Chapter Four

Emily woke to the soft morning light reflecting off of the blue of her sheets. A beam of sunlight rested on a piece of paper folded beside her. She reached out, noticing her hand had a white bandage on it. She remembered the previous day when she had broken down. She reached for the paper again. She sat up, opening it.

“Dear Emily,

I am such a bloody fool. I hadn’t even thought about what else that book would say. I’m so sorry I failed to keep you from that knowledge. Nobody should have to read about their parent’s death like that. I hope you can forgive me for being rude and unthoughtful.

Jack”

She thought of what he had said before. He had asked about a connection. She remembered the parts she read. Each of them had been a prostitute; each had their bodies mutilated in a way that was similar. As she thought of it, tears in her eyes, her mother had been the only one who had lived to identify more than one person. The rest had their throats sliced and their bellies torn open, often missing organs. Emily thought at first, the organs meant a possible health experiment, perhaps an easy way to try out illegal transplants at the time. But then why was her mother included? Suddenly a thought popped into her head. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped out of the bed. She hurriedly undressed out of her dress and struggled to untie the corset, when she finally breathed in a breath, swelling her whale bone sore chest as far as she could with air. She put on the blue jeans that had been folded with her shirt from yesterday. She wondered how they had gotten back from 1818 as she slipped them on, thankful for the familiar denim across her thighs. She slipped on her braw and shirt and ran to her mirror. Her hair was falling out of the pins so she pulled them all out, letting her hair fall to her elbows. Satisfied, she ran out of the room, and down the stairs.

She burst into the library, making Jack jump. “Jack!” she yelled, out of breath. He stood up from the desk and walked towards her. Emily noted the way his hair stood up oddly and the bags under his eyes. “Jack, you look like you haven’t slept,” she said as he stopped in front of her. He looked at her, unsure.

“I haven’t.” he said.

She looked at him then at the pile of books on the desk. She walked around him to read some of the titles. They seemed random. She looked at Jack who stood opposite her, hands in his pockets, looking miserable. She realized why he looked like he was in pain. “Jack,” she started but he interrupted her.

“Emily,” he said, holding up his hands, “I know I was a bloody jerk. I don’t blame you if you hate me. I just want to help you find out who did this to your mum,” he said pleadingly.

“I do think you’re a jerk,” she said, flipping open a cover of a book, “and I think I forgive you,” she said, trying to hide her smile.

“Think?’ he asked, taking a hopeful step forwards.

“Have I ever told you how much I like pizza?” she asked, looking at him innocently. It took him a moment then grinned. Before she knew it she was wrapped in a bear hug. She mumbled against his chest. He released her, “sorry,” he said, still grinning wildly as she caught her breath. They laughed as he dialed for two pizzas, one pepperoni and one Hawaiian. She teased him about fruit on pizza as he hung up the phone. “Hey, tomatoes are fruit,” he said, defensively. She rolled her eyes and sat down. She grew serious as Jack sat beside her.

“I’m sorry I broke your mirror,” she whispered, looking at the hole in her jeans.

“Oh it was hundreds of years old, it was bound to happen eventually,” he said, not making her feel better. “How is your hand?” he asked.

She looked at it, “Fine I guess,” she said. “Jack, when I read your letter it made me think of what you said, about a connection.”

“I know, I haven’t been able to find any, especially when it comes to your mum,” he said.

“Well, when you put in the information the books leave out then it makes it easier. The four other women,” she said, turning to him, “They were almost exactly alike. At first I thought it might be a homicidal doctor, gathering various organs to practice procedures, but there was one scene where organs had been removed, but not taken, even though nothing seemed wrong with them. Then I couldn’t figure out why my mother had been a suspected target of him, until I added in the left out fact, me,” she said, pausing. “Then I thought about where the cuts always were, how each person was the same, except for my mother.”

“You think the women were pregnant?” Jack asked, his eyes growing wide.

“I think so, yes,” she nodded. “I think someone got them pregnant, but didn’t want it know. A child would mean they could take him to court and make things public,” she paused, considering her next words, “I think it’s someone who was powerful, and didn’t want to be ruined by women claiming to have his children.”

