Love Across Time

Chapter 3: Secret's Out

I knew that explaining in an alley would not be smart so I took his to a restaurant owned by another time traveler. The restaurant is near my loft and I knew the owner and manager well so I got discounts. Once we got their I headed toward a booth by the window that I always sat at. Jack followed like a good boy.

We sat down. "Get what ever you want. I'll pay."

"Why?"

"Because I know the owner and get discounts."

"Oh." he said not questioning me further on this subject. Once we ordered (I taught the cook how to make pizza so I would feel less homesick.) the interrogation started. "So you're a goil?"

"Yep."

"Doesn't Pulitzer have a rule agents goil newsies?"

"Sure does."

"So why are you risking this? You could get a job doing something more goily."

"This is more fun."

"Why?"

"Because I never liked doing all that 'goily' stuff. I always went out and played with the boys of the neighborhood rather than play dolls with the girls. I think the only doll I ever got broke the next day… one of my friends, Connor, gave it to his dog as a chew toy I think." That made him smile.

"But why did you hid it from us? We would have hidden you from them."

I gave him an 'I can't believe you just asked me that' look. "If I had told you that I was a girl how would you have treated me?" from the look on his face he began to understand. "I wanted to be treated as your equal and not as your own Eowyn. And what if one of your newsies let it slip on time that on of your newsies was a female?"

"Alright, alright I understand. But who is Eowyn?"

"Eowyn is a woman from one of my favorite stories… she was a good fighter but her uncle never let her join the men in battle. Until on day she disguised herself as on of the men and defeated the Witch King of Angmar (sorry I can't spell & I'm to lazy to look up the spelling… so deal with it.)."

"Sounds like she wasn't to unlucky."

"But that's the short version."

"Oh I see." We stopped talking as the waiter Ryan Nagle brought us our food.

"Hi Jess."

"Hi Nagle." He looked at Jack then at me.

"Secret's out huh?"

"Yep."

"That sucks."

"See ya later."

"Sure whatever." Nagle was also from my home time. He lives a few streets away from me. Nagle left us to our food and my dilemma.

Just as we were about to continue a voice from the door caught our attention. "Jack… Beast?" It was Mush, Blink, and Racetrack.

I put my head in my hands when I remembered that my hat was on the table and my jacket was discarded because of the heat. "I hate my life." I muttered quoting Rocko's Modern Life.

"What's going on?" asked Mush once he saw what I really was.

"Common sit down and order what you want. I've got bill. I know the owner. I get discounts." I explained quickly. They did just that. Mush sat beside me, Race sat by Jack, and Blink pulled up a chair. They basically asked the same thinks as Jack.

I took a bite of my pizza. "What is that anyway?" asked Blink pointing at the slice of pizza.

"Pizza."

"And that would be?"

What the heck I'll tell them. They already know half the story… I'll just give them the whole tale now to save time. "Food from my home time."

They all stopped and stared at me. "Just when you thought that this was as weird as it gets… she still has more to pull out of her hat." said Race.

So I told them how I came through a portal from my room. "Prove it." challenged Jack. I pulled out three state quarters from my pocket Mississippi, New York, and Delaware to be exact. They stared at the quarters.

"Where did you get these?" asked Mush in awe.

"When I first came here I grabbed a handful of coins from my home and these just so happened to be in their. I can't spend them because someone will see that they aren't from this time."

"What time are you from anyway." asked Race.

"Look at the date on the bottom." they gasped when they saw the years. "I have been worried that Weasel will see the odd dates on some of my coins."

"No worry about that no one ever looks at the date… but 2003?" said Blink.

"I'm actually from 2005 but yes that is my home time."

"But why come here?" asked Jack.

"As I said it was an accident." I paused remembering what sits at home waiting for me. They have no idea what I've been through. "Its nice to get a break from what sits on the other side waiting for me. Things are different there."

They said nothing for a while. They let her words sink in. Then Mush spoke up changing the subject from where Jessie was from. "So you don't stay at the lodging house or have a family… where do you stay?"

I spoke then. Glade for the change of subject. Those questions brought up memories that still run deep. "Well I came though the portal into an empty loft…"