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“NO...” I groaned.
The photo on the next page was of Valcas, there was no mistake about that. As handsome as always, he resembled his mother with his dark hair, olive complexion and self-assured grin. He stood alone in front of a tower, a dark figure against a white tower against a black backdrop. I couldn’t see his eyes because they were, once again, covered by dark glasses. I sighed. Looking at Valcas without having to run away reminded me just how attractive he was and how nervous I’d been around him back when I thought we were on a date. I felt so stupid.
“Valcas hasn’t changed much,” I thought aloud. “It’s too bad he’s not chasing me under different circumstances.”
Shirlyn looked at me blankly. “Valcas is chasing you? Well, why haven’t you mentioned that?”
Her response set off an alarm in my head. I remembered one of Edgar’s early lectures when he said something about how the past could always be observed and interacted with but not permanently changed. This was because a past version of an individual could only temporarily process new information. Without a daily reminder, anything new introduced into the past would be forgotten. I finally understood what Edgar was talking about.
Shirlyn wasn’t oblivious. She really had no memories of me from the day before. Nobody at the Halls’ estate could remember anyone or anything that wasn’t already a part of their own pasts. I was the only person able to remember because I still existed in the present. Everyone else reacted to whatever situation I placed before them.
No wonder breakfast was so awkward. I must have appeared like a ghost out of nowhere dressed in Shirlyn’s clothes. Young Edgar wasn’t being rude or uncaring when he went off to his workshop. He simply didn’t remember anything I told him about my connection with Valcas. Now I understood why he suggested that Shirlyn show me and Romaso the same harbor where we arrived yesterday. Everyone and everything around me was an illusion. Still, I felt like an intruder.
Shirlyn impatiently twitched her nose as she continued to stare at me. I hadn’t answered her question, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t want to explain everything to her and Romaso all over again. I’d been so certain that either Young Edgar or Old Edgar would be able to tell me what to do next. I quickly decided that I would stay long enough to learn a little bit more about the Halls, find out the real color of Valcas’ eyes and then travel to a past Valcas as soon as possible. I intended to go there alone. I did not want to drag Shirlyn and Romaso into this mess any more than I already had.
Mona entered the room as I was about to ask Shirlyn whether she knew the color of Valcas’ eyes. The maid hurriedly approached Shirlyn and handed her a slip of paper. “We received a telegram. It is addressed to Calla Winston. Your mother mentioned that you had guests over today.”
Shirlyn read the paper briefly and shrugged.
“I’m Calla,” I volunteered, reaching out for the paper.
Shirlyn nodded and handed me the paper. The typed message was brief, with no indication as to who’d sent it:
Call me. Use the glasses.
I squeezed my backpack. “Excuse me, please.”
Several possibilities flooded my mind as I ran out into the hallway. My heart beat wildly. Edgar? Enta? Valcas? I really hoped it wasn’t Valcas. I found a secluded study that Shirlyn had showed us earlier that day. Fortunately, it was left unlocked. I entered the room and shut the door behind me. Then I slipped on the glasses.
“Hello?” I tried to block out Valcas with my mind, not knowing whether it would do any good given that I had zero practice with that skill.
The voice that answered was female. “Calla, are you all right?” A gentle face appeared on a white background, peeking out of a blue bonnet.
“Enta! I’m okay. How did you find me? Is Edgar there?”
“Yes, he’s here. He hasn’t been well since Valcas’ visit.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got your message—I tried to contact Edgar last night, but there was no response and I was afraid Valcas would be in there somewhere and..."
“I’m afraid that I don’t know what message you’re talking about. Where are you?”
“There’s so much to explain. I don’t even know where to start. Can I talk to Edgar?” I shuddered, convinced that Valcas had sent the telegram.
Enta hesitated for a moment. “Yes. You’ll have to speak up so that he can hear you better.”
“Edgar?”
Edgar’s image appeared against the white background. He looked much frailer than I’d last seen him and he seemed to be bent back slightly. I filled in the rest of the picture, imagining that the inventor was propped up on pillows while resting on a bed or couch.
“Calla, where are you?”
“I’m in England.”
“England,” he repeated as if the word itself was a distant memory. “Which part?”
“I’m at the Halls’ estate in Folkestone. Shirlyn’s diary was mixed in with your other journals. I thought this would be the safest place to hide and learn more about Valcas.”
Edgar’s body bolted upward. “Enta! You need to hear this. Come here quickly.”
“Calm down, I’m right here,” a voice called from somewhere in the background. “I’ll put on a pair of glasses too.”
I quickly described my visit to the Halls’ estate and how I’d picked up Romaso along the way. I told them about the family album and my new plan to visit a past version of Valcas. Before either Edgar or Enta could object to my plan, I asked them, “Do either of you know the color of Valcas’ eyes before he started using the travel glasses?”
Edgar and Enta both gasped. Then they avoided my question.
Edgar sadly looked off into the distance, withdrawn. Crap. Not now, Edgar! At least I had some familiarity with the withdrawals that overtook him when he was faced with topics that worried or sadden him. He always ended up looking like he was searching for something that he couldn’t find. There was nothing I could do until he snapped out of it.
Enta’s reaction, however, was a complete shock. She pursed her lips, suddenly appearing very stern, like a mother hen protecting somebody from something. Was she protecting Edgar or Valcas? Whoever it was, I had the sinking feeling that she was trying to protect that person from me.
“What happened after Valcas showed up?” I asked, worried.
“Edgar is very sick, as you can see. Valcas was extremely angry with us for helping you get away.”
The connection ended, leaving me feeling much worse than before.