Young Writers Society

"This salad is delicious, Irene," Bryant said, stuffing his face with Irene's salad. Irene had finished her food, while Dewey was still eating part of his sandwich. The awkwardness of the conversation about Dewey's father had faded and the three of them were back to having a decent time.

"Thanks, Paul!" Irene replied, "I had already made some, so I just added a bit more."

"How come you already had some ready?" Officer Bryant asked. Irene glanced at Dewey quickly before turning back to Bryant.

"We had some last night!" Irene lied, "I decided to make a larger dinner last night."

"Any special occasion?" Bryant said.

There was a pause before Dewey spoke, "There was no reason really. I was just hungry after a day of farm tasks."

"Farm tasks?" Officer Bryant asked. By the weird hesitations and odd body movements, Officer Bryant completely tell something was off. Bryant trusted Dewey with all his heart and mind, but somehow he had the feeling that something was happening. And not just something, something illegal.

"Grooming Dolly, feeding the chickens and cleaning the coop, picking flowers," Irene said, "Basically what we do everyday, but something about yesterday was so hunger-inducing."

"Really?" Bryant said, setting his fork down, "You cleaned up the chicken coop yesterday?"

"A little!" Irene exclaimed a little too loud, "Yes, it's looking nice."

"Well, then," Officer Bryant said with a little smile, "I'd like to see the chickens and their coop, if you don't mind."

"We'd be happy to show you it, Paul," Dewey said, "How about you, Irene, run ahead of us and make sure it's how we left it?"

"I can do th-" Irene started, but Officer Bryant cut her off.

"No, that's fine," Officer Bryant said, "I'd like to see it as it is."

Dewey nodded and Irene pulled out his wheel chair out from under the table. A thousand possible ways to try to get out of this situation ran through both of their heads, but none of them would work. They needed to find someway to get Officer Bryant away from the chicken coop, because they both knew he would see the tire tracks leading up to the barn, and neither of those tracks matched Irene's car.

Bo had a few seconds to react. He placed the shoe on the ground, put the broom to the side, and gripped the edges of the sack in his hands. With the speed of a half-asleep snail, he inched closer to the bats huddling in the corner, trying not to make eye contact with them. He had no idea if that would scare them or build trust, and he didn't really want either.

He gingerly brought the sack up beneath them, and that was when he accidentally did it. Making eye contact, with the baby bat hiding under its mothers' wing.

He saw its wings shift just barely, and then he brought the bag up over and around them with a rapid movement upward. The bats immediately started to screech as he panicked and brought his hands together in a death grip, sealing the opening of the bag. He heard the flapping of wings against burlap and felt them struggle as he brought the bag to his chest. The feeling made him want to squirm.

Bo suppressed a nervous squeak as he hastily tied the bag closed and set it down, unsure of what to do with it. At least the bats were trapped, now. This did not seem the most humane way to go about things, but at least he only killed one bat.

Or did he?

He looked back to where the fallen bat should've been, only to see that it was gone. His eyes widened and he started searching hurriedly. It was injured, for sure. It couldn't have gotten far.

He pushed aside a hay bale and saw a little black figure curled up, hiding. He wasn't sure if he felt guilty or pleased to find it.

And, well, he couldn't save it now. Now that he got a closer look, it was clear that it was injured beyond saving.

He glanced back into the barn, even though no one was watching. He reached over to the boot and looked down at the suffering little creature.

"Sorry. It's nothing personal," he said quietly, even though saying that felt wrong in and of itself.

And then he put it out of its misery with a firm slap of a boot.

372 words

He sighed as he looked around the rest of the loft, checking the rafters for any more bat nests, wondering if he got them all.

"They're coming out back!" Liam shouted.

Bo's eyebrows furrowed and he turned around, looking down from the loft.

"What?" he called back. He could see Liam and Levi congregating near the entrance of the barn, peeking out through a crack in the door.

"Keep it down!" Dr. Sommers hushed them.

