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“Hmmm?” Cam’s blue eyes went distant as he considered. “Healing. Yeah, healing.”
“Really?” Sully asked. “That’s…”
“What?” Cam folded his massive arms over his chest.
“Surprising, that’s all.”
Cam shrugged. “I can be very mysterious sometimes.” He tilted his head to the side. “What about you, Hue?” he called to the back of the gym.
“Invisibility,” came the reply, “so I could work out without you idiots bothering me with stupid questions.”
Cam shook his head in resignation. “We’re working on his social skills.” His expression brightened. “But anyway, how’s the date going?” Hethunkedboth elbows onto the front desk. “Great idea, right? Super original. I bet you’re discovering how wonderful Yucca Hills really is. Makes you almost want to stay forever, right?”
Alanna’s laugh caught in her throat. His words eerily echoed her earlier sentiments.
“Annnd, we’re leaving.” Sully wrapped a protective arm around her waist. “Give me the card,” he demanded of Cam.
The gym co-owner ignored him. “What would your superpower be?” he asked Alanna.
She pushed away her feelings of uncertainty and gave Cam a confident smile. “Invincibility.”
“The card,” Sully said again, his voice exasperated. His glasses had fallen down the bridge of his nose.
“It was sooo nice meeting you, Alanna,” Cam said as he pulled the white card from the cup of a massive trophy displayed prominently on a shelf behind the desk. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again.”
“Feel free to drop by a yoga class any time to try it out,” the older woman, now standing on her head, called as Sully steered Alanna to the door.
As soon as the squeaky door closed behind them, Sully heaved a massive sigh. “I amsosorry you had to experience that.”
Alanna enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her waist. It felt natural, like it belonged there. “So, you’ve got a buddy group, huh?”
“Cam can be a bit much.”
“He cares about you. They both do. That’s cute.” After all, she was just starting to realize how powerful deep friendships could be.
“And annoying as hell,” Sully groused.
“But definitely cute.” She only wished Cam hadn’t looked at her with such excitement and happiness.
Alanna pulled out from Sully’s arm and cleared her throat. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.” She waved the white envelope at him just as her stomach grumbled.
Sully smiled at her. “Don’t worry. This is the last clue. After you solve it, I’ll get you fed.”
“Not that I need the extra motivation, but I’ll take it.” She returned his cheeky smile, then opened the card.
Find the place where time unwinds.
Alanna re-read the card carefully, grinned, and headed back up Chaparral Drive with Sully at her side. She paused in front of the incongruous ship-turned-antique store sitting at the midpoint of the street. With its maze-like layout and crowded shelves, Behind the Timeshad seemed like a mystical realm when she was a child; the kind of place where one might stumble across a magical genie’s lamp hidden in a forgotten corner or a cursed monkey’s paw tucked deep into a back shelf.
“Ready?” Sully asked, as if he could somehow feel her reluctance to break the spell of her childhood.
What had gotten into her? Alanna frowned, trying to shake away the flood of memories and feelings the day had brought.
“I’m always ready,” she told Sully, and pushed open the front door. The smell, equal parts leather-bound books, wood stain, and old perfume, instantly stripped away the last decade of Alanna’s life. She felt like a child again. The magic in this place was as alive and mysterious as ever.
In her memories, the two proprietors of the antique shop, Ethyl and Bernard Potsdam, had seemed ancient. Yet, here they were, white hair, deep laugh lines, and all. Bernard stood toward the front of the store arranging coins in a display case while Ethyl buzzed around the shop, replacing items in a system only she could fathom, her gray bun bobbing as she hummed.
She looked over her shoulder. “Ah, Alanna, good to see you,” she said as if they’d crossed paths just last week, instead of over a decade ago.
