nearly a full minute. That
might not sound like much, but it’s a long time to sit through, with nothing for
me and Boc to do other than watch the compad stopwatch race through its digits.
Of course Mason’s naked whenever he returns, but it’s become so normal that it’s
not as big a deal as you might think. He always reappears with his legs crossed,
the same as when he went in, and the talk is always about how much time has passed,
how he felt. In the strangest of ways, it’s become so natural that I don’t even look
the other way.
Other things have changed, too. When Boc first watched Mason time skip, he’d get
all energised. He used to ask a heap of questions, but not so many anymore. These
days he seems to like it less and less. His breathing grows louder as we wait, a
sort of fug of annoyance growing about him the longer he takes to learn. Each second
that ticks past is one second more that he’s been left behind.
Of course, I know how that feels exactly.
----
Mason asks me over on a Saturday afternoon about three weeks after he first time
skipped. It gives me a flip inside followed by a flash of nerves when I realise we’re
on our own. Boc’s on a mountain biking trip out of the city, and he’s taken my safety
net with him.
‘So, I have an idea.’ Mason taps a whiteboard that’s been propped upright on the
floor, and then leans to adjust the stand. ‘I got you this.’
‘A whiteboard?’
‘Yeah.’ Mason crosses his legs to sit behind it and motions for me to do the same
on the other side. A grin once I’m settled, just his head visible over the top. ‘What
do you think?’
All I can think to do is lift my eyebrows in a vague sort of shrug.
‘A fix for, you know, the clothing issue.’
My eyebrows drop into a frown. ‘You want me to time skip behind this?’
‘Yeah, listen. I know it’s weird. Trust me, I know.’ All I can see is Mason’s head
above the screen. ‘But what do you think?’
‘I don’t know, it’s a little …’ thinking fast, ‘ low don’t you think?’ I have to be
careful as anything with this.
‘Low?’
It was the only excuse I could think of. ‘I mean. It’s just …’ Maybe if I talk slow
enough I’ll come up with a reason not to do this. ‘I’m not even sure if I can do
it with someone else around.’ Yes. That’s it. ‘I’ve only ever time jumped on my own.’
‘Well, why don’t we try?’
And straight away, I’m back with nothing to say.
‘Listen, Scout.’ Mason crawls around to my side of the screen and settles with his
knees facing mine. We’re really close, but not actually touching. ‘I’ve been working
some stuff out, training myself to wake at certain times of the night without using
alarms. I reckon that’s the key to all this. I mean, think about it, if we can take
control of our interval timers, the next step is jumping together.’
He pauses but I don’t look up, just focus on the faded denim of his jeans.
‘It’s like you said,’ Mason keeps going. ‘Jumping on your own means that you end
up leaving people behind, but imagine if we could synch our return …’
When he goes quiet again I can’t help lifting my head. It gives me away with the
slightest shake.
Confusion shadows his face. ‘We don’t have to go far. Just a few seconds …’
My eyes drop again. I know how dangerous this is.
‘Why not, Scout? I know you were on your own, but you’re not anymore. And this is
the most amazing … sensational thing I’ve ever known. Don’t you want to play with
it? Find out how much control we have? Or how far we can push?’ With each sentence
he inches further into my sightline until I’m forced to focus on his face, acknowledge
the hope in his eyes.
What can I say? I’d do anything to say yes.
‘I mean, what if we can find a way to go backwards ?’ Mason’s peering up at me, head
to one side and eyebrows raised. ‘Don’t you want to try?’
But all I can do is pull away: ‘I’m sorry, Mason. I
might not sound like much, but it’s a long time to sit through, with nothing for
me and Boc to do other than watch the compad stopwatch race through its digits.
Of course Mason’s naked whenever he returns, but it’s become so normal that it’s
not as big a deal as you might think. He always reappears with his legs crossed,
the same as when he went in, and the talk is always about how much time has passed,
how he felt. In the strangest of ways, it’s become so natural that I don’t even look
the other way.
Other things have changed, too. When Boc first watched Mason time skip, he’d get
all energised. He used to ask a heap of questions, but not so many anymore. These
days he seems to like it less and less. His breathing grows louder as we wait, a
sort of fug of annoyance growing about him the longer he takes to learn. Each second
that ticks past is one second more that he’s been left behind.
Of course, I know how that feels exactly.
----
Mason asks me over on a Saturday afternoon about three weeks after he first time
skipped. It gives me a flip inside followed by a flash of nerves when I realise we’re
on our own. Boc’s on a mountain biking trip out of the city, and he’s taken my safety
net with him.
‘So, I have an idea.’ Mason taps a whiteboard that’s been propped upright on the
floor, and then leans to adjust the stand. ‘I got you this.’
‘A whiteboard?’
‘Yeah.’ Mason crosses his legs to sit behind it and motions for me to do the same
on the other side. A grin once I’m settled, just his head visible over the top. ‘What
do you think?’
All I can think to do is lift my eyebrows in a vague sort of shrug.
‘A fix for, you know, the clothing issue.’
My eyebrows drop into a frown. ‘You want me to time skip behind this?’
‘Yeah, listen. I know it’s weird. Trust me, I know.’ All I can see is Mason’s head
above the screen. ‘But what do you think?’
‘I don’t know, it’s a little …’ thinking fast, ‘ low don’t you think?’ I have to be
careful as anything with this.
‘Low?’
It was the only excuse I could think of. ‘I mean. It’s just …’ Maybe if I talk slow
enough I’ll come up with a reason not to do this. ‘I’m not even sure if I can do
it with someone else around.’ Yes. That’s it. ‘I’ve only ever time jumped on my own.’
‘Well, why don’t we try?’
And straight away, I’m back with nothing to say.
‘Listen, Scout.’ Mason crawls around to my side of the screen and settles with his
knees facing mine. We’re really close, but not actually touching. ‘I’ve been working
some stuff out, training myself to wake at certain times of the night without using
alarms. I reckon that’s the key to all this. I mean, think about it, if we can take
control of our interval timers, the next step is jumping together.’
He pauses but I don’t look up, just focus on the faded denim of his jeans.
‘It’s like you said,’ Mason keeps going. ‘Jumping on your own means that you end
up leaving people behind, but imagine if we could synch our return …’
When he goes quiet again I can’t help lifting my head. It gives me away with the
slightest shake.
Confusion shadows his face. ‘We don’t have to go far. Just a few seconds …’
My eyes drop again. I know how dangerous this is.
‘Why not, Scout? I know you were on your own, but you’re not anymore. And this is
the most amazing … sensational thing I’ve ever known. Don’t you want to play with
it? Find out how much control we have? Or how far we can push?’ With each sentence
he inches further into my sightline until I’m forced to focus on his face, acknowledge
the hope in his eyes.
What can I say? I’d do anything to say yes.
‘I mean, what if we can find a way to go backwards ?’ Mason’s peering up at me, head
to one side and eyebrows raised. ‘Don’t you want to try?’
But all I can do is pull away: ‘I’m sorry, Mason. I
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