(Nicholas is 22, Connie is 9)

People like to ask Nicholas about the duffel bag. He carries it around with him all the time, and he's not on a sports team at the college, so it's obvious that people would ask about it. Depending on his mood, he'll give you a different answer: If he's feeling like being funny, he'll tell you "bowling balls" or "This is where I keep the bodies." Sometimes, he'll feel like giving a long drawn out explanation in hopes you'll leave him alone. If he's in a hurry or just doesn't feel like entertaining, he'll just say, "I help my cousin with his soccer team", and move on. But the people in his classes have gotten used to the sight of it, and they just accept that it's something he has, which suits Nicholas just fine.

Today was a test day, and that meant that he could just hang out at the campus for the time he had left until his next class. As usual, Nicholas was one of the first people to complete his test, and as he gathered up his duffel bag and slipped on his backpack, he was feeling pretty good about the answers he put down. If not an "A", he was the kind of person who would be satisfied with a solid "B". Walking down the halls of the 5th floor of the Humanities building, it was very quiet. Quiet enough to hear his own footsteps. It was also quiet enough to hear something else.

pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat

Nicholas knew that sound. It was the distinctive sound of bare feet running across tile. He also knew what that meant. Standing still for a moment, he listened closely where it was coming from. Just around the corner, to the left. Walking carefully enough to make as little noise as possible, he got to the corner of the hall, poked his head out from the wall. "Psst." He started whispering. "Connie. Connie! It's me!"

After a few seconds, he saw from behind one of the columns against the wall a small head poke out. Just as he thought. The unmistakable blonde curls attached to an angelic face. Younger than he had expected, but that wasn't something out of the ordinary, or even something that either of them could help. Once she saw his face, she lit up like it was Christmas morning. He guessed that she hadn't been here before and was feeling very scared. "Nicky!" She cried, coming out from behind the column and covering herself with her hands. "I'm glad you're here."

"Hey there, Connie." Nicholas held his arms out and scooped her up. "You haven't been here long, have you?" She shook her head. "Good. Let's get going." He started to walk again.

"Um...Nick?" Connie spoke up.

"What's up?" Nicholas set her back down.

"Can I get dressed now, please?" She swung her shoulders back and forth, her hands behind her back.

Nicholas was always one to rush and forget certain details until they were right in his face, and he was lucky to notice them without someone telling him. But since Connie interjected, he was able to snap out of his tunnel vision and absorb the environment. There was absolutely nobody else in the halls, and any class that was in session had its door closed. It was a warm midday in May, so he didn't have a jacket to lend her. He certainly couldn't leave things to chance, so he nodded and said nervously, "Yeah. Sorry." He put down the duffel bag and went into action.

Unzipping the duffel bag revealed numerous sets of clothes. He had sets of clothes prepared for Connie at different ages. There were dresses for a little girl, shirts and shorts for a teenager, underwear for both sizes, and small clothes and diapers for if she ever came as an infant. Quickly pulling out her clothes, he helped her into a pair of underwear, a light blue dress and a pair of sandals. With her properly dressed, Nick grabbed her hand and led her to the elevators.

Apparently one of her friends from school came over and had brought a game that they told Connie was not scary at all. "Last time I believe him! All of a sudden, this monster breaks through the door, and I found myself on the floor of the bathroom here. They're so gross! If I find him going through my clothes when I get back..."

A guy walking around the college campus holding a little girl's hand was not something surprising. Students, depending on how old they were, brought their kids to school all the time. Passing her off as his little cousin was easy, so long as he didn't come across anyone who had seen her as either younger or older than she appeared now. Connie knew that it was okay to lie to them, since the idea of a chrono displaced person still hadn't reached the wide net of the public mind, and a cousin coming along with one to school was easier to believe than a little girl who spontaneously time travels.

Taking care of Connie has not been something Nicholas regretted ever since she first appeared to him. He couldn't tell you the reason why she came to him, but he's sure there's some significance to her constant appearances, and it just hasn't come up yet. Thus far, he only sees her when she travels, popping in at different points, convenient at some times and somewhat inconvenient at others. Nicholas was always gifted with the patience of a saint, his mother would say, which made him appear very friendly to others, and it's something that's really helped Connie whenever she freaked out after traveling. As far as Connie's known, he's always been there to help with a firm hug, and a bag of clothes for her to wear.

The first time they met each other, Nicholas was another 15 year old boy desperately seeking purpose in life. He was escorting his mother around the local store one weekend in April, since she promised him she'd buy him a new game by the time they were done. This required, of course, a trip with his mother, something any 15 year old boy is embarrassed to do. She didn't tell him that he'd get it right away, so having to stand around while his mother looked at shirt after shirt before putting them back on the rack got tiring after a few minutes. After telling her that he'd go on ahead to electronics to mull his options, he began walking out of the clothing section and was some distance away from his mother when he began to hear something.

