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An Unexpected Time



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Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:50 am
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soundofmind says...



Andrei Petrov


Bo stepped out onto the back porch and found Magnolia in what was slowly becoming her usual spot: sitting on the porch steps, leaning her head against the railing in thought. She didn't look like she wanted to talk, but Bo wanted to make sure she was okay. He understood her reaction. He was surprised too, but no one could make Adeline do anything she didn't want to. He wondered if Liam and Magnolia were just worried, or if the idea of Adeline staying just freaked them out for other reasons...

He couldn't really know until he asked, or they shared.

Magnolia heard his footfalls on the porch, and the door closing behind him. He wasn't trying to sneak up on her anyway. When he walked up to her she shuffled a little more to the side, as if to make room. Or to hide. He wasn't sure.

"Did you hear what direction Liam went off to?" Bo asked softly.

Magnolia was quiet for a moment. It seemed like the news had dampened her normally humorous spirits. That was okay.

"No," she replied just as quietly. "But he didn't stick around here," she said. "So he's probably at the barn."

Bo hummed.

They stood in silence for a moment, neither of them getting up to move. Bo didn't sit down, but he did lean on the porch railing beside Magnolia, and leaned his head up against it. The temperature had really dropped since noontime, and there was just a little bite to the air. He wondered if Magnolia was cold. If she was, she didn't show it. She sat with her arms crossed over her stomach and her legs tucked in close, but she wasn't shivering or trying to get warm.

In the distance, Bo started to see lightning bugs blinking in the fields, and crickets started to chirp, filling the silence with their distant call. The moon hung high as a waning crescent, bright and white in a cloudless sky. And to top it all off, the chickens weren't clucking like they did in the mornings. They were asleep - the most obvious indicator that is was night.

"You should probably go talk to him," Magnolia said, breaking the silence.

"Liam?"

"Who else?"

Bo sighed, looking out at the shadow of the barn in the distance. He could see a faint light in one of the windows. Liam had to be in there.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bo asked.

Magnolia turned her head up towards him and gave him a little grin. "I'll be fine." She paused. "I'm just... processing."

Bo hummed again and sat down beside her, just for a moment, so he could pat her shoulder.

"That's okay," he whispered. "I'll leave you to think in peace."

For just a second, he paused with his hand on her shoulder before pulling away. "Holler, though, if you need anything."

"I'm pretty sure the Sommers' would hear me before you did," Magnolia joked dryly.

Bo grinned. "Hey. I've got one really good ear. It had to compensate, you know?"

He laughed a little before running off, feet tracking down the dirt path towards the barn.

527 words
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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looseleaf says...



Adeline Violet Hagen


"They took that well," Adeline mumbled.

"Well, you have to consider, they sort of expected everyone to go home with them. I did too, until you told me," Levi said before he was rudely interrupted.

"You knew about this?!" Irene shrieked. This time, it was Dewey who put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Irene, it's fine!" Dr. Sommers said, "Adeline has dec-"

"Dad, please," Dewey snapped and Dr. Sommers went silent.

"Both Rose and Levi knew," Adeline grumbled as she rubbed her forehead. She looked up at Irene, who had a very defined frown on her face, "Look, I'm sorry that I decided to stay. I didn't realize it would be such an issue."

"It isn't," Dr. Sommers, Levi, and Rosemary said at the same time.

"It is!" Irene exclaimed, "If she says, we have to worry about Mr. Bryant again and try to keep her out of the public! I don't want to have her life on my conscious for the rest of my life when she could go home and be fine."

Adeline nodded slowly. Irene did have a point. She had no I.D. back in 1943. She had no driver's license, no birth certificate, no high school diploma, nothing. According to the United States government, she did not exsist.

"I could easily make a fake I.D. and fake high school diploma," Dr. Sommers said, as if reading Adeline's mind, "or we could find some way for her to come into the country as an immigrant."

"Oh, an immigrant? An immigrant from where, Julius?" Irene said, "2020?"

"I could teach you how to do a good British accent," Levi said, half-joking.

"Thanks," Adeline mumbled. It was funny, at least, to her. She had hardly said a word in the last ten minutes and the conversation had been all about herself.

"Look, dad," Dewey said calmly, "This isn't going to work out well in the long-run. I understand that you want to stay here an-"

"-and that you don't understand the consequences!" Irene exclaimed, "Do you know how hard it will be on you and us and me?"

Adeline opened her mouth to speak, but Dewey started speaking before she could, "Irene, please. I was going to say we don't know what you've been through. I don't know anything about you or your home life and that may be a deciding factor on why you've decided to stay here."

Dewey took a deep breath, "Adeline, all I'm saying is that I want to make sure you know what you're doing. Make sure you don't make a mistake."

Adeline actually began tearing up at Dewey's concern. Sure, it was annoying, everyone doubting her decision, but it was nice to know someone cared whether or not she was making a good decision.

"Uh, sorry," Adeline wiped her eye, "Yeah, I think I'm making the right decision. There's some.. stuff back home that I don't want to deal with anymore."

"You're positive?" Irene asked, "Absolutely, completely positive?"

Adeline turned to face Irene as the smile faded from her face, "Yes, Irene, I'm sure."

There was a moment of silence as Irene frowned and everyone processed the fact that this was final. Even if they wanted to, there was no way they could persuade Adeline into going back to 2020. She was here to stay.

"Well, then," Dr. Sommers said, walking over near Levi to put his plate in the sink, "I suppose it's time to return to the time machine."

"I'll help," Levi said, scooting off the counter, "You coming, Adeline?"

"Yeah," Adeline said, standing up. She took the last bite out of her sandwich and helped Rosemary out of her chair. Dr. Sommers led the way out the door and was followed by Rosemary and Levi, but Adeline hovered in the doorway for a moment. She finally turned around and faced Dewey, who hadn't noticed her lingering. Irene had, though, and looked up at her.

"Do you need something, Adeline?" she hissed. Dewey looked up.

"I just wanted to tell Dewey thank you," Adeline said, "So, uh, thanks, Dewey."

"For what?" Irene asked, looking between the two. Neither of them answered her.

"You're welcome," Dewey smiled knowingly as Adeline exited the house and shut the door behind her.

Irene looked at her husband, confused, "What did she thank you for?"

"For being nice," Dewey said as he rolled out from under the table, grabbed his plate, and made his way over to the sink.

"That's silly," Irene said, "All you did was say what I said, just calmer."

"But, Irene, dear, I think there's something in Adeline's life back in 2020 that is driving her to stay here. Something that she hasn't told us and, maybe, she never will, but that simply means we have to be mindful."

