Prophecy

II

[bellum]

The first thing Tessa heard was the swing music that floated through the air.

Her feet hit the pavement, and as her body adjusted to jumping through time, she scanned her surroundings. Eli leant against the brick wall of the alley they were in, catching his breath. Light still blared from behind them, but as their other friends jumped through the portal, it was hardly noticeable in the broad daylight. Masses of people strolled down the sidewalks at the end of the alley, dressed in the fashion of the decade and proving to Tessa that they definitely were not going to in.

Reese groaned from behind her, and Tessa turned to find the portal closing. "That was a lot more nauseating that I expected it to be."

"Agreed," Eli coughed. "I feel like I've been on a boat in a bad storm."

Tessa took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I'm sure our senses will adjust as we move," She figured. "We need a gameplan."

Imogen pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a slow inhale of the air around them. She dropped her hand back to her side and despite the queasy look on her face, tried to hold herself together. "I vote we rest first."

"I second that," Eli held up a finger.

Tessa ignored them both, thinking. "We've got to change first, or else it'll be pretty obvious that we don't belong."

"What's wrong with that?" Reese coughed, leaning against the wall and glancing up at the sky.

Kaden gave his best friend a look. "We're in the middle of World War Two. Being seen as an outsider is not exactly something you want to happen."

Reese waved his hand lazily, "Minor details."

"Kaden and Tessa are right," Imogen chimed, glancing at her boyfriend. "We've gotta change and then find Vinny and the relic."

"Hooray," Eli mumbled, pushing off of the wall. "How are we even supposed to find one crusty old relic here?"

Kaden clapped the son of Ahklys on the back. "Guess we'll find out."

Tessa gripped Tempest in her coat pocket for reassurance, the cool sting of the bronze pin spurring her mind to focus. "Let's get moving."

She started forward, and her friends trudged after her. Soon enough, they'd reached the end of the alley, and Tessa was faced with the severity of their situation. Everywhere she looked, she saw people of another time, donning suits and skirts and victory rolls. There were posters of Uncle Sam everywhere, beckoning the young men forward and directing them to the nearest recruitment center. The swing music in the air seemed to intensify the more she focused on it, the background to a nation mobilizing for war.

"Woah," She whispered, her turquoise eyes bugging out a bit.

Kaden gave her a sideways glance, the one he always gave her when he was trying to read her. "What're you thinking, Tess?"

Tessa let go of the breath she'd been holding, watching the old-fashioned cars zip down the streets. "I'm thinking that this might be a little harder than we had originally anticipated."

~~

After the stupor of their presence wore off, Tessa and her friends managed to make their way down the streets of New York City. They attempted to keep their heads down, to stick to the outskirts of the sidewalks as if to blend in with the shadows of the verandas outside shops and restaurants that Tessa didn't recognize. However, people still gave them funny looks, and Tessa prayed to the gods that the walk of shame would end soon.