"They're going to find out we're here," Levi said stiffly, though it was clear he was worried.

"We'll have to run again," Liam said.

"Can you guys shut up? They'll hear us!" Adeline hissed.

Bo felt his heart sink. This was all his fault, wasn't it? Breaking out of jail felt like the right decision in the moment, but Bo hadn't thought through all of the potential consequences. He didn't know all of Dr. Sommers' family was going to get dragged into this mess too.

How much more hiding could they do? How many more people would get arrested?

He sunk a little further into the loft so only his head poked out over the edge.

His gaze drifted to Magnolia, who was still standing in the stall by Dolly.

Maybe he should've just stayed in jail and served out his sentence. It wasn't for a crime he actually did, and it wouldn't be in a year he was supposed to be in, but maybe it was right for him to do time. There were a lot more people who were far more deserving of a second chance than him. So many more people who went to prison for things they didn't do. People with families. People who hadn't done the things he'd done.

But they didn't know what would happen just yet, so he laid low, and stayed silent, as the air in the barn grew tense, and Levi and Liam stayed glued to the door, watching and waiting.

325 words

"Goddammit," Adeline mumbled under her breath. She was standing behind Rosemary, who was trying to see past Liam and Levi.

"Dad, what do we do? We can't stay here," Rosemary asked.

"We have two options," Dr. Sommers said, raising his voice loud enough that the people inside the barn could hear him, while the other Sommers and Officer Bryant could not.

"Make it quick, Dr. Sommers," Liam whispered, "They're nearly to the chicken coop."

"Alright, we can either stay here and hide or w-"

"I don't think that would be possible." Magnolia interrupted, "Bo sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Well, then we have to go out the windows," Dr. Sommers said, motioning to the tiny windows in each horse stall, "They don't have any glass in them, so we can just climb through, and the barn will block us from their view as we run into the fields."

"The fields?" Levi asked.

"We will go right where the fields meet the trees, so we can hide yet still see them," Dr. Sommers replied, "Is that fine?"

Everyone agreed except for Levi. "What about the cars?" he asked.

They looked back and forth between each other, looking for an answer. No answer came until Bo spoke as he climbed down from the loft, "We'll have to leave them. They have no reason to check behind the barn."

"But what if-" Levi started, but Adeline cut him off.

"We don't have time, Levi! Now let's go!" She exclaimed as she dashed over to the nearest stall. They had to be fast, for Bryant had just noticed the tire tracks.

So they were going to make a run for it.

Everyone hurried to the back windows, and Bo knelt down beside it, offering his hands as a step-stool and boosting everyone through the window. Bo helped Rosemary through first, then Magnolia. Rosemary helped steady her, and handed Magnolia her cane after they tossed it through the window. Dr. Sommers had a little difficulty climbing through, but by that time Levi and Adeline were on the other side and helped pull him through. Bo came out last, and the others didn't wait for him to start running.

The fields were lined with tall stalks of corn, and everyone was weaving their way through them. Magnolia was somewhere up ahead with Rosemary, being led through the maze, he hoped.

He had to crouch so that his head and shoulders didn't stick out from the cornfield, but his long legs helped him catch up to everyone else.

They ran for a while, actually. A lot longer than he'd expected them to, but it took them deep into the field. They might still be able to see what was happening from there, but he realized, the only one who would be able to was himself, by peeking his head just barely above the crops.

Everyone huddled down, and Bo crouched, poking his head out just a little.

This was one of those tasks that would be a lot easier with two eyes.

He couldn't quite tell just how far away the barn was, but he didn't see Irene, Dewey, or Officer Bryant yet.

"Are they there?" Levi whispered.

"Did they find us yet?" Liam asked.

Bo heard Adeline whack Liam.

"Ow," Liam whined.

"Stop asking stupid questions," Adeline scolded.

Liam was quiet, and Bo could tell he was a little hurt.

"Adeline, be nice," Bo whispered. "Everyone's stressed. Not just you."

Bo didn't look back at Adeline but he could feel her glare wither.

