"Just so you know, everything about this is illegal."
"You don't think I know that?"
"You're absolutely insane."
"And you love me for it."
"I am trying to have a serious conversation with you. We've done crazy things before, but this? This is nuttier than peanut brittle."
Grace sighs and turns away from her whiteboard, where she had been writing.
"You don't think I'm aware of the risks, Ellie?" she questions as she settles onto her bed, across from her older sister. "I've been laying awake at night going over the consequences, but you know what conclusion I always come to?"
Ellie raises an eyebrow, prompting the girl to go on.
"It's worth it," Grace states.
The older of the two flops down into a desk chair, covering her eyes dramatically.
"But stealing the time machine? Grace, that's treason. As soon as we came back, we'd be whisked off to jail faster than we arrived."
"Rufus would be back though."
Ellie avoids her sister's eyes, absentmindedly picking up their cat.
Whose name was also Rufus.
No matter where Ellie looked, she couldn't escape something pertaining to him.
Not their cat Rufus.
The Rufus that piloted the Lifeboat, the Rufus that had been Jiya's boyfriend, the Rufus that loved Star Wars more than life itself.
The Rufus that got killed by Rittenhouse.
"Ellie," Grace continues, anxiously running her fingers through her hair, "I need you. I don't know how to operate the time machine yet, and I don't-"
"Let's say I go along with your plan," the older girl interrupts. "How the hell do we save him?"
A victorious smile slowly spreads across Grace's face as she hops up and grabs a whiteboard marker. "I thought you'd never ask."