"Since when did you become so calm and well mannered?" Irene asked, standing up to take her plate to the sink.

"When did you become so short-tempered?" Dewey chuckled and Irene frowned, but she didn't say anything. Dewey spun his wheelchair around and began to roll to the back door, "Now, dear, would you like to go enjoy our newly finished porch with me?"

Irene sighed and shook her head, but eventually made her way over to Dewey, "You and Adeline have given me a headache."

"Well, you can rest your head on our nice porch," Dewey said, "That is, if you'll open the door for me.'

Irene chuckled, "Fine." And so she did. Irene opened the door and Dewey rolled out onto the same spot that he was on when the future folk first arrived at the farm. It had a perfect view of the fields, the trees, the land: everything he loved. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

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Wed Dec 30, 2020 11:02 am
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JasmineFelicia says...



Liam


Liam threw a rock at the barn wall. Well, this year- these two years? were just getting better and better, weren't they? First 2020... and now 1943. He should be happy for Adeline. She seemed happier here. But she was also leaving the future, which worried Liam. He heard steps and groaned internally. He just wanted to sulk in his own brain - not talk with anyone. He hid behind some hay.

The barn door slid open and Bo's towering shadow stretched across the barn floor.

"Liam?" A pause. "I know you're in here, Liam. Are you okay? You kind of ran out real quick before anyone could say anything..."

Liam frowned and then said in what he tried making a joking voice, "Are you sure I'm here? Maybe I'm a ghost... booooooooooo."

He heard Bo snort. "Oh, I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Ghost. When Liam finally decides to come out of hiding can you tell him his friend Bo is concerned about him?"

A small smile spread across Liam's face, and even though he didn't really want to talk, he walked out from behind the hay pile. He raises and eyebrow and bows dramatically, "Thank you for informing Mr. Ghost of your arrival. He got me as quickly as he could!"

Bo laughed and leaned back on the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest. "That's very kind of him. I was waiting for so long, too."

Liam's smile widened, "I'm sorry for your wait. I'll inform him that he should be faster next time."

"I appreciate it," Bo said with a smirk. But then his smirk faded, and his expression softened a little. "But really, are you okay?"

Liam's smile faded quickly and he shrugs, "Eh." He picked up a piece of hay from the ground and observed it seriously, before shrugging again, and despite the fact that it was probably really dirty, sticks it in his mouth.

Bo was quiet for a moment, standing still and observing, like he was waiting.

"We don't have to talk about it," he finally said. "I just wanted you to know I'm here if you do. If you want me to go so you have a moment to yourself, I can. I just wanted to check in."

Liam sighed, "Nah. Don't go. Let's talk about the weather or something... It's getting warmer here..." He trailed off awkwardly

"That's probably because I'm passing gas," Bo said with a straight face.

Liam stood there for a moment in silence before bursting out laughing, "I- really?"

"Take a good deep sniff."

Liam's eyebrow raised and he shook his head, "Never. I'm not falling for that trap. I'm not an oblivious school kid anymore, thankfully."

Bo's deapan expression broke into a smile and he chuckled. "Well all you'll smell is hay and horse poop anyways. Pretty sure that's the most powerful scent in the room. Though--" He looked to the side and raised his brows, pursing his lips in thought. "You know what, if I actually did fart, you'd know. Just be glad I didn't."

Liam laughed, "I think I'd be fine. I've gotten used to smells like that because of all my 'wonderful' siblings."

"I'm sure you've smelled your fair share of poopy diapers. Arguably the most potent smell out there."

"Unfortunately. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it. Sometimes the smell just stays in your nose, y'know. And then you're smelling it EVERYWHERE." Liam shook his head and shuddered at the thought of it

"I can see that it still haunts you," Bo said.

"Who do you think Mr. Ghost was..."

Bo's smile spread wide and he chuckled. "Oh, that was a good one," he said, leaning away from the doorframe and putting his hand on the barn door. "Why don't we leave the ghost of poopies past and head back to the house? I'm sure you'd like to get some rest, and hopefully dream of better smells."

Liam's face looked a bit nervous, "I won't have to walk past Adeline, will I? I want to think over my apology while in bed and say it tomorrow. I kind of overreacted, didn't I?"

Bo hummed and glanced back at the house. They could still see the kitchen windows lit up in the distance.

"It sounds like you've got the pieces to a good apology already," he said gently. "I think Adeline's choice took us all by surprise. Maybe you overreacted a little, but I'm sure Adeline will hear you out. I think she'd really appreciate it, actually. An apology, I mean. If you want to avoid her 'til tomorrow morning though, that might be kind of hard. We're all living in the same house, you know."

Liam grimaced, though he was thankful for Bo's encouragement "Right. You're right. Okay. Let's go back, I guess."

"You got this," Bo said quietly, with a small smile. He slid the barn door open just a little wider so they could both leave at the same time.

Liam nodded, and took a deep breath. He walked out with Bo, still a bit nervous but feeling better. He could see someone on the porch, and looked at Bo with the question, "Who is it?" clear on his face.

"Mags," Bo said. "She's gettin' some air too... and it looks like Dewey and Irene are out there too."

Liam was surprised, but decided not to voice it. He was glad that he wasn't the only one who had needed to think.

"I have a question - do you think Adeline will still be alive when we get back?"

Bo looked out at the house and hummed. "Well... she'd be really old," he said. "Like, late 70's. But it's possible, especially if she takes care of herself and doesn't pick up smoking like Dewey or something."

Liam smiled a little, "I hope we can visit her. And also, thank you for getting me. I would've stewed in my emotions too long if you hadn't."

Bo looked down at him with a small smile. "No problem, man."

Liam smiled wider, and they greet Mags, Dewey, and Irene quietly, before walking into the house. He was glad for this adventure and his new friends. Bo's smile gave him courage and peace. Who cared if both 1943 and 2020 were terrible years. With his new friends he was sure that when he got home, they'd remind him of an awesome time. . .
Hi, the name is Jasmine, but you can call me Jaz! Nice to meet you :D !





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looseleaf says...



Adeline Violet Hagen


Adeline, Rosemary, Levi, and Dr. Sommers made their way down the dirt path to the time machine. The sun was beginning to set above the clouds, so Dr. Sommers insisted upon doing as much as they could to finish before nightfall. Adeline doubt they could get it done in time for tomorrow morning, but then again, she was no scientist.

Before Adeline could even reach the time machine, she was stopped by Liam who came bounding out of the house after he saw Adeline.

"Hey," Adeline said, looking at him with a confused expression on her face. He held his pointer finger up, as if to say "one moment please, I need to catch up on my breathing", and hunched over, "You OK, man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he breathed. He finally stood up straight again and looked Adeline in the eyes, "I just wanted to say sorry for how I reacted after you said you were staying here."