He kept his eyes on the barn for a while, and they all sat in silence.

No one came out to the back of the barn yet, but the keyword was yet.

Even if Bryant didn't find them... what would happen to Irene and Dewey?

367 words

The tension in the air was palpable.

Irene smiled sweetly as Paul stood by the chicken coop, eyes set on the car tracks leading to the barn. She and Dewey exchanged a brief look. Panic, in both of their eyes, that Irene quickly disguised with a smile, and Dewey disguised with his usual gruff expression. She put a hand on Dewey's shoulder.

Paul turned around to look at them, his forehead creased with both focus and realization. He narrowed his eyes at Dewey.

"Dewey. I know your father's been having a rough time ever since your mother died," he said. "And I know you don't talk much anymore. But I know if I was in your shoes, I would do whatever I could to help my old man, even if he was one sleepless night away from going a little crazy."

Irene felt Dewey tense under her touch. Dewey took in a deep breath.

"I'm just saying," Paul continued. "I want you to be honest with me. We can work something out for your father. You know I don't want to see him behind bars either. Your family has been through enough."

Irene swallowed. This was between Paul and Dewey. She didn't want to speak for him.

But still, her heart was racing.

"He drove his car over here a while back for me to work on it. Something was acting up and he didn't know how to fix it," Dewey said plainly.

Paul looked at Dewey closely, as if he was trying to read him.

"It's kind of funny," Dewey said. "He knows how gravity works and can talk to you for ages about physics and space-time, but he doesn't know how to change a tire. I was going to get his car back to him Sunday."

Paul's gaze drifted to Irene, looking for confirmation.

Irene shrugged. "We haven't seen him since he dropped the car off. Dewey's been working on it on and off, between farmwork."

Paul looked between the two of them, and Irene felt in her gut that they weren't quite free of suspicion.

"Why didn't you bring that up earlier when I asked if you'd heard from your father recently?" Paul asked.

Irene felt her smile waning, but Dewey was keeping calm, and she had to keep it together, for him.

"It's been almost a week," Dewey said. "Didn't know how recent you were talking."

Paul and Dewey shared an intense stare for a moment before Paul finally broke and smiled, laughing. Even though it seemed like it was supposed to ease the tension, Irene didn't feel like the laughter was a good sign.

"You know what, I think I'm just on edge with work, lately," Paul said, letting out a deep sigh as he brushed some of his thinning hair back on his head. "Sorry. I'm just trying to cover all my bases."

"I understand," Dewey said. "If you do find my father, though. Please let me know. From what you told me, it sounds like he's gotten himself into a lot of trouble. I want to know that he's okay. He's still family."

Paul nodded, and finally, his expression started to soften.

"Of course, Dewey. You'll be the first person I call."

539 words

Things were getting tense in the cornfield. Bo's back was one of them. Squatting and poking his head out periodically without fully standing up was starting to get a little uncomfortable. He decided to sit down for a moment, and he plopped down on the ground.

Bo was having flashbacks to the barn as he looked over at everyone through the stalks of corn.

Liam had a piece of grass in his hair, and Levi was trying to mutely mime to Liam where it was so he could get it out. Watching the exchange was kind of funny, as Liam's confusion increased, and Levi's frustration increased.

Eventually, Levi just huffed in defeat and shook his head, before reaching over and pulling the grass out himself.

Levi held it with wide eyes and a polite smile, and Liam's expression said "Ohhhh" in more ways than one. Liam facepalmed.

Magnolia sat across from them, leaning her cheek against her cane. Adeline was sitting idly beside her, picking grass out of the ground, and Rosemary was behind her, not really doing much. Dr. Sommers had been pretty quiet too, but he kept glancing out into the field like he was expecting to see something.

"No one's come out here yet," Adeline whispered, breaking the prolonged silence. "Do you think something happened?"

"It could be that we just missed them," Levi said.

"Hey," Bo retorted.

