrent of escalating tension, an hour and a half later, everything was still normal. Chartreuse was baffled. “I know I’m not wrong,” she murmured. “Something is starting here. I can almost, you know, sense it about to happen. But if Julie’s going to start it, how is she going to DO it?”

“Stage area’s unchanged,” Luci offered up as she approached.

“Are you, like, SURE?”

“If there’s one thing I’m good at,” the young girl shot back. “It’s observation. There’s nothing out of place.”

“Can I-I-I go now?” Tim lamented. “I haven’t done any good. I can’t even talk to Clarke now that Julie’s here.”

Chartreuse fell back against the wall, a frustrated look on her face. “But… oh, sure,” she said, defeated. “Look, guys, sorry if I dragged you out here for nothing. I mean, I know I’ve been, like, wrong about mystic stuff before. I just never dreamed I could be THIS wrong.”

“Your attention please,” came a voice from the stage as a song wrapped up. Everyone in the cafeteria turned to look at Corry, who was holding the microphone.

“Some of you know that I’ve been trying to start up a band to perform some cover songs at upcoming school events.” Corry grinned. “And while you’re equally aware that I could exert some pressure to make this happen, I’ve been trying to acquire musical support on a voluntarily basis. After all, you’d be giving up your free time to be with me, and it’s not like I’ll be paying you, no matter how well you drum.”

There was a smattering of laugher before Corry continued. “As you may also know, I’ve declared myself the lead singer. If that’s what’s making you hesitate, I thought I’d take this opportunity to demonstrate how I’m more than a simple choir member.” He turned to say something to the DJ.

“Oh, and Julie?” he added, turning back. “If you’re thinking of trying something here…” His face darkened. “Don’t.”

Moments later, the tune of a relatively recent song began - karaoke version. Corry tossed the microphone back and forth briefly between his hands before starting to sing…

~”I once wished to travel through time

To have such a power seemed really sublime

But I never imagined the problems I'd face

So now I'm lost in time and also in space.~

~I'm three days older than I was last night

Wondering if I put wrong what once went right

And I would hit rewind but time's being unkind,

Destinies intertwined now I'm losing my mind!”~

“Interesting song selection,” Luci murmured. She tried to remember which group had made it popular.

“Short stuff?” came the voice of Lee. “Hey, it is you. You’re fast, I just saw you out in the hall.”

Luci turned to Lee, feeling her heart rate increasing. “What?”

~”I can speak of tomorrow but not yesterday

For when history changes your past goes away

I altered one thing that was causing me strife

The tapestry tore changing everyone's life.

Maybe that's fine, maybe it's not,

Who draws the line, who calls the shot?”~

Carrie was sure Julie had been within earshot a couple minutes ago. Where had her friend gone?

~”Is there some higher power involved around here?

I don't know if they helped or are something to fear.

I see now that these forces can't be understood

I'd return things to normal if only I could,

But the ramifications have damaged my brain

It won't be long now before I've gone insane.”~

“Tracked down where’s that ringing’s coming from then?” Joe inquired.

“Yeah, a cell phone,” Frank said. “In Carrie Waterson’s jacket.”

“Well, answer it,” Joe concluded. “It’s not going to voicemail, and whoever’s calling, they don’t seem to want to hang up on their own.”

~"None of this should have happened, I know in my gut

Yet our future is hist'ry, and I've lost what's what.

We must now beware, time is not playing fair,

I would solve this crime it's just I'm...

outta time... outta time... outta time..."~

Corry concluded his song. There was a brief pause, then the silence was broken - not by applause, but by the voice of Laurie Veniti coming through the sound system.

“I’ve figured out where the test papers are,” she stated. “They’re in the bottom drawer of Ms. Adams’ desk in the math office which she keeps locked but Chartreuse heard from Katie that George said she keeps a spare key at the back of her pullout drawer in class in the event that she forgets her key ring because I guess it happened once a year ago and they had to force the drawer and it was a real pain and stuff but anyway that’s where you can find the math tests!”

“That… that can’t be me,” Laurie cried out from the back of the room, feeling the blood drain from her face.

“Oh, I won’t find them there,” Carrie’s voice retorted through the speakers. “You will. After all, I don’t need them as much as you do. Plus you’ve come this far, why not prove yourself by going all the way?”

