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  “Headache,” I mouthed, as it was hard to speak above the din of horses, men in chainmail, and the cheering crowd.

  “Feel better,” she mouthed back, giving me a sympathetic nod, and waving me on.

  I slipped out of the crowd and felt instant relief as the noise receded with each footstep I took away from the arena. I wasn’t far from where Leonardo lived. I only hoped he’d be there. As I rounded a corner in the garden I almost ran headlong into the man himself.

  “M’moiselle Izzy!”

  “Leo!” we exclaimed at the same time, grabbing each other’s arms to keep from falling over.

  “I was on my way to find you,” he said, patting my arm as we’d regained our balance.

  “And I was on my way to see you,” I replied. “It’s the first I’ve been able to slip away.”

  “Come,” he urged, taking my arm and slipping it into the crook of his as he turned back toward his cottage. “I must show you.” I noticed an increase bounce of excitement to his step.

  “Were you able to make my special lights?” I asked him, wondering if this was the cause of his excitement. I’d asked him if there was a way we could make spotlights for our music competition, because I’d been told that we would be performing last and it could be well into the evening by then. This would work to our advantage only if we had lights. I had explained what a spotlight was, and we sketched together long cylinders that could channel the candlelight and concentrate it into one area on the stage.

  “Yes, yes,” he waved his hand impatiently as if he were swatting a fly. “That is all taken care of. No problem, no problem. I will show you!” I loved how inventive Leonardo was and how he could take these modern world items and adapt them to work in this century. He loved the challenge. I swore it kept him feeling younger.

  I felt the water bottle he’d made me bounce against my dress as I walked. I had strapped it around my waist with a thin leather belt. He’d gone all out. He’d lined a hollowed wooden cylinder with silver to help keep the water colder longer, and topped it with a cap that screwed into place. He had carved a trailing vine with leaves and flowers around the outside. If you looked closely at the bottom, you could see his signature carved in the wood. I loved it. I took it with me everywhere filled with cool, delicious water from the well. He had laughed when I told him that people in my time actually sell water in bottles that get thrown away. He liked to shake his head a lot in wonder at what the future held in store.

  “This is better than the lighting,” he startled me out of my thoughts. Better than the lighting? Wait, could it be?

  “Leo,” I said cautiously, “are you saying…” I started, then stopped. Then tried again. “Did you get it…?” I looked around making sure no one was following us. “...my phone. Is it working?”

  We stopped outside his door. He took a ring of keys from his belt, fit a skeleton key made of iron into the lock, and twisted it open.

  “Si! Si!” he exclaimed excitedly as we stepped into the cool interior. I saw the sparkle in his eyes as we quickly descended the staircase to his rooms on the bottom floor. We entered the room he took me to that first day I’d visited him, the one with the door to the tunnels. This time the curtains were already flung back and light filled the room, dust motes dancing along the shafts that spilled across the bed. The painting in the corner also stood uncovered. I stopped in my tracks and gasped.

  “Leo!” I exclaimed, grabbing his arm, “Is that really….” I couldn’t believe my eyes. Tentatively, I stepped closer to get a better look. Her eyes followed every step. “It’s the Mona Lisa,” I whispered in awe, “La Gioconda.” I stood not a foot from the very painting, the exact one I’d seen only a few months ago behind temperature-controlled bulletproof glass in the Louvre in Paris. I could barely see it then. There were so many people trying to get a glimpse, take a picture, pose for a selfie with quite possibly the most famous “selfie” of all-time.

  “Do you know her?” Leonardo asked.

  “Oh Leo,” I replied, “You have no idea.” I looked at him earnestly then. “She’s one of the most famous paintings in history, maybe even the most famous. Everyone wonders who she is. And why she smiles so. And how it is that her eyes follow you around the room.” I saw him gaze at her in wonder, then at me. “She was hidden during times of war to keep her safe. She was once stolen by an Italian patriot claiming she belonged back in Italy. She traveled the world, Leo. She has been exhibited in my country, Japan, Russia. The British even tried to buy her for millions of dollars. I just saw her with my parents, in Paris, where she is the most protected work of art in the museum. She is one of the reasons, my dearest friend, that you are immortal.” I looked at him then and saw him wipe a tear from his wrinkled cheek.

  “Did you hear that, my love?” he murmured to the painting. “We shall be immortal, you and I.” He let out a deep sigh, grabbed my hand and looked at me earnestly. “Thank you dear Izzy, for sharing with me your knowledge. I am happy to know she will be cared for.”

  “Yes, just make sure King Francis keeps her and all will be well,” I assured him. A smile lit up his face. I loved seeing him smile. I thought, just maybe, he and Mona Lisa had that smile in common. He turned then, and headed toward his table, pushing aside large pieces of parchment filled with sketches and words, diagrams and formulas. He found a pouch made of soft velvet. He untied its ribbon and tipped the bag open. Out slid my iPhone into his other hand. He pushed the home button, like I showed him. I just about cried when I saw the screen light up.

  “Leo, you did it!” I gushed and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. I gingerly took my phone from his hand. I swiped my thumb across the bottom of the screen and saw my home screen pop up with all its familiar apps, and the battery icon filled with green. “How?” I asked.

