Temporal Exploring 101 - Deep Future

IV.16 Emergency plans and the upcoming holidays

"I wonder if he wasn't right, after all," Natty mused. "You know, about what he said the other day."

I looked up from the science-fiction novel I had taken from Natty's bookshelf. Robert Heinlein's The Door into Summer.  It  featured time-travel, of a sort. "Who and what are you talking about, exactly?"

It was a late Monday afternoon, after classes. Natty, Nancy and I were chilling in mine and Natty's dorm room.

"Well, Jake, of course." Natty was worrying her lower lip. "What he said about me not being safe any more here at our school, once those thugs are going to find out that I am still alive."

I shrugged. "There's nothing much we can do about that right now, is there?"

"Not quite. I mean, Jake did propose a solution of sorts."

I glanced at her, alarmed. "You are not thinking of running away again, are you?"

Natty looked uncomfortable. "Well, it's an option, isn't it?"

"Please don't," Nancy told her. "I mean, can't you at least wait until you know for sure that they have made inquiries about you at our school?"

"It may be too late by then," Natty objected. She scowled. "This may be hard for you to understand, but I do want to live."

"If you run away, I am going to accompany you." I frowned. "You are going to tell me about it in advance, aren't you? Don't you dare run away without telling me, like last time."

Natty shrugged. "Fine, I will inform you if and when I decide to leave, okay?"

"Promise?" I insisted.

Natty rolled her eyes. "Promise."

"Well, I hope it won't ever come to that." Nancy looked morose. "I don't know how I would be able to tolerate this school with both of you gone."

When none of us made any reply, she added, "You know, you ought to at least stay until after the midterm holidays. Surely, nothing bad is likely to happen before that."

"What are you talking about? What midterm holidays?" Natty asked.

"Yeah, which holidays?" I echoed.

It was Nancy's turn to roll her eyes. "Didn't either of you receive that flyer they hand out to new students on their first day at St. Albert's?"

"I don't remember getting any sort of flyer," Natty muttered. "But maybe I did. If so, I didn't bother to read it."

"Me neither," I told them. "Did it say anything about those midterm holidays, then?"

"It wasn't only about the midterm holidays. It also included the complete time schedule for this semester."

I shrugged. "So when are these holidays going to start?"

"Why, next week." Nancy laughed, presumably at the expression on my face. "School will be closed for an entire week. Students are expected to spend the midterm break at home with their families."

"Which is not really an option for me, or for Natty," I observed.

"Students who are prevented by circumstances from spending the time with their families are allowed to stay at St. Albert's during the holidays," Nancy amended. She grinned. "But hey, you could take the opportunity to go to Aberdeen, Cathy, and spend some quality time with your 'dad', couldn't you?"

I made a face at her. Nancy grinned.

She and Natty knew all about Mr Taylor, junior partner of Taylor, Hampden, and Clark – the agency commissioned to take care of any mail addressed to my fictitious family at Aberdeen here in the 1960s, and of the regular financial transfers necessary to pay for my board and tuition at St. Albert's. On the occasion of a Parents' Weekend several weeks ago Mr Taylor had even shown up in person to talk to Headmistress Stuart and a few of my teachers, pretending to be my father, the – also entirely fictitious – Prof. Simon T. Hart, a lecturer at the Department of  Mathematics at the University of Aberdeen.

"Yeah, and I could also spend some quality time with my sister, dear Evelyn," I added, grimly.

Both of my friends were laughing. They had never met Mr Taylor's daughter Evelyn in person, like I had, but clearly what I had told them about her had given them a rough general impression. 

Three weeks ago Mr Taylor and Evelyn had paid an unannounced visit to St. Albert's. Accompanied by our dear headmistress, they had walked in on me to find me stretched out on my bed, spending some quality time with myself. Which would have been major awkward even without Evelyn's sarcastic comments.

Two years my senior, Evelyn was easily the most obnoxious girl I had ever met. The prospect of having to spend a week with her was downright scary.

"No, thank you," I declared. "I think I am going to pass on that one. I'd rather stay here at the school and keep Natty company."

"Or else you could both come visit and stay at my family's place over the holidays," Nancy suggested. "I would have to ask my parents first, of course. It's a bit of a short notice, but I am sure they would agree."

I considered this. "Is Ian Firth going to be there, too?"

Nancy gave me an odd look. "What's Ian got to do with this?"

I felt my cheeks grow warm. "Nothing, really."

Nancy smiled. "If you would like to see him, we can invite him, at least over the weekend."

Natty snorted. "I think Cathy is trying to avoid him."

Nancy frowned. "I thought you rather liked Ian, Cathy."

"Um," I began. "It's sort of complex. Or, you know, complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"Well, I think Ian Firth sort of likes me. I mean, he really likes me."

"Oh, I see." Nancy grinned. "But hey, where is the problem? What's wrong with a little bit of romance?

"The problem is that I am fairly certain that I do not like Ian that way."

"Oh," Nancy repeated. "So you do not want to break his heart, is that it? You know, that's very sweet of you."

"Well, that too. But I also fear that things between us could get very awkward, once he understands that I don't harbor the same feelings for him."

"Ah well, I am sure he is going to live." Nancy shrugged. "In any case, it is not likely that Ian and his sister are going to stay at our place during the midterm break."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because we are going to have another visitor at Kerrington Manor, for the entire week." Nancy was beaming. "Cousin Madison, from California. It's been three or four years since I've last seen her, but I recall that it used to be great fun to have her around. I am sure the four of us are going to have a grand old time."

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