Engella opened her eyes to the sound of crashing waves. She had arrived on a sandy beach, but it was intensely cold. She could see pieces of brick around her. They must have been caught in the portal as she shifted away. The Hunters had never made it so close before. Their attacks were becoming more targeted, finding her location in spacetime with improved accuracy. At least it had taken them several days to find her this time.
Engella sighed. “Still wet.” Rolling onto her back, she gazed at the sky for a moment. The cirrus clouds looked like candy floss. Another freezing wave splashed over her, making her focus on the task ahead.
“Time to move,” she said.
The beach was silent except for the squawks of seagulls hovering on the upwinds. It was late evening, as the sun was low and the sky was turning pink.
Engella dawdled along the sand, her cape catching the wind. She’d loved the beach as a child, going on day trips with her family, building sandcastles and eating ice cream. She saw her mother’s face in her mind for a moment.
“At least the weather’s better here,” she said. “Not in Kansas anymore, that’s for sure.” She smiled as she remembered her favourite holomovie. She always played the little girl with the pet dog while her father was the Tin Man. She reached for her wristband, anxiously checking it was still there, feeling relieved as she touched the cold metal between her fingers. A red warning light flashed, so she clicked the reset button. Engella had never shifted without coordinates before, so she didn’t know what it meant.
Along the beach, a figure came into view. Engella’s neck prickled. She usually tried to avoid people, it was easier that way, but she pined for some human contact. The loneliness had gone on for too long. Using her wristband, she scanned the area to work out which clothes would be most suitable for the place and time. Her real clothes were quickly replaced by a hologram: a grey hooded jumper, black jeans and black Converse trainers. Her white plaited hair was now neatly placed inside a holographic pink bobble hat.
“Retro!” she said.
Getting closer, Engella could see an older woman walking a chocolate Labrador who was splashing through the surf. They eventually met halfway along the beach.
“Good evening, dear,” the woman said, surveying Engella through black spectacles. She was probably in her sixties, her hair curly brown and greying at the roots. She looked slightly red faced and flustered, wrapped up in her winter coat and scarf. The Labrador ran up to Engella, panting and tail wagging, before sniffing her trainers.
“Sorry about Rupert! He loves meeting new people. Don’t often see new folk around here, you see.”
Engella patted Rupert on the head. “It’s okay. He’s very sweet. Where is here by the way?”
“Well you’re on Skye, dear. Didn’t you see the sign when you came over the bridge?”
“I didn’t take the bridge.” Engella looked away, not sure how to explain her sudden appearance. Travelling through spacetime sometimes meant appearing in unusual places, which could be hard to explain. Luckily for Engella this spot didn’t have too many people who would notice a girl appearing out of thin air. Engella remembered her Earth lessons. Skye. Could it be the Isle of Skye, Scotland? The woman’s accent certainly sounded Scottish so that made sense. Shanghai to Scotland was only a short trip, especially when going through a wormhole. Folding spacetime made travelling between two points, however far apart, very easy and incredibly fast. Engella was glad she hadn’t ended up somewhere like the Arctic. Now that would be cold.
“The ferries haven’t been running for two days, dear. Terrible storms. How did you get here?”
Engella reached out to Rupert again, patting his back until he rolled onto his side, managing to avoid the question.
“Oh, he likes you!” the woman said with a big grin on her face. “What’s your name, dear?”
“Engella.”
“That’s a very pretty name. I’m Annys.”
“Pleased to meet you, Annys,” Engella said politely.
“Not from around here, are you dear?”
The wind started to pick up. Engella shivered in her wet clothes, clothes she knew looked perfectly dry to Annys.
“No, I’m from, erm… far away.”
“You must be freezing,” Annys said. “It’s very late and there are no more ferries. Are you here with your parents? Please tell me to mind my own business, but what is a girl of your age doing alone on the beach at this time of day? You can’t be older than sixteen.”
“I’m fifteen.” She thought for a moment and tried to remember her last birthday. She couldn’t. She often made notes in her diary to keep track of dates but hadn’t been able to recently. Shifting through spacetime made it harder and harder to remember.
“What year is it?” she asked.
“Are you feeling okay? Have you had a bump on the head or something? Well, it’s 1998 of course.”
Seventy-six years. That was the longest jump she had ever made. The further back in time she travelled, the harder it would be to make it home. Engella suddenly felt even more alone and Annys, sensing something wasn’t right, put her arm around her.
“My dear, why don’t you come back to the cottage for a cup of tea? It’s only a few minutes’ walk away.”
Engella almost said no, but then decided it couldn’t hurt to go for a few minutes. It would be good to dry her clothes and warm up properly. Being on the run was all she had known since she was young. She thought about her parents again and how they had become separated in spacetime. This was not a time for feeling sad. It was about time something good happened. She deserved it.
“I suppose it’ll be okay for an hour or so. Yes. Thank you. I’d like that.” Engella walked with Annys while Rupert carried on skipping through the surf, until he had to run as fast as he could to catch up again.
