TIME TRIPPERS The school building stood there, large and foreboding. It was as the young fourteen year old girl stared up at it that she started to have second thoughts. After all, she was going to be taking her first high school classes here today. And those classes would not be at the Grade Nine level, but rather Grade Ten. Naturally, both her parents and her guidance counsellor had advised against skipping over her first year here. Though it wasn't because she wasn't smart enough - far from it. In fact, despite entering the school system one year late, she had already skipped two grades previously. No, the Grade Ten material was unlikely to pose a problem... the real problem, as always, would be her social situation. If anything, she was too smart for her own good. Of course, it didn't help that Luci Primrose was an oriental girl living in a small Ontario town. But more than that, the other children resented her above average intelligence. And as Luci was unable to carry on an intellectual conversation with anyone else her age, she had learned to bite back when they teased her. However, her stinging retorts only served to push away the few potential friends she had, and things had recently reached the point where Luci was no longer sure if any compliments directed at her were even sincere. So she had decided to make a clean sweep with this step up to the new school. Break away from the Grade Nines, search for a niche elsewhere. Of course, she had been cautioned that it wouldn't be so easy. It never was; Luci knew that. However, she had wanted to do it anyway. Now, looking at the school, she abruptly wasn't so sure. "Oh well," Luci murmured. "It's done. I'm sure it won't be that bad, once I learn how to find my way around." That said, the young girl headed for the large double doors out front. She had no idea of the adventures that awaited her and her classmates in the near future. Luci's first class was mathematics. One of the first to arrive, she took a seat at the back of the classroom, near the door. She knew this would allow her to observe people as they came in, not to mention during class itself. Luci liked to think she was good at observing. After all, one gained the knack when one wasn't much of a talker. There were a couple of people already milling about, but the only one who really caught Luci's attention was a guy wearing a loosely fitting sports jacket. He stood out in part due to the clothing, but also the unruly way his hair was standing up. He currently seemed to be engrossed in conversation with a girl, however, upon noticing Luci's gaze over his companion's shoulder, he fired off a quick grin. Flushing mildly at being observed herself, Luci turned her attention back to the doorway, just as two females entered the room. "You really like it?" one of them was saying, holding a braid of pink hair out before her. "Oh, I do!" replied the redhead walking beside her. "I think it's a much more natural colour for you even if it is an unnatural colour, because this one brings out your eyes more or maybe goes a bit better with your complexion I'm not sure but it's definitely better, I mean this one really works I think you should keep it for at least the next year and maybe even longer than that it just really works well!" "Then it's not, you know, TOO pink?" the first girl countered. "I mean, I don't want it to, like, lighten up with the sun too much. Otherwise when I redo the roots it'll, you know, look funny." Luci tuned out the long winded response to that, not liking the boring, shallow tone of the conversation. Hoping the two of them weren't too typical of Grade Ten students, she returned her attention to the doorway. A shorter boy limped in a few moments later, looking to be about Luci's height. She blinked. Was this another genius child about her age? No, she decided after a moment's thought, his condition, whatever it was, seemed to be purely physical. He was probably a shy type too, as he seemed unwilling to meet the gaze of anyone else in the room. Might they get along? Hard to say. But Luci didn't always have the patience for introverts. She decided not to introduce herself, instead looking back towards the door once again. However, Luci abruptly felt an instinctive need to turn her attention elsewhere. She glanced around quickly, only to discover that she was being scrutinized by a brunette with long, naturally curly hair. For some reason, Luci hadn't picked up on this girl's presence during her initial scan of the room. As if sensing she'd now been found out, the girl approached Luci's desk. "Hi! Who are you?" the brunette inquired amicably. "Who's asking?" Luci shot back uncertainly. Something about this girl bothered her. The unknown girl frowned, leaning her palms against the edge of Luci's desk. "I asked first. You don't seem to be from around here, are you a transfer student?" "What business is it of yours?" "Everything that happens around here is my business," the girl said with mounting annoyance. "You always answer questions with questions?" "What if I do?" Luci said, this encounter now completely rubbing her the wrong way. Just who WAS this girl? "Julie, don't bother the newcomer," came a new voice. Luci turned, only to see the companion of the pink haired girl standing there. No, wait... that person had been female, this person was male! Had to be a brother, presumably a twin. "I'm just being sociable, Corry," Julie retorted, pushing herself away from Luci's desk. Corry, mused Luci... that name had a familiar ring to it. Right, back at MacKenzie King Middle School there had been a Corry Veniti in the grade ahead of her. A twin, with a sister named Laurie Veniti. He'd had delusions of grandeur, as Luci recalled... this had to be the same guy. "Of course you are," Corry was now saying to Julie. "And the next thing we know, you'll have this girl hauling your books to your next class." "Well, I didn't know you were interested in her," Julie retorted sarcastically. "By all means, convince her to carry your books instead." "Hah, no need, I've already got a volunteer lined up for that job today," Corry countered with a smirk. "Sorry, your sister doesn't count," Julie taunted. Corry flushed. "Hey, leave my sister the hell out of this!!" he said angrily. "Idiots," Luci muttered under her breath. She could only hope that the rest of her encounters today would go better. The first warning bell chose that moment to go off, signifying five minutes until classes would start. It was then that a taller boy entered the room, giving Julie a wave and a smile as soon as he saw her. "Julie, good to see you!" he said happily. "We haven't seen too much of each other the last month or so - about time we caught up, huh?" "No," Julie said irately, still glowering at Corry. "Or... well, maybe," she suddenly corrected herself. She spun to face him. "I guess there's some time before the last bell. Come on, Clarke." Taking the tall male's arm, she pointedly steered him away from Luci's desk and towards a corner of the room. Corry watched them go, shaking his head. "Hey, sorry about Julie," he remarked, finally turning back towards Luci. "That girl's a thorn in the side of a lot of people around here." He fired off a grin. "So, who are you anyway?" "Someone who won't be choosing sides in your little war," Luci said pointedly. "Oh," Corry responded. He shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself then. But let me know if you change your mind." The redhead turned away, apparently having lost all interest in her. 'I'm not going to make any friends here at all, am I,' Luci sighed to herself. 'I guess I should be making more of an effort. But is there no one in my homeroom who looks even partially normal?' The teacher entered the room a couple minutes later, and people began heading for their seats. Then, about thirty seconds before the final bell, Luci heard a crashing sound in the hallway. She turned to look through the door. On the ground was a blonde girl with long hair, and next to her was a male wearing glasses, now slightly askew. Apparently the two of them had collided, approaching the class from opposite directions. Luci watched as they shook off the effects of their encounter. "Pervert!" the blonde suddenly cried out, slapping the male upside the head with her binder. "I felt that! How dare you try to cop a feel by crashing into me!" "Ouch!! Hey, sorry, I was just trying to keep from falling down," the male protested, reaching up to adjust his glasses and rub the side of his head. "I didn't mean it!" "Yeah, right!" the blonde retorted. She whacked him again. "The last guy who did that at least bought me dinner! Honestly, the lengths you men will go to for free samples!" "Look, Carrie, it was an accident!" "You still owe me dinner!" Carrie paused. "Ugh, wait, forget I said that. I don't want to be seen socially with a geek like you. Just stay away from me, Frank Dijora!" Her binder made contact again. "Will you stop hitting me?!" Frank protested. The final bell chose that moment to ring, the two teenagers turning and blinking in the direction of the classroom. They quickly struggled to their feet and leapt for the entrance, both squeezing through at the same time. As the announcements clicked on, Carrie hurried for what was apparently a reserved seat next to Julie, while Frank slid into the closest available desk... which just happened to be right next to Luci. The young girl realized abruptly that she had yet to take her eyes off of him. Pinkening mildly, she snapped her attention back to the front of the room. 