OMG, A CUL8R Time Travel Mystery (6 page)

“
OOT
? Sure. And here’s the best news, Kelly is Ajax.”

“Hey
, Austin,” she said, leaning toward Scott’s cell phone. “I’m a level 99.  Can you handle that?”

“
Dude, I think I’m in love
.”  Austin laughed.

“I got first di
bs,” Scott quickly answered.

Kelly knew they were joking, but having two guys fighting over her, even if it was just for fun, was a pretty heady feeling.  She had to admit, she wasn’t hating it.

A loud knock on the open door interrupted the conversation, and Scott’s mother stepped inside.

“
I think your aunt’s home. I just saw a car pull into her driveway.”

“
I’d better get going. Thanks again for dinner tonight.”

“You’re entirely welcome
. . . and, again, if you ever need to talk to someone . . . about anything, I’m here for you.  Okay?”

“Thanks.  I appreciate that
.”

Sandy
leaned over and gave Kelly a quick hug before leaving the room.

“Hold on Austin, Kelly’s leaving to
go home,” Scott said.

“Good night
, Austin.  It was nice sort of meeting you.”

“
Good night, Kelly.  I’ll be around tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll drop by
.”

“
Cool.”  She turned to Scott and mouthed, “Thanks.”

“Hey, Austin.  I’ll call you right back.”  Scott pushed the
End
button and turned back to Kelly.  “Give me your cell number.”

She shook her head.  “D
on’t have one.  Maybe this weekend.”

“
What are you thinking about getting?”

“I have no idea.”  She shrugged.  “It’s my first cell phone.”

“I know all about cell phones, as you can imagine.  I’ve got some recommendations for you and where to go for a good deal. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

S
cott followed her to the front door and watched as she walked down the sidewalk to her aunt’s house.  She stopped and yelled back at Scott. “What time tomorrow are we checking out our radio?”

Scott’s fac
e lit up.  “How about 10?”

Kelly gave
him a thumbs up.  She walked to the front door and before she could open it, it jerked out of her hand.

Jane
stood there. “Where have you been?” She had a prosecutor kind of look on her face.

“
Next door at Scott’s house.  I left you a note.”

“I don’t know where Scott lives
or who he is or anything about him.  I’m pretty sure it’s not acceptable to have you run around without me knowing something about who you’re with.  You’re going to have to be much more communicative, Kelly.  I’m too tired to go door-to-door every night.”

“I didn’t even think about whether or not you knew who lived next door to you.  I’m sorry.”
  Kelly felt really bad that her aunt had been worried.  That wasn’t a great way to start their relationship . . . whatever that might be.

“
And you left the front door unlocked,” her aunt continued.  “I know you lived out in the country where that didn’t matter, but here, we keep our doors locked.”  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key and held it out to Kelly.  “It occurred to me today that you would need this, so I stepped out at lunch and got this made for you.”

Kelly accepted it meekly.  “Thank you.  I’ll remember to lock up from now on.”

Jane smiled and stepped back so Kelly could come inside.  “I picked up a couple things at the store on the way home so you’ll have something to eat.  That was nice of the neighbors . . . what did you say their names were?”

“Scott is the son.  His mom is Sandy and his dad is Don.  They grilled hamburgers.  They’re really nice.”

“Hmmm.  I’ll have to meet them sometime

“
Did you see what I got done in the garage this afternoon?”

“I did
.  I was shocked.”

“Scott
helped.  Did you know you had some stuff in there from great-great-grandpa Darby?”

“What
sort of stuff?”

“An old short wave radio.  It needs
to be cleaned up, and the metal is all rusty.  Scott thought he could fix it up and see if it works.  Would you mind if he borrowed it for a while?  He’s quite an inventor.”

Jane thought about it.  “
You trust this Scott.”

“I do.  He’s solid.”

“Then, sure.  That’d be fine.”

Kelly smiled, “Thanks
Aunt Jane.  I’m sorry I worried you.  It won’t happen again.”

Jane smiled.  “You’re a good kid.  I know we’ll get along great once we get past t
his first little bit of . . .” she paused, looking for the right word.

“Awkwardness,” Kelly completed the sentence, and Jane nodded her agreement.

“Things will get better.  I can’t replace your mom, but I’ll do the best I can.”

For about the hundredth time today, Kelly’s eyes filled with tears.  “I really appreciate this.  I know the last thing you planned to have in your life
right now was a teenage girl.”

“It might have been the last thing, but
it could be the best.  You’ve been here only one day, and already you’ve met the neighbors.  That’s more than I’ve done in five years.”

Kelly blinked away the tears and managed another weak smile

“Good night, Kelly.”  Her aunt hesitated, then gave Kelly a clumsy hug.  She was clearly not comfortable showing affection, but she was trying.

Kelly hugged her back, wishing, with all her heart, that it was her mom, but knowing that that would never be possible again.

CHAPTER FOUR

WEDNESDAY

Kelly had
set her alarm clock for 7 a.m.  She had planned on getting into a pattern of swimming laps every day.  She opened her left eye slowly and glanced at the clock, then promptly shut it again.  She was wide awake and it wasn’t even 6 a.m.  She heard the kitchen door shut and imagined it was probably Aunt Jane leaving for work.

A familiar squawk brought her out
of her bed and to the window.

“Good morning, silly bird,” she said to the colorful bird who was calmly grooming itself, feather-by-feather.  “My aunt doesn’t like you pooping on the furniture.  I’m going to see what I can do to build you a perch that you’ll like better than the chairs.”

