From the Ashes: Time Jumpers Series Book One

Chapter Six

Sam sat up on the edge of the bed in Chelsea's guestroom the next morning. He'd woken up disoriented and with a headache. Then the memory of the previous night came back to him and he'd experienced that sense of loss all over again.

He could only imagine how worried his family and friends were. He pictured his mother's face and tears stung his eyes. She was going to devastated.

"I'm so sorry, Mama," he mumbled even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

Looking at himself, he thought that people in the future slept in strange nightclothes. The soft gray pants said Cowboys down one side and Dallas on the other. The short-sleeved white shirt said Texas A&M across the front.

Figuring that he'd wallowed in self-pity long enough, he stood up and stretched before heading for the bathroom. As he opened the door to his room, a throbbing drumbeat reached his ears, but he continued on to the bathroom. When he came out, he padded down the hall, going into the parlor—and stopped dead in his tracks.

The music was loud now, but that wasn't what disturbed him. It was Chelsea. She wore these funny little skin-tight pink pants that left her legs completely bare. And what legs they were. Shapely, tanned, and toned. The sweet shape of her behind was clearly outlined and her stomach was also bare.

The only other thing she wore was a white brassiere of some sort. He'd never seen a woman dressed so skimpily outside of her bedchamber and he wondered if she'd forgotten that he was there. His body temperature rose as she bounced and danced. Sergeant and the boys were taking full notice.

Then he noticed movement beyond her and saw that the black box thing was lit up and that there were people on it. It was a large group of women who were dressed similarly to Chelsea. Where had they come from? How had they gotten in the house and why were they standing behind the black box thing? Was it some sort of magical device?

Sam had never used to believe in such things, but after what had happened to him, he was beginning to. He crossed the room, brushing by Chelsea, who let out a startled squeak, and went to the black box. He looked behind it, but no one was back there.

Chelsea picked up a long black wand and pressed something on it. The black box went dark again.

Sam pointed at it. "What is that? What does it do? Where did those women go?"

Chelsea was taken aback by his hard tone. "It's a TV and you watch it. Like a movie."

"Movie? What's a movie?" he demanded.

"A film?" Chelsea was trying think of the equivalent from back in his time. "Um, a magic lantern show! That's what it's like."

Sam motioned at the TV again. "That's a magic lantern show?"

"Yes!" Chelsea danced a little, happy that she'd been able to get her point across.

The way her bosom bounced up and down made Sam forget about the TV for a moment. He saw that she'd noticed his preoccupation and looked away. How the hell do men in this time keep from walking around saluting all the time? "Do women here walk around dressed like that all the time?"

Chelsea gaped at him in anger until she saw the desire in his eyes. He was still coming to grips with not remembering anything about modern times and he wasn't used to the way women dressed now. Her walking around in a sports bra and spandex shorts was probably the most erotic thing he'd ever seen a woman wear out in public.

She reined in her pique. "Sam, this is the way women dress when they're working out. Exercising. Doing that in dresses and skirts isn't feasible. It's how we keep in shape these days since we don't have to work so hard at keeping house. We don't beat rugs or scrub floors on our hands and knees."