'Okay, then. There is a person here I might want to make friends with,' Luci decided as everyone rose for the playing of "O Canada". Luci next encountered Frank during third period lunch. He was sitting alone in the cafeteria, poring over a book of some sort. Summoning up her courage, Luci set her tray down across from him and smiled tentatively. "Can I sit here?" she inquired. Frank looked up in surprise. "Hm? Oh, sure, sit wherever you like," he said, gesturing vaguely. Luci nodded, sliding into the available space. Frank looked back at his book. Luci hesitated, taking a bite of her sandwich as she tried to figure out how to proceed. "So, I see you're interested in time travel," she said at last. "Er, what?" Frank said, looking up again. Luci motioned to the book he was reading, 'Time Machines' by Paul J. Nahin. "Oh!" Frank realized. "Well, yes, it's a passing interest. Sort of a long and complicated story, really... uhm, forgive me for asking this, but do I know you?" "No. Not exactly," Luci admitted. "In fact, I'm new to the school. But we were sitting next to each other in math class." "Right," Frank said, snapping his fingers. "Sorry, should have recognized the cute little ponytails you have there." "Oh, no, it's all right," Luci said, hoping she wasn't going pink as she shook her head. "You must know a lot of other people, after all." "Eh, not that many," Frank said with a shrug. "Only the ones I run into on a regular basis." "Run into? You mean like your encounter with that blonde in the hallway this morning?" Luci said. Frank winced slightly. "Oh, you saw that, huh?" "I did," Luci confirmed. "You know, she had no right to hit you the way she did. You should have stood up to her." "Eh, well, Carrie will be Carrie," Frank remarked, shrugging again. "Contrary to popular belief, she's not all bad. Actually, the two of us have a funny relationship, one that even she isn't completely aware of yet." Luci blinked at him in confusion. "Nevermind," Frank asserted, waving his arm. "Not important. Anyway, I seem to have lost my manners... I'm Frank Dijora, you are?" "Luci Primrose," Luci said. "Luci... nice name. Just transfer in from out of town?" "No, skipped Grade Nine." Frank lifted an eyebrow. "Skipped Grade Nine?? I thought you looked young! Nine is an odd one to skip though, it must leave you at a bit of a loose end with respect to the school." "Yeah, kind of," Luci admitted. "But I've been hoping to run into someone who could help me out. In fact, you seem to be both nice and intelligent, and it seems we have at least two periods together..." Luci's voice trailed off, as she suddenly wasn't sure where she was going with that sentence anymore. Frank's other eyebrow joined his first. "Uh, you want me to show you around then?" "Yes. Well, I mean, you don't have to give me a tour or anything," Luci amended hastily. "At least not now. I'm getting the hang of the layout. But... maybe catch me up on what some of the other Grade Ten students are like? Friends, enemies, people's individual personalities?" Frank shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not the best person to ask there," he remarked. "If you want statistics on people, go to Julie. Rumour has it she's got a file folder for every single student in our grade." Luci wrinkled her nose. "Julie, I met. Didn't like her." "She can evoke that reaction," Frank agreed. "But she's also pretty popular. Does things for people, throws good parties, all that jazz. She's a LaMille, you know." "A LaMille?" Luci said in surprise. "You mean Julie's the child of that rich couple who own the old mansion in town??" "Exactly," Frank said. "Created a bit of a stir last year when she first came on the scene. Partly due to her feud with Corry - he's the other popular person now in Grade Ten - but fortunately, something happened to curtail their initial conflict." "I see. Well then, you obviously know more than you think you do," Luci noted. "Tell me more!" Frank drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. "But... er, I'm not sure anything I say will be of much use..." "We won't know until you try," Luci countered. "There is that," Frank yielded. He paused again. "Okay, here's what little can say..." "Of course, this information will pretty much be confined to the folks in our homeroom," Frank clarified quickly. "I know them best since the school tries to group us together that way term after term, for continuity. Doesn't always work but it's the best I can manage... I don't, er, socialize that much..." "I'll take whatever you've got," Luci reassured him. Frank nodded. "Well then, as I say, Julie and Corry are the leading social figures. You can't be at this school for a week and not run into them in some capacity - as the Grade Nines will discover. Then, taken individually, the people closest to Julie would be Clarke and Carrie. Clarke's actual name is Bill or Phil or something, but everyone just calls him by his last name... it's the way he likes it. He's tall, plays basketball I think." "And Carrie, she's the rude one who hit you?" "Carrie Waterson, yes," Frank confirmed. "She's easily as athletic as Clarke, in particular she's an exceptional runner. As to her attitude, well... again, she's nicer than she looks. It's just she's had some bad things happen to her in the past." "Oh? What sort of things?" Luci wondered, mildly curious. "I'm... not at liberty to say," Frank answered slowly. "Mainly because she doesn't know I know right now. Just... take my word for it." "Oh. All right," Luci said dubiously. "So what about Corry?" "I know even less about him," Frank admitted. "Supposedly a lot of his friends are carryovers from the middle school he attended. Including, of course, his twin sister Laurie, and her best friend, Chartreuse." "Chartreuse? Wait, I seem to remember a Chartreuse," Luci said, tilting her head to the side in thought. "She's a colourful character," Frank said with a shrug. "Apparently a bit of a mystic, she makes predictions about future events, that sort of thing. I never paid much attention to it myself, but it's what I've heard people say." Luci nodded. "And... anyone else?" Frank ran a hand back through his hair. "Er, well, there is someone about your height - I think his name's Tim - but I don't know much about him. He may get out even less than me. Oh, and you'll probably run into Lee at some point, he's got funny hair, gives people nicknames... er, now who else..." "How about yourself?" Frank blinked. "Me?" "You are a Grade Ten student in our homeroom," Luci reminded. "Well... I guess. But I'm not very interesting." "Humour me." "Uh, okay... well, uhm, I don't associate myself with any factions," Frank said, furrowing his brow. "I haven't joined many clubs aside from the business club and the chess club... in fact, aside from my, er, slightly higher grades... I suppose I'm just average." Luci smiled. "Thank you. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear from you." "Oh, was it?" Frank said, adjusting his glasses. "Well then, glad I was able to help after all." He offered Luci a quick smile. "So, anything else?" "Else? Oh... well, nothing comes to mind..." Luci replied, finding herself caught slightly off guard by the question. "Okay then. I guess I'll be seeing you around the school!" Frank concluded. With that, he picked up his book and resumed his reading. Luci pursed her lips. Their conversation had apparently just ended. Somehow, she'd been hoping for... well, what? More? At this point, they barely knew each other. Plus, at fourteen, Luci knew she still looked like a grade schooler. 'Get a grip,' she told herself. 'Frank's helped me learn the ropes a bit, and I've got a potential friend. Let's not rush things.' She finished the rest of her lunch in silence. Luci ended up in Frank's class again fourth period, for computer science, though he wasn't part of her music class last period. Of course, such things could change at the end of the semester in February, and Luci did recognize Corry, Chartreuse and Lee in music, as crossover attendees from her homeroom. Corry even played the flute, also her instrument of choice. 'So far so good then,' Luci decided as she headed for her locker at the end of the day. 'Maybe I'll fit in yet.' She opened her locker, only to find a note taped on the back side of the door. This set her back momentarily. After all, she had only bought her lock last Friday, and had told no one about the combination. Who could have left this note? Luci pulled it off and scanned it over. Very simply, it read: I have important information for you. Come to Willowdale Park at 9pm tonight. Come alone. "Great. Something out of a bad movie," Luci muttered to herself. She flipped the paper over, but it was unsigned and she didn't recognize the handwriting. She looked up and around the immediate vicinity, but no one was looking her way. No one, that was, except Julie. The brunette quickly turned back to her own locker, closing the door and heading off in the opposite direction. 'Could it be her?' Luci mused. 