Marci made her way through the woods, through the deserted-looking campus, all the way to her dorm room. Amber was in bed and appeared to be asleep, but Marci knew better. She clicked on the light, and Amber sat up.
"Was she right?" Marci said.
"Was who right?"
"Rachel. I mean History Girl. She said I'm your sidekick."
"Not at all," Amber said. "Sidekick implies a subordinate, like a trainee. We're friends."
"For a while, I actually thought that I was Future Girl. I thought I could be the hero. But you and History Girl are operating on another level."
Amber shook her head. "You can be whatever you..."
"I know, I know," Marci said. "I've heard your spiel about the future. I agree with your ideals and everything, I just wonder what my place is in all this."
The two of them sat there for a moment. Marci's shoes were stained with dirt and small leaves after hiking through the woods. Amber wore white pajamas with little pink hearts all over them.
"Did you mean it?" Marci said. "Did you mean it when you said History Girl was brought here for a reason?"
"I wouldn't just say something like that if I didn't mean it."
"Well," Marci said. "Maybe you and I weren't brought together by chance either. What if I was meant to meet you? What if I was meant to learn your secret?"
"Do you have any idea how many random variables would have to..."
"About as many as a teenage cowgirl from the Old West to be pulled into the present through a bunch of oversized artificial sharkskin cells?"
"You have a point."
Marci closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
"I think that maybe I am your sidekick. That this was meant to be."
"Marci..."
"I'm serious. I want to help people too. But I don't have superhuman powers or an Old West trigger finger. So how can I help? By helping you."
"I feared you would reveal my identity, but you haven't."
"I would never."
"And you gave those security guards quite a chase from what I could see overhead."
"That's right."
"And your invasive plant theories are sound. They could improve a lot of people's lives, once you sort out how not to turn it into a monster."
"Thanks for the reminder."
"All right," Amber said. "I have a sidekick."
****
Amber rolled over in bed, facing away from her roommate. She listened as Marci changed her clothes and got ready for bed. When Marci shut off the light, Amber kept her eyes open. She rolled over again, resting on her back and staring into the dark.
One question ran through Amber's mind. What is the Temple?
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END OF CHAPTER 5
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Next: Murder in London.