Free Infinite Time: Time Travel Adventure by H.J. Lawson, Jane Lawson Page A

else do you want to know?”
    I try to move away from the subject, but I’m not quite done. “So let me work this out. Vandir has learned how to capture time travelers’ power, and he uses this power for his own time-traveling army. The more natural time travelers he has, the bigger his army can be?”
    “Basically, yes.”
    “Were there other time travelers there, hooked up to the machine?”
    “Yes.”
    “How did you get away?” I fire questions at Scarlet before she can stop answering them.
    “Beth rescued me.”
    “Who’s Beth?”
    Scarlet goes to speak, then stops. “You will meet her soon.”
    “Why didn’t Beth rescue the other time travelers?”
    Scarlet pulls the paper wrapper off the water bottle. “It’s not that easy. We’ve tried to get the others out. But…” Scarlet pauses.
    “But what?”
    “We end up losing more people.”
    Scarlet looks out the window. I give her a moment.
    Tora’s spoon scrapes along the bottom of the ice cream tub. My time for questions has nearly run out.
    “Why do they want—?” I nudge my head toward Tora; this way she won’t know we are talking about her.
    “For what she will do in the future.”
    “What will she do in the future?”
    “I don’t know, I never know.”
    “Don’t you go into the future to find out?”
    Scarlet leans forward toward me, resting her elbows on the table, like I’ve finally said something that’s she’s interested in. “Every time. And they basically disappear off the face of the earth. Or are reported dead. I’ve never found one of them after I leave them.”
    We both look at Tora. “They disappear or are reported dead?”
    Scarlet nods. “But I don’t think they die. I think someone is taking them.”
    “What, so we rescue them because they are important to the future, but then they disappear in the future?”
    “Yes. This is the part that doesn’t add up.”
    “The other people that can time travel, do they also have the assignments when they sleep?”
    “Yeah, we all do.”
    “And have they gone into the future to find the ones they've rescued?”
    “Yes, and they can’t find them either. After time people just give up searching for those they rescued. Most don’t go into the future anymore to find them, because they know they won’t.”
    “What’s happening to them?”
    “I wish I knew.” Scarlet gets to her feet. “Wait here, I’m going to the restroom.”
    I smile.
    “What are you grinning at?” she snaps. There she is, snarky Scarlet is back.
    “Glad we stopped, aren’t you?”
    Scarlet doesn’t even look at me as she heads to the back of the store.
    What the hell? As I look back at Tora, Kimi’s face is staring at me through the window of the ice cream shop. She waves at me to come outside.
    “Tora, stay here,” I tell Tora, who responds with a blank stare.
    “Stay here,” I repeat, waving my hands down to the seat, then pointing at Tora, then outside. Great, I’m making her even more confused.
    I just put my hands up and head outside. Tora’s eyes track me as I stand beside Kimi. I nod to Tora, smiling. She looks like she understands, and reaches over for my ice cream tub and digs in.
    “Kimi? What are you doing here? Was that you on the crossroad?” All the questions pour from my mouth as I stand there in shock, surprised at seeing Kimi here.
    “Yes, it was me.”
    “What...” I shut my eyes and then open them again. She’s still here. “You’re… a time traveler?” I sound and feel stupid asking the question.
    Relief washes over Kimi’s face. “Yes, Parker, I’m the same as you.” Kimi pushes up her glasses and I do the same to mine, even though they weren’t falling.
    “Why didn’t you help us?”
    “Because she was coming.” Kimi scowls into the window, then moves toward the side of the doorway.
    “Who?”
    “Scarlet. Parker, don’t trust her.”
    “What? Scarlet? Why?"
    “Parker, just listen to me. You’ve known the girl for a few hours, and me for the