'Could Julie have figured out my locker combination? The LaMille residence isn't far from this park... but why would she leave a note like this?' Luci frowned as she tapped the paper edge against her fingertips. "All right then, I'll bite," she murmured. "But whoever you are, take care not to underestimate me." The park was deserted when Luci arrived that evening. Of course, as she was ten minutes early, she hadn't expected anyone else to be there. Seating herself in one of the swings, Luci took the opportunity to scan around in all directions, through the growing darkness. It was just before nine that she first heard a noise, and she was immediately on her guard. "Hello? Who's there?" she called out authoritatively. "Luci?" "Frank?" Luci's tone turned to surprise. "Frank, is that you?" "Er, yes," Frank responded. The young girl could now see him approaching her. "Sorry about this cloak and dagger act," he continued. "I just figured it would be the best way to get you alone." "A-alone?" Luci repeated, starting to become confused, not to mention a bit worried. "But... wait, if you wrote the note, how did you deliver it? How did you know my locker combination??" Frank paused. "Well, you told it to me." "I did no such thing!" "Uh, no, actually, you did," Frank countered. "It's all kind of complicated though." He stepped closer. "Please, just trust me. I don't mean you any harm." Luci slipped out of the swing and took a step back, placing it between her and Frank. "Now just hold on a minute," she protested. "That's not good enough! And I'll warn you right now, I have a pocketknife with me that I'm not afraid to use." Frank sighed. "Luci... Luci, look, if it will put you at ease, I'll try to explain. Okay?" Luci nodded. "Explain fast," she agreed. "Right. Well, it's like this," Frank began a bit uncertainly. "I am a secret government operative. I was asked by my superiors to look into you as a potential recruit, due to your superior intelligence." Luci frowned. "That still doesn't explain knowing my locker combination." "No, no, it does!" Frank insisted. "See, I was recruited by them because I have the power to read minds. That's how I knew your combination." "You... you can read minds?" Luci said dubiously. Frank nodded. "Then prove it," she continued. "What number am I thinking of?" "Sixteen," Frank replied almost automatically. That gave Luci pause. "Lucky guess. What animal am I thinking of?" "Cat," Frank replied with more confidence. Luci frowned. "I'm making this too easy. What's my favourite element on the periodic table?" "Blue. Oh, er, wait, element?" Frank said with sudden concern. "Sorry, I was picking up colour vibes..." "You fail! Stay away from me!" Luci said, now raising her voice as she pulled out her knife defensively. "Okay, now would be a good time...!" Frank said, a hint of panic creeping into his tone. Which was when Luci heard the noise behind her. She started to turn, but it was too late. The cloth had already been slapped across her mouth and nose, and the effect of the drug was almost immediate. After a short, futile struggle, the fourteen year old girl lay unconscious upon the ground. Frank let out a long breath. "Cutting it a little fine there, weren't you?" he observed. "I'd only prepared thirty seconds worth of material." A fifteen year old girl with her hair done up in two ponytails stepped over the prone form on the ground. "Hey, I'd like to see YOU try to sneak up on YOUR past self," the girl countered. "You have no idea how creepy that was!" Frank shrugged helplessly. "Well Luci, it's not like we could tell your prior self about the time machine - you're not supposed to find out about it until 2001. Heck, we're not even telling my other self about what we're doing, and I did know about the device! Even though it won't be discovered for over a year..." The new Luci shook her head, holding up a hand to stop him. "Okay, okay, stop rationalizing," she sighed. "It's murder on the tenses. Anyway, this was partly my idea, and what's done is done, it's just being done again. So let's get my past self out of here before anyone chances to come by." Frank and Luci carried Luci down into the ravine bordering the park. A short distance into the underbrush, they reached a medium sized black box with a digital readout sunken into the side. The numbers there read 09052000. "Okay," Frank remarked as they carefully set the fourteen year old back down. "Let's run through the plan one more time." Fifteen year old Luci shrugged. "Why? It's not like I've forgotten. I simply take the place of my past self at school tomorrow, and use the opportunity to track down the information we need. Meanwhile, you take my past self here 24 hours into the future, at which point we can make the swap back." Frank pursed his lips. "Well, yes. But we haven't really had the chance to review your knowledge of everyone in this time period. Particularly Carrie and Julie - they were somewhat different back in 2000." "Frank, I haven't forgotten," Luci assured him patiently. "It'll be fine. You shouldn't be worried about me making a mistake anyway, it doesn't fit in with your time travel philosophy." Frank blinked. "Pardon?" "Don't you remember?" Luci said. "Your theory that we can't change the past. And since I already remember 'losing' my second day of school here, in taking this trip, we're simply fulfilling history. Nothing I do will cause anything bad to happen." "Not in 2000 maybe," Frank countered. "But as you've pointed out to me yourself, actions in the past may not have their impact until a few months or years down the line. Any repercussions could still lay within our future. Plus this whole mess involving Julie kind of flew in the face of my theory. And then there's the fact that we can't know whether you'll actually be successful in finding out what we need you to find out..." Luci held up her hand again. "Enough! Geez Frank, I was just trying to reassure you! Maybe you'd better activate the time machine now, before things get more complicated. I'll meet you here tomorrow at 9pm, okay? Please, just trust me. I'll find some way of discovering what we need." Frank nodded slowly. "Well... okay, I guess. Good luck then. I... I'll see you in a few minutes, my time?" He offered up a wan smile before taking the younger Luci's hand and placing it next to his on the lever protruding from the black box on the ground. "Just... be careful. And make sure you're in the park again by 8:45." After one final glance at Luci, Frank dropped a coin into a slot on the box, and pulled the lever down. There was a bright light and a pop. Fifteen year old Luci stood alone in the ravine. The next day found Luci Primrose arriving at school a half an hour early. She had spent a good deal of time the previous night looking back over her prior self's diary entries for the past few days, to try and get herself back in the right frame of mind. It had helped to buoy her confidence; despite her demeanour with Frank last night, she had to admit to some reservations about interacting with people while out of her own time. Then there was the matter of coming back here without a firm plan in mind - they hadn't been able to work up anything completely foolproof, thus Luci had decided to simply wing it as she went along. Fortunately, Luci did have a logical starting point, namely Carrie Waterson. Thus she was heading around to the school's outdoor track. Carrie was there running laps while wearing a form fitting lycra outfit. She was being watched by a small group of supporters in the nearby stands; most of them male. Luci leaned up against the fence enclosing the track area and observed herself as Carrie finished up what was apparently her final lap. The blonde slowed as she neared the finish, reaching back to pull out the ribbon holding back her hair. The long blonde tresses cascaded out behind her, finally settling over her shoulders as Carrie shook her head. There were a few whistles and a smattering of applause as Carrie paused to fire off a wink towards the observers. Then, once over on the grass, Carrie completed a quick cartwheel before grabbing her gym bag, swinging it around her head, and pulling out a towel to dab the sweat from her forehead. Finally, with a little wave towards the admirers, the blonde sauntered back towards the school building. Luci wrinkled her nose. "Forgot how much of a show off Carrie was," she mused. The younger girl hurried to catch up with the athlete, reaching her just inside the otherwise empty girls' locker room. "Carrie!" Luci called out. "Got a moment?" Carrie turned. "Sure!" she said with a smile. "Let me guess, you were super impressed by my athletic ability, and want to learn just how I got to be so good. Well, to be honest, a lot of it is natural talent. But I suppose I could give you some pointers if you and your friends put in a good word for me with Michelle... she's the girl in the forerunning for the position of cheerleader captain this year. I'm pushing to be captain myself by next year, you see." Luci bit her tongue to keep from making an immediate retort. "Actually," she replied patiently, "I was just wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me. It's about Julie." "Oh," Carrie said, her smile vanishing. She shrugged. "Maybe. Why, who are you anyway?" "Luci," Luci answered. "Luci Primrose. I'm new to the school but in your grade." "Oh really? And how'd that happen?" Carrie asked curiously as she began to peel out of her running outfit. Luci couldn't help but turn away at that; she really didn't need the blatant reminder of how little she'd developed in comparison with Carrie. Nevermind that Carrie's proportions were already sizeable enough to rival those of a grade twelve girl. "I skipped grade nine," Luci answered, fixating upon a point near the corner of the room. "But