The Time Witch - Part #26

Recap: Things go south on Evangeline when she’s in 1910. She has to battle two attacks, one by the Coven and then Adas Abernathy, but unexpected help comes from Starlight. Her magic is teleportation. In a desperate attempt to save Charles, Samuel and themselves, Evangeline and Starlight join their powers and disappear into darkness.

LINKS: The Beginning, Last Part (#25), Time Witch page

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“I feel all cattywampus.”

Charles spoke first before the others could settle their nerves.

The foursome stood in the same positions: Starlight holding Evangeline’s hands and the men each gripping one of Starlight’s upper arms, but they weren’t in the cove. They were inside the Carnegie Library.

Starlight let go of Evangeline’s hands and sat on the ground—completely spent.

Taking stock of himself, Charles shook his hands as if he’d clapped them too long. “Did anyone see the sparkling lights? Like magnetic whips guiding us through the dark chasm. Is that normal?”

“None of this is normal,” Evangeline said, feeling a peculiar rush of sensations. Time travel left a mark.

“Where have we landed?” Samuel asked, taking in the library from the stacks to the sitting area and reception. “It is not my library.”

“It’s the same library, but this version is mine,” Evangeline said. All eyes turned to her, and she gave a little shrug. “Welcome to the future.”

The seconds ticked away, realization slowly dawning. 

“One hundred and fourteen years in the future,” Samuel whispered.

Evangeline was impressed by his memory, but she did not intend to take them on a tour of Baxter Creek and introduce them to the modern world. Whatever the rules were for time travel, she’d err on the side of caution. “I’m not sure how safe we are here, but it’s better than that cove.”

“No complaint,” Charles said, his devilish humor returning, “but I have not cleared my schedule for an extended journey.”

Samuel continued to check out of the library, running a hand along any wooden surface. “The old girl is magnificent.”

“How did you do it?” Starlight asked, finding the effects of time travel and their location secondary.

“Yes, how?” Samuel added. “Why are we not all turned to skeletons?”

Charles and Starlight gasped.

“Dear me,” Charles muttered, “could that have happened?”

“I felt our magic mingle.” Starlight offered the explanation as a fact, even if she still looked confused. “Desperation, I believe, fueled the bond.”

Evangeline could only guess. “My magic tends to work when I need it the most and work better when I have some intention regarding the outcome. That first time I traveled to 1910 and back, it took me by surprise, and Samuel turned into a skeleton. But it didn’t hurt him.”

Charles sat on the floor next to Starlight. “What a twisted tangle.”

“I must thank you, Starlight,” Samuel said. “Certainly, I would have fallen to my death.”

Charles raised a finger. “And I to a beaten pulp had I remained on those stairs.”

“Your magic is amazing,” Evangeline agreed with the brother’s assessment.

Starlight ducked her head momentarily as if talking about her magic outside of the Coven was rare. “Teleportation. That is my gift, but I have never moved a man before nor caught anything mid-air. It usually requires touch. I felt as if your magic assisted me, Evangeline.”

Charles shook his head in disbelief, wincing from the action. 

Motioning him to turn a bit, Starlight checked out his head wound. The cliff’s hard rock surface had kissed him just above the right ear. “A scab has already formed. Does it pain you?”

“Every part of me screams for attention, but my head is a different matter,” Charles said. “It is quite parched.”

“Steady on,” Samuel cautioned.

“Alcohol and concussions don’t go together,” Evangeline said. “Any double vision? Headache? How many fingers am I holding up?”

Charles frowned. “Two.”

“Your hard head finally reaps a benefit,” Samuel joked, unable to hide his concern.

“I mostly caught the rock face with my hand,” Charles explained, holding up the scratched appendage. “My head was a secondary blow. I’m sure it appears worse than it feels. My concern is more for my chin.”

He gently grasped his jawline with the thumb and index finger of his uninjured hand. Wobbling it sideways made him groan. The blow he’d taken from Adas Abernathy had caused the tenderness.

“Acetaminophen, all around,” Evangeline said, knowing she had some downstairs but didn’t want to leave them.

Charles perked up. “Is that something magical?”

“Medical.” Evangeline shook her head. “It’s a pill. A pain reliever.”

“What’s that?” Samuel asked.

“What’s a pain reliever?” Evangeline thought a second, wondering when aspirin came on the market. She was about to launch into how they just needed to trust her when it came the modern world, but then she heard the music—and the voices.

“I hear it, too,” Starlight said. She moved to get up, causing Charles to also stand.

They all listened.

