Chapter One
The picture gave me chills, but I wasn't about to admit to that. Not with my brother-in-law/boss looking at me so intently. He wouldn't let it be, however. "Well, Gill? What do you think? You know your sister as well as I do, so you know this isn't some bit of trick photography." I could see that. And, Gail didn't even play practical jokes, unlike me.
"I think there must be some defect in the camera," I stated, but it was a lie, and I was shaking so badly that I could barely form the words. I looked around his tastefully decorated, but cluttered office, seeking an avenue of escape. How could I possibly tell the esteemed Dr. Jason Winters the truth?
"Gill, don't you dare insult my intelligence by lying to me. Gail is very upset over this photograph, and since you know better than anyone that her views on the afterlife are shocking to say the least, you need to tell me how you pulled this off." Jason was using his best "call the student on the carpet" voice, and it still made me squirm, in spite of the fact that I was twenty-four years old now. Gail and Jason took me in when our parents became ill at the same time and died within weeks of each other, Dad from lung cancer and Mom from ovarian cancer. I was only fourteen at the time, and Gail was twelve years older than me. She was already married to Jason, and in spite of the fact they were expecting their first child, Jason welcomed me into their home. I knew he loved me like a pesky kid sister, but he could be very firm when he thought it in my best interests.
"Jason, I am not lying to you," I said quietly. This wasn't the time for my temper to flare. Jason still thought of me as his responsibility, and if I wanted him to believe me, I needed to conduct myself as an adult.
"But, what could this possibly mean if you weren't in on this prank?" he asked, thoroughly confused.
I sank into the chair he'd offered me earlier. "I wish I knew, Jason," I whispered, allowing my fear to show. We were alone in the building, and, in fact, I was on my way out the door when Jason caught me and called me into his office. He was the principal of the large high school, and in less than five years, he'd turned the school into one to be proud of instead of jeered at. Test grades were up, teacher morale was high, and somehow Jason had given the students a sense of pride and the promise that a good education would take them far. He was a firm believer in building a good foundation of learning, and he put his experience to work when it came to finding jobs for students, and scholarships and grants for other students. People loved Jason… but they also respected him and knew that he was not to be trifled with. Jason didn't take guff from the students, or from the teachers. I fit into the latter category, and of course, it was Jason who got the job for me. I was hired to fill in as a temporary substitute for a teacher who was having surgery. Jason told me that he'd given me the opportunity to prove myself, but it was up to me to win the position for the following school year. I worked hard, probably harder than my history students, and was excited when I was offered a contract for the next school year. I was the youngest teacher ever hired by the Brookshire school board, and I am pretty sure they hired me because they knew that Jason would ride hard on me if I didn't measure up.
"Gail is beside herself. She is convinced you are going to disappear off the face of this earth and take up residence in the past. You know she believes in time travel; that somehow people from this century are whisked backwards to live out their days. Gill, you can't deny the woman in the background of this photo looks exactly like you!" He glared at me accusingly.
"I know, Jason." I had to agree. "She looks exactly like me, even to Mom's necklace," I pointed out, putting my finger on the heart shaped pendant that I'd worn around my neck since Mom handed it to me before she died, saying she wanted
The picture gave me chills, but I wasn't about to admit to that. Not with my brother-in-law/boss looking at me so intently. He wouldn't let it be, however. "Well, Gill? What do you think? You know your sister as well as I do, so you know this isn't some bit of trick photography." I could see that. And, Gail didn't even play practical jokes, unlike me.
"I think there must be some defect in the camera," I stated, but it was a lie, and I was shaking so badly that I could barely form the words. I looked around his tastefully decorated, but cluttered office, seeking an avenue of escape. How could I possibly tell the esteemed Dr. Jason Winters the truth?
"Gill, don't you dare insult my intelligence by lying to me. Gail is very upset over this photograph, and since you know better than anyone that her views on the afterlife are shocking to say the least, you need to tell me how you pulled this off." Jason was using his best "call the student on the carpet" voice, and it still made me squirm, in spite of the fact that I was twenty-four years old now. Gail and Jason took me in when our parents became ill at the same time and died within weeks of each other, Dad from lung cancer and Mom from ovarian cancer. I was only fourteen at the time, and Gail was twelve years older than me. She was already married to Jason, and in spite of the fact they were expecting their first child, Jason welcomed me into their home. I knew he loved me like a pesky kid sister, but he could be very firm when he thought it in my best interests.
"Jason, I am not lying to you," I said quietly. This wasn't the time for my temper to flare. Jason still thought of me as his responsibility, and if I wanted him to believe me, I needed to conduct myself as an adult.
"But, what could this possibly mean if you weren't in on this prank?" he asked, thoroughly confused.
I sank into the chair he'd offered me earlier. "I wish I knew, Jason," I whispered, allowing my fear to show. We were alone in the building, and, in fact, I was on my way out the door when Jason caught me and called me into his office. He was the principal of the large high school, and in less than five years, he'd turned the school into one to be proud of instead of jeered at. Test grades were up, teacher morale was high, and somehow Jason had given the students a sense of pride and the promise that a good education would take them far. He was a firm believer in building a good foundation of learning, and he put his experience to work when it came to finding jobs for students, and scholarships and grants for other students. People loved Jason… but they also respected him and knew that he was not to be trifled with. Jason didn't take guff from the students, or from the teachers. I fit into the latter category, and of course, it was Jason who got the job for me. I was hired to fill in as a temporary substitute for a teacher who was having surgery. Jason told me that he'd given me the opportunity to prove myself, but it was up to me to win the position for the following school year. I worked hard, probably harder than my history students, and was excited when I was offered a contract for the next school year. I was the youngest teacher ever hired by the Brookshire school board, and I am pretty sure they hired me because they knew that Jason would ride hard on me if I didn't measure up.
"Gail is beside herself. She is convinced you are going to disappear off the face of this earth and take up residence in the past. You know she believes in time travel; that somehow people from this century are whisked backwards to live out their days. Gill, you can't deny the woman in the background of this photo looks exactly like you!" He glared at me accusingly.
"I know, Jason." I had to agree. "She looks exactly like me, even to Mom's necklace," I pointed out, putting my finger on the heart shaped pendant that I'd worn around my neck since Mom handed it to me before she died, saying she wanted
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