that's not important right now. Just tell me, do you think you'll be able to help me find out some information?" "Depends what I'm getting out of it," the blonde replied. Luci pursed her lips. "Satisfaction of a job well done?" "Uh huh, sure. That and a quarter will get me a phone call," Carrie said with disdain. "Please, tell me you're joking." "Okay, what were you thinking of?" There was a brief pause during which Luci heard the blonde head to the shower area and start the water running. "Well... are you into athletics much?" Carrie called out at last. "Because as I said, I can always use more cheerleading support!" "You want more support, wear a better bra," Luci muttered. "Pardon?" Luci bit her tongue again. She still had to work on that bad habit of blurting out remarks. "Nothing. Look, I can't promise anything. But please, all I need to find out is who was working for the LaMilles between the years 1991 and 1995." "If you're not promising, I can't help," Carrie fired back immediately. "I don't do something for nothing, that's not the way the world works." "Fine then," Luci retorted. Her feelings of irritation towards Carrie were not only returning, they were getting stronger with every passing second. This was going nowhere. Was it any wonder that the two of them would have trouble getting along in the coming year? Luci turned and headed for the door. "Anyway... to be honest, I don't know that sort of stuff," Carrie abruptly admitted, just as Luci reached out for the handle. "But I'll tell you what... if you're interested in joining Julie's 'in' crowd, I could try and get you an invite into one of her parties!" The shower turned off and Carrie emerged, wrapped in a towel. "Of course, you'd need to dress a bit more appropriately," she added. "Your jeans and T-shirt look is SO tired." Luci paused. Assuming she had no luck with her other potential sources, being inside Julie's house was the only way to obtain the required information. "All right," Luci agreed hesitantly. "Would Julie be holding one tonight, by any chance?" "Nah," Carrie said dismissively. "Next week probably." 'And I only have 13 hours left, so that's no good,' Luci thought. Still, if she failed, maybe they could try time travelling ahead as a last resort. "Okay, get back to me on that then, would you?" the young girl requested, suddenly trying to remember whether or not she'd ever been at said party. "Sure," Carrie replied airily. "Just, if you DO see Michelle, tell her how dedicated I am to practising, 'k?" She winked. "Right," Luci said, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. She took the opportunity to leave the changeroom, hurrying past the two or three guys who were evidently waiting for Carrie to emerge. There were still ten minutes before the first bell, and Luci wanted to talk with Phil Clarke, assuming he had arrived. "The LaMille domestics?" Clarke mused. "Never thought about it. Just assumed Jeeves and Mimi always worked for them. Why?" Luci shook her head. "Just curious really. Don't worry about it." She hadn't held out much hope for an answer here anyway - after all, the Clarke from her time hadn't known. But there was always the chance he'd simply forgotten. Anyway, time to try Plan B. "I would be interested in seeing Julie's house though," Luci continued. "I don't suppose you know how I could get an invite there today?" Clarke blinked. "Well, actually, I think Julie's a bit curious about you. And I was planning on dropping by her place tonight. We could go together." Luci almost agreed, but first she paused to consider the offer. If they both went, and Luci was caught sneaking off to track down the necessary files, it might reflect badly on Clarke. Which was really a risk she shouldn't be taking here, not at a time when the Julie-Clarke relationship was still somewhat tenuous. That might jeopardize the way Clarke and Julie figured into things a year down the line. "No," Luci answered at last. "I don't think that would work. But thanks anyway." Unfortunate, but she would have to find another card to play. It was really too bad that it wasn't Carrie who was going to Julie's house tonight... "C-C-Clarke!" came a new voice. Luci turned to see Tim limping down the hall towards them. "Clarke, I h-heard a rumour yesterday that you were g-going to be leaving town for good next week! That's not t-true, is it?" Clarke blinked. "No, far as I know my moving days are done. Where'd this come from?" "C-Chartreuse was mentioning it to L-Laurie. I think she heard it through S-Sue or s-something." Clarke's brow furrowed. "Rumour mill must be starting up. I am going to visit my sister this weekend, maybe that's what started it?" Tim let out a long breath of relief. "I'm glad! I didn't really b-believe it, but one can never b-be too careful. I mean, I'd hate to lose a friend like you." Clarke nodded. "Don't worry, you'd be one of the first people I'd tell before taking off. Though speaking of friends, have you met Luci here? The two of you might get along." "W-Who?" Tim said, glancing about in confusion. Clarke paused, looking back up and down the hallway himself. "That's funny," he remarked. "She was here a minute ago. Where'd she get to?" Luci hurried into homeroom class with the first hints of a solid plan forming in her mind. It was chancy, but if it worked, she would be able to accomplish her mission here with minimal risk to the timeline. Still, she had two other avenues worth attempting first. "Corry, got a moment?" Luci inquired, approaching him. The redhead turned away from his companion. "Yes? Something I can do for you?" he said, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm looking for some information about Julie," Luci said bluntly. "Oh really?" Corry said with a half smile. "Does this mean you're considering taking sides in our 'little war' after all?" "Well... not exactly," Luci admitted, wondering exactly what he was referring to. "The information I need concerns Julie's family history." "Oh really?" Corry reiterated more guardedly. "Such as?" "What servants were working for the LaMilles between the years 1991 and 1995." Corry frowned. "I see." He paused. "Well, I'll warn you up front that such information will come at a price. And before I give it out, I would like to know what you're planning on doing with it." Luci let out a long breath. Of course, she should have expected that she'd be dealing with these people in this way, but that didn't make it any less irritating. "Look, it's rather personal," Luci answered. "And I can't promise any future favours, not at this time. But please believe me when I say that this IS important. So can you help me, yes or no?" Corry took another moment to size her up. "You get right to the point, don't you," he concluded. "All right then. I'm afraid I don't currently have such information at my disposal, but I can try to find out for you. At no charge, if you agree to join my crowd. The catch is, Julie has always been a bit enigmatic. So while the discovery process itself will only take a few weeks, I cannot guarantee results." "Then I'm afraid that's no good," Luci responded. It was not only due to the uncertainty, there was the fact that she couldn't stick around for few weeks. Losing one day out of her life was bad enough, any more and she was liable to slip up, or her past self could learn more about what was going on than she was supposed to. "I do appreciate the honesty though," Luci concluded as she turned away from Corry. There was just one more person left to try. As Luci headed for the corner of the room, she saw that Julie was apparently jotting down notes in a small black book. The brunette frowned slightly at Luci's approach, tucking the book away under her sweater before the younger girl got too close. "What do you want?" Julie piped up suspiciously. "Corry send you over here to spy on me?" "No," Luci answered. "In fact, he's probably just as annoyed by me coming over here as you were when I was over there with him." Julie folded her arms across her chest. "So?" "So... I'll make a long story short. I need to know who was working for your family from the years 1991 to 1995." Julie's face remained impassive. "I see. Why?" "I can't tell you right now," Luci admitted. "But I won't use the information against you, and if you need me to do something for you today in exchange for providing those details, I would be willing to do it. As long as it's just today, and within reason." Julie remained silent for close to a minute before speaking again. "Oddly tempting," the brunette said at last. "But here's a tip: I never give out information about my family. Never have, never will, and certainly won't do it to someone of uncertain allegiance. You want to learn more about the LaMilles? Read a newspaper." Julie turned away. "Wait," Luci said quickly, shifting gears to put her plan in motion. "What if I were to demonstrate my good faith by warning you about a certain plot against you tonight?" Julie glanced back. "And I would believe you because of... what, your young girlish charm?" "And the fact that I also know about the plots you and Corry have for embaressing each other at lunch today." Julie smiled. "You claim to know a lot." "I'm a good observer," Luci stated. "So I would ask that you remember this conversation at around twelve o'clock today." Julie simply shook her head before turning away again. The five minute bell chose that moment to ring, and Luci let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding. This