“What the hell?” Carrie gasped in response to hearing her own voice.

Laurie’s voice returned. “But… I thought… it’s been sort of fun to this point but to actually steal…?”

‘That’s pre-recorded,’ Corry realized, shaking off his momentary paralysis. He spun to the DJ. “Turn off all your audio equipment,” he snapped.

“Oh, feeling a little chicken? Well, maybe your brother would be more willing to do this instead,” Carrie concluded.

“No! Don’t tell him about any of this. I’ll… I’ll take the papers if you really want…”

“SOMEONE TURN THAT GOD DAMN RECORDING OFF!” Corry yelled.

The power all around the stage immediately went dead. For a moment, another complete silence descended upon the room. No one seemed to know what to say. Though many looks automatically went to a couple of specific faces.

“I never cheated,” Laurie murmured. Her face was a deathly white and she seemed to be in danger of hyperventilating. “That, that was over a year ago. Okay, I… I did take a copy of the test. But I never looked at it. Never, ever! I would never… never… oh God… I… I’m so sorry!”

The redhead buried her face in her hands and sprinted for the door.

“Laurie!” Corry cried out from the stage. He quickly started shoving his way through the crowd of still shocked spectators towards the back, only to find himself face to face with Carrie. As if sensing that they were in a danger zone, everyone standing nearby immediately took two steps back.

Corry’s hands balled into fists. “You and Julie have crossed the line this time,” he seethed at the blonde. “Don’t think you’re getting away with it.”

“You think it was MY idea to be portrayed that way to the entire school?” Carrie fired back. “I didn’t know that conversation had ever been recorded.”

“Then you admit it happened?” Corry barked. “Sounds like you’ll be spending a little extra time at home this term.”

Carrie’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re implying that some sort of suspension is coming my way, be aware that your sister sounded a LOT guiltier than I did.”

“Are you threatening me, Waterson?!”

“You’re smart, you figure it out! For that matter, you were the one up at the stage, with the equipment. How do we know you’re not playing innocent here? Trying to create more trouble for me and Julie?”

“How DARE you try to pin the blame back on me,” Corry shot back, face going as red as his hair. “Waterson, I’d be VERY careful about what actions you take over the next few days.”

With that, Corry shoved his way past her, charging towards the door through which Laurie had exited.

Carrie resisted the urge to respond to Corry’s shove with a tackle, instead taking a few deep breaths before calling out, “Julie?” She turned to look about her, finally grabbing onto the shirt of the person standing closest, decorum be damned. “Did you see where the hell Julie went??”

The kid shook his head several times, returning the expression on Carrie’s face with one of abject terror. Useless. The blonde shoved him back out of the way, deciding she’d have to look for the brunette herself. Because Corry had been right about one thing: Julie had crossed the line.

Whether Julie had been the one to play that recording, or whether it had been Corry - her friend had apparently sensed what was about to happen, and made a quick exit. However, instead of offering any warning, or even returning to back Carrie up, Julie had left her high and dry. Carrie was not pleased by that. Not one bit.

The blonde stalked out of the cafeteria through a different set of doors than those used by Corry.

As murmurs began to spread through the crowd, Chartreuse could only stare in horror at the door through which the Veniti twins had departed. “We’ve failed,” she realized. “The 2DEGS have totally failed. Now, it’s… war.”

The steadily increasing sound of student mutterings was cut off by the sound of feedback from near the stage, power having being restored. It was followed by the voice of science teacher Larry Fisk at the microphone. “This dance,” he stated, “Is over. Please clear the cafetorium as soon as possible.”

In a dark, abandoned classroom, the brunette girl smiled to herself. She collapsed the antenna for the remote she was carrying. It sounded like everything was working out more or less as anticipated. Thus phase one was complete: the revolution at the high school had begun.

Julie found herself shivering in anticipation, but she forced herself to stay focused. There was still work to be done… so much work to be done…

PART 17: OBSERVER EFFECT

In a corner of the high school’s library sat a young girl with short, dark hair, alongside a slightly older, more heavyset girl with bright pink hair done up in braids and bows. Neither spoke. Until the former finally looked up from her book. “Maybe he’s not coming?”

