Liza made her final preparations to leave her new abode and head to work. Her mind raced through the blur of events that had been her life since Thanksgiving.
An impulsive mischief followed by a chance meeting at an elevator had plunged her into the midst of a group of people who somehow became her friends. Beyond belief, they were connected mainly because they were time-travelers, occasionally trading places with different versions of themselves at other points in time.
Becoming part of them had led to her being invited to Thanksgiving dinner. And that had led to a fast friendship with Shay Ryder. And that had led to her being invited to move into Shay’s luxurious West Village townhouse. And that had led to the best weekend Liza could remember.
When she thought about Shay, she was overwhelmed by a good feeling. Reflecting on her life in total, she couldn’t identify anyone she had considered a true friend since middle school. “Friends” after that had been instrumental in nature; classmates, lab partners, and others who were situationally—and temporarily—part of her life. With Shay, Liza finally felt like someone understood her and wanted to be with her just for the sake of… friendship.
That friendship had led to her meeting Caleb and Chloe Hasting, twin siblings to one of the members of Shay’s security team. Caleb had found numerous reasons since Thanksgiving to reach out to Liza via Snapchat, and Liza had been delighted to reciprocate.
Shay and Liza had decided to host a Friday night movie night inviting Caleb and Chloe and—so Caleb wouldn’t be the only guy—Devon Collier. Everything was all set.
Until…
If there was a negative side to her new friend group, it would be that they were time-travelers. So it was that the day after the party was set, Shay traded places with the 1880 version of her. Liza thought the party would be canceled, but that Shay was as wonderful as the one she replaced. The party went on.
It didn’t take long for Liza and the other Shay to figure out both of the Shays were somehow sharing memories. That made things a lot easier, though the Shay born in 1857 was distinctly present in manners and personality.
“Ah,” She said as Liza explained about the party, “I have nice memories of that Devon fella… He sets me… her… the other Shay… She feels… I feel… Oh, my this is confusion atop confusion!”
Liza nodded. “I can only imagine! Can you tell which memories are yours and which are hers?”
Shay nodded. “That, I can, I believe. There are clues, of course, such attire. I do work with the Devon of 1880 to help him learn reading and math. I have a mind to see him into college. Perhaps you know he was born a slave… But as I was saying, the Shay from this period of time finds the corresponding Devon to be a person around whom she doesn’t have that strange, awkward feeling.”
Liza understood that. “Oh, yes… Devon is very laid back and easy-going… It will be good for him to be here with Caleb…”
And it had been. The party had been very fun and relaxed. The five of them seemed at ease, marveling at how Shay discussed her amazement of things like light bulbs and hot running water. Liza thought the night had been amazing, that all five of them seemed to grow closer to each other.
Caleb and Chloe, after embracing the time-travel idea more fully, seemed to relax and enjoy the night, too. They both swapped Snaps with Devon, who seemed pleased.
Saturday had been relaxing and on Sunday, Shay and Liza had attended an Advent service at a church that Ray Becker (one of the guards) said Shay attended.
But, the weekend ended and it was time for Liza to go back to work.
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