Timesurfers Page 10

Her mum held her pointer finger for Cate to see. “False alarm. Jonah’s welcome. Never hesitate to bring a friend home. Suit up and join us.” Her mum opened the back door and bowed before heading out. The three boys stood around the bench, eyes averted.

  Sunlight glinted on the knife blade in the sink. A single red tinged droplet slid off the knife and into the sink. It looked like blood. She could be jumping to conclusions though. It could be tomato, or tomato paste, or that disgusting red drink Balthazar downed each day before he trained. That would be it. Her mum had no reason to lie.

  “I’m off.” Eve headed to the front door.

  A sizzling ball of yellow in the sky, the sun prepared to disappear. “I’ll get one of Mum’s misfits to walk you home. SOMEONE! Come and walk Eve home,” she bellowed over her shoulder. A flurry of pushing and shoving followed, just as Cate’s 6:00 p.m. reminder alarm went off.

  “Settle. Kettle.” Gaspar appeared around the corner. “There might be someone back in Australia who didn’t hear you. I’ll be your protector this evening.” He offered Eve his arm. “It would be my pleasure to escort you home.”

  Cate trudged up the stairs, texting as she peeled her school uniform off.

  CATE: “HOME”

  PIP: “? YOUR DAY?”

  CATE: “FINE”

  PIP: “HOT GUY HEADED UP FRONT PATH. NEW BOYFRIEND?”

  CATE: “NOPE”

  PIP: “TOO BAD”

  She deleted the conversation. Her socks were stained red from the dirt at the Break, and there was a grass stain across the right shoulder of her shirt. She let her hair down from her bun and clipped in her rainbow hair extensions. There was one for every colour tae kwon do belt she’d passed, plus pink and purple ones because they were pretty.

  As she stepped into her white cotton training pants, she contemplated how to begin a conversation with her mum about Brittany. “So, Mum, today I brought a dead cheerleader back to life.” Too direct. She pulled on her white tank top and tied her crossover. The doorbell sounded. Jonah was here!

  Her heart sprinted. There was no time to be paralysed by the fear of possible death. This was her opportunity to find out more about the Timesurfers. Carpe diem. She raced from her room and leapt over the banister, thrilled when she stuck the six-foot drop landing.

  “Impressive.” Jonah slouched against the open front door with Balthazar. Her heart continued to beat double time. She was careful to keep Balthazar between herself and Jonah.

  “You need to be more selective of who you invite over,” Balthazar said with a ferocious glare at Jonah. “This one has trouble written all over him.”

  “Like I care what you think.” Cate’s voice was full of attitude. Messing with Balthazar was one of her most favourite things to do. She was also over people telling her what to do and think.

  “Bite me! Bring your suitor in and introduce him. I’m going to get a front row seat for his meet and greet.” Balthazar swaggered down the hall.

  “Permission to enter?” Jonah leaned through the doorway, one arm resting on each side.

  Her bravado flickered, but she steeled herself. No more being the victim. She poked his chest hard with her finger. “Not so fast.”

  He leaned against the doorframe, relaxed, confident, and tall. His unruly hair and beautiful face gave him the perfect grimy-to-gorgeous ratio.

  “So word is you’re a Timesurfer with the evil Mortez?”

  “Someone’s had an enlightening afternoon. Evil is a bit harsh.”

  “I travelled through time to the future and had a very informative conversation with Naitanui and his Timesurfers. I think evil fits perfectly. You tried to kill me. Twice, if you count the bomb and the near strangulation.”

  “Let it go. The bomb was never about you. I disarmed it as soon as I realised you were in the kill zone.”

  “Then you promptly attempted to strangle me.”

  “I already explained I was only pretending to strangle you.”

  “I suppose you’ve some amazingly complex reason you pretended to strangle me?”

  He shrugged and sighed. “I had hoped it would save you from being discovered by Naitanui’s Timesurfers and all the palaver guaranteed to follow.” The genuine regret and sadness that clouded Jonah’s face was unexpected.

  “They don’t know who I am.”

  “Powerful, ancient cloaking magic can do that.”

  Magic was not her friend at the moment. “But you do. You knew about my migraines and my favourite dessert. What’s the story?”