“He’ll be here,” Chartreuse assured, holding a small crystal up to the light. Luci merely shook her head and resumed her reading. After all, there was still a good twenty minutes left in their lunch, it might as well be productive.

About five minutes later, a sad-looking blonde student entered the library, hesitated, then walked up to the two girls. Both looked up at him expectantly.

“I-I-I-It…” The boy paused to clear his throat. “It’s tonight. Julie’s making her move tonight at the d-dance.”

“Excellent,” Chartreuse declared, slapping her palm against the table with enough force to make Luci jump. “This means we can be, like, ready for her.”

“How so?” Luci objected. “I already speculated on Julie taking some action at the dance when you came to me last weekend. All Tim’s done is confirm it. We still don’t know WHAT she’s doing. Unless you have additional information?” she asked, looking back at the blonde boy.

”…stop giving off these negative vibes."

Chartreuse sighed. “Luci, you’ve got to stop giving off these negative vibes,” she observed. “Otherwise it’ll be real difficult to function as a unit here, you know?”

“All I’m saying is there’s no way to be ready,” Luci said defensively. “I mean, we weren’t ready on Tuesday when Corry started up that rumour that Julie carries a teddy bear around with her.”

“But we couldn’t, like, anticipate that one,” Chartreuse protested. “I mean, who knew that Julie would leave a stuffed animal in her backpack where Corry could see it?”

“B-But isn’t that the kinda thing you normally foresee?” Tim broke in. “Using your, um, psychic abilities?”

Chartreuse shook her head, starting to absently roll the crystal she was holding around in her hand. “My visions don’t work like that," she explained. “Not unless I, like, get into serious meditation. I usually just get impressions from people. Like how I did from Corry last Saturday.”

“An impression relating to an upcoming ‘war’,” Luci remarked dryly.

“Look, I was visiting Laurie, brushed by her brother in the hallway, and POW!” Chartreuse made an expressive hand gesture to demonstrate. “There it was, this, you know, real bad sensation relating to him, Julie and Carrie.”

“Corry and Julie have never gotten along.”

“Luci, this was more than that,” Chartreuse insisted, genuine fear creeping into her voice. “I mean, Julie and Carrie have NEVER been at odds, yet that was there too! I wish I could be more specific, but I can’t. It was like, whoa, we’re coming to a crossroads here, and if we don’t do anything, the consequences could be disastrous. War is, you know, the only way I can think to describe it.” She slapped the table again. “Trust me, it’s up to the three of us to do something to prevent that scenario!”

Luci took a moment to reflect. She would have written it off as stupid mystic mumbo-jumbo by Chartreuse - if it weren’t for the fact that, due to the time machine, she had been paying additional attention to Carrie. Some of what Chartreuse was saying had a ring of truth to it.

The Julie-Carrie relationship was being strained. Exactly the sort of thing that Corry Veniti would take advantage of. For that matter, the teddy bear situation this week had been uncharacteristically sloppy of Julie. Was it due to distraction? Had it been a harbinger of things to come? Would today’s dance truly be a turning point?

“W-Why us?” Tim asked, breaking Luci’s concentration.

“Oh, that was laid out in the stars,” said Chartreuse brightly, the fear in her voice vanishing. “After all, I’m friends with Laurie, who’s Corry’s sister. Tim, you’re friends with Clarke, who’s close to Julie, sorta. And Carrie, well, she never sticks around anyone for more than a month… but I heard last week that Frank was, you know, helping her with some math, and Luci, you’ve also studied with Frank, so you might come across something. That makes us the two degrees of separation group!”

Chartreuse paused. “Hey, that’s kind of a neat name. Maybe we should, like, make it an official club. Even create a logo?”

“B-But surely others would be a better choice.”

Chartreuse shook her head. “Tim, don’t look so worried. We can hang out naturally, because we’re all in the same homeroom. Also, you two are, you know, pretty inconspicuous normally, so…. Oh! How about 2DEGS as a passcode or something?”

“We’re straying from the point,” Luci observed.

