Cassie turned to me. ‘I’m here to ensure there is no Plan B.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We’re here to prevent Connor from discovering Eden. But, like you said, in many ways it would be simpler to kill him. Strangely enough, I’m quite strongly opposed to the thought of my great-grandfather being killed. It might cause all sorts of problems for me, such as the non-existence of my parents and grandparents. So, you see, Ryan is here to make sure Connor doesn’t discover Eden and I’m here to make sure that, if he fails, there is no Plan B.’
‘And I’m the mission leader,’ said Ben. ‘So let’s clear away the dinner things and go over the plans for tomorrow.’
Once we’d cleared away the dirty plates and empty serving dishes, Cassie brewed a pot of coffee and the four of us sat back at the table.
‘The limo picks me up at seven thirty,’ said Ryan. ‘And Matt and Connor will be picked up ten minutes later. Then we get Amy, Megan and Eden. All six of us should be at the school by eight.’
Cassie glanced at her notes. ‘The ball begins at eight and ends at eleven. Sunset is at nine twenty-two, but it will be at least another hour before it begins to get dark.’
‘We’re going to be able to enjoy the first couple of hours,’ said Ryan, smiling at me.
‘From sunset until the end of the ball, you will not let Connor out of your sight,’ said Ben.
‘Eden will be detectable between ten thirty and eleven o’clock,’ said Cassie. ‘That’s a very small window. Will you stay at the ball all evening?’
‘I think so,’ I said. ‘There are usually a few after-parties to choose from. Some people leave early for the parties, but most people stay till the end of the ball.’
‘It’s those after-parties I’m worried about,’ said Ben. ‘When you’re at the ball, you’re inside. I can’t see Connor discovering Eden at the ball. But if you leave early for a party, all bets are off. Maybe he’ll find a telescope. Maybe someone’s dad will be looking through a telescope. The possibilities are endless.’
‘Haven’t you discussed your plans for after the party?’ said Cassie.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘A couple of people are holding parties. But a lot of people just head down to the beach for an hour.’
‘It’s what happens after the ball that really concerns me,’ said Ben. ‘We don’t know where you’ll be.’
‘Eden and I will be wherever Connor is. I’ll call you as soon as I know the after-party location,’ said Ryan. ‘And you guys can drop off my car somewhere nearby.’
‘Try to keep Connor at the ball until the end,’ said Cassie.
‘And keep him away from telescopes at all costs,’ said Ben.
I giggled suddenly. That was what it all came down to: this mission from the future had the simple directive of keeping Connor away from telescopes.
Everyone stared at me.
‘What’s the joke?’ asked Cassie.
I shrugged. ‘Sorry. It just seemed so . . .’
‘This is not a joke,’ said Cassie.
‘Of course not,’ I said, trying to sound serious.
‘In many ways, it’s good to have you on board,’ said Ben. ‘Because you can help enormously by not arguing with Connor. In the first timeline, it was an argument with you that caused him to storm off and end up discovering the planet. So bite your tongue. Agree to anything he asks.’
‘Within reason,’ said Ryan.
‘I’ll try not to upset him,’ I said.
Cassie turned back to her notes. ‘We have a viewing night out on the Lizard tomorrow evening with the South Cornwall Amateur Astronomy Group. That’s about twenty-five miles from Perran.’
‘Connor doesn’t drive,’ I said. ‘The only friend he has who does is Ryan.’
‘I think we can safely assume that he won’t be hitching a ride out to the Lizard,’ she said. ‘Which is confusing. He doesn’t own a telescope himself, the school astronomy club doesn’t have a viewing night for two weeks and I’m not aware of any other active clubs locally.’
‘It has to be someone else’s telescope at one of the parties after the ball,’ said Ben. ‘He says in his autobiography that he discovered the planet while he was at a party.’
‘Maybe we changed the future enough when we stopped him buying the telescope for his birthday,’ I said.
‘That’s quite possible. But we can’t assume anything,’ said Ben. ‘We discussed this before. Listen in on his conversations.’
‘Finally,’ said Cassie, running her finger down the page of notes in front of her. ‘We’ll set the coordinates for midnight tomorrow. That gives you an hour to make your way back here, Ryan. It’s only a ten-minute drive, so you shouldn’t be pushed for time.’
‘Midnight,’ he repeated, catching my eye across the table. ‘Why not a few hours later?’
‘It’s safer to travel at night,’ said Cassie. ‘And frankly, once the viewing window has passed, there’s no reason to wait.’
Chapter 15
Amy, Megan and I dressed at Megan’s. When we had applied the finishing touches to our hair and make-up, Megan’s mum took photos of the three of us in the back garden. She photographed us alone and together, then humoured us for a while as we goofed around, pulling faces and posing for silly shots. Megan and Amy were giddy with excitement – the evening still lay ahead of us, long anticipated, ripe with possibilities. I smiled and laughed along with the others, reminding myself that this should be one of the happiest nights of my life, trying to forget that I would have to spend the whole evening making sure I didn’t argue with Connor and inadvertently help to bring about the end of life on Earth.
We viewed the photos on Megan’s laptop while we waited for the limo to arrive. There was a photo of Megan alone by a blue ceanothus tree: her lilac dress, floor-length, shimmering satin, like the sky at dawn; her hair curled and pinned up on top of her head with small curls framing her face; her smile hopeful and innocent.
There was one of Amy standing next to a bench by a rosebush. She had one foot up on the bench and she’d pushed her skirt up high enough to reveal a black garter snug around her thigh. She was winking at the camera. Megan’s mum appeared to think she was just being mischievous and ironic. We knew better.
There was one of me in my vintage, beaded sea-green dress. It was shorter than the others’ – flapper style – and I’d pinned up my hair so that it resembled a nineteen-twenties bob. It was very different to everyone else’s dresses, but it suited my lean shape perfectly. My smile, however, was more sad than hopeful. Like my dress, I seemed nostalgic. Out of time.
There were other photos too. Megan and I with our arms around each other, grinning stupidly at the camera. The three of us with exaggerated pouts. Megan with her parents.
We were still viewing them when the limo pulled up outside and the driver sounded the horn.
‘Bye, Mum!’ Megan yelled, hiking up her dress and almost running out of the door.
The limousine was silver with white leather seats. Ryan, Connor and Matt were already inside, each dressed in tuxedos with bow ties and cummerbunds to match our dresses. Matt was holding a half-empty bottle of vodka. He passed the bottle to me.
‘Not for me, thanks,’ I said, passing the bottle on to Megan.
‘Someone still hung-over?’ said Connor.
That was when I remembered that I was angry with Connor for ratting on me to Miranda.
‘About that,’ I said, trying to control my voice. ‘Why did you tell your mother that I spent Thursday afternoon drinking vodka in Perran Park?’
‘I thought you might have alcohol poisoning,’ he said, his expression wide-eyed and earnest. ‘You don’t normally drink and you downed a lot of bottles in a short amount of time.’