"Not knocking your lookout skills," Levi said with a little shrug. "We can't really know what's happening unless they come out here looking for us."

There was a small pause, and Bo let out a deep sigh. A small bout of silence passed.

"Dewey's pretty good with words when he wants to be," Rosemary spoke up.

Bo noticed a look cross Dr. Sommer's face that he couldn't quite read, but Dr. Sommers looked down, avoiding looking at Rosemary.

"He might've convinced Paul to stop looking," Rosemary said. "At least, for now."

"Do you really think he'd come back?" Adeline asked. "Paul or Officer Whatever, I mean."

Rosemary and Dr. Sommers shared a brief glance.

"He's... pretty committed to his job," Dr. Sommers said tentatively. He paused like he was trying to figure out how to put it.

"His son got drafted, and he never came home..." Rosemary said slowly, and solemnly. "So he's very serious about draft dodgers."

Bo had to keep reminding himself this was real life. This was the past, but it was real, and they were all real people with real stories, and families, and everything. Even the guys looking for them. He was finding himself feeling like he was in a period film again, and not in the present. All the stress wasn't exactly helping.

457 words

Despite Rosemary's word of confidence in her brother, they continued to lay low for a while longer. It felt a little like yesterday - the quiet uncertainty of being stuck in the jail cell, but this time, instead of metal bars it was corn stalks. And, well, they weren't caught yet.

Bo kept checking every few minutes or so, but there were no new developments, and it seemed like Dewey, Irene, and Officer Bryant had gone back into the house. At least, that was Bo's theory. A game theory.

When he sat back down again he plopped down beside Magnolia. It had been enough time since they'd begun to hide that they were all starting to have hushed conversations. Boredom would do that to you. You had to do something to kill time.

"So," Bo said, poking Magnolia lightly in the shoulder.

"So," she repeated. "Heard a lot of thumping up in the loft."

"Oh. Yeah." Bo laughed, just a little. "I may or may not have found a family of bats."

Bo watched as a mild look of mild horror and disgust pass over her face.

"Did you... kill them?"

Bo laughed a little, nervously. "One of them. The others I managed to just catch." He paused. "Though... depending on how determined they are to escape, they might've bitten through the bag I tied them in."

Magnolia tilted her head to the side, like she was surprised, or thinking through her answer. Bo tilted his head with her, even though she couldn't see him mirror her, and he grinned.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, both of their heads shot up at the sound of a distant shout.

It almost sounded like... Irene? It was feminine, for sure.

Bo popped up and saw Irene at the back of the barn, looking out into the field.

"Rosemary?" she called. "Julius?"

Bo stood up fully so that his head stuck out. Irene saw him, and Bo waved. Irene looked relieved. Sort of.

"Paul left!" she shouted. "You can come out now!"

Bo heard everyone around him stand up, and Adeline and Liam already started pushing forward.

"Fantastic!" Bo called back.

As the others rushed ahead, Bo looked down to Magnolia, and lightly touched her hand, to offer his. She took it, and he led her out.

388 words

"I'm so hungry," Liam said yet again. He was eating an apple that was both red and green, too, so the rest of the group was confused on how he could say he was hungry as he ate something.

"Yeah, cool," Adeline said, taking a sip from a glass of water, "Did we figure out what we're doing next?"

The group, plus Irene and Dewey, were sitting on the porch, facing the barn. Irene had brought out some fruit and drinks for them after they finished the work in the barn. The sun had passed the middle of the sky now, and on the horizon, past the trees, they could see a little bit of orange sky.

"Liam and I were going to do some cooking," Bo said, throwing his apple core past the fence and into the field. Levi ducked and let out (what sounded like) a small squeak to miss Bo's swinging arm.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," Liam nodded, "Maybe make some stuff that's popular in our.. time? I guess that's what you'd call it."

"Unless you can get instant noodles and pizza rolls now, I doubt that will be possible," Magnolia said.

Irene and Dr. Sommers looked at each other, then looked back at Magnolia, "What are pizza rolls?"