  “I’m not having this conversation standing in your front door. Permission to enter?” He drummed his fingers against the doorframe.

  This could end very badly. But she also really wanted to find out what the hell was going on. She sighed. No guts. No glory. “Fine!” Against her better judgment she let him in. “Don’t blame me if this is a trap and you end up dead.”

  “I’m confident I can hold my own should this be a trap.”

  “Cate!” her mother hollered from the backyard.

  “I’m not finished with this discussion.” She ushered him through the house, careful to keep him in front of her and at a safe distance. He stepped back to let her through the kitchen doorway, and she hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to have her back to him. She jumped as his fingers brushed her shoulder.

  “Don’t be scared,” he said.

  “I’m not.” She forced a smile. “Don’t ever touch me again without my permission.”

  “Understood. I apologise.” He pushed the door open, careful to avoid touching her.

  For a microsecond, her mind flashed to the moment those long, tapered fingers were around her throat. Here, surrounded by her mum and the boys, she couldn’t be safer. Her blind terror at the sight of Jonah had been replaced by intrigue. He knew her in the future and she kind of felt drawn to him. Like their souls recognised one another. She cringed inwardly at even thinking such a lame thought.

  “Don’t worry, mothers are my specialty.”

  He had misunderstood her hesitation. She bowed and entered the backyard. “You don’t know my mother. Hey, Mum. This is...this is Zach’s cousin, Jonah.”

  Balthazar and Melchior thrust out their chests and assumed the alpha male stance, arms folded with feet planted wide, to stare down Jonah.

  “Jonah,” her mother said with her best principal smile. Cate breathed a small sigh of relief at how excellent her mum was at dealing with weird and unexpected.

  Jonah inclined his head and shook her mother’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am. I’m honoured to be invited into your home.”

  There was an old world charm about Jonah, which was so...manly. Balthazar coughed and mumbled something that sounded like “loser” or “tosser,” which earned him a glare from Cate and a lazy grin from Jonah.

  “Boys,” her mother warned, holding a hand toward Balthazar and Melchior, shuffling behind her. There was a weird vibe between Jonah and the boys. Particularly Balthazar.

  Cate was extremely unperceptive, so for her to notice something was off between Jonah and Balthazar, it had to be big.

  “You have some training gear with you?” her mother asked.

  Jonah nodded and tapped the leather duffel bag over his shoulder.

  Her mother appraised Jonah. “I have zero tolerance for insubordinate behaviour. My time. My do-jang. My rules. No exceptions.”

  “Always.” Jonah murmured something as he sauntered passed the boys. Their eyes flashed with...well...and again she was extremely unperceptive, but it looked like amusement.

  Her mum rolled her eyes, but her mouth twitched as if she was holding back a smile. What was Cate missing?

  Chapter 10

  Quantum Indicators

  If Cate had to hold this wall squat for much longer, she would disintegrate from the inside out. Her thighs were on fire. She blew at an irritating strand of damp hair stuck near her right eye.

  “Cate, get a foot lower,” her mother called. “Your thighs sh
ould be parallel with the ground, not a random angle of your choice. Get down or everyone spends another three minutes doing this.”

  The groans and murmurs about maiming forced Cate to suck it up and slide lower. Her heels dug into the grass, exposing the rich, black dirt underneath. She inhaled the clean, fresh, earthy smell. “Come on. Come on.” Pink, orange, and yellow streaked the sky, their boldness lost against the grey evening sky. She peeked at Jonah. He was killing this. Balthazar was a first-rate martial artist, but Jonah was in a whole other league.

  “Two minutes to go!” her mother barked. “Suck in your abs, Cate. A wilted flower has more core strength.”

  Cate ground her molars. Her mum had it in for her tonight.

  “Drive through the pain. Your body registers pain because you brain tells it to. It’s all in your mind,” her mum called.

  Someone needed to tell that to Cate’s thighs.

  “Geu-man!” Her mum finally called for them to stop.

  Eyes closed, she wilted to the spongy, damp ground. A shadow crept across her face as someone stood over her. Opening an eye, she spied Jonah. “How is it possible you look none the worse for wear?”

