“I love pizza,” David replied.
“Everybody loves pizza,” added Isabel.
“I heard pizza was invented in China,” Julia said.
“Get outta here!” Luke said. “Whoever heard of Chinese pizza?”
“Lots of stuff was invented in China,” said Isabel, who had written a report on the subject in fourth grade. “Gunpowder, paper, the compass, printing . . .”
“Did they have pizza in ancient Pompeii?” asked Luke, who was clearly obsessed with pizza.
“I don’t know if they had it in the year 79,” Miss Z replied with a laugh. “But I bet you can get it there now.”
“Now?” asked David. “You mean Pompeii is a city again?”
“Yes, and a big tourist attraction,” said Miss Z. “Millions of people go there every year. In fact, after I finished college, I took a trip to Italy and visited Pompeii. It was amazing.”
“I went there too,” added Mrs. Vader. “It’s one of those places everybody should go in their lifetime.”
“I wish I could go,” said Isabel.
“Hey, couldn’t you use the Board to send us to Pompeii right now?” Luke asked Miss Z. “I mean, not ancient Pompeii. Couldn’t you send us to Pompeii in the present day? You can type in any year you want, right? So you could type in this year.”
“Yeah, you could beam us over there instantly,” David said.
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Julia.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Miss Z told them. “Not after what you’ve been through.”
“Let’s do it!” Luke said excitedly. “Just for a few minutes? We don’t have to take any pictures or anything. We can just go, look around, and come right back. Nothing would go wrong.”
“What about this idea?” suggested Miss Z. “Perhaps I could send you kids to Pompeii with your families. All expenses paid. It would be a little present from me to make up for everything I’ve put you through.”
“No thanks,” said Julia. “I don’t want to go away with my family.”
“I haven’t gone on vacation with my family since I was eight,” said Luke.
“Yeah, I’m too old to go on vacation with my parents,” David said.
Isabel kept her mouth shut. She had gone on vacation to the Dominican Republic with her parents over Christmas vacation.
“We want to go to Pompeii with you,” Luke told Miss Z. “You can be our chaperone. That way, when we do something stupid, you’ll be able to bail us out.”
“You did say you wanted to travel now that you’re retired,” added Isabel.
“I think it’s a marvelous idea!” said Mrs. Vader, clapping her hands together. “I can stay here at the office to send all five of you to Pompeii and bring you back.”
“It would be interesting to visit Pompeii again,” Miss Z admitted.
“Please please please please please?” begged the kids.
“Well . . . okay,” Miss Z said. “But it will have to be fast. Just one hour and back.”
“Yay!”
“Wait a minute,” Isabel said. “We can’t go. We lost the TTT on the Titanic.”
Miss Z opened her desk drawer. There was a TTT in it.
“This is the last one I have,” she said, handing it to Isabel.
“I’m going to type in the Porta Marina gate at Pompeii as our meeting spot,” said Miss Z. “One hour should be enough to give us a quick taste of the city. Mrs. Vader, will you kindly zap us back here exactly one hour from now?”
“Will do,” Mrs. Vader replied, checking her watch.
Isabel grabbed her backpack and put the TTT into one of the zippered pockets.
“No way I’m going to lose it this time,” she said.
Luke, Isabel, Julia, and David rolled Miss Z over to the Board and crowded around her to form a tight group.
“Okay, is everybody ready?” asked Mrs. Vader, typing some commands on the keyboard.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” replied Miss Z. “This is exciting!”
The Board began to buzz and glow bright blue for a few seconds. Then the light split into five color bands that merged into a solid band of bright white light.
“Hold on tight, everybody,” said Mrs. Vader.
The Board began to hum and vibrate as the light reached out to envelop the group.
“It’s happening!” Miss Z exclaimed.
The group began to flicker. The humming got louder.
And the next thing anyone knew, the Flashback Four and Miss Z had disappeared.
CHAPTER 7BACK TO THE PRESENT
WHEN MISS Z OPENED HER EYES AND SAW THAT she had been transported from Boston to Pompeii in the snap of a finger, a smile spread across her face. It made her look twenty years younger.
“It works!” she marveled. “I mean, I knew it would work. But I never thought I would actually see it work.”
Pompeii was a fortress city, built to repel an enemy invasion. It was—and still is—surrounded by a double wall, with seven gates. The Flashback Four (along with Miss Z and her wheelchair) landed about ten feet outside the Porta Marina gate, the main entry point. From there, they could see the ruins of the ancient city spread out in front of them, stretching into the distance.
“Are you okay?” David asked Miss Z, bending over her wheelchair.
“It’s just like I remember it,” she replied.
Isabel pulled the TTT out of her backpack and composed a short text to Mrs. Vader. . . .
WE R HERE
The TTT, having only to transmit text across distance and not across time, flashed a response almost right away. . . .
HAVE FUN! SEE YOU IN AN HOUR.
More than a million tourists visit Pompeii every year, so naturally it’s somewhat of a tourist trap. Right outside the Porta Marina gate were some small shops that sold snacks, guidebooks, postcards, refrigerator magnets, and other trinkets.
Some young men immediately surrounded the group with cries of “Buongiorno! Do you speak English?” They were offering to sell fruit, coral jewelry, and bottles of water. Professional guides offered to give the kids a tour. Beggars who spoke no English held out their hands and silently asked for money.
There were signs all over the shops. Some of the words were written in Italian, but many
