Young Writers Society

Liam walked into the garage and gulped. It was the 1940's and he had no idea what half this stuff was. See, he knew the kitchen well, and he also knew electrons and protons were. Bo and Levi looked up from whatever they were doing.

"I was wondering whether you needed any help."

Bo shook his head, "Nah, I think we're doing pretty good."

Liam nodded, "Is there anything you guys want from the kitchen?"

Bo laughed and nodded, "A glass of water might be nice."

Levi agreed. So Liam headed back inside, passing Magnolia and Adeline who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation about cherry pie. In the kitchen, he grabbed two glasses and filled them with water, and - just as he was about to head back out to the garage, he saw a black car parking by the house. The same black car from earlier. He placed the glasses back down on the counter carefully, then went to inform Magnolia and Adeline.

"Guys - the guy from yesterday is back!"

Adeline looked up sharply, "The cop?"

Liam nodded, "Yeah, and I advise hiding."

"Where?" Adeline asked

This time it was Magnolia who answered, with a small smile on her face, "Why not the attic?"

Adeline smirked, "Yes, let's hide there."

Liam rolled his eyes, "Fine! HIde there! I'm going to warn Bo and Levi."

He ran outside to the garage, and he could see the man getting out of the car and heading towards the door.

"Bo! Levi! The Cops back!"

Levi stared at Liam in disbelief. Bo frowned, equally upset, "We'll hide here-"

From behind Liam a voice spoke, "Hide from what, Draft dodgers?"

Liam turned around and looked at the man with wide eyes.

"You're not very good at hiding, you know."

298 words

Bo hadn't done himself any favors by having the gun on him, and he knew it didn't help that his clothes looked strange, and he hadn't taken off his earrings, or his necklace, or much of any of his modern clothes. It wasn't just that he didn't fit in, but he was armed, and he could feel the stinging eyes of suspicion and fear without the cop saying anything.

He would've gotten that look anyway, just by nature of being tall, and strong, and covered in scars. This was just amplified.

He felt like it did help take the spotlight off of Liam and Levi, though, who were treated a lot more gently than he was.

When the cop found it, the gun was confiscated quickly, and Bo was subsequently frisked for anything else he had on him, but none of them put up a fight. It didn't make sense to. They didn't want to get taken in, but Bo knew if he took out the cop now, there would be reinforcements, and a whole list of consequences they would have to deal with that would be messy.

No matter what this was going to get messy. He could feel it in his gut.

The three of them sat cramped in the back of the cop car, with Liam in the middle. Hands cuffed behind them, and no seatbelts, because in 1943, apparently, you didn't care about safety. You just took death like a man. Or something.

The cop didn't say anything to them during the car ride, but he had the radio playing. It was playing a tinny swing-dance type of music, and it was weird to think that it wasn't an oldies channel playing. It was normal. This was their new music.

Suddenly, things started to feel very surreal and very real all at once.

The music faded to a stop and was interrupted by an advertisement for the Adventures of Superman, a program that was set to air later in the day.

When the music picked back up again, Bo felt a nudge in his side. Liam was squirming a little.

Bo looked at the two. Both Liam and Levi looked scared. Levi was doing a better job hiding it, but both of them wore very solemn, uncertain expressions on their faces.

Bo didn't think Sommers would be able to help them out of this one.

401 words

After having passed a church and the town, the car rolled up to a brick-faced building at the center of town. The Milthes Police Station wasn't impressively large, and it didn't look exceptionally tall, or exceptionally fortified, but Bo could feel the tension in the air as the cop came around and opened the door. Two more officers were there to meet them, grabbing Levi first, then Liam. The officer who'd found them - Officer Bryant, was what his badge read - came around the other side of the car for Bo, and opened the door.

Bo got out, and as he stood up, Bryant looked up at him with a stern expression.

Bo towered over everyone, and it was no different with officer Bryant. Bryant was probably six-foot, which was pretty tall by most standards, but Bo still had a whole seven inches on him. It wasn't like he was trying to be intimidating, it was just his size. He couldn't do anything about it. Bryant was also an older fellow - probably late forties, with greying temples and a little bit of a beer belly, though he still looked strong.

"Come on, move," Bryant said, pushing Bo forward behind the others.

They took them through a side-door that led into a hallway with two cells. The cells looked pretty standard for something in a small town. They shared a barred wall, and the faces were barred as well. The metal looked pretty solid - he wanted to guess iron, but at the end of the day, it didn't really matter. He wasn't the hulk. He couldn't bend it.

What Bo was more concerned about were the locks.

Levi and Liam had already been led into one cell that had two cots lined on the back wall, and a small steel toilet in the corner. Nothing but the best for criminals, right?

