Timesurfers (18 page)

Jonah certainly looked older than
eleven
, and immortals weren’t supposed to
age according to her fantasy references. “Besides the forever young
benefit, why do Timesurfers want immortality?”

“When you travel through time your body is
subjected to pressure and heat. For mortals, the experience is
similar to having their insides liquefied and boiled, and their
skin shaved off. Immortals feel nothing.”

That she could attest to. It also explained
why Austin, with his grey eyes, took the trip in his stride. “You
look older than eleven. I thought immortals didn’t age.”

“The anti-ageing side of immortality only
kicks in at eighteen, regardless of how early you’re granted the
gift. If you’re granted immortality at fifty, you’re forever
fifty.” Jonah stretched his arms and legs. The blue tattoos
glistened on his inner arm from his bicep to the crook of his
elbow. There were so many numbers. The last one read 2017. “So
you’re also from 2017?”

He nodded. “Always check a Timesurfer’s QIs
to ensure you’re dealing with the correct person and not them from
a previous or later time. That can get you in all sorts of
trouble.”

He had said there was one for every year he
had been a Timesurfer. “How old are you?”

“I’ll be 149 in July.”

Immortality certainly suited him. She
giggled, unable to resist making her next comment. “You’re an
outrageously hot old man, you know.”

Jonah blushed and dropped his eyes. That
bashful look would break hearts wide open. “On that uncomfortable
note, I’m off.”

“Are you coming back?” Her phone beeped with
the 6:00 p.m. reminder.

“Not tonight. I have plans.”

“Plans to play cards or plans in another
century doing some of Mortez’s evil bidding?”

Jonah smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Never you mind. Your evening is free to go to the monster trucks
with Zach.”

“As if! I’m going out with Mum, Xavier and
the boys for a pre birthday celebration. It’s tradition.”

Jonah ran a hand down his weary face. “I will
return tomorrow bearing an appropriately sparkly birthday gift.” He
meandered down the path.

CATE: “WALKING IN THE DOOR
NOW”

PIP: “? YOUR
DAY?”

CATE: “FINE”

PIP: “THE NEON
POSSE...REALLY?”

CATE: “HOME
SAFE”

PIP: “I HAD TO ACQUIRE 17
PHONES WITH VIDEOS OF YOU FIGHTING”

CATE: “AT LEAST YOU GOT TO
OGLE JONAH”

PIP: “NIGHT”

Chapter 14

Up, Up, And Away

C
ate held concealer in one hand and mascara in the
other. How much makeup did you wear on a date that started at five
in the morning? She threw them both on the counter, grimacing as
they clattered along the bench in the dead quiet house. Austin had
seen her all week without makeup at school. Her first decision as a
sixteen-year-old was made. There would be no makeup. She clipped
her rainbow hair extensions in and crept down the stairs.

She miscalculated the number of steps and
groped wildly in the dark as she stumbled down the last one. The
soft click of the wall switch triggered a pale beam of light,
revealing an envelope taped to the oven with her name written on it
in her mother’s beautiful handwriting. She ran her fingers over the
butterfly on the handcrafted card inside.

Dear Cate,

Happy Birthday, my
beautiful girl!

Love you more each
year,

Mum xx

How strange. Her mum always signed cards from
her and Xavier. A note slipped onto the tiles. Figured—that was
probably Xavier’s attempt at a card. She snatched the paper and
read.

Cate,

Happy Birthday, again. I
can’t believe you’re sixteen!

I’m so proud of the woman
you have become. Sorry

we missed each other last
night. Unfortunately, I’ve

had to leave the house at
insane o’clock on your special

day. There’s been an
outbreak of incidents at school.

I know you and Eve will
have a wonderful time on the

balloon ride. I’ll be home
to have trifle with you this

evening. I
promise.

Love you,

Mum xxx

P.S. DO NOT TOUCH THE
TRIFLE
.

The trainee criminals obviously didn’t get
the memo to behave on her birthday. There was still no mention of
Xavier. With everything that was going on, it made Cate uneasy.
Xavier could be a tool, but he had a kind heart. Which it
killed
her to admit. She grabbed the
vegemite and tapped the bench while her toast cooked. Her mum had
assumed Eve was her balloon ride partner. Cate hadn’t specified
otherwise when they traded texts last night.