was where things became risky, as she entangled herself in the plots of Corry and Julie... made even more dangerous by the fact that Luci honestly couldn't remember WHAT the two of them were doing - only that they had to be doing something. At least she knew them better than they thought she did, because of the time travelling. "So I've got the rest of the morning to figure out a general counterstrike," the fifteen year old murmured. "Right. No problem." Biting her lip, Luci sat down at her desk to think. "All right, wait a minute," Frank Dijora said, pacing around his basement lab. "Let's review what we know." "Why, Frank?" Luci retorted. "You know my proposal is our best option. After all, we can't find this servant who was working for the LaMilles by time travelling directly, since we don't know exactly where Julie was living in the early nineties. And the files containing such information were only at the LaMille mansion for a short time last year, before being lost in that small fire. Come on now, Frank, if you have a better plan than mine, I'm willing to hear you out!" Frank stopped walking next to the calendar on the wall, with the current page showing November 2001. "But Luci, you've said yourself you don't know exactly how you'll get the information once you're back there," he countered. "So your proposal isn't so much a plan as it is a vague idea. We need to spend more time, come up something better...!" "But time is working against us!" Luci cut back in. "Ironic, but true. So, since we can't send Clarke, and we sure as hell can't send Julie or Carrie, that makes me the next most likely candidate." Luci leaned forwards slightly in her chair. "Besides Frank, you've done your bit, time for me to do mine... and as I remember losing September fifth already, it's a prime opportunity." Frank stared at Luci for a long moment. "Sometimes I hate it when you're right," he sighed at last, running a hand back through his hair. "But... let's at least take a moment to come up with some plan for pulling off a Luci switchover, okay? I'd hate to mess up the life of your past self any more than necessary." "Why Frank, you really do care," Luci replied with a quiet smile. Frank's only real response to that was to cough and turn a bit red. Frank coughed again in the desk next to her, jolting Luci Primrose out of her memories. She refocussed on the math notebook before her, which she had dated September 6, 2000. 'I can't afford to drift like that,' she chided herself. 'Now, to take down Julie and Corry, I'd best start with the former... as Julie's likely to want Laurie to be around as either a spectator or a participant. Hence I should speak with Chartreuse right after class.' "Okay, I, like, totally can't believe we're starting off with polynomials this year," Chartreuse sighed as she left the classroom. "That's, you know, so Grade Nine." "But I can really use the review," Laurie said, a concerned look on her face as she walked alongside her friend. "Particularly since we're likely to do more expansion and factoring and degrees plus maybe even more complicated things, things that are really hard and make very little sense to me I mean you know I would be totally lost if it weren't for you and my brother Corry helping me out and you don't know how grateful I am or maybe you do, but of course you understand that if there's anything I can do in return you only have to ask me, okay?" "Sure!" Chartreuse said easily. "You, like, already helped me decide to keep this hair colour, after all." Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Chartreuse, a minute of your time, please?" came a voice from behind them. The pink haired girl turned to look at the young oriental. "Uhm, sure," she said, blinking twice in surprise. "Laurie, catch up with you in Home Ec?" The redheaded girl glanced from Chartreuse to Luci and back uncertainly before nodding and slipping away through the crowd in the hall. "So, like, what can I do for you?" Chartreuse continued easily once Laurie had departed. The fact that she didn't know Luci's identity yet was hardly fazing her at all. "Well... this may sound odd, but I was kind of hoping you could take Laurie out to lunch today," Luci said hesitantly. "Away from the school, that is." Chartreuse reflected on that for a moment. "Why?" she inquired at last. "Do you, like, see something in the astrological alignment today that I missed?" "Nooooo," Luci said slowly. "Not exactly. It's just I'm getting some... some bad vibes from Corry and Julie." "Oh, well, those two never give off very good ones, you know," Chartreuse concurred with a wave of her hand. "But it's not as if they're ever gonna keep me and Laurie from, like, living our lives." "I simply think that things would be better today if you both weren't here today third period," Luci insisted. Chartreuse tilted her head to the side for a moment before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a small glittering crystal. She held it up to one eye, peering through it towards Luci, then abruptly reached out her hand to pass the crystal three times around Luci's head. Luci observed it circling around her, not quite sure how to react. "Interesting," Chartreuse said at last. "Your aura seems to be somehow... displaced. Never seen that before. I also get the impression our souls, like, know each other more than they're supposed to." Chartreuse held her crystal up to the light. "How totally bizarre. You know, you may even be right, it may be best not to hang around after Home Ec." Luci cleared her throat uncertainly. "Then... will you...?" Chartreuse nodded. "Okay, I'll take a trip to the mall with Laurie at lunch - if only because of your aura," she agreed. Luci nodded. "Thank you..." "But now, unless there's, like, anything else, we'd both better get on to second period!" Chartreuse concluded. "Oh, right," Luci affirmed, not sure whether to be pleased or confused by how well that had gone. It was typical Chartreuse anyway. 'So,' Luci reflected as the two girls parted ways. 'I now have to hope that, with Laurie out of the way, Julie's plot will be stall. It remains to handle Corry's side of things.' Unfortunately for Luci, while Julie worked more indirectly, Corry tended to take the direct route. Which meant that, in order to upset or delay his plan, someone else would have to replace Julie as the victim. Ideally not Luci herself, otherwise she might end up facing Corry's ire at a later time. Therefore, Luci had to find someone else, someone innocuous, someone who wouldn't really provoke Julie or Corry's wrath. Not to mention someone who wouldn't want a lot of favours in return for helping her out. And, as luck would have it, Luci knew there was such a person with her in her history class. "Lee, could you do me a favour?" Luci whispered, leaning forward to talk to the person sitting in front of her. The boy in the sports jacket turned slightly at his desk to glance over his shoulder. "Eh? Er, hey, we know each other?" he muttered back in confusion. "Kinda," Luci hedged. She leaned in a bit closer. "Look, I know this is out of the blue, but I'd really appreciate it if you could be near Julie for a short time at the start of lunch period." Lee did a quick doubletake. "What? You want me to face off against the rich witch? Do you even know what you're asking??" "Please, you don't have to interact much, just stick close," Luci pleaded. "I'd do it myself if I could, but I can't. Partly because I know I won't be able to get as close as you, but also because I don't have your ability to defuse tense situations." Lee cocked his head to the side. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he yielded slowly. "Though seriously, how do you know what I can do? We've never even spoken. Unless it happened telepathically, in which case I'm afraid I wasn't listening." "The answer to that is... complicated," Luci murmured. "But needless to say, I'm aware of how you can get away with calling Julie a 'rich witch', Carrie a 'track tease' and Corry a 'power cad', whilst still keeping your limbs intact." "Yeah, well, witches aren't all bad," Lee explained quietly. "Carrie's running ability teases others on the track, and cad, well, that's a type of engineering software." Luci couldn't help but smile. "See what I mean? Please Lee, I just need you to stick close to Julie and Carrie for the first five or ten minutes at lunch. Something is going to happen then that I want to avoid. If there's anything I can do for you today in return, just name it!" Lee let out a quick breath. "Boy, for a small girl, you sure ask for big favours." He paused. "In fact, until I know you better, I'm going to have to turn you down." Luci's smile faded. "Oh. And... and is there nothing I can say that might help you change your mind?" "Well, you could always give me your name." That gave Luci pause. "Oh... of course, I'm sorry. I'm Luci. Luci Primrose," she stated. "Right then, now I'll do it," Lee agreed. He glanced back at Luci again, long enough to fire off a quick wink. "You see, you seem nice enough, and it's never a bad idea to keep an eye on Julie, but I prefer knowing the names of my damsels in distress. Okay, short stuff?" "Oh... okay," Luci said, reflexively feeling her cheeks warming. "I... well, thank you, Lee. You can't know how much I appreciate this." Lee added a quick nod and a thumbs up before turning his attention back to the blackboard. Luci quickly worked to pull herself back together, before also resuming her note taking. 