Restored (The Missing: Book 9) [Formerly Titled Rescued]

Chapter Sixteen

Silence. The only thing Jonah was aware of when they finally landed in the time hollow. Lying on the ground with his eyes closed, he could almost pretend that he was back home and everything was okay and he knew exactly what to do. He knew that as soon as he opened his eyes the serene feeling that had enveloped him would evaporate, and he'd be forced to deal with the chaos that he'd been tasked with fixing. So Jonah didn't move until he felt somebody gently touch his shoulder and heard a deep, soothing voice.

"Jonah, are you alright? You shouldn't be time sick here." Jonah recognized the voice immediately.

"JB, you're okay," Jonah said as he opened his eyes and saw JB sitting next to him. Jonah sat up and hugged JB tightly. It took everything he had not to start crying again.

"Well, I'm not really okay, but people can't die in a time hollow. But you know that," JB said with a bit of a chuckle. JB pulled away from the hug and looked at Jonah more seriously. "Jonah, thank you. If I hadn't been transported to this time hollow, I probably would have died."

"You really were that sick, huh?" Jonah mumbled. 'JB really could have died.' Jonah shook the unsettling thought out of his head and changed the subject. "So, how long was I lying down?" He glanced past JB and saw Katherine and both Alexanders siting across the room.

"Long enough for us to calm down Alexander and relax a little ourselves. Oh, and Katherine nicknamed him 'Al'," JB replied. "So we won't get them confused."

Jonah just stared at JB. After everything that happened, he expected JB to be upset with them. They had broken the rules of time travel by telling Al that time travel was real, but JB looked relaxed. Considering the circumstances, anyway.

"You're not mad at us?" Jonah asked, feeling almost childish.

"Of course not, Jonah. You guys have had to make some impossible decisions, and I'm proud of you," JB said. "You didn't have a lot of options, and Al-" He leaned closer to Jonah before continuing. "Between you and me," he said with his voice lowered, "moving forward, I don't see how Al or Alexander will be able to stay in the time  periods that they've grown up in. Alexander has to return. He's simply irreplaceable."

"Are you suggesting we send him back? Because I won't force him to do anything," Jonah said quickly, trying to make his voice sound stern. "I'm not going to make him return to his native time forever if it's not his choice. That's what you tried to make us do back in the time cave, so I know what he's feeling right now and I just can't."

"I understand," JB said and placed a hand on Jonah's shoulder. "But these are different circumstances. Most of you kids only had to travel back for a day or so to fix time. Alexander Hamilton is very prominent. He has to stay for his entire life, and right now I don't see any alternatives. I hate to even consider what would happen to time if he just vanished."

"Honestly, Katherine and I have been trying to convince him to stay but I don't know if it's working or not. He's hard to read," Jonah said, then paused. He looked JB in the eyes before he continued. "Promise you won't send Alexander back against his will?"

JB sighed and his face softened. "Jonah, we will explore every feasible option before resorting to that. That is the best promise I can make for now."

Jonah frowned. "Seriously?" he snapped. "After everything we've been through-"

"Hey, easy there," JB interrupted, innocently holding up his hands. "I won't be sending anybody anywhere right now. My Elucidator is fried."