"Oh, thanks. That's nice of you," Adeline said, "It was no big deal, though. I know it sort of came out of nowhere."

"It did. Yeah, it totally did," Liam nodded. There was a moment of silence as Dr. Sommers, Rosemary, and Levi noticed Adeline was no longer following them.

Rosemary turned around and shouted, "Addy, are you coming?"

"One minute!" Adeline exclaimed back. She then lowered her voice back down to normal and faced Liam again, "Well, anyways, thanks for the apology."

"You're welcome," Liam said.

"What are Magnolia, Bo, and you doling?" Adeline asked.

"I don't know," Liam shrugged as he began to walk backwards back to the house, "I'll probably grab some more food, though."

"Of course," Adeline chuckled, "See ya!"

Liam smiled, turned around to face the house, and began walking back. Adeline jogged back to the others, who were already close to the time machine, and took her place next to Levi.

"What was that about?" Levi asked.

"He apologized."





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soundofmind says...



Andrei Petrov


Bo didn't go back to the barn for very long. The others took a look at the time machine and worked on it more through the night, but Bo went back to the house and went to bed. He was glad to have a few moments of quiet to himself, lying in bed, with his feet hanging off the end of the too-short bedframe if he stretched out his legs fully. He curled up, instead.

Sleep came slowly, but he slept deeply once he was out. Breakfast in the morning seemed to fall into yesterday's schedule. Everyone helped clean, set the table, and prepare food, and then they sat around the table to eat together. It was quick, and a little hasty, but this time the energy seemed a little less anxious now that they had no policemen knocking on their door and the progress on the time machine was going well. Rosemary and Dr. Sommers were talking a lot with Adeline about how well it was going, and Bo could tell Rosemary was trying to very eagerly explain the science to Adeline, even though it was clear she didn't get it.

She was nodding and smiling, but Bo was pretty positive all that was going on in her brain was... well, not science.

It was hard not to notice - now that he knew she was staying - the little smiles. The blushes. The averting eyes.

Bo said nothing of it, not wanting to make things awkward. It was respectful to let people pine after each other in silence. Especially when they had only known one another for two or three days.

It felt like more than that, though. And yet, it also felt like he'd only been in 1943 for a minute. Maybe that was part of the magic of time travel. It messed with your sense of time.

Bo was sent out to the garden to feed the chickens with Magnolia again while the others went to the barn. Barn chores, and time machine things. As of the last day, it was "the usual."

Bo welcomed the fat chicken - who he now dubbed "Big Chungus" out of the coop while Mags started lightly scattering chicken feed.

"Hello you big chonker. You absolute unit. Big big baby. You poopoo stinky," he said in a baby voice as the round chicken waddled over to him. He held some feed in his hand just for Big Chungus.

"How's Chungus looking?" Mags asked.

"Chungy," Bo said, still in a baby voice.

"Good."

They finished feeding the chickens in comfortable silence. It was nice to have nothing to say for once, and feel no need to fill the silence. The last few days Bo felt like his mind had been running in circles, and even though their future was still a bit uncertain, he felt like he could finally take a breath and just sit in the moment.

He sighed as he leaned back on a fence post beside Mags as she rolled up the feed bag under her arm so it was closed.

"You think I overfed them again?" she asked.

"No such thing," Bo said.

Mags sighed and shook her head.

"You did good, though," Bo added softly.

Magnolia reached out one hand to find the lid to the wooden box that held the feed and put it away.

"Thanks," she said, turning towards the gate. Bo opened it for her.

As they started towards the garden, they walked side-by-side, at a slow pace. Magnolia lightly tapped the dirt path with her cane, and Bo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tilted his head back to look up at the sky.

It was clear, today.

They slowed to a stop when they heard the stomping footsteps of someone running. Bo turned.

"Who is it?" Magnolia asked.

"Liam..."

Liam was running back towards the house with a smile plastered across his face. He looked exhausted but relieved. When he saw Bo and Magnolia he made a sharp turn and skidded to a stop in the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust behind his feet.

"Guys!" he said between heavy breaths.

"What is it?" Magnolia asked.

"They did it! They got the- the time--" he was panting. "Time machine!"

Bo looked at Mags, then back at Liam. Liam finally caught his breath.

"The time machine works!"
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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looseleaf says...



Adeline Violet Hagen


"It works!" Dr. Sommers exclaimed, pumping his hands in his air.

"I'll go tell the others!" Liam said as he ran up the dirt path.

The time machine whirred to life in front of Dr. Sommers. The screen lit up and lines of code appeared on it. It reminded of the code Adeline had seen in action movies, except the code she saw in movies was on modern computer screens and not the oldest (and smallest) television she had ever seen. Dr. Sommers began typing on the keyboard, filling in lines of code, "I just need to finish the programming, then it will be up and running."

Rosemary was practically jumping up and down. A huge smile grew on her face as she watched her dad code the time machine. Actually, not only did she seem excited that the time machine was nearly done, but she seemed equally as excited looking at the screen itself. Adeline figured it was the first TV she had ever seen. Adeline would have thought it was too bad it had been torn apart and put in the time machine, but then again, it was the size of her iPad from back home.

"Isn't this amazing?" Rosemary said, looking back at Adeline.

"Incredible, yeah," Adeline said, smiling, "Is it safe?"

"Of course," Dr. Sommers said, "I made some small changes from the last version, so it will not mess up this time."

"Uh-huh." Adeline said quietly, so that they couldn't hear it. She was skeptical, to say the least, but she didn't want to ruin the Sommers' moment. Rosemary's head stayed rested on Dr. Sommer's shoulder until Liam, Bo, Levi, and Magnolia arrived, with Irene and Dewey trailing close behind.

"It's working?" Magnolia asked, leaning against her cane.

"Yes!" Rosemary exclaimed, "Dad's finishing up the.. what do you call it?"

"Programming."

"He's doing the programming now!" She smiled.

"I thought you needed those huge IBM computers to do that now." Liam said.

"Not me," Dr. Sommers chuckled.

Adeline turned to Liam, "How'd you know that?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "some documentary or something."

There was a moment of silence, but unlike the other moments of silence they had had, this one wasn't awkward. Adeline actually enjoyed it, strangely. Something about being together without being stressed or worried or on the run made her extremely happy.

"A-ha!" Dr. Sommers said, backing away from the screen. The old green code was replaced by a simple screen with four things outlined in white. The first was Date with mm/dd/yy under it, the second was Time with 00:00, the third said Weight with 0lbs, and the fourth and final one read Location with Milthes, Oklahoma under it.

