The Time Heiress Read Online Free Page B

a cat.
    “Now watch,” said Yoshi. Jake and Cassandra looked on with interest, though they knew the process well. Yoshi gave the computer a verbal command to measure the image. It immediately responded by outlining the image in blue and presenting the exact body mass of the cat for them to read.
    “This is how we will know when you and Cassandra return to the portal for transportation back to our time. We will have pre-programmed your exact body mass and proportions, along with your stance and biometric signature, into the computer. Once you step into the alley, the computer will sound an alarm to alert us to a match, and we will immediately activate the portal for your return. You will instantaneously disappear from that spot, but it will take about a minute for you to actually travel through the wormhole to this portal chamber.” He indicated a glass-enclosed booth to his right.
    Evie was silent. Yoshi looked at her.
    After a moment she spoke. “You say it’s programmed to my body?”
    “Yes, that’s right,” he said.
    “Well what if I gain or lose weight?”
    Cassandra steered away from her desire to be condescending. “The particular proportions of your face, your hands, your feet, your bone structure, all those things are programmed in, so that even if your body mass index changes, the computer will still recognize you.”
    “That’s a relief,” the young woman breathed. “Can I go in the booth?”
    “Sure,” said Yoshi. “Try it out.” He opened the door for her.
    She went in, feeling along the entrance. Her head reappeared for a moment. “You’re sure I won’t just pop into the past?”
    Yoshi laughed. “Not a chance.”
    She withdrew all the way into the chamber. “Will Cassandra and I go at the same time?” she called out from within.
    “No,” Cassandra replied. “It’s not safe for both of us to go at once. I’ll go first, and you’ll follow along immediately after. There will only be one minute between our arrivals. When we return to this time, you’ll go first, and I’ll follow.”
    “Oh,” said Evie, quickly stepping out of the booth. She shivered. “It makes me feel claustrophobic.”
    “Don’t worry,” said Jake, laying a hand on her arm, his blue eyes meeting hers. “I’ve done it about a half a dozen times now, and I’m still in one piece. It’s perfectly safe.”
    “I trust you.”
    Jake dropped the stylus he was holding. “What other questions do you have?” He bent to retrieve it and in the process knocked an electronic notebook to the floor.
    “What happens if there’s an emergency and we have to leave quickly?”
    Yoshi guided them all to sit in the lounge area. When Evie’s back was turned, Cassandra jabbed Jake with her elbow.
    He stuck his tongue out at her before he explained, “You have to come back to the portal exit. There’s no other way to get back.”
    Evie nodded her head.
    There were many more questions from the young woman, and the scientists tried to satisfy her concerns until Cassandra glanced at her watch and saw that it was noon.
    “Should we finish this conversation over lunch? I’d like to catch the one-thirty train from Grand Central back to Boston. We could eat there. Are you comfortable catching a cab with us, Evie, or do you need to call your chauffer?” She hoped the question didn’t sound obnoxious. She’d promised Professor Carver she would try to be tolerant of the girl’s lifestyle.
    “Oh, a cab is fine. As a matter of fact, I sent my driver back to Boston. I want to go back on the train with you, Cassie.”
    Cassandra noticed the familiarity of the nickname she’d never authorized Evie to use.
    “Great,” she said.
     
    As the train sped up through New England, Cassandra watched the spring colors swim past the window like a smeared impressionist painting. The two women had been mostly silent. Evie sat with her sunglasses on, to not attract attention, Cassandra assumed. The affectation irritated her. The young woman