Timebound(38)

“Walk me to the door?” Trey asked when Katherine had left the room.

I nodded and we stepped outside, onto the front porch. Trey pulled me into a hug, then stepped back and studied me closely. “Don’t look so glum.” He tucked a stray piece of hair back behind my ear and gave me a soft, quick kiss on the side of the mouth. “You get some sleep, okay? I have to go home and finish my trig homework.” He smiled. “Hey, there’s a bright side for you—no homework.”

“I don’t actually mind homework. Well, most homework.”

“Really?” he asked. “How do you feel about other people’s homework? I’m seeing great possibilities in this relationship.” I laughed and sat down on the wooden porch swing as Trey started down the steps. “Oh, wait… I don’t have your number. Will your grandmother sic the dog on me if I just come back to see you tomorrow?”

“If she does, I’m pretty sure the worst Daphne would do is lick you to death. I’m just… I guess I’m worried that something will happen—another shift—and you’ll forget I exist.” I could feel myself blushing. “I mean… I quite literally do not have another friend in the world right now.”

“Not a problem,” he said. “If your grandfather changes the world again, just find me at the school and take off a sock or something. I’ll see it vanish and you’ll have me eating out of your hand again in five minutes flat.”

And then he was gone. I stood on the porch and watched as his taillights receded down the street, thinking that, if he had to go home, it was actually quite nice to have someone exit in the normal, gradual way.





Katherine was waiting in the kitchen with a cup of herbal tea brewing on the table. “Are you hungry? There’s a pie in the fridge… cherry, I think… or I could make you a sandwich.”

I shook my head and sank into one of the chairs in the breakfast nook. I glanced around at the big kitchen where Dad had looked forward to cooking and was almost in tears again.

“I don’t think it’s entirely safe for us to be outside the house for the time being, at least not for an extended period.” She sat down opposite me. “I sent Connor out to the store, however, as soon as we realized what had happened. I can’t guarantee his taste, but there’s a nightgown and a change of clothes in your room that should fit you, along with a toothbrush and other necessities.”

I gave her a weak smile. “Thanks. It occurred to me on the way back from Delaware that I don’t even own a hairbrush.”

“We also placed one of the laptops in your room. It will take a few days to get all of the other financial details back in order, but the credit accounts are all in Connor’s name and they are apparently still active, so you can go online and have whatever you need delivered.”

I stared down at my tea. The scents of chamomile and lavender drifted up from the cup. “How did you know? I mean, I know you felt the temporal shift, but how did you know that Mom… Dad?”

“Connor has a program that monitors relevant information on the internet. He checked, as he’s done after every temporal shift, and Deborah…” Katherine paused for a moment, and her voice was soft when she continued. “Saul has taken both my daughters from me now, although I’m quite sure that Deborah just… doesn’t exist in this timeline. I can only hope that Prudence, wherever she is, is protected by a CHRONOS key.”

I took a sip of the tea, which was still quite hot. “So he’s killed you, right? At some point in time?”

“That’s the assumption we’re going on,” Katherine said, nodding. “The question, of course, is when and where?”

“That’s what Trey and I were saying in the car—”

Katherine broke in. “Do you really think it was wise to pull that young man into this problem, Kate?”

I waited a moment, measuring my words before I spoke. “Maybe not. But I didn’t have much time to stop and think today. I just met him, but to be honest, I trust him more than anyone else I know right now… including you.” I could tell Katherine was hurt by my words, but if we were going to make this work I had to be truthful.

My elbows were propped up on the table and I put my forehead into my hands, rubbing my closed eyes. Despite the nap in the car, I couldn’t remember ever feeling so utterly exhausted.

“I love you, Katherine,” I said as I looked back up at her. “I do. You’re the only family I have left now. Whatever you say I have to do; I’ll do it. I don’t see that I have an option, really. But… Mom’s gone. Dad… well, he’s someone else’s dad now. Charlayne… my other friends… I’m guessing they’ve never met me. I need a friend right now, if you want me to keep my sanity.”