A Kiss in Time (11 page)

What is . . . ?

A bright light flashes. Good! Wait here. He disappears into another room.

I stand quite still, attempting to touch nothing in the dark, cramped, dirty room.

Ludwiga? Jack asks.

Father was sad at not having a male heir, so he attempted to name me after several great
Euphrasian kingsAugustus, Ludwig, and Wilhem, alphabetically so no one would be offended.
The other namesAgnes, Marie, and Rose were Euphrasian queens.

How about Aurora? She was my grandmother on my mothers side, and she was named for the goddess of the dawn. I glance around, spying a millipede making its way
across the wall, danger- ously close to nesting in my hair. I move closer to Jack. Why are
we here?

Getting a passport. At my blank look, he adds, Travel documents. So you can get around,
travel. I got this guys name from a girl I met through a guy I met at the Gap.

Travel! The idea is wonderful and terrible at the same time, to be aboard a boat to a
strange new place with this strange, messy-haired young man I met only yesterday. I shiver
slightly.

So I will go with you? I ask Jack.

With me? Look, Im helping you out, getting you set up. But after that, youre on your own.

On my own? But how can I . . . what will I do? Sell some more jewels. I dont know. I
cannot do that. How will I know where to go, how to sell them? How will I obtain food or even know what to wear? Even in Euphrasia, I
handled no money. I do not even know how Jack paid for the bus. And if I am on my own, I
can never make Jack fall in love with me.

Will you help me a bit, just with getting money and a ticket for the ship and such? After
he helps me with that, I will talk him into the next thing. And then the next. Surely,
when he sees how much I need him, he will let me stay with him. Mother always said that
men like to feel needed. I gaze up into his eyes, letting my lower lip quiver just a bit.
It is not difficult. He sighs. I guess I can help you a little.

Now that I have achieved my goal, I clap my hands to show that I am keeping my chin up.
Thank you! It is my fondest wish to travel!

A
s soon as we get the passport and are out the door, my cell phone rings. Its my mother.

Jack, where are you? They said you ran away from the tour.

Who is this? I say. You know very well who this is. Talias still with me. I feel bad about
just ditching her, but what else can I do? Right now, shes staring at the photograph on the passport.
Every few steps, she touches her own face, like shes trying to see if its really still
there.

Well, I say, it sounds like my mother, but my mother never calls.

Very funny. Dont change the subject. Where are you? Amber says she called earlier and some girl answered the phone.

Amber? She didnt call me. We broke up. She broke up with me. I see Talias hand fly to her
mouth. Hold on a second, Mom. To Talia, I say, Something you need to tell me?

She purses her lips in thought before saying, I am dreadfully sorry . . . in the
excitement, I forgot. A person named Amber called. She sounded angry.

Amber? In my hand, my mothers voice keeps buzz- ing. Jack? Jack? Where are you? Jack, did
you hang up on me?

I let her wait. Amber called? What did you say? I told her we ran away together, Talia
says. You told her what? In my hand, Moms voice says, This girl told Amber youd run off together. Talia looks like shes about to burst into tears. Was it wrong to say that? I am unfamiliar with telephones! Nah, youve just totally ruined any
possibility of getting back with Amber. But she looks so cute, like a little girl whos afraid of getting in trouble. No, of course not. Jaaaaaaaack! the telephone shrieks.
Then my fathers voice, loud but business-as-usual.

Jack, speak to me this instant. Sorry, Dad.

Sorry? Your mothers crying. Whys she doing that? Because she thinks youve run off with some girl you just met!

Funny thought. Oh, yeah. I guess I did. What? Im enjoying this. Its the first time theyve
paid atten-

tion to me since the time I flunked science and crashed my car in the same week. It might
be fun to mess with them more.

Yeah, I met her yesterday. Youll like her, Dad. Shes real pretty. Oh, and shes a princess.
We eloped. Thatll get their attention.

No answer from Dad. Maybe the call dropped. Maybe he passed out.

But no. Moms there now. What do you mean you eloped? I want you on a plane back home this
minute. This minute!

