Free Allergic To Time by Crystal Gables Page B

couldn’t possibly have guessed what we were actually doing. I was almost as much in the dark as she was. I mean, what the hell had Martin meant when he said he had files on me, that he needed to check?  
    I was beginning to think I barely knew him at all. All those years, thinking that I could trust him, thinking I understood what he was all about, and then it turned out he was a gun-collecting conspirator that published bizarre articles about time travel under pen names.
    I stared back at Connie. She probably had the same unwavering faith in Martin that I’d once had. That all of his loyal students had. Didn’t I have a responsibility, as a scientist, as her ‘friend’, to tell her the truth? Or should I shield her from this, as Martin had commanded. After all, getting involved in all of this had almost cost me my life the day before. Maybe it was better I warn her.  
    I took a deep breath. “Connie, there’s something you should know about Martin.”
    Connie’s face was worried. “What?” she asked, quietly, clearly worried about what I might be about to reveal.  
    “He’s not who he claims to be,” I began. “Well, not entirely, anyway.”
    “What on Earth do you mean?”
    I snuck a worried glance up the hall. I suddenly felt guilt about revealing anything to Connie about Martin. Like I was being unfaithful to him, which was absurd. Considering how much he had kept from me, how much he had lied to me.
    Still, I continued on.  
    With my voice as low as possible I whispered to her. “He searches for time travellers.”
    Connie burst out laughing. She stepped back, breaking the intimacy between us. “What?” she asked, barely able to get the words out between laughing fits. “Anna, are you insane?”
    I shook my head. “This isn’t a joke.” I shushed her. “Stop laughing. I don’t want him to know I am telling you this. We could both be in big trouble.”
    Now it was Connie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Okay, fine, you don’t want me to tell me what’s really going on in there, I get it. But come on, you could have come up with a more believable lie.”
    I was indignant. “Connie, I am telling you this for your own good! You don’t understand. I think he is involved with something dangerous.”
    She stopped laughing for a second. “Dangerous? How?”
    I shook my head. “He’s mixed up with some secret government organisation or something. There’s people out to kill him.”
    “Martin?” she asked. “Martin Anderson?”
    I nodded. “He has a secret life.”  
    “Anna, I think you are taking your obsession with him a little too far...”

“What obsession?” I snapped. “You are the one with the obsession.” I stared at her, daring her to dispute that.
    She didn’t reply. She just shook her head. “Okay fine, go back to your stupid secret meeting.” She shot me an angry look and adjusted the straps on her backpack before turning and walking away.  
    “Connie wait!” I’d honestly wanted to warn her, to try to tell her she shouldn’t trust Martin. All other issues aside, I genuinely didn’t want to put her in any danger. But she didn’t stop or turn around. She just headed towards the exit and slammed the door behind her on her way out. I stood there staring at the door for a second, wondering if I had done the right thing, by saying anything to her at all. Not that she’d believed me anyway. After a moment’s thought I turned and headed back towards Martin’s office.  

    ***  
    “What took you so long?”
    “It took ages to get her to leave,” I said quietly, sitting down across from Martin, feeling lonely, and worried. I wished that Connie had listened to me, had believed what I’d been trying to tell her. I felt like I wanted her to be on my side.  
    Robert was staring down at me with worried expression on his face. I realised that, out of the two of us, he had a much better reason to feel concerned: after all, he was stranded in a time that he didn’t