Parallel (Travelers Series Book 1)

Parallel (Chapter 23)

Chapter Twenty-Three
My First Slumber Party

My aunt is thrilled I when I tell her I’m doing a girls night in with Jaime. Something about behaving more like a teenager, she says when she gives her permission. She has a point; I never really had much of a real childhood.

I quickly head up to my room to pack a few things for my sleepover. When Jaime first suggested it, I was hesitant, but I’m actually looking forward to it now. I stuff a few items in my bag: pjs, toothbrush and my hair brush. I figure I can just borrow anything else I need. This is actually going to be fun, I tell myself.

Before heading over to Jaime’s, I pop in the kitchen to say goodbye. I choke back surprise at seeing my teacher sitting comfortably in the kitchen. Aunt Maggie, the great hostess that she is, has already offered her coffee and homemade scones.

“Miss Stone, what are you doing here?” God, I hope she didn’t come by to tell my aunt I’m flunking physics.

“April,” she says, turning the stool around in order to address me. “You can call me April.”

“Am I in trouble?” I thought our little meeting after class was the end of the discussion. She didn’t say anything about coming over to discuss my poor grades.

“Maggie?” Miss Stone turns to my aunt for assistance.

They’re on a first name basis now?

My aunt tears herself away from the fridge and answers for her. “Honey, this isn’t about your studies,” she smiles. “I’m well aware of your poor performance, but that’s not why she’s here. April is your advisor.”

Huh? I’m supposed to get private tutoring now? How is this not about my grades? “Can’t I just study with Jaime?”

“What? Oh, no. She’s not here to mentor you on a scholastic level, April is your advisor. Every beginning traveler has a guide.”

Maybe I was too quick to keep Jaime and Alex out of the loop. It turns out everyone knows. I turn to face Miss Stone. “So you knew all this time?”

Miss Stone, uh, April, glances at my aunt for some kind of approval before saying anything. “No. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t positive until this afternoon. When you couldn’t tell me last semester’s lesson, I realized you were back.”

Yeah, yeah, I know, reset memories. I get it. “So what, you’ve been just waiting around for me?”

“Something like that.” You’d think she’d lose the attitude, but she still has that annoyed look on her face. “My assignment, handed down by the Council, was to assume the role as your physics teacher. I’ve been teaching at Dominion for several years now, wondering if you would ever show up. Now that you have, it’s my responsibility to advise you in your role as a traveler.”

I’m a traveler? Aunt Maggie didn’t mention any of this when she talked about arranging jumps. Is anyone around here going to start telling me the full truth? Full disclosure goes a long way.

To her credit, my aunt looks apologetic. “I only just found out myself. I had no idea that you were marked to be a traveler until April showed up and explained things.”

“What about Cooper? Why isn’t he my advisor, since he’s the one who brought me here?”

April almost spewed her coffee. “Cooper? That’s how you got here?”

“Well, yeah. Don’t you know that? I’d think that would be something you’d know if you were my advisor.” It feels good being able to stand up to her, now that’s she’s on my turf.