"That's incredible," Dewey said, rolling up to his dad. Adeline agreed. Even though it definitely didn't have the detail she was used to when it came to electronics (actually, the graphics reminded her of that Oregon Trail game she played in middle school), it was still incredible considering the year and level of skill Dr. Sommers said.

"Alright," Dr. Sommers said, turning to the rest of the group (aka the group minus Adeline). His eyes were watering as he spoke, "I, unfortunately, but hopefully, will never see you all again. So, before you leave, I'd like to take some time to say goodbye. I really hope that's OK."





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soundofmind says...



Levi Ronan James Bridgefort, Liam Coleman, Magnolia Fortin, Andrei Petrov, and Adeline Violet Hagen


Everyone huddled in front of the time machine, back in their normal clothes, and Bo, with his phone out. He stuck out his arm and waved for the Sommers family to join in.

"Let's take a selfie!" Bo said as he angled his phone to get everyone in the frame.

"A what?" Dewey asked.

"A selfie." Adeline said, "It's when you take a picture of yourself or other people. Like, it's different than a normal photo because you take it yourself and don't have someone taking it for you."

"So, do you turn that rectangle around and do something?" Irene asked, "What even is that?"

Adeline sighed. This was going to take way too long for one photo.

"Just smile and look at it!" Liam said. "AND SAY CHEESE! Don't forget that, very important."

"And come in a little closer," Bo instructed.

Dewey rolled in next to Adeline and squashed her foot. She yelped, and he rolled back, nearly hitting his father and apologizing profusely.

"Mags, Mags," Bo said, "This way." She reached out her hand and he took it, leading her into the frame.

Levi came into the back and reached forward to pat on Dewey's shoulder. 'It's okay kid, reshuffling twelve times is part of the process.'

Liam sighs in annoyance as he waits, "Most annoying part of the process too."

"Rosie, come over here," Adeline said. Rosemary made her way past Irene and stood right next to Adeline, smiling ear to ear.

"This is so exciting," she whispered giddily.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Bo asked. "On the count of three, everyone smile and say cheese!"

"REMEMBER TO SAY CHEESE IT IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT!"

'CHEEEEEEEESE,' Levi said, pulling his widest camera smile.

"Cheese!" Adeline and Rosemary said at once.

Bo took a few shots, and then pulled his phone close to check them. "They look good so far," he said. "No one's blinking! That's good."

"May I see?" Irene asked, trying to scoot her way next to Bo. Soon enough, the Sommers were all huddled around Bo, staring in amazement at the screen. Bo turned up the brightness so they could see it better.

"There we are!" Bo said with a smile.

"Am I looking at the camera?" Magnolia asked. Bo snorted.

"The camera is looking at you," Bo replied, and Magnolia laughed. He let the Sommers pass the phone around, marveling at the digital photo and the brightness of it, along with the detail. Levi reached over Dr. Sommer's shoulder to show that they could zoom, which only seemed to deepen their fascination. It took a few moments of them playing with it and looking at different pictures for Bo to finally get his phone back, and he put it in his pocket.

"It's a shame I can't get you guys a copy since it's only digital," Bo said with an apologetic smile.

"I wouldn't have even known that were possible if you hadn't said anything!" Dr. Sommers said with a laugh.

"It's fine," Rosemary assured him. "We will still remember this moment."

"How could we forget?" Dewey said.

Rosemary sidled up to Adeline and put an arm around her. "Besides, Addy's staying with us! It'll be impossible to forget you all."

Bo found himself looking over at Liam and Levi, and they each shared a moment of understanding through brief eye contact. Bo looked back down at Dr. Sommers.

"I know it's only been three days," Dr. Sommers said. "But we'll miss you all."

Bo returned the sentiment with a wistful smile.

"Thank you for working so hard to get us back home," Levi said.

"We know it wasn't easy," Liam added.

"It was a crazy time, but overall, a good one," Magnolia said. "Thanks, Dr. Sommers."

Bo reached out to put his hand on Dr. Sommer's shoulder, but the doc went in for a hug instead. As Bo wrapped his arms around the old man, everyone seemed to take that as a cue to start hugging and say goodbyes. Bo hugged Dewey, and Irene, and Rosemary too. And finally, Adeline.

When he pulled away, he patted his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't mess up the timeline too bad, alright?" he said with a bittersweet grin.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Adeline said with a smirk.

Bo stepped back, and looked to the time machine, along with the others. He found himself drawing to Magnolia's side.

Dr. Sommers walked over to what they now affectionally called the arcade controls, and Rosemary opened the front door to the car.

"We made it so anything inside the car will travel forward, but the car itself won't go with you," she said. "So... who's first?"

"Wait! Before we go, I need to get everyone's snapchat," Magnolia interrupted. Rosemary's head tilted in confusion.

"Snap chat...?"
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soundofmind says...



Andrei Petrov


He was home again.

The shift was sudden. One moment, he was surrounded by the smells of the Sommers' barn, and the next, he was in his apartment. Or outside it, rather.

The last thins he could recall before he'd awoken in 1943 was just getting home from work. He was able to estimate the time he would've gotten home, and of course, he knew the day and the place. It was just startling to have one reality stripped away and then replaced with another in a moment.

He was standing in front of his door, on the second floor. The sun was starting to set, and the red brick wall looked warm as the sun hit it. Bo took a moment to let it all sink in. The warm air of L.A., full of pollution compared to the wide open spaces of the Sommers’ farm. The familiar sounds of traffic passing by. Horns honking. People talking somewhere down below. The busy sounds of the city that he hadn’t even realized he’d missed, that he hadn’t even realized felt like home.

He hesitantly reached into his pockets and pulled out his keys, shimmying them into the lock. You always had to do it a certain way, or it wouldn’t open.

He stepped into his apartment, and for a moment, he wondered if all of the time travel was just a dream, but he knew it wasn’t. Everything he’d experienced was real, with people he could see and touch.

He closed the door behind it, finding a strange sense of comfort as he locked the door behind him, slipped off his shoes, and gingerly sat down on his couch, facing the screen doors overlooking the city street.

It shouldn’t have felt as surreal as it did.

He sat there for several minutes, just staring out of the window, letting the last few days sink in. Just like that, it was all over.

But wait—

Bo pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly unlocked it, going to snapchat. Magnolia and him had exchanged snapchats. And he’d taken photos of everyone. He looked at the photos for a moment before going back to snapchat and immediately sending them to Liam and Levi. No context, right? Because context wasn’t needed.

