After Eden

Chapter 14

As I made my way down the lane to Ryan’s house with my hair caught in the branches of the sapling in my arms, I began to regret choosing a tree as my gift to Ryan. Earlier that morning it had seemed a perfect choice – something that would last as long as the distance between us. Now it just seemed designed to ensure that I looked a mess. My hair was tangled, my arms covered in dirt and I could feel a trickle of sweat run down my back.

‘Wow, a walking forest!’ Ryan laughed as I approached. ‘What’s this? Birnam wood approaching Dunsinane? Have you come to defeat me? To prove once and for all that you can’t escape your fate?’

‘Umm, help?’ I replied, attempting to untwist a length of hair from one of the branches.

The smell of lemons filled the air around me as Ryan gently untwisted my hair and took the tree from my arms.

‘So what’s this all about?’ he asked, a smile making his eyes twinkle.

‘A gift,’ I said. ‘The gardener at the nursery promised me that this tree will last over a hundred years and produce a healthy crop of juicy apples each year. I thought we could plant it today and then when you get back home . . .’ I swallowed as my words threatened to catch in my throat. ‘When you get home it will still be there, an old, crabby tree, full of apples. You can see what’s become of it.’

‘Is it indigenous?’ he said, placing the tree on the ground. He smiled up at me, a big, happy smile that contained none of the barely concealed grief behind my shaky smile.

‘What do you think? Come on, let’s choose a spot.’

Now I was no longer trapped in a splay of branches, I could see that the only car in the driveway was Ryan’s.

‘They’re meeting with a lawyer in town,’ he said, following my eyes. ‘They won’t be back for a while.’

He winked ironically, but I was used to his flirtations by now and knew they were entirely innocent.

Ryan carried the sapling over one shoulder as we strolled across their vast lawn.

‘How was Miranda?’ he asked.

‘As expected. Disappointed in me.’

Ryan laughed.

‘She didn’t have anything good to say about you either.’

‘But she let you come and spend the day with me?’

‘She’s at work. She doesn’t know I’m here.’ I held up my phone. ‘And I’ve switched my phone off so she can’t reach me.’

Ryan fetched a shovel and began digging a deep hole in the middle of the lawn. His muscles bunched and lengthened as he effortlessly scooped out the earth and piled it to one side. He was just about to lower the roots of the apple tree into the hole, when I stopped him.

‘Why don’t we bury something underneath the apple tree?’

‘Like what? A body?’

‘How about a time capsule?’ I said.

‘What do we put in a time capsule?’

‘We did one at school once,’ I said. ‘To celebrate one hundred years of Perran School. It’s supposed to be buried for another hundred years. We put all sorts of things in it. Headlines from newspapers, a photo of the school staff, another one of the student body. A school tie, the school newspaper.’

‘So we could bury things about us,’ he said. ‘What it’s like to be you and me in 2012.’

‘A time-crossed friendship capsule,’ I said. ‘Things that represent our friendship here in 2012.’

‘Any ideas?’

‘Do you have a printer?’

He nodded.

‘Then let’s start with a photo.’

I held my phone at arm’s length, put my arm around Ryan’s shoulder and grinned into the camera. Snap.

In the kitchen, we printed out two copies of the photo – one for me to keep and one to bury in our time capsule. It was one of those lucky strikes, a quick snap in which we both looked good. My grin was crinkle-eyed and genuine, quite unlike the careful face I usually composed for a photo. Ryan was smiling at me, not the camera.

Ryan got a Tupperware container from the cupboard under the sink. ‘We can use this.’

I put one of the photos in it.

‘What else?’ he said.

I checked my jacket pocket. My fingers touched a letter I had written for Ryan the night before. I planned to give it to him the night he left.

‘Have you got anything?’ he asked.

I shook my head and then I felt a smaller piece of paper. ‘Train ticket to Plymouth.’

‘Ah, the romantic train journey to Plymouth where I pulled you into the loos and showed you my credit cards.’

‘Do you have anything?’

‘My ticket to the Eden Project.’

‘I think we should include a page from Connor’s autobiography,’ I said. ‘If it wasn’t for that book, I wouldn’t know who you really are.’

‘Too risky. We mustn’t include anything that’s from the future. How about I put in one of my sketches of you?

He ran upstairs to fetch it.

My fingers closed again over the letter in my pocket. I took it out and reread it.