Jack stared at her, letting it sink in. “There are so many powerful people Emily,” he said, thinking of possibilities.

“It’s okay,” she said, “I know we won’t figure it out overnight. I plan on looking into it at your parents’ ball.”

“Well before then we should go over some things,” Jack said, standing up and grabbing a book off of a shelf. “Here, read this,” he said, handing it to her.

“The Methods and rules of time travel,” she read the title aloud.

“It’s a guide to our gift. Though it’s old everything still applies.”

“Thanks,” she said, opening the book. She read the introduction when Jack ran out of the room. She had started chapter one when Jack came back through the door carrying two flat boxes. “Time jumping causes fatigue?” she asked as he sat them in front of her.

“Yes, some people have more endurance than others and can jump farther, whereas the average jumper would jump two hundred years and need a few days to recover,” he said, grabbing a piece of pizza.

“Why didn’t I need to recover?” she said through a mouthful of cheese. Jack stopped chewing for a moment, considering it for the first time.

“Perhaps you have a higher than average endurance. When did you first jump to?”

“Christmas, 1835,” she said, taking another bite. She stopped chewing when he stared at her, eyes wide.

“1835?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes?” she said, looking around, nervously.

“My first jump was only one year and I could hardly stand up afterwards!” he said, staring at her amazed.

“Well… maybe it’s because I’m older than you were?” she asked hopefully.

He seemed to consider that and decided it was likely and took another bite of pizza. Emily continued to read the book. She read the warnings of jumping too far and into dangerous times or not wearing the appropriate clothing. She read how to practice, by jumping back just hours and days. Then the book offered a brief history of jumpers and how the first jumpers had the most power, and when they intermingled with non-jumpers their children’s powers weren’t as great, taking away from how far they could jump. It told of some who had found out other powers, such as controlling seconds, which was the same as controlling time itself, people who could transport into other worlds, the worlds of literature, the last known to do so being Alice, which Emily found hard to believe. She read of various times and places considered waypoints or safe zones for jumpers. After a few chapters into the book something caught her eye. ‘If one need to jump farther than would be possible in a short amount of time, the practice of co-jumping may be applied. To co-jump two persons need to physically connect to achieve longer jumps. The closer the persons, the farther they may jump. The most popular, and effective connection is the holding of hands.’ Emily looked at Jack grinning. He paused, mid-chew, when he saw her, “What?”

“I want to co-jump,” she said.

Jack choked, even though he hadn’t taken a bite. She frowned, wondering what she had said. He started laughing nervously, “Co-jumping is normally shared between two people who, well, you know, like each other.”

“You don’t like me?” she said, acting offended.

He laughed again, “What I mean is, jumpers don’t normally do that unless the other person is really special to them.”

“You are special to me!” she protested. She didn’t notice the shade of red his face had turned. “Please?” she did her best impression of the puppy in the window. He frowned.

“Perhaps when you are a more experienced jumper, since you’ve only jumped twice, perhaps we should focus on introducing you to a few decades and friends?” he said, wagging his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes, “Fine.”

He smiled, taking her hand and dragging her out of the library and up the stairs. She let him lead her to double doors. He opened them and her jaw dropped as she walked in behind him. In front of her was racks filled with clothes. She walked up to one, which had clothes from hundreds of years ago, perhaps the 1700’s, Emily thought. She gently touched a few pieces when jack called to her from the other side of the room. She hurried over and saw 1920’s style dresses hanging on a wrack that he was motioning to. She looked at a few while jack called someone on his phone.

She pulled out a soft blue one that had a thick tank top strap and jewels making a pretty design all the way down to the hips, where little threads holding more gems, hanging down. She knew this was a dapper dress and she knew he was taking her to the 1920’s. She giggled with joy as he hung up the phone. All of the sudden the maid from Margaret’s walked in, carrying a bag. She wasn’t in the regency maid clothes; instead she was in jeans and a shirt that had some weird looking band on it. She smiled hello and the maid smiled back.

“I’m Anna, by the way, sorry I didn’t introduce myself last time, it wasn’t proper,” she said, holding her hand out.

Emily took it, “Emily,” she said.