  “The power of the sun, as you suggested.” he shrugged. He showed me a small box he had made with dark glass. Lifting the glass, I saw that he had made a solar cell of sorts, with copper wire. Two wires hung outside the box. He pointed to them, “These two wires connect to the...battery, as you call it. The heat from the sun sends a current through the copper wires to the battery cell. It took a number of days to bring it up to full charge, but I believe it is sufficient, no?”

  “Absolutely!” I assured him. “This will last at least a week.” I quickly went into settings and set it to airplane mode so that it wouldn’t be constantly trying to find the closest cell tower that did not exist. There was no such thing as a cell tower or Wi-Fi hotspot even close to this century, but maybe I could show my friend a few new futuristic things. I clicked on my photo folder and scrolled through some pictures until I found it.

  “There!” I said, showing him the screen. “That’s Mona Lisa in my time.” It was a picture I had snapped raising my arms above all the others crowding around it in the Louvre that day. There were lots of heads in the foreground and she looked like a tiny square behind glass far away. I shocked him by zooming in with my fingers so he could see better.

  “Hmm,” he reflected. “I think I prefer her here on my easel.” I laughed. “How is this possible?”

  “It’s called a picture. My phone is also what we call a camera.” I wasn’t sure how to explain the workings of a camera in great detail, but I had a better idea. “Here let me show you,” I said as I put my left arm around his shoulder, leaned close to him, and with my right hand snapped a selfie with Leonardo. Then I turned it to show him. “See? It captures a still moment.” I think I’d rendered him speechless.

  “Would you like to see my parents?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Oh very much!” he nodded. So I pulled up pictures of my parents outside the Chateau d’Amboise, dressed up the night of the ball, the night I disappeared. I showed him the pictures of Anne and Zeke. Then I opened one of my YouTube videos saved to my phone. I turned it so he could see. When the sound started, he jumped in surprise.

  “What is this?” he asked, alarmed.

  “It’s, well, I gues
s it’s what we call a moving picture. This is what I do. This is my medium,” I tried to explain. He stepped closer. I could see he was caught up in the possibilities of the future. As the video played, an overwhelming sense of homesickness hit me like a punch in the gut.

  “Leo, do you think this phone is the key to getting me back?” I asked him, almost afraid of the answer. I wanted to go home! I wanted my life back. My parents, my friends. At the same time, I still wanted to stay. For Charles.

  “I do not understand how, but yes, I believe it is the key,” he answered. We looked at each other with big question marks in our eyes. “There’s only one way to find out, he confirmed. I nodded, with a lump in my throat. Yes, there was only one way to find out.

  “But I’m not ready, Leo. I can’t leave now! I have to perform at this competition. I have to try to save the prince.” ...And the group of girls who had become my closest friends...How could I leave them here? I’m sure history would not tell their stories. Unless...unless someone wrote them down. Hmmmm. Determined not to let their stories get lost, I promised myself I’d write them down, write about each one of them and their talents. Just the thought of it made me feel a tiny bit better about leaving.

  “Yes, we will have to time your departure just so,” he agreed, nodding his head. “But we also need to somehow test it to see if it is indeed the key.” We both looked toward the door leading to the tunnels. He raised his brows at me and I gave a slight nod. I followed him through the tunnel, scared that every step I took would be my last in this century. I paused at that thought. Who would have ever thought I’d be sad to leave this century?

  We arrived at the spot and I could already hear the hum. Leonardo could hear it too, because he grabbed hold of my arm. I could see the light of his candle bouncing off the mirrors once more, but again, nothing happened except the loud humming and the feel of the wind swirling around in the otherwise windless tunnel.

  “Should we switch on the device?” he asked me. I nodded, held out my phone, and turned it on, but nothing happened. Then I had an idea. I’d had the flashlight on that night, running through the tunnels. So I flicked on the flashlight and pointed it toward the end of the tunnel. Leonardo jumped again in surprise and wonder at the light coming out of my phone. Compared to the small glow of the candle, it was like a laser beam. When I aimed it toward the end of the tunnel, the humming intensified, and suddenly reflected beams of light shot out from each mirror. It looked like a beautiful web of light.

  “You did it!” he exclaimed. “It works!” He paced to and fro in the small space of the tunnel, mumbling something about the speed of light and time. I felt mesmerized by the light, by the hum, like it was calling to me. Without thinking, I walked toward it, feeling its pull. I felt the air swirling around me, whipping my loose strands of hair across my face. I reached out a hand to touch the web and was suddenly jerked back.

  “Not yet, lass,” warned Leonardo as the lights extinguished with the darkness of the iPhone. “As you said, you still have work left to do here.”

  I shook my head to clear it from the trance the lights and humming had caused. “You’re right, Leo. Thank you for pulling me back. Come, let us plan for my return home.”

  He took my arm once more and we took our time walking back to his chamber, each deep in our own thoughts. We stepped into the light of his room. He closed the door to the tunnel firmly. We both sat at his table and decided the night of the competition would be the time to make my exit, whether or not I won. It didn’t really matter, did it? I couldn’t very well stay in this time period, could I? I knew my heart would break leaving Charles. The ache in my heart was already becoming familiar. What 21st-century girl falls in love with a 16th-century prince?