Okay. Wire me some money, and Ill buy a ticket. This is fun. But as soon as I give them
what they want, theyll start ignoring me again.

Dont you get smart with me, young man. I wasnt Ill wire you the money, and youll buy a
ticket on the next flight.

Isnt that what I just said? What would happen if I just kept messing with them?

All right. But Im bringing Talia with me. I hadnt planned on saying that, but it just pops
out. Itll really drive them nuts. When I get off the phone, Talia says, Thank you. For what? For saying I can go with you. I
shrug. At least I get to go home. Who wants to travel around and see all this junk? You do not like to travel. I shake my head, then smile,
thinking about it. Boy,

are my parents going to freak when they see you. Much as my parents, er, freaked when you
appeared. Will it be a long journey? How many weeks will it take? I have so many
questions. Will we need to acquire more clothes in order to conduct our journey in style?
What if the ship sinks? Or there is an outbreak of cholera? I might never see my family again. I start laughing. What is so funny? Weeks? Try a day. What sort
of ship can journey to the other side of the earth in a day? The kind that can fly.

Mom works like a fiend when shes freaking out. Within twenty-four hours, Talia and I are
at the airport.

Remember what I told you, I say to Talia as we wait in line for security.

My name is Talia Brooke. I am from Belgium. And if anyone questions my jewels, I am to say
they are part of the new Royal Euphrasian line of . . . what is it called again? Costume jewelry.

Costume jewelry, which I am going to South Beach, Florida, to model. But how would anyone
believe that such lovely jewels are false?

Because no one wears real jewelry that big anymore, not even the Queen of England. We had
to sell another one of Talias rings to buy her plane ticket, but that doesnt help much
with the weight. Can you remember that?

Yes. Costume jewelry.

A few minutes later, we reach the front of the line. I think Ill hold my breath until were
on the plane.

I show my passport. The woman barely looks at it. Just another boring American student.
When she gets to Talias, she examines it more carefully and begins talking to Talia in
rapid French. Does she know Talias passports a fake?

Talia responds in French, and a lot of it. What is she saying? Why didnt I take French?

What am I, kidding myself ? If Id taken French, Id have only learned the swear words, like
I did in Spanish.

The conversation goes on for approximately eight hours, but finally the employee lets
Talia go.

What was that about? I ask her when were safely past.

She noticed my passport was new. It only has the one stamp, from when we crossed into
France. So she asked if it is my first time traveling outside Europe.

To which you said . . . ? I said, yes, as a matter of fact, it is. I have been sleeping for three hundred years, so I have never been on an airplane before. Oh, and, by the way,
I am heir to the throne of Euphrasia. She sees the look on my face. Lighten up! I was
joking.

Dont joke about that. Its not funny. It is so. I whisper, I was sure we were going to be
busted . . .

um, get sent to the dungeon. But you would not be going, in any case. It would be only I who was in trouble. You think Id let you take the fall for it, that Id just leave you and go home? We barely know each other. And you hate me. Still, I wouldnt do
that. I couldnt. I hadnt realized it before, but its true. Could I be fall-

ing for Talia? No. Its just that I feel responsible for her, since I kissed her and ruined
her life and all.

I point to two seats by our gate, but Talias looking at me. What? I say.

You are a wonderful person, she says. In Euphrasia, everyone was kind to me because I was
a princess. But I always wished . . . She stops and sits down.

What?

Lady Brooke used to take me on long rides through the Euphrasian countryside, since I was
not allowed to go any- where on my own. Once, on a very cold day, I happened to spy a
peasant couple. Each wore a thin, threadbare coat, and the woman shivered. The man took
off his own coat and put it over her shoulders, even though this left him quite exposed. When the woman tried
to stop him, he refused to take it back. He allowed the coat to fall to the ground, then
placed it again upon her shoulders, until finally, she accepted it. I could see that he
was trying to walk more rapidly to get to shelter, but he did not complain.

Wow. What did you do? What I did was of no importance. But you did something? I suppose.
She glances down. I made the driver stop the carriage and then asked Lady Brooke to give the couple our cloaks.

That was nice.