Dear Ryan

By the time you read this, I will be long dead. Although my life will be over, only a day or two will have passed for you. It’s strange to think of you out there, still young and pretty when I am dead and gone.

Meeting you has changed my life. I hadn’t thought much about what I wanted to do, but now I know I want to do something good with my life, something that helps take care of the planet maybe.

I wish I’d had the courage to tell you to your face how much you mean to me. But it’s so much easier to write your feelings than it is to say them. I wish you could have stayed. I know why you couldn’t. But I will never forget you.

Thank you for three wonderful months.

I love you.

Eden.

I wasn’t sure I would have the courage to give it to him. I’d never told anyone I loved them before. Not even in writing.

‘I’m going to miss this picture of you,’ Ryan was saying as he came back into the kitchen.

Impulsively I pushed the letter into the container, hiding it under the photo.

‘It’s the first picture I drew of you,’ he said. ‘Back before I knew you were the evil girl who broke poor Connor’s heart.’

I smacked him jokingly. ‘If you miss it that much, you can dig it up when you get back to your own time.’

We carried the container back outside.

Just as Ryan lowered the time capsule into the ground, a car came slowly up the drive. Ryan stood up straight and wiped his dirty hands on his jeans.

‘That’s not Ben or Cassie,’ he said squinting into the sunshine.

The car stopped and a man got out. Travis.

‘I thought I might find you here,’ he said, strolling over to us. ‘Why aren’t you answering your phone, Eden?’

‘I switched it off.’

‘Miranda was worried about you. She asked me to go home and check you’re OK. I managed to persuade her to let you go to the ball tomorrow, but if you’re not careful she’s going to change her mind.’

‘I’ll call her now.’

‘You need to be more careful,’ he said.

I knew he was right, but all I could think of right now was that Ryan and I had only a few hours left together.

‘Um, Travis?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Do you think you could tell her I’m at home? In the garden?’

‘You want me to lie for you?’

‘You know how she overreacts. And it’s not like I’m doing anything wrong.’

‘What are you doing?’ Travis peered into the hole.

‘It’s a time capsule,’ said Ryan.

‘What’s in it?’

‘Nothing,’ I said.

‘Right. A time capsule with nothing in it.’ He looked at us both. ‘Fine. Don’t tell me.’

‘So will you cover for me?’

Travis scratched his neck. ‘I haven’t seen you. Don’t get drunk. Don’t let him drive you anywhere. And don’t get caught.’

We waited until Travis had driven away before saying anything.

‘Travis is cool,’ said Ryan.

‘He’s growing on me.’

Ryan covered the time capsule with dirt while I called Miranda.

She answered on the first ring. ‘Where are you?’

‘In the garden.’

Technically that was true.

‘Why didn’t you answer the house phone?’

‘I couldn’t hear it from here.’ Also true. ‘And I didn’t realise I’d turned my mobile off. Sorry.’

‘Just keep your phone switched on, OK? I need to be able to reach you. I have to work late tonight. You’ll need to make your own dinner. I’ll see you around ten.’

‘See you tonight,’ I said.

Ryan had finished planting the tree. ‘You hungry?’ he asked.

‘Starving.’

‘I made a picnic.’ He looked up at the sky. ‘It looks like the sun is going to shine for a few more hours. Shall we eat outside?’

‘Are you expecting the weather to change?’

‘It will cloud over later on. But tomorrow will be clear again.’

‘You’re becoming quite British you know – this unhealthy obsession with the weather.’

Ryan stood up. ‘When the sky is cloudy, you can’t see the stars. Most of the last two weeks have been too cloudy for stargazing. But tomorrow night will be clear all night.’

Of course. He would be tuned into things like that. I was suddenly reminded of the fact that Ryan was here for a reason and that he’d only shared with me the big picture, the things I needed to know. By tomorrow evening, he would be gone and it would be too late to ask any more questions.

He came back with a blue check picnic blanket that was still in its protective plastic wrap and a traditional wicker picnic basket, crammed with food. He tore the plastic off the blanket and spread it across the grass.

‘When did you get all this?’

‘This morning.’ He gestured to the blanket. ‘Make yourself comfortable.’

He took out a green bottle and two crystal champagne flutes.

‘I was going to buy champagne, but decided that you’d probably had enough alcohol for one weekend.’

‘You thought right. I will never, ever, drink alcohol again.’

‘So we have sparkling water with a slice of lemon.’ He pulled a couple of lemons out of the basket.