'So, now it's just a matter of waiting and hoping,' she decided. 'Though I'm also going to have to figure out what I'm going to do in phase two.' Luci glanced at the clock. She had ten hours left. "What do you mean Chartreuse ran off with Laurie?" Julie said, slamming her locker shut. "I thought you said you could speak with her during Home Ec!" Carrie shrugged. "Sorry, Julie, I never had the chance. Then Chartreuse grabbed her as soon as class was over. There was nothing I could do." Julie pressed a hand to her forehead. "Well, that's just great. So now how am I supposed to manoeuvre Laurie into whatever trap Corry has planned for me, when Laurie's not even there?" "I don't know... I thought you had contingency plans," Carrie said apologetically. "Oh, of course I do, but none of them will be quite so satisfying," Julie grumbled. The two girls began to walk in the direction of the cafeteria. "Of course, there's always tomorrow for embarrassing Corry," Julie decided. "But the trouble is, that doesn't help stave him off today." "We could always go somewhere else for lunch," Carrie offered. Julie gave her a look. "Or not," the blonde amended hastily. "We're not running away," Julie stated firmly. "No, he'll probably strike early in the period, so all we'll need is..." "Frozen yogurt?" Julie paused long enough to turn and regard the person who had spoken to her. "I beg your pardon?" she said with exaggerated patience. "Just wondering if you wanted me to buy you a frozen yogurt," Lee said easily, from his position beside the cafeteria door. "In particular, I think it would go nicely with your icy demeanour today." Julie rolled her eyes as she walked past him without so much as a second glance. Carrie offered up a second glance, but it was only to add the phrase, "Take a hike, Lee" before following her friend. However, Lee was not so easily dissuaded. "Aw, I'm hurt, track tease," he protested, following the girls into the cafeteria. "Can't you two take a joke? Look, come on, I'll buy you some fries to make up for it." "Now keep alert, Carrie," Julie said, pointedly ignoring Lee while maintaining a wary eye on her surroundings. "After all, this first week is the critical time, when both of us need to recruit. We can't afford any slip ups." "Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that," Carrie sighed. "It's just such a pain, all this waiting for the social order to reestablish itself, don't you think?" "Well, hey, I'd offer you both a social order along with the order of fries," Lee piped up again. "Thing is, I'm not sure it'd be within my price range. Here, mind if I join you two?" Without even waiting for an answer, Lee slipped past the girls to sit down on Julie's usual bench. It then collapsed under his weight, dropping him unceremoniously to the floor. Julie's eyebrows shot up, and she took a few quick steps backwards as all around them, heads turned and stared. "Er, hey, it's all right, I'm fine," Lee said, glancing around and offering the crowd a quick wave. He tried to use the table to prop himself back up, but it too fell apart as soon as he'd put enough weight on it. "Aha," Lee concluded, now back on the ground. "I see the school's gotta do something about these termites." Now a respectable distance from the action, Julie turned her gaze slowly in the direction of her redheaded nemesis, who was watching the proceedings with a frustrated look on his face. Obviously, he would have preferred to see Julie in a heap on the floor. Nodding slowly in understanding, Julie plucked at the sleeve of Carrie's shirt before slipping back into a seat at a different table. She then continued to watch as Lee struggled to his feet again. "Well," Lee remarked, pulling on the lapels of his jacket. "I guess I'll take this as a sign I should be on my way. See you all later! Stay cool!" With that and a final wave, he sauntered out of the cafeteria. "That was kinda lucky," Carrie remarked idly as she watched him depart. "Yes. But I don't believe in that sort of luck," Julie muttered in reply. The way Lee had literally taken the fall for them like that... it really was too convenient. Almost as if someone had received a tip as to what was going to happen in advance. For that matter, the fact that Laurie hadn't been available today was also conveniently timed. Unless... wait a minute... Abruptly reminded of her conversation in homeroom that morning, Julie scrutinized the cafeteria. There, in a corner of the room, was the young oriental with the ponytails in her hair. Julie frowned, even as Luci smiled and beckoned. Luci then proceeded to turn and walk out the door. Julie stood. "Carrie, watch my stuff," she ordered. "I'll be right back." Carrie could only blink in surprise as Julie strode for the exit herself. "Oh, Luci!" Frank said in surprise as she exited the cafeteria right in front of him. "Hi! How are you doing with things around the school so far?" Luci was brought up short. She'd avoided speaking with Frank to this point today, figuring that it would only complicate matters even more than they were already. Which meant that, of all times to approach her, he'd had to do it now. "Oh, ah, fine, just fine," Luci said, glancing furtively behind her. Frank nodded. "That's good. Actually, it occurred to me yesterday that maybe I was a bit abrupt with you, so I was thinking, if you do need any help getting around I..." "Frank, now is not a good time," Luci interrupted quickly. "I'm meeting with someone. We can talk another other time, okay? I'll get back to you." "Oh, er... sure," Frank agreed even as Luci brushed past him to head down the hall. He watched as Julie strode out of the cafeteria moments later, apparently following her. Furrowing his brow, Frank finally just shrugged and headed in to eat his lunch. Whatever that was about, it obviously wasn't any of his business. Anyway, Luci seemed to be fitting in just fine without his help. Meanwhile, Julie caught up with Luci near the library. "All right little Luci, what's your game?" she fired off immediately, hands on her hips. "At present, to get your attention," Luci replied evenly. "I'm glad to see you recalled our earlier conversation." Julie's eyes narrowed. "I'm not amused. Don't think I didn't see you watching me, watching you after school yesterday. I also know you've been speaking with Clarke about me. However, just because I find you a curiosity, it does not mean I'm going to yield to any demands!" "I haven't demanded anything yet," Luci pointed out. "I get the feeling it's only a matter of time." Luci let out a breath. "Look, don't I at least get some added respect after my actions today?" "No. You got lucky," Julie sniffed. "I seriously doubt you could pull off such meddling again, not with both me and Corry on our guards. And as to a plot against me tonight, I've checked with certain sources and found no indication. So if you think that your parlour tricks are enough to get me to reveal family secrets..." "Oh, I would never be so presumptuous," Luci cut back in quickly. "On the other hand, can you really afford not to listen to a potential recruit who has information so secret that not even your sources are aware of it?" There was a pause. "Okay, I'm listening," Julie said grudgingly. "Thank you," Luci said with a partial smile. "Now, you know how Clarke is planning on coming over tonight? Well, he won't be able to make it. And I think that it would be in your best interests to find out why, by being at his place at 8pm." Julie's eyebrow twitched. "Why, what are you implying?" she challenged. "You'll find out at 8pm," Luci countered smoothly. "That is, assuming you don't call Clarke in advance, or tell anyone else for that matter. Not even Carrie. This conversation never happened." "Is that a fact," Julie said, now folding her arms across her chest as she peered closer at Luci. "So, is this related to another of Corry's plots?" "8pm," Luci repeated inscrutably. Julie continued to glare at her for a few seconds, but it was soon obvious that Luci wasn't going to budge. "Fine then," the brunette concluded in irritation. "But don't think that jerking me around in this way is going to earn you any special privileges!" With that, Julie spun on her heel and stalked back towards the cafeteria. Once she was alone, Luci sank back against a nearby locker. 'I can't believe I just pulled that off,' she thought to herself. 