As Bo followed Bryant, he expected to be put in the same cell as Liam and Levi, but Bryant didn't lead him to a cell just yet.

"I'll get them through processing, starting with this one. I know you're off-duty right now, Payton," Bryant said to one of the officers. Payton nodded and gave a little salute before parting.

During the officers' short exchange, Bo turned to look at Levi and Liam through the bars. He didn't want to say anything that could be used against them, and he especially didn't want to say anything to indicate that he was planning an escape, but he was already trying to piece something together.

This was a small town. They didn't have a full police force backing them, and this was only a small county jail. They would be transferred somewhere else to serve their full sentence, and it would take time for all of that paperwork to go through and for them to get picked up. That gave them at least a few days - or at least 24 hours to figure something out.

Bo made eye contact with Liam and smiled, just a little. Nothing smug, and nothing happy, but because Bo knew if he seemed confident, they could lean on that. If he seemed strong and capable, they could hope in that.

Bo wasn't going to let them get stuck in prison in 1943. They were going to get back home. He was determined to make it happen.

He made eye contact with Levi and tried to read what was going on behind Levi's eyes.

Probably a million things, but Bo felt like there was... a little resentment. No. It wasn't that.

Suspicion? Concern?

Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

Bryant tugged on Bo's arm a little too roughly and brought him into a small, sterile little room with a table and two chairs on either side. Bryant grabbed a clipboard off the wall and set it on the table before asking Bo to turn around, to which Bo obliged.

Bryant undid one cuff and brought Bo's hands back around the front where he could cuff them to the table. Handy little tool. The key.

Bo noted where Bryant pocketed it away in his chest pocket and sat down. Because, well, with his hands chained to the desk, it was either bend over awkwardly or sit. So he chose to sit.

Besides, that was what Bryant did too.

"Name," Bryant said.

"Andrew Peterson." The name flew off his tongue as a quick Americanized version of his actual name. Easy.

"Birthdate."

"April 12."

Bryant looked up at Bo with a tired expression. "The year."

Oh god. Bo had to do the math.

He panicked, quickly shuffling numbers in his head. 1943. 26 years old. 43 minus 26. Right?

"1915."

That was close? Maybe? At least it was believable?

Bryant was writing all of this down on a piece of paper on the clipboard, but he kept it tilted out of Bo's sight.

"City and state of birth."

It was at that moment that Bo realized, all of this information was probably going to be looked up, so they could confirm their identities. Sure, it was 1943, but they still had records and paperwork, right? How much could Bo get away with? How quickly would they find out he was lying? They didn't have computers to get instantaneous results. Maybe he still had time to buy.

But really, he just needed to figure out a way to escape.

"Chicago, Illinois," he answered. That was what was on one of his fake ID's. He was glad he didn't have his wallet on him when he woke up in 1943. Then the cop would've found that and had even more questions.

Bo and Bryant went back in forth with basic info for a minute before there was a pause, and Bryant looked Bo up and down with scrutiny. Bo parted his mouth to show teeth, but it wasn't exactly a smile. Well, it was an awkward one.

"Okay, what the hell are you wearing?"

Bo didn't expect to be offended by that question.

"I'm not sure to what you are referring."

"Don't play dumb with me, Peterson."

Peterson. Wow. He should've picked a cooler fake last name to be called. This one felt dumb.

"If you want to know where I got my shoes, they're limited edition. So, I can't help you there."

"You broke the law. You're going to prison. Try not to act so happy about it."

Bo pursed his lips into a pout, and Bryant groaned.

"I'll deal with you later. Get up."

1,083 words

Liam and Levi watched as the police took Bo somewhere else. Bo had smiled when they took him, but Liam knew that it had to be fake. You don't smile when you're taken by the police to a different room for unknown intent. Of course, he didn't know much about Bo's past. Perhaps he had been arrested before and wasn't faking it. But that didn't quell Liam's fears. Liam had heard terrible things about the jail in modern time, so he assumed that in 1943 they were much worse. And he was scared. A quick glance at Levi revealed nothing.

"Levi, how are we going to get out of this mess?"

Levi shrugged at Liam, "It's kind of our fault. They think we're draft dodgers. We stole a car. And clothes."

Liam frowned at Levi, "Yes, but still! I- I- I cannot think of anything to disprove that argument. I guess you're right"

Levi smiled, "I am right. I'm glad you agree."

Liam smiled back at Levi and felt a bit bad for Levi. People in military schools aren't supposed to get arrested, right? Liam had no idea. But he did know that this was a situation Levi had probably gone to lengths to avoid.