‘What else is in the basket?’

Ryan pulled out several different packages. ‘Sandwiches,’ he said. ‘Roasted vegetables and hummus. And I made a salad.’ He pulled the lid off a glass container. Inside was a salad made from cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, black olives and tiny grains I didn’t recognise. ‘And we have cherries and strawberries.’

‘Wow. That looks really good,’ I said, stunned. I would have expected Ryan to be the sort of boy who’d buy prepared food from the supermarket.

Ryan rolled his eyes. ‘What? You didn’t think I could make a picnic?’

‘It’s not that. I’m just surprised at how much trouble you’ve gone to.’

He smiled. ‘It was no trouble. I wanted today to be special. Tomorrow will be stressful. I’ll be working. We both will be.’

The sun was warm on our backs. We ate the sandwiches and drank the cold water and talked about trivial things: the pink and silver theme of the ball, our favourite music, Connor and Megan going to the ball together.

‘It’s hard to believe that Connor is such an important person in the future,’ I said. ‘He’s so ordinary. He’s just Connor. He’s good academically, but he’s not exceptional. I know at least a dozen people in Year Eleven who are cleverer than him.’

Ryan laughed quietly. ‘A few weeks ago you asked me who my hero was. When I was younger, Connor was one of my heroes. For becoming such a big hero with so little effort.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘He discovered a temperate planet, quite by chance. Serendipity. It could have been anyone or no one. It wasn’t as though he’d been searching the skies for a habitable planet. He just happened to have a big argument with someone – you – and go outside and look up at the sky.’ Ryan smiled and shook his head. ‘The discovery wasn’t a big deal at the time. Planets were being discovered every week. There was just a small article in the daily paper and that was that. He didn’t go on to become a famous astronomer or anything like that. He just bummed around for a few years being spectacularly unexceptional.’

‘What did he do?’

‘You can probably guess.’

‘From the pictures in his autobiography, I’m guessing he finally learns to surf. If I had to predict Connor’s future, it would probably be underachieving beach bum. Am I close?’

‘Don’t ask me to confirm or deny,’ said Ryan. ‘You’re going to grow up with the guy. How would you like it if he knew everything you were going to do before you did it?’

‘But you haven’t explained why he was your hero. Why do you admire him if he did so little?’

‘For seizing opportunities when they arose. Eden didn’t matter when we couldn’t get there. But then my grandfather discovered a means of travelling across the galaxy, and suddenly Connor Penrose was famous. He was everywhere. He was on one of the first voyages to Eden. He was interviewed on every chat show. He was everyone’s favourite dinner-party guest. He dined out on that one opportune discovery for the rest of his life. To achieve so much success with so little effort is quite admirable.’

I grinned. ‘There’s no such thing as a work ethic in the twenty-second century then?’

‘Work for work’s sake? No.’

I sighed. ‘Poor Connor. To think he would have had a lifetime of cool parties and easy money ahead of him and now he doesn’t.’

‘We’re not there yet.’

‘I hope he finds something else. I would hate to be responsible for robbing him of a lifetime of fame and fortune.’

Ryan raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure Connor cares too much about fame. And I bet he’ll have a good life whatever lies ahead of him. He has the knack of seizing opportunities when they arise. You may be helping him achieve even greater things.’

‘Or not. It feels so unethical to be helping you ensure he doesn’t achieve the one thing he was known for.’

‘Well, remind yourself that you’re helping save the lives of billions of people. I bet, if he knew, Connor would be willing to sacrifice a little celebrity for that.’

When the food was gone, I lay back down and shut my eyes against the sun, wondering what sort of magic it would take to keep Ryan here in my time. I tensed as I felt his fingers in my hair.

‘I love your hair,’ he said, taking a strand and bringing it up to his face. ‘It smells like apples. Whenever I see apples, I think of you.’

‘With you it’s lemons,’ I said, squinting up through the sun at him. ‘Lemons and metal.’

Ryan crinkled his nose. ‘Metal?’

I shrugged. ‘I like the smell. No one else smells anything like you.’

He smiled and lay back on the blanket next to me. I could feel the warmth of his skin radiating across the small divide between us.

‘Tell me about your life in the twenty-second century,’ I said. ‘I bet it’s loads different to life here. What is it like? How did you grow up?’

‘We had two homes. One in New Hampshire on Earth and one in Zion on Eden.’

‘What is Zion like? Is it a big city?’

