Time Snatchers by Richard Ungar Read Free Book Online Page B

pointing.
    “What color is he?” asks Claude, his voice shaking.
    “Orange and blue,” I whisper, recalling how Claude had described them earlier, “with a touch of red.”
    Claude has a smug smile on his face. Nicéphore’s eyes are narrowed to slits as they search the sky.
    I glance back quickly at Abbie. She is arranging her dress over the snatch object. She takes two steps to the right and resumes her pine tree pose.
    “This is sheer lunacy,” says Nicéphore finally, turning away from the window.
    As he turns, he spots Abbie and says, “Who is this girl?”
    She ignores him and chants:
    “The spirits of the dead who stood

In life before thee, are again

In death around thee, and their will

Shall then overshadow thee—be still.”
    “She’s my sister,” I pipe up. “Please excuse her. She is not well. I must get her even higher. Is there access to the roof through the house, monsieur?”
    Nicéphore looks from me to Abbie to Claude. I can almost see the gears working in his brain. Poor guy. He must be wondering if it’s just his imagination or if everyone around him is losing their marbles.
    “That way,” he says, pointing to a set of rough wooden stairs near the last window.
    I consider asking Claude for a hand, but he looks occupied.
    “Come along, sister,” I say. Abbie keeps her palms together and walks stiffly with me up the narrow staircase.
    The attic only has one tiny window. I stoop to avoid hitting my head on the overhead beams. The room is completely bare except for a simple table and chair. Set into the slanted ceiling directly above the table is a hatch that I almost miss seeing.
    I’m about to touch my wrist when Abbie stops me. “Wait, we’re not on the roof yet.”
    “No need to,” I say. “We can timeleap from here.”
    “True,” she says. “But who knows when we’ll be back in France? C’mon, let’s see what the view is like from up there.”
    Checking my fingernail, I see we’ve still got eight minutes left. “All right.”
    I climb on the table and tug at the hatch. On my third try, it opens and light spills into the attic along with some fat raindrops.
    Abbie scampers onto the table, and I boost her out to the roof.
    “Climb up and join me, Cale. It’s glorious out here!”
    I grab hold of both sides of the hatch, hoist myself up and then crawl on all fours to a spot beside her.
    She’s right. It’s a great view. The road winds past the village into a forest, emerges on the other side and then finally disappears between some distant hills.
    It’s raining hard now. If we don’t timeleap soon, we’ll both be completely drenched. But since it’s a warm rain, I don’t mind it so much. Besides, it feels good to be up here, just the two of us, the snatch under our belts.
    Just then Abbie stands up and thrusts her hands to the heavens.
    “The spire shudders under the cries of travelers gone mad,” she chants, “while the demon’s ill-gotten rubies lie undisturbed beneath still, deep waters.”
    I smile at the sight of her.
    I can’t help noticing how wet she is and, more to the point, how her wet dress is clinging to her body. While we’re on the topic, I also can’t help noticing how different her body looks from the way I remember it to be. There are definite curves there. Female curves.
    New feelings swirl through me. I look away, embarrassed. But it doesn’t seem like Abbie noticed anything. Or, if she has, she’s not letting on.
    After a moment she sighs. “I’m ready to head back now. You?”
    “Sure,” I say.
    I catch a last glimpse of Abbie as she touches her wrist and is gone.
    Just before I timeleap, I gaze out at the horizon. The rain is letting up and the sky is definitely brightening. I wonder if there’ll bea rainbow. But I don’t stick around to find out. Tap, tap at my wrist and I leave 1826 far behind.
    I land in the same place we left from—the alleyway beside Headquarters. Abbie is already there, just coming out of her time