"It's like when you take the crust of the pizza, and you shape it like a ravioli, and you put the cheese, sauce, and toppings inside of it, then you cook it in the microwave," Liam explained. A look of disgust grew on all of the Sommer's faces, "Trust me, they're good. Unless you're vegan. Then they're not good."

"Ah, alright, well," Dewey said, "I don't think I'll ever be having one of those."

"That's too bad," Levi replied.

Dr. Sommers put his glass of water down and stood up, "Now, Irene, would you escort Liam and Bo inside so they can prepare dinner?"

"There's still," Dewey checked his watch, "Three hours until dinner."

"Oh, well, we can start working on fixing the time machine, then Bo and Liam can make dinner," Dr. Sommers said. The group followed suit and stood up, then followed Dr. Sommers back out to the cars, "We better get started if you want to go home soon!"

Adeline nodded and smiled, but in reality, she wasn't listening. She was lost in her thoughts, trying to figure out two important questions.

Would she go home? And what would she do if she decided to stay?

Levi followed after Julius and Rosemary, offering a helping hand. They started back towards the barn, which was now to be their designated spot for time-machine making. Bo would've felt inclined to follow, but he didn't know what building a time machine involved. He was pretty sure only Julius Augustus Sommers had any idea, at least, in 1943.

Bo stood up and leaned on the porch railing and watched as they walked off. Rosemary and Julius were talking back and forth again, buzzing with new energy as they started talking science. Bo caught Levi looking back at all of them, with an expression he couldn't quite read. Could've meant something, could've meant nothing.

Bo found himself wondering again... why exactly had Dr. Sommers tried to build the time machine in the first place? He never did say.

Bo noted how Dewey quietly wheeled back into the house. They were on his right, and he couldn't see a thing on that side, but he could hear the creak of the wheels on the wood, and rolling over the little metal divider on the floor between the carpet and the start of the porch. The door opened, and it closed.

Irene cleared her throat. "I'll just be in the sitting room while Dewey takes a nap," she informed them. "Feel free to walk around the farm if you'd like, or rest however you'd like until dinner."

Bo turned his head to look at her.

"We can get started about an hour before," he said.

Irene nodded. Bo could tell she had mixed feelings about them cooking. Either she was relieved that she didn't have to cook, or she was worried about what they would make, and if it would be any good.

"And tell us what to use or not use," he said. "Rations, and all."

"Oh, yes, of course," Irene said with a sweet smile, before turning and going inside.

Bo glanced back at Adeline, who was staring off in thought, and Liam, and Magnolia, sitting on the little wooden bench. He walked over to her and sat down beside her, letting out a small sigh as he did so.

It was nice just to sit after almost 48 hours of chaos, confusion, and almost getting caught by the police in 1943.

382 words

Bo took in a deep breath and leaned his head back against the wall, and rolled his head to the side to look at Adeline and Liam. The two of them were sitting down now, in two little porch chairs.

"How's everyone holding up?" he asked after a small bout of silence.

"Fine, thanks," Adeline said, with her head rested in her hands, "You?"

"Well, I'm not hungry, I have a roof over my head, and a nice new pair of overalls," Bo said. "So I'd say things are going pretty alright."

"That's good," Adeline replied, "Has Dr. Sommers told you anything about rebuilding the time machine yet?"

"Didn't he just go off to do that?" Liam asked.

"He said he was going to go start on it," Magnolia said. "Whatever that means."

Bo hummed. "He hasn't really said what it all entails... or how it even works..."

Liam looked off to the barn. "I wonder if Levi's trying to find that out."

"I doubt he could wrap his head around it," Adeline said.

Liam looked over at Adeline with an almost-offended pout, as if on behalf of Levi.

"I don't think I could either," Bo admitted. "Whenever he starts talking about it with Rosemary it just goes like whoosh--" he waved his hand over his head. "Over my head."

"It seems impossible.. sort of like taxes," Adeline said.

