Sneaks (8 page)

“Ian, yer father is needing ye,” Corc said from the castle doorway. 

“We’ll talk later," Ian said to me.

I think I nodded.

He stood and scurried away with a zip in his step.

“I see ye’ve got a conundrum, lass,” Corc said as he approached. He had no idea either. “May I sit with ye?”

“You heard?” I scooted over.

“No, but it doesna always take ears. Sometimes eyes are enough.”

“We’ve only known each other a couple weeks," I said because I didn't know how to explain the rest of it.

“Some of the best marriages I ken were planned after only a week.”

“Corc,” I began. I wanted to tell him where I came from and why this was so strange, but I couldn’t. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Ye will. He is the laird’s son, though. Keep that in mind. He’s no a handsome catch at the moment, but he’s some promise of wealth and power in the future. Ye might want to consider as such.”

He misunderstood my confusion, but I had no idea how to clear it up.

“Ah, weel, ye’ll be all right. Come inside now.”

“I will, Corc. Could I just have another few moments out here? To clear my head.”

“Tis an odd thing to say, but aye, ye may stay here. I’ll sit too.”

“It’s okay. Go inside. I’ll be right in. I promise.”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

“Please, Corc. I’d like the time alone. Just to think.”

"To think?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. I’ll give ye a few minutes is all. Then I’ll be back out to drag ye in by yer hair if ye fight me.”

I looked at him. He laughed.

“Ah, mistress, ye are easy to read. I wilna ‘shove’ ye around anymore.”

I nodded and tried to smile.  

Corc stood and left me alone on the bench. He glanced around the courtyard and seemed to think that I would be fine. Not one couple would care about me. Actually, they probably wouldn’t even notice I was there. 

What was I going to do about Ian? About Lennox? I twisted the pendant that was at my neck. I hadn’t taken it off and no one had ordered me to. I had become used to it, and it reminded me of home, of my mom.

A few seconds later, I looked up. I was alone. No one else was still in the courtyard.

When I'd told Corc I wanted to be alone, I hadn't planned on running, but suddenly something told me that now was the time. Things were getting too complicated and I was finally alone. I stood and moved to the other side of the bench. It was now or never.

Now.

I ran. 

Once I made it to darkness, I flatted myself to the ground. I was positive that no one could see me from the courtyard, but I wanted to see if I could see them. And sure to his word, Corc soon appeared at the doorway.

He looked around and directly at me, in fact.

“Mistress Kally,” he yelled my direction.

I thought he’d seen me but then he looked away and called out again, this time with more panic to his voice.

“Oh, Ian, I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to try,” I whispered.

I went to stand up, but something crushed me back into the ground, flipped me over and covered my mouth.

I tried to scream, but it wasn’t much of a noise.

It was a person, but it was too dark to make out who it was or any of their features. And I didn’t have my wits about me enough to focus on the size of their hand over my mouth. They bent and spoke in my ear with a raspy voice that could have belonged to a man or a woman, a boy or a girl.

“Hold the pendant in your hand.”

I didn’t know what they meant at first, but when I did I grabbed the globe.

“Good, now keep holding it but rip it from around yer neck.”

I didn’t want to do as they said, but I didn’t see how I had much choice. The person had me on the ground and in a position that pinned me no matter what limb I tried to move. They could have the pendant if it was that or my life.

I yanked, but held tight to the globe. The chain popped at the back of my neck and broke apart.

And the world folded, turned and twisted around me.

Somewhere during the dark and impossible trip, the only thought that came to me was recognition of who Ivar Lennox resembled, and the realization of who it was only made the return to my own home more confusing.

2184

I had spent twelve days in 18th Century Scotland, which was exactly the amount of time I had been away from home.

I woke up in my shop, on the ground next to my work table. I was still wearing the party dress and had the necklace in my hand. My tools were in the dress pocket and I still wore the sneakers.

It was all so shocking. For long minutes I didn’t move, but stayed on the cold floor and cried. My body felt torn apart and my heart hurt. I wanted to be home and I wanted to be back with my new friends.

There was no place in between, though.

My mom found me. We were a mess of tears and hugs, but we didn’t get a lot of time together before the police came and took me in for questioning.

For hours and hours, I said, “I don’t know” and “I don’t remember.” I repeated those words over and over again.

They were angry. But they felt sorry for me, too. They felt sorry for my mom. They finally let me go.

I wanted to tell my mom what happened but I couldn’t talk right. I couldn’t think right. Mom didn’t push me but made me sleep next to her, with her arm around me, for many nights. I was okay with that.  

I was home three weeks before I felt on my way back to normal. I approached her when she got home from work.

“Mom?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m ready. You?”

“Absolutely.” She’d heard the tone of my voice and she gave me her full attention. “Of course.”

“You won’t believe it.”

“Well, either you can try me or not. I want to believe everything you say, Kally. You know that.”

I nodded and began.

She listened to every word. While I spoke, she didn’t so much as offer an “uh-huh,” but let me go on about Scotland in the 18th century, the green rolling hills, Mac, the wolf, Berna, Una, Brian Duncan, Corc, the castle, and Ian, my friend Ian.

“You kept hold of the pendant. Good girl.” Mom reached up and touched the miniature earth at my throat. I’d fixed the chain myself.

“Yes. It is the connection, I’m sure of it. I understand how I got home—by taking it off, but I don’t understand how it got me there. I still don't understand what a time sneak is. And, there’s more.”

