I sat in a dark corner of a little room in Ben Franklyn's house, holding my backpack close to my body. I was dirty, my clothes ripped and worn from the long journey, my hair has grown long and unruly, and my eyes red from crying. Claire was sitting in the center of the room watching for any sign of recovery. she thought she knew how confused I was. She had no idea.
After my embarrassing fainting spell, Benjamin insisted that I stay at home, until I recover. He said I didn't look fit for any more travel. No one in our group was prepared to argue, seeing me at the state I was at. I have been in this corner since, unable to budge and quietly crying (at varying levels of panic) that I want to go home"
"What year did you say it is?" I asked tentatively.
"Seventeen seventy four," She replied immediately, as though she was waiting to talk to me but needed me to talk first.
"And you said you were from twenty eighteen?"
"Yeah," I replied spacing out again.
Claire slowly walked over to the corner I was sitting at and carefully took my hand, like it was some fragile crystal.
"Come," she said, "Let me get you washed and dressed in something cleaner, maybe we can get some nice Combs for your hair."
I was filthy, but I couldn't move. I didn't trust anyone with my equipment, and I couldn't take them with me to the bath because they were not water proof. Claire saw my hesitation, and the way I hugged my book bag tighter, and she let my hand go.
She sat down next to me on the floor and asked quietly, "Would you like to talk to me first?"
I appreciated her effort on my behalf, but I couldn't think of anything to say. My mind seemed still frozen at the point of realization that I had just traveled in time. All I wanted was to go home.
"I also came here from the future," Claire said.
I stared at her. Of course, I thought, My brain unfreezing instantly. It's obvious that she would know something about this only if she herself experienced the same thing! or if she knew someone that did.
"Is there a way to get back to the future?" I asked, not believing that I actually asked that question.
"There are ways," Claire said, "but I am not sure if it's possible right at the moment."
Claire looked at the girl sitting in the corner. She had to answer the terrible question of how.
"How can I get back to the future?" The girl asked.
Claire knew that this girl was now holding on to hope that Claire might have all the answers. But Claire knew that getting back means using diamonds and other precious gems which neither of them had at the moment.
"it will take a long time." She answered, she didn't want her to expect much and then be disappointed, but she didn't want the girl to lose hope.
"I will tell you if you wash up and eat something, we can sit and discuss it.
I wanted to ask Claire if she knew anything about how to use a laptop. If she is from my time, maybe I can trust her to keep my stuff while I washed. I did need a good shower.
"Is James also from the future?" I asked.
"No he's from here."
"What year are you from?" I asked Claire.
"I am from 1968" Claire answered. she didn't want to tell her that she's traveled more than once. Not just yet.
"Oh, that's ancient!" exclaimed the girl, "That's before my parents were even born."
"Things have changed alot since then, haven't they?" asked Claire.
I looked at Claire. she seemed to understand alot about time, but I also realized that I must stink like some of the homeless in the subway. Claire was so patient with me, she didn't show distaste, even though she sat on the floor right near me. I knew it was rude on my part to make her talk to someone who didn't shower for weeks.
"I will wash up, but can you please keep an eye on my bag? these things are very important to me, " I said.
Claire promised to watch my stuff and hurried off to tell the men to prepare a tub for my bath.
Bathing felt better than I imagined. It calmed me down and cleared my mind. when I finished, I brushed my hair which was not short or blue anymore but shoulder length curly and light brown.
When I was dressed and ready, I set out to look for Claire and my stuff. The only person I saw in the house was that redhead guy, James. I never really spoke to this James since the first day I arrived in the past. each of us left the other alone.
Have you seen Claire?" I approached James and asked.
James turned to look at me. I never spoke to him directly before, and I certainly never sounded so calm since my arrival in this godforsaken time and place.
As he was looking at me, I noticed he had eyes like Sapphire's, and that those eyes looked very familiar. I must have looked familiar to him too, because he looked very intently at me and said, "Claire" in a very strange voice.
"Yes Claire, did you see her?" I asked looking at him, and then I remembered. he looked very much like my grandma from Boston! In fact, he looked so much like her, he could have been her brother!
"Are we related?" I blurted out without thinking.
"Claire," he said again, "You look like Claire."
Right at that moment I saw Claire and waved to her, "Hey Claire do you have my stuff?"
Claire approached us, and looked at James with some concern. He did look funny, the way he looked at me.
"James says that I look like you, do you think it's true?" I asked Claire. "I think he looks like my grandmother." I laughed.
"Your grandmother?" Claire looked confused.
"My grandma Bree from Boston. he looks so much like her he could be her brother." I laughed at how true this was, the resemblance was astounding. how did I not notice it before?
Now it was Claire who looked frightened. She looked at James as if for assurance or answers, he looked at her for the same thing.
"What's your grandmother's name?" Claire asked weakly. they both looked like they were going to faint.
"My grandma is Brianna Ellen. She died about five years ago. My Dad's mom."
They both flinched when I said that she died. Whats wrong, I wondered Why do they care about my grandmother?
"Come," said Claire taking my hand. her hand was shaking badly, "Come, lets sit down"
She led me and James into a room and we all collapsed on the chairs.
"Tell us about your Grandmother, Jasmine, do you have any pictures?" said Claire
"Sure," I said, "Give me my laptop, I'll show you some family photos."
I looked at James whom I knew was very uncomfortable with all this new technology, but he looked eager to see. I guess Claire did expose him to some futuristic ideas.
I logged on to my laptop and clicked on 'my pictures'. Expertly, I browsed in 'family pictures' a picture of my dad came up, and before I could click 'next' Claire stopped me.
"Who is this man?" she asked.
"That was My dad," I said, "But he was killed before I was born. I don't think he even knew that my mom was going to have me."
"He was?" asked James. He looked accusingly at Claire, "I thought you said there were no wars in your time, in the future? You said there was some kind of an agreement between the nations..."
"Oh you mean the UN?" I said laughing, "there are wars still, but he wasn't killed in a war, he was sitting in his office."
"What was his name?"
"Jeremy," I said sadly. I didn't want to discuss my dad anymore. It depressed me to try and guess, as my mother always did, weather he knew if I existed or not before he was murdered.
I looked up, and to my surprise, I saw tears on both Jamie and Claire's cheeks.
"Why do you care so much about my family?" I asked.
"Jasmine," Jamie said, he spoke my name for the first time; it sounded strangely tender.
"Jasmine, you are our great grand daughter." he said and Claire got up to embrace me in a tight hug. She was shaking with silent sobs as she held me. I looked at Jamie, he looked so much like my grandmother!
"My great grandparents," I said fascinated.