Black to the Past

Chapter 31

Meredith awoke the next day leery of their plan. Now Brooke, of all people, was involved. Whereas, they had planned that she and Halle would follow the boys from the library to the Professor's house, now she was to go with the boys and Halle to see the professor and Brooke would follow them. Brooke would be their lookout person and would contact anyone if the kids didn't return as planned. Meredith's life was in Brooke's hands.
    Meredith left a note in her journal for her mother prior to going to school. She told her mother about the project, Wilson's idea, the crazy man named Professor Harold and that they were meeting him tonight at the library. She told her mother she loved her. Meredith hoped that she would arrive at home before her mother ever had to read the note.
    Heading out to hop in the car with Halle who was sitting in her driveway, Meredith stifled a yawn.
    "Didn't sleep either," Halle acknowledged.
    "Nope. Are you scared?"
    "Nope," Halle told her as she pulled off and headed in the opposite direction of the high school.
    "Where are we going?"
    "Breakfast. If it's my last meal I want a decent breakfast," Halle told her. Meredith nodded in agreement and they went to the little diner simply known as the Coventry Inn.
    During summer break and often on weekends, Halle and Meredith had spent mornings on Coventry that started at the Inn. Ordering coffee like grownups, gossiping, and staring at passersby they enjoyed their routine. Halle wanted one more morning where they could just be normal. Having so much on her mind from her mother, to her father's new personality, Halle just wanted to feel like a kid again.

    "What's up, Hal?" Meredith had an idea but she hoped that by asking it would get Halle talking about it and force the issues out of her mind.
    "Everything. My dad's been acting so strange lately. He told me last night he's thinking of sending me to boarding school. Boarding school! Can you believe that?"
    "Why would he do that? He knows you love it here. You grew up here. He grew up here. He's never had a problem with it before," Meredith reminded her.
    "I know. Something's not right. He wants to put the kids in too. Said that they're not getting the best education they could be getting. Like, they're preschoolers for Christ's sake! He wants a different life for us now. I'm scared, Meredith."
    Meredith reached her hand out and covered Halle's. She was genuinely concerned.
    "It's like my whole world is falling apart and there's nothing I can do about it," Halle was almost in tears when she sensed someone staring at her.
    Sure enough, Wilson was walking towards their table. He'd sent a text to Halle this morning and she'd told him about going out for breakfast. He'd ditched his first period class for the first time in his life. He knew he'd be in trouble when his parents found out, which they would, in exactly two hours when the school called and left the handy dandy message that he hadn't been in one or more of his classes.
    "Room for one more," Wilson asked as he sought Halle's eyes for confirmation that it was okay for him to meet her without asking.
     Blinking away her tears, Halle finally looked up and nodded. Wilson pulled a chair from another table and ordered when the waitress came through.
    "You good, Halle?" Wilson asked in a concerned tone. Meredith excused herself from the table to give them a moment to talk.
    "Yeah," Halle said. Then looking into his eyes she shook her head no.
    "It's okay. Talk to me, please," he pleaded with her. His broody eyes looked more emotional than usual.
    "My world is crashing. I'm crashing. Wilson," Halle started but she got choked up.
    He leaned over and put his palm over her left cheek. He held her face as a few tears escaped from her eyes. Taking a napkin, he wiped her tears away. He wanted to pull her into his arms, hold her, and comfort her but this wasn't the time nor the place.
    "You're cute when you cry," Wilson told her.
    "Get outta here," Halle laughed.
    "I'm serious. Cry some more," Wilson urged her with a smile.
    "No!"
    "Okay, well, anytime you want to you can. I'll even take a picture so you can see just how cute you are," Wilson teased her.
    The mood was definitely lighter by the time Meredith returned to the table and their food had arrived.
    "Are you scared, Wil," Meredith wanted to know between bites of fluffy pancakes.
    "Kinda. I don't know what to expect. I mean he can't kill us all, right?"
    "He can actually," Meredith told him.
    "Why would he, though," Halle wondered. "And remember what my nana said. So, maybe, just maybe he does have a time machine. And maybe, he's been waiting all this time, right."
    "But why does he think we have anything to do with the future," Wilson wanted to know. "That's kinda what's creeping me out now. He told Jalen we have something to do with the future so we all have to be there."
    "Yeah, that's weird," Meredith and Halle agreed at the same time.
    "I left my mom a note."
    "I wish I had a mom to leave a note to," Halle said with a sigh.
    "You do, Halle. Don't say that. She's just sick, that's all. They'll give her some medication and then she'll be fine," Meredith tried reassuring her.
    "We might be gone by then," Halle said in a small, quiet voice.
    "I'm not going to let anything happen to you guys," Wilson told them, feeling responsible.
    "How can you say that for sure," Halle asked him, suddenly feeling defiant.
    "I don't know. Look, we can call the whole thing off," Wilson told her reassuringly, grabbing both her shoulders and turning her to look at him.
    "It doesn't matter. Let's just go," Halle said resignedly.