In my head I pictured cities I’d seen in futuristic films: large polluted cities with hover cars and neon signs everywhere.

‘Not really. Zion is in a valley. It’s almost completely enclosed by mountains, so it can’t grow very big. The only way in or out of the city is by river. The city itself is built from pink stone, but the surrounding mountains are covered in green jungle so it’s pink and green.’

I remembered the photograph in Connor’s book.

‘I was conceived on Earth, but my parents moved to Zion just before I was born. I spent most of my childhood there. Then Dad decided we needed to be on Earth, to monitor the political mood. So just after I turned twelve, we moved back.’

‘Did you have a best friend?’

‘I hope I still do. His name is Peg. We were in school together.’

‘A boy called Peg? Peg’s a girl’s name. Peggy. Short for Margaret.’

‘How is Peggy short for Margaret?’

I shrugged. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘Peg’s a boy’s name,’ he said. ‘Short for Pegasus.’

‘Pegasus!’ I couldn’t help but giggle.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t tell you my real name then.’

I rolled on to my side so I could look at him. ‘Ryan’s not your real name?’

He tilted his head in a half-nod, half-shake. ‘Yes and no. My full name is Orion, after the constellation.’

‘Orion,’ I said, staring at him. ‘I like it.’

‘No one calls me Orion, except my mother when she’s cross with me. It’s usually Ry. In the second half of the twenty-first century, naming children after stars and constellations is very popular.’

‘Orion and Pegasus,’ I said smiling. ‘What about Cassie?’

‘Cassiopeia.’

I sat up and reached for my glass of water. ‘And Ben?’

He laughed. ‘Short for Benjamin. Not everyone is named after a constellation or a star.’

Ryan sat up. He reached out a hand and touched my cheekbone, his warm fingers running slowly down the side of my face. My skin burned beneath his touch.

‘But you’re unique,’ he said. ‘You’re not named after a star or a constellation. You have a planet named after you.’

He looked into my eyes. His brown eyes were dark; I could see my reflection in his pupils. His hand cupped my chin. I held my breath.

‘Orion,’ I said. It felt strange calling him by his real name.

I could feel his warm breath on my face. Then, abruptly, he turned away. Something dawned on me. ‘Is there a girl back in the twenty-second century?’

He shook his head. ‘There’s no girl.’

‘So . . .’

‘I’m not going to make this harder than it already is.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I’m not going to kiss you. How much harder will it be for me to leave tomorrow night if . . .’

‘I understand,’ I said softly. And I did understand, but it was still hard not to feel rejected. Surely if he really liked me – if he wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him – he would kiss me anyway and to hell with the consequences. In fact, I knew that if I was the one who had to leave, I wouldn’t be able to do it. I couldn’t leave him behind. And the only thing stopping me from begging him to kiss me and then begging him to stay, was knowing that he would say no.

‘You know, when I signed up for this mission,’ he said quietly, ‘I thought it would be the biggest thrill-ride. I thought I could be a hero, save the planet, meet some cool people and then go home. I thought it would be easy. I never expected to develop feelings for the people I met. It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t want to go back.’

‘Is there no way?’

‘You know the answer to that.’

I remembered, miserably, what he had said about clean-up agents ensuring that the laws of time travel were followed.

Ryan jumped quickly to his feet and took out a small silver box from the pocket of his jeans.

‘It’s time for your gift,’ he said.

I took the box from him and lifted off the lid, wondering what on earth he would give me. Lying on a bed of white cotton was a key.

‘Um, thanks?’ I said, confused.

‘It’s the key to my car,’ he said. ‘Or perhaps I should say, your car.’

‘Oh my God!’ I yelled. ‘Thank you!’

He shrugged. ‘I can’t take it with me.’

‘I’m not seventeen for three months.’

‘Let’s be honest, it hasn’t stopped me!’

‘Are you suggesting . . .’

‘Look, you’ve often said how isolated you are out here at Penpol Cove. One of the first times I spoke to you, you were walking home alone on a dark and windy night. I figure, if I teach you to drive now, you can get a bit of practice in here, and then by the time of your birthday, you’ll be ready to get your licence.’

I tried not to run like an excited little girl as we headed over towards Ryan’s silver car. I unlocked the door and slid into the driver’s seat. Ryan sat in the passenger seat.

‘Let’s belt up,’ he said. ‘This could be a bumpy ride.’