Bo was brought back out after a while, and Levi was taken next. Upon asking what Bo was asked, all Liam got was a slight smile and the words,"Call me Andrew Peterson now" to which Liam laughed, because that was a name of an author he knew.

254 words

Magnolia

Adeline and Magnolia were making their way up to the attic. Motivated by (at least in Magnolia’s case) an unimaginable sort of nosiness, they moved quickly. Magnolia had more or less learned the layout of the house by now. Aside from the unpredictable clutter, she had no problems finding her way. Still, she kept close to Adeline as they walked up the stairs.
The attic door was in sight, and then they heard the cop’s voice outside the house. Magnolia stopped short and ducked down -- she’d been feeling her way along the wall of the room, and her hand had just found a window.
Even though she knew that the cops probably weren’t as interested in her and Adeline as the others, given that they weren’t men who were presumed to be draft dodgers, they’d still stolen a car, clothes, and a gun. Magnolia didn’t want to be seen, especially since she was still wearing the stolen gloves. Being arrested wasn’t really on her bucket list.
Adeline ducked down too, crouching in the space next to Magnolia until it became apparent that the cop wasn’t looking for them. She lifted her head and peered out the window, watching the events unfold.
“What’s happening?” Magnolia asked, hearing Adeline’s movement. “How many cops are there?”
“Just the one,” Adeline said. She lifted her head a little higher. Crouching was uncomfortable, so she shifted how she stood. The floorboards creaked, but were mercifully quiet. “He’s arresting them.”
Magnolia swore and pressed her ear against the wall, trying to hear something more than the old pipes and asbestos. She heard as the others were piled into the cop car and driven off. Uh oh, Spaghettio. (Had spaghettio’s been invented?!)
word count: 285

As soon as the police car pulled out from in front of the house, Adeline grabbed Magnolia's arm and practically yanked her down the stairs.

"Hey!" Magnolia exclaimed.

Adeline mumbled, "Sorry," and let go before continuing back down the stairs. She didn't wait for Magnolia this time. Instead she went straight down into the kitchen, trying to find Dr. Sommer's phone number. But then she realized. It was 1943. The only phone number Dr. Sommers had was to the rotary phone on the counter.

"What should we do?" Magnolia suddenly asked from behind Adeline. Adeline jumped up, spooked from the sudden voice, but quickly readjusted herself.

"Well, I- I don't know," Adeline said. Her voice was cracking and her hands were shaking as she flipped a piece of paper over and over again in her hand. This was the most stressful, nerve wracking thing that had happened to her since she woke up in the barn.

The sound of the door unlocking broke Adeline from her stress-induced silence and she dashed to the doorway. Magnolia followed. Dr. Sommers opened the door and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, gi-" He started to speak, but changed his tone when he saw how sickly Adeline looked, "Dear, are you OK?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Adeline mumbled.

Magnolia sighed and spoke up, "We don't have enough time for greetings. Bo, Liam and Levi have been arrested!"

"What?!" Dr. Sommers said. He looked down at the groceries in his arms then back at the girls, "Tell me everything while I put these away."

So they did. As Dr. Sommers loaded cans, boxes, and fresh food into cabinets and the fridge, Adeline and (mostly) Magnolia recounted what had happened. Through the whole thing, Dr. Sommers looked like he was thinking and calculating what to do.

"So, Julius.." Adeline said. She paused for for a bit, waiting for Dr. Sommers to correct her, but he didn't, "..what do we do?"

"What were they doing when they were arrested?" Dr. Sommers asked.

"They were trying to take the engine out of the car," Magnolia answered.

"Dammit.." Dr. Sommers mumbled. He paused for a moment then continued, "Please pardon my language, but I can't help but swear in a time like this."

"No, I get it," Adeline shrugged, "It's totally fine."

Dr. Sommers nodded, "I think there's only two things we can do."

"And what are those?" Magnolia asked.

"We can either sneak them out of jail or we can let them serve their sentences," Dr. Sommers said, "One of them is easier than the other bu-"

"No way are we letting them serve those sentences!" Adeline exclaimed, standing up, "Can't you just, I don't know, tell them you built a faulty time machine and they'd understand?!"

"That wouldn't work," Magnolia said, "That would bring publicity, possibly postponing our going home and it could alter our lives once we return, if time travel works as I think it does."

Dr. Sommers cleared his throat to speak, but Adeline said something that completely made him stop in his tracks.

"What did you say?" Dr. Sommers asked.

"I said.." Adeline took a deep breath, "I said what if we don't want to go home? Well, I mean, what if I don't want to go home."