She swallowed and nodded me on.

“At the Gathering, I met . . . no, just saw the man named Ivar Lennox.”

“The old woman told you to find his castle, right?”

“Yes. The thing is, Mom, he . . . he . . .”

“Kally!” She laughed. “You’ve told me the most amazing story I’ve ever heard. You can’t stop now.”

“He looked like Dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Yes.”

“Um. That’s strange. Are you sure?”

"Almost positive. Do we still have any pictures?”

“No, I got rid of them a long time ago.”

“Do you know where he is?”

Her face fell.

“What?” I said.

“Kally. I got word he died two years ago.”

“Oh. That’s terrible.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I’m sorry he was such a horrible father, but he was and we got him out of our lives. But the way he lived – he was a criminal, Kally. He was bound to get in trouble. His trouble was big and it got him killed.”

“Are you sure?” I wasn’t sad that my father was dead. I didn’t much care. I never thought I’d see him again anyway.

“I identified his body.”

“Wow.”

“I know, it’s horrible, but I didn’t think I should lie about it at this point.”

I shook my head. “No, but do you think . . . do you think maybe he didn’t really die, but traveled through time?”

“Phew, that’s quite the stretch. No, I identified the body,” she said again. “He didn’t travel anywhere after that . . . but it is time travel so who . . . no, Kally, I'm almost certain your father never traveled through time. No matter where he went, he would have gotten in trouble. He wouldn't have known how to handle it. I'm sure he was stuck here and in his own time only." 

I didn’t remember knowing him. I had a faint impression of pictures of him and Mom, but I hadn’t seen any pictures for a long time. Maybe Ivar Lennox hadn’t looked like him, but something about Lennox had definitely reminded me of the pictures. 

"Your story is amazing, though," Mom said.

“You don’t believe me?”

“No, that’s not it at all. It’s just amazing.”

“You do believe me?”

“I don’t think you’ve ever lied to me, even when I didn’t necessarily want to hear the truth. I believe you, but it'll take me a little time for it to soak in.”

I sighed.

Mom put her hand on my arm. “Do you wish you hadn’t come home? Do you miss them? Remember, don’t lie to me.”

“I miss them. I don’t wish I’d stayed unless you could come too. I wish they were all here and I could see them.”

Mom sat back and looked at me a long moment. Finally, she said, “I think you should try to go back.”

“What? Why?”

“Because when you talk about them, your face lights up. Traveling there might make here less . . . awful."

“You want me to run away?”

“I don’t look at it like that. I want you to live a good life.”

"But you aren’t there.”

“That’s hard, I’ll admit, but you know how to come back."

"Mom, I don’t know how any of it really works. If I knew I could go back and forth, I might, but I don't want to risk it. Even if I did, I have no idea how to get there in the first place."

"Maybe it'll just happen again." I looked at her. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

“I thought you’d tell me I needed to get over it and move on," I said.

She shrugged. “I want you to be happy, but . . .”

“What?”

“Remember, someone doesn’t want you there, Kally. If you go back, you have to be careful.”

“If I ever go back. If. If I get scared, I’ll just yank off the necklace.”

“You promise?”

“Yes. Look at us, talking like it's going to happen again."

"We don’t know," Mom said. "And we should be prepared." She touched the pendant. “You found it in Mr. Bellini’s clock. Talk to him. See where he got the clock. Maybe you can begin there.”

“What if he wants the necklace back?”

“You’ll have to give it to him.”

“What if it’s the thing that made me travel?”

“Then it isn’t meant to be.”

The next day I finished Mr. Bellini’s clock, hid it in the wagon, and made my way to his house.

*****

“I’m sorry it took me so long, Mr. Bellini,” I said.

He'd snuck me and the wagon in through his back door. We stood in his small kitchen; the only part I noticed was a wall with some bright red wallpaper and small yellow designs. I thought the pattern could make me seasick if I looked at it too long.

“Not to worry, young lady. The clock hasn’t ticked for a long time. A few more days didn’t matter. Did you fix it then?” He asked as he looked up and over the top of his glasses. He was old and hunched over. His third wife died a year earlier and he told the Govment he was finished getting married. He always smelled like peanut butter and he bought candy on the black market, which is how he heard about me.

“Yes, it is working perfectly.”

“Delightful! Delightful! Come, bring it into the front room and we’ll put it on the mantle. How much do I owe you?” He shuffled toward the front room. I pulled the clock out from under the towels.

"I have a different idea for a fee this time, Mr. Bellini. Can I talk to you about it?”

“Certainly. Yes, put it there, have a seat. Do you want some chocolate?” He held out a piece of wrapped candy.

“Yes, please.” I opened it, popped it in my mouth and savored the melting sweetness. I hadn't had chocolate in almost six months. I wanted another piece, but I didn't want to be rude.

“Good, good. Now,” he sat down in a chair across from me, “you’ve turned sixteen. What was the Decision?”

“Divorced or widowed.”

“That’s not so bad. Maybe you’ll find someone young. I was young the first time I lost a wife. I was considered quite the catch at that time. Anyway, enough of that talk. You still have two years. Don't worry about it too soon.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, look at that – listen to that. It is ticking.” Mr. Bellini pointed at the clock and tears filled his eyes. I got that reaction a lot. That’s probably why I kept fixing them.