‘I don’t want to hear any crap about female drivers,’ I said.

Ryan laughed and showed me how to check the gear-stick was in neutral before turning the ignition. The car purred into life.

He rested his hand on my left knee. ‘This is your clutch foot,’ he explained.

If he kept his hand on my knee, there was no way I would be able to focus on learning to drive.

‘The only thing you do with it is dip and release the clutch pedal. Your other foot controls the gas and brake.’

He held my left hand and placed it on the gearstick. ‘I want you to press down on the clutch and I’ll help you find first gear.’

I pushed down on the clutch, the way he’d described, and he moved my hand into first gear.

‘Gently release,’ he told me, ‘and step down lightly on the gas.’

I did as he said. The car lurched forward and stalled.

‘It’s getting hot in here,’ I said, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. I rolled down my window.

‘Cassie, Ben and I all had to teach ourselves,’ he said, laughing. ‘We had the cars delivered here to the house. We kept stalling too. In fact, we nearly sent them back to the manufacturer because we thought they were faulty.’

‘What am I doing wrong?’

‘Nothing. It takes a while to get a feel for how to release the clutch. Just keep trying.’

By the third attempt, I managed to get the car moving. Within seconds the engine was screaming.

‘Take your right foot off the gas pedal, dip the clutch and we’ll move up into second,’ Ryan shouted above the noise of the engine.

I lurched forward again.

By the time I had driven to the end of the driveway and reversed back ten times, I was feeling pretty confident.

‘I think it’s time for you to take us out on the road,’ said Ryan.

‘What if someone sees me?’ I said.

‘I’ve been driving along the coast road for months without anyone noticing,’ said Ryan. ‘I’ve never seen a cop car. Miranda and Travis will both be at work.’

‘OK,’ I said shakily.

I drove up the lane from the farmhouse to the village in second gear, leaning forward over the steering wheel, terrified that I would meet a car coming in the opposite direction and have to brake suddenly, or worse, reverse. Once in the village, Ryan directed me round the roundabout. Several roads radiated off the roundabout like the spokes of a wheel. I took the last exit, the coast road. The road my parents had driven along the night they died.

‘Maybe it’s time to try third,’ Ryan suggested, when the engine started roaring again.

He helped me ease the car up through the gears until we were cruising along the coast road in fifth gear, at a leisurely thirty miles per hour. He was right. It was empty. Most people used the bypass these days, unless they were visiting one of the few farms or cottages along the road.

My internal organs rearranged themselves and my knuckles whitened as we approached the cliff top above Lucky Cove. The road turned back on itself in a sharp hairpin bend. I changed down to third and took the corner slowly.

‘You’re doing great,’ said Ryan. ‘You’re really good at this.’

I could feel him looking at me, but I was concentrating too hard on the road ahead to meet his eyes. The road snaked wildly, following the curve of every hill, rising and dipping with the contours of the land. It wasn’t difficult to imagine a driver losing control. I couldn’t fail to notice the cheery yellow gorse flowers lining the road, or the glimmering blue sky above us.

As we approached Perran, I began to panic. I hadn’t passed a single vehicle on the coast road, but Perran would be busy.

‘I can’t drive through town,’ I said.

‘Yes, you can. Don’t lose control. Just drive. I’ll talk you through it.’

‘What if Miranda sees me? Or Travis?’

‘They won’t expect to see you driving a car. Just relax and keep doing what you’ve been doing.’

I slowed down to twenty miles an hour and tried to avoid hitting the brake every time a car approached me.

‘Shift down to second,’ said Ryan, as we came close to the harbour car park.

He talked me through the gear changes, indicating and pulling into a parking space. It wasn’t until I switched off the engine that I realised my hands were shaking.

‘That was fun!’ I said, secretly pleased with myself.

‘You deserve an ice cream. You did great.’

Ryan reached for my hand. I wanted to squeeze it tight, but I knew that my hand was sweaty with nerves and I didn’t want to gross him out.

‘It doesn’t look like there are any clouds coming our way,’ I said, as we sat on the edge of the wall with our 99 flakes.

‘It will cloud over,’ he said. ‘Tomorrow night will be the only clear night during the transit of Eden.’

‘What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know. Check out our apple tree and our time capsule?’

‘And then what?’

‘See my family. Find out what has changed. Things could be very different when I get back. Our time here in the past will have changed the future. Who knows what I’ll find when I get home.’ He smiled at me. ‘A healthy planet with lots of trees, I hope.’