“Right,” Chartreuse said, switching tracks without missing a beat. “So, we now know positively that Julie’s gonna do something tonight at the dance. Which will involve Corry. Or Carrie. Actually, I bet both of them. To stop it, we’ll make casual inquiries while we’re there, keep an eye out, and above all keep calm so that we can head this thing off at the pass.”

Luci frowned. “I won’t be at the dance,” she objected. “They’re… not my thing.”

Besides, she’d had some hopes of being able to look more into the time machine situation at Frank’s house. She felt like they were making progress with the new circuitry.

“I wasn’t going to go either,” Tim chimed in quietly.

Chartreuse’s face fell. “Guys… I, like, totally need you there. The school needs you there! And I mean, how about your friends, Clarke, and Frank? You don’t want them getting, you know, dragged into the coming apocalypse, do you?”

Luci rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. Chartreuse was visibly overdramatizing. And yet… there was still that ring of truth. What was Julie really up to? For that matter, observing Julie a bit more at the dance might be helpful for Frank.

The short-haired girl bit her lower lip and exchanged a quick glance with Tim. His expression implied that he was leaving the decision up to her. “I… the dance starts at 8, right?” Luci said in resignation.

Chartreuse beamed. “That’s the spirit. Whatever Julie has in mind, she can’t have factored in the actions of the 2DEGS!”

She thrust her hand out enthusiastically towards her companions. Off of her expectant look, they placed their palms on top of hers. “Go team!” Chartreuse said cheerily.

“Go Team!” cheered Carrie along with others from her squad. “Defense, defense, take that ball away.”

The point was almost moot. Even if they could get the ball back, it was unlikely that they’d be able to score the necessary 10 points for a win in the last two minutes of the game. But hey, there was something to be said for enthusiasm, particularly on away games. Carrie even wagered that her handful of members was doing a better job than the home squad; certainly their uniforms were better.

“Will we be doing another lift?” inquired the boy next to her.

Carrie shook her head. “Nah, no point, Steve. Things are winding down and we don’t want to show up the home team TOO much, do we?” She winked.

Steve fired back a grin of his own. “I guess not. Good thing for their sake that we didn’t bring a full complement.”

Carrie nodded. It was fortunate that a couple of their guys had been able to make it out here, they were involved in a few of the best routines. ‘I wonder what their incentive was?' Carrie thought to herself with a smirk, raising a hand to her hip and shifting her weight to make it jut out saucily.

She wondered if Steve was still watching her. It occurred to her that if he was, he was probably thinking that she was behaving like mere eye candy. That thought irritated her. She was more than that, right?

Sure. She was also egotistical, needing to have everything go her way. Carrie resumed her prior position, feeling betrayed by her own thoughts. What the hell was wrong with her lately? She had to stop talking with Frank. Except she couldn’t do that; she needed him.

It was a weird feeling, that need. Being popular, she’d seen people within cliques as being interchangeable. There had been no need to focus on the individuals, beyond what they could do for her. After all, no one had ever cared about her, so why should she do more than pretend to care about anyone else in turn?

Now, because of the time machine, it wasn’t like that any more. She needed Frank.

Carrie grimaced. The more she thought about her situation, the more she hated thinking about her situation. So when the final game whistle blew, she shunted those thoughts to the back of her mind.

Sure enough, their team had lost another one; Coach Masterson would be beside himself. As the players gathered together for a post-game briefing or whatever it was they did, Carrie motioned for her small squad to join the other spectators from their school, returning to their chartered bus.

Their bus was separate from the one the football team used; it was funded through selling tickets to interested fans and spectators, with the incentive being a chance to root for their team, as well as get out of last period class. Granted, the bus hadn’t been completely filled, however, Julie had indicated to both Carrie and the athletic department that she could pick up some of the slack, if necessary. It was handy having a rich friend on your side.

The voice in her head poked at her again. And what was the deal with Julie? She’d been acting different this past week. Their lunchtime conversations had changed in tone. Carrie was doing most of the talking, and that hadn’t always been the case. Had it?

Then there was the whole teddy bear thing. Carrie was certain that Julie had never carried such a stuffed animal with her, and had decried Corry’s claims of such. Yet Julie had hardly reacted at all to the accusation, and she’d only allowed a visible inspection of her backpack the day AFTER the incident. What was the deal? Was Julie up to something?

