Omniscient POV
Professor Smith was at the controls of the time machine when Beyoncé hit the recall signal. Just as he had promised her, he widened the wormhole from microscopic size to normal size to get her let up. Then, he sent the basket back down to her. A minute later, he could see it coming back with Beyoncé inside it. However, the young student's usual scowl had been replaced by a look of intense anger.
"So..." Smith started, taking in his employee's heated expression. "You were gone almost the entire night. You had fun... Yes?" he asked, hoping the look Beyoncé was giving him was just a sign of her being overly grouchy, as she often was.
Beyoncé quickly got in Smith's face, narrowing her eyes at him and giving him a hard poke to the chest. "Fun...? Fuck no! You need to check your machine, buddy! It was a bit off."
Smith backed up with a worried look. "Off? How?"
Beyoncé huffed and hardened her jaw. "The date was off by three years and five months! So instead of getting sent to the festival on May 12th, 1937 like I was supposed to, I ended up on October 9th, 1940. The day of the fucking London Blitz, genius! I could've died," Beyoncé ranted. "So no, it wasn't fun! I even witnessed them pulling some poor guy out of the rubble on my way back and he didn't look good. Not to mention how I spent the entire night sleeping, rather uncomfortably might I add, in the corner of an underground station. I'm tired, my back hurts, and I'm hungry as shit on top of all that. So no. Once again, I did not have fun."
Smith's light brown skin turned red as he took a rather nervous sip from the coconut he was holding. "Oh... My. I'm so sorry. I... I need to check the calibration."
Beyoncé nodded and grabbed the bag containing her modern clothes from the corner. "Yeah... You do that," she said in a chilling voice, followed by an equally chilling glare. "I'm gonna change, go home, take a shower, eat, down about fifty aspirin with half a bottle of bourbon, then go to sleep. Bye."
Smith frowned, feeling terrible about his mistake. Not to mention, he was half scared out of his wits. "Uh... Take the next week off with pay while I fix this. Once again, my sincerest apologies, Beyoncé."
Beyoncé simply grunted at him then left the room, slamming the lab's door shut behind her.
For the next week, Beyoncé relaxed and attended her classes as usual. Though her thoughts remained on Normani, she pushed aside any nerves about her eventual trip to the 1800s. Her mission will go as planned. No matter what, Normani's life will be saved.
Beyoncé returned to the lab a week later ready to work. No trips had been planned, so Beyoncé figured she would just run errands, as she normally did.
"So, did you get it fixed?" the employee asked upon returning from the store. "Cause that unnerving buzzing, you know, the sound of a couple hundred German Heinkel bombers headed in my direction, is not one I care to hear again," Beyoncé said abruptly.
Smith straightened up immediately. "Yes. A circuit board function had failed, causing the calibration to drift. I'll need to watch out for that in the future," the professor said sincerely. "I also took the time to install a secondary backup. I feel bad for what I've done, but I've got something that'll hopefully make it up to you. Here, take it," he said, handing Beyoncé a rectangular box.
Beyoncé looked at the box and opened it. Inside was what looked like a small, old ticket. Pulling it out, Beyoncé could see it was a well preserved and unused concert ticket.
"You've mentioned that you like The Temptations a lot. So, I found this on eBay and ordered it for you."
"Hell yeah! They're probably my favorite band," Beyoncé said, bringing the ticket up to her face to read it more closely.
The Temptations
8:00 PM. August 25th, 1981
Hammersmith Odeon, London, England.
"Oh... Cool. Thanks," Beyoncé said as she looked back up at Professor Smith. "I'll have to frame this and put it on my wall."
A rather puzzled look suddenly came across Smith's face. "It's an unused ticket."
Beyoncé rolled her eyes. "I'm not blind. I can see that."
Suddenly, Smith stepped back and gestured towards the equipment behind him. "I don't think you're hearing me. You have an unused ticket, and I have a time machine!"
It took about half a second for Beyoncé's mind to connect the dots, at which point her eyes opened wide, a long audible gasp escaping her lips. Looking down at the ticket, Beyoncé's hands began to shake. Realizing she now could see her favorite band of all time in their prime, somewhat youthful age, Beyoncé had a mini freakout.
"Oh my god, Smith!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing around. "Is this real?"
