Page 110 of Telling Time
As they’d driven away from the others, she’d informed Alice that she hadn’t realized time travel could be so boring and then closed her eyes.
“I might know those two,” Alice said, without elaborating further.
Following an instinct she couldn’t explain, Alice pulled the camper well clear of the desert.That this put it and them on the grass—it did bother her—but she’d get over it.
She turned off the engine and removed the key.It might not help, and there didn’t seem to be anyone interested in stealing it, but she wasn’t in the mood to take chances in this creepy place.
Before she could do it herself, Con stepped forward and opened the door for her.He stared at her.
“It is you,” he said finally.“Where’s…” He looked past her, his gaze taking in Ness and the lack of anyone else.
At least he hadn’t used names, though Ness now knew their first names, but Con couldn’t know that.
“The others,” she put a bit of emphasis onothers, so he’d know Jack and Mel were there, too, “are working on the Time Machine.”
His eyes widened.He looked back along the road.“Back there?”
Did he know what she’d risked coming here?
“You should both hop in and we’ll head back.”That didn’t solve the problem of supplies, but Con was handy with machines.
Rita walked around to Con’s side.“I can’t leave yet,” she said.
Alice noted that she looked troubled.And Alice would have been troubled if she hadn’t.
“We were trying to find the Pitts,” Con said.
“What’s a Pitts?”Ness asked.
“It’s a bi-plane,” Con said.“And you are…”
“I’m Ness.”
“She’s Ness,” Alice added before she could stop herself.“We ran into her near the relocation center.”
“Ness?”Rita’s eyes widened in shock and she half looked back the way they’d come.“Ness?”
“Ness.”Alice repeated.
“And I thought things couldn’t get any more weird,” Con said.
“They can always get more weird,” Ness said positively, provoking a round of smiles.
They faded, of course.Because it was weird.Alice looked back the way she’d come.She wanted, she needed to get back there.Being separated from Ty reminded her of the last time they got slapped around by time.
“You head back,” Rita said, her gaze still on Ness.Then she looked at Con.“You could help with the repairs.”
“I know, but…”
He didn’t want to leave Rita.Alice understood all too well.She opened her mouth to object, but Rita interrupted her.
“There is someone in there that needs to see Ness.”
Ness took a half step back in surprise.“In there?”
“Well, they were in there,” Rita qualified.“And we need to get the machine fixed.”
Alice studied her speculatively.She knew Rita saw time in a way different from her and that she got—for lack of a better word—cues from what she saw.She pulled out the keys and handed them to Con.