  “Pair up! I want to see a bridge.” Her mother’s voice interrupted her exhaustion. “Jonah, lie under Cate and provide some incentive for her to hold herself up.”

  “That would be my absolute pleasure.” He lay on the ground and rolled on his back. “Show me what you’ve got.”

  Cate found having less than an inch between their bodies from head to toe disconcerting to say the least. She braced her elbows on the ground, trying to keep as much space between them as possible. And that wasn’t much in this position.

  “So you wanted know about Timesurfers?” Jonah breathed, close to her ear.

  “Now isn’t a great time to talk,” she hissed. If her arms or abs failed, she would land splat on top of him—an idea that evoked mixed reactions. “This is wrong on so many levels.” Her eyes looked everywhere but at Jonah.

  “We’ve been closer.” His fiendish grin mocked her.

  “Enough with the innuendo,” she hissed. “I get you know me in the future. I know you’re from the future.” If she was a Timesurfer she wouldn’t be with Mortez. She wouldn’t be with the evil one. “Are there other groups of Timesurfers besides the ones with Naitanui and Mortez?”

  “Naitanui and Mortez are the super powers in this war. There are a few small breakaway groups. Then there’s Elias. That’s who Mortez overthrew to take command. He’s off licking his wounds. There are unconfirmed rumours he’s rebuilding his army.”

  “Where does he sit on the scale of good to evil?”

  “Where ever best serves his purpose on any given day.”

  Her mind raced. Jonah might not actually know her, he might just know of her. She flopped to the ground a second before her mother yelled for everyone to change.

  “You heard the lady.” Jonah rolled on his front. “Good and evil aren’t always easy to define.”

  “Well of course you would say that.” She slid underneath him, and heat flooded her cheeks. “How are you Zach’s cousin?” She focused on a spot over his shoulder.

  “We share family blood.”

  She had tried to remember if Zach’s parents had brothers and sisters. It was fruitless. Parents were just someone to be polite to at the front door. “So Zach’s a Timesurfer too?” Now that was a scary thought.

  “Technically he isn’t a Timesurfer yet, but he will be soon.”

  How the hell did Zach hide that from me all this time?

  “He’s just got his L plates. It’s a very new thing.”

  She eyed Jonah warily. “Can you read minds?”

  “No, I’m just perceptive.”

  “All right, people, let’s finish up. Weapons can wait for another night,” her mum called. The three boys whooped with excitement.

  “To be continued,” Jonah said as she wriggled out from under him.

  Her mother addressed Jonah. “Join me in the kitchen while Cate showers.”

  Jonah smiled. “I’d be happy to. Don’t hurry, Cate. I’m sure your mum will keep me busy.”

  Cate showered in record time and padded over the floorboards to her closet. Through the bedroom window she glimpsed Jonah with Balthazar. This could prove interesting. Jonah was a head taller than Balthazar but not as heavily muscled. Balthazar downed ten protein shakes a day.

  The light from the fountain in the front yard cast shadows across Jonah’s face, highlighting the spectacular angles of his jaw and cheeks. He had awesome bone structure. His hair remained perfectly tousled as usual. The two boys maintained eye contact while Jonah spoke. Then they were laughing and slapping one another’s back. What the...? There was only one reason she could think of that would explain why Balthazar knew Jonah. Tempus Falls was bloody teeming with Timesurfers. She pulled on some jeans, wrestled her way into a fleecy, black hoody, and rushed downstairs. Melchior and Gaspar were making an enormous racket in the family room.

  “You want to play?” Gaspar called. “We’re one world away from saving Princess Peach from Bowser.”

  “Tempting, but not right now. Do you know where Jonah is?”

  “Don’t know...” Gaspar said.

  “Don’t care.” Melchior high-fived Gaspar.

  “No!” Gaspar shrieked. “Look what you did! Now we have to start again.”

  She headed to the bay window in the lounge and scanned the front yard for Jonah and Balthazar, disappointed when she found neither. She threw herself on the new couch and traced the intricate silver pattern of the heavy brocade upholstery. It wasn’t as comfortable as their old floral one. She had to find out what her future self had been up to. That meant getting friendly with all the Timesurfers and understanding their magical world. Well, everyone but Rose and Zach. That went without saying. She sighed and closed her eyes. Austin’s handsome face appeared, smiling that infectious smile, just for her.

