The Time Travelers' Club -- Chapter 102: Guests from the West

"Sam, these are my distant twin cousins."  Mrs. Steers introduced the two young men, sitting at the kitchen table.

Sam scrutinized them.  "Aren't twins supposed to..."

"Look alike?"  Darren Scott interrupted.  "We aren't identical twins."  Darren's bright smile, dark curly hair, and piercing blue eyes were the opposite of Lewis' crooked grin, blond hair, and soft green eyes.

Lewis added.  "We love to tell people we are twins just to see the look on their faces."

“So you aren’t twins?” Sam was confused.

“Yes, we are twins,” said Darren.  “We just don’t look alike.”

That confused Sam even more.

Over at the stove, Mrs. Steers poured hot water in mugs.  "Who wants hot chocolate?”  Everyone raised their hands. “I met Darren in Ancient Egypt after you left, Sam.  I didn't know who he was because I never knew my Uncle Matthew. He was the one that disappeared out west somewhere.  He married late in life and had one son, Harry, and these two are Harry’s grandsons.  They’re members of the Time Travelers Club in Oregon."

Xavier popped in the kitchen.  “Ah the twins!  I’ve heard about you both.  Welcome to the East Coast.”

“Where have you been?” said Mrs. Steers, looking at his heavy winter coat, bright red scarf that wrapped his neck twice, and a furry wool cap.

“I’ve been in Siberia,” said Xavier, unbuttoning his coat. “Following up on a lead from Mrs. Labuler.” With a pointed finger, he made a swirling motion at the side of his head.  “I think she’s got her indexes mixed up.”

“Why?  What happened?” said Mrs. Steers, arranging cookies on a serving plate.

“She may have gone mental.  It seems to be a wild goose chase.  Or at least, a wild Siberian chase.  Maybe what could be called a wrong turn.”  Xavier accented the last three words looking in Mrs. Steers’ direction. The words a wrong turn was their signal to each other that he had something important to tell her.

“Hmmm…” said Mrs. Steers.

"So, they've come to help when...,” started Xavier.  Mrs. Steers poked him in the arm while Sam wasn't looking.  Xavier quickly stopped talking and mouthed an apologetic Sorry.  Sam had missed the whole episode.

“We’ve been wanting to get more involved,” said Lewis.  “Leightstone told us that you might need some help.”

Darren was just about to take a drink.  “We’ve heard that they are getting braver in their attempts to get one of the books.”

Still fascinated by Darren and Lewis, Sam studied them. He couldn’t believe that they were twins.  Darren’s posture was perfect.  He sat up straight, while Lewis crossed his legs and slouched.  Darren’s clothes were pressed and fitted.  Lewis looked like he had just gotten out of bed.

“It is true,” said Mrs. Steers.  “We have a plan in place to get the books to safety.”

Sam did hear that comment.  It drew his attention from Darren’s precise napkin-folding after he had dried the corners of his mouth after finishing his drink.  “What are you planning on doing?” asked Sam.

Mrs. Steers was caught off-guard and didn’t know how to answer.  Xavier jumped in.

“We don’t exactly know at this time.”  Xavier rubbed his hands together.  “We are waiting to hear from the International Council.”  He glanced over at Mrs. Steers, begging for help.

“Yes, that’s what we’re doing,” she hastily added.

Listening attentively to the conversation, Darren realized that Sam was the one he had heard about.  “Sounds like you are going to need some help eventually.  Glad we’ve been asked.”

“Mrs. Steers,” said Lewis, ignoring the entire conversation and grabbing a chocolate cookie from the serving plate.  Crumbs fell on the table as he broke it into two.  “Did Darren tell you about Great-Granddad Matt?  He knew Dr. Herkeimer when he was a medical student.”

Mrs. Steers looked surprised.  “What?  No, I didn’t know that.”

“It’s true,” said Lewis.  “Great-Granddad Matt was the one who removed some of the pages from the book.  You know the ones that have important incantations on them.”