"Dear, I-" Dr. Sommers stuttered, "I would suggest you go home, but I don't have any problem with you staying. The only probl-"

"Guys!" Magnolia interrupted. It seemed like they had been interrupting each other all evening, which they probably had been, "Let's focus here, OK? We'll settle your issue later, Adeline. Now we have to figure out how to get the boys back."

After questioning, Bryant clocked out for the day, and a night guard came in to sit at the front desk.

From their cells, they could just see his shoes sticking out from the corner of the wall, with his ankles crossed over each other. It looked like he was leaning back pretty far, for his legs to be sticking out like that.

Time passed slowly in the cell, and between the three of them, not many words were exchanged. Eventually, out of boredom, they caved and started playing games like rock, paper, scissors to kill time, but it was a long day, and each hour stretched on as the sun slowly made its descent towards the horizon.

Fortunately, they could still see outside. There was a little window at the top of the cell on the outer wall, that at least allowed them to catch a glimpse of the fading daylight before it was gone. The window was far too small to squeeze through though. Unless they were cats, and could squeeze through metal bars - and they were neither boneless nor furry. So their fate was to wait.

When night fell, Bo started keeping a closer eye on the night guard, and when the sound of muffled snoring started drifting down the hall, he knew that was his cue to get them out of there.

He reached into his shoe, and pulled out a lock pick from one of the creases.

This was one of those moments where, despite all of the pain that came with it, he was actually thankful for his upbringing. His father had always taught him to have a lock pick on hand, just in case if things go south, and no matter how irrational it seemed, he could never seem to leave home without one hidden on his person.

He was glad the cops didn't find it in the frisking - and that they didn't even think to put his shoes through a metal detector. The thought was kind of funny, though.

On light feet, he went to the door and reached through the bars, angling the pick into the keyhole. He bent down so he could listen, and feel for the subtle movements inside the lock's inner-workings.

"When were you going to tell us you had a lock pick?" Levi's hushed whisper hissed from behind him.

Bo squinted, even though squinting his eyes didn't really help him hear any better.

"Shh, I'm working on it," he whispered back.

Liam looked at Bo with interest, "Could you teach me how to pick a lock sometime?"

"Sure, sure," Bo said, trying to keep his focus.

"Where did you even learn how to-- oh, nevermind, it's not important," Levi muttered. "You're going to get us in trouble!"

460 words

"We're already in trouble!" Bo retorted, before going quiet again.

Liam observed Bo with great interest. He really was really interested in Bo's background now. You didn't just know how to pick locks. You had to be taught. When Bo had started picking the lock, his hopes had been high - but now, only a few seconds later, he was terrified that someone was going to come walking down the hall and put them away in a cell for eternity.

"Could you hurry up?" Liam whispered harshly, nearly jumping when a light breeze blew through the window.

"The guard could wake up any second now," Levi said, echoing Liam's worries.

"You know, this really is harder than it looks," Bo mumbled. "And it'd be easier if you stopped talking."

Liam nearly stopped, but another light gust of wind drew his attention, "Please try hurrying, Bo."

"I said," Bo whispered, almost in a sing-song voice. "I am."

Liam tapped his foot restlessly, "Something bad is bound to happen. It always does in movies."

"This isn't a movie," Levi whispered back. "This is real life, and I still think this is a bad idea."

"Might as well be a movie," Liam grumbled under his breath. He could almost hear the music if he listened closely. Maybe even the tense breathing of the audience as they watched three heroes waiting impatiently in the darkness of a May night, the wind blowing their faces, trying to escape with their lives. He laughed quietly as he heard an imaginary commentator.

Then a loud noise made Liam jump and yelp.

"They're coming!" he whispered, "Oh no, we're dead!"

Bo turned around, putting his finger to his lips. "Quiet," he chided. "That was the lock."

Bo stood up straight and pushed the door lightly as if to test its hinges. The door swung open slowly without a sound. Bo looked back at Liam and Levi with a small grin.

"And you thought it wasn't going to work. Come on." Bo waved his hand for them to follow.

Liam sighed in relief. He could hear Levi do the same behind him. They were almost free. But then a thought struck Liam,
"Guys- we're going back to Sommers, right?"

Bo was already leading them down the hallway towards the back door, trying to hurry them along.

"We'll have to stop by there so they know we're okay," Bo whispered. "But we can't stay there. We can talk more later. Shh!"

412 words

Levi and Liam followed after him, however reluctantly, towards the back door. Bo didn't have time to keep telling them to be quiet, so he was glad that after his final hush they kept their mouths shut. They were lucky that the small-town night guard had drifted off during his shift. If this were a real prison, they would have no chance of escaping and would be forced to serve out the rest of their sentence and live out their years through the remains of WW2.