"No, it is not like taxes," Liam said as he stared at Adeline in disbelief.

"Have you ever done taxes? By yourself?" Magnolia asked.

"Well no, but comparing taxes to time travel is like comparing driving a car to riding a horse. Not the same thing."

Bo snorted.

"Horses do have eyes," Magnolia said. "Cars do not."

"But the people inside the cars have eyes," Adeline pointed out.

"Or one eye," Bo said.

Liam rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I get the point. Time travel is really complicated."

"Understatement of the century," Magnolia quipped.

323 words

Liam scooted his chair up a little closer to the rest of them, facing towards the house, creating an almost-circle between the four of them.

"I wonder how we of all people ended up here," Bo mused. "It seems kind of random."

"It was probably just chance," Adeline shrugged, "And we just happened to be really unlucky."

"I wouldn't call us unlucky. Like, this is a cool experience, still. Very nerve-wracking, I'll admit that, but no one but us gets to do this," Liam said.

"It's definitely been... an unexpected time," Magnolia commented.

"Yeah, I never saw this coming," Bo said with a little laugh.

"I don't think Dr. Sommers did either," Liam replied.

"Probably not," Adeline chuckled, "but I don't think I'd trade this for the world."

"Really?" Liam looked over to her with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah, uh," Adeline said, "This is just really cool and fun and.. I don't know. I've actually been enjoying it here."

"You also didn't go to jail," Liam said.

"That is true," Adeline said, "but I did have a small mental breakdown while you guys were in jail."

"I think everyone did," Magnolia said.

"Levi was was practically dying of stress while we were in there," Liam said.

"I think he was also very strongly sending us the telepathic message 'I told you so,'" Bo said with a little laugh. "Not that he saw it all coming, but, well you know. He was against theft, at least, from the start. Even though that's not what we got caught for."

"He's such a goody-two shoes," Adeline laughed.

"Seems like a good guy, though," Bo said, looking out at the barn.

"I never said he wasn't," Adeline said, setting her arm on the back of the bench.

"I know," Bo said with a little grin.

Things may have calmed down, but there were still chores to be done.
When it came up that the chickens needed to be fed, Magnolia volunteered to help. She'd never fed chickens before, but so what? It was some time away from the chaos and Liam's dietary habits, even if just for a little while.

Magnolia breathed a sigh of relief as they approached the chicken coop. She could hear the rustle of feathers, the occasional cluck or crow. “Look at all these chickens,” she said, nodding towards the sound. Her voice was quiet, a little tired, but the effort was there.

“Look at all those chickens.” Bo said. Magnolia could practically hear the smile in his voice as he continued, “SMH, fake fan.”

Magnolia snickered. “You’ll have to forgive me. That vine wasn’t very high up in the pecking order.”

They were closer, now. Magnolia could hear the scratching of the birds’ feet as they ran down the ramp leading up into the coop.

"You know, I've never really been on a farm like this before," he said.

"Really?" Magnolia sounded a little surpised. "You mean the overalls are just for show? You really had me fooled, for a minute."

Bo snorted. "I've traveled past a lot of farms, but it's a lot different than being on one. Can't say I've worn overalls before today, either, actually. Not sure if it's my best look."

"You mean the overalls aren't Gucci?" Magnolia smiled. "Someone as fashion forward as you? I'm sure you look fine."

Bo was quiet for a moment. "I mean, they do fit nice, I guess."

"Dr. Sommers did a good job measuring you, then?"

Bo laughed a little. "Yes. It was funny, holding up the tape measure to my head. You probably could tell but, the doc is a lot shorter than me."

Magnolia could hear the sound of a metal gate squeaking open.

"There's some feed in the corner," he said. "You want to feed them?"

"Yeah, sure." She found the feed, grabbed a handful, and tossed it towards the chickens. "I'm really hoping the movies are accurate and we just, like. Toss it on the ground."

"Maybe don't toss too much?" Bo suggested. "We don't want them to get too fat."

