“I’ll come to see you in the morning,” I assured him, tousling his hair. “Good night buddy.”
Alex put a hand on his shoulder and led him back to the car. “I’ll meet you at Lorcan,” he said to Chloe, before climbing in the car and driving off.
I watched until the car was out of sight, trying to force myself not to worry about Ry. After all, if this went well I’d be leaving soon, and he would have to get used to doing things on his own.
I took a deep breath and turned to Chloe, who was waiting silently, with her hands clasped together, practically bouncing on the soles of her feet. “So, which way?” I asked, unable to keep from smiling at her barely contained excitement. She gestured to the sidewalk, and we started to make our way down the road into campus.
“I like your outfit,” I said, partially as a conversation starter and partially because it actually was pretty cool. It looked like a school uniform – the St Brigid’s uniform I assumed – that had been modified to add personal flare. Her white button down shirt was open down to the bust, showing a white camisole fringed with black lace. The sleeves of the shirt had been cut short and had cuffs made of lace about halfway between her elbow and shoulder. Her dark green knee length wool skirt had a large three dimensional origami flower sewn onto it, with a matching one pinned in her hair. “Were those neckties?” I asked, pointing to the flowers.
“Yes, aren’t they great? I hated wearing those stupid ties. That was the first thing to get a makeover when I graduated!”
“That’s really cool, you’ll have to show me how to do that.” She didn’t answer, but from the look on her face I was pretty sure I’d just made her day. “When did you graduate?”
“End of last semester. I was brought here when I was six, and have never left. That’s probably why I decided to stay instead of going right to college. I’m so used to it here, and Alex and Min and the rest of the Holders are like family, and-”
“Wait, other Holders? You’re a Holder?”
“Hmm?” she asked, her train of thought having been derailed. “Oh, yes.”
“But Alex said that women don’t usually have abilities?”
“Nope, just me and Min. That’s why I’m so excited! Didn’t Alex tell you? You are the first lady to be in on our little secret in years! I haven’t had another woman to talk with since I was a girl!”
“So there are no other women here? It seems like a big school.”
“Oh sure, there are lasses in with the regular students in the school proper, but no Holders. Lorcan has been a men’s club for as long as I can remember,” she giggled.
“What about… was it Min?”
“Oh Min’s great, but she’s well over three hundred years old. Not the sort you have over for girly chats.”
“Right,” I chuckled under my breath. I had the feeling that Chloe wouldn’t have cared if I was a two-headed murderer straight out of prison, as long as I was under thirty and had boobs.
“So, what do you do? Your ability, I mean.”
I noticed her shoulders sink just a bit. “Oh, nothing much. I’m a Walker is all, and not a good one.”
“What’s a Walker?”
“Time Walker. We can walk in different times.”
“Like time travel? That sounds awesome!”
“Not exactly, no. A full Walker can go to any time or place he wished at a single thought, although he wouldn’t be able to interact with anyone.”
“Because he would mess up history?”
“No,” she laughed. “You watch too much telly! No, I mean literally, he couldn’t, because he isn’t really there. He is only able to see the world at the time he chooses, and no one from that time has any idea he’s looking on. Like a spirit or ghost.”
“So, someone could be here with us right now listening if they wanted to?”
“Sure, I suppose so,” she smiled.
“But why did you say it was nothing? It sounds pretty cool to me.”
“Well,” she sighed, “I’m a female. Like Alex told you, my gifts aren’t half of what they could be. All I can do is move in time, not space. And only forward, no past.”
“Is that bad?”
“Well, it’s not bad, but it’s not exactly useful. Here,” she said, stopping and taking a few steps back, “I’ll show you. Give me a date.”