She crept through the shadows, the shadows were always kind to her and she knew no other 'home', she had not known any other consistent home for the last five years. When she was twenty-two and working at the UCLA physics lab there was an accident, she wasn't able to pin point exactly what it was that happened, when it was, but one minute she was working on her own experiment, the next she was waking up in a field. With no idea how she got there, she quickly made her way back to the lab. It wasn't long before she realized that she wasn't in California anymore, she wasn't even in her own time. She found herself in the late nineteenth century, in all honesty she couldn't remember how she made it through, she thought she was going to be stuck there forever but it wasn't to be, she felt a unyielding pain in her stomach, nausea surging through her body. Next thing she knew she woke in another place, in another time.
Her stomach told her it was time to stop reminiscing about her past, she was always famished after a jump. A diner across the street caught her attention, it looked like a mom and pop place, not busy enough as her usual desire but it was her only prospect. The neon was flickering, the “N” in the open sign would surely be burnt out by the time she was finished grabbing what she needed. The bell signaled her arrival to the waitress behind the counter. “Hello hun,” She called. “Sit where you please.”
Keeping her eyes cast down she glanced around, but sat near the door, quick get-away. The people, she noticed, were not too far off the clothing choice she chose last time. Jeans, and a t-shirt were common and she was glad for that. There was an older couple towards the back, a group of females chatting excitedly, one wearing a shirt with the word 'bachelorette' stamped across the front. One woman continually glanced at the lone man sitting at the counter, sipping coffee, a finished pie plate next to a laptop. Her first real hint of the time she jumped into.
“What'll you have?” the woman from behind the counter brought her back to the moment.
“Uh, cheeseburger, fries and a coke?” she asked hoping the food of this time was similar if the style was close.
“Coming right up.” The woman moved away and left her to take in her surroundings again. She moved her eyes back to the man at the counter and his laptop. She wished she could move closer, the man appeared to be looking at a news website and she desperately wanted to know what decade she was in now.
“Do you have a newspaper?” She asked the waitress when she came back to the table with her coke.
“Newspaper?” the woman laughed. “Where have are you from? Newspapers haven't been printed for five years now. You will have to move to the counter to use one of the Newstops.” She pointed to the counter where the lone man sat. She noticed several folded laptops now, and chains connecting them to the counter. The older woman must have noticed her perplexed look. “Bad day?”
She nodded while scooting out of the booth, grabbing her soda, she moved to the counter and sat down. She watched the man a few seats away and tried to mimic what he was doing. Sensing her eyes, the man slowed his movement so she could see how to access the Newstop and get to the information she needed. She usually picked stuff up quickly but for some reason she couldn't quite get the hang of it. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the man moving closer to her. With a few quick movements she was looking at a website with the format of a newspaper. April 17, 2020, the date at the top read, location; Denver, Colorado.
Mixed emotions ran through her. She was so close to the day she was in the accident, so close to the family she thought she'd never be able to see again, but she was in Denver. She wasn't sure she'd be able to make it to California before she jumped time again, but she had to try.
“Here's your food.” the waitress put the food down in front of her. Her thoughts brought her back to present and the growing pain, hunger pains thankfully, in her stomach. She grabbed hold of the cheeseburger and took a bite, grease dripped from the burger back onto the plate of fries.
“Delicious,” she managed to mumble out. It was only a short while until the burger, the fries and the coke were all devoured. As she licked her fingers, she plotted how she was going to get out of the diner without getting caught, she had no money, never did. Her eyes darted around, the waitress was over at the table of women, chatting, now would be the perfect time.
She got up and moved to the door quickly, but didn't quite make it.
“Hun?” The woman called after her. “Did you forget something?”
“I uh.” She was steps away from the door, she could just run.
“I got it,” the man who helped her access the Newstop called and out and flashed his card. He smiled at her. “You have somewhere to be?” He asked. “Feel free to go.” He watched as she smiled in return and bolted out the door and out into the shadows. Curiosity about this man who would pay for a complete stranger kept her in the shadows close to the diner. She watched as the dark-haired man walked out of the diner and glanced around as if he was looking for someone or something. His eyes stopped roving in the direction she was standing.
He watched in the general direction for only a minute but it seemed longer with her fear that he would come find her and demand to be repaid in some form or another for her meal. It would not be the first time a man had come to her aid only to expect physical payment in return. This man, however, only watched before hailing a taxi.
“321 17th Street please.” the man spoke loudly and, she felt, in her direction before disappearing into the cab. She waited until the area seemed less busy before emerging from her spot. She began to wander the streets, she needed to figure a way to travel the thousand miles back to Los Angeles. She had to find out what happened, if there was a way to fix it and of course she wanted desperately to see her family and the boyfriend she left behind even if they had moved on, it had, after all been eight years for them even if only five had passed for her.
A familiar pain in her stomach forced her to stop in her tracks. “No.” she murmured to herself. “Not when I'm this close, please not when I might have a chance.” She gripped her stomach, nausea sweeping through her. Tears rolled down her face as she expected to jump, her time in this place and year forced to an end by an unpredictable timer.
The pain ceased and she opened her eyes, ready to bolt to a hiding spot. She would never forget the time she jumped into what, she knew from studying history, was 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Someone saw her arrive and soon she was being hunted through the forest, screams of witch shouted by the hunters. She looked around perplexed. She was standing in the same spot she was standing in when started feeling the pain. Perhaps she jumped through time and did not move place, it had happened before.
“Miss? Are you alright?” A man standing in a doorway nearby asked, coming closer. “You were clutching your stomach just now? Do you feel sick?” He was close now, she could smell his cologne. It sent another wave of pain and nausea through her. She gripped a nearby trash can and leaned over. She couldn't believe it, she was sick. A stomach bug. It has been years since stomach cramps and nausea were only signs of her body attempting to purge. She sat on the pavement and put her head between her knees, taking deep breaths. She couldn't help a smile that crept on her face as she sat there, she hated vomiting, but she hated leaping through time more.
“Food poisoning?” a familiar voice said from somewhere nearby. She looked up to see the man from the diner standing over her. “C'mon.” he said as he helped her to her feet. “Where are you staying?”
Her mind was fuzzy, she wasn't sure how to respond. Typically, she would have a quick response about a relative or a friend nearby but she couldn't get the words out.
“Why don't you come to my room, it would be a heck of a lot more comfortable to get sick in a proper bathroom then out here on the street. Less gawking from strangers at least.” He pointed to two women across the way staring at her with a look of what she could only guess was disgust.
“I don't know you, what if...”
“What if I'm a psycho killer?” He laughed. He held her elbow and started to steer her towards the building they were standing in front of. He leaned close to her ear and whispered “I know who you are Julie, I'm here to help.”
Story Notes:
If you enjoy, please leave a review and let me know.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hunger pains and a mysterious man.
