Chapter The Seventeenth

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George was stunned. Who was this man, and how did he know the truth? "I... She..." He babbled.

"Come with me." Devon steered him out the door and started walking down the road. George hurried to catch up. Something told him that it was a good idea to stick with him. If he knew Jessie, he might be able to help him. "Spill it, George." Devon said. "Tell me everything."

And so, the confused Beatle told him the whole story of how Ringo brought home the kid from the park, all the way up to that hectic afternoon when he'd picked up the guitar. "I'd figured there was somethin' up with her right from the start." George admitted. "But I never figured time travel!" Then he looked at the man, slightly suspiciously. "What's your story then?" He asked. "How d'ye' know Jessie? And about her guitar?"

"My guitar." Devon corrected. "It was me and... an old friend, I guess you could say, that built that thing. Took years to perfect!" He noticed George's hesitation as they came to his apartment block. "You might as well stay," he sighed. "Can't risk you causing trouble."

George reluctantly followed him to his apartment. "And Jessie? Where does she fit in?"

Devon unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. "I'm teaching music at her boarding school for a while. It just so happened that she nicked off with my guitar when I forgot to take it back home with me."

George chuckled nervously. "Guess she got more than she bargained for, eh?"

"You could say that." Devon laughed. He was trying to play it cool, but truthfully he couldn't believe he was actually talking to a Beatle! George Harrison was actually standing in his apartment!

George walked around the small apartment. The Beatle nodded approvingly at the music gear spread around the place. There was a keyboard by the window, half covered in a sea of sheet music. An acoustic guitar lay on the sofa while an electric one was propped up in the corner of the room. He figured this Devon fellow was the sort he'd get along with.

On the bench next to the telephone was a bunch of scribbled notes and memos. George picked up a sheet of paper. Thornleigh Staff - Urgent! It said. Missing student: Jessie Alexandra Baxter. Below the message was Jessie's last school photo. George stared hard at the picture of the teenage girl in school uniform.

"This is Jessie?" He called out to Devon.

"Yes." Devon came over, taking the notice from him. "But you already knew that?"

"But... Jessie's just a little kid!" He insisted.

The music teacher ran his fingers through his fair hair. "That's right," he mused. "You would've only known her as her young self..."

"Excuse me?" George was confused as ever.

Devon took a deep breath before explaining. "Well, the thing is... when you use the guitar to travel back in time, you appear seven years younger. Same thing with going forward - you're physically seven years older, but your mind stays the same."

The Beatle mulled over this new information. It explained a lot about the strange little girl they'd taken in. "So..." he said slowly, "ye' mean to say that I look like how I will in..." he quickly counted in his head. "1972?"

"Not necessarily," Devon shook his head. "You're simply an older version of how you are, or were, in 1965."

The Beatle nodded thoughtfully. "I see..." He attempted to look like he understood, but really, it was all still beyond him.

* * *

"She reminds me of you, y'know." John said to Paul. Jessie was in the bathroom, showering, and the three Beatles were sorting out the night's arrangements. It was decided that Jessie's room was tiny, and the office had no space either. Jessie's Aunt's bedroom was large, but they all agreed to leave it untouched. That left the living room.

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