That, or they would be forced to be sent out to war. Neither were options Bo wanted to think about.

They made it to the back door and Bo tested the handle first, to see if it was unlocked. It seemed like the kind that was locked from the outside but could be opened from the inside. He turned the handle and pushed, slowly at first, but then quickly as the door started to screech.

It was a low-budget, old fashioned intruder alarm. Except this was the reverse because instead of breaking in, they were breaking out.

Both Levi and Liam froze, halfway through the doorway, as the guard's snoring came to a sputtering stop.

No was not the time to freeze.

Bo pushed them out of the door. They could hear a distant "Hey!" down the hall.

"Let's go!" Bo ordered in a harsh whisper, pushing the two ahead of him one more time before they started picking up the pace. Liam started running but didn't seem like he knew where to go, so Bo came along his side and practically herded him in Levi's direction. Thankfully, it looked like Levi remembered the way back, and at least he was fast.

In silence - aside from some labored breathing from nerves and running - the three of them snuck through the shadows, dipping behind buildings, and weaving through the shelter of trees as they hurried through the small town, back to Sommers' house. Bo ended up taking the lead and directing them once they made enough distance from the police station.

He knew they didn't have that much time.

They made it back to Cherry Street and finally crawled around in the dark, coming around the back of the house.

Bo hoped that there wouldn't be cops there, waiting for them. He knew the thought was a bit paranoid, but it did cross his mind, even though it seemed unreasonable that the cops would've anticipated their escape and stayed in Sommers' house all night.

Bo knocked on the back door and waited.

859 words

Magnolia

“Do you think they’d arrest Dr. Sommers?” Magnolia asked. She and Adeline were sitting in the library, talking quietly. Dr. Sommers was in the kitchen, putting the kettle on.

“For harboring us, I mean. Aiding and abetting, and all that.” Magnolia was starting to ramble, now. Was she aware of this? Debatable. “I don’t know if harboring a fugitive is illegal now, but--”

“It’s probably illegal.” Adeline muttered. She was staring intently at one of the library’s candles, which she’d lit a few minutes prior. The flame flickered as she spoke, movements oddly similar to that of a worm on a string. “I feel like that’s always been illegal.”

“Ugh!” Magnolia let out a groan. She wrapped a strand of hair around her finger, unwrapped it. “I’d kill to have access to google right now.”

“Same, but we probably shouldn’t--”

There was a knock on the door.
They both fell silent.

And then Magnolia swore under her breath. Way to be stealthy. She adjusted her grip on her cane and slowly rose up from the couch. “Do you see who it is?” she whispered, sweeping her cane across the carpet. The floor was clear of clutter. If this was a cop at the door, they had a chance at making a break for it.

“I’ll check,” Adeline said, quietly. She walked towards the window and pulled the curtains back a bit, peering out between the gap. “We’re good, it’s--”

“Hey!” Bo said, opening the door. He seemed to have discovered that it was unlocked. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you--”

“He had a lockpick,” Liam said, abruptly. “In his SHOE.”

Word Count: 270

"What are you... how are you..." Adeline sputtered as she stared at the boys in disbelief. Finally, she came to her senses and called out, "Ju- Dr. Sommers!"

The old man came racing out the kitchen, kettle in hand. He, too, stared at the Bo, Liam, and Levi for a while while Magnolia made her way to the door.

"Can we come in, please?" Liam asked.

"Oh, yes, yes, come in," Dr. Sommers said, "Sorry, I forgot my manners."

"You're good, Doc," Bo said, as he strode in behind Liam, and Levi followed after. "Here's the deal though. We just got out, the guard woke up just as we left, and we should probably get out of here within the next 20 minutes, because odds are, they'll show up at your house again."

"Great, that's another thing to add to the list of crimes," Adeline said. Dr. Sommers sighed and rubbed his chin.

"Is there any place we can go?" Magnolia asked, "To hide or something?"

"We could always go to your daughter's house," Adeline suggested. Levi looked at her and she shrugged, "I don't know, it was just an idea."

"That's too close," Bo said. "She's only a few streets over, right? They'd probably go to her house next." He paused, taking a step towards Sommers, and looking the old man in the eyes. "Is there somewhere we can travel to - further away - where we might be safe?"

"Further awa--" Liam stuttered. "But the time machine! The time machine is here!"

"Could you rebuild it?" Bo asked firmly.

Dr. Sommers was quiet for a moment as he considered, with his eyebrows furrowed together in thought. "I suppose... I could make it work..." he hummed. "But I'd need help, and none of you--" he paused, eyes flicking to Adeline. "--my daughter, though, Rosemary, is knowledgeable enough to help."