"Yes it is," the professor responded, relieved that his pupil was in good spirits again. "In fact, I have the machine all ready for you to go. You're dressed in all black, as anyone would. So if you're ready, you can go ahead now," Smith explained. "Lastly, I got some pound notes from that time you can spend. Here they are."
"Are you kidding?" Beyoncé snapped as she grabbed the pound notes. "This is about to be the concert of my life. I can't just wear any old black outfit. Oh my god, I have to rush home and pull something together!" With that, Beyoncé bolted right out the door and returned to the lab just over five hours later.
Professor Smith refrained from commenting, but when she returned, Beyoncé appeared much like she did before. She wore black leather boots, tight black tights under a black and green plaid skirt, and a black turtleneck top with a leather jacket. A long necklace with a cross adorned her neck. With her hair impeccably brushed though with her hands, she exuded a captivating allure. "Let's go. And if you dump me in the Blitz again, I'm gonna hurt you," Beyoncé declared, her warning leaving Professor Smith uncertain if she was joking or not.
Ensuring he had the correct date, Professor Smith sent Beyoncé back in time. Arriving in 1981, she found herself in a record store once again. Stepping out of the store, she made her way towards the concert venue.
Soon, Beyoncé stood on Queen Caroline Street, facing the Hammersmith Odeon theatre. Glancing at her watch, she noted that it was just after 7:30 pm. She then turned her attention to the stream of people entering the venue.
Beyoncé marveled at the concertgoers for a moment. Some gathered in small groups outside, indulging in cigarettes. There were those with spiked hair, others with new wave hairstyles sticking out in every direction, and many sporting a classic punk look. Some attendees embraced a gothic style reminiscent of an earlier era. Amidst the vibrant and flamboyant crowd, Beyoncé felt like a sleek, deadly panther. Surprisingly, no one seemed to take notice of her. With her dark colored attire and silver jewelry, she fit in enough, she supposes.
Beyoncé spent the entire evening with her jaw on the floor. As soon as she walked into the venue, she was struck with amazement. Surrounded by a room full of music listeners from the past, she felt herself ascend to the heavens when she heard her favorite band playing one of their many hit songs, Beyoncé's personal favorite, My Girl.
When Beyoncé returned to Smith's lab, she was still on a cloud. The professor actually had to hold her up to help her stand. She was that overwhelmed.
Beyoncé was eternally grateful for the experience, and she felt relieved knowing that she could keep preparing for her upcoming trip to 1869 with a clear head.
The date for her descent to 1869 was set for May 31st, 1869, one week after her last final exam. Ironically, that day also marked Normani's 164th birthday. As it had been explained, each day she spent in the past meant she'd lose one day in the present. Beyoncé therefore needed enough time to prepare.
Between classes and working for Smith, Beyoncé threw herself into her mission. She read up on the slang, style, and politics of the era. She downloaded a number of history and reference books onto her Kindle so she could consult them. She even scanned Normani's journals and had them transferred there. Lastly, using her well cultivated acting skills, she developed a character with a background.
Her character was Beyoncé Knowles from Houston Texas, the daughter of a well-off horse trader who'd recently passed away from consumption. Looking to escape the pain from losing her father, she'd decided to sail around the world. Beyoncé's character was essentially herself with a few modifications.
Beyoncé even consulted her costume design professor to help her get some dresses that matched the Victorian era she was going to. She made sure to mention that it was for a play she was in the process of writing, of course.
Knowing that Normani loved to ride and that her character was the daughter of a horse trader, Beyoncé took initiative and got started with riding lessons on the weekends. Additionally, she scoured antique shops for items her character would need, such as a comb and other toiletries. She also visited old coin shops to find money from the period. Smith helped her a lot with that.
As the days drew closer, Beyoncé grew more and more anxious. To relieve some of the tension, she made several more trips back in time. Her trips ended up being extremely useful, because they gave her the opportunity to finally feel at ease within different eras. One of the many things she did was see an array of several silent movies that no longer existed in the modern day. So many films had been lost over time for various reasons, so the young student was dazzled by the opportunity to take part in something her professors back at school could only dream of.
The very first film Beyoncé saw was London After Midnight, a 1927 horror/mystery film starring Lon Cheney Sr. For this trip, Beyoncé wore her appropriate roaring twenties outfit, went back in time, and watched the movie, even covertly videotaping it with her cellphone.
