“We don’t know what period we’re in,” he reminded her.
She gave a half shrug of agreement, but he hadn’t changed her mind.That was obvious even to a guy who was new to this relationship stuff.
“She wasn’t there before,” Alice added.
He frowned now.She was correct.The dirt road had been empty before the last time wave passed over them.
“How do we handle this?”Ty asked.It was possible that time would handle the problem for them, if another wave came through.But his experience with time waves was that they made things worse, not better.
The girl was close enough now for them to see her face, her expression.Her hair was black, cut short to frame a face that was pretty and definitely Asian.How weird was it to see a young Asian girl walking away from where the camp had been?A girl who didn’t belong here, according to Alice.
She stopped, her eyes widening as she finally noticed them.
Alice made a gesture for Ty to wait and took a couple of steps toward the girl.
“I think you need help,” she said.Her hand holding the small device was at her side, but that’s where the girl fixed her attention.
Her gaze lifted to Alice’s face.“Who are you?”
Her voice had a clear, bell-like quality to it, but lacked a defined accent.He wondered what that meant.
“We’re…travelers,” Alice said.“I think you need help.”
The girl hesitated, then looked back, as if hoping for something?Someone?
“You’re lost, aren’t you?”Alice’s tone was gentle, undemanding.
The girl’s gaze tracked to the device, her lips firming into a thin line for several seconds, then she slowly nodded.
“Our camper,” Alice looked back to make sure it was still there, “is just over there.We could sit down inside and talk.Are you hungry?Thirsty?”
Ty tried not to look like a serial killer as the girl’s gaze studied him.
“He can wait outside if he makes you uncomfortable,” Alice added.
Ty didn’t protest, even though the idea made him very uneasy.What if another wave came by and he got left behind?And—this thought made his gut tense—what if she was the trap?
The girl walked slowly toward them, with an air of one resisting the urge to run away.
“Why are you here?”she asked.
“We’re tracking a signal,” Alice said, holding up the device.The girl had seen it already, so she wasn’t breaking protocol too much.
The girl licked her lips.“Is it me?Am I the signal?”
Alice pointed the device at the girl and studied the screen, then held it up so the girl could see it.
“No, it’s not you, at least, I don’t think it is you,” Alice added.She stared down at the screen with a slight frown.Then gave the girl a rueful grin.“There is a lot I don’t know, I’m afraid, but I do think we can help you, or at least offer you safe harbor while we all figure things out.”
She was very close to breaking the first rule of Time Travel Club, Ty thought, but somebody had to say something.If it was trap, well, better find out now.
The girl moved toward them more easily now, but she did stop and look back one more time, before walking with them across the still empty road.
Ty slid the rear door open for them and stepped back, giving the girl as much space as he could on the narrow verge.It wouldn’t help his image any to fall backwards into the barrow pit.
The girl grasped the hand hold and stepped in, pausing just inside to study the interior of the camper.It was as ordinary as the outside, of course.
Neither he nor Alice made any attempt to join her.Her hand, still gripping the hand hold seemed to tremble slightly.If she had traveled through time, or been rippled through as they had, she had to be feeling some trauma.
