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.”“Oh,” said a dejected Krista.“Cool,” Frankie said.“Good luck.Now, I say we see Alone.”“Dude,” Liam replied, “that looks freakin’ scary.”“I know,” Frankie replied.Krista ignored the rest of the conversation as did Brett.She occasionally glanced over at him and he did the same, but they never locked eyes.Brett was confused.Was she really interested in him? She hadn’t even hinted that she was until that little thing happened at the movie theater.Now she appeared to be visibly upset when he said he wasn’t sure if he could make the movies this weekend.All eyes were on Brett as he made his way into Mr.Martin’s history class; even Ally smiled at him as he took his seat.The teacher rolled the large screen TV into the front of the room and powered it on.The anticipation was even greater than before.Yesterday, no one knew what to expect, today they did.“Now class, just to re-cap,” Mr.Martin said, while pushing play on the remote control.The television replayed the last five minutes of their journey through Southampton, England.It showed them buying the newspaper from the vendor and then walking the short distance to the seaport.The teacher paused the recording when Brett and Ally were about to return home.A boy in the back raised his hand and said, “So, wait.What we saw on TV before, the Lee Harvey Oswald thing.That was real, wasn’t it?”The teacher smiled and said, “Yes, Brian, as real as that dirty t-shirt you’re wearing.” The class chuckled and Mr.Martin continued, looking at Brett and Ally as he spoke.“They failed their mission.If there are no further questions, let’s resume,” he said.He gestured to Brett and Ally to follow him and they obliged, following him to the utility closet, where he pulled out his keys to unlock the door and then down the hidden stairs.“Are we ready?”Brett and Ally changed into their early twentieth century clothes and climbed into their respective glass enclosures.They both nodded at the professor as the tubes closed and they were sealed away from the world.Mr.Martin smiled as he walked over to the wall with glowing lights and switches.He pushed some buttons and flipped some switches.Brett looked over at Ally as the voice boomed overhead, “Your mission.SAVE”, and within seconds, all went dark.Southampton was quiet when Brett came to.It was still morning when he found himself in an alleyway a short distance from where he’d disappeared the day before.It was only seconds before Ally was standing right next to him, regaining her balance as if she just jumped off a balance beam.It was slightly colder than she remembered and she soon wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.“Why does it feel colder?” she asked.Brett shrugged and replied, “Feels the same to me.Let’s start walking.” They continued down the alley until they came to an intersection.Looking left and right, the scene was the same: small one and two story buildings that were attached to each other showcasing homes, shops, and small offices.On the left they noticed the same boy they had bought the newspaper from shouting “Daily Echo!” on the corner.They walked towards him to try and regain their bearings.They still had no idea where they were or what they were supposed to do.“I can’t stop shivering,” Ally said.“Look, that place up ahead looks like a little café or restaurant, let’s go inside.”Brett and Ally walked up to the front of the Tremont Café and opened the heavy wooden door.It was brightly lit and almost looked like the inside of a home.There were couches, chairs, bars and small tables scattered about the place.A handful of people were sitting on chairs or standing at the bar, drinking beverages out of plain, white ceramic or porcelain mugs and cups.A disheveled looking man with stained, brown pants and a grimy white shirt with suspenders, was sitting at the bar nodding off when Brett and Ally walked in.He raised his cup and turned to look at them.“Well, look what the cat drug in,” he slurred, spilling some of his drink in the process.“Ssshhhshouldn’t you two be down at the docks working? Or at least you ssshould.The pretty one there should be down at the factory, folding shhhheets and towels.”Brett and Ally just stood there not knowing how to reply to the drunken man.They turned to walk back out of the café when they heard a voice from behind the bar.“Never mind you, William, you leave those children alone.” The woman walked over to the bar with two steaming plates in her hand and set one down in front of the man named William and another she brought to a man sitting in the corner reading a newspaper.“Come in, come in,” she pleaded, gesturing with her arm to a small table near the back of the cozy room.A great amount of heat was coming from the fireplace nearby and Ally was anxious to sit down.The woman had the girth of two high school freshmen, Brett thought, and the short, brown hair of a boy which was underneath a white bonnet.She wore a long, green dress that was half covered by a greasy, white apron.“Does not surprise me a wee bit that you are skipping your duties today,” she said.“Tea with or without milk?” she asked.Brett and Ally looked at each other.Brett spoke first, saying, “Two without please.”The woman walked away and Ally said softly to Brett, “Tea? We don’t drink tea.Well, at least I don’t.”“I don’t either, but it seems like everyone here does, so we will too.This further confirms our thoughts that we are in England.”“Shh,” Ally whispered.The woman returned with two small cups and a small kettle with steam coming out of its spout.She placed them on the table alongside a small glass bowl of sugar [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]