"But a place," Bo emphasized. "Is there somewhere we can go?"

Dr. Sommers nodded slowly. "I need to make a call... I hope he responds at this hour."

Dr. Sommers dashed back into the kitchen, kettle still in hand. The group looked at each other for a few moments before Liam ran over to the doorway. The rest of them followed. At first, all they could hear was silence, but then there was the sound of the rotary phone and, finally, Dr. Sommer's voice.

"Hello, Dewey?" Dr. Sommers said. After a few seconds, he continued, "Ah, Dewey, my boy! How are you?"

Adeline looked back at Liam and whispered, "Dewey? Like Dewars scotch?" Liam shrugged.

Levi hushed them.

A moment's wait later, he spoke again, "How's Irene? Good, good. Dewey, can I ask you a favor?"

"Yes, Dewey. Do you remember that time machi-" Dr. Sommers stopped speaking and seemed to be listening to his son on the other line. More than two minutes later, he resumed, "I promise you it's real, Dewey, but it malfunctioned and now fou- five people from the year 2020 are currently standing in my living room."

There was a pause, then Dr. Sommers said, "I wouldn't need your help if they had not gone to prison! Dewey, the police will be here any moment and I need somewhere to stay. Rosie's house is too close and too small, but your and Irene's farm is just big enough."

Dr. Sommers paused, "Thank you, son. I promise I'm n- Yes, I'll phone Rosie, too."

Adeline smiled.

"I love you, Dewey." Dr. Sommers sighed and the whirring of the phone could be heard again. This time, the phone was answered nearly immediately.

"Rosie! How are you?" Dr. Sommers exclaimed.

"Good, good... dear, is it possible you could meet me at Dewey's house in... two hours?" Dr. Sommers asked. There was a very brief pause, "The time machine I was working on malfunctioned and five young men and women from the year 2020 are now standing in my living room! I promis-"

Dr. Sommers stopped, "Alright, dear. I'll see you then." He hung up and then began walking back to the living room. The group quickly moved to the couches and tried to act as natural as possible.

Bo, who was sitting on the arm of the couch, spoke up as Sommers walked in.

"All good?"

Sommers nodded. "Yes. Let's pack up my car. We can take the things I got you all this morning. And don't forget your future clothes!"

Suddenly, the small house was full of chaos. Levi and Liam ran up the stairs to grab their clothes while Bo stayed downstairs with Magnolia and Dr. Sommers. Adeline walked upstairs to the room Magnolia and her had slept in last night and grabbed their clothes. She began to walk down the hall, but then she turned around and quickly ducked into the bathroom. She couldn't stand to be in this dress any longer and, she thought, no one would be able to see her modern clothes in the car.

Adeline changed and walked downstairs while putting on her necklace, where she was greeted by the rest of the group. Apparently, Liam had had the same idea and was in his original clothes.

Dr. Sommers looked Adeline and Liam up and down, as he did when they arrived. Then he turned to the rest of the group, "Do any of you want to change quickly?"

Levi shook his head. Magnolia declined, "No thanks. I'll change once we get there."

Dr. Sommers nodded, "Well, lets go then! We don't want to be here any longer than we have to."

He led the way outside towards the garage. Levi helped him open the door and they were greeted by a crimson Studebaker.

"Uh, Dr. Sommers, it looks sort of small." Liam said.

"No, it's not," Dr. Sommers replied as he opened the driver's door, "I'll drive and Magnolia and Bo will sit in the front. The rest of you can take the back seat."

"Yeah, OK, sounds good," Adeline said as she hopped into the back seat. Liam and Levi followed, leaving her sandwiched between them. As soon as Bo shut the front door, Dr. Sommers pulled out of the garage, and they were on their way to Dewey's farm.

"What's Dewey's farm like, Dr. Sommers?" Levi said.

"Were you listening in on my conversation?" He asked, looking back at Levi through the rear-view mirror. Levi blushed, "Oh, it's fine! Don't worry, Levi."

"OK." Levi mumbled.

"What is it like, though?" Adeline asked.

"Well, the farm house isn't much different than the one you woke up at, just bigger. Since it is far from the town, Dewey and Irene were able to get it for a good price," Dr. Sommers explained, "There's acres and acres of fields and trees and overall it is just a very pleasant place."

"It sounds nice," Magnolia said.

The rest of the drive was practically all filled with the group describing the modern world to Dr. Sommers and Dr. Sommers describing the past. Dr. Sommers seemed especially fascinated with the internet and the ability to order, search, and play things online without having to do anything physically.

