Saving Yesterday (TimeShifters Book 1) by Jessica Keller, Jess Evander

track in high school. I came in fourth at State. They don’t give awards for that, though.”
    “And you can deliver some mean karate moves.” Michael rubs his stomach like it still hurts.
    “Sorry I did that. When we first met—”
    “Don’t apologize. You had no clue what was going on. I should have realized that sooner.” We start walking across the empty arena.
    “My dad made me take self-defense classes.”
    “So he didn’t have you completely unprepared.”
    “That, or we live near Chicago … high crime rates and all.”
    Michael cocks his head. “You do?”
    “Why, is that weird?”
    “It’s just ... I grew up near Chicago too. In the same time as you did.”
    I stop. “Really? Wouldn’t it be strange if we had seen each other—back in our time?”
    Cracking his knuckles, he turns his back on me. “I haven’t been back there in forever.”
    But Lark said I’d go back because of Porter. My heart plummets into my shoes. “So since you shifted the first time ... you haven’t gone back?”
    “No. Um, let’s go do something else. We’re wasting the day.”
    “Lark said you’re special.” My cheeks instantly burn. It’s word vomit. I didn’t mean to say it. But the words are there, and I can’t take them back.
    “Special? Ha, not likely.” His voice sounds hollow, dead almost.
    “But you shifted when you were eleven.”
    Michael rounds on me and his brow wrinkles. His gaze roves over something above my head. “They wouldn’t call me special if they knew why I shifted.”
    “No one knows?”
    “No one.” He turns and strides out of the arena.
    “Why did you shift?” I’m a step behind. I don’t know why, but I have to ask. Suddenly knowing is the most important thing in the world.
    “It doesn’t matter.” He braces a hand on the wall in the hall and closes his eyes. “Please don’t ask again.” The anguish marring his face sends a lance of pain deep into my chest. And I have to obey. There’s no choice. He’s the closest thing I have to a friend here and he looks ... sad.
    I pat his shoulder. “Okay, I won’t.”
    For now.

 

    The next morning, I’m scooping scrambled eggs onto my plate in the cafeteria when Eugene sidles up to me. Now that I see him in the light of day, I guess that he’s in his thirties.
    He snatches a few sausage links from a warming dish. “The eggs here are passable, but I’d suggest grabbing a pumpkin muffin too. They’re out of this world.”
    I add two small cartons of orange juice to my tray. “How about us? Are we out of this world?”
    The corners of Eugene’s lips lift as he points a butter knife full of cream cheese at me. “You’re one odd girl. It’s a lucky thing that I like you.”
    I lower my voice, tilting my head closer to him. “Seriously, is Keleusma still on Earth, or are we ... you know, somewhere else?”
    “Very much still on terra firma .” He places a pumpkin muffin on my plate, then two on his.
    I roll my eyes and turn toward the seating area. “ Terra firma . Nerd. And you said I was strange.”
    He’s at my elbow. “Sit with me, over here.” Jutting his head, he indicates an open table. I’m not really in a situation to be choosy about my friends. Besides, Eugene’s lovable, in a dorky, older brother sort of way.
    Based on the rest of Keleusma, I figured the cafeteria would be fancy. Plush seats and waitered tables—that sort of thing. Yesterday I discovered that this is just your standard lunch room. Hard plastic picnic tables boasting permanent juice stains line the area. Crude wooden napkin holders sit beside salt and pepper shakers. They look like they were nicked from a late night diner. A grease smell permanently hangs in the air.
    On the way to our table, we pass a wall with four giant, framed pictures. The Elders. All of them stare at you while you eat. Lovely. The first is Lark’s father. Even captured in a photo, his eyes pierce me and make me feel less than I am. Underneath hangs a