Then he flipped the camera to his face from an angle below, giving a goofy smile and making a double chin. He started recording a video.

“Hewwo Mags I have made it home are you having as much of an existential crisis as I am? All is well.”

And send. Right to Magnolia. She wouldn’t be able to see his funny face but he liked to image she could still appreciate it.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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looseleaf says...



Adeline Violet Hagen


They were gone. It had only taken seconds for Levi to get in the machine and for Dr. Sommers to send it back, but it felt like forever to Adeline. It was like Levi was her last connection to the future and, she wasn't going to lie, it was sort of depressing to see it disappear in mere seconds.

"Well!" Dr. Sommers clapped his hands together, bringing Adeline back to reality, "I say it's time we destroy this old thing."

"What?" Adeline asked, confused.

"I don't think I'll be doing any time travelling after the adventure we've had," Dr. Sommers chuckled to himself, "Besides, if I really wanted to hear about the future, I have you to tell me!"

"Yeah," Adeline nodded slowly. She was trying to take in the fact that Dr. Sommers would simply destroy such a marvelous machine. It was a dangerous thing, granted, but it was still incredible.

"Father, we, well, you and those future kids spent so much time making it," Dewey said, "It wouldn't hurt to keep it in one of our basements."

"I can take it!" Rosemary volunteered almost immediately.

"What do you want me to do, dad?" Rosemary said from next to Irene, who was frowning now that she was left with Adeline.

Perhaps spying Irene's glare, Dr. Sommers responded, "Why don't you take the time machine to your home and then you and Adeline can do something in town?"

"That sounds great, dad, but my car's currently attached to the machine."

"We can detach it and put it in Irene's car."

"Why are they taking our car?!" Irene shriek. Dewey rubbed his forehead and mumbled something under his breath.

"Because Rosie's car is currently in pieces, dear," Dewey said.

"Can't you just put it back together?"

"Not within the day and, before you ask, the police will be looking for my car," Dr. Sommers said, "Anyways, Rosie, how about you take Adeline shopping?"

"Shopping!" Rosemary's face lit up. She practically skipped over to Adeline and began pulling her towards her car, "Oh, Addy, there's so many places I have to take you. There's this nice shop in town and I could probably get some clothes on discount there because I know the owner's son, but we must go into Macy's and-"

"Macy's is around?" Adeline said, "I thought it was founded in, like, 1980."

"You're way off. It was 1858," Rosemary replied.

"Huh," Adeline shrugged. She wasn't heard by, Rosemary, who continued to rant about everything she needed to show Adeline. It was kind of cute, actually.

Soon enough, Adeline was sitting in the passenger seat of Irene's car, driving off of their property for the first time in days. They had all (excluding Dewey) carried the time machine carefully into the back of the car, which was now covered in a blanket and other random things. It looked really weird from the inside of the car, but the important thing was it didn't look that suspicious from the outside.

As they drove down the road, it was sort of sad to Adeline, remembering the whole group driving to the farm, evading the police. Now she was the only one in the world who understood vine references. That was what she was upset about, really. She'd have to relearn pop culture and everything. No longer could she reference Danny Gonzalez and sound sane. Those days were gone.

"I have a spare bedroom you can use for the time being," Rosemary said, keeping her eyes on the road. She didn't have to, since it was completely straight for another couple of miles and there were no other cars on the road. Cars. That, too. Adeline would have to learn how to drive stick again. Her dad had taught her once, but that was seven years ago.. or should she say 70 years in the future?

"Hm?" Adeline said, "Oh, yeah, that sounds nice."

"Is there anywhere you want to go or things you want to do?" Rosemary asked, "We could go to lunch or the park.."

"Yeah, uh," Adeline turned to look at Rosemary, "Do you know how to invest in stocks?"





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JasmineFelicia says...



Liam


Liam blinked. He was writing something. And someone was talking to him. With a frown on his face, he turned his head to look at the voice. His mother was looking at him seriously, some grey sticking out of the bun her hair was in. Her apron was covered in flour.

". . .And for goodness' sake don't forget the milk. Do NOT forget the milk. You have that all down?"

Liam blinked slowly and looked at the list he had been writing. It ended at plastic silverware. He assumed that he hadn't finished it. Liam was. . . Back home? He shook his head and answered his Mother's question,

"No Ma, I'm sorry. Could you please repeat it-"

She huffed and grabbed the paper, jotting down the rest of the list, "You ask to come early to help prepare for your Father's birthday and then you just sit around and don't listen! Please get the groceries quickly." She stuck the paper back in his hand. Liam paused, still trying to understand what was happening and she shooed him out.

Some of his siblings were playing outside in the front yard. He could hear kids laughing and the smell of barbeque somewhere. He walked to the grocery store, wondering whether all that had happened had actually happened. It seemed so fake. For all Liam knew, he could've been daydreaming very vividly. In that case, he'd have to write it. But it was all too real. While waiting in line he took out his phone, looking through his newest notifications, expecting to have missed a lot, when he had missed nothing at all. Then he noticed what Bo had sent. The pictures. Liam grinned. It had been real after all. He got interrupted by the cashier asking him to put his groceries on the conveyor. The rest of the day was a blur, but Liam felt fairly at peace knowing that at least it all happened and he didn't either have a crazy imagination or wasn't going crazy. . . He made apple pie. Just as a reminder. And remind him it did.
Hi, the name is Jasmine, but you can call me Jaz! Nice to meet you :D !





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Corvid says...



Magnolia

Magnolia’s re-entry into her own time is less than pleasant. She’d been watering her plants when she’d left, and the return is so abrupt that she drops the watering can and knocks over half a shelf of seedlings. Magnolia cleans it up quickly enough, sweeping the dirt into a dustpan and dumping it in haphazardly into an empty pot. The day has been disorienting enough, and she really doesn’t need the extra mess.

Magnolia flops onto the couch when she’s done, burying her face in a cushion. She doesn’t want to contemplate the implications of time travel, and she doesn’t want to think about what’s happened with Adeline. But her roommate isn’t home, and it isn’t like she could talk with them about it anyway, and—

Her phone buzzes, pulling her from her thoughts. Magnolia lifts her face out of the couch and picks it up, just as the screen-reader starts rattling off the notifications. She only half-listens, already punching in her passcode. Phone now unlocked, Magnolia opens snapchat. She plays the message, and lets out a sigh of relief. This entire experience had been chaotic enough already. It’s nice to hear Bo’s voice and know that she’s not the only one freaking out.

Magnolia records her reply a moment later. “Glad you got home safe too,” she says, facing the phone’s camera. “And dude, let me tell you, I’m McFreaking losing it. ‘Existential crisis’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
"yeet"
- albert einstein





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looseleaf says...