  ***

  “Dinner’s ready.”

  Cate peeled her eyelids open and struggled onto her elbow.

  Jonah stood at the lounge door. “Dinner’s ready, Sleeping Beauty.”

  She banged the side of her head a few times with the heel of her hand. “I fell asleep?”

  “You were drooling.” He wiped the corner of his mouth with his finger.

  She hurriedly did the same. Drooling. Gross. “Have you been watching long?”

  “That’s for me to know and you to agonise over.”

  He looked way too pleased with himself for her liking.

  “Dinner, remember?”

  “Oh, right. Are you staying for dinner?”

  “Unfortunately I can’t tonight. I have plans. Let me help you up.” The blue inked numbers along his arm flashed as he held out his hand.

  “What are those numbers tattooed on your arm? Austin and Rose have them too.”

  “They’re my quantum indicators. One for each year I’ve been a Timesurfer. Every Timesurfer has them.”

  Balthazar didn’t have those, so he couldn’t be a Timesurfer. “How do you know Balthazar?”

  “We played poker last night. I like cards and Balthazar runs the best game in Tempus Falls.”

  His reply was smooth. He and Austin were both excellent liars. Balthazar did run the best poker game in town though.

  Jonah seemed so normal for someone who had planted a bomb on a bus. “I don’t understand why you would plant a bomb to kill people, and why you would work with someone evil? Nothing would make me do that.”

  “I’m a soldier. In every war there are casualties, but ultimately they give people freedom. I have my reasons for being with Mortez and I’m at peace with my decisions and actions. All of them.”

  “So why didn’t you let me become collateral damage?”

  The intensity in his eyes made her catch her breath. “Mortez ordered me to disarm the bomb so I did.”

  Light burst through the front window as the sensor lights flooded the yard. Jonah�
��s grey eyes narrowed for a second as he glanced over Cate’s shoulder. “You’re obviously tired and it’s late. We can work on your calculus another night.”

  “No, you should stay. I’m all good after my power nap.”

  “Another night.” He drifted out the door and disappeared behind the bare jacaranda tree.

  What plans did he have tonight?

  Chapter 11

  Catherine

  Catherine was waiting for Jonah when he arrived. She probably hadn’t moved since he left two hours ago. He jogged over and flopped onto the limestone steps. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Catherine punched him hard in the arm as she checked his quantum indicators. “It isn’t like it’s a big secret when and where you were going to turn up.”

  “You waited here the entire two hours?”

  She shrugged. “Not the entire time. No loser Zach with you?”

  He examined her arm and tapped the last quantum indictor, which read 2017. “Why make his insides boil for no reason?”

  “You’re way more generous than I would be to him.”

  “It certainly wasn’t for his benefit. I want to punch him repeatedly every second I’m with him because of what he did to you. This was purely selfish. I wanted to have you all to myself this return trip.”

  He checked his watch. It was two o’clock in the afternoon, so there was ten hours until the midnight reset. Each completed trip took two hours in the present, regardless of how long he spent in the past. The magic imposed a 10:00 p.m. curfew on Timesurfing. You had to wait until after the midnight reset to make your next trip. He had a maximum of four trips left today.

  “What’s the story back there?”

  “It’s been a long few days. Cate broke Zach’s nose the other day. It’s a deviation, but a satisfying one.”

  Catherine’s eyes lit up. “Why did she do that?”

  “Well, she”—Jonah raised an eyebrow—“took exception to Zach calling her a social reject and suggesting they revert to item status.”

  The afternoon sun slipped behind Winthrop Hall, outlining the school buildings with a shimmering orange aura. Buildings this beautiful made you want to learn. Not like the high security, concrete jungles most schools had become. The irony made him smile. Winthrop had more security than any school in the country built into its gothic architecture. It was a detention centre for teenagers who ended up on the wrong side of the law. A brush with the law had not brought him or Catherine here though. This was Command for Mortez and her Timesurfers.