“Huh?” Jace piped. “Millie, you never told me about that.”

           “Not much to tell, and it’s more sad than anything. Her name was Samantha, and we met in second grade. I stayed over at her house a few times, and our favorite thing to do was pretend we were spies. I already liked… observing other kids by that point, but the whole, ‘serious’ Harriet the Spy thing I had going, I got from her. But then she moved just after third grade, and I went back to being a loner. It’s easier to talk about now, but for a while, since I was young and dumb, I used to think it was somehow my fault she left.”

           “Is that, maybe, why you don’t put the effort into making friends?”

           She shrugged. “Could be. Also, when you overanalyze others and focus on all their little flaws that actually aren’t any more numerous than what others got going on, you kinda let perfect be the enemy of good. Difference was, I cared about all those little things way too much after Sam left. She had plenty of flaws, too, but it didn’t bother me before. A-anyway, this slumber party isn’t about me. Er, well, I guess it is, but not me.”

           “Millie… You’re not going to pull a fast one us, too… right?” Laurie worried.

           “No! What reason would I even have? This is where I was going—I don’t think I will ever do that to you, because I’m not sure that Millie is actually me. As soon as I saw her up close, I could tell she was off. Since I watch people, I pick up on mannerisms, a person’s every tic. And I know myself the best. There’s something going on with her, and it made her twitchy and unsure of herself. I’m not saying she was an imposter—like, someone imitating me, but think about it. We know she’s time traveling, and that opens up possibilities. Who can say where or when she’s been? What if she’s from an old loop, like Warren was back when he was playing time ninja? Heck, maybe she’s from another timeline entirely. I didn’t fully suspect anything before I mentioned our glasses, yet I had that urge to ask. What I don’t get, is why she jumped right into the ‘oh, no, they found me out!’ thing. It’s almost as if… she thinks Jace knows more than he does.”

           “… Huh…” Jace muttered after a few seconds of quiet contemplation. “You just gave me a lot to think about. Only she can tell us for sure. Wonder where she is now… Well…” he yawned, “I better not stay in here any longer and get your dad all nervous.”

           “On the topic of what you’re also now implying and will never happen, I got one last, very important question before you go to bed.” Millie leaned in deviously. “I know you remember Ash giving you that kiss just before you left on July 4^th, ’96. So do the others. Okay, you’re blushing already—but I just have to ask, was that the first time?”

           “Ooh, Jace,” Laurie gave him a sly grin and nearly crushed her bean ball, “do tell.”

           “Hey, not fair. You two are ganging up on me! I-I…” He got up with his pillow. “It was the second time. First time was… at summer camp. Happy? Now good night.”

           “Sheesh, so dramatic,” Laurie sighed as Jace scampered out. “By the way, Mill, this sleeping bag is so soft and big. It almost makes me want to sleep on your floor.”

           “Yeah, it’s Dad’s.” She put her glasses on the nightstand. “He camps, a lot.”

           The living room was filled with flickering light, and Jace tiredly shuffled over to the couch where a blanket waited and Millie’s dad was sipping a beer to unwind as he watched a wrestling event on TV at a low volume. Upon seeing Jace, he made room.

           “Hey, kiddo. Knocking off already? This ends in about ten minutes. It’s pay-per-view, so if you want to watch a little primo material first… This Mankind guy is a beast.”

           Jace stared at the mindless entertainment for a bit, then shrugged. “Eh, sure.”

           About twelve hours later and following a long night of sleep, Jace, Laurie, and the rest of the gang were leaving one of the theaters of the Royal Mega 18 megaplex, all of them getting together to see a movie like the old days. Surrounded by a late matinee crowd and neon lights reflecting off chrome accents, they skipped to the commentary.

           “I was expecting more of a comedy with Jim Carrey in it and everything, but that actually made me… kind of emotional by the end,” Sadie started. “Truman is leaving behind a perfect town, all his friends and family… everything he knows!”

           “Can’t he come back to visit, though?” Jared wondered. “I mean… they’d keep Seahaven going for rich people to live in, or for fans of the show to tour, right?”

           “Man, what a head-trip,” Colin said. “I have so many questions. Like… did they keep all the schools he went to active? Can real-world parents send their kids to them? What if Truman just randomly decided to check out his old elementary school one day, but no kids came out on the last bell? How functional is Seahaven? Is everyone an actor?”

