Just Your Average Time Traveller

One of four dimensions.

I ran up to where Adonis and Cassia stood, looking down at the streets of Rome. The window they stood by was so massive that its enormity encapsulated the whole wall. There was no glass, just an elaborate hole in the brickwork, and I could feel the wind blowing into my face as I climbed up the last stair. The tower was the highest building in Central Rome, apparently. From here, you could see every marble house that sat among the maze of streets. The pattern of the streets was much like a tree. If, a very angular tree. The streets split from the main road into smaller and smaller lanes until they stopped at obscure dead ends. The sun was gone today, and torrents of rain were pouring down onto the city. The marble seemed dead in the shade of the clouds, something I was seeing for the first time. Never before, in the fifty seven hours I had been here, had I seen rain in Ancient Rome. But, what I didn't realise was what had caused the foul weather. No, not the water cycle, something infinitely deadlier and much more foreboding. Because those clouds were a warning. A warning to me.

"Can you see him?" I asked Adonis gravely, nursing a stitch in my side. Nobody answered for a while, but then Cassia gasped loudly and I squeezed up between the two to try and get a better look. Among the stalls of the bustling Trevi Fountain, darting in and out of the stalls in desperation, was a small pink thing. It stopped abruptly at the sight of a honeyed apple, dropped by a stallholder.

"I see it," I told her, groaning inwardly. No rest for the time travelling gingers who lose pet pigs. Apparently. Before I could turn on my heel, Cassia was down the stairs, a relieved Adonis following. It still puzzled me why Adonis could care so much. I felt like I was missing something, like there was something so obvious that my eyes were simply wafting over. But what?

With little choice, I ran after the pair, the stitch in my side feeling like it was going to snap. It seemed to me that it had only been hours since I had arrived here, since I had travelled here. I purposely put the word 'time' aside, to try and act like it hadn't happened, like this was some historical fair or something. It didn't work too well.

Flying down the limestone staircase at speeds that I wouldn't advise for anyone, Cassia and Adonis tore ahead of me. As usual. Again, I wondered why Adonis would want to help Cassia so badly. Was he just one of those people? But then, he should have a lot of friends, maybe a wife. But I'd never seen anyone come to the bakery apart from Cassia and ordinary paying customers.

And Cassia. How much did she really care about this pig? It was just an animal, and not a very nice one at any rate. But she treated it like a person, like it was an equal to her uncle, who she had to provide for. And yet, he's a philosopher and politician. He should have money galore.

I realised for the first time exactly how much I didn't understand. I was new here; this was an entirely different WORLD to the one I was used to. Not much had happened so far that could help me get back to 2051. As much as Cassia strangely trusted me, and allowed me to tag along, I was still being treated as an outsider; I was a temporary visitor after all. Hopefully.

And then I got it: I was going to have to help myself. I couldn't just wait for the tide to come in, I had to walk away from the beach and get to the waves myself. If I was going to get back, I would need help. And I could only do that by getting the Romans to see me as one of their own, as well as getting to know everything I could about here and now. That way, I would have time to figure out how to get back home, and I would have people around willing to help me.

And, for once, I was glad that Cassia had found me instead of some rich Roman landowner. Because, although I had to steal, chase pet pigs around the city and sleep in a sty with said pig, at least I hadn't been sold into slavery, or been taken in, with no hope of ever returning to my time. Cassia, being only a year or two younger than me, was impressionable enough and naive enough to accept the truth and help me out. And, just because of that, I promised myself that I wouldn't grumble for the whole pig-hunt.

My promise was broken surprisingly quickly.

"Cassia," I heaved as we burst out of the tower entrance. Both Cassia and Adonis stopped and turned in unison.

"What, Sam?" Cassia huffed.

"Slow down," I managed, before collapsing to the ground. I was parched. We had been running for a mile and a half so far, and my pampered 2051 self was not ready for that kind of exertion. I swear Adonis rolled his eyes, a great feat considering his cold indifference towards me ever since I had told him I was from the future.

"Sam! Get up now!" Cassia stooped to my level (literally) and screamed in my ear, causing me to jolt upright, but not stand up. My legs were incapable at the moment.

"Hey! Calm down! Look, I'm not used to this running around for three hours malarky and I'm evidently slowing you down. Now, I'll go and walk back to the shed and you can find your precious Schnuckums, alright?"

Cassia stared at me for a while, her butterscotch eyes as hard as flint. I saw her hands curl into fists, nails digging into palms viciously. Adonis inhaled through his teeth, gesturing at me to stop. Now. I shut my mouth immediately, my eyes unable to meet Cassia's melting gaze.

"Sam...whatever your last name is-"

"-Derry." I clasped my hand over my mouth as Cassia closed her eyes, pausing. She continued.

"Sam Derry, you do not know a single thing about my pig. You don't understand anything right now because you're new here, capish? You should be thankful that I even took you in. I could have ignored you completely but obviously, I'm in your debt. Not just that, I trust Cassandra. And she thinks you're very important. But, I could just throw you into the street, if I wanted. Is that what you want?"

I shook my head vigorously.

"Then find my pig," she growled, before releasing me and pulling me up. I was actually, properly scared. Adonis caught my eye, pity clouding his gaze. Then, they turned and ran again. I followed as best as I could, cursing myself for ever thinking that Cassia was innocent, or young...or anything else along those lines. Because boy was I wrong.