THE FINALE


Only minutes after Magnolia, Bo, Liam, and Levi began messaging each other in the present, each of them suddenly heard a knock at the door, and found that a letter was left for them, with a plane ticket enclosed in an invitation. The invitation was brief, but unmistakable.

Meet me at 1409 W Terrace, Milthes, OK
Saturday, 4pm
Tickets enclosed and paid for! Excited to see you.
-Adeline Hagen-Sommers


It was a little cryptic, but considering they'd been in the Oklahoma only moments ago, they all knew who the letter was from - and it was easy to explain how quickly it had gotten to them.

Time travel, obviously.

When each of them landed in Oklahoma, they all found themselves walking out to the departure station at about the same time. With surprise and confusion, they all greeted each other, comparing their invitations to one another's until they saw an old, vintage car roll up to the sidewalk and roll its window down. In the front seat sat Adeline - but she looked different. This Adeline was several years older. Her hair was not as bright red as it used to be, and a few wrinkles showed themselves on her forehead, but this Adeline was no less radiant than her past self.

"I see you guy's haven't aged a day," Adeline said with a smirk. "Get in!"

"Wait, you-you're--" Liam stuttered.

"And you don't look a day over 30," Levi said with a smirk in return. "Seems a little odd, considering--"

"OooOOooOnly a few years have passed," Bo interrupted, glancing at the people passing around them. There weren't many people gawking, but Adeline's old car was getting a few looks. That, and they probably looked like a peculiar group.

"Yeah, Adeline," Magnoila said with a sarcastic smile. "You look good."

"Is no one going to explain anything?" Liam asked as the others started piling their luggage in the trunk. "Wait, is this the same car?"

"Sure is!" Adeline said in a chipper voice. "Now hurry up so we can get out of traffic."

Liam and Levi quickly slid into the back seat and Bo opened the door for Magnolia to get in next to them. When she was good, he closed the door and hopped into the front seat next to Adeline.

"I'll explain things on the way over," Adeline said, glancing into the rear-view mirror. "But I want it to be at least a little surprise."

The nearest airport to the small town of Milthes was about an hour away, so Adeline had plenty of time to talk. Between the five of them, Adeline was the only one really having to play catch up, since, for the rest of them, they'd all seen each other only a few days ago.

Levi was the most exhausted out of the five of them since his connecting flights from Britain, to New York, to St. Louis, all the way into Oklahoma took almost twenty-four hours. About fifteen minutes into the drive, he fell fast asleep between Liam and Magnolia, but Magnolia told Liam that if Levi started leaning that she wasn't going to be his pillow. Liam seemed to begrudgingly accept it when Levi slouched to his side with his head on Liam's shoulder.

While Levi was fast asleep, Adeline started to tell them about her past twenty or so years in the past. It was strange to see her so soon (and so much older), but she seemed excited to tell them all about her time with the Sommers family, and Rosie - as she called her - in particular.

Liam went on and on about how hard it had been to explain to his parents that he was going on a sudden impromptu trip across the country, and everyone seemed to want to hear Levi's story of what he told his own family, but he was out for the count. But they figured they would hear it later.

Bo and Magnolia didn't have too much trouble since they were both living on their own. They just had to take some time off work to make it work out. Bo mentioned having to bribe a friend to cover his shifts, but he seemed to be joking about it more than anything.

As the drive went on, they watched as the scenery began to change, and it started to look a little familiar. The land was still flat, but up ahead they could see a small town.

Or at least, what would've been small in the present, but was much bigger than it used to be.

They passed a sign that read: Welcome to Milthes, and they all looked at each other while Adeline just sat quietly, grinning to herself.

"Are we going to Sommers' old house?" Liam asked.

"I doubt it's still there anymore," Magnolia said. "It probably got torn down because it's a fire hazard. It was really cluttered, from what I remember."

"And it had low ceilings," Bo commented.

"Hey Adeline, were people shorter 100 years ago?" Liam asked.

Adeline just laughed. "You really haven't changed," she said.

"That's because it's been like, a week!" Liam retorted, which only made Adeline laugh more, and Magnolia and Bo laughed too.

The laughter seemed to wake Levi up, though, and he stirred, looking around groggily.

"Are we there yet?" Levi asked sleepily.

"Almost," Adeline said, and the others couldn't help but notice that she was driving through the town, and not into it. She took a turn down a small, paved road that started winding out into the country. The fields of grass gave them a familiar feeling, and eventually, they spotted the farm in the distance. The old farmhouse itself looked almost exactly like they left it. Liam was the one to point it out first.

"You're taking us to the farm!" Liam shouted the obvious.

"I'm still confused on how Adeline's not a hundred years old," Levi said, still sounding half-awake.

"Oh, she explained that when you were asleep," Bo said. "Turns out, they kept the time machine. So Adeline just traveled to the future to meet us after spending a few years in the past. Not too complicated."

"But where's Rosaline, then?" Levi asked.

"You can't just ask that," Magnolia scolded under her breath.

"It's fine, Magnolia," Adeline said, shrugging, "I thinks she passed in 1992. Myself, on the other hand, died in 1995."

There was a small silence in the car as it pulled up to the front of the large farmhouse.

"So... who lives here now?" Bo asked quietly.

"My great-grandchildren, probably," Adeline said as if she said it everyday.

"Do they know we're coming?" Magnolia asked. "Sure would be a big surprise if they didn't."

"I checked. They're in St. Barts," Adeline sighed, "Apparently my family's St. Bart people now."

"St. Bart," Liam echoed under his breath.

"So your family is..." Levi trailed off as everyone started getting out of the car.

"Rich?" Liam finished for him.

"With fifty years of making some cash money with stonks," Adeline chuckled, amused with her own 21st-Century lingo, "sorry, haven't used words like that in a while. Anyways, some people might say we are."

~ ~ ~ ~

The car came to a stop in front of the house. The group seemed to stare at it for a bit too long, considering it was a porch. Just a couple days ago, a family in 1943 greeted them on the porch. Now they were standing in front of it in the present, in the same car.

"It's like we were just here," Liam said, exiting the car. Bo helped Magnolia out of her seat.

"Seems like it was just yesterday."

Adeline chuckled at Levi's comment as she turned off the car. For her, it had been almost fifteen years since she had seen the others. Their wonder at the fact the farm was still here amused her to no end.

"Does anyone have a key?" Bo asked.

"I think there's one in that fake rock near the door," Adeline said, "That's where Dewey had one."

"Not finding any rocks here," Magnolia said.

"Can confirm," Bo echoed, and he walked up to the door handle, testing the lock.

