The Thyme Travelers

The Thyme Travelers

By Ale Gonzalez

Chapter One: The Project

I absolutely, irrevocably, unconditionally, totally and COMPLETELY hate science. Hate it, hate it, and hate it. It is the most boring subject anyone could have ever learned! Why was mankind cursed in such a way? I dreaded first hour every single day. That was my torture-I mean science hour. God, someday I hoped that later generations wouldn't have to be subdued to this...this... grrrr!! I just wished I could grab my science textbook (500 pages of evil) and throw it at the window. Or at my teacher. Mr. Hyde was pure evil. I swear he's got something against me! I don't get what, he just hates-no, loathes my guts, and I never did anything! This was just totally unfair! And the clock: It goes so slow! We still had forty-five minutes of this torture chamber and-

"Cassandra!" a voice yelled that knocked me out of my reverie. "Cassandra Thyme!" the voice yelled louder.

"Wha-what?" I asked, coming back to reality.

"Thank you for tuning in," Mr. Hyde said coldly. "Tell me the three primary colors of light." Well, seeing as to how I had no choice...

"Red, green, and blue," I answered.

"Good. Next time, pay more attention!"

Okay, so I knew a little science. So what? If I flunk this class, I won't get a car for my sixteenth birthday. And I only want to go through school once, so might as well do it right. My grandmother loved science. Every time I went to her house (which was very often) she made me play with her chemistry set. I hated it. She made me memorize the periodic table of elements. She made me dissect a sheep's eye. Okay, so the sheep's eye was kind of cool, but then she made me do a follow-up paper on it that had to be ten pages long (I typed it in 24 font and double-spaced with huge margins just to waste space). But don't get me wrong; I love my grandmother, but let's just say I don't share in her love of science.

"Cassandra, tell me which lens diverges light," Mr. Hyde commanded, making me think again. I sighed.

"Concave," I answered in a bored tone.

"Correct, Cassandra," Hyde muttered. Okay. So I am a science genius. I have a 111% in this class without extra-credit. And I'm not proud of this. No one knows except me. Not even my parents. They don't care, but I do, and not in a good way. I've tried so hard to lower my grade and be average, but it never works. It's not fair! I don't look like the smartest chick in the class, and that's probably because of my blue hair, torn old hand-me-down jeans and college t-shirts that I wear every day.

"Okay class, before you guys start daydreaming again," he said this while boring a hole through my face with his eyes, "I wanted to tell you about the Invention Showcase next month." There was a collective groan throughout the class, but Hyde ignored it. "The other science teachers aren't going to make this mandatory, but they don't realize their class's true potential. Therefore, for the Invention Showcase, you will make an invention that improves society. I have already partnered you up, and this will count for twenty-five percent of your grade. You and your partner must work together or both of you will fail," as he looks in my direction, since I'm known to do all the work. "I'll read off the partner list now." There was another groan from the class, and I prayed to God that I wouldn't be partnered up with some weirdo. "Katy Holland and Nolan James." Okay, so this was going to be boy-girl partnership. We had equal amounts of boys and girls (Fifteen boys and fifteen girls), so this would work out. "Joshua Gordon and Elise Reynolds. Nicholas Thomas and Anna Vespucci." She was the new Italian exchange student, but I didn't know much about her. Well, I didn't know much about anyone in this class...or in the whole school. I didn't have friends, just acquaintances. People I randomly said hi to in the halls, but no one I actually invited over to my house. I sat alone at the lunch table. I only knew of one other person who did this. His name was Zachariah Stone. He was tall, solitary, and wore black a lot. Not to say he was Goth or emo, he just wore black jeans and a black leather jacket most of the time. Sometimes he would wear a plain white t-shirt, but that's it. He had really dark hair just barely passing his eyebrows, and I'd only heard rumors of his piercing green eyes. This was a class I shared with Zachariah Stone, along with English and history. He wasn't popular, thank God. We have enough brainless wannabe's in this school. All of them look the same. Blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect teeth, skinny waists, perfect hourglass figure. Blech. He didn't chase after them, I noticed, which was good. "Cassandra Thyme and Zachariah Stone." I looked at the opposite end of the classroom (I sat in the back left hand corner and he sat in the front right hand corner) and we made eye contact. He looked at me with expressionless green eyes, his dark hair brushing his face. "And Melissa Block with Gabe Columbus." Suddenly the shrill bell that signifies the end of the hour rang. Still looking at Zachariah, I picked up my stuff and began to walk out of the classroom. I must've blinked because Zachariah was gone in an instant. Well, he did sit right next to the exit, so yeah. As I was almost out the door of the dreaded science room, Hideous Hyde stopped me.

