Chapter 7
341 Words
Clara was already in the kitchen when they entered, humming softly to herself as she arranged pastries on a large wooden tray. The table was set with mismatched ceramic plates, a pot of tea steaming in the center, and a basket of fresh bread rolls still warm from the oven.
“Hello Evelyn” Clara said brightly, glancing up. Her smile softened when she saw her. “You look much better.”
“Thank you,” Evelyn replied, her voice still a little hesitant.
“Come, sit,” Clara gestured toward the table. “Eat while it’s still hot.”
Jacob pulled out a chair for Evelyn before taking his own seat. She murmured a quiet “thanks” and sat down, her eyes scanning the spread. Her stomach growled again, louder this time, making Clara chuckle.
“Go on,” she said. “No one’s judging.”
Evelyn reached for a roll, the crust golden and crisp. She bit into it—soft, buttery, impossibly good. She closed her eyes for a second, almost overwhelmed. How could something so simple taste so comforting?
“So,” Clara said after a few minutes of quiet chewing, “are you from far away?”
Evelyn hesitated, her fingers tightening around her cup. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “Very far.”
Jacob glanced at her but didn’t press.
“Well, however far it is,” Clara said, “you’re safe here now.”
"Thanks but–" she started but paused. She couldn't just drop the bomb on them all of a sudden. They would be as confused as she was, they clearly wouldn't believe she might have time travelled.
"Yes?" Clara asked taking a cinnamon roll herself.
"Nothing.. I'm just overwhelmed" Eve said, smiling.
Jacob didn’t say anything, but he looked at her—longer this time, in a way that made her skin prickle. Not suspicious, not unkind… just strangely observant. As though he could see through her, as though he already knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth.
- Writer