Finally, after two hours of driving, the dark red car pulled onto a dirt road. The road was surrounded with trees and undergrowth in various sizes. Through the growth, fields and fields of grass and plants could be seen. Dr. Sommers turned the car left and the large, dark blue house came into view. From the looks of it, it looked like it had five bedrooms and enough room for all of them.

There was a large wrap around porch, where a young lady that resembled Dr. Sommers was sitting. Next to her was a slightly older woman and a man in a wheelchair. The man was smoking a cigar, which the young woman didn't seem to like, while the older one didn't care at all. The house was surrounded by fields of wildflowers and crops with numerous small, dirt roads that seemed to be worn down by the man's wheelchair.

The car pulled in front of the house and came to a slow stop. Dr. Sommers exited the car first and escorted Magnolia out. Bo, Liam, Adeline, and Levi exited last, and by the looks on Dr. Sommer's children's faces, they were both surprised and scared.

"Good morning Dewey, Rosemary, Irene," Dr. Sommers exclaimed. Their expressions didn't change. Dr. Sommers began pointing to the group and introduced them one by one, "This is Bo, Liam and Adeline are the ones in the future clothes, Magnolia, and Levi. They are from 2020."

There was a moment of awkward silence as the Sommers registered what was happening. Even Rosemary, who had seemed to believe her dad, was staring at the group in shock.

Adeline decided to break the silence, "Hey, my names Adeline, and, uh, I live in Chicago and... this farm is really nice. I've only ever been on a farm once before and, well, that was when we were first brought here."

"Thanks," Irene mumbled.

"Dewey, Rosemary, if you don't mind helping our gu-" Dr. Sommers began, but he was suddenly cut off.

"You weren't lying?!" Dewey yelled.

"I told you!" Rosemary exclaimed happily.

The drive to Dr. Sommers' son's house was uneventful. Magnolia, Bo, and Dr. Sommers made some small talk, in a half-hearted attempt to try and get their minds off of everything that was going on. But Magnolia found small talk difficult even under normal times, and after an off-hand comment about her favorite TikTok turned into a crash course on social media for Dr. Sommers' benefit, she found herself completely and utterly exhausted. (When had talking gotten to be so taxing? Probably when Monster Energy became unavailable)

"However," Bo said. "The decline of the Most Popular Girls in School was largely due to the 'mercenary cheerleader' arc--"

"And we're here," Dr. Sommers said, cutting him off. The youths these days. He was completely and utterly confused.

"Smh," Magnolia said, voice just loud enough for Bo to hear. "Everyone knows that that was a critique of Riverdale's goth cheerleader funeral."

"Wow," Bo whispered. "Fake fan."

Dr. Sommers let out a quiet sigh, and the car rolled to a stop.

The farm was quiet, calm. Magnolia could hear the wind rustling through the fields of crops, could smell the stench of manure. The ground was dirt and dust, gravel and hay. Magnolia was suddenly very glad that her boots were in the car. At least if she stepped in a pothole, she wouldn't twist her ankle.

"My name's Magnolia," Magnolia said, after Dewey and Rosemary had lost their collective minds. She didn't offer any more information, but gave a small smile. "Nice to meet you."

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Dr. Sommers' children led them into the house, and Irene soon was giving them a tour around. Dr. Sommers and Rosemary conversed excitedly in the parlor, while Dewey muttered something under his breath and disappeared in the kitchen.

Liam thought their hosts were very nice considering the situation they were in. Liam wondered if he would've been this nice to strange visitors from the future whom his maybe crazy old dad decided to bring to his farm to make a time machine that he didn't even think worked until now. Liam probably would've kicked them out as people who had taken advantage of his poor father. Maybe that's what these people were going to do. They were just waiting for Dr. Sommers to leave and then his children would kick them out.

"-And that will be where you're staying," Irene's voice poked through Liam's thoughts.

Bo nodded gratefully, "Thank you. We are very thankful for your hospitality."

Magnolia, Adeline, and Levi all voiced their agreement. Bo nudged Liam, who quickly remembered his manners and nodded,
"Yes ma'am, thank you for your hospitality."

Irene nodded, "Yes, well, let's go eat lunch. I have a salad that I'm sure you'd all enjoy."

Liam grinned and pumped his fist, "Lunch? Oh yeah!"

Bo nudged him again and Irene laughed, "Yes, lunch."

They all headed to the dining room, which was nicely kept. There were some plates that reminded Liam of his grandmother's place. The tablecloth was a beautiful deep red colour. Irene told them to sit at the table and ran to join Dewey in the kitchen. Soon a beautiful smell was drifting out of the kitchen, and Liam's stomach grumbled widely. His face flushed with embarrassment and could feel Bo giving him a mental nudge in the side from across the table.

