58

ALORA

JULY 4, 2013

We watch the burning house for a few minutes after throwing Vika’s body inside. The flames have completely devoured the building, eating away at the frame in a cancerous inferno. We’re so close that the fire is uncomfortably hot against my skin, and yet I feel dead on the inside.

Like I’m supposed to be.

It’s weird, knowing that when the fire dies, everyone will think it’s me in there. I look over at Aunt Grace. She’s standing by me, hand clutched over her wound, breathing hard. She’s lost too much blood, but she insisted on going with us to dispose of Vika’s body. Explaining that was hard enough. Having to fill her in on everything else was worse. She didn’t believe us at first, so I shifted for her a few times.

Now she’s a believer.

“We should go,” Bridger says, still staring at the flames. He’s been quiet. What he learned about his father and Telfair, whoever that is, was a huge blow to him.

“We need to make sure Aunt Grace gets back to the house first. I don’t want Palmer to hurt her,” I say. I know Bridger said Palmer was unconscious when he left, but I don’t want to take any chances. Especially knowing that he’s a killer.

“No, it’s fine. I can make it back on my own,” she says. She sways a bit.

“No, you can’t,” I say. “You could pass out.”

She doesn’t protest as Bridger wraps his arm around her waist and helps her walk. My heart breaks. She’s been a surrogate mother to me for most of my life. It hurts knowing I have to leave her behind. I wish there was some way to bring her to my time.

At the house, we’re shocked to find that Palmer is gone. Aunt Grace is upset, but Bridger shares that he wiped his memories from the past few hours. Palmer probably woke up, not even remembering what he did to me, and fled. Still, he would have to remember what he was planning to do to me. I’m not worried for myself anymore. I just hope somehow he’s caught before he kills again.

Bridger guides Aunt Grace to the sofa in the front parlor. I get a towel to press against her wound.

“Do you have your phone? I need to call 9-1-1 for you.” Then I remember I’m supposed to be dead. “Wait, I can’t. You’ll have to make the call.”

I feel horrible, watching Aunt Grace extract her phone from her pocket. Her brow scrunches up with the effort.

“What should I say?” she asks. “I can’t exactly tell them the truth.”

Bridger has been quiet until now. “Stick to the truth up until you got here. You realized Alora had gone missing and went home. Someone shot you outside, but you never saw who it was. According to the article, Alora’s body isn’t found until tomorrow morning.”

“Why can’t I tell them that Dave was the one to shoot me?” Grace asks.

Bridger hesitates before saying, “You can’t because Palmer isn’t supposed to be caught now. In my time, the article said Alora’s murder was unsolved. It has to stay that way.”

Grace frowns, and I don’t blame her. But I get it. The timeline has to be preserved.

After a few moments, Aunt Grace shakes her head. “I don’t know if I can do this. How can I pretend to be so upset if I know it’s not really you?”

Bridger’s eyes meet mine for a split second. I know what he’s thinking. It would be better to erase her memories. But I can’t do that to her. I can’t leave her behind, thinking her family is dead. Even though Dad and I can’t live here anymore, it would at least be comforting to her to know we’re alive in the future.

“I know you’ll be sad,” I whisper. “You know I’m not really dead, but you also know I can’t be here with you anymore.”

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “This is so hard, sweetie. Why can’t you just stay? We could move away and start over. Change our names. Nobody would have to know.”

I sit next to her and gingerly hug her. “I wish we could, Aunt Grace. But I have to do this. I need to find my mom, and I have to find out what happened to Dad. And if I can, I’ll come back to visit. Okay?”

She sniffs. “Okay. And if you find Nate, tell him he better come see me too. I miss him.”

I pull away and blink back my own tears. “Yes, ma’am. That’s the first thing I’ll say to him.”

She lets out a shaky puff of air. “I better make that phone call. I’m starting to feel kind of light-headed.”

“Yeah, you need to do that. You’ve got to get better.” When she’s finished, I stand and glance at Bridger. “I guess we need to go.”

As we walk out, Aunt Grace says, “Hey, Bridger.”

He turns back. “Ma’am?”

“You do anything to hurt my girl, and I’ll find a way to get you. Even if I have to haunt you.”

Bridger gives her an almost-smile. “I’ll remember that.”

It’s funny. As we head back to the river, the heavy feeling I had back at the house begins to fade. I try to figure out why. I could go back an hour and try to change things, but like Bridger said, the past has to remain intact. I have to accept it.

“Are you okay?” Bridger asks.

“I guess. How about you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got a lot of explaining to do when I get back. And I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

When we emerge from the forest at the clearing by the river, where Bridger has to retrieve his father’s body, it finally hits me. I don’t belong here. I’m a part of this time since Aunt Grace is here, but it’s not my time. That’s why I’ve never fully felt like I fit in.

I won’t have to listen to Trevor complaining about not being able to play football anymore, which I’m pretty sure he will, or wonder if he’ll continue to harass me. And it’s a relief to know that the psychotic Palmer will never be able to hurt me again. Maybe I’ll even be able to forget about how Palmer murdered Naomi, or at least put it behind me. It’s something time will tell.

I’ll miss Aunt Grace like crazy, but I’m ready to see my mom again. It’s what I’ve wanted for so long. And I’ve got to find out what happened to my dad. I have to figure out what being a Dual Talent means. What the DTA wants with me.

I have my whole future to look forward to.

It’s time to go home.

The End