Quickening

pte

written on the page let her do that. She went to her bedroom and set up her laptop on her desk. Deciding to get all the text in before getting distracted by what information the translation might reveal, Cassie opened a blank document and began to type. She was careful with her punc

ould have relevance later. 'If I were hiding a book, I'd hide it with other books so it'd be less noticeab

k the titles.' The thought gave her more incentive to focus. Most of the books in the collection were larger than the small volume she was working on and the thought of

eturned to her typing. As the storm settled in, Cassie saved the document repeatedly. After a while she paused, made herself a quick sandwich to quiet the rumbling in her belly and tested her chocolate cake. She pronounced it a success and decided she would add it to her repeat

and when everything was washed and put away, she returned to her typing. The day passed quietly, Cassie again taking breaks to eat and finally callin

w that it was all typed in, Cassie wanted to run it through a translator program. She knew however that once she did she would no doubt concentrate on the document she hoped would tell her something about herself. Cassie reminded herself she had a

k in on time, never asked for more time to finish anything, never raised her

ut the remains of her cake. The thought of someone putting a blocker on her, of preventing people from noticing her unless she forced them to do so by talking to them directly seemed a lot

asserting itself. She finished her piece of cake, washed her dishes and wiped down the counters. The

hool and if so how she would respond to them, Should she tell them that she went into their room and saw their notes and demand to know if they

exist without it, " Cassie said, still staring at the book. She let her mind wander, t

parents of C

ld they call the police? Would the police be able to see her? Her thoughts turned dark and she decid

tant to do so. It wasn't that she didn't want to go back into her parents' room, but that she did

tomorrow they won't be staying in town long and I can always get the book again now that I know where it is hidd

d filed it away. She then took the book back to her parents' bedroom, hid it back under the draping curtain and looked around to make certain there were no signs of her presence in their space. Satisfied s

ow if I'm on the right track, " she mused. "I don't have to decode the entire thing tonight." She yawned widely, feeling her jaw pop and rubbed her eyes. She slipped into her d

to pass a historian's inspection. If she needed something more accurate, she could find a way to get it later. Cassie pulled up the document she typed up

time she typed in only one sentence. Again the computer thought about it. This time there was no err

st face to reach th

e had not spent the entire weekend copying a Latin self-help book. Again th

ch must be willing to endure, for without

nd creating a sidewalk. Clearly the translation process, as inaccurate as it no d

est per

many words, both known and unknown, swimming in front of them. She open

is dan

ping loudly. They seemed to echo in her mind. Unab

app

the man and the girl in the book store. Before she could stop herse

er cho

ed at her document wondering if, even after all the care she took, she copied the text incorrectly, possibly adding

d to know what I'm choosing between, " she

quomodo

le checked everything before pr

how it

g time. Suddenly, she felt as though she were standing at the top of a precipice

ts fault. Nerves were jumping in her belly. She looked at the paragraph she translated

s the risk each must be willing to endure, for without the willingness to risk there i

program. She shut down her computer and slipped it into her desk drawer, closing the draw

how it

g sensation in her belly. She stepped away from the desk and went to her closet, retrieving her pajamas for the night. "At least it

picked up her cell phone meaning to charge it and remembered the three messages she saw when she checked it with Sarah. There

our timeline, but if anything arises we can be reached at the following number." As Carolyn rattled off the number, Cassie wondered if her voice always sounded so detac

needed later. Over the years she was left many messages with phone numbers to call if 'something came up'. Thus far if anything ever did, she called her grandfather and he dealt with it. 'I wonder

nd Cassie pushed the thought away

alling to see if you were coming to the party tonigh

o think about where she actually met Cassie. 'The 'school' a

This time Sarah wanted to know if she c

he deleted both of Sarah's messages and plugged the phone in to charg

et her alarm and turned out her bedside light. She lay on h

lf, oddly disappointed he didn't call. "He probabl

uld slide rig

d. What if that was it? Her parents' friends only noticed her when she spoke to them and then for

me for an instant, but he remembered me at least until the party that night. Touch has to

is better this way." Cassie decided trying to dismiss her own disappointment that