She tiptoed to the front door, hesitating at
the steps. Should she check on Xavier? No, that was being paranoid.
The three boys slept here after last night’s dinner. She crept
outside and felt her way through the darkness to a chair. A crack
splintered the stillness. “Austin?” The cold, dark silence echoed
back.

A black shape hurtled toward her out of the
sky. Her heart took off like a helicopter and flew into her mouth.
A warm, furry ball landed on her lap and started kneading her
thighs. Sharp claws pricked her skin, faltering for the briefest
second as they caught on her jeans and then continued kneading.

“Geez, Polka Dot—you nearly made me wet my
pants.” She crunched on the last piece of buttery vegemite toast
and stroked the enormous ginger cat, the
neighbourhood
stray who everyone looked
after. His yellow eyes flashed in the dark, laughing at her
reaction, no doubt. “If you see Eve, let her know I’m pissed at
her. I called her ten times last night and she refused to pick up.”
She was talking to a
cat
, for heaven’s
sake. He gave an angry hiss and slunk away as light flared on the
steps.

Austin was surrounded by a halo of white from
the torch in his hand. “Happy Birthday, beautiful
sixteen-year-old.” There was an obscene chirpiness to his voice for
five in the morning.

Her heart squeezed out an extra beat. She
skipped over to the step, grinning so big she felt the strain in
her cheeks. Better dial that down or she’d look like a maniac.
“Thanks.”

“Up for a surf?”

“What about the balloon ride?” Panic flooded
her chest. She had dressed for a balloon ride. Her preparation for
the beach would have involved waxing and a much later time
slot.

“We’re surfing to get to the balloon
ride.”

Her stomach plummeted.
That
type of surfing. “Isn’t that against the rules?”
There was a hint of desperation in her voice.

“Not today. It took all my phenomenal
persuasive powers, but this trip is Naitanui sanctioned. We’re only
moving time zones and locations.”

Austin laced his fingers in hers and tiny
sparks of electricity shot up her arm. She chewed on her bottom
lip. “Will that feel the same as my last trip?”

He smacked himself on the forehead with his
hand. “I didn’t think that through. We should do something else.
Surfing will be too much for you.”

It was highly likely she would need Austin to
take her to the future again if she was going to figure out what
her future self had been up too, so she needed to show him she
could handle the trip. This was her chance. “If you can do it, so
can I.”

A wry smile spread across Austin’s face. “I
don’t doubt you can do it. It’s your birthday. You should get to do
something less excruciating.”

“Those few seconds of excruciating pain for
an awesome balloon ride will be totally worth it. It’s kind of like
when you’re psyching yourself up to rip off the mother of all
band-aids.” She gave a nervous laugh.

“Rafe reckons his monthly full body wax comes
a close second to surfing.”

Cate grimaced. “Ouch! Is that a Timesurfer
thing?”

“No, that’s a Rafe thing. Are you sure you
want to do this? There are plenty of other options at five in the
morning for a date in Tempus Falls.”

“What a complete lie. I’m good to go.” He
looked dubious, so she nodded her head furiously as further proof
she was ready. She intended to extract a lot of information from
Austin during this date.

“You’re a brave one, even for a Timesurfer.
All right. Hold tight...Actually”—Austin scooped her up into his
arms—“this might be better for you.”

Her head swirled and her skin hummed at their
sudden closeness. She breathed deep. He smelled of soap and a
delicious, woody musk scent.

He gave her a reassuring smile. “Hold as
tight as you need. It’ll be over in less than a minute.”

Austin called Naitanui’s name. He pulled her
closer. She pressed her head into his chest and grabbed his flannel
shirt in both fists, fighting to conquer the excruciating pain
tearing through her body. They hurtled through a kaleidoscope of
colours
and jolted to a
stop, floating in a warm, velvety silence. She relaxed her hold,
praying it was over, but knowing it wasn’t.

“Don’t let go,” Austin breathed.

