A Leap in Time by Engy Albasel Neville Page A

interpret my words or whether my feelings would send him running for the hills.
    Catina merely nodded. Then she started gathering our uneaten delicacies that Marcus had laid out so carefully just a short time before.
    “We should get back to Pompeii. I don’t feel safe here without an escort,” was all she said.
    Was she also writing me off? Or if she still believed me to be a sorceress—maybe she feared being alone with me.
    I helped pack our things and on shaky legs climbed my horse. It had to be a couple of hours back to the city. With the way I was feeling, the trip would feel like a day’s journey.
    My head throbbed from my fall, but a worse pain occupied my mind. Would I see Marcus again? The sooner we were in Pompeii the better for everyone. Maybe disappearing from this world was the answer.
    Maybe with time Marcus will forgive me. Maybe he will move on with his life and find happiness with someone who will make his heart dance. At that thought I cried again. My sobs continued to be the only sound as we rode in silence toward Pompeii.
    “I don’t understand how your story is possible,” Catina finally said. “You’re saying you came through an oil painting on your living room wall and when you return, you go through a tree by the creek here in Pompeii?” She pulled her horse to a stop.
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I wouldn’t lie about that.”
    “You said the painter was from Pompeii?” she asked as if attempting to solve a mystery.
    “Yes, but I don’t remember his name. I didn’t make a point of remembering because I didn’t think it was important.”
    “I believe you.” She leaned across and hugged me. “Everything will work out.”
    “Why the change of heart?”
    “I don’t know. From the start, you seemed different. The way you talked and interacted. You seemed just a little out of place. And your story about traveling alone didn’t make sense. I don’t know what it’s like in your world, but it’s unheard of here for a woman to travel alone, no matter the circumstance.”
    “Do you think Marcus will come around?”
    “I don’t know, Lexi. I want to believe he will. He might be more shaken up by what this means for the two of you than just the actual story.” She tapped my arm. “Would you be willing to stay here with him?” The question caught me off guard.
    “If you asked me that after my first visit, I would have said no. But now, I’m not so sure.”
    Catina and I talked the rest of the way to Pompeii. We talked about the differences in cultures, the technology that our world couldn’t function without. We talked about Charlotte and Kate and finally Mark. By the time we reached the city wall, there wasn’t a topic we hadn’t touched on.
    From a distance, we probably looked like girlfriends caught in a deep soulful conversation. Up close, the reality was a lot less beautiful. My bruised forehead and swollen eyelids were a clue to the agonizing day I’d had.
    We were close to the city; I could see my tree perched proudly next to the creek. So many memories, so much time and so much love…
    “That’s the tree,” I said.
    Catina pulled up next to me and we sat as if anticipating something to manifest before our eyes. Tears trickled down my face for the millionth time that day. The thought of my passage being a one-way voyage home made me feel devastated, and the thought of hurting Marcus and losing him in the process shattered me.
    “Oh, Lexi, please don’t cry.” Catina was teary-eyed.
    We rode toward the tree. I admired the beautiful landscape that always took my breath away. The late dusk’s golden hues danced delicately on everything creating a rich luster from the trees to the city walls that stretched out before us. For as long as I live, I will always remember the beauty of this city and the magical effect dusk bestowed on its surroundings.
    We were a few feet from the tree when behind us, the sound of a galloping horse made us turn. My heart leaped