GM-46

2024!?

35.

"2024! Is that really possible?" Nathaniel asked.

They were gathered in the cave's main room, seated around the makeshift table.

Aidan had tended to Nathaniel's bruises, and Alexandra couldn't help but stare at his wrist and ankle where the bruises were fading rapidly. Was it due to the young man's exceptional metabolism or to the balm concocted by the giant? Probably a combination of both. Ruth had provided a towel to Alexandra, who had removed her wet sock and dried her chilled foot.

She sat slightly back, body upright with her hands on her knees. The trio, since in their lair, had almost ignored her and seemed to be debating the validity of her claims without paying her any attention. Only Nathaniel occasionally glanced at her to indicate that he hadn't forgotten her presence.

"In theory," Ruth replied thoughtfully, "a master of the fourth pillar could break through the barriers of time to some extent."

"You always told me there had never been an official master of the fourth pillar."

"As far as we know, no, that's why the Council was never whole."

Aidan pushed back the crate he used as a seat, which scraped the floor, sounding like abused brakes.

"Perhaps that's why the last chair of the Council is vacant... its owner may reside in a different time than ours."

Ruth pursed her lips dubiously. "She's too young..."

Aidan gave his friend a mocking look.

"What?" she protested.

"You were never young, were you?" He teased.

She pouted in annoyance. "Yes, of course, but you know what I mean..."

"No, not really, enlighten me."

"She's too young to have already reached such mastery of her pillar."

"Maybe with help?" Nathaniel suggested.

"What kind of help?" his mother asked. "She says she's from 2024! No one suspected the existence of the Naturalis yet."

"I don't know... Maybe she could have visited herself from the future to learn how to control her ability to... herself."

His mother threw her hands up, exasperated.

"Nathaniel... Are you even listening to yourself? That makes no sense... She could have joined us directly from a closer time... Why go back and then come forward again?"

The young man wanted to reply "to gain momentum," but he just shrugged.

"We need to investigate," Ruth continued. "There may be occurrences in the network's encyclopedias, other communities may have more information..."

"Ahem! Ahem!" the teenage girl interrupted, clearing her throat.

Everyone turned to her this time. Aidan and Ruth seemed to notice her presence for the first time. She looked at them and continued in a calm voice:

"Or, perhaps, you could just ask 'her'..."

Aidan smiled at hearing the teenager refer to herself in the third person.

"But of course, of course... Where are our manners?"

Alexandra returned his smile. "I don't claim to understand everything that's happening to me or your 'pillars' stories, but I can tell you how I got here, if that helps..." She finished on an inviting note.

Aidan nodded, and she explained in detail the ritual, adapted from her research on Samhain, that she had followed to propel herself to them.

Hardly had she finished when Aidan and Ruth burst into laughter together.