“I need my diary, don’t I, September?” The gold flash from the cat’s eyes seemed to light up the alley. She jumped off the lid and landed perfectly, despite having only three legs. She began rubbing up against Rose’s calf. Rose reached down and petted the cat. It was the first time September had allowed her to do this. She purred. Then Rose removed the lid from the can. The red leather diary was waiting for her. She was thankful that she’d gotten back in time before trash was collected.

Shivering, Rose crawled into bed with the diary, untaped the key, slid it into the lock, and opened it. She needed to ponder time, and the shifts in time that took her out of Indianapolis, Indiana, and dropped her across a vast timeless chasm into another country, another century, almost five hundred years before. How had it happened? She began skimming through the blank pages until she arrived at the day. The one she wanted to forget forever. August 15.

She dared herself to face her fears and look at the date of her mom’s death, the fatal crash. She bit her lip lightly and felt her chin begin to quiver. How could everything change so quickly? Not just a car had crashed. Her life had too. She felt a wild veering inside, as if she herself were about to fly off the road into a searing nothingness of flames and destruction. Complete annihilation. She stared at the date a long time. Slowly she began to turn the pages forward. Three weeks and five days after that date, she started at her new school. She now began to calculate when she had first fallen out of time and into that distant century. It was the day she had been locked in her locker. September 17 to be exact. And that was when she first laid eyes on Princess Elizabeth. But it was weeks later, during her second tumble through time, that she had met Franny, who led her up to the palace. And now she had just returned from her third visit. She looked at her iPhone. It was close to midnight on October 27. Then she saw that a text message had come in from Anand.

Four nights till Halloween. Wanna come trick or treating with Myles & Joe and me, and I think Susan? Doctor Who–themed, but you can go as whatever.

Fifteen seconds later, another text message came in. This one from Susan.

Going with the guys for Halloween. Please come. Guess what! Joe invited me. Do you think this means he likes me? And guess what else! I’m going back to Elsie’s and buying the black lace dress! Don’t worry, you don’t have to go as a Doctor Who character if you don’t want to.