"True," Magnolia said. She tossed a little more feed, then shrugged and grabbed another handful. "How fat are they already? On a scale of McNugget to McChicken?"

Bo hummed. "Well, they look pretty average, but there is--" his sentence was interrupted by an eruption of laughter. "Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. Magnolia. This chicken." He was sputtering with a wheeze.

"Big man on campus."

"Absolute unit," Bo said through laughter. "Big chungus."

Magnolia wheezed.

"Its little legs, and its fat, circle body," Bo described. "It's so round, and fluffy, and oh my gosh it's coming for food."

"Amazing," Magnolia said, as she grabbed another handful of feed. "Incredible."

Word Count: 486

Liam walked into the kitchen after having been given quick instructions from Irene. He heard the front door open and close as Bo came from the chicken coop with Magnolia. They exchanged a few words and then Bo entered the kitchen. Liam could almost smell the light scent of chicken food. Bo washed his hands quickly, and the scent was gone.

"So, what are we making?" Bo asked

"Salad. . . And this slightly questionable meat."

Bo laughed, "Questionable meat? I'll see what I can do with it."

Liam nods thankfully, "Kay. I'll wash the lettuce and tomatoes."

Bo took the meat and begins doing . . . Something with it?? Liam just shrugged. He was sure that whatever Bo did with it, it'd be good. They both stood there in silence for a while, doing their jobs, before Liam started humming a light tune. Bo raised an eyebrow,

"What are you humming?"

"Some old lullaby. Can't remember what it's called for the life of me, though." He looked down at the tomatoes in his hand, "I can't imagine what it must be like living in a place where food is rationed. . . I love food."

Bo chuckled as he started cutting the meat, "yes, I can tell."

"Do you think it annoys the others? My massive appetite? Does it annoy you? I mean, I don't really ever eat with other people anymore, so like, maybe I eat a little too much but does it bother you?"

Bo's chuckle grew louder, "Well, it is a little annoying at times. But it isn't a bother. Not really. At least not to me."

Liam smiled, "Good to hear."

The silence was more companionable this time, as Bo put the meat on the stove and Laim chopped the vegetables. He allows the peace of the moment to wash over him. He was glad for it, especially after all this Time travel craziness.

313 words

Adeline stood up off of the bench and began walking towards the barn, where Rosemary, Levi, Dr. Sommers, and Dewey were working on the time machine. As the grass and plants waved in the wind on each side of her, Adeline thought about what the farm would be turned into back in her time. Was it still a farm or was it some suburb or commercial property? Adeline didn't know, as she hadn't even been to Oklahoma back in her time, but she couldn't help but feel like if she stayed, she could keep it just as it was now.

There was more than just the farm that was compelling Adeline to stay in 1943, though. Many reasons, really.

One of the reasons was Rosemary. She was pretty and funny and nice, and she made Adeline get butterflies in her stomach whenever they were near each other. But it wasn't just Rosemary, but the issue with Maddy as a whole. Adeline was trying to avoid thinking about it as much as she could, but she couldn't help it. Rosemary had made a good point: Why didn't Maddy tell Adeline everything? Maddy hadn't been a private person before she was hired by the Chicago Tribune, so Adeline could only suspect foul play. But she brushed that thought out of her head. She didn't need to think about the negative right now.

Adeline instead thought about the positive things that would come from staying in 1943. She could escape her father. The Sommers seemed like an extremely loving family, despite all their flaws, and Adeline felt like she would be easily accepted into it. There was also the clothes and the cars and just.. everything. Something about the past made Adeline feel so warm and like she belonged there. Adeline had to admit it: she felt more accepted in the past than she did in her own time.

Adeline finally approached the barn with her mind made up. Dewey spotted her first.

"Hello, Miss. Adeline!" he exclaimed, "You seem happy."

"I am," she replied with a wide smile.

"Well," Dr. Sommers said, approaching her with a wrench in hand, "Have you come to help us?"

"I'm sure going to try," Adeline said, "What can I help you with, Julius?"