‘I wish I could come with you. I would love to meet your family and friends.’

‘I wish you could too.’ He squinted out to sea. ‘I’ll tell them all about you.’ He sighed. ‘Not everything of course. In the old timeline they’d be fascinated to hear about the girl who Eden was named for. But they can’t know that now.’

‘What will you tell them? Won’t they wonder why you travelled to the past? Won’t they wonder what your mission was?’

‘We have a cover story. About preventing the extinction of the chicken.’

I giggled. ‘You’re kidding?’

He shook his head. ‘No.’

‘Why chickens?’

‘If we went back and told them the real reason for our mission, it would defeat the whole purpose of the mission! Most time missions have to have cover stories. I’m not sure you can understand the value of a chicken’s egg in my time. You have more than enough protein and farm-raised animals are plentiful. When I come from, chicken eggs are considered the ultimate luxury protein food.’ He shrugged. ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’

‘I can’t imagine you living your life in the future.’

Ryan looked at me. ‘I can’t either. Being so distant from you. One of the first things I’m going to do when I get home is find out how you’ve lived your life. I’ll be checking into everything. I want to find out you’ve led a brilliant, exciting life. Learnt to drive, gone to university, travelled the world. Gotten out of Penpol Cove.’

‘What’s wrong with Penpol Cove?’

‘Nothing. It’s wonderful. But you need to experience the rest of the world as well. Get out there and explore the possibilities.’

‘I have to consider Miranda. I’m all she’s got.’

‘But you still have your own lives to live. Maybe when you leave home she’ll go back to college and train as a lawyer. You can’t hold each other back. You’re made for more than Penpol Cove.’

I bit my lip. He was right. ‘How will you find out about my life?’

‘We all leave a trail behind us,’ he said. ‘Marriage certificate, children, social-networking pages, newspaper articles. Maybe I’ll visit your descendants.’

‘That thought makes me feel so sad,’ I said.

Out on the horizon, a thick band of sea fog was rolling slowly towards the shore.

As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I knew that Ben and Cassie were home. Their cars were parked side by side on the block paving by the house.

‘Did they give you a hard time last night?’ I asked.

Ryan shrugged and unclicked his seat belt. ‘They freaked out a bit. Reminded me of my mission objectives. Lectured me on the Temporal Laws. The most frustrating thing is they don’t believe that we’re just friends. The number of times Cass went on about too much testosterone and me having poor self-control.’

‘I wish you’d exercised a little less self-control,’ I said, because time was running out for us and anything that was to be said needed to be said now.

‘So do I. Sometimes,’ he said. He reached out and cupped my face in his hand. ‘Maybe I’ll fall in love with your great-granddaughter.’

I knew he was trying to make a joke, but his words just left me with a gaping emptiness. To be born in the wrong time, always wondering if one of my descendants would be the girl who finally felt those arms wrapped around her, those lips on hers, was too tragic to laugh at.

‘What a lucky great-granddaughter,’ I said, attempting a light-hearted tone.

We went inside. Cassie and Ben were sitting at the dining room table, frowning at a large sheet of paper. Cassie covered the paper as soon as I entered the room.

‘How was your driving lesson?’ she asked.

‘Good,’ I nodded.

‘She’s a natural driver,’ said Ryan.

‘Eden, I would like you to stay for dinner again tonight,’ said Ben. ‘We’ll be going over the final preparations for the ball.’

‘I’d love that,’ I said. I wanted as much time with Ryan as possible, even if that meant enduring Cassie’s sarcasm.

‘Ben wants to go over the flight plans with you, Ryan,’ said Cassie. ‘Eden, come with me.’

Cassie took me shopping. I looked at her side on as she put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. Her shiny, tightly coiled blonde ringlets snaked down her back. Her skin was clear and, although it seemed she never cracked a smile, she was undeniably beautiful. She caught my eye as she slipped the car into first and I looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

‘What are you going to do when Ryan leaves?’ she asked expressionlessly.

She moved up through the gears rapidly.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’

I felt my face flush pink. This was not a conversation I wanted to be having with Cassie.

‘Yes,’ I said quietly. ‘But I’ve known for a while that we only have a short time together.’

‘So you’re not going to try and persuade him to stay here?’

‘No.’

‘And you’re not going to try and come with us when we leave?’

‘No.’