‘Stop overreacting,’ Carrie ordered herself. ‘Anyway, Julie’s mood will improve after I’ve passed on her suggestion.’

Taking a seat near the front of the bus, Carrie waved off a couple of requests by people to sit next to her, instead motioning to a member of her cheerleading squad who was the same age.

The girl with shoulder-length red hair and freckles turned to look behind herself in confusion as Carrie beckoned. It took another few seconds for Laurie to realize that, yes, Carrie had indeed meant her. The redhead finally slid into the seat next to the head cheerleader.

“You really want me to sit here next to you?” Laurie asked in breathless excitement. “Golly. I mean this is… golly.” She paused. “Wait, this isn’t about my brother and the teddy bear thing, is it? Because I don’t have any control over what Corry does he’s only my brother and besides he’s nice, he helps me out in school since as you well know I can’t wrap my head around math, especially when we get into those fractions I mean that stuff is so hard that I can’t…”

“Laurie, you’re babbling.”

Laurie blushed lightly. “Yes Captain, sorry Captain, I’ll shut up now,” she said quickly, dropping her eyes down to the floor. Her hands moved to play with the hem of her cheerleading skirt.

Carrie suppressed a sigh. In some sense, Laurie’s irritatingly perky and innocent demeanour was the perfect complement to her fraternal twin’s more sour, jaded outlook on life. Yet in another sense, Carrie couldn’t understand how the two siblings managed to live in the same house together.

“Laurie, I don’t want to talk to you about the whole bear thing,” Carrie assured. “But I do want to talk briefly about your brother.”

Laurie raised her eyes back up. “What about him?”

“I’ve heard that Corry’s been trying to start up some little ensemble band at school,” Carrie prompted.

“Oh, good golly, yes,” Laurie said, now nodding eagerly. “Of course he’s already in the regular band and the choir too but you don’t get to sing in the band or play in the choir, so he was thinking of trying to get some people interested in a small ensemble only there hasn’t been enough interest yet or not enough for Mrs. Willis to shell out any money for music, besides my brother mostly plays flute and keyboards so he obviously can’t be a one man band which is sort of a shame because I think it’s a really great idea, don’t you?”

Carrie could swear that, despite a semblance of commas, Laurie had never taken a breath through all that. The blonde stopped biting her tongue long enough to speak up again.

“Sure. In fact, hey, we’re having a dance tonight, right? Corry could use it to spark more interest in his ensemble, by singing a song or two.”

Laurie blinked. “Huh? I don’t follow.”

Carrie mentally added another checkmark next to the times she’d felt like physically shoving someone, but was able to resist. Fortunately, only a few choice people tended to bother her to that degree.

”If Corry were to sing a few songs at the dance,” Carrie explained patiently, “Others might be more interested in joining a band with him. Right?”

“Oh!” Laurie seemed to reflect on that. “That’s a pretty good idea,” she decided.

“Yes,” Carrie concluded, leaning back in her seat with a sigh. “I thought so.” Or rather, Julie had thought so, being the one to propose the plan.

Julie had indicated that, if Corry pulled off his whole ensemble thing, he would probably be too busy to bother her. Plus it would take attention away from the teddy bear rumours now circulating. That last seemed a bit optimistic, but Julie always seemed to know what she was doing, so Carrie wasn’t about to start second guessing now.

“I think I’ll mention that to my brother,” Laurie added brightly.

“You do that,” Carrie indicated.

“You’re all right, you know that?” Laurie continued. “I mean, sure, things got off to a rocky start between us, and some people around the school say nasty things, but golly, stories like that always get blown out of proportion, plus lots of the people are Corry’s friends so they only say mean things about you because you hang around with Julie so you can’t totally believe them. What I mean to say is I always knew that deep down you were an okay gal and I just want to say again I’m really pleased that you’re letting me sit next to you here, don’t think that I’m unaware of the honour involved!”

“Laurie…”

“Yes, Captain?”

“PLEASE stop babbling,” Carrie said, flexing her hands in restraint.

“Golly, sorry again, you’re right, I’ll do that, definitely I will, you just watch me now, here I go,” she affirmed, reaching once more for the hem of her skirt.

