Dar

After nearly suffocating Artemis with a hug of gratitude, I grasp that the world is truly at my fingertips. Not only do I have a job, but I can have everything else. Artemis sees the gleam in my eye and straightens his vest out.

"What do you want?" he asks knowingly.

"I want to go back in time. I want to go to the fifties," I say quietly. Artemis laughs, "Not my favorite decade, but alright." I smile at his response. "What was your favorite decade?" I question.

"The twenties. Right before the Depression, things were great," he says with a wistful smile. I suddenly picture him in an oversized suit going to a speakeasy and partying with flappers.

I was about to voice my twenties vision of him when Artemis interrupts me. "So who's Jude Armstrong?" he asks. I sigh with joy. "He's only the most talented, most handsome actor of my time. He's like the Gregory Peck of my generation."

"Are you serious? I think that may be a bit of a stretch. No one is as great as Peck," he returns doubtfully. I shake my head, "No. He is that great. And he's so handsome." Artemis rolls his eyes as if saying, "That's why you like him." I swat him on the shoulder and say, "Are we gonna go back in time or not?"

He grins. "Of course we are. But let's get into the style first. He looks down at himself and within the next second he is wearing a prim suit with cufflinks and everything. His neat hair is smoothed out and I have a flashback of all the movies I had watched as a little girl.

Artemis looks at me. "What will we do with you?" he sighs with mock desperation. I feel the same whirring sensation as before. There is a heat moving through my hair and spine. And when I know that it is over and reach up to touch my head, it is pulled back with delicate ringlets falling by my ears. I am also wearing a beautiful crème dress that pulls in at the waist and flounces out. Artemis and I stand in front of the mirror near my bed. We look like a dreamy pair.

"Oh my gosh. I can't believe this is happening!" I gush and wave my arms about like a crazy person. The Giver suddenly takes a thrashing hand of mine and says, "Are you ready? It's a strange sensation, travelling time." I abruptly feel nervous.

"Yeah. I'm ready," I mutter and hold onto his hand more tightly. He grins at my anxious face and we go. It is a strange sensation. It is like riding a rollercoaster, when you feel yourself going up the big hill, feeling the weight of yourself and the car going against gravity, climbing up and up. Until it was over. I expected a thrilling dive, but that was it. Suddenly, we were standing on a bustling corner; I realize that is a well known street in Los Angeles. Women wear beautiful red lipstick and poodle skirts, while men look like Artemis –starched and polished.

"Holy moly," I whisper. Artemis is taking in his surroundings and takes a deep breath. "Smell that? It's all the pollution built up before California passed the clean air laws. B-e-a-utiful."

I realize that he is right. The air is thickly brown and I can't even see the mountains. It is also noticeably harder for me to breathe. The Giver looks down at me and I look up at him and we grin at each other. This is fun, that is what we are saying.

"Follow me," he mutters and we jostle our way up the street. I don't know where we're going, but the Giver sure seems like he does. I am gawking at the women passing by; they are put together and fresh, very unlike the modern day sweatpants-tucked-into-Uggs style.

Artemis stops at a diner and says, "Here we are." We walk inside and sit down at a booth. I look around eagerly again. Suddenly, I remember something, "Can people see you right now? Or is it only me?"

Artemis grins. "Yes. People can see me. I have to guide you when we travel, right?"

"Is that the only time people can see you too?"

"No. I can be seen whenever I want to be seen, but it's usually something major that makes me visible. It just makes it more explainable when I'm granting you wishes if others don't see where it is coming from. However, I tend to like to stretch my legs out, so to speak, and talk to others. Just tell people I'm your brother or something if it happens to happen around you, although I only appear in present time very, very rarely."

I stare at his face for a little while. He's twirling his fingers nervously. "What do you mean 'present time'? Like the time that I live in, 2011?" Artemis nods ardently, "Exactly, but let's not talk about that. Let's get some stuff going."

The waitress is wearing a pink uniform and her hair is in a similar style to mine. She has a nametag that reads: Beverly. I watch her red stained lips read off the day's specials.

Artemis is distracted and looks over her shoulder. I find that rude and give him the stink eye, but he orders a coffee and toast while I order the supreme breakfast with eggs, pancakes, and sausage. "What are you looking for?" I ask pointedly when Beverly walks away.

"I am looking for –ah, there they come."

The door jingles as another man and woman step in. They are both very beautiful. The man has a debonair quality to him, and as sneak a glance over at Artemis, I realize that he does too. They both look like Humphrey Bogarts. The woman is blond and stunning. She has dark cerulean eyes that remind me of the Pacific Ocean and I suddenly don't feel as pretty in my 50s get-up.

Artemis waves at the two and they wave back. They walk up to our booth and stand above us. "Hello, there Artie!" the woman says. The man just gives me a hearty grin and asks Artemis, "Is this your Taker?"

Artemis stands up and shakes his hand with a "Nice to see you, Leo" and gives a "Long time, no see, Adele," to the woman with a kiss on the cheek. I feel like an outsider without a timeless name. Oh yes, just hanging out with Leo, Artemis, Adele and... Hattie.

Artemis shoots out a hand in my direction and gives me an earnest look. "This is my Taker, Leo. Her name is Hattie Hutchinson and she's from the year 2011."

"Ah. Hattie! Great to meet you," Adele says and plants a kiss on my cheek. Leo shakes my hand very graciously as well and we settle sitting next to each other. Adele sits next to me and Leo next to Artemis. "Adele and Leo are Givers as well, Hattie," Artemis says as Beverly comes and drops off our orders.

"How long has Artie been your Giver?" Adele asks me kindly. She takes out her makeup and touches up her plum lipstick. I try not to admire her beauty. "Uh, for about... seventeen hours, give or take," I say with a laugh.

"And you're already time travelling. You must be a fun Taker," she says and gives me a wink. Artemis and Leo are chatting, laughing at something and I eat my pancakes while Adele asks me questions about my life.

"So how old are you?" she asks.

"Twenty," I reply.

"Ooh, and you want to be actress? That must be so exciting!"

I decide I like her. Artemis catches my eye and winks. I like his friends.



When breakfast is over, Artemis says, "It was so great to catch up with both of you." Adele frowns as she hugs me goodbye, "Goodbye, Hattie. We can be such great friends! If you ever need me, just tell Artemis you want to see me, alright?" Leo gives me a kiss on the cheek as we part.

"Oh, I like them," I say happily as Artemis and I walk back down the street. "You seemed to get along pretty well with Adele." I nod fervently, "Oh, she's beautiful, isn't she?" The Giver looks uncomfortable for a second before saying, "Yeah, she's pretty."

I recognize that look on his face and say, "Are you two, together?" I ask. He shakes his head, "No. No. It's complicated and I don't really feel like talking about it," he says. I laugh. "Okay, Giver."

He takes my hand and says, "Ready to go home?"

"Yes. I've got to get ready to meet Jude Armstrong."

The Giver takes me back with a roll of his eyes.