She glanced at me, the slightest smile crossing her lips. ‘Ryan is right. You’re practical. Strong. You’re coping with some weird stuff very well.’ She hesitated. ‘It will be difficult when you’re left behind. You might want to tell someone about what you’ve been through.’

‘I won’t say anything.’

‘Good.’

We were on the main road now, heading towards Tesco. She drove in silence until we reached the turn-off.

‘Just remember that you must never speak of this. The Guardians of Time will eliminate you if they ever get wind of the fact that you know.’

‘Guardians of Time? I thought it was cleaners I had to worry about.’

‘They are the organisation set up to ensure the integrity of the timeline. A bit like the United Nations, I suppose, but with considerably more power. They monitor energy signatures that time travel leaves behind, approve and decline missions and organise clean-up agents.’

I shuddered. ‘They sound scary.’

‘They’re powerful. They do what needs to be done to protect the future. Which is as it should be.’

We pulled into the car park and parked close to the shop. Cassie locked the car and walked towards the trolley stand. I followed.

‘What’s Connor really like?’ she asked, as she pushed the trolley into the shop. ‘I’ve read the books and I know the official story and the gossip, but what is he like as a friend?’

‘He’s a good friend. Kind, funny, thoughtful.’

‘That’s generic,’ she said impatiently. She picked up some chicken wings and dropped them in the trolley. ‘I think we’ll have a barbeque.’

‘Don’t you mind about the meat?’ I asked.

She gave me a funny look. ‘We don’t eat meat because there aren’t any animals left. Not many anyway. But you have plenty.’

‘But Ryan acts like it’s a crime to eat meat.’

‘Yeah, well Ryan has strong feelings about things. He tends to overreact.’

I felt like I should defend him, but I didn’t want to get into an argument with Cassie. I suspected she would win and leave me feeling stupid.

‘So tell me how you and Connor met.’ Cassie grabbed a couple of boxes of vegetarian sausages and threw them in the trolley.

‘We met on the first day of primary school, but we didn’t become best friends until a couple of years later. Everyone else was making cards for Father’s Day, but the teaching assistant took us on to the school field to paint landscapes. We both knew why we’d been removed from the lesson. We would have been six.’

‘His father died from cancer, didn’t he?’

‘That’s right. His father died a few months before mine. A few years later his mother moved them into Perran and I didn’t see him for a couple of years, not until we both started at the secondary school. But it was like no time had passed at all. We were so pleased to see each other again.’

She tossed packets of tortilla chips and dips into the trolley. ‘What else should I get?’ she asked.

‘Some sort of dessert. And some bread.’

Cassie grabbed a strawberry cheesecake and a baguette.

‘Is he popular?’ she asked, pushing the trolley towards the checkout.

‘I wouldn’t say he was popular, but he’s not unpopular either. He’s got friends in astronomy club and in surf club. He’s hard not to like.’

‘I wish I could meet him.’

I helped her unload the food on to the conveyor belt.

‘You should have said something before. It could easily have been arranged.’ I smiled to myself. ‘I’m sure he would have loved to meet you too. You’re just his type.’

Her eyes flashed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Connor likes blondes. That’s why I never really accepted Ryan’s idea that he is into me. I mean, look at the evidence. Megan is the girl he’s taking to the ball. She’s a voluptuous blonde. His favourite movie stars and singers are blonde. You’re right up his street.’

‘Why would you say something like that?’ she said. ‘That’s not funny. It’s disgusting.’

I bit my lip, confused. ‘I’m sorry. I know that technically he’s old enough to be your grandfather, but right now he’s sixteen and . . .’

‘My grandfather?’ she interrupted. ‘Ryan hasn’t told you, has he?’

I shrugged. ‘I’m not sure what you mean.’

She glanced at the cashier, then leant in close to me and whispered in my ear. ‘Your friend Connor Penrose is my great-grandfather.’

It was too cold to have a barbeque. The sea fog had rolled inland, chilling the air and obscuring the sky, just as Ryan had predicted. Ben cooked the chicken and the sausages in the oven and we ate at the kitchen table instead.

‘You didn’t tell her who I am,’ Cassie said to Ryan.

‘I’m not supposed to tell her anything.’

‘But she knows when we’re from and why we’re here. Why did you fail to mention my relationship to Connor?’

‘It didn’t seem important. And you’re always reminding me not to reveal any more than necessary.’