Anna didn’t pay any attention to Jack as he disappeared behind the wracks. She carried the dress into her room and jumped into the shower as Anna prepared her tools. When Emily walked out of the bathroom in her robe she saw Anna playing with a straightener. Anna smiled when she saw Emily and waved her over to the bed. She accepted the undergarments that she was handed and went back to the bathroom to change into them. She put on the blue dress, amazed at how loose and comfortable everything was compared to 1818. She hadn’t noticed that the back had been missing and was thankful when Anna explained it was part of the style. She sat as Anna went to work on her hair, straightening it, curling it, tucking it under itself to create a ‘short’ hairstyle. She recognized the familiar waves of the dapper. Anna grinned as she looked at the finished product. “Here,” she said, pulling something from her bag. She placed a bejeweled headband over her hair.

After that Anna set to work on her makeup. She sat still as powder was applied and listened as Anna told her the manners and etiquette of the 20’s. after she had learned about being a lady in the Great Gatsby era and her lips were painted red Anna put her hands on her hips, proud of her work.

Emily followed her to the bed, where she put on a pair of shoes with a small heel and Anna pulled out a diamond necklace. “I can’t wear that!” Emily protested.

“Jack said you could,” she said, as Emily hesitantly stood, allowing Anna to fasten it around her neck. She touched the cold thing, studying how it felt. She had never worn a single real diamond in her life.

She took a pair of white silk gloves and put them on, finishing her costume. She looked in the mirror and grinned. She looked just like an actress off of the old black and white shows on television. She grabbed a blue clutch purse from Anna and practically ran down the stairs, or would have if it weren’t for the shoes. She clicked down the steps, stopping at the bottom when she almost collided with Jack. She bumped into him, freezing when she looked at him.

His sandy blonde hair was slicked back and he wore black fedora over it. He wore a dark grey suit that fit him perfectly. He grinned at her mischievously. She recovered from her stupor and backed up. “Are you ready for a great time?” he asked, winking. She smiled and he helped her into her coat. He put on his own black trench coat and grabbed her hand. “1922, Frally’s Club, New York,” he said, then counted to three.

She opened her eyes as she heard noise. She looked up to see a large brick bulding across the street, lit up with bright lights and people going in and out. She could hear the jazz music from across the street and grinned at Jack, who was already grinning. He pulled her across the street, maneuvering the traffic of old puttering cars who honked their horns. He didn’t stop as they entered the building. Emily’s eyes took a minute to adjust to the darker room as she looked around through the thick cigarette smoke. She saw groups of people laughing and she saw people dancing to the swing of the music. She couldn’t stop grinning as Jack led her to an empty table, big enough or two. A waiter in a tux walked over and took their orders. She hadn’t ever had champagne before and grinned when Jack had mentioned it. She hadn’t been hungry yet but Jack promised her a bite of his dessert, which she promptly finished after he had one bite. He laughed as he sipped his glass of champagne. She stared at the dance floor, studying their moves. She hadn’t danced like that before, but it looked fun, except for the part where the guys flung the girls around them, that made her nauseous. She looked at jack, who was studying her.

“What?” she asked, sipping the sweet, bubbly drink.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, reading her mind. She shook her head and he grabbed her hand, leading her into almost an hour of swing dancing. He led her to the bar, out of breath. He laughed as she clutched her side, trying to regain a steady breath. Her cheeks were warm and she had never been so happy. She watched Jack as he went to the bar. “Frally, love, I haven’t seen you in ages!” he shouted at the bartender over the music. An older woman turned around, her wrinkled face frowning.

“Jackson, I thought I was clear when I told you not to come back here!” she yelled.

“Now Frally, you know I would only come back if I had a good reason, don’t you?” he asked, sweet talking. She frowned deeper and Jack pointed at Emily. She waved, still out of breath. She watched the woman’s eyes register something and she waved Jack behind the counter. Emily followed after jack waved to her. She walked into a back storeroom after she followed them through the busy kitchen.

Frally closed the door behind her. “What do you want this time Jack?” she asked impatiently.

“My friend Elizabeth here is searching for someone, I thought maybe you could help,” said, using all of his charm. She looked at Emily suspiciously.