"I guess we're breaking in, then." Magnolia said. "Well. No time like the present."

"You guys still have those lock-picking skills you used in the prison?" Adeline asked, half-expecting them to say no.

"You think I lost them so soon?" Bo asked with a laugh as he pulled out a pick from his pocket. "Kinda weird that we're breaking into your old house, but I'm down."

With that, he leaned down beside the lock and started picking at it.

"So, what's happened in the 2000s since I left?" Adeline tried to make conversation, "Not much, I presume."

"I did a lot of chores," Liam said unenthusiastically.

"Had a choco-taco on the way to the airport."

"I took a nap?" Levi offered.

"Oh, yeah. It's only been a week for you guys."

"I just went back to work," Bo said. "You know, like nothing even happened."

Finally, the lock clicked open, and with a little "aha!" Bo pulled the door open.

"Boom. Nothing broken, and we're in," Bo announced as he held the door open wide.

Magnolia slow clapped, and Liam and Levi joined in. Bo bowed dramatically.

"Nice job, man," Adeline said as she stepped inside the house. She stared at the room for a moment, "They've made some.. changes."

Liam looked around. The room was recently renovated, with basic grey couches and off-white walls. If he hadn't known any better, Liam would've thought they'd stepped into a show-home. "It looks... new?"

"Trust me, it wasn't Dewey, Rosie, or I that made it look like this," Adeline said, disgusted by her own relative's taste.

Adeline wandered over to the mantlepiece, examining the photos. There she was, with Rosie and their children. 1988. Besides that, there were no photos of Dewey or Dr. Sommers in the living room. Just cheesy pictures of Adeline's grandchildren and their kids.

Magnolia walked inside. "I'm guessing you don't like it?"

"This might be worse than what they did in the 90s," Adeline said, setting down a picture she had grabbed.

"Do I even want to know?" Magnolia asked.

"No," Adeline shook her head, "No, you do not."

Magnolia nodded solemnly in response.

"Anyways," Levi said, emerging from the back of the group, "Should we look around?"

~ ~ ~ ~

It was a little odd for everyone to be in a home mere days from the present and the past. The pieces of the home that added character were stripped away for a clean-cut, minimalist, modernized look that seemed to infect every room. The kitchen cabinets, once made of real wood and stained to be a warm red-brown, were traded in for simple white ones with silver handles. The appliances were all modern and sleek, and the decor looked like it came out of a pinterest post. Everything was tidy and the former clutter that proved people lived there seemed absent. It almost felt like a show-home, like the kind of decor you'd have in a home for sale.

They walked around the first floor, in and out of the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, and even down the hall to what used to be the main bedroom, which was accessible for Dewey. At least, when Dewey was alive.

There was a little bit of a cognitive dissonace for all of them, knowing that everyone they met from the past was no longer in their present. Even Adeline herself made a side-comment about her grave being outside on the property alongside Rosemary's. It was played as a joke, but the small sting of reality was something that couldn't be avoided.

When they finished poking their heads in the bedrooms and bathrooms on the top floor, they made their way out back. From afar, they could see that the barn had been repainted and repaired, and the dirt road to it had been paved. Where there was once a garden, there was only a flower bed, and where there was once a chicken coop, there was now a covered hot-tub. Or at least, that was what they thought at first.

When they got closer to the barn, they realized that the chicken coop had simply been relocated. There was a fenced-in area where a few chickens piddled about lazily in the sun.

"Do you think Henrietta had great-great-great grandchickens?" Magnolia commented when she heard the faint clucking.

"My answer is yes," Bo answered definitively.

"I'm glad at least the chickens are still here," Adeline added.

The others solemnly nodded, and they all paused for a moment at the door of the barn before Levi and Bo pulled it open.

It was a little cleaner, and a little more put-together. There were no horses in the barn at the moment, but there was some horse tack on the wall, as evidence that they had horses somewhere, just maybe boarded somewhere else. But what drew everyone's attention was a dusty old tarp in the back of the barn that covered what looked like a very tall box. Or perhaps, something resembling an arcade game.

The time machine.

Adeline was the one who approached it first, pulling away the tarp, letting dust cloud up the air and settle.

"Rose and I made improvements on the time machine over the years, but the first model still works," she said wistfully. "We kept it around for the memories, and passed it down to our kids. They never knew what it was, though."

"You didn't tell them?" Levi asked quietly.

"Well, we figured with one time machine mistake under our belts, we didn't need any more. We decided it'd be better for everyone to keep it a secret," Adeline said.

"And better for the timelines," Bo said.

"Do you think there's another timeline where none of us went back?" Magnolia mused.

"Wait, there's more than one timeline?" Liam expressed in genuine confusion.

That made everyone laugh. Levi patted Liam on the back.

"Don't you ever change, Liam."

At that point, Adeline was able to explain a little more about time travel from what she and Rose had learned, but she also explained that she wouldn't be leaving just yet. She still wanted to enjoy the rest of their day together.

As a little escape from the weird sense of recent nostalgia, the five of them decided to act like it was old times, and they went back to the house. Adeline helped herself to the kitchen and they all had lunch out on the back porch, just talking. There wasn't really a lot to catch up on with those in the present, so they mostly ended up hearing about Adeline's life in the past. She seemed to avoid talking much about her life in the future was interrupted by her going back, or how anything she knew about the future interrupted the past. It seemed that, after they all disappeared, they didn't run into much more trouble. The Sommers were able to avoid facing any dire consequences for housing draft-dodgers through some clever lies, and what sounded like pinning the blame on them, which was fine with all things considered.

After that, Adeline told a lot of stories about her kids and what life was like with the Sommers family. It was good to catch up, but as evening came around, they could all feel it in their guts that it wasn't forever.

The sun was starting to lower in the sky, hinting at the start of the evening hours with a warm orange sunset.

They'd migrated to the front porch, and Adeline was looking off towards the horizon.

"You know, this isn't the first time I've time traveled since we were taken into the past," she said. "But this will be the last."

All eyes and ears turned curiously to her as that statement solemnly gathered everyone's attention.

"In my travels I've learned that spending more than 24 hours in any period comes with more risks. Things can get messy. My presence here could do more harm than good," she said softly.

"What does that mean?" Liam interjected.

"Does that mean we messed stuff up back in the 40's?" Levi asked. "Or did you..."

"We figured things out, after you left," Adeline answered vaguely. "But I don't want you guys to worry about that, now. "I wanted to give you guys a chance to have some fun together, even though I can't stay very long. So I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of reserving rooms for you all at a resort. It's a bit of a drive from here, but I think you'll all enjoy it. The resort was developed a few years ago."