Cassie turned to me. ‘I’m here to ensure there is no Plan B.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We’re here to prevent Connor from discovering Eden. But, like you said, in many ways it would be simpler to kill him. Strangely enough, I’m quite strongly opposed to the thought of my great-grandfather being killed. It might cause all sorts of problems for me, such as the non-existence of my parents and grandparents. So, you see, Ryan is here to make sure Connor doesn’t discover Eden and I’m here to make sure that, if he fails, there is no Plan B.’

‘And I’m the mission leader,’ said Ben. ‘So let’s clear away the dinner things and go over the plans for tomorrow.’

Once we’d cleared away the dirty plates and empty serving dishes, Cassie brewed a pot of coffee and the four of us sat back at the table.

‘The limo picks me up at seven thirty,’ said Ryan. ‘And Matt and Connor will be picked up ten minutes later. Then we get Amy, Megan and Eden. All six of us should be at the school by eight.’

Cassie glanced at her notes. ‘The ball begins at eight and ends at eleven. Sunset is at nine twenty-two, but it will be at least another hour before it begins to get dark.’

‘We’re going to be able to enjoy the first couple of hours,’ said Ryan, smiling at me.

‘From sunset until the end of the ball, you will not let Connor out of your sight,’ said Ben.

‘Eden will be detectable between ten thirty and eleven o’clock,’ said Cassie. ‘That’s a very small window. Will you stay at the ball all evening?’

‘I think so,’ I said. ‘There are usually a few after-parties to choose from. Some people leave early for the parties, but most people stay till the end of the ball.’

‘It’s those after-parties I’m worried about,’ said Ben. ‘When you’re at the ball, you’re inside. I can’t see Connor discovering Eden at the ball. But if you leave early for a party, all bets are off. Maybe he’ll find a telescope. Maybe someone’s dad will be looking through a telescope. The possibilities are endless.’

‘Haven’t you discussed your plans for after the party?’ said Cassie.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘A couple of people are holding parties. But a lot of people just head down to the beach for an hour.’

‘It’s what happens after the ball that really concerns me,’ said Ben. ‘We don’t know where you’ll be.’

‘Eden and I will be wherever Connor is. I’ll call you as soon as I know the after-party location,’ said Ryan. ‘And you guys can drop off my car somewhere nearby.’

‘Try to keep Connor at the ball until the end,’ said Cassie.

‘And keep him away from telescopes at all costs,’ said Ben.

I giggled suddenly. That was what it all came down to: this mission from the future had the simple directive of keeping Connor away from telescopes.

Everyone stared at me.

‘What’s the joke?’ asked Cassie.

I shrugged. ‘Sorry. It just seemed so . . .’

‘This is not a joke,’ said Cassie.

‘Of course not,’ I said, trying to sound serious.

‘In many ways, it’s good to have you on board,’ said Ben. ‘Because you can help enormously by not arguing with Connor. In the first timeline, it was an argument with you that caused him to storm off and end up discovering the planet. So bite your tongue. Agree to anything he asks.’

‘Within reason,’ said Ryan.

‘I’ll try not to upset him,’ I said.

Cassie turned back to her notes. ‘We have a viewing night out on the Lizard tomorrow evening with the South Cornwall Amateur Astronomy Group. That’s about twenty-five miles from Perran.’

‘Connor doesn’t drive,’ I said. ‘The only friend he has who does is Ryan.’

‘I think we can safely assume that he won’t be hitching a ride out to the Lizard,’ she said. ‘Which is confusing. He doesn’t own a telescope himself, the school astronomy club doesn’t have a viewing night for two weeks and I’m not aware of any other active clubs locally.’

‘It has to be someone else’s telescope at one of the parties after the ball,’ said Ben. ‘He says in his autobiography that he discovered the planet while he was at a party.’

‘Maybe we changed the future enough when we stopped him buying the telescope for his birthday,’ I said.

‘That’s quite possible. But we can’t assume anything,’ said Ben. ‘We discussed this before. Listen in on his conversations.’

‘Finally,’ said Cassie, running her finger down the page of notes in front of her. ‘We’ll set the coordinates for midnight tomorrow. That gives you an hour to make your way back here, Ryan. It’s only a ten-minute drive, so you shouldn’t be pushed for time.’

‘Midnight,’ he repeated, catching my eye across the table. ‘Why not a few hours later?’

‘It’s safer to travel at night,’ said Cassie. ‘And frankly, once the viewing window has passed, there’s no reason to wait.’