Going Through the Music....History

Chapter Two: Intermission

The sound of her phone ringing means she's back in the present time. 

She opens her eyes once more to see the lab and Norman standing there, trying not to freak out. "Norman?" Keelin questions, wondering if his head was going to spilt. "It worked! My time machine works!" He throws his fists in the air and dances in the most geekiness way possible. "I am a stegosaurus!" Keelin jokes. Norman stops and looks at her strangely, "What?" Keelin looks down in embarrassment, "You know, from ASDF movies on YouTube... never mind." Norman chuckles at her. "Alright. Now, when can I go to the Renaissance period?" Keelin suddenly asks in an excited tone. "The Renaissance?" Norman questions her. "Yeah, for my paper. Like I said, it must involve the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods." She reminds her friend. "Oh, yes. Of course. Well... I'm going to have to tweak the necklace for more power." Norman explicates. "How long will that take?" Keelin worriedly queries. "Not long. Come back here tomorrow and we can continue on. Does that sound decent to you?" He suggests. Keelin thought about it, "Well, my paper isn't due until November 9th." She nods her head, "Okay. Sounds fair." The pair shakes hands, confirming the deal they struck. Keelin removes the necklace and gives it to Norman. She goes into the closet and changes back into her normal clothes. "See you tomorrow." Norman nods as she grabs her jacket and leaves the lab. 

She walks to her car... and there are a group of men in suits surrounding her small car. She slows her pace and mentally prepares a plan. She has a can of pepper spray in her bag and she is concern that someone in the building behind her sees her being kidnapped. The oldest guy of the group, probably the leader, walks up to her and Keelin instantly walks backwards towards the building. "Miss Anderson. Please, do not be alarmed. We are not going to hurt you. We just want to ask a few questions." He informs her in a monotone voice, not convincing Keelin at all. "How do you know me?" Keelin demands to know as her hand slowly creeps to the can of pepper spray. "There is no need for pepper spray, Miss Anderson. My name is Agent Bryan Moody of the FBI. We have questions about your friend, Norman Winters." The man introduces himself. Keelin's mind suddenly went a million ways; Norman? What did he do wrong? Then, it hits her: the time machine. "What about him?" Keelin plays off. "We have leads that he might be on the brink of inventing a device that could change mankind forever." Agent Moody explains. "Really?" Keelin acts, trying not to give herself away. "What is your relationship with Norman Winters?" He begins to ask questions. "We were college classmates when I went to Berry College." I told him. "Why did you stop?" He continues. "My GPA dropped. So, I decided to go to community college and raise my GPA before going back." I confess. "I see. Well, why are you here?" Agent Moody asks. "I got a call from Norman and he wanted me to see him. It's been five to six months since we last saw each other. So, I came here to say hi to him." Keelin explains the events of the evening; she didn't lie, she just left out the time machine. "And he didn't mention anything about his latest invention?" Agent Moody questions her. Keelin pulls a piece of her long strawberry blonde wavy hair behind her and looks up at the agent, "No, we just talked about what happened to each other since the last time we talked. He never mentioned anything about his experiments." The agent looks into her green-grey eyes to see the truth in her words; he can't seem to find any lies. "Alright. Here is my card. If there is a problem or you feel like there is something off next time you see Norman Winters, give me a call." He hands her a small and black business card and she takes it from him. He turns and walks away from her and signals his men to move. The group gets in a black van and drives off, leaving Keelin alone in the parking lot. She looks at the card and places it in her bag. Keelin lies to a Medieval priest and now an FBI agent. As she walks to her car, she realizes that she could be a pretty good actress. She unlocks her car and starts it, driving away from the building.

*The next day*

After school, Keelin drives to Chick-Fil-A to get something to eat before going to Stormweaver Base. She finishes her dinner in her car and gets out, locking her car in the process. She walks up to the building and finds Norman waiting for her. 'Should I tell him about the FBI agent?' She thought as she fakes a smile and Norman hugs her. She hugs him back, trying not to be suspicious. They walk to the lab where Keelin now feels uncomfortable. "Okay. The Renaissance dress in the closet. You know what to do." Norman waves her off, not looking at her. Keelin notices his sudden change of attitude but doesn't say anything. She gaits to the closet and gets in. She sees the dress and changes into it. She steps out and sees Norman waiting on her. She slowly walks towards her and he hands her the necklace. She takes it and puts it on. He sighs sharply before continuing, "Now, since you apparently wasted a lot of energy yesterday, you won't have as much time as you did yesterday. I would say you have about an hour and a half worth of time to get the information you needed for your stupid midterm paper. Do not mess around the Renaissance time; this is serious. You got that?" He tells her rather rudely. "Um... okay. Why am I being snapped at?" Keelin asks. "Because I have the FBI on my back and now you told them everything." He exclaims, making Keelin jump a bit. "You know?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "Of course, I do! We have windows. What did you tell them?!" He grabs her shoulders rather roughly and squeezes her with all his might. "Norman, you're hurting me. I swear, I didn't tell him anything." She tells him, trying to get out of his grasp. "You're lying! You always lie! That's why you aced that theater class at Berry!" He shouts at her. "I'M NOT LYING!" Keelin screams, finally freeing herself from Norman, but stumbling backwards and hitting her head against the counter behind her. Before she hits the floor, she feels light again, meaning she's time-traveling to the Renaissance era.