"Hold on, Cassandra." He looked at me with old, gray eyes.

"Yes?" I asked impatiently. I needed to get to my next class.

"I want you to pay more attention to me. I am sick of your daydreams in class. Do you think I just lecture because I like to hear myself talk?" I didn't answer. "I lecture for you to learn. You're in tenth grade, for goodness sakes. Stop daydreaming like a five-year-old!"

"Yessir," I mumbled.

"Now get to class!" he yelled. Well, he didn't have to tell me twice. I scrammed out of there faster than a lightning bolt. I rushed to my locker, grabbed my English stuff, and ran to English. As I was running, I was thinking that since Zachariah and I have the same English we could discuss the project after class or maybe at lunch.

* * *

The bell rang after fourth hour, which was my art class. Art was my favorite class because you didn't have a teacher hanging over your head telling you what to do. My art teacher, Mrs. Manet (pronounced mah-nay) was the nicest teacher ever and she let us do whatever we wanted in art, just as long as it was creative and had something to do with art (of course). So the bell rang and I walked to my locker to get my lunch. Zachariah's locker was near mine, and I saw him walk to it. He kicked the locker and then did his com, and he got his lunch. He kept his head down the whole time, which made me wonder what was going on inside that head of his. He walked away from the hallway where our lockers were and into the main hallway, the one that led to the lunchroom. I snapped out of my spell and ran towards him, my footsteps silent. I can be silent. I am very silent.

"Hey," I said, as soon as I caught up with him.

"Hello," he said back. He had a relatively deep voice, but it suited him and it wasn't deep like those scary male baritone singers.

"I'm Cassandra," I introduced myself.

"Yes," he said simply. "I know you." Which was a really stupid move to introduce myself.

"Um, well, anyways, uh..." Geez, I had NEVER been tongue-tied like this! The thing is, I don't talk much. Haha, but I like to think a lot!

"The science project," he said.

"Yeah. Um, what... do you have any ideas?" I asked.

"I've only had four hours to think on this, but it's due in a month. Do you want to discuss this at lunch?" Zachariah asked.

"Um, yeah, sure."

We got to the lunchroom and we sat down at his solitary table. It was at the back of the cafeteria, the last right-hand table that had no one sitting at it. I began to open my lunch and I started eating some of the salty and unhealthy chips. Zachariah didn't take anything out except a water bottle, and he chugged that down like he had been in the desert for months.

"First, in order to make an invention," I began, "We have to have a problem." He looked thoughtful at this, and then said, "I wish I did my math homework yesterday." Well, that's great. I'm stuck with a guy that doesn't do his math homework. But fine. Whatever. I'll deal.

"Um," I thought, "I'd like Hyde to be a better teacher," I pitched. I saw the corner of his lips twitch, almost like he was going to smile, but then it vanished.

"I had no time for most of my homework yesterday," he said. Clearly he has a problem with time.

"Zachariah, I need to make sure you're a hundred percent on board with this project. I don't wanna end up having to do your half of the work for you."

"Call me Zach." That was his response. That's it? Oh boy. I sighed.

"Okay." Then I saw him frown deep, as if trying to figure something out.

"Time," he said.

"What?"

"Time," he continued, almost as if he were suddenly enlightened, though he didn't smile. But his eyes lit up. "That's it. It's time." I still wasn't 100% sure of what he was saying.

"We're going... to fix... time?" I said, making sure I was on the right track.

"Exactly."