  Only me, that’s who.

  Chapter 19

  I could NOT believe I was doing this. I had no idea what time it was–after midnight for sure. The castle was quiet. Funny thing about stone castles, the floors don’t creak. It’s great for sneaking around at night; not so good if, say, you had enemies who wanted you dead. Yeah, now the quiet was downright eerie! I shook my head to clear it from these frightening thoughts. I was already spooked after what I’d found in my bed, oh about, 10 minutes ago.

  I slipped into the music room, flicked the flashlight on my iPhone, and found the tapestry I was looking for. It was another one depicting Diana...I’d noticed that all the doors I’d seen so far that led to the tunnels were masked by Diana tapestries. I wasn’t not sure what that meant exactly, but it was handy to know. I tugged the heavy thing away from the wall and slid behind it, finding the door I was looking for. I flashed the light to find the handle, grabbed hold, and tugged, but the door didn’t budge. Ugh, these ancient doors were heavy! I put my phone in my pocket for a second so I could use both hands to pull,. Wait. I thought about the last time I opened one of these doors on my own. I was on the other side, and I pulled from that side. OK, must have to push from this side. I turned the knob and gave it a huge shove. A whoosh of cold, stale air hit me as the door finally opened just enough for me to wiggle through. I turned on my phone light again and shined it to the left and the right of the tunnel to get my bearings. And OK, to make sure there were no rats scrambling around. Ick. I’d scream for sure if I ran into one.

  I was so happy to have my phone back and in my pocket again. Something about it just seemed to center me more, remind me who I really was. It was easy to get caught up in castle life with my new friends and all the frenzy of the month-long festival taking place. The battery, of course, would last forever considering it was in airplane mode. Still, I tried to be careful about taking it out and looking at it too much. The night I got it back, I snuggled under my covers in bed and went through all 1,201 photos saved on it. Just seeing the faces of people I knew and loved, remembering video shoots and my real life in general was so overwhelming I soaked my pillow through with tears. Then I turned the volume down as low as possible, put it right up to my ear, and played the last album I had downloaded before leaving for France back in June. How long ago that seemed now. The album had quickly become a favorite and I felt content as I let the mellow voice of Ed Sheeran lull me sleep.

  I let some of those tunes play in my head now as I turned to my right and counted my steps as I went. I tried to see the rooms in my mind as I past them. Not every room had a door to the tunnels, but there was one along this hallway that I was sure about. Hmmmm, should be right about…I shined my light on the wall looking for a door…there! I found it. Of course, I hadn’t seen it in months, but I was pretty sure it was the door to the prince’s room. I stood outside it for a moment, slipped my phone back in my pocket, and put my ear to the wood. As if I’d hear anything, but hey, you never knew, right? Uh-oh, I got a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach imagining all sorts of scenarios on the other side of that door. Maybe this was a bad idea, I thought, not for the first time

  .I started pacing back and forth in front of the door, ticking off on my fingers all the things that could go wrong here. One, he might not be there. Two, it might not even be his room! Three, what if he had someone else in there with him! Holy crap. I did not need to see that. I didn’t think he was that kind of a guy, the kind to play with one girl and entertain another. But really, what did I know? Four, what if he slept naked? Oh dear. Maybe this really was a bad idea. Of course, as luck would have it, before I could turn around and retreat, the door started opening toward me and I froze in place.

  “Who’s there?” said a voice I was extremely glad I recognized. I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding and stepped into the light coming from his room.

  “It’s just me.” I about gasped when I looked up and saw him because, no, he was not naked, but he was shirtless. Oh my. I’m sure my eyes bugged out as he grabbed me and pulled me into his room.

  “Izzy! What are you doing wandering around the tunnels?” he asked, as he slid the door shut behind me.

  Wow, all that training with a sword really does wonders for
the upper body, was all I could think. Hello six-pack abs. I think my jaw was still on the floor. There was possibly drool. I couldn’t really speak until he crossed his arms across his toned chest. I looked up (ooh, those shoulders...) to see the knowing smirk on his face. Yep, I was totally caught staring. I felt the blush burning my face and flashed him a sheepish grin.

  “Sorry, I knew this was a bad idea but...I...” I could hardly get the words out as I gripped my hands together and shook my head to get my thoughts straight. This was getting more embarrassing by the moment. “Well in truth,...I’m scared,” I blurted out all at once. I saw the worry in his eyes as he uncrossed his arms and drew me into them. I snuggled in against his chest., warm and, did I mention, bare? I felt a sigh escape my lips and instantly felt better.

  “Come, sit by the fire and tell me,” he urged as he led me toward the cushioned chairs next to the fireplace. We sat down together in one and he pulled me in close, tucking me to his side. I didn’t know where to begin. I thought it’d be so much easier to show him the pictures that I’d snapped with my phone, in all their gory detail. Of course, that would start a whole other line of questions. So before I lost my nerve, I told him about all the threats I’d been receiving since that first one when my bedding was shredded, and how the threats seemed to be getting more sinister.