           “I’m more curious if the actors eventually forgot they were actors,” Laurie added.

           “And are cameras pointed at his toilet? Does the audience watch?” Zach asked.

           Ash winced. “Zach over here, as always bringing up the important questions.”

           “Dad told me about the movie,” Jace mentioned. “Now I see why. He likes to see his past as this… thing isolated in time and space, perfect and filled with stories.”

           “Kind of vague, but I think I get what you mean,” Millie said. “I really get it…”

           “It’s a thinker’s film, sure,” Celeste summarized. “But did anyone watch wrestling last night? Now that was crazy. Hm? No one? Tch. At least we still see movies together.”

           “Wes? You’re being unusually quiet at a post-movie chat,” Arthur noted.

           “I’m… still absorbing it,” Wessy murmured. “Like Sadie said… Stepping out of your own life and leaving home like that? Just pure… what’s the word… Melancholy?”

           “Careful, Wes,” Sadie replied. “Don’t forget, it’s ‘lame’ to have emotions in middle school. Anyway, looks like our parents and rides are waiting out front.”

           “Jason, are we going to see you again before you leave town?” Colin inquired.

           “Er, I think so. But first…” He turned to Arthur and Colin. “Can I ask a favor? Colin, would you ride with the twins’ dad, so you could help with a little… project? It’s important, but you might find the challenge fun. Oh, and Millie should be there, too.”

           Glancing at Colin, Arty replied, “Need the nerds, huh? Anything for you, bud.”

           “Here just a weekend, and you couldn’t stay away,” Arthur’s dad greeted as he let his kids and several of their friends into his house. “You here to catch up, or what?”

           “We’re working on a little science experiment, Mr. Teller,” Jace replied.

           “Ha. Well, if you need a computer, Arthur’s got a brand new one in his room.”

           “And it has Windows 98,” Arthur added. “I don’t think even Colin’s seen it yet.”

           “Lucky…” Colin groaned, and the gang got on the move to check it out.

           Halfway down the hall, Ash split off into her own room, and Jace got a glimpse at the TLC and Destiny’s Child posters on her walls before she playfully waved goodbye to him, closed the door, and started up some pop music on her stereo.

           “Jace…” Laurie whispered as they walked. “Hate to tell ya, but I think it’s over.”

           “It wasn’t really meant to be,” Jace, at peace with it, replied. “Nice to have that memory back again, though. It’ll always be my… Millie, you’re too close.”

           “Sorry, Romeo, but I’m still waiting for you to tell us what, exactly, we’re doing.”

           As they entered Arthur’s tech haven of a room that was also filled with action figures and comic books, Jace explained to Mill and Laurie, “All we need to do is send a message to my uncle, on the day we were pushed into the past, and get him to find his stashed quartz. But, Millie, your older self might be expecting the Back to the Future II send-a-letter-to-the-future routine, so I was thinking we could be… more modern.”

           “Nice machine,” Colin complimented while he studied the tower and Arthur dialed into the internet. “You got a Voodoo card in there? Can you do 3D graphics?”

           Arthur smiled. “You know it. I had to save up for a year to get it, but, worth it.”

           “You should see if your dad could get you a job at the park, then you might make so much money that you could buy one of those new flat monitors.”

           “The twins’ dad maintains equipment at King Arcade,” Jace told Laurie.

           “Oh, cool,” she replied. “Does he keep the Red Demon from breaking down?”

           “That’s a bit above his pay grade,” Arthur said with a laugh. “Equipment isn’t totally incorrect, but he’s more of the electrician. Okay, Jason,” he spun around in his chair to face him, “what do we got going on? And can we actually pull it off?”

           “Well…” Jace took a breath. “I’m not sure how tough this might be, or how to get started. I want to schedule a text message to be sent 25 years into the future.”

           “Really now…” Arthur rubbed his chin. “Interesting idea. Let’s get started.”

           “You guys watch that announcement for the iMac?” Colin asked the others, a few minutes into Arthur’s research at his desk. “An all-in-one machine with a colorful exterior… I want one, and Jared’s hoping Steader High has them in their lab by the time we start ninth grade. I do both Mac and Windows, but dang… that puppy looks nice.”

