Relative Strangers (Book 2) No Man Is An Island

21. Elizabeth Island

Once they were both ready, E created an anomaly and they both stepped through into the next time zone.
They found themselves standing in a back alley, in between two very tall buildings.
E quickly closed the anomaly so that no one would see it, before placing her ACD back into her dress pocket.
She then removed some money from her pouch and handed it to Matt.
"Why are you giving this to me?" He asked.
"It would be easier if you bought the things that we need, since you're a man. There aren't many people who can read and write in this era, and very few of them are women. So it will raise less suspicion, if you buy them" answered E.

"Where are we going to get the things we need?" Questioned Matt.
"Well there aren't any modern day stationary shops here, but there should be some stalls selling parchment and ink" replied E.
"But I don't know what any of these coins are" admitted Matt as he stared at the unusual coins E had given him.
"Don't worry, I will help you when we get there"
"How do you even have this currency?"
"I have money from various time zones so that I can buy whatever I want. I spent so many years stealing, so I try my best not to now"
"But surely you had to the steal the money"
"Sort of, but it makes me feel better than robbing shops".

After checking that their outfits were perfect, Matt and E stepped out of the alley and into the bustling street.
Dozens of people walked past them, but none of them gave the pair any strange glances.
"This is incredible" whispered Matt.
"You've traveled in time, so must have seen some pretty amazing things as well" reminded E.
"Well, I did rescue Emily from the Victorian era, but this is completely different" replied Matt.
"Yes, a lot can change in 200 years".

Once she had seen what they were after, E guided Matt towards the man selling writing equipment.
The transaction went smoothly, and E began dragging Matt back the way they had come.
"You know, I've just thought of something" admitted Matt.
"What?" Asked E.
"Our finger prints are going to be on the pieces of parchment, so what if the scientists in the present match up our finger prints. They'll know that the documents are fake then"
"No, they won't. My finger prints aren't on any database, so they'll never match my prints, and since you're from the future, your's won't be anywhere either"
"You're sure?"
"Matt, I've got enough things to worry about, without you adding more to my mind"
"Sorry".

"Where are we going?" Matt asked, after walking in silence for several minutes, and passing the place where they had arrived.
"We need somewhere to sit and write these documents in peace" answered E.
"We could just do it in one of your houses, that way we definitely won't be disturbed" suggested Matt.
E stopped walking and frowned, trying to decide if it was a good idea for them to go back.
"I really wanted to avoid the parchment touching anything modern" she admitted.
"I'm sure it won't affect anything. The parchment is still medieval, no matter what table we write the documents on" replied Matt.

"I guess, it just means that I will have to figure out some calculations before we come back, so that we don't meet our past selves" sighed E.
"Will that take long?" Asked Matt.
"No, just a few minutes. But we aren't exactly in a rush right now, because we are out of time and space. We could be gone a whole day, and I could take us to the ARC one minute after we left"
"So, are we going back to your house?"
"Yeah, I guess so".
E took hold of Matt's hand and pulled him behind a building, while she fished around in her pockets for her ACD.

"Have you got everything we need?" Questioned E.
Matt nodded and raised the fabric drawstring bag, that E had given him to put their purchases in.
"Parchment, ink, string, a seal, and an old fashioned stamp. That's everything isn't it?" Asked Matt.
"Yes, it is" confirmed E.
She looked around to make sure that no one was watching, before opening another anomaly and stepping through.
"You know, I didn't realise how bad it smelt there, until I breathed in proper clean air" admitted Matt, once the anomaly was closed.
"Well, the past doesn't have a good drainage system, and personal hygiene isn't quite what it is now. So yes, the past does smell" agreed E.

E made her way over to the kitchen table, and pulled out 2 chairs.
Matt joined her and emptied the bag of its contents.
"Right, I need you to copy this document onto the parchment, using the quill and ink" instructed E, as she removed the drafts she had made the night before, from her pocket.
"But I don't know how to use a quill" admitted Matt.
"Then practice on a spare piece of parchment first. Because I need these documents to have different handwriting, so you don't have a choice, as I don't want them to all be written by me" replied E.

Matt frowned and began reading the document draft that E had handed him.
When he was about half way down he lowered the paper and raised an eyebrow.
"What now?" Sighed E, as she stopped arranging the things in front of her, to look up at Matt.
"This island doesn't have an official name, does it?" He asked.
"No, it doesn't. Because it doesn't exist" reminded E.
"But you've given it a name here" pointed out Matt.
"Well, I had to make up one, because we are falsifying documents to make it real, so I had to give it name"
"Isn't naming it Elizabeth, a little on the nose?"
"Well, it is my island, so why shouldn't it be named after me? But that's the reason we went to the Elizabethan era, so that I had an excuse to name the island Elizabeth. You disapprove?".

"No. I just know that you don't like being called Elizabeth, so I was surprised that you wanted to call the island that" admitted Matt.
"I don't like to be called that, you are right. But I can't exactly call it E, can I. Besides, Elizabeth is my real name, E is just the code name I chose, to hide my real identity. Those fools who tortured me, never learned that my name was Elizabeth, so it should be safe to name the island that" replied E.
"Alright then, Island Elizabeth it is"
"Good. Let's get started then".