“Go on,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

“Her mother was killed and we think it was by someone who didn’t want it known that he had been fooling around. We also think that he is powerful enough to kill several other women for the same reason,” he said hopefully.

“Humph,” she said, sitting down on a barrel of wine. She rubbed her chin, staring at Emily. “You Emily’s girl?” she asked finally. Emily gasped, shocked. Jack sighed, looking at his feet.

“How” Emily started, but Frally held up her hand.

“Your mother was a dear friend, and I knew you had to be kin. That’s the only reason I let this slimy weasel back in here,” she said, motioning at Jack, who was rubbing his forehead. “Your mama was seeing someone, I know that. I also know that she was pregnant when she died but I hadn’t known you survived. I know that whoever it was, she loved him, and she wouldn’t tell me his name. She always came in with a new dress or necklace and I knew she had gotten herself a rich one. I tried to tell her that if she couldn’t tell me his name, then perhaps she should think again before getting involved. That’s when she confessed he was married and that he was another jumper,” she said, looking down at her hands. “I tried to stop her that night. She had told him she was pregnant and he had promised to run away that night,” her voice trailed off, and Emily knew what happened next. “I don’t know who he was, but I will try to find any clues that could help. I’ll send word if I see anyone that might fit the bill,” she said, standing up. Emily thanked her as she lead them back out into the loud room filled with people. Jack was walking towards the door when Frally grabbed her shoulder. Emily turned and saw the look of worry on her face.

“If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, don’t be afraid to ask. And don’t follow that boy around forever, he’s bound to break your trust, and your heart,” she said, her voice low and her eyes compassionate. Emily thanked her again and she followed Jack out the door. She watched him walk out into the night, hands in his pockets.

She walked behind him for a few minutes until he stopped and she caught up to him. He was staring at the ground, looking thoughtful. “Do you trust me?” he asked, looking at her hopefully.

“Of course!” she said, wondering what had happened in there. He looked relieved.

“Good,” he sighed, “But you also know that I can’t tell you about my work except that I’m employed by your government right?”

She nodded carefully. If it was his work that made him this anxious then perhaps he should leave that profession. He smiled then and was back to his old self. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, escorting her through busy New York streets. She stared at all of the amazing sights and breathed in the smell of various foods. They stopped at the window of a dress shop and she was mesmerized by all of the beautiful dresses.

Finally they ended up on a little walkway that looked over the bay to Manhattan. Emily had grown tired and leaned against the rails, staring at the lights of her old home. Jack joined her, leaning against her slightly. She drew her coat closer as she got a cold chill. She heard Jack chuckle and looked at him, ready to glare but she was met with a soft gaze. She hadn’t seen this kind of look on him before and couldn’t move as he inched closer to her, when finally his lips touched hers and she felt the cold shock go through her. She was lost for a few moments until Jack pulled back, smiling softly at her, all cocky sarcasm gone. She was still frozen, looking at him. When it registered that he had given her a kiss her hand flew to her mouth and her cheeks turned a dark red. As he started to say he was sorry she disappeared. Jack hung his head, smiling at the fact that she had kissed him back, but worried that she wouldn’t forgive him.

Emily lay in her old bed, in her own pajamas. She lay awake thinking about that night and the fun she had, then about what Frally had told her, and then Jack’s kiss, and then how she had run away like a schoolgirl. Emily had been kissed before but none of them had ever felt like that. She touched her lips again and cringed at her thoughts of what Jack would think now. She felt her phone buzz once, a text message. She pulled it out, squinting at the bright screen. Are you okay? She smiled, knowing it was from Jack.

Yes, she replied. She waited a moment and then her phone buzzed again.

Are we okay?

Yes, she replied again, as a thought struck her. Tomorrow she would have to go back to work. She wouldn’t ever be able to live a normal life now. She pulled up her email and typed in a message to her boss stating that she wouldn’t be back and that she was sorry for the inconvenience. Half way through her phone buzzed again and she read ‘Good’. Emily replied with night and he replied the same. She put her phone on her table, falling asleep to thoughts of swing dancing and jazz music.