2012 A.D.

Jackie was already in the library when I got there (We still came here to get some peace to read). I wondered how before I saw the skateboard with her things. Slider had been giving her lessons. "Jackie!" I exclaimed before I remembered I was in a library. Four librarians immediately turned to shush me. I mouthed an apology. I walked as quickly as I could towards the table without receiving a sterner reprimand.

"What did you find out?" she asked, sensing my excitement.

"Annis is in 812 Kippernia!"

"What?" The confusion on her face was obvious.

"My mother was telling me a story about a girl that one of my ancestors knew. The girl claimed she was from the future. The girl hated rap. The girl's name was Annis."

"So?"

"AN-nis, An-NIS, In-NIS, In-EZ! The girl from my family story is Inez!"

"How did Inez get into 812 um..."

"Kippernia."

"Yeah, that. And how do we get there?"

"Through Siber's Pass!"

"Siber's what?"

"1200 years changes the pronunciation a bit. Siber's Pass, Siber's Pace, Siber Space, Cyberspace! I read something about it in one of those books. If two pocket universes touch at one point, then they can be accessed at any location in space or time. Cyberspace is probably another universe! So if we go to Cyberspace, we can go to 812 England, grab Inez, and be back before dinner!"

"Then what are we doing here. Let's save Inez!" She and I left the library and headed for somewhere where we wouldn't be seen.

I took out my SKWAK as we hurried away. "Dige!"

"Yeah, Matt? What's up?"

"We know where Inez is!"

"Do you have her yet?"

"No, we have to get into Cyberspace first!"

"Hold on, we'll get you a portal!"

A purple circle appeared in front of Jackie and me. We jumped in. In a second we were in Control Central.

"Mother B! Can you open a portal to any time other than the present?" Jackie asked immediately.

"Yes. Why, Jackie?" Mother Board looked confused.

"Inez somehow got stuck in 812 England, near a landmark called Kippernia Castle."

"Not just somehow. Hacker set up something called a portal disruptor last time," Digit explained, beginning to grow flustered. "He used his failed plan as a ruse. He hoped that he would catch all of you with it and trap you in a different time. If we open more than three portals in a day or open a portal for longer than five minutes, we won't know where you'll end up!"

"That's not good," I said, not realizing how surprisingly pessimistic I was when I was about to resue the girl of my dreams.

"So we'll only have one shot at this today," Jackie summed up.

"I have a gut feeling that if we don't get her today, we won't get her at all," I announced ominously. Boy, was I gloomy, or what?

"So we have five minutes to go back in time, find Inez, and get back, or who knows what will happen?" Jackie asked, a hint of fear entering her voice.

"That's right. Let's do this!" I set a timer for five minutes on my SKWAK. When I saw the first trace of purple light, I started the clock. Jackie and I burst into the portal, Digit right behind.

The time in the portal alarmed me, so I figured it had freaked Inez, too. The words additione and subtractione seemed odd. When we got out, I was struck with the beauty of the location and the clean scent in the air. I looked frantically through the small clearing. There was no sign of Inez. I looked down at my SKWAK. Four minutes left. That meant we had three minutes left before we had to leave, with or without Inez. I scanned the sky. A large figure was growing larger. I knew immediately that my mother was dead wrong about the dragon being Jane's inner turmoil. The dragon was a dragon. Big, green, scaly, and descending fast. I saw something in its great claws. Something human. I prayed that this beast was friendly and that the something was Inez. The dragon landed heavily in the clearing. Jackie and Digit won't admit it, but they fled into the portal just then. Two minutes left.

"You are Matt?" The beast asked in what an odd accent that didn't sound very British, but it didn't sound cockney either.

"Yes. Is that Inez? We're a tad bit short on time, unfortunately."

"Yes. Hurry, though. She has managed to injure herself fairly badly since she left Jane and me." Dragon delicately placed Inez's form in my arms. Ninety seconds.

"Thank you. And tell Jane that she better tell her kids about this!" I dove into the portal with just above a minute remaining. Thank God.

OoOoO

812 A.D.

Odd. Matt, the friend of Inez, looked strikingly similar to the jingle-boy if you ignored the bright, red, unruly mop of hair. I suppose I should tell Jane and Jester as much. After they had children, though.