A split second later, an almighty shove
thrust her forward. Her eyes flew open, and silver stars rained
down around her, a trail of fiery silver tinsel burning in their
wake. They landed and momentum forced Cate forward. She thrashed
against Austin’s hold attempting to stand and regain her balance. A
jarring pain spiked through her ankles and ricocheted to her knees,
which crumpled. She tumbled. Her hips and shoulders smashed against
the ground. She threw her hands out and clutched frantically for
something to slow her fall just as her side slammed into something
hard. It knocked every ounce of breath from her body and brought
her to an abrupt stop. She opened her eyes as Austin’s head smacked
into her chin. “Bloody hell!”

“Geez, you’ve got a hard chin. Are you all
right?” He wriggled back to look at her face. “I had you, but
you’re a slippery little sucker. You have to relax.”

“Relax!” She struggled to get a decent
breath. “I was being boiled and skinned alive.”

Flinging her arms wide, she flopped back onto
the ground and closed her eyes. “I’m
never
having a full body wax.” There was pressure on her chest. Opening
an eye, she saw Austin extracting his hands from her boobs.

“Sorry. Completely unintentional breast grab.
Cross my heart.”

Her cheeks flared with warmth as she
struggled to stand. She gave him a furious glare. “When were you
going to tell me Rose was your
mother
?”

Austin went still and gave a nervous laugh.
“Sorry.” He dropped his head and tentatively raised his eyes to
meet hers. “That’s not the easiest thing to slip into conversation.
‘Hi, I’m Austin. Can I introduce you to Rose, my mother who looks
like she’s eighteen because she’s an immortal?’”

The fact he had a point did nothing to lessen
her annoyance. Jonah said she should check every Timesurfer’s
quantum indicators. She grasped Austin’s arm and pushed his sleeve
up. The last number was 2017. He was the correct Austin. His first
QI was 2007. “You’ve been a Timesurfer since you were nine?”

“Yes. We need to trek back up the hill. The
hot air balloons are around the corner. I could piggyback you if
you need time to recover.”

“I’m perfectly capable of walking up the
hill. I was four the last time someone gave me a piggyback.”

“Piggybacks are enjoying a huge resurgence in
popularity on dates in 2017, especially double dates. Piggyback
fights are all the rage.” He nodded his head vigorously to support
his statement.

“It’s still no.” She took two steps and
paused. “Jonah’s not your dad, is he?”

“Certainly not.” Austin rolled his eyes.

Austin’s infuriating tuneless whistle made
her grit her teeth as their shoes crunched along the gravel. The
grey light of dawn surrounded them, hinting sunrise was near. They
turned the bend, and she gasped at the vibrant colours of the
enormous hot air balloons that blocked out the grey morning sky.
Austin steered her to a group of people.

“Welcome to Majestic Hot Air Balloons.” A
woman with a sheepskin coat that made her look like the Michelin
Man greeted them. “I know you’re going to enjoy experiencing the
oldest and most natural way to fly here in the beautiful Majestic
Valley! There’s hot chocolate for everyone to sip while these
magnificent flying machines finish topping up.”

The hot chocolate was a mug of steaming,
frothy milk with a stirring stick coated in smooth, rich chocolate.
You stirred, and the chocolate melted into the milk. Voila! Hot
chocolate.

“I love the hot chocolate, nearly as much as
the balloon ride.” Austin licked the last bit of chocolate from his
stirrer. “Delicious!”

“Do you do this all the time?”

“Rose has brought me here for my birthday
since I was three. I had to wear a harness until I was eight.” His
eyes danced with amusement.

The guide interrupted their conversation.
“Let’s get up, up, and away, everyone.”

Austin boosted her into the wicker basket,
hurdling in after her. Excitement hummed through her body as they
hovered and then floated higher. “What a rush,” she yelled.

His gorgeous face beamed with excitement. He
winked, and like it was the most natural thing in the world, they
snuggled together. The now familiar woody scent from Austin’s skin
wove through her senses. She relaxed against him, luxuriating in
the warmth of his body. Her head fitted perfectly under his
chin.

“Thanks for coming.” He rested his chin on
her forehead for a second. Hot air surged into the balloon and they
rose higher.