The bird, now properly identified as a scarlet macaw cocked his head and studied her with one beady eye.  He shook his head and fluffed out his feathers.  But he didn’t fly away like he had yesterday.  Instead, he sat, watching her like a peeping Tom while she made her bed and changed into a modest one-piece swimsuit.  Maybe she could work her way into a two-piece by the end of the month, she hoped.

“See you outside,” she said to the bird.  She pulled an oversized t-shirt on over the swimsuit, grabbed a towel out of the bathroom and went downstairs.

Three bags of groceries from Publix were on the island and a note. “Kelly, this should last until the weekend. I’ll see you around 7 tonight . . . I hope.”  Kelly dug through them, delighted to find cereal, grape jelly, peanut butter, fresh bread, macaroni and cheese and some bags of chips and pretzels.  In the refrigerator was a gallon of 2% milk and a drawer full of bags of peaches, plums and cherries.  There were even a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer drawer.  Nothing else, just the pizzas, proving that her aunt rarely cooked.  On the counter, in a bowl was a tempting display of apples, oranges and bananas.  All in all, half healthy, half junk food . . . her aunt was trying.

Kelly enjoyed a bowl of cereal
with a banana cut up in it.  She loaded her dishes into the dishwasher and stretched.  Today was the day she would start that exercise program. She went outside, pulled off the t-shirt and dipped one foot into the pool.  The water was comfortably cool.  Already the sun was heating the air and the humidity hung around 90%.  It felt wonderful when she dove into the pool.  The smooth liquid enveloped her, making her feel weightless and graceful.  Her mom had taken her to swimming lessons almost before she could walk, and she had always loved the water.  Her strokes were powerful and long, swiftly moving her to the opposite end.  She did a quick turn against the wall, and headed back to the deep end.  Before long she had completed twenty laps.  Her arms and legs were trembling as she climbed out and collapsed on the closest chaise lounge.  She closed her eyes for a moment before changing to go over to Scott’s house.

Fro
m next door she was jarred awake by the sound of Scott’s voice, “Mom . . . I’ve got plans.  Can’t someone else watch Lilly?”

“Scott,
the baby sitter just called, and she’s sick.  She didn’t want Lilly to catch whatever she has, so I told her you’d be glad to watch your little sister for one day.”

“But
I’ve got plans.  I can’t even work in my lab because she gets into my stuff.”

Kelly tried not to listen, but the houses were close enough that it was practically impossible not to hear the conversation.  Apparently,
he and his mom were outside of Scott’s lab which was close to the fence that separated the two lots.  She thought about going in the house, but she was afraid they would hear her and think she had been eavesdropping . . . which she was . . . but unintentionally.

“Look, I’m glad you’ve got a new friend, but I have to go to work, and I don’t have time to find someone else. 
Lilly’s cereal is on the counter. There are popsicles in the freezer and plenty to eat for lunch. I’ll see you later.  Okay?”

Scott’s words dripped with disappointment.  “Sure.  I’ll watch her.”

“Thanks.  I’ll pick up pizza on the way home.”

Kelly heard the sound of a car door slam and soon Sandy’s car engine faded away. 
She decided she’d better get dressed, but it looked like a long, lonely day ahead.  After a quick shower, she put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and pulled her still wet hair back into a ponytail.  She went back outside and pulled a lawn chair over to the fence.  She climbed on it and braced her arms on the top of the cedar boards.

The door to Scott’s lab was open.  She couldn’t see
directly into it, but she could tell there was someone inside.

“Hey, Scott.  Are you in there?” she called.

He immediately appeared in the doorway and looked around, startled to hear her voice.  When he saw her propped up on the fence, he smiled and walked toward her.  “You’re up bright and early.”

“Yeah, I haven’t been sleeping all that great.  And then there’s the macaw wake-up service in th
e tree every morning.”  She pointed toward the lacy Queen palm outside her window.  “I was hoping you could help me design some sort of perch for him and maybe a feeder.”

“Sure, but I’ve got Lilly duty today.  Why don’t you come over here?
  The front gate’s unlocked.”

“My aunt gave me an epic lecture last night about not locking the door.”

“Yeah, my mom’s the same way.  But I’m expecting Austin any minute, so I didn’t lock it.  Just don’t mention it the next time you see her.”

Kelly solemnly shook her head.  “My lips are sealed.  I’ll be right over.”  She jumped off the chair, returned it to the porch and went inside, careful to lock the patio door and the front door as she exited.  She walked through the
gate at the Talton house and into the backyard.  “Knock, knock,” she announced when she reached his lab, in spite of the fact that the door was still open.

“
Come on in,” Scott said turning away from his workbench.

Lilly
sat on a stool at one end of the workbench, busy with her coloring book and cookies.  She looked up and said, “Hi, Scott’s girlfriend.”

“She’s not . . . oh, never mind,” Scott sputtered.

Kelly stepped inside and saw another boy squatting down next to the self-propelled lawnmower.  It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust from the brightness outdoors to the fluorescent lighting inside the lab, so she couldn’t really see his features until he stood and walked closer.

“You’re Kelly!  I’m Austin.”  Austin stuck his fist out and K
elly responded with a fist bump, followed by a splayed hand explosion.

“How late did you guys play
OOT
last night?” she asked.

“About midnight
, I guess,” Austin answered for them.  “I work nights stocking at the Publix, but I got off early last night.  So, we usually try to get a couple hours in.  I hear you’re going to join our group.”

“Is that okay with you?”

“Scott seems to think you’re pretty good at it.”

“I am,” she stated confidently.

“Good, then together we can kick ass.”  Austin’s smile revealed perfect white teeth, and a warmth that spread all the way to a twinkle in his blue eyes.