‘I wish I could meet him.’
I helped her unload the food on to the conveyor belt.
‘You should have said something before. It could easily have been arranged.’ I smiled to myself. ‘I’m sure he would have loved to meet you too. You’re just his type.’
Her eyes flashed. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Connor likes blondes. That’s why I never really accepted Ryan’s idea that he is into me. I mean, look at the evidence. Megan is the girl he’s taking to the ball. She’s a voluptuous blonde. His favourite movie stars and singers are blonde. You’re right up his street.’
‘Why would you say something like that?’ she said. ‘That’s not funny. It’s disgusting.’
I bit my lip, confused. ‘I’m sorry. I know that technically he’s old enough to be your grandfather, but right now he’s sixteen and . . .’
‘My grandfather?’ she interrupted. ‘Ryan hasn’t told you, has he?’
I shrugged. ‘I’m not sure what you mean.’
She glanced at the cashier, then leant in close to me and whispered in my ear. ‘Your friend Connor Penrose is my great-grandfather.’
It was too cold to have a barbeque. The sea fog had rolled inland, chilling the air and obscuring the sky, just as Ryan had predicted. Ben cooked the chicken and the sausages in the oven and we ate at the kitchen table instead.
‘You didn’t tell her who I am,’ Cassie said to Ryan.
‘I’m not supposed to tell her anything.’
‘But she knows when we’re from and why we’re here. Why did you fail to mention my relationship to Connor?’
‘It didn’t seem important. And you’re always reminding me not to reveal any more than necessary.’
Cassie turned to me. ‘I’m here to ensure there is no Plan B.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We’re here to prevent Connor from discovering Eden. But, like you said, in many ways it would be simpler to kill him. Strangely enough, I’m quite strongly opposed to the thought of my great-grandfather being killed. It might cause all sorts of problems for me, such as the non-existence of my parents and grandparents. So, you see, Ryan is here to make sure Connor doesn’t discover Eden and I’m here to make sure that, if he fails, there is no Plan B.’
‘And I’m the mission leader,’ said Ben. ‘So let’s clear away the dinner things and go over the plans for tomorrow.’
Once we’d cleared away the dirty plates and empty serving dishes, Cassie brewed a pot of coffee and the four of us sat back at the table.
‘The limo picks me up at seven thirty,’ said Ryan. ‘And Matt and Connor will be picked up ten minutes later. Then we get Amy, Megan and Eden. All six of us should be at the school by eight.’
Cassie glanced at her notes. ‘The ball begins at eight and ends at eleven. Sunset is at nine twenty-two, but it will be at least another hour before it begins to get dark.’
‘We’re going to be able to enjoy the first couple of hours,’ said Ryan, smiling at me.
‘From sunset until the end of the ball, you will not let Connor out of your sight,’ said Ben.
‘Eden will be detectable between ten thirty and eleven o’clock,’ said Cassie. ‘That’s a very small window. Will you stay at the ball all evening?’
‘I think so,’ I said. ‘There are usually a few after-parties to choose from. Some people leave early for the parties, but most people stay till the end of the ball.’
‘It’s those after-parties I’m worried about,’ said Ben. ‘When you’re at the ball, you’re inside. I can’t see Connor discovering Eden at the ball. But if you leave early for a party, all bets are off. Maybe he’ll find a telescope. Maybe someone’s dad will be looking through a telescope. The possibilities are endless.’
‘Haven’t you discussed your plans for after the party?’ said Cassie.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘A couple of people are holding parties. But a lot of people just head down to the beach for an hour.’
‘It’s what happens after the ball that really concerns me,’ said Ben. ‘We don’t know where you’ll be.’
‘Eden and I will be wherever Connor is. I’ll call you as soon as I know the after-party location,’ said Ryan. ‘And you guys can drop off my car somewhere nearby.’
‘Try to keep Connor at the ball until the end,’ said Cassie.
‘And keep him away from telescopes at all costs,’ said Ben.
I giggled suddenly. That was what it all came down to: this mission from the future had the simple directive of keeping Connor away from telescopes.
Everyone stared at me.
‘What’s the joke?’ asked Cassie.
I shrugged. ‘Sorry. It just seemed so . . .’
‘This is not a joke,’ said Cassie.
‘Of course not,’ I said, trying to sound serious.
‘In many ways, it’s good to have you on board,’ said Ben. ‘Because you can help enormously by not arguing with Connor. In the first timeline, it was an argument with you that caused him to storm off and end up discovering the planet. So bite your tongue. Agree to anything he asks.’
‘Within reason,’ said Ryan.
‘I’ll try not to upset him,’ I said.
Cassie turned back to her notes. ‘We have a viewing night out on the Lizard tomorrow evening with the South Cornwall Amateur Astronomy Group. That’s about twenty-five miles from Perran.’
‘Connor doesn’t drive,’ I said. ‘The only friend he has who does is Ryan.’
‘I think we can safely assume that he won’t be hitching a ride out to the Lizard,’ she said. ‘Which is confusing. He doesn’t own a telescope himself, the school astronomy club doesn’t have a viewing night for two weeks and I’m not aware of any other active clubs locally.’
‘It has to be someone else’s telescope at one of the parties after the ball,’ said Ben. ‘He says in his autobiography that he discovered the planet while he was at a party.’
‘Maybe we changed the future enough when we stopped him buying the telescope for his birthday,’ I said.
‘That’s quite possible. But we can’t assume anything,’ said Ben. ‘We discussed this before. Listen in on his conversations.’
‘Finally,’ said Cassie, running her finger down the page of notes in front of her. ‘We’ll set the coordinates for midnight tomorrow. That gives you an hour to make your way back here, Ryan. It’s only a ten-minute drive, so you shouldn’t be pushed for time.’
‘Midnight,’ he repeated, catching my eye across the table. ‘Why not a few hours later?’
‘It’s safer to travel at night,’ said Cassie. ‘And frankly, once the viewing window has passed, there’s no reason to wait.’
Chapter 15
Amy, Megan and I dressed at Megan’s. When we had applied the finishing touches to our hair and make-up, Megan’s mum took photos of the three of us in the back garden. She photographed us alone and together, then humoured us for a while as we goofed around, pulling faces and posing for silly shots. Megan and Amy were giddy with excitement – the evening still lay ahead of us, long anticipated, ripe with possibilities. I smiled and laughed along with the others, reminding myself that this should be one of the happiest nights of my life, trying to forget that I would have to spend the whole evening making sure I didn’t argue with Connor and inadvertently help to bring about the end of life on Earth.
We viewed the photos on Megan’s laptop while we waited for the limo to arrive. There was a photo of Megan alone by a blue ceanothus tree: her lilac dress, floor-length, shimmering satin, like the sky at dawn; her hair curled and pinned up on top of her head with small curls framing her face; her smile hopeful and innocent.