CLAUDIA
She could only look on as Evelyn approached Helen in the centre of the circle. The girl did not even seem concerned or even shocked; it was almost as though she had been expecting Helen to arrive. Or maybe it was simply that nothing surprised her anymore. Claudia, on the other hand, could feel her heart racing. Helen Cutter was never, ever good news.

The last time she had seen the woman, Helen had disappeared with Nick through an anomaly and they hadn't returned for years. During that time Claudia's subconscious had dreamed up innumerable things for them to be doing in that time. Helen was manipulative beyond measure; she could easily have convinced Cutter to travel through the anomalies with her, to leave Claudia behind. Cutter had sworn that wasn't true, but Claudia had been forced to ponder it for years.

And, of course, he had sworn to her that she would never be back. And now she was. Claudia should have been angry at him for that, but there was no place in her heart for anything but fear. Fear for herself and for their team. Fear for Evelyn. Fear for him.

"How long have you been here?" Helen asked the girl.

"Only a day," Evelyn answered in her soft voice. "I came from the Paleogene. I thought you must have come through, too."

Helen shook her head. "I've been looking for you for a week." She looked to Cutter and gave another of her fake smiles. "Thank you for looking after her," Helen said. "Come on, Evelyn. We can't stay."

"I'm staying," Evelyn said.

Claudia watched Helen raise her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm staying," the girl said again. "I don't want to go through the sparklies anymore."

Helen folded her arms, pouting a little. "Why not?"

"I like it here." Evelyn looked to Cutter, standing by her shoulder. "Nick is nice. He's promised to take care of me."

"I've been taking care of you for years," Helen insisted. "I need you, Evelyn. With your power, we can travel through all of time, through all of the multiverse. Don't throw that away. You have a gift, and it's yours to use."

"I don't want to use it anymore," Evelyn replied stubbornly. She rubbed the bracelet around her wrist. "I want to stay here."

Claudia watched as Helen's expression moved from fake hurt to real anger. "I saved you," she said, staring down at the girl. "I took you on when no-one else would, kept you safe, showed you... infinite wonders. And this is how you choose to repay me?"

"I don't want to do it," Evelyn said. "The cutting hurt. And it was scary, sometimes."

"What's she talking about?" Cutter demanded.

Helen looked at him. "Fine, then. Evelyn. A demonstration."

Claudia moved closer to watch as Evelyn reluctantly held out her arm. She could read the girl's fear even from afar; her face was turned away, her eyes closed, and she was biting her lip. Before Claudia could process what was happening, Helen had unsheathed her knife and drawn a long cut along the girl's palm. Evelyn and Cutter cried out as one.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cutter shouted.

Helen smiled at him. "Just watch." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of material that Claudia recognised as the same strange metal that made up Evelyn's bracelet. Moving slowly and deliberately, Helen cleaned her blade on the metal. She took a step backwards, met Cutter's gaze, and dropped the metal to the ground.

An anomaly sprung open right where it landed.

Claudia wasn't the only person to stumble back in fright. Most of the soldiers moved with her, and one or two even yelled in shock. Helen only continued to smile, moving calmly to stand beside the anomaly. "You see, Nick? The aura is more powerful than any of us realise. Evelyn has the power to open and close anomalies at her will. Do you really think I'm going to let her stay here and squander that power?"

"Let her do what she wants to do," Cutter said furiously. "If she doesn't want to go with you, then she stays. What you're doing is abuse, Helen. You're harming a child. It's sickening."

"Oh, grow up," Helen said, sheathing her knife. "It hardly hurts. Believe me, Nick, if I had that power, I wouldn't need her."

"Go home, Helen," Cutter said. "She stays."

Helen laughed. "With you? You've gotten soft, Nick. Are you sure you're going to be able to protect her? What happens if you get yourself lost in another timeline again?"

"Go home," Cutter said again. Claudia saw that his hands were curled into fists.

Helen smirked. "Touchy subject, I see." She turned to Evelyn, who was nursing her wounded hand. "So, that's it? You're abandoning me to live out your life in one sole, dreary time period, in a world that isn't even your own? Are you sure that's what you want, Evelyn? You're a bright girl, a resourceful girl. You could do so much better..."

"I'm staying," Evelyn said for the third time. "I don't want to go with you anymore."

"Fine," Helen said, nodding slowly. She turned to the anomaly. Yes, Claudia thought desperately, go, leave us be and never come back. Helen wasn't moving, though. She held herself absolutely still for a moment, her eyes pinned to the anomaly – and then threw herself to one side.

If she had not moved, the future predator would have landed right on her.