up.”
“Almost done, a couple more minutes,” came a muffled voice from inside. Who knew it took so long to hang up clothes? Not I. But then, I usually left mine draped over the chair at the desk in my room and did my homework on the bed when the pile got too high.
Sarah sighed, crossing her thin arms and checking her watch before turning back to me. “Hey, did you hear that Hunter’s the new equipment manager for the basketball team?”
Did I? In my old life, I certainly had. I’d heard about five minutes before I learned Hunter was the one who’d told Isaac about me and Mitch. “Yeah, I think Isaac told me. I think . . .”
Vague. Best to be vague when you were a time-traveling freak.
“He’s so excited. He thinks it will give him an in for making varsity next year, even though he’ll only be a sophomore.”
“Big dreams, little Hunter.”
“Especially considering he’s an average player. At best .”
“Maybe he’ll get better this year. Isaac improved a lot between freshman and sophomore years.” Isaac, who was probably already waiting for me in the parking lot.
I considered ducking into the dressing room to change into the clean shirt I’d brought but thought better of it. Better to stay dusty and free of embarrassing interaction for the day. So far, Rachel hadn’t found a way to put me in my place this afternoon and I meant to keep it that way. “Listen, I’d better—”
“Me too.” Sarah sighed. “Come on, you guys, I’m going to be late for rehearsal.” She banged on the heavy metal door . . . the heavy metal door that was on the opposite side of the theater than it had been.
My heart rate spiked, shooting back into crawling-out-on-the-catwalk territory. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed this before. The boys’ dressing room and the girls’ dressing room were flip-flopped, like I’d crossed through a mirror and was seeing backstage from the other side.
And maybe I was, maybe this was all a crazy, looking glass world, just like Alice in Wonderland.
The thought made me shuffle backward, fingers digging into the canvas of my backpack. I hadn’t read the Alice books in years, but I remembered what a bad feeling they’d given me. Even as a kid, I’d hated the idea that nothing was as it seemed, that normally cute little animals were scary and disturbed, that a card queen could order a little girl’s head chopped from her body, that—
“Hey, watch out!” Sarah grabbed my sleeve and pulled me forward seconds before a great metallic clattering filled the air. I spun to see one of the heavy stage ladders lying right where I’d been standing and a red-faced freshman boy a few feet away, his arms overflowing with a giant prop box.
“What the hell, Shawn?” Sarah yelled, pushing in front of me, gesturing to the fallen ladder with one angry finger. “You could have fucking hurt someone. Watch where the fuck you’re going.”
“I’m sorry, Sarah, I—”
“You better fucking be sorry. Now tell Katie you’re sorry.”
Shawn turned even redder, until he looked almost purple in the dim backstage light. “I’m so sorry, Katie. I didn’t even see it.”
“It’s . . . fine. No worries,” I said, trying to smile despite the fact that I was still pretty freaked out.
Whether it was the fact that I’d nearly been crushed or that Sarah was cussing like a sailor, however, I couldn’t really say. In my real life, Sarah wouldn’t say shit if she’d had a mouth full of it. Now she apparently threw the “eff” word around like it was going out of style.
This is your real life now. Get used to it.
I shivered, suddenly cold. I couldn’t wait to see Gran tomorrow and learn what she knew about the locket. I couldn’t wait until Saturday after next, when this do over would finally be over and I could start fresh with no conflicting memories to mess with my mind.
“Everything okay out here?” Rachel appeared at the dressing room door behind us.
“Yeah, Shawn just
“Almost done, a couple more minutes,” came a muffled voice from inside. Who knew it took so long to hang up clothes? Not I. But then, I usually left mine draped over the chair at the desk in my room and did my homework on the bed when the pile got too high.
Sarah sighed, crossing her thin arms and checking her watch before turning back to me. “Hey, did you hear that Hunter’s the new equipment manager for the basketball team?”
Did I? In my old life, I certainly had. I’d heard about five minutes before I learned Hunter was the one who’d told Isaac about me and Mitch. “Yeah, I think Isaac told me. I think . . .”
Vague. Best to be vague when you were a time-traveling freak.
“He’s so excited. He thinks it will give him an in for making varsity next year, even though he’ll only be a sophomore.”
“Big dreams, little Hunter.”
“Especially considering he’s an average player. At best .”
“Maybe he’ll get better this year. Isaac improved a lot between freshman and sophomore years.” Isaac, who was probably already waiting for me in the parking lot.
I considered ducking into the dressing room to change into the clean shirt I’d brought but thought better of it. Better to stay dusty and free of embarrassing interaction for the day. So far, Rachel hadn’t found a way to put me in my place this afternoon and I meant to keep it that way. “Listen, I’d better—”
“Me too.” Sarah sighed. “Come on, you guys, I’m going to be late for rehearsal.” She banged on the heavy metal door . . . the heavy metal door that was on the opposite side of the theater than it had been.
My heart rate spiked, shooting back into crawling-out-on-the-catwalk territory. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed this before. The boys’ dressing room and the girls’ dressing room were flip-flopped, like I’d crossed through a mirror and was seeing backstage from the other side.
And maybe I was, maybe this was all a crazy, looking glass world, just like Alice in Wonderland.
The thought made me shuffle backward, fingers digging into the canvas of my backpack. I hadn’t read the Alice books in years, but I remembered what a bad feeling they’d given me. Even as a kid, I’d hated the idea that nothing was as it seemed, that normally cute little animals were scary and disturbed, that a card queen could order a little girl’s head chopped from her body, that—
“Hey, watch out!” Sarah grabbed my sleeve and pulled me forward seconds before a great metallic clattering filled the air. I spun to see one of the heavy stage ladders lying right where I’d been standing and a red-faced freshman boy a few feet away, his arms overflowing with a giant prop box.
“What the hell, Shawn?” Sarah yelled, pushing in front of me, gesturing to the fallen ladder with one angry finger. “You could have fucking hurt someone. Watch where the fuck you’re going.”
“I’m sorry, Sarah, I—”
“You better fucking be sorry. Now tell Katie you’re sorry.”
Shawn turned even redder, until he looked almost purple in the dim backstage light. “I’m so sorry, Katie. I didn’t even see it.”
“It’s . . . fine. No worries,” I said, trying to smile despite the fact that I was still pretty freaked out.
Whether it was the fact that I’d nearly been crushed or that Sarah was cussing like a sailor, however, I couldn’t really say. In my real life, Sarah wouldn’t say shit if she’d had a mouth full of it. Now she apparently threw the “eff” word around like it was going out of style.
This is your real life now. Get used to it.
I shivered, suddenly cold. I couldn’t wait to see Gran tomorrow and learn what she knew about the locket. I couldn’t wait until Saturday after next, when this do over would finally be over and I could start fresh with no conflicting memories to mess with my mind.
“Everything okay out here?” Rachel appeared at the dressing room door behind us.
“Yeah, Shawn just
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