Time Travel Society

Chapter Eight

                Soon after my 14th birthday we were sent to meet Dr. Anderson, in Egypt! I was thrilled, and so were my friends.  We packed our bags on the following Saturday. I was just pulling my favorite book off the shelf when they called us to leave. I shoved the book into a back pack and headed out of my room locking it behind me.

                Anna stood waiting for me in the living room. 

                “Ready?” she asked. Her red hair piled up on her head pinned up with shiny silver pins. She had a silver sun dress on.

                “Yes, Ma’am.” I stuck my arm out very gentlemanly like. I was dressed in cargo shorts and a grey white striped polo.  Which Anna forced me to buy, when we had to go shopping to buy clothes for Alexandria and she had told me to put them on when I came out that morning in a blue tee shirt that said think like a proton and stay positive in yellow letters on it?  I could tell she wanted to match me and I swear up and down her and Elizabeth had a meeting (which us boy were not allowed to) to plan what we would be wearing on our trip.

                Anna took my arm and we walked down stairs, to see it snowing outside. The white flakes came down in flurries. I looked at Anna’s bare arms and shoulders.

                “I’ll go get your coat.” I offered her; she nodded and watched the snow fall. I ran back up the stairs. Elizabeth stood in front of a mirror; she wore a gold sun dress. I whistled.  She turned around at me and stuck her tongue out.

                “Nice dress, but you might want a coat it’s snowing.” I pulled it from off the hook and tossed it to her. I then grabbed my own and Anna’s

                “Thanks.” she pulled it on.

                “Coming down?” I headed to the stairs.

                “Nah, I’m going to wait for Samuel.”

                I nodded and walked down the stairs. Anna’s had stopped looking at the snow and was sitting on a bench, Reading. I walked over and sat next to her.

                “What are you reading?”

                “nothing.” She quickly stuck the small book into her bag. She was saved by any further questions when Samuel and Elizabeth walked down. They were arm and arm just as Anna and I were. I noticed that the secret outfit meetings Elizabeth and Anna were having paid off.  Samuel wore a polo identical to mine but it was gold like Elizabeth’s dress, I noticed that it matched the gold of Samuels eyes and brought out the gold flecks in Elizabeth’s brown eye. I looked at Anna who stood next to me the silver was the same as my eyes and made her eyes even bluer. It made us look professional, rich and like a team. They did this all to impress the president.

“Oh, you are just brilliant.” I danced around kissing Anna then Elizabeth on the cheeks. They both blushed.

“They are amazing.” I said “You are amazing. You are making us seem powerful and Rich, any genius can see that. Silver means sleek, elegant, sophisticated. Gold means wealth, traditional and somber.”

                “That is very brilliant, I applaud you girls.” President Bane said from the door way. “But, we can speak more on the plane. Let us go.”

                We turn and followed him; Anna slipped her arm back to my arm this time with her coat covering her bare skin.

¥

                5 hours in to our 17 hour plane ride, I was board. Samuel was watching a movie and Elizabeth was asleep. Anna sat and read a book. The cover sleeve was taken off so I couldn’t see the cover.

                “Anna, what are your reading?” I asked

                “A book.” She continued reading.

                “Is it good?”

                “I read it every year before Christmas, so yeah.”

                “What is it called” I thought of how Christmas was only a week away.

                “The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evens.”

                “Anna?”

                “Yes.”

                “Read to me. “

                She looked from her book, for the first time in hours.  Then she starts reading the small red book from the beginning.

“Chapter one the widows mansion….”

For the rest of the plan ride Anna read from the small red book. I lie on my back across the seats and listen to the story of a widow and her family who find the meaning of Christmas. After a while Elizabeth and Samuel join us and listen to her read. For hours and hours we listen.

By the end we are all crying and for the first time I felt like I was home.