Sniffling, and short gasps of breath, as if someone was crying. While other boys his age would dismiss it and keep going, Nicholas was the curious sort. He looked around where he stood, trying to track down the noise, but couldn't seem to find where it was coming from. It wasn't anyone near the wall, and he wouldn't be hearing it if it was coming from the dressing rooms. Then, an idea struck him. He came to a part of the section littered with circular racks full of large shirts. Now the crying noises started coming in clearer, particularly the one in the middle. Moving closer to it slowly and quietly, he divided a part in the shirts just as slowly.

That's when he saw her; A little girl, sitting down on the floor, curled up and completely naked. Her hair was a short curly blonde, and she looked like she had been crying for some time, her face red and soaked with tears. Many questions were running through his head: Whose kid is this? Why is she naked? And most importantly, how did no one else notice she was here? He was hoping she'd tell him, but he had to get somewhere else first; talking to a lost and distraught little girl with no clothes on required privacy. When she finally noticed him standing over her, her eyes went wide and ready to run. "Wait. Calm down." He whispered to her when he saw her getting up. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He took off the jacket he was wearing and placed it over her shoulders like a cloak. "See? Let's get you somewhere better."

Putting one arm around her shoulders and picking her up with the other, he moved stealthily through the racks on his way to the dressing rooms that weren't too far from where they were. He only got a couple of looks from people, but that was more likely for him looking like he was in some sort of spy movie than it was for the barefoot girl in the jacket. No questions either, which was also nice. Passing the doorway for the dressing rooms, a sign stated that any dressing rooms not in use needed to be kept open. Nicholas already knew this, and darted to the closest open door. Placing her on the seat inside, he quickly turned to close and lock the door.

"All right. Hard part's over." He thought out loud. "You okay?" A small "Mm-hmm" was all she could muster. "My name's Nicholas. How about you? What's your name?" He spoke a little fast, body full of adrenaline from the unusual situation before him.

"Connie."

"Connie. That's a cute name." He thought that complimenting her would help calm her down a little more. "So what happened to you? Where are your clothes?"

"I don't know." She gave a straightforward response, but it wasn't exactly an answer.

"Okay. Where are your parents?"

"I don't know." Now, it was getting weird, and asking her about things she didn't know the answer to was not making the situation any easier. She brought her legs up to the seat and curled up, ready to start crying again.

"Okay, okay. Don't cry. I'm sorry." He didn't know what he was apologizing for, but it seemed to help, as she looked up at him. He scratched his head as he tried to think of what could possibly lead to a girl being stranded in the middle of a huge store stark naked. Was she abandoned here by her parents? Did she wander off and get lost in the middle of changing clothes? Is she a victim of some kidnapping ring? Nicholas' imagination was starting to run wild, and at that point, he decided that the best thing to do would be to get her something to wear other than his jacket. "Listen. I want you to stay right here, I'm gonna go out and get you some clothes. Don't open this door for anyone but me. I'll tell you when it's me, okay?" Connie responded by nodding her head.

Being near the clothing section of the store was rather convenient to find something Connie could wear. A large shirt would've been enough if they were anywhere else, but if he was going to help her find her parents, she would need something a little more inconspicuous. First thing on his list was to get her some underwear. She looked to be about five, so he wouldn't need to go too far. He didn't need to dart around people this time, but he still needed to quicken his pace. He was in Women's Clothes, and he needed to get to the young girl's section.

Judging from all the pink on the stands, Nicholas had reached the section he needed. However, the fact that he was acting without thinking thoroughly had finally caught up to him when he got to the underwear: They were all in 4-pair packages. He only needed one pair, but he couldn't just tear open one of them to get it. He'd be caught for sure, and how would he be able to explain the situation? He considered just taking the package and leaving the torn plastic in the dressing room. Act as if someone else just took it. Listen to yourself, Nick! He thought. You're thinking about stealing! He didn't have the time for a moral decision. He trusted that Connie would stay in the stall, but any number of things could happen in the time it took him to find something.

He paced about scratching his head, trying to think of an alternate plan when he happened upon one. A couple of stands away stood a rack of one-piece swimsuits, supported on hangers. Grabbing a purple swimsuit, the most difficult hurdle was jumped. From there, he quickly grabbed a blue skirt and a small white shirt before running as quickly as he could to Shoes to pick up a pair of sandals. Seeing someone running in a store isn't that unusual, which Nicholas was thankful for, because it meant that no one would ask questions and he could get back to the dressing room with no more interruptions.

"Connie, it's Nicholas." He knocked on the door to the stall. "Could you open the door?" It took a couple of seconds, but the door opened outwards to show Connie, now with the jacket zipped up and her arms through the sleeves. "Hey there. How are we doing?" She nodded, the red from her face finally fading as she had stopped crying. "You're doing great, sweetie. Now let's get you dressed." Connie was very cooperative as Nicholas slipped on everything he managed to find. "Sorry if the tags are bugging you, but we'll get in trouble if we take those off without paying. It's better than going around in your birthday suit, right?" Connie looked slightly confused at the term, apparently never having heard it before. Nicholas paid it no mind and offered his hand to her.