           “It still looks like a toy to me,” Arthur said as he scrolled through another text-filled technical page about SMS delivery methods. “But who am I to talk when hardware is obsolete after a year these days. Anyway, this is more complicated than I thought it’d be, but it seems like you can pay a premium to have a message stored on a company server, and schedule it to fire off at a later time. Jason, I’m all for setting up a digital time capsule to say hi to ourselves or whatever in the future, but… how important is this?”

           Choosing to make a play on emotions, Jace replied, “Think about how much it’ll bring you guys back, when you suddenly get a forgotten text from me, made when we were kids. I have a feeling that you’ll remember when we did it, and it’ll make your day.”

           “Sounds fun,” Colin said. “Maybe we’ll get it while we’re having a crappy time, like… after paying taxes or getting fired, and it cheers us up. I say we pay for the service, Arty. I’ll chip in for the…” he leaned towards the screen, “four bucks a message? Geez.”

           “All right, sure,” Arthur gave in. “Guess I’ll go and convince Dad to let us use his credit card. Jason, do you want to type the message? And what number it goes to?”

           “Hold on…” Millie spoke up after folding her own phone. “What are the odds, that, ya know… either of you guys will have the same number that far into the future?” She eyed Jace, sending a signal that more had to be taken into consideration.

           Jace added, “Um… or that this service will be running in, I dunno… let’s make it 2022. The internet and what sites exist are going to change fast. Probably. We’re on the right track, but we need something that should be around for a long time.”

           Colin thought aloud, “If we need a computer or server that will stay linked to the internet and plugged in, and will get its data moved when it’s time for upgrades… Yeah, yeah. That might work. Jason, my dad happens to be on the IT team at Royal University. He should be able to get your message saved and scheduled on the school hardware.”

           “Sounds like our best option,” Arthur said. “But when will we know if it works?”

           “I kind of have a feeling that I’ll find out pretty soon,” Jace answered.

           Taking out his cell, Colin added, “I’ll call Dad. Now ya got me invested in this.”

           Off in the 29th century, Nyra’s old junker time shuttle reappeared in a flash above Royal Valley, glittering with a million lights and bright windows on a foggy night. Millie, in the co-pilot seat but locked out from interacting with the holographic controls, let out a happy sigh as stars, satellites, and stations emerged from drifting clouds. An orbital hotel was big enough against the moon to make out its shape. Nearby and below, the police tower and its many aeropads loomed over where King Arcade once stood.

           “Royal Valley Time Travel Control, this is CA-771KL, reporting back from a quick trip to 2498,” Nyra called in seconds after arrival. “Sending all flight and data logs now. Looks like…” she skimmed a screen full of text, “negligible temporal butterflies.”

           “CA-771KL, copy that, hold position while we run a full scan,” was the response.

           Nyra leaned back in her pilot seat, stretched, and huffed, “I’d totally clock-back even more if I didn’t have to deal with pain in the ass go-return procedures every time.”

           “Now that I’ve looked up how rare they are, I’m amazed that you managed to get a civilian ‘explorers’ license,” Millie replied. “So, keep putting up with it; I wouldn’t want you to lose it. Seeing that there were still scars and cities being rebuilt a century after the Resource Wars really puts a big event into perspective. I hope I don’t sound too much like a history teacher. But thanks for all the little adventures. I needed the excitement.”

           “Sure, but when are we going to check out the 1990s? I’m running out of centuries’ last decades to show you. I wanna see where you grew up, together.”

           “I know, I know—you love the late 20^th, but I feel like if I go back for more than a fast check-in, I’ll get homesick for real and want to stay. Maybe I’m not ready to make our friendship that… personal just yet. I really appreciate all you’ve done to help—”

           Nyra scowled a little and argued, “Mill! I’ve known you almost two years. You ‘appreciate’ your automaid, or a tour guide. Ya gotta let people in, even if past scars are biting at you. If you… What’s that?” she asked when Millie’s glass phone began to beep.

           Millie took it out of her jacket pocket and looked at the flashing alert on the screen, replying, “Someone tripped my apartment’s alarm system. Back in 2022.”

           “Oh, yeah? Give me the exact time, and we’ll catch them in the act.”

           “Seriously? I don’t like confrontation. Why don’t we just let them leave first?”

           As she opened a time-date window, Nyra said confidently, “Proactive is better.” She then spoke to the operator, “Control, I need clearance. Had a change of plans.”