The unmistakable sounds of a party beaconed from outside the library. For a second, Evangeline wondered if she’d brought them back to the night when Samuel’s skeleton had sparked a block party. However, daylight shone from the library’s high windows. Whenever they’d arrived, it wasn’t a repeat of that night.

Evangeline’s eyes scanned the room again. While the space was clearly being renovated, more books were on the shelves than she remembered, and the back-ordered loveseats flanked a side of the long oak table. They weren’t due until next month.

“This is all wrong,” she whispered.

The library’s front door opened, and a rush of merriment entered—along with all the people Evangeline knew in Baxter Creek. Happy faces greeted her, from Bear and Champ to the Coven Mages and a mix of Baxter Creek residents that Evangeline had never seen. The welcoming crowd clapped and shouted good wishes.

Chief Cole came forward, quieting the excited crowd. Hands up, he faced Evangeline. “Surprise!” He smiled. “We’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. Welcome home, Evangeline, and welcome honored members from Baxter Creek’s past.”

Charles stepped forward. “I say, have you brought something to soothe the thirst of a very thirsty traveler?”

“We have!” Chief Cole waved a hand, and two officers brought in a keg, followed by several ladies with food trays. They set up the spread on the long oak table in the reading room, and before anyone could question them, the partiers filled up the library.

“Is this expected?” Samuel whispered to Evangeline. She jumped, not realizing he’d gotten so close.

Instinctively, she grasped his hand. Words failed her.

“I take it you are quite surprised by this welcoming committee?” Samuel asked, clearly taken aback by the turn of events. “We’ve gone from a desperate fight to a jovial party with nary a pause. It does make one wonder.”

Evangeline turned to him. “This is wrong.”

The crowd parted, and Mabel Covington-York made her way through the library. “Well, isn’t this a pretty pickle,” she said, dressed in a stylish jumpsuit and looking younger than her years. “I told them you wouldn’t like a big fuss, but I couldn’t hurt their feelings, the dears. The Coven and the town council insisted that we do this properly. After all, who doesn’t like a good party?”

Evangeline gawked. “What have they done to you?”

Mabel blinked, not getting the joke. “Done to me?”

Taken aback by Mabel’s appearance—which was a head-to-toe makeover—Evangeline didn’t know how to comment on it without sounding rude. The transformation was what she’d have recommended had she dared give fashion advice to the older woman. The heavy, dated skirt was gone. Instead, Mabel wore a flowing dress, ankle length, and sensible yet cute sandals. Her hair was stunningly styled to her shoulders. The silver-gray bob slanted toward her chin. She looked decades younger.

“You’re lovely,” Evangeline mumbled.

“Aren’t you so sweet to say so, and is this Samuel?” Mabel gave him a quick hug. “I’ve looked forward to meeting you, but where is Charles? His wonderful journal ended on this day, but it has bonded our family and the town for two generations.”

“The journal ended?” Evangeline repeated. “You never mentioned that it was about to end. How could it end? He hasn’t even started it yet.”

Mabel looked confused for a second, but then she spotted Charles.

Evangeline pulled Samuel to the side. “None of this is right.”

“As it is my first time in the future, I shall trust your assessment,” he said. “However, I cannot fathom my expectations with reality. Everyone is so welcoming. I expected more trouble, like we were jumping into a fire pit, with far less knowledge of our situation. The whole town appears to know about us and magic.”

“Oh, you’re not wrong,” Evangeline made a face. “When I left, the Coven was starting World War 3 on the front steps. Wait! Danna!” Evangeline spotted her friend, raising a hand to get her attention.

Danna noticed and came over, a bit shy.

“What the hell?” Evangeline greeted her friend, but her usually uninhibited employee held back.

“I’m so pleased to finally meet you,” Danna said, a bit star-struck. “I wanted to visit the library, as soon as I heard about your renovations, but they said to give you space.”

“What kinda joke is this?” Evangeline asked. “Haven’t we met?”

“You think we’ve met?” Danna thought it over.

“She works for me,” Evangeline whispered to Samuel. “I left her in a life or death battle with the Coven.”

Overhearing, Danna gasped. “What are you talking about?”

“You stood up for me and broke your pendant.” Evangeline pointed to Danna’s neck, but her words trailed off. A twisting golden chain held the Coven pendant securely around her neck.

Danna fingered it, frowning. “This pendant?”

Unable to think straight, Evangeline took a step back. “It’s not real. None of this is real.”

Samuel quickly turned Evangeline away from Danna. “Excuse us.” He led her between the stacks. “Could we be in a different future?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know.” Evangeline looked back at the room. It was full of people she knew, but it was all wrong. They were all wrong. “Where the hell are we?”

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