Hourglass (Hourglass 1)

“How did she take it?” Anxiety laced her voice.

“She just found out a couple of days ago.”

“Is it like it was for Liam and Grace? The chemistry between the two of you?”

He didn’t speak.

“I knew it. I could feel it. Michael—”

“I never understood before, but now that I’ve met her …”

“Does she know?”

Again, Michael was silent.

I realized I was holding my breath. Did I know what?

“What’s taking her so long?” Cat asked. A scraping sound accosted my eardrums. I jumped and clutched the notebook more tightly to my chest.

I made coming-down-the-stairs noises and entered the kitchen, as breathless as if I’d been running. Cat stood by the table, and she practically snatched the binder from my hands, cradling it to her chest as if it were inlaid with precious jewels. The way she held it made me wonder why Michael had trusted me with it. Now I wished I’d understood more of what I’d read. I turned to leave.

“Em, wait. Sit down?” Michael gestured to the empty seat beside him. I stared at him for a moment. He pulled the chair out. “Please?”

I took the seat he offered, clasped my hands together, and put them on the table. Cat said, “Michael just told me what you can do.”

Her words sounded accusatory, and after the way she’d grabbed the binder, I couldn’t help going on the defensive. “I’d apologize, but I’m not happy about it either.”

“No.” She reached out to touch my hand, her eyes wide, full of amazement. “Forgive me. I’m … overwhelmed. This changes so many things. Opens up so many avenues—I can barely believe it.”

Too frustrated to listen to her talk in circles, I asked, “What kind of avenues, specifically?”

“You’re half of a unique pair. I’ve never met anyone besides Liam and his wife who can do what you and Michael can. That changes things for me, for my gift.” She removed her hand from mine and placed it on top of the notebook. I caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes as she sat down. “Did you have a chance to read the information explaining how it is that you and Michael travel?”

“I tried, but I didn’t understand most of it.”

“I’ll try to make it simpler for you. One of the many theories about time travel is the wormhole theory. Wormholes connect two points in space, like a bridge.” Cat opened the notebook reverently and flipped to a diagram that might as well have been written in invisible ink. She traced her finger across a line of equations. I wondered if I should be taking notes. “See?”

I felt my eyes grow as big as saucers, and she stopped, closing the binder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get too technical. Here are the basics. The bridges can connect you to a different time, but they must be made stable and held open for travel to happen. This is accomplished by using negative matter, also known as exotic matter. Simple enough?”

Sure.

“What does all of this have to do with your ability?” I asked.

Cat was silent for a moment. “I create exotic matter.”

“Like in a lab or something?”

“Like this.” She closed her eyes, and then cupped her hands as if holding a handful of water. An inch above her palms, a swirling purple sphere appeared. It wasn’t solid, more like a gas, pulsing and spinning, giving off a slight mist. Everything else in the room went dark. I could focus only on the energy in Cat’s hands. I leaned forward, closer and closer, drawn to it in a way I couldn’t explain.

I kind of put a damper on the display when I leaned so far forward that I fell off my chair.

Cat gasped and put her hands together. The spinning ball disappeared, and the room was full of light again.

Michael leaned over to help me up. I was too shocked to be embarrassed or to respond to his touch. “Em kind of needs a warning before you spring things like that on her.”

Now I understood the superhero discussion at breakfast. The inhabitants of the house were discussing their fictional peers.

No problem.