Page 21 of The Girl Out of Time
“That we love you and want you to be happy. We only want to help.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “Maybe you want to help Brendon and Tristan, because they’re your perfect little sons, but you’re not trying to help me, and you certainly don’t love me!”
He lifted his chin, swallowing hard. “I wish you’d understand.”
“And I wish I wasn’t a part of this family and never had to see you again!”
His hands twitched. “You may get that wish for the rest of the travel, at least.” He took her cabin key from the desk and left without another word, the door clicking after him.
After a moment of shock, anger fueled Emmeline to run to the door, but the doorknob wouldn’t give. She tried again, and again—but no, the door wasn’t stuck.
Her father had locked her in.
***
Will wandered the labyrinthine hallways of the ship, frustration guiding his steps. He had no destination in mind, but he had to walk until his brain sorted out his thoughts into something,anythingworkable. He thought of returning to Sylvia and telling her what had happened, but turned back before the lounge. Then he thought of going back to his daughter’s cabin and trying to fix whatever he’d done wrong, but when he was already in front of her door, he paused. Talking again now wouldn’t do either of them any good. They both needed time to calm down.
Instead, he went back to the cabin he shared with Sylvia. He picked up the tablet he used to communicate with Emily and sat on the sofa. A dial with five hands, reminiscent of his pocket watch, was attached to the back; Will used a switch at the side to wind up the hands, setting them to Emily’s time, then pushed the switch in to activate the call.
“Finally!” Emily’s face appeared on the screen. “Tell me you’re on the way back.”
“We’re on the ship.”
She leaned closer to the screen. “I don’t like that expression. What’s wrong?”
He sighed. “It’s Emmeline. We had a fight.”
“Oh, Gramps. What did you do this time?”
“I didn’t—she—” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’d been consorting with some boy she met on the ship.”
“And naturally, you don’t approve.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Why? She’s bound to meet someone eventually, unless you’d like her to be alone forever.”
“She brought him into her room!”
Emily let out a short laugh. “When I was her age,youspent the night inmyroom.”
“That was an entirely different situation. My watch broke, and I was stuck there until morning.”
“And my aunt would’ve pitched a fit if she found you.”
“It was your idea,” he argued, though the nostalgic memory had lightened his tone.
“Point is, sometimes, you have to let teenagers be teenagers. And it looks like Blue is in her problematic teenager phase. Not that you’d understand, having never been problematic.”
“I’m trying to protect her.”
“And I believe you. I know your intentions are good, but she won’t see it that way. Besides …” Emily weighed her head.
“What?”
“Not to criticize, since I hardly have the experience myself …” She frowned, but quickly continued, “You and Sylvia aren’t exactly winning theWorld’s Most Lax Parents Award.”
“We don’t live in your time. There are rules, expectations here. And on top of it all …” He gazed at the faraway point in the cabin. “I worry about her pushing boundaries like this. What if one day she gets into trouble she can’t get out of? What if I’m not there to help her? Imagine someone else discovered her like I did, with that boy.”