Nicholas felt that he could breathe a little easier now, but he knew that he was only through half of his troubles for the day. Taking a firm hold of Connie's hand, they began walking through the store to look for anyone that Connie might recognize. It was then that she noticed something unusual. She began looking in one direction, towards the door that lead to the Nursery. "What's the matter?" Nicholas asked. "You think your mom or dad might be there?" Her question, however, was one that Nicholas didn't see coming at all.

"Why is the sun back out?"

"Huh?"

"It's close to bedtime. That means the moon's out. Why is it sunny?"

"Connie...it's 3:30. It's practically the middle of the day."

"What? But..." She looked very confused, and so was Nicholas. What did she mean by "It's close to bedtime"? That would mean that it was nighttime the last time she got a look outside. Did that mean that she really was kidnapped in her sleep? What was he getting himself into? He tried not to look too worried for her sake, and she seemed quite preoccupied with this new information, so he thought it would be better to keep looking around.

It had been half an hour before they finally came back around to Women's Clothing. He still didn't understand what she meant by the fact that it was evening the last time she checked. Connie was getting very restless as well, and Nicholas wondered how much longer they would be able to look before his mother called his phone, asking where he was. Then, it finally hit him. This whole time, he was looking by himself. If his mother could help, maybe they could find her parents sooner. He got Connie to stand up and began walking through the different racks, hoping his mother was still there. Sure enough, she was still nose-deep in the sales rack.

"Nicky!" She responded upon seeing him. "I was just about to go to Electronics, and..." She looked down. "Who's this? Are those store tags?"

"Mom, if you'll just give me a moment to talk, I promise everything I'm going to tell you will be true."

After giving as shortened a version of the past events as he could, his mother just looked at him as if he was a parent explaining where babies come from. "Why didn't you just go to the front desk or one of the cashiers?" She finally asked. "They could use the PA system and see if anyone's lost their kid."

"I was worried I'd get in trouble if I came up to them and they saw the tags. If not that, they'd wonder what I was doing with a little girl in only a jacket. If they suspected something, they might have the whole place locked down!" His mother shot him the same look she usually does whenever he blows something out of proportion, to which Nicholas responded by keeping his tone down. "I just wanted to help her as quietly as possible."

"Well, better you came to me than to continue trying half-cocked." His mother said. "I'm sure they'd be more willing to believe me if I just explain that I found her in one of the dressing rooms. Now come on, sweet..." She kneeled down and paused suddenly. "Where'd she go?"

It was then that Nicholas noticed that he wasn't holding Connie's hand anymore. Looking next to him, he found all the clothes that he got for Connie, but no Connie wearing them. After arguing on what happened as silently as possible, so as not to disturb the other shoppers, they both try to write it off as one of the strangest events they'd ever witnessed.

That night, he decided to look up just what might have been that little girl. Running a search "sudden disappearance" "time discrepancy" and "lack of clothes", he finally ran into an article from a "strange science" website regarding what came to be known as "Chrono Displacement Disorder".

There's been some research done since then, but no treatment has been made yet. Regardless, Nicholas has learned to adapt to Connie's sudden appearances, the duffle bag full of clothes for one thing. There's also been support from others, like his parents, and those who have stuck with him since finding out about Connie. People like...

"Mike!" Nicholas shouted when he saw another familiar face at one of the food courts on campus, saving a table for the both of them just like he said he would.

"Done with the test already, Nick?" Michael smiled. "Did you double check your answers?"

"Yes, Mother." Nicholas joked. "It's a good thing I finished when I did, too. She showed up on the same floor, if you can believe that. She wasn't there too long before I noticed her, though."

"Hey, Connie." Michael greeted her. "Last time I saw you, you were about this high." He raised his hand up to about Nicholas' nose.

Connie and Nicholas both rolled their eyes. "When are you gonna stop making that joke?" Nicholas asked.

"When you stop reacting to it." Michael stood up and gave Nicholas a kiss. "Besides, you shouldn't act like it was never funny."

Nicholas gave a sour face, but then smiled. "Okay, but it was only funny the first three times. And that's only because you switched it up last time."

"I'll take that victory." He sat back down at the table, along with Connie and Nicholas. Connie had a club sandwich from the school cafe, while Nicholas and Michael helped themselves to burgers from another joint. After eating, Connie busied herself playing on Michael's handheld system while Nicholas and Michael had time to themselves before either of them had another class.

Eventually, 45 minutes passed, and it was time for Nicholas' next class. After packing up their stuff, Michael saw them off while Nicholas held Connie's hand and started walking towards the Science building. Connie started to get drowsy halfway through, so Nicholas elected to carry her the rest of the way. Nicholas knew what it meant when she started to get sleepy, so before going into the building itself, he stopped at one of its walls and sat against it. As soon as her breathing relaxed, she vanished, leaving her clothes in his lap. Smiling with relief, Nicholas packed the clothes back into the duffel bag, stood up and proceeded with the rest of the school day.

People often asked him about the bag. Nicholas wishes he can tell them that it's for someone else, but it's enough to know there are people who know and don't mind. As long as they're there, he was happy. As long as Connie can come to someone as dependable as him, he could always sprout a little joy in his heart whenever he sees her. That was all he needed.