'Thank goodness there's only a few more details left to fix before everything's ready for tonight.' Pausing just long enough to rub her temples, Luci headed back for the cafeteria herself. "You're sure Julie asked me to bring you to her house?" Carrie remarked dubiously. "She never said anything about it to me!" It was just after a quarter to eight that night and Luci and Carrie were on their way over to the LaMille mansion. At this point, Luci could only hope that the timing of the situation would work out. "Trust me," she said reassuringly to her blonde companion. "I think it's all part of some master plan. And you know Julie and her plans." Carrie sniffed. "Well, yes, but she usually gives me a little bit more to go on. At least, I think she does. You're sure I wasn't supposed to call to confirm this?" she asked dubiously. "Positive. If you make a phone call to Julie, it will put this whole plan in jeopardy," Luci confirmed. "Don't worry, it's not like anything bad can happen at her place, right?" "I guess," Carrie yielded. "But I've got my eye on you, so don't try anything funny!" "Perish the thought," Luci answered dryly. The two of them walked the last two blocks in silence, finally arriving at Julie's place of residence. The security system there wasn't actually that extensive, but there were cameras on the property, alarms on the doors and windows, and aside from special occasions, Jeeves never let anyone in unless they had an appointment or he knew them well enough. Fortunately for Luci, Jeeves knew Carrie. "Yes?" the LaMille butler said archly as he opened the front door for them. Carrie smiled broadly. "Heya Jeeves! I'm here with Luci, Julie's expecting us." Jeeves raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Because Miss LaMille left about five minutes ago and gave no word." "Oh...?" Carrie said in surprise. She cast a quick gaze over towards Luci. "Well then..." "I know Julie's very busy with a lot of things right now, it must have slipped her mind," Luci said hastily. "Please, can't we just wait in the sitting room for her to return? I don't think she'll be gone that long." There was a pause as Carrie glanced back and forth between Luci and her friend's house. "You ARE putting in a good word for me with Michelle, right?" the blonde athlete said to Luci at last. "I... I will if I can," Luci agreed. Even as she said it, she knew she had no recollection of ever having done so, but this really wasn't the time to quibble over such social niceties. Carrie nodded. "We'll wait inside then. Don't fret Jeeves, I'll keep an eye on her," she added, indicating Luci. The butler inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement before ushering them in. Luci would have let out a sigh of relief, if only there weren't so many other things that could still go wrong. "Surprise," Julie said idly, her hands on her hips and one foot tapping on the ground. "I bet you weren't expecting to find me here." "Oh! Well... no," Clarke admitted. He opened his front door a little wider. "I mean, I'm just on my way out. Is there a problem...?" "Depends where you're going," Julie countered. "I know it's not to my place!" "Er, right," Clarke confirmed. "It's to the cafe. To meet up with Tim. I mean, the poor guy's been concerned, what with that rumour about whether I'd be leaving, so this seemed like it would reassure him. Of course, I can still drop by your house tomorrow, Julie, I just..." "Wait," Julie interrupted. "You mean to tell me... you're not coming because you're spending the evening with Tim?" Clarke nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I guess you can come along if you want, it's just you can easily intimidate while Tim's, well, easily intimidated. Even Luci agreed with me there." "Luci...?!" "Luci, yeah... she recommended this cafe trip in the first place," Clarke said. "Also told me she'd get word to you about it... oh, did the two of you not speak?" "No, no... we spoke," Julie answered slowly, clenching her teeth as she sensed the makings of a setup. Plot against her indeed... it was a plot by Luci! "Actually, I think I'd better be getting back to my house now. Thank you for your help." "Oh, sure, anytime," Clarke replied with a shrug. He watched as Julie marched off down the driveway, starting to get the impression that someone else was about to get into trouble. But he had no idea what, if anything, he could do about that. The doorbell rang at the LaMille house at the same time as the phone. Being closer to the door, and knowing that the answering machine would pick up, Jeeves answered the former. He found a teenager wearing glasses waiting on the other side. "Uh, hi," the visitor said uncertainly. "Is Carrie Waterson here right now?" "And who should I say is calling?" Jeeves inquired. "Frank Dijora," Frank replied. "I mean, I hope I'm not disturbing, it's just I got this note, I think from Carrie, saying that I should come by here at this time, and that I'd know what it was about... so I've come to find out if I really do know and, uh, well, can you just tell Carrie that I'm here?" "No need, I can hear that you're here," came Carrie's voice. "The question is, WHY are you here?" Jeeves turned to see the blonde approaching from down the hall, and he stepped aside in deference to her. "Well, as I say, I got a note," Frank replied hesitantly, sizing Carrie up as she reached the doorway. "Now that's both unoriginal and pathetic," Carrie said haughtily. "Either your gullibility is reaching new levels or you can't think of a good excuse to save your life. Tell me, Frank, why would I *ever* want to see you?" Frank shrugged feebly. "Uhm, I don't know. To help you travel a few years into the future?" he proposed. Carrie rolled her eyes. "I beg your pardon? Earth to Frank! I'm shallow, not stupid!! You are NOT going to get out of this by pretending to be crazy. Now, do I have to persuade you to be on your way??" "Right, of course. I'm going," Frank said hastily. He started to turn, but everyone was suddenly distracted by a loud thumping noise from upstairs. Jeeves frowned. "Mimi should still be shopping. Carrie, is your friend Luci still in the sitting room?" "No, actually I was just showing her where the washroom... oh, damn!" Carrie exclaimed, doing a quick doubletake. "Miss Waterson, how well did you know this girl?" Carrie closed one hand into a fist. "I'll kill her. I just got distracted when I heard my name out here and... you! You're in league with her!" Carrie realized, jabbing a finger at Frank. "With... what?" Frank said in confusion. "You both knew I'd be curious as to why a geek was calling for me at Julie's. You and Luci set this all up!" Carrie deduced. "Jeeves, hold Frank here while I get the short one!" The blonde then sprang for the stairs, taking them up two at a time. Left alone with Jeeves, Frank forced out an uncertain smile. "Ah, so, Luci's here?" he said in genuine bewilderment. 'Well, so much for starting off on a good foot with Frank,' Luci sighed quietly to herself as she crept down the hallway of the third floor. 'He now thinks I'm involved somehow with Julie while tomorrow I'll think he's partly responsible for my memory loss. At least we'll eventually find common ground again when we get that computer project in a few months. Interesting how just one day can affect a person's life.' The light from her flashlight suddenly cut out, and refused to work despite Luci banging on the side. "Great," she muttered. She risked knocking it against the wall, but that still didn't help. "Well, at least I'm almost to that records room," she realized. It was the last door down this particular corridor. And, much to her chagrin, Luci found it was locked. She couldn't believe how she'd overlooked such a tiny detail. Which was when she heard footsteps on the stairs down the hall. "Okay, THINK!" Luci hissed to herself. There had to be some way of getting inside! Now, before the LaMilles had bought this mansion, it had belonged to someone else, some eccentric... hadn't there been a rumour about secret passages existing in certain places? Heck of a longshot, but Luci didn't have much else to go on now. She frantically pressed a few spots around the doorframe, ran her hands over the wall and pushed aside a plant in a nearby alcove. Underneath the plant was a key. "I'll take it," Luci said, snatching the key up and jumping back for the door. It turned in the lock. The next problem Luci faced was the complete darkness inside the room. There were no windows or lights that she could see, and without her flashlight, Luci knew she would never find what she needed in time. However, on a table next to the door Luci could barely make out a candle and a box of matches. Breathing silent thanks to whatever deities were watching over her, Luci shut the door behind her and went to work. "Come out, come out," Carrie said through clenched teeth as she stalked down the hall. Luci couldn't hide forever, she didn't know the layout of the house as well as Carrie did. Though the girl HAD known enough to get up to the upper floors via the back staircase... was she working with inside information, perhaps obtained through Corry? "If this is one of his plots I've helped with, I'm dead," Carrie muttered. She hated to admit it, but while the alliance between her and Julie certainly had it's advantages, sometimes the need to be constantly on one's guard was more trouble than it was worth. On the other hand, if Frank was somehow involved too, that might mean Corry wasn't - most geeks didn't have the guts to go up against either of the school social leaders. "Well, someone has a lot of explaining to do," Carrie decided as she flipped on another light and scanned around the area. It occurred to her that Luci might have doubled back to the sitting room, and was now was sitting there feigning innocence... no, wait, there was a flickering coming from underneath the door at the end of the hall. Weren't old records kept in that room or something? Carrie swiftly made her way to the door in question. As she reached for the doorknob, an exclamation of "I've got it!" came from the interior. Without hesitation, Carrie threw her weight against the door, bursting into the room. The lights weren't on, so Carrie only saw the shadowy figure once she was right on top of her. Caught off balance, the two girls tumbled to the floor, a candle and file folder falling to the ground as well. However, Carrie soon seized the advantage by pinning down her adversary. "All right, who are you working for?!" the