A year later, the British Film Institute was shocked to receive a DVD copy of the film sent anonymously. Along with the copy were dozens of DVDs with at least twenty other films that had been lost from the silent era. The anonymous delivery created quite a stir, and no one was ever able to figure out who generously donated the films to their collection. The Institute was also baffled by the superior quality of the footage. It was astonishing.
Once May arrived, Beyoncé was finally finishing up her freshman year of college. Summer break was about to begin, and despite her other activities, she'd managed to maintain an A average, much to her satisfaction.
The last week was torture for Beyoncé as she anxiously waited to see Normani. But, with all the determination she could muster, she finally made it. All arrangements had been made. Beyoncé had told her family she would be backpacking through Europe the entire summer, and that she'd be out of touch. She also arranged for Professor Smith to handle her mail and pay her bills.
On May 31st, 2022, Beyoncé Knowles stood in Smith's lab, ready to go. She had two authentic Victorian era bags. One contained her clothes, consisting of two dresses, one nightshirt, and authentic undergarments. She also had a pair of plain black nineteenth century shoes. All her clothes were perfect replicas.
The other bag held her toiletries, an 1863 copy of Richard III, an 1860 copy of Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque by Edgar Allan Poe, her phone, her Kindle, and a solar charger. While the phone itself would be useless, some of the apps could be helpful. The modern items were hidden in a carefully constructed false bottom of the bag.
Beyoncé dressed herself in what she described as perfect "traveling clothes." She wore 1864 Model US Army issue black Cavalry boots, a pair of plain black pants, a simple white dress shirt, and a brown leather vest. Her hair was tied back, and on her head, she wore a Civil War Union Forage cap, also known as a kepi. Over all that, she wore a blue Union Army Great coat. These were hardly things a woman would wear, but she was no ordinary woman.
Her character's father had served in the US Civil War, so Beyoncé used her "father's" clothes to travel in.
Lastly, she had her wallet in her pocket and her trusted knife tucked into her boot.
"Do you have the watch to recall the wormhole?" Smith asked as he warmed up the machine.
"Yes. And to activate the emergency, I need to press the red button three times. I got it, Smith."
"Great. So which exact date are we heading to?"
"April 25th, 1869."
"Why that date specifically?"
Beyoncé smiled. "As it turns out, in the journals, Normani mentions that one of the servants who worked at the inn, a girl named Molly, quit on that day. They didn't find a proper replacement for at least three months. Guess who's going to show up the day Molly quit, looking for a job? It'll give me the perfect way in. Plus, it'll give me just over two months to do my work."
"And you brought the other things you'll need from the box, right? The journals?"
"Yes, in this plastic tub. Why?"
"An experiment. If you change history, those items may have never ended up in that house, so you may have never gotten them in the future, or the present. They may simply vanish. But, I've been thinking. I think that if the journals are in close proximity to the machine, they'll be shielded. I'll keep the tub safe and sound right here."
"Ok. What if I forget something important?"
Smith pulled out a notepad and handed it to Beyoncé. "Keep this. It has notes on everything you'll need. Just keep it safe."
Beyoncé nodded, then carefully placed the notepad in the secret part of her bag before throwing her belongings in the basket. Then, she climbed into the basket herself.
Smith pressed a few more buttons, and then the machine started to make a loud hum. Shortly after, Beyoncé could see the wormhole opening beneath her.
"Good luck!" Smith shouted.
"I won't need it!" Beyoncé shouted back over noises as she felt the basket begin to lower.
With bright lights flashing all around her as she began her descent, Beyoncé couldn't help but grin.
"Normani, here I come."
...
Hey readers ☺️,
So, Beyoncé and Normani will finally meet next chapter! I know there's been a lot leading up to it, but it was necessary to give y'all all the background info and to show y'all Beyoncé's preparations before she could go! Now, it's game time 🥳
Thoughts on everything Beyoncé did to prepare for her mission? Do y'all think it's enough? How confident are we feeling about everything going well? 🫣
Predictions on how Normani and Beyoncé's first encounter will go? Now that y'all know Beyoncé will act as a maid, what do y'all think their dynamic will be like?
Any other thoughts/predictions about the plot and characters? What about how Beyoncé and Trevor Rhodes will meet?
Thank you all again so much for reading! I'd also really appreciate it if y'all gave some love to my Beymani Oneshots book, it's been looking like a bit of a ghost town 👻 lol. I posted a second part of Kingpin. The first part got a lot of attention, so go check it out! See y'all again soon 🤍