Page 58 of Kiss Across the Universe
“That’s not all. You teach them to respect time,” Rafe said. “And show them the possibilities, if they use it properly.”
“The way you’re showing me right now?”
“Only, you can do it better. You know how to sell policies.” Rafe sat back. “I can only hit people over the head with it, until they give up and see what I’m trying to say. Look, we know that some of us in this time survive until Nyara’s time, when the natural time jumpers—you—somehow work with the vampires who time travel using teleportation. And Nyara and her people won’t say much, but I get the impression that the natural jumpers save their ass in some way. So there is a future for us, one where we won’t have to hide our true natures.”
“We just have to live to see it,” Jesse murmured.
Aran glanced at her, startled. “You want that, Jesse?”
“I think…maybe I have to think about it some more,” Jesse said cautiously. Which meant she didn’t want to discuss it in front of Rafe right now.
“We have to convince the time travelers we meet that wanting to live to see that future is a good thing, because right now, there are too few of you,” Rafe added. “Worse, you’re all related by blood, except for Sydney and London. The more time travelers we meet and bring into the fold in this time, the greater the chance that we’ll survive to see the future we want to see.”
Aran let that settle into his mind.
“Wow…” Jesse breathed.
Wow, indeed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You’re smiling,” Kit said, whenhe turned back to wait for her to catch up with him.
Alannah didn’t lengthen her stride or try to jog to where he waited, because that would drain her energy faster than a steady walk. “I was just thinking how wonderful the smell of coffee is in the morning.”
She had woken at what Kit assured her was just after dawn, even though she couldn’t see the sun behind the mountains to the east. Kit held a collapsible metal mug out to her, the contents sending up curls of steam. “Coffee, meat and mashed potatoes,” he told her.
“You’ve gotpotatoesin your pack?” she asked, sitting up and reaching for the coffee.
“Hold it by the handle only,” he warned her. “Rest the bottom on your hand and you might collapse the mug. You won’t like what happens after that.”
She carefully held the mug by the handle. The metal would make it too hot to rest upon her hand, but she would be careful anyway.
“I had dehydrated potato flakes in my pack,” Kit said, heading back around the fire. “Good for energy,” he added and bent over a small, flat bottomed fry pan sitting on a rock pushed well into the coals of the campfire. “Eat, and etc., as fast as you can. We’re leaving as soon as you’re ready.”
Alannah scrambled to put on her borrowed boots and jacket. She scrubbed at her hair with her fingers, tearing at knots and wincing.
Kit handed her a folding metal fork with a flat head and she ate quickly. The bison had been pulled and fried, and she could scoop it up with the mashed potato, which wasn’t too bad for something that had been flakes a while ago.
She drained the coffee, which tasted ambrosial, and twenty minutes later, they had set out for the day’s hike.
Alannah recalled the coffee now with a fond smile, for that had been two hours ago. “I’m gaining a new appreciation for the convenience of coffee shops. I’d love another cup of coffee, but to get one, we have to collect firewood, build a fire, boil the water…” She shook her head.
“Keep moving,” Kit said, not quite touching her arm and waving in the direction they had been travelling. “We’ll stop at noon and you can have coffee then.”
“You’ll build a whole ‘nother fire like last night just for lunch?” She turned and walked alongside him as Kit trudged onward.
“It doesn’t need to be much of a fire to boil water,” he said absently, his gaze far ahead.
The view ahead was a magnificent one, worthy of postcards. It was little wonder he was staring at it. Snow-capped peaks soared above them, crisply defined in the still air. The sky was cloudless, painting a blue backdrop that didn’t seem real.
“It’s gorgeous,” Alannah said.
Kit glanced at her, then back at the mountains. “Yes.”
“You said there was a pass through them?”
“There is.”
