“Don’t tell me that you’re becoming a time traveler already?”

It was midnight back home, but Kate sounded completely awake when she answered her phone.

“Actually…I think I just might be.”

“What?” Her voice was a high-pitched screech that caused me to hold the phone away from my ear. “Are you serious? I truly had been sort of joking.”

“I know you were. I mean, let’s be realistic, every logical part of me tells me that come noon tomorrow that when this supposed witch casts her spell, Marcus and I will look around to find ourselves totally unmoved. I know that. And that’s totally okay with me. I just made you a promise that I would call should the need arise, and according to Morna, it has.”

“How will I know if it is real?”

“Well, I’m quite sure that this woman is harmless, so you needn’t be worried about her harming us. If her spell does nothing, I’ll call you the moment Marcus and I leave here. If you don’t hear from me tomorrow, then I guess you can assume that it worked.”

Kate sighed, and the sadness in her breath made me hurt all over.

“What’s wrong? Do you need me? If you do, I’ll head back home right now, Kate.”

“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m a little jealous, is all. An adventure like that sounds amazing. Also, you should know. Mom called me this afternoon, and I made the very stupid mistake of telling her where you’d gone. She’s booked on the next flight out here tomorrow.”

That went a very long way to explaining the sigh.

“Oh, Kate. I’m sorry. Whatever you do, don’t let her do everything for you. The last thing you need is to have her coddling delay your progress.”

“I know. I won’t.”

I immediately felt guilty for ordering her around. She wasn’t a child. She knew better than I what was best.

“I’m sorry. I just worry about you.”

“I know you do. How long will you be gone? You’ll be able to come back right?”

“Of course, I will. I could never leave you and Mr. Crinkles. I’ve become quite attached to that damn cat. Morna says whenever I’m ready to leave all I need to do is place a letter to her in the fireplace, and she will return us to her inn. Sounds simple enough.”

“Sounds a little too simple.”

Kate’s tone was suspicious. I understood why. I’d had the same foreboding feeling when Morna had explained everything to me.

“It does, doesn’t it? But, I can hardly argue with her.”

“Where are you going?”

When I told her where, she repeated the shriek she’d let out earlier.

“I told you that book was a sign! The documentary too! You know, Laurel, I’ve never been jealous of you. Not once in our whole lives. I always thought I’d lose my mind if I had a life as isolated as yours, but right now I’m so green with envy I could burst.”

“I suppose if Mom starts to drive you too crazy, you could always come. Morna knows who you are, and I’m pretty sure she already likes you. Just have her send you back, too.”

The words slipped out unthinkingly, and I regretted them right away. It wasn’t right of me to assume that Morna would be willing to do any such thing, and I knew Kate well enough to know that before the fire, it would’ve been just the sort of thing she would jump on.

“Mmm…if only, big sis. This century has enough difficulties for me now. I imagine several hundred years in the past would be even far less accessible for someone with my challenges. If you can though, if there’s any way, please let me know what’s going on with you. And promise me you won’t stay too long.”

“I promise.”

The door to the bedroom Morna had placed me in opened and Marcus stepped quietly inside before gently closing the door. He looked frightened. Covering the speaker so Kate couldn’t hear, I mouthed to him,

“What’s wrong?”

“Laurel, I’m scared. I think we need to get out of here right now.”

I held up a hand to stop him and hurriedly bid my sister farewell. The moment I ended the call, I stood up and walked over to him.

“Why? What are you talking about?”

“I was in the bathroom just about to brush my teeth when I heard voices from what I assume is their bedroom. It was coming through the vent. Jerry seemed to be trying to keep his voice low, but with his bad hearing, he speaks more loudly than he realizes.”

Marcus was shaking he was so worked up.

“Okay, and what did they say?”

“He was scolding Morna, telling her she shouldn’t have lied to us, but if we believed her we were daft fools. He said we had a right to know what we were getting ourselves into. That it wasn’t right for her send us back without us knowing there was no way to return.”

“What?” I dropped to the edge of the bed. He might as well have kicked me straight in the stomach for as ill as I suddenly felt. “Are you certain that’s what he said?”

“I’m sure. Laurel, I have a life back home. People I love. A job I love. I don’t want to be here. Not for even a minute more.”

I nodded in agreement and stood as I began to pace. My bag was still packed.

“Where’s your bag?”

“I packed it before I came in here. We need to go. Now.”

Reaching for my bag, our biggest obstacle came rushing to the forefront of my mind, and I had to reach for the edge of the bed for support.

“We don’t have a car, Marcus”

“I saw Jerry’s keys laying on the entranceway table. We’re stealing the car. I’d rather end up in a Scottish prison than trapped in another century for the rest of my life. Let’s go.”

I was inclined to agree with him.

We exited the room as quietly as we could, and Marcus lifted his bag from the top of the staircase before we made our way downstairs.

I could see the keys glistening under the lamp on the table right by the front door. Marcus moved ahead of me to grab them and hurriedly opened the door. As I moved toward it, the handle swung out of his hand and the door slammed shut in my face.

I’d never experienced such overwhelming fear in my life.

We faced the stairway together and stared into Morna’s rather surprisingly sympathetic eyes.

“I really am sorry about this. I’d hoped for the journey to be consensual, but I’m afraid I canna allow ye to leave. Neither of ye know just how important ’tis that ye go.”

Marcus stepped forward with rage in his eyes, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, the room began to spin. I reached for him, and as I latched onto his arm, everything went black.