"Uh..." Bo started to say. "Wait, so is this you saying goodbye?"

"Not yet," Adeline said. "I'll give you guys a ride over."

"But after that you're leaving," Bo concluded.

"I've arranged for cabs to bring you back to the airport in a week," Adeline said, not exactly answering his question. "I hope that's enough time for you all to enjoy yourselves a little bit."

"I haven't had a day off since..." Magnolia pretends to count on her fingers, ticking them off one by one. "...1943? It's been awhile."

"I need to call my boss," Bo mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, I'll have to make sure the TA's can take over for a bit,"

"I actually took the liberty of talking to them for you," Adeline said casually.

There was a small pause.

"How much money did you say you made again?" Levi asked with squinted eyes.

Adeline smirked.

"Definently not gonna be able to bribe them with brownies, now." Magnolia said, smiling.

"I made them better offers than brownies," Adeline said, her smirk growing.

"An offer they couldn't refuse," Magnolia said. Bad accent? Bad accent.

"That makes it sound like she threatened them," Levi said with a laugh.

"I would do no such thing," Adeline countered innocently.

"You bribed... my parents?" Liam said, still looking lost in confusion.

"Oh, god, no," Adeline snorted. "I just talked to them Liam."

"Oh," Liam said quietly.

"I also said it was scholarship related, so I might've lied a little," Adeline added.

"Huh..." Liam hummed.

At that, Bo patted Liam on the back.

"On the bright side, we get a free vacation," Bo said.

"There was a dark side?" Levi quipped.

"Yes. Saying goodbye to Adeline," Bo answered.

And for another moment, all eyes were on Adeline again, but she turned to walk down the steps towards the car.

"Oh, come on, we can get all gushy later. We still have several hours in a car together," she said, waving for them to follow. "Come on."

"Just like old times," Magnolia said, standing up.

"I call shotgun again," Bo said.

"I call literally anything but the middle seat," Mags added.

"Same," Levi echoed.

"Seriously, you guys?" Liam groaned. "Fine. I'll take the middle seat."

At that, they all piled in, and Adeline got them back out on the road. The sun set about thirty minutes into the drive, and Levi continued to drift in and out of sleep. Liam ended up waking Levi up with several pokes and occasional flicks. Between the five of them, they talked a lot about each others' lives, made plenty of jokes, and shared funny stories. They stopped twice - once at a little gas station so they could go to the bathroom and get snacks, and once at a Waffle House because Bo was famished.

When they finally made it to the resort, it was close to 5am. The sky was still dark, but the lights on the huge hotel building made it stand out as they approached from a winding road off the highway.

Even in the dark, they could tell that it was bougie.

"Damn," Bo whistled.

"Hey, this is rated PG," Magnolia said.

"There are kids in the car, Bo," Adeline added.

"I'm nineteen," Levi emphasized.

"Does this mean we only have one f word allowance?" Liam asked.

"No, that's PG13," Adeline corrected.

"Details, details," Magnolia shook her head.

"But who gets the f word," Levi asked. "Do we vote on it?"

"I vote not you," Liam said.

"Hey guys, we're here," Adeline cut in.

The car came to a sudden stop, because Adeline apparently thought it would be funny to dramatically stomp on the brakes to stop the silly argument before it developed further. Everyone started to slowly get out, looking at the sleepily lit front door.

Once everyone grabbed their luggage out of the trunk, Adeline meaningfully cleared her throat.

"So now it's goodbye," she said.

There was a small silence that fell between the five of them, like everyone was waiting for someone to break it. It extended uncomfortably long.

"Well... is anyone going to say anything?" Adeline finally pressed.

"I was thinking if we didn't then you'd stay longer," Levi said. At that, Bo snorted.

"We'll miss you, Adeline," Bo said, stepping forward to give her a hug. "It's been a crazy... time. More time for you than it's been for us. But I'm glad we all go to meet. And thanks for giving us something special like this so we can all spend a little more time together."

He pulled away, settling his hand on her shoulder.

"It won't be the same with you missing, but I'll do my best to appreciate it," he said.

"I'm glad I got to meet you," Magnolia said. "I don't think it's sunk in that you won't be coming back, but- Well, we'll miss you. And thank you for this. I couldn't imagine a better send-off."

Adeline was starting to get a little teary-eyed, but before she could respond. Levi swooped in for the next hug.

"It's a shame we can't text from the 1940s to the 2020s," he said. "Otherwise I'd say we need to keep in touch."

When Levi pulled away from the hug, his eyes were teary too.

"But I think we all know that's impossible," he said with a sad smile.

At that, Liam wedged his way in to the growing hug crowd to get to Adeline, and he gave her a hug too. A quick, tight one before he pulled away, sniffing.

"Time travel safe," he said with a weak smile.

"You know I will," Adeline said with a smile in return as small tears went down her cheek. "We made sure of it this time."

"Good," Bo said. "Wouldn't want another time accident."

"But I'm happy that for us, the accident did happen," Adeline added. "So that I could meet all of you, and Rose, and the Sommers too."

At that, she pulled everyone into a quick group hug before letting go, pulling away and wiping her eyes dry with her sleeve.

"Well, I guess I should be going. You've all had a very long day and probably want to sleep. And I, well, I need to get headed back," she said, slowly walking around to the drivers' side of the car. She opened the car door, but paused, giving them all one last look.

"Get home safe," Magnolia said, teary eyed.

"And say hi to Henrietta for me," Bo said with a bittersweet smile.

Adeline laughed, just a little, shaking her head.

"Will do," she said, sliding into the car. "Will do."

And at that, the car door shut, and as Adeline pulled out of the hotel, she turned back to give them all one last wave goodbye. The four of them stood in front the entrance waving back until she disappeared down the road, into the night.

A solemn moment of silence passed until Levi broke it.

"You know," he said. "She never did say what the new time machine looked like."

"Do you think..." Liam started. "It was... the car?"

"Like Back to the Future?" Levi asked.

"Maybe we should check for scorch marks on the pavement in the morning," Bo quipped.

"More like afternoon," Levi said. "I feel like I could sleep forever."

Magnolia let out a loud yawn. "Literally same," she said.

"I guess that means we should get checked in then," Bo said.

"What was the name she told us the reservation was under?" Levi asked.

"Uhh," Magnolia's brain was blue-screening.

"Sommers," Bo said. "Obviously."

"Glad at least one of us remembered to bring a brain cell."

"Don't worry," Bo said with a smirk. "I'll share it. After we all get some sleep."

THE END








Hearing these stories makes me realize that I never did anything with my childhood.
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