It was a small sacrifice for me. I had numerous cloaks at home. The man made a much
greater sacrifice. I always wanted someone to sacrifice for me, as that man sacrificed for
that woman, not because I was royalty, but simply because he lo . . . liked me. And you
have.

I shrug. Its not a sacrifice.

And its true. Its not. I wanted to go home early, wanted to try and get back together with
Amber or, at least, be able to spend my summer sleeping and going to the beach instead of
touring the Museum of Napoleons Nose Hair. Talia gave me a great excuse. If Id known
running away would work, Id have tried it sooner.

The fact that my parents are completely riled is just an added bonus. Of course, they
didnt believe the truth about Talia. Jack, thats not funny, Mom said when I told her to prepare for visiting royalty.

Im not trying to be funny. Thats when Dad picked up the phone again. This has gone on long
enough, Jack. Your mothers all upset. Its true, Dad. Shes a princess. Why would I make that up? I have no idea, but I dont think Okay, Dad, you win. Shes some girl I picked up on the street. You never should have chosen a teen tour that went through Amsterdams
red-light district.

That pretty much ended the conversation.

Since then, Ive decided its probably better if I dont tell anyone that Talias a princess.
I mean, whod believe it?

Now theyre calling us to board the plane. I check to make sure that Talia has her boarding
pass. She does, and shes making a minute examination of the bar code. I nudge her. Its
time to get on.

Her eyes widen. Onto the flying ship? Onto the airplane. Its called an airplane. She
stands, then looks at all the people jockeying for space in line. Will the ship . . . er, airplane, leave without all of them?

What do you mean?

I mean, is it necessary to push and shove, as these people are doing, or can we wait
patiently?

I never thought about it. People just usually do push and shove to get on the plane, but then you just end up waiting on the runway, anyway. We
can wait, I say. I would have thought shed expect to go first, being a prin- cess and all.

Good. I do not like to shove.

She takes her place at the end of the line, behind an elderly woman. This is my first time
on an airplane, she tells her.

Are you frightened, dear? I am excited. And the woman looks excited for her. We finally
reach our seats. I give Talia the window, even though it means Im stuck in the center. What is this? Talia asks, holding up a
plastic-wrapped package. Slippers. Theyre to keep your feet warm. How nice! She starts to put them on.
Shes got the cutest little feet. They look like theyve never walked any- where. Probably, she has
servants who spread cream on them every day. She had a complete spaz about the blis- ter
she got walking. A moment later, she holds up another package. What is this?

A mask. Its to cover your eyes so you can sleep.

Talia takes out the mask and examines it. I have slept quite long enough already. She
tucks it into the seat-back pocket.

Hoo-boy. I remember last night at the hotel in Parisa hotel with two queen-size beds with
down comforters Talia refused to sleep at all, instead running to the window over and over to look at the
city lights. Well, some people like to sleep, I tell her, so youll have to be quiet.

She pouts for a full ten seconds before holding up some- thing else.

And these?

Earbuds, so you can listen to music or watch a movie.

She purses her lips in this weird way she does. What is a movie?

Its like television. She saw TV last night at the hotel. You watch it to kill time on the
plane.

Please, please, let her at least watch a movie. Kill time? You know, make it go faster.
Why would you want to do that? Because its boring, sitting and doing nothing. But you are
doing nothing in the sky! How can that be boring? I shrug. To most people, it is. Try being asleep for three hundred years. Then
you will know what boring is. I dont say anything. Im one of those people who wants to sleep. Everything is boring to you, isnt it? she says. Thats not true. Is it? Oh, no?
She tips up her feet to look at the airline slippers again. Let me see . . . your parents sent you on a tour of Europe for . . . how
long?

A month. Ive been gone three weeks. But I dont know what thats got to do Three weeks at great expense. And during that time, youve visited how many countries?

I count on my fingersEngland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium . . . Im not sure. Five or
six, maybe. Its all a blur.

Its all a blur, she mimics, then laughs. But in any case, you have viewed great
masterworks, marvels of archi- tecture, historical sights, and you have generally found it
to be, on the whole, quite dull. Is that the case?