“He gave them to that lady in charge of the archives,” said Darren.

Mrs. Steers and Xavier stared at them, not really sure what to say.

“Well, that answers a couple of questions,” said Mrs. Steers.  “I knew that we had loose pages to one, but I didn’t know they matched Dr. Herkeimer’s copy. Tell me more about Uncle Matt and the Doctor.”

Darren finished his second mug of hot chocolate.  “Here’s what we know.  Dr. Herkeimer found a copy of the book in an old trunk he bought somewhere out East.  Maybe Baltimore or Washington DC.  Anyway, when he came back home, he had just entered practice… Or started school.  I can’t remember which.”

Lewis butted in.  “I think it was when he started school, but I could be wrong.  Anyway, Great-Granddad Matt went to Dr. Herkeimer to have a mole removed or something similar.  While Great-Granddad was waiting, he found the book tucked in a bookcase.”

“Great-Granddad Matt knew immediately what it,” said Darren.  “He had been involved with the Club for a while and had mastered several of the incantations.  It seems to run in the Scott family.”

Mrs. Steers was fascinated by the story.  “Wait, I need to write this down.”  She grabbed a pencil and paper and scribbled notes.  Everyone else took the opportunity to refill their hot chocolate.

Darren began again.  “Great-Granddad Matt never spoke his parents or any of his family. It wasn’t until later that we knew why.  It was to protect them.”

“That includes you,” added Lewis, pointing at Mrs. Steers.  “We think he knew that you had the abilities to use the incantations.”

“Me?  Why me?”  Mrs. Steers was surprised to learn that information.

“He knew that you had the power to use some of the incantations. He remembered a time when you made a small orb and pretended it was a ball.”

“You set your Mother’s dress on fire with it according to Great-Granddad,” said Lewis.

“Oh my,” said Mrs. Steers. “I don't remember that.  Mother never talked about it. So I’ve always been able to use them.”

  Across the room, Sam quietly asked Xavier. “So, did it also run in your family?”

“What?”  Xavier was confused at first by Sam’s question. “Oh, you mean the abilities to use the incantations.  Yes, it did.  Both of my parents and grandparents. Uncle Griff taught me after my parents died.”

“Really.  What happened to them?”

“They died in a plane crash,” said Xavier.  “I was only four at the time, so I don’t really remember them.  I lived with Uncle Griff most of my life, except when I was away at school.”

“Are you able to use all of them?”

Xavier intentionally kept his answers short.  “No, just a few.”

“Really, which ones?” asked Sam.

“A few.  Well, Sam, I need to go.” Xavier went to the back parlor where Rose sat quietly staring out into space.  He settled down into a chair next to her.  Fidgeting with his vest buttons, he rolled his head back and forth.  “Sam is a nice kid, but sometimes I just don’t feel like talking to him.”

“Still have those bad feelings from school?”  Rose jested with him.  “Feeling the teasing?  Set those feelings aside.  Sam is our only hope right now.”

Xavier nodded.  “I get it, but that doesn’t mean I have to spill my life’s story to him.”

Looking past him, Rose stared at Sam in the kitchen.  “He’s our best hope.  Our only hope right now.  We have to make him our priority and keep Dr. Herkeimer from getting to him again.”

Mrs. Steers popped her head around the corner.  “Aha.  Xavier, give me the scoop.”  She settled into her chair, making sure that no one could hear them.  “What were you looking for in Siberia?”

“Mrs. Labuler had found information about a cave in Northwestern Siberia that may or may not have something stashed in it.  Great lead, eh?”  Xavier rolled his eyes.  “But I did find a cave.  Inside, I found something interesting.  Symbols of a bird and a bear carved into the wall in the far back corner.”

“What does that mean,” asked Rose.

“I have no idea,” said Mrs. Steers, rubbing her chin.  “I’ll have to check my research.  This is very curious.  What do they mean and why are they there?”