Into the Future, Book #2
in the time travel adventure of Torie and Dave
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March 1883
As the bedroom door silently gave and opened further, I saw that there was a boy
standing at the large window, looking out into the backyard. He
turned with a start as I tapped lightly on the door and entered. I looked into
his eyes, expecting that I was going to need to pull out what little knowledge
I had of Ivy’s future husband Joshua McFall. At the very least we were probably
classmates at Fremont high school currently. Or we might already be flirting
with romantic ideas of each other.
I wasn’t getting a sense internally from Ivy of what she was
feeling for this handsome young boy at this point in her life. I did know that
about six years from now, she would become his wife and she would be
passionately in love with him. I knew that he would be a wonderful husband and new
father and he would die tragically and all alone out in the middle of a corn
field, after just two short years of married bliss. His body would be found
suspended on the strands of barbed wire and the gun which had accidentally
discharged as he climbed over the fence, would be found lying nearby.
I smiled at him now and planned to begin with offering him my
condolences for the loss of his grandfather. I knew that at the very least, he
would expect that much familiarity at this point in time. Instead he lowered
his eyes avoiding mine and turned to briefly look at the top of a chest of
drawers against the far wall as if in search of something before turning abruptly for
the door.
“I’m sorry I was just looking for…” his voice trailed off
and he didn’t even attempt to finish the thin excuse as he started around me,
heading out. Typical, I thought, he always did suck at trying to fit
in. I grabbed him by the lapel of his suit coat and pushed the
door closed and then slammed him against the wall.
“Are you kidding me? Dave?” I hissed.
“Torie?” Dave squeaked as his young teenaged voice cracked.
“Oh my God! Dave. Jesus! If you're here then that means
that Rose Lynn is in our house in Fremont all by herself! How long have you
been here?” I demanded as I clutched at his shirt front and shook him.
“I’ve been here since early morning. Way before the funeral
services at the Methodist church in town. We all came from there to the
cemetery.”
“Oh, Dave! That means that Rose Lynn has been alone for
hours!” I shrieked.
“Torie! Calm down. Be quiet!” he ordered.
“Oh god! Oh my god! My poor little baby!” I
felt like I was going to puke. I bent over and held my stomach as I dry heaved.
“Torie, you need to calm down,” he said as he leaned over
and put an arm around my shoulders, trying to soothe me. I used my whole body to
push him away from me forcefully and he stumbled back against the wall.
“Goddamn it, Torie! I am not your enemy! You think I
did this on purpose or have any more control over this shit than you do?” he
snarled, grabbing me by my arm and pulling me up straight. He turned me to pin
me against the wall as he shook me gently. “Please calm down, honey!”
“Dave, our eighteen-month-old baby is all alone in our
house more than a hundred years in the future. She has likely been alone for hours and hours already and who knows how
much longer we will be stuck here,” I cried.
He pulled me into his arms and against his chest. He wouldn’t
let me push him away this time. He just held me as I beat against his chest
with my closed fists and he let me, until I had gotten all my hysteria out and
I finally put my arms around his shoulders, hugging him desperately, burying my
face in his throat.
“Torie,” he said. “We need to be calm and try to think of
some way to end this,” he whispered gently into my ear. He cradled the back of
my head with his hand as he held me tight.
“There is no way out,” I croaked against his throat. “We’re
trapped here.”
There was a hesitant rap at the door and we both stopped
breathing and held perfectly still, hoping whoever was there would move on. The
door creaked open and then Mahala peeked around the edge of the door to find us,
in what probably looked to be a passionate embrace, as we were plastered against
the wall.
“Ivy? I thought I heard you. Are you okay? It sounded like
you were upset…”
She averted her eyes, obviously giving us a moment to
retreat from each other. I quickly pushed free of Dave and then wiped my eyes
on my dress sleeve. I looked into Joshua’s pained, confused eyes.
“I'm sorry for the loss of your grandfather, Joshua,” I
whispered softly. As always, like before when we warped together, trying to provide
him with the information he needed to attempt to at least try and fit in.
I grasped Mahala’s hand, quickly leaving the room
without a backward glance.
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