Carrie found herself praying that they would manage the rest of the trip home without further outbursts. ‘I think Julie owes me for this favour,’ she reflected. ‘She reeeeeeeally owes me for this one.’

The dart flew through the air, striking Julie between the eyes. Or that’s where it hit in Corry’s mind anyway, as he’d mentally projected her smirking face onto the dart board.

“What. Is. Your. Deal?” he muttered for what felt like the thousandth time since their first encounter.

Corry reached up to brush some of his shoulder-length red hair back off his ear. He preferred to keep it the same length and style as his sister, not because of any real concession to them being twins, so much as the occasional confusion (and amusement) it afforded him when one of them was viewed from behind.

He could still remember the time last year when that football player had been incessantly hitting on Laurie. No one did that to his sister. So, Corry had given the guy the opportunity to corner her for a date - only to discover in the moment that he’d cornered Corry instead.

Corry smiled. He had engineered that flawlessly, and the expression on the guy’s face when he’d discovered the switch had been priceless. The date hadn’t been bad either, if you liked that sort of thing. Not that Corry swung that way, but a deal was a deal - he hadn’t let the guy squirm his way out of the invitation.

If only Julie was as easy to manipulate.

Julie. Corry flung another dart at the board. The girl who required that everything work out HER way. Such arrogance! Of course, the real annoying thing was how Corry rather preferred to have things go HIS way. But not all the time, like her. Only half the time. Maybe up to three quarters of the time. Then occasionally 90% of the time.

Corry grimaced. Fine. Maybe he’d taken that initial dislike to Julie because he’d sensed some of his more questionable qualities in her. He threw his final dart.

His bedroom door opened and his sister stuck her head in, knocking as she did so. “Laurie!” Corry shouted out in warning.

The redheaded girl flinched as the dart whistled by her face and embedded itself in the dartboard hanging by the doorframe. “Golly,” she remarked, peering at the dart’s final resting place with a stunned look.

Corry exhaled. “Damn it little sis, how many times do I have to tell you, knock first, THEN open the door, not both at the same time?”

Laurie looked back at her brother. “It wasn’t locked,” she replied petulantly. “And don’t get into the little sister thing with me again. You’re only two minutes older.”

Corry rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine,” he grumbled. He didn’t really feel like arguing. He moved to retrieve his darts, deciding to find a better place for the board. “Then what’s so all fired important that you felt it risked putting an eye out?”

She briefly - or briefly for his sister…

“Oh, it’s a great idea concerning the dance and your proposed band ensemble,” Laurie said, clasping her hands. She briefly - or briefly for his sister - outlined the idea, and it’s origins.

“I see,” Corry responded dubiously. “So Carrie mentioned this, did she? She wouldn’t do that for no reason. Did Julie factor into it?”

“I didn’t think to ask,” Laurie realized. She frowned marginally. “Julie can’t be up to something involving you again, can she?”

“I don’t know,” Corry admitted. The main reason Julie was on his mind now was due to the ‘teddy bear affair’; she might want to get back at him for it. Corry supposed he could have employed a little more tact and restraint in his remarks. But damn, taking Julie down a peg or two this week had sure felt good.

“Maybe you shouldn’t come to the dance tonight,” Corry decided. “If she is up to anything, I don’t want you involved.”

“Aw, geez, Corryyyyyy,” Laurie protested. “It’s the first dance of the school year and the first major social event not counting Julie’s party which we can’t really count seeing as we weren’t invited, plus Chartreuse is expecting me there and I recently got this cool new pair of shoes that I was planning to wear, besides I can take care of myself so just because YOUR silly feuds are hinting at trouble it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to go and have a good time.”

“Okay, okay, enough already,” Corry said, raising his hands in resignation. “Do whatever you like then, see if I care!” Julie wouldn’t stoop so low as to use his sister against him anyway. He was getting paranoid.

Laurie hmmphed and turned away, though she turned back a moment later. “So, will you sing at tonight’s dance?”

Corry pursed his lips. “I’m not sure,” he concluded, looking down at the dart in his fingers. “I’ll decide when I get there.”

In a dark basement room, the final touches were put on a small device, before it was slipped into a jacket pocket. The device’s owner smiled. So far, everything seemed to be going according to plan.