Free Clockwiser by Elle Strauss Page B

they talk about when you’re caught in a difficult or dangerous situation? It’s true. I wasn’t about to fight Sara Watson, so it was time to flee.
     
    “I gotta run,” I said flashing Josie a disappointed look. I really wished for a sweeter good-bye. “I don’t want to miss my bus.”
     
    “Bus?” Sara said to my back as I took off.
     
    “Bye, Timothy!” Josie called out.
     
    I overheard Sara tear into her. “What are you thinking? Do you really want to damage your reputation this way? Timothy Donovan is nothing like his older siblings, but then again, neither are you.”
     
    Oh, harsh. I felt bad I’d put Josie in that position, but there wasn’t much I could do about it now.
     
    I made a quick stop at the cabin to grab my small bag of personal belongings (thanks mostly to Josie), and then kept going until I hit the main road in front of the house. Willie was there along with most of the Watson clan. I stayed off to the side so I wouldn’t get in the way of their goodbyes, trying especially hard to be invisible when Sara and Josie finally joined us.
     
    Willie received hugs and tears from Mrs. Watson and the girls, and handshakes from Mr. Watson and the guys. I got glaring eyes from Sara while Josie blew me a discreet kiss, and the rest gave me several pats on the back. The carriage heading for training at Camp Cameron, a rendezvous and instruction camp, stopped on the road in front of us, and Willie and I climbed on.
     
    Willie took a seat beside James Whitbey and I sat across from them.
     
    The carriage was pretty full and was smaller than a city bus by a long shot--shorter wooden benches, narrower aisle with a worn wooden floor and a lower wood framed ceiling. You could tell the new recruits from the old ones by the eager and nervous looks on their faces. Those who were returning had sober expressions like they wished they hadn’t gotten out of bed.
     
    Not me. I felt like I was truly alive for the first time in my life. I knew more than most about the hardships to come, but I was up to it. I wanted to fight.
     
    I tapped my foot and jiggled my legs, trying to release some of my nerves until Willie shot me a look of annoyance. I didn’t want to get on his bad side, so I stopped.
     
    “How long do you think we’ll train at Camp Cameron?” I said to make conversation.
     
    Willie adjusted the cap on his head. “They move the boys through fairly quickly. I’d guess only a few days.”
     
    I hoped he was right. I wanted to get out on the field before I had to head back to the Watsons to find Casey. At least for a couple days, just long enough to get a few good shots off, maybe take down a confederate or two. Then I’d sneak away. Defect. Another sort of rebellion that excited me.
     
    The carriage turned off the main road and down a long drive through a farmer’s field. The funny thing was, this was my turf in my own time. But here, I didn’t recognize anything. There weren’t any identifying landmarks. I had no clue where I was exactly, though I’d overheard the camp was somewhere near Somerville.
     
    We came to a bunch of outbuildings and the horses stopped, letting out several snorts and whinnies to announce our arrival.
     
    A blue-eyed man with a mustache and hair long enough to stick out from under his cap greeted us. He had golden buttons done up to the collar of his uniform and decorative stripes on the ridges of his shoulders that meant he was a fourth lieutenant or something. He stood with hands to his sides and though I understood he was in charge, it seemed he was just as surprised as anyone to be in his position of authority.
     
    “Welcome, gentlemen. You are now officially part of the regiment known as the Massachusetts 13 Infantry under the command of General John Pope. You will be trained here to march and fight. The battle rages on, and you are now required by God and country to fight for the restoration of the Union.” He pointed to a younger soldier dressed in