6:03 AM
She woke again and screamed. "No!" Then she took a deep breath. "Okay, calm down. It could be tomorrow."
She got up and went to the window. Fresh snow. She turned on the radio.
*Snow Day.*
She sat down on her bed. "Damn."
****************
They were in the kitchen.
Emma held her cup of coffee tightly between her hands.
"So I died?" Jean looked a little perturbed.
Emma nodded. "At least once. It's getting easier for me to remember things, but the first few times are really fuzzy, and I'm getting really sick of the same conversations."
"But how could this happen? And why Emma?" Scott asked the Professor.
"I'm not quite sure. I've never heard of anything like this before."
There was a short silence. Suddenly a large snowball collided with the window, thankfully not breaking it.
Emma looked at her watch. "You guys have to go."
"Go where?"
Emma looked at Kitty. "Buchanan County. The mine collapse."
"Aren't you coming?"
Emma shook her head at Kurt. "Nope. I'm going back to bed."
Which is exactly what she did.
****************
5:00 AM
Emma woke, for no apparent reason. She squinted at her alarm clock and sat up. "Not again!" She got up and looked outside. The snow was still falling, and she couldn't see very well. But she saw enough.
******************
Again they were in the kitchen.
Emma refused the offer of coffee.
"So I died?" Jean looked a little perturbed.
Emma nodded. "Once at least. Blah, blah, remembering easier, blah, blah, first time was fuzzy... I'm going insane..."
Scott opened his mouth to speak but Emma forestalled him. "How could this happen, why's it happening to me. Charles doesn't know. In fact, he's never heard of anything like this before." Emma sighed and closed her eyes.
They stared at her. Emma opened her eyes again and looked at her watch. "And in exactly twenty - no, eighteen - seconds a snowball is going to hit that window."
There was silence. Emma counted the seconds down. "Five, four, three, two, one..."
Suddenly a large snowball collided with the window.
"And now we have to go.
"Go where?"
Emma looked at Kitty. "Buchanan County. The mine collapse. And Charlie, don't tell me not to go, because that leads nowhere."
Her Uncle frowned at her. "Well then, go by all means. But don't call me that."
Emma rubbed his head. "Don't worry, you won't remember it tomorrow."
*****************
The trip to Virginia was very, very quiet. Emma was replaying the entry into the mine in her head. There had to be something she could do, something she'd missed. There had to be a way to make it so that no one died.
"Scott." Emma unbuckled herself and walked up to the front seat where he was sitting. He looked at her.
She pointed to the plans he was holding. "Can I borrow those for a second? Thanks." Emma took them and turned around. As she did, the plane lurched a little and she was thrown to the left. She grabbed for the nearest handhold to stop herself falling any farther. It happened to be Logan's shoulder.
She quickly let go, quickly making for her seat, but not before she heard Logan mutter something about turbulence.
Sitting back down, Emma took a deep breath and tried to ignore the tingling in her hand. She looked at the papers. The mine they would enter, had entered many times wasn't a coal mine. It was an iron ore mine. Iron ore. Emma tried to remember. She'd done geology at school, and they'd probably covered the production of iron, but that was a long time ago. She looked at Kitty who sat to her right.
"Hey. How do you make iron?"
"What? Iron?" Kitty's brow creased.
"Yeah, you're at school. Don't they teach you this stuff?"
"Well, uh... yeah, but -" Kitty was interrupted by a slight chuckle from behind her.
"You need a lot of heat and charcoal." They both stared at Jean. "What? You did ask."
Emma shook her head and was silent for a moment. "So I need charcoal."
She woke again and screamed. "No!" Then she took a deep breath. "Okay, calm down. It could be tomorrow."
She got up and went to the window. Fresh snow. She turned on the radio.
*Snow Day.*
She sat down on her bed. "Damn."
****************
They were in the kitchen.
Emma held her cup of coffee tightly between her hands.
"So I died?" Jean looked a little perturbed.
Emma nodded. "At least once. It's getting easier for me to remember things, but the first few times are really fuzzy, and I'm getting really sick of the same conversations."
"But how could this happen? And why Emma?" Scott asked the Professor.
"I'm not quite sure. I've never heard of anything like this before."
There was a short silence. Suddenly a large snowball collided with the window, thankfully not breaking it.
Emma looked at her watch. "You guys have to go."
"Go where?"
Emma looked at Kitty. "Buchanan County. The mine collapse."
"Aren't you coming?"
Emma shook her head at Kurt. "Nope. I'm going back to bed."
Which is exactly what she did.
****************
5:00 AM
Emma woke, for no apparent reason. She squinted at her alarm clock and sat up. "Not again!" She got up and looked outside. The snow was still falling, and she couldn't see very well. But she saw enough.
******************
Again they were in the kitchen.
Emma refused the offer of coffee.
"So I died?" Jean looked a little perturbed.
Emma nodded. "Once at least. Blah, blah, remembering easier, blah, blah, first time was fuzzy... I'm going insane..."
Scott opened his mouth to speak but Emma forestalled him. "How could this happen, why's it happening to me. Charles doesn't know. In fact, he's never heard of anything like this before." Emma sighed and closed her eyes.
They stared at her. Emma opened her eyes again and looked at her watch. "And in exactly twenty - no, eighteen - seconds a snowball is going to hit that window."
There was silence. Emma counted the seconds down. "Five, four, three, two, one..."
Suddenly a large snowball collided with the window.
"And now we have to go.
"Go where?"
Emma looked at Kitty. "Buchanan County. The mine collapse. And Charlie, don't tell me not to go, because that leads nowhere."
Her Uncle frowned at her. "Well then, go by all means. But don't call me that."
Emma rubbed his head. "Don't worry, you won't remember it tomorrow."
*****************
The trip to Virginia was very, very quiet. Emma was replaying the entry into the mine in her head. There had to be something she could do, something she'd missed. There had to be a way to make it so that no one died.
"Scott." Emma unbuckled herself and walked up to the front seat where he was sitting. He looked at her.
She pointed to the plans he was holding. "Can I borrow those for a second? Thanks." Emma took them and turned around. As she did, the plane lurched a little and she was thrown to the left. She grabbed for the nearest handhold to stop herself falling any farther. It happened to be Logan's shoulder.
She quickly let go, quickly making for her seat, but not before she heard Logan mutter something about turbulence.
Sitting back down, Emma took a deep breath and tried to ignore the tingling in her hand. She looked at the papers. The mine they would enter, had entered many times wasn't a coal mine. It was an iron ore mine. Iron ore. Emma tried to remember. She'd done geology at school, and they'd probably covered the production of iron, but that was a long time ago. She looked at Kitty who sat to her right.
"Hey. How do you make iron?"
"What? Iron?" Kitty's brow creased.
"Yeah, you're at school. Don't they teach you this stuff?"
"Well, uh... yeah, but -" Kitty was interrupted by a slight chuckle from behind her.
"You need a lot of heat and charcoal." They both stared at Jean. "What? You did ask."
Emma shook her head and was silent for a moment. "So I need charcoal."