‘So do I. Sometimes,’ he said. He reached out and cupped my face in his hand. ‘Maybe I’ll fall in love with your great-granddaughter.’
I knew he was trying to make a joke, but his words just left me with a gaping emptiness. To be born in the wrong time, always wondering if one of my descendants would be the girl who finally felt those arms wrapped around her, those lips on hers, was too tragic to laugh at.
‘What a lucky great-granddaughter,’ I said, attempting a light-hearted tone.
We went inside. Cassie and Ben were sitting at the dining room table, frowning at a large sheet of paper. Cassie covered the paper as soon as I entered the room.
‘How was your driving lesson?’ she asked.
‘Good,’ I nodded.
‘She’s a natural driver,’ said Ryan.
‘Eden, I would like you to stay for dinner again tonight,’ said Ben. ‘We’ll be going over the final preparations for the ball.’
‘I’d love that,’ I said. I wanted as much time with Ryan as possible, even if that meant enduring Cassie’s sarcasm.
‘Ben wants to go over the flight plans with you, Ryan,’ said Cassie. ‘Eden, come with me.’
Cassie took me shopping. I looked at her side on as she put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. Her shiny, tightly coiled blonde ringlets snaked down her back. Her skin was clear and, although it seemed she never cracked a smile, she was undeniably beautiful. She caught my eye as she slipped the car into first and I looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring.
‘What are you going to do when Ryan leaves?’ she asked expressionlessly.
She moved up through the gears rapidly.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’
I felt my face flush pink. This was not a conversation I wanted to be having with Cassie.
‘Yes,’ I said quietly. ‘But I’ve known for a while that we only have a short time together.’
‘So you’re not going to try and persuade him to stay here?’
‘No.’
‘And you’re not going to try and come with us when we leave?’
‘No.’
She glanced at me, the slightest smile crossing her lips. ‘Ryan is right. You’re practical. Strong. You’re coping with some weird stuff very well.’ She hesitated. ‘It will be difficult when you’re left behind. You might want to tell someone about what you’ve been through.’
‘I won’t say anything.’
‘Good.’
We were on the main road now, heading towards Tesco. She drove in silence until we reached the turn- off.
‘Just remember that you must never speak of this. The Guardians of Time will eliminate you if they ever get wind of the fact that you know.’
‘Guardians of Time? I thought it was cleaners I had to worry about.’
‘They are the organisation set up to ensure the integrity of the timeline. A bit like the United Nations, I suppose, but with considerably more power. They monitor energy signatures that time travel leaves behind, approve and decline missions and organise clean-up agents.’
I shuddered. ‘They sound scary.’
‘They’re powerful. They do what needs to be done to protect the future. Which is as it should be.’
We pulled into the car park and parked close to the shop. Cassie locked the car and walked towards the trolley stand. I followed.
‘What’s Connor really like?’ she asked, as she pushed the trolley into the shop. ‘I’ve read the books and I know the official story and the gossip, but what is he like as a friend?’
‘He’s a good friend. Kind, funny, thoughtful.’
‘That’s generic,’ she said impatiently. She picked up some chicken wings and dropped them in the trolley. ‘I think we’ll have a barbeque.’
‘Don’t you mind about the meat?’ I asked.
She gave me a funny look. ‘We don’t eat meat because there aren’t any animals left. Not many anyway. But you have plenty.’
‘But Ryan acts like it’s a crime to eat meat.’
‘Yeah, well Ryan has strong feelings about things. He tends to overreact.’
I felt like I should defend him, but I didn’t want to get into an argument with Cassie. I suspected she would win and leave me feeling stupid.
‘So tell me how you and Connor met.’ Cassie grabbed a couple of boxes of vegetarian sausages and threw them in the trolley.
‘We met on the first day of primary school, but we didn’t become best friends until a couple of years later. Everyone else was making cards for Father’s Day, but the teaching assistant took us on to the school field to paint landscapes. We both knew why we’d been removed from the lesson. We would have been six.’
‘His father died from cancer, didn’t he?’
‘That’s right. His father died a few months before mine. A few years later his mother moved them into Perran and I didn’t see him for a couple of years, not until we both started at the secondary school. But it was like no time had passed at all. We were so pleased to see each other again.’
She tossed packets of tortilla chips and dips into the trolley. ‘What else should I get?’ she asked.
‘Some sort of dessert. And some bread.’
Cassie grabbed a strawberry cheesecake and a baguette.
‘Is he popular?’ she asked, pushing the trolley towards the checkout.
‘I wouldn’t say he was popular, but he’s not unpopular either. He’s got friends in astronomy club and in surf club. He’s hard not to like.’
‘I wish I could meet him.’
I helped her unload the food on to the conveyor belt.
‘You should have said something before. It could easily have been arranged.’ I smiled to myself. ‘I’m sure he would have loved to meet you too. You’re just his type.’
Her eyes flashed. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Connor likes blondes. That’s why I never really accepted Ryan’s idea that he is into me. I mean, look at the evidence. Megan is the girl he’s taking to the ball. She’s a voluptuous blonde. His favourite movie stars and singers are blonde. You’re right up his street.’
‘Why would you say something like that?’ she said. ‘That’s not funny. It’s disgusting.’
I bit my lip, confused. ‘I’m sorry. I know that technically he’s old enough to be your grandfather, but right now he’s sixteen and . . .’
‘My grandfather?’ she interrupted. ‘Ryan hasn’t told you, has he?’
I shrugged. ‘I’m not sure what you mean.’
She glanced at the cashier, then leant in close to me and whispered in my ear. ‘Your friend Connor Penrose is my
It was too cold to have a barbeque. The sea fog had rolled inland, chilling the air and obscuring the sky, just as Ryan had predicted. Ben cooked the chicken and the sausages in the oven and we ate at the kitchen table instead.
‘You didn’t tell her who I am,’ Cassie said to Ryan.
‘I’m not supposed to tell her anything.’
‘But she knows when we’re from and why we’re here. Why did you fail to mention my relationship to Connor?’
‘It didn’t seem important. And you’re always reminding me not to reveal any more than necessary.’
