Link To The Past

Chapter Eighteen

Thomas ran to his house only to find it completely burned to the ground. He looked to his right and saw that there was hardly anything left of the barn and work shed and all the animals were gone. Thunder crashed through the sky and a downpour of rain started soaking Thomas. The dirt quickly became mud, turning his socks black and his nice white T-shirt was somewhat see-through and his blue jeans felt heavy. He still wasn't quite used to the feel of clothing from the future. Droplets of water fell from his hair and on to his nose and cheeks as he continued. looked for something that would hide him from the rain. The only place where the woods but he didn't dare go because of all the lighting, in fear that one would be struck and quickly end his life.

Thomas gave up looking around his farm; the home where he had grown up was now gone and not another soul was in sight. Thomas walked the muddy road in his muddy socks, his heavy jeans and his white shirt that clung to his skin. He was cold and shivering and prayed to God that someone or something would show up along the way to help him.

Suddenly, Thomas heard rustling and talking just from within the woods. He spotted the color red and quickly ran to a field with tall grass and ducked. He stayed there for some time until the red coats were well out of site. When they were gone Thomas got out from his hiding place and started heading in the opposite direction the British men were going. He continued to walk aimlessly about to Charles Town. When he got to the hill where the town would be shown he saw nothing but British troops. His heart skipped a beat. How long had Thomas been gone?

Thomas gripped his fists together and swore that these British troops would pay for invading the homeland that he so loved. But then he remembered what Kristine had told him.
"America wins and England is forced to go back." He words rang like a bell in his mind. Oh, how he wished he could see her again. He knew that he had only been away from her for a few hours, but still he missed her. He missed his family too and had no idea where they were and he had not the slightest clue where to begin.

Thomas then remembered the Margret family. They lived only a half a day away from Charleston. If he could make it there, he was sure he could find someone there to help give him some answers on his families whereabouts. He turned away from Charles town and headed out to see Anne and her parents. They would HAVE to know something.

Kristine sat in her history classroom, not paying any mind to what the teacher was saying and looking out the window. She jumped in her seat when the bell suddenly rang. All the other students got up from their desks and headed out the door. Kristine sat there even after everyone was gone. The only person left besides herself was the teacher and he was too busy grading papers to notice that she was there. She sighed and turned toward the window again, wishing that Thomas would be outside waiting for her. But he was gone now and she didn't know if she would ever see him again.

Kristine finally picked up her things and headed on home. When she did she was startled when she heard a great big, "Surprise!" from her mom and dad. "Happy Birthday, sweetie!" said her mother, running to her and giving her a great big hug and kiss. She looked to her father who was holding a cake, smiling at her.
"Aw! Thanks!" Truth be told, Kristine completely forgot that it was her birthday. She also wasn't too thrilled.
"Come sit down." said her mother. Kristine followed her mother into the kitchen and found two lovely packed presents. "We know it's not much, but you've been having a rough couple of days and wanted your birthday to as great as it can be. And now I know how much you love home cooked meals, so tonight I am thinking about making your favorite...Pasta with garlic bread and giant meatballs!" "Wow! Thanks, mom! I really don't know what to say..." "You don't have to say anything," said her father. "Open the gifts so we can chow down on that cake. And the sooner that happens, the sooner we can eat your moms cooking."
Kristine picked up the present that was from her mom and slowly opened it. "A journal?" said Kristine.
Her mother spoke up. "Well I just thought...since you like writing...maybe you'd like a journal too!"
Kristine thanked her mom and opened up her dad's gift next. It was a charm bracelet with a letter 'K' attached to it. Kristine thanked her dad too and got started on the cake right after.