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Bo was surprised that Irene had whipped up a meal in the middle of the night, on semi-short notice, without fully believing that Dr. Sommers was even telling the truth.

He could still sense the tension and disbelief around the dinner table. Dewey was stonewalling his father while Rosemary was going on and on with Dr. Sommers about the time machine and a bunch of science words that went over Bo's head - though he was pretty sure he'd heard some of them in a sci-fi movie.

Magnolia sat to his left, and Liam was on his right, eating quickly, with hardly a pause between bites. Dr. Sommers was at the foot of the table, where Rosemary was on the corner, with Adeline next to her, and Levi beside her. Dewey and Irene sat at the head, squeezing in with a chair and Dewey's wheelchair.

It was a nice farmhouse. Nothing extravagant, but he could tell that Dewey and Irene were well off enough for a house this large, fully furnished, and well-kept. He wondered if they ever hired and farm-hands, or if they kept it up themselves.

He'd spotted what looked like a garden out back through the back windows, but it was hard to see much beyond the house in the middle of the night. They'd see more in the morning.

In the meantime, he was just trying to be as agreeable as possible.

There was an unspoken tension between Sommers and Dewey, at opposite sides of the table, and Sommers seemed oblivious to it, as he was completely caught up in conversation with his daughter. Adeline seemed captivated by it too, though she wasn't contributing much. She was just watching Rosemary, mostly.

Bo noted Irene's subtle, unspoken attempts at calming Dewey down. A hug over the shoulder. A light massage on his neck. Holding his hand under the table.

"Hey Dewey," he said, breaking the silence at their end of the table - though he was in the middle, it still felt like the Dewey side.

"If there's anything that needs fixing around the farm, let me know. I'd be willing to help out wherever needed, and I'm sure the others would love to as well. Just let us know what you need. Right, Liam?"

Liam's mouth was full of salad. He gave Bo a wide-eyed look, narrowed his eyes slightly, and nodded.

Was it right to volunteer the others for physical labor? Debatable.

"Anything we can do to make it easier for you," Levi echoed.

Bo couldn't quite read the look behind Levi's polite smile, but Levi had always been kind of hard to read. Not that people could be easily read in general - but Bo just had a gut feeling that there was a lot Levi wasn't saying. Especially since the small-town jail-break.

Dewey nodded slightly at their offers.

"That's very kind of you boys," Irene said sweetly.

Bo wasn't exactly excluding Adeline and Magnolia in his offer, but he knew Mags, at least, wouldn't be able to do anything that required, well, you know. Vision.

"The back porch does need to be refinished," Dewey said, somewhat like a grunt. He straightened up in his seat. "And Irene could use help tending to the garden."

"Weeds," Irene said. "I've been needing to weed all around the house, really."

"We'll put you to work," Dewey said with a nod.

Bo smiled.

It would be nice to be productive and pay their hosts back in some way.

Bo watched as Dewey's gaze fell back on his father for a moment before he looked back at Bo.

"Do you have work clothes?" he asked.

Everyone, everywhere, was so concerned about his clothes, but now, he finally had an answer.

"Yes!" he said, maybe a little too cheerfully. "Your father picked some up for me. I haven't had a chance to try them on--" he didn't really feel like re-mentioning the whole jail thing again at the moment, though it was a valid excuse, "--but they should work."

Dewey nodded gruffly.

"Have you even looked at them yet?" Mags asked from beside him.

Bo turned to Mags. "Actually, no."

"Adeline said something about overalls," Mags said, clearly suppressing a grin.

"Oh, that's perfect. I can channel my inner farm boy. It'll be like my farm boy cosplay."

Mags pressed her lips together, looking like she was holding back a laugh as she shook her head. "Oh my god, Bo. No."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that Levi had started striking up a conversation with Dewey and Irene, changing the subject. Bo was glad for it, though - so he could just talk to Mags for a moment.

"Come on, I'm sure there were cosplays in 1943, they just probably don't call them that," Bo said, lowering his voice so just Mags could hear.

"Next thing I know you're gonna tell me you're a closet furry," Mags joked.

Bo took a quick breath through his nose and suppressed a wheeze, causing his next few words to waver in pitch. "If I was would you be mad?"

"I just simply wouldn't believe you. You said the most money you've ever spent was on your tattoos, and I'm pretty sure a custom fursuit that would fit you would cost a fortune."

Bo closed his eyes and facepalmed, with his elbow on the table, trying not to lose it in laughter.

"You got me there," he conceded.

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