‘And they’re the people who will decide what happens to Ryan?’
‘One of them will judge his case.’
‘Which one?’
‘I think they all get their quota of cases to try. Obviously Admiral Westland won’t be allowed to judge the case because it concerns his son.’
I let that information sink in. It was a long way from my world. ‘How long have you and Ryan known each other?’ I asked, after a while.
‘Since we were twelve. Middle school. We had the same art class. He did portraits. I did mythical creatures.’ He held his arm out to me. ‘These are all mine.’
I resisted the urge to reach out and run my fingers over his tattoos. ‘They’re good.’
‘We both loved drawing but we loved flying even more. We applied to Lakeborough Academy at the same time.’
‘Did he always want to be a pilot?’
‘He wanted to be a time agent. Just like his dad. It’s why he volunteered for the mission to your time.’
‘What about you? What do you want?’
‘I want adventure. Look at Orion. He’s travelled back to 2012 twice over. He’s helped save the planet from some unknown catastrophe. I know he’s locked up right now, but soon he’ll be free again. And you. You’ve saved the Earth and travelled forward in time. You’ve both lived. I want to live like that. I don’t want to follow my dad into some dull nine-to-five job and worry about meeting my mortgage payments every month.’ He sat up. ‘Speaking of adventure, how do you feel about doing something adventurous right now?’
I laughed a short, nervous laugh. ‘I’m not brave at all.’
‘It only lasts about two seconds, it will get your adrenalin pumping and it’s completely safe. I promise.’
I sat up. The sun was harsh. Already my underwear was bone dry. I pulled off my blonde wig and shook out my hair. ‘What is it?’
‘We jump from the top of the waterfall into the pool below.’
Of all the things Peg could have suggested, he’d managed to pick my biggest fear.
‘I nearly drowned. Twice.’
Did he know that? Had Ryan told him?
‘I promise you won’t get hurt. It’s much easier than climbing back down over the rocks.’
I didn’t want to be afraid. I wanted so much to be brave and strong and good at things. I had jumped through time. Jumping from a waterfall should be so much easier.
Peg took my dress and wig and dropped them on to the dry rocks below. He held out a hand. ‘If you want, we can jump together.’
I shook my head. ‘No.’
He drew his hand back. ‘Not a big deal. We can climb down.’
‘No, I meant I don’t want to hold your hand. I’ll do this myself.’
He cocked his head to the side. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Are you sure it’s deep enough?’
‘It’s over thirty metres deep.’
Swallowing the terror that was making its way up my throat, I inched my way to the edge of the waterfall.
‘You first,’ said Peg. ‘I don’t want to jump and then have to climb back up and get you.’
I didn’t look down. I knew that if I did, the dizziness would paralyse me. I shut my eyes and counted backwards.
Three.
Images of the rocks by the harbour wall flashed through my mind.
Two.
Of Travis swimming after me and pushing me under. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to die.
One.
I jumped. I fell through the air, my arms both shooting up above me, reaching for the sky. Someone shrieked and I realised it was me. And then, abruptly, a bitter coldness exploded over my skin from my toes to my scalp. I kicked my legs, swam towards the bright sunshine and gasped the warm air.
Peg whooped as he jumped, tumbling forwards, his hands hitting the water first in a graceful dive.
When he re-emerged, he shook his head like a dog. ‘What do you think?’ he shouted.
‘It was good,’ I said.
A complete understatement. My body was trembling from the buzz of it. The sick thrill of stepping off the edge, the rush of free-falling, the stream of adrenalin gushing through my veins. I’d never felt so energised, so scared and exhilarated at the same time. But most of alclass="underline" I’d never felt so brave.
‘That was impressive,’ said Peg. He’d reached the edge of the pool and was clambering out. ‘I’ve been here many times but I’ve never known anyone take their first jump so quickly.’
I shrugged and tried not to smile. ‘If I’d thought about it, I’d never have done it,’ I said, bending down to pick up my clothes. ‘Come on.’
I led the way back down the mountain path in my underwear, letting the warm air and dappled sunlight dry my skin.
The journalists outside the Lakeview Hotel were showing no signs of giving up and going home.
‘You are the only news story right now,’ said Peg quietly as he pulled into a parking space on the opposite side of the street. ‘You and Ryan.’
‘Can you help me with the wig?’ I asked.
I bundled my hair into a bun and held it in place while Peg pulled the wig over it.
‘Almost perfect,’ he said, as he moved a wayward strand of wig hair into place.
‘Thanks for rescuing me today,’ I said. ‘I think I’d have gone mad if I’d stayed in my room any longer.’
He passed me the sunglasses. ‘You’ll need these.’
I slipped the glasses on to my face and checked out my reflection in the rear-view mirror. I Iooked so unlike myself. ‘Thank your friend for the wig. When will she need it back?’
‘There’s no rush. Belle has loads of wigs.’ He hesitated, as though reaching a decision about something. ‘I’m going out with a few friends tomorrow tonight. It would be great if you’d come along. Everyone would love to meet you.’
‘Thanks. What should I wear?’
‘It’s just a bar. Wear anything you like. There’s no dress code.’
‘I don’t know what casual looks like in the twenty-second century.’
‘This dress is perfect. Anything like this would be fine.’
He told me he would pick me up at eight, from my room. I heard him start his car as I crossed the road, but he didn’t pull away until I had thrust my way through the reporters and into the lobby.
Chapter 9
It was while I was flicking through my new wardrobe of clothes, looking for something suitable to wear to the pub, that I found Miranda. The com-screen was on, tuned into a lightweight political chat show.
‘Admiral Wolfe believes that Admiral Westland knew that his youngest son planned to return to 2012,’ one of the commentators was saying.
‘If this was true, what does it mean for the Board of Guardians?’
‘If Westland has helped his son break the Temporal Laws, he will be stripped of his title and put on trial for conspiracy. That would lead to an immediate election and almost guarantee that Admiral Wolfe will win the presidency.’
‘What can we expect from Wolfe if he’s elected president of the Board?’
‘For starters, time missions to the past will come to an end. Wolfe has made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t think there is ever a good enough reason to approve a time mission to the past.’
‘That’s bad news for Westland Travel.’
‘Absolutely. Admiral Westland’s fortune comes from building ships capable of travelling through four dimensions. If time travel is eradicated, there will be no demand for his ships.’