When supper was done and night had swept all over the town, Kristine sat in her room, brushing her hair and getting ready for bed. Just then as she set the brush down a knock sounded on the door and her mother popped her head in.
"Kristine?" her mother walked the rest of the way in and closed the door. "Yeah, mom?" Her mother held out another present from behind her back and handed it to her. "What's this?" she asked.
"It's from your grandmother. I thought it be best to wait till later to give it to you," Her mother started to step outside but before she did she stopped and said to her daughter, "Your granny says she's sorry for not being able to be here with you tonight so she hopes that the gift will make up for it." with that her mother closed the door and left Kristine alone in her quiet little room.

Kristine went and sat over on to her bed with the gift. Attached to the wrapping paper was a note. It read: Dear, Kristine. I hope this gift makes up for my not being there and also for all the craziness that you have been going through. Love granny.
Kristine smiled at the note and started to open it. When she did she didn't see anything new or shiny, but something old and dull looking. What Kristine held in her hands was what started her whole problem: The diary.
She sat there, unable to move or even blink. She just sat there staring at the cover of the diary. Slowly, but surely, Kristine took the cover of the diary and flipped it open. She felt a thousand emotions run past her and she dropped the diary in her lap. The diary closed and she quickly placed it under her bed and away from her sight.

For the next three weeks, Kristine left the diary under her bed. Even though she didn't see it, she constantly thought about it. Finally, one night as she tossed and turned in bed a flash of light came from underneath her bed. Kristine sat up fast and dangled half her body off the bed to look under it. She gasped as she saw the diary glow. Within seconds her body went weightless and she was blinded. She covered her eyes and then felt something hard beneath her. She slowly opened her eyes and found that she was laying on the ground. The light from the sky made her vision blurry for a moment.

When her eyes adjusted she saw that she was laying in the middle of a dirt road with trees and bushes surrounding her and a hill about a 100 yards away was to her left. Kristine turned to her attention towards something else. She spotted a group of men all ages pop out from behind some trees. They all carried guns and looked like hunters, but in a way they didn't. Then it hit her. They were militia!

One of the men stopped and spotted her. "Hey, you! Child! What are you doing all the way out here?" he called out to her. The man had a grey hat on. He was a bit round at the waste and from what Kristine could see, the man had crooked teeth. Suddenly the rest of the men stopped and stared at her. Her heart raced, praying that they wouldn't do anything to harm her. "She looks awfully funny in those clothes of her hers." said another man. Kristine looked down at her PJ's. Her blue and black striped top and bottom sure did stand out.
"What's all the commotion about?" said a voice. Kristine picked herself up and strained her eyes to see who was the third speaking person and out popped Mr. Martin from the crowd of men. He looked more beat up and run down. He carried with him multiple guns and his clothes were torn at the ends. He had a look in his eyes that he had never seen before and she wasn't sure how to feel. Mr. Martin stopped when he saw her. He felt as though his mind was playing tricks on him and he kept silent.
"What is it father?" to Kristine's surprise she saw a much older looking Gabriel Martin standing side-by-side with his father. When Gabriel saw her he was about to say something but another person came out from the crowd. "What's going on? Is it a red coat?" Kristine's heart skipped a beat when she heard the voice. No...It can't be, she thought. When the third person came out from the crowd and stood next to Gabriel and Mr. Martin he was only a few inches shorter.

It was then when the two locked eyes and the young man stepped forward. "It...it's you!" Kristine looked into the young man's eyes as he stepped closer. He finally stopped when she took a step back, afraid to get too close to him. "Is it you? It has to be." he said. Kristine looked hard into his eyes and saw those same green orbs looking back at her.
"...Thomas?" she finally spoke.
The young man smiled and ran the rest of the way to her, pulling her in for a hug, taking in her scent. It was from Thomas! "It's you, it's you, it's you!" he finally pulled away from her but still held on to her shoulders. Thomas looked so much older than her now. His hair was long and tied back at the nape of his neck. His shoulders were broader and he certainly had more muscle to him now.
"Thomas...you've grown up so much in the last three weeks," she told him. "I'm so happy to see you!"
Thomas gave her a confused look and finally said, "But, Kristine...It hasn't been three weeks...It's been nearly three years."