The Time Hopper

Lighter Problems

Panic surged through me and I thrashed, yelling out as I kicked backwards, making contact with my attacker's shins. A voice swore, the Spanish accent somewhat familiar, but I was too hyped up on adrenaline to think it through. The grip loosened and I wriggled like an eel, slipping out of my jacket so he was left with that as I sprang forward, snatching a lighter from my bag and holding the flame in front of me protectively. 

"I'll burn you!" I threatened, before I actually got a look at the man who had grabbed me. A very tall man, well built, with a bald head and short dark beard. Though his lips were twisted into a pained frown, his big brown eyes sparkled with warmth and affection as he looked at me. A scar ran along his cheekbones, nicking over the bridge of his nose and twisting down slightly at his left cheek, a souvenir of a past fight with Felix. I relaxed, letting the flame flicker out as I stuck my tongue out at him. 

"That wasn't funny, Samuel! I almost lit you on fire!" I gasped with a small laugh. Riley had started forward when I was grabbed, fists cocked, and it was only now that he lowered them, though he still eyed Sammy warily. Sammy leant to down to rub his sore shins with a grin. 

"I wasn't trying to be funny, Dee, I was trying to give you a nice surprise hug. You used to love them as a kid." He was one of the four adults who stayed in the tir na gog, and had helped raise us. At this point in time, he would have just met me as a little girl, having first arrived, but I had also met him earlier in his and my timeline. The only reason he could remember me was because he had been the twin brother of the last child of time, god rest his soul, and he had travelled in time with him. Of the four, he probably ventured out the most, and had accompanied me whenever I wanted to go on a little adventure, to keep me from harm until I became stupid enough to want to risk it by myself, so I'd say I was closest to him. 

"Yeah, as a kid. Before there had been multiple attempts to kidnap me." He frowned, a familiar protective glint lighting in his eye as he looked at Riley. 

"Speaking of kidnapping, who's this?" He asked, laying a hand on my shoulder as he inspected my companion. 

"What do you mean, 'speaking of kidnapping'? If anything, I'm the victim of kidnapping." Riley pointed out, looking as though he was sizing Sammy up, who was a good two heads taller than him and would absolutely kick his ass in a fight. 

"Hey! How many kidnappers offer to take their kidnappees home whenever they want?" I pointed out, but Samuel had turned to me, one eyebrow raised judgementally. 

"Sadie, where did you get this boy?" He grumbled, not fooled even a little by my best angelic smile. I let it fall. 

"Ireland. Not too far away." Riley sniggered. 

"Allow me to rephrase; when did you get this boy?" I hesitated, kicking at the ground and mumbling out my answer. 

"Mid sixteenth century." 

"Sorry, what was that?" I sucked in a deep breath and yelled.

"Mid sixteenth century!" He sighed deeply, and that was somehow worse than him yelling at me. "Don't lecture me, I've already had it from Mr Consequences."

"Is that the truth?" I nodded. "Right, then, I'll assume you learnt that lesson already, at least. Next question; I gave you a knife so you'd stop using a lighter to defend yourself, because I said that that small flame wouldn't scare anyone-"

"Which I still disagree with, by the way. I fear being burnt alive way more than I do being stabbed. Riley? Thoughts?" The Irish boy cocked his head to the side, thinking it over for a second. 

"I've got to agree with Sadie. A burn hurts more than a cut." I nodded at him, a proud smile on my face that he returned, a silent pact of sorts.