phones and visit Nana.”
“We can do it just as easily after school,” David said. “Why now ?”
“Tick, tick, tick,” Xander said.
“That’s not fair. It doesn’t mean you can just—”
A urinal flushed.
David froze. He even stopped breathing.
A shadow stirred on the tiles under the stall door. Sneakered feet stepped into view. Knees touched the floor, a hand.
Anthony’s face peered under the door. He was one of three kids who had befriended David the first day of school.
“David!” Anthony said. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing. You always snoop on people in the toilet?”
Anthony grinned. “Only when someone’s hiding. Who are you talking to?”
“My brother.”
Xander said, “Go away.”
“You going to skip?” Anthony said. “Your dad’s the principal .” The idea obviously amazed him.
“Don’t tell anybody,” David said. “Okay?”
“Tell who what?” he said and laughed.
The bell rang.
“Oh, crumb,” Anthony said and vanished, leaving only his echoing footsteps.
“Now what?” David said.
“Give the hall five minutes to clear,” Xander said. “Now be quiet.”
An order easy for David’s mouth to obey. Not so easy for his heart.
CHAPTER
twenty - five
FRIDAY, 7:30 A.M.
Standing in front of the motel door, Keal scanned the parking lot. Only a few parked cars, none with anyone inside as far as he could tell. He watched the street in front of the complex. A van cruised past, then a car heading the other direction. Neither had slowed or revealed people inside who appeared interested in the place. Satisfied he hadn’t been followed and that the room wasn’t being watched, he knocked.
The curtain behind a window pushed back, and he waved.
Nana opened the door. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red, as though she had been crying.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She touched her cheek, tried to smile. “I’ve been so worried.
What’s going on? How’s everyone? How’s Jesse ?”
Keal gave her a big grin. “Everyone’s fine,” he said, stepping in. “The boys and I just saw Jesse at the hospital. He’s better.” He held up a cup and a plastic bag dangling from the same hand. “Coffee and bagels, courtesy of 7-11.”
She pressed her hand over her eyes, then took the coffee from him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just . . . I feel as though I should be there, back at the house, helping.”
Keal shook his head. “Can’t risk it. You haven’t felt the pull since you’ve been here, at the motel?”
Hours after Toria and David had found her in the Civil War world and brought her home—after thirty years of her wandering around through history—a portal had opened and tried to pull her back in. Jesse had said that spending too much time in the past made those long-ago places think she belonged to them. Time wanted her back.
Nana brushed the hair off her face and raised her eyebrows. “Nothing,” she said. “I don’t think it can reach this far.” She placed the cup on a night table and sat on the bed.
“And that’s the way we want it,” Keal said. “When Dad—”
He stopped himself and laughed. He’d been spending so much time with the kids, he had started thinking of Ed King, Nana’s son, as “Dad.”
“Ed went to see a friend who might help. When he gets home, he wants to talk to you about where you went when you were first taken and what you know about the way time shifts in the other world.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
Keal set the bag of bagels beside the coffee cup. He looked around the room. It was a dingy place, small and gloomy. The poor woman must be going crazy shut up in here, wondering what was happening back at the house. He said, “You haven’t seen anyone? No problems?”
She smiled tightly. “No Taksidian, if that’s what you mean. I tried watching the news, but my head started spinning at how much the world has changed.” She picked up the cup, took
“We can do it just as easily after school,” David said. “Why now ?”
“Tick, tick, tick,” Xander said.
“That’s not fair. It doesn’t mean you can just—”
A urinal flushed.
David froze. He even stopped breathing.
A shadow stirred on the tiles under the stall door. Sneakered feet stepped into view. Knees touched the floor, a hand.
Anthony’s face peered under the door. He was one of three kids who had befriended David the first day of school.
“David!” Anthony said. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing. You always snoop on people in the toilet?”
Anthony grinned. “Only when someone’s hiding. Who are you talking to?”
“My brother.”
Xander said, “Go away.”
“You going to skip?” Anthony said. “Your dad’s the principal .” The idea obviously amazed him.
“Don’t tell anybody,” David said. “Okay?”
“Tell who what?” he said and laughed.
The bell rang.
“Oh, crumb,” Anthony said and vanished, leaving only his echoing footsteps.
“Now what?” David said.
“Give the hall five minutes to clear,” Xander said. “Now be quiet.”
An order easy for David’s mouth to obey. Not so easy for his heart.
CHAPTER
twenty - five
FRIDAY, 7:30 A.M.
Standing in front of the motel door, Keal scanned the parking lot. Only a few parked cars, none with anyone inside as far as he could tell. He watched the street in front of the complex. A van cruised past, then a car heading the other direction. Neither had slowed or revealed people inside who appeared interested in the place. Satisfied he hadn’t been followed and that the room wasn’t being watched, he knocked.
The curtain behind a window pushed back, and he waved.
Nana opened the door. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red, as though she had been crying.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She touched her cheek, tried to smile. “I’ve been so worried.
What’s going on? How’s everyone? How’s Jesse ?”
Keal gave her a big grin. “Everyone’s fine,” he said, stepping in. “The boys and I just saw Jesse at the hospital. He’s better.” He held up a cup and a plastic bag dangling from the same hand. “Coffee and bagels, courtesy of 7-11.”
She pressed her hand over her eyes, then took the coffee from him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just . . . I feel as though I should be there, back at the house, helping.”
Keal shook his head. “Can’t risk it. You haven’t felt the pull since you’ve been here, at the motel?”
Hours after Toria and David had found her in the Civil War world and brought her home—after thirty years of her wandering around through history—a portal had opened and tried to pull her back in. Jesse had said that spending too much time in the past made those long-ago places think she belonged to them. Time wanted her back.
Nana brushed the hair off her face and raised her eyebrows. “Nothing,” she said. “I don’t think it can reach this far.” She placed the cup on a night table and sat on the bed.
“And that’s the way we want it,” Keal said. “When Dad—”
He stopped himself and laughed. He’d been spending so much time with the kids, he had started thinking of Ed King, Nana’s son, as “Dad.”
“Ed went to see a friend who might help. When he gets home, he wants to talk to you about where you went when you were first taken and what you know about the way time shifts in the other world.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
Keal set the bag of bagels beside the coffee cup. He looked around the room. It was a dingy place, small and gloomy. The poor woman must be going crazy shut up in here, wondering what was happening back at the house. He said, “You haven’t seen anyone? No problems?”
She smiled tightly. “No Taksidian, if that’s what you mean. I tried watching the news, but my head started spinning at how much the world has changed.” She picked up the cup, took
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