blonde demanded angrily. There was a momentary pause during which Luci blinked back up at Carrie, an impassive expression settling upon her face. "You, in a way," she finally replied. "I beg your pardon?!" Carrie scoffed. "I think not!" "Well, don't worry, it should all make sense in about fourteen months," Luci concluded. The nearby candle then set fire to the dossier, distracting the both of them. "What are YOU doing here?" Julie said irritably. "I'm trying to figure that out myself," Frank admitted. "I think it's been some sort of elaborate prank." The brunette turned to the butler. "And why didn't you answer the phone? What's going on?!" "A young girl by the name of Luci seems to be loose upstairs," Jeeves replied dourly. "She came in here with your friend Carrie, who is now trying to track her down." "Of course," Julie said, frowning. She turned to look at Frank. "You, beat it. Now," she ordered. Frank decided that was probably a wise idea, and he quickly headed out the front door. "Jeeves, I'm going up to check on them," Julie continued. "You stay here by the front door in case Luci tries to get out that way." "Very good, Miss," Jeeves agreed. Based on their prior conversations, Julie figured the young oriental would be heading for the records room, so she hurried up to check there first. Indeed, at the end of the hall, Julie was greeted by the sight of an open door with smoke billowing out, followed by the sight of Carrie bursting out of a nearby bathroom with a large basin full of water. The blonde charged into the smoky room, and by the time Julie had made it that far, Carrie seemed to be stamping out the last of the smouldering papers. "I am waiting to hear your explanation for this with great anticipation," Julie said dryly, surveying the damaged area. It didn't actually look that bad - whatever had caught fire had been thrown into the metal wastebasket and subsequently drowned before the flames could spread. Still, those particular files had been rendered completely unreadable. "It was that Luci girl!" Carrie said angrily, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm. "She got away when the fire started... we've got to go after her!" Julie held up a hand to stop her companion from rushing out. "What's your hurry?" she said calmly. "Jeeves is watching the front door, and even if Luci gets out the back, it's not like we won't know where to find her tomorrow. Please, take a moment to enlighten me as to exactly what occurred." Carrie went into a hurried explanation, which became slower and more detailed as Julie asked a number of pointed questions. Finally the brunette leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms and thinking quietly. "So, you don't think Luci actually left with any of the papers in here?" Julie said at last. "No, not unless she put something in her pockets before I arrived," Carrie noted. "Which I don't think she did, because it sounded like she only found whatever it was she wanted right before I came in." Julie nodded. "In that case, our choice is clear. For the time being, we will do nothing." "We will... WHAT?" Carrie said incredulously. "Think, Carrie," Julie continued patiently. "Why risk making a big scene over this, revealing how the both of us were duped by a fourteen year old? No, I must take more time now to gather information, so as to stop underestimating that enigmatic little one. Anyway, it won't be difficult to cover up this incident, as that Frank Dijora is unlikely to say anything, while only you and Jeeves actually saw Luci enter the house." "But... what if Luci gets the information she found to Corry?" Carrie protested. "What of it?" Julie remarked. "Without anything on paper, it's her word against mine. Besides, even if Luci does have something, the family records in this room are hardly as incriminating as some of the files I keep downstairs. No... no, whatever Luci was doing, I'm inclined to believe that it was not directly related to our affairs at school." "And so you're not concerned," Carrie stated. "I didn't say that," Julie countered, pushing herself back off the wall. "But forcing this issue will get us nowhere, as Luci has proven she is not the type of person to capitulate easily. So we will see where she goes with it, while simultaneously placing her under much greater scrutiny. Once her loyalties have been established, I may even be able to discover what I need to know by swinging her over to my side." Carrie shifted her weight back and forth from one leg to the other. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she said at last. "Still, that girl rubs me the wrong way, Julie! Probably isn't even going to talk to Michelle at all, the scheming little know-it-all..." "Come on Carrie," Julie said calmly. "You've got some soot on your face. Go clean it off while I tidy up in here." Luci lay on the ground, breathing hard. It had been a close call, and that moment when Carrie had burst in, she'd really thought her luck had finally run out. However, Luci had not only obtained the information she needed, she had even managed to return to the ravine before 8:45. "Which gives me time for a rest," she muttered quietly. The next few minutes were spent quietly staring up at the treetops. "Aha, here you are!" a voice eventually said, cutting through the stillness. Luci jumped and spun around only to see the face of Frank Dijora behind her. She let out a long breath of relief. "Damn it, Frank, don't sneak up on me like that," she accused, jabbing out her finger. Frank blinked. "Oh, er, sorry," he apologized. "It's just it's almost 9:15. I was starting to get worried as to where you were." Luci looked back down at her watch. "Shoot, lost track of time, didn't I," she realized. "We'd better be on our way." "Got the time machine right here," Frank said. "And I left your past self up in the park, by the treeline. She should be regaining consciousness any moment, it's been over half an hour." He cleared his throat. "So, were you able to discover...?" "Yes, I have the name," Luci reassured him, tapping the side of her head. "Also an address as of 1994. So let's go and put them to good use." Frank didn't try to disguise his relief as he nodded and set down the medium sized black box from the previous night, with the numbers in the readout now showing 09062000. However, he paused momentarily as Luci moved a bit closer. "Luci, do you have soot on your face?" he observed. Luci nodded. "I do. Remember the small fire that messed up the files we needed?" she remarked. "Well, Carrie just inadvertently helped me to cause it. Seems no one in our time remembered that the exact date for it was September the sixth... not even you, and you were practically there." Frank frowned slightly. "Oh. Er, sorry... but, wait a minute... if by travelling back here we helped to cause the fire, while it was partly due to the fire that we came back here in the first place..." "It's another form of those causal loops Carrie loves so much," Luci concurred. "But to be honest, at this point I'm starting to cease being surprised by any events she has a hand in." Frank ran a hand back through his hair. "Kinda makes a person stop and think, doesn't it. I mean, just how many weird, unexplainable moments in our lives could be due to interference from future versions of ourselves?" Luci shrugged. "No doubt we'll find that out when the times come," she said dismissively. "For the moment, I'm content to return to 2001. Aren't you?" "Agreed," Frank yielded, dropping a coin into the black box. Both he and Luci reached out to take the handle. "So here's to the future!" Frank concluded. The two teenagers pulled the lever down, and after a bright light and a pop, the ravine was empty once again. Fourteen year old Luci Primrose spun her pencil around on her fingers a few times, before finally bringing it close to the paper and starting to write. ''Dear Diary,'' she began. ''My first week of high school has been interesting, to say the least. I still don't remember anything about what happened on Wednesday, nor has there been any explanation as to why I might have lost my memory for twenty-four hours. Some events have been easier to piece together than others... and I can't shake the feeling that Frank Dijora is somehow connected to it all, so until I know more, I've decided to keep my distance from him. I'm also avoiding Carrie Waterson, who has acquired a bit of a grudge against me, I can only assume over my dislike for her friend Julie LaMille. And as to Julie, for whatever reason, she is keeping a very wary eye on me. Honestly, the whole thing with her and Corry is idiotic, but I think I'd better keep up to date on it, since the time may come when I'll need to choose an allegiance. ''Now, overall, with regards to my chances of making friends here... well, I guess the people in my homeroom aren't all that bad. They certainly have a diverse skill set. So we'll see how things go in the coming year. For the moment though, I will stick to observing... after all, this IS a big school, with a lot of things going on that won't even relate to me at all. And with any luck, it will all work out in the fullness of time. So, until then, this is Luci, signing out!'' A gust of wind suddenly swept through her room, blowing her wall calendar down onto the floor. Luci blinked over at it, frowning slightly as she noticed how it had flipped through to the very last page. The one that contained upcoming months for the year two thousand and one.