Intermezzo — Melinda Morgan

Two weeks - that's all Jonathan said he needed. For two weeks Grace and Jonathan would hide me from an enemy that until recently, I didn't even know existed. It sounded logical, but when has love ever proved to be logical? The catch? Grace's plan involved traveling-and traveling meant taking a trip back in time to Marensburg, Pennsylvania, where Jonathan grew up more than 150 years ago. The idea was scary, but kinda cool. Grace's plan was simple. While I hid in the past, Jonathan would stay in present-day Andersen where he'd train a special regiment of Lebas to fight against the legion of intruders who (according to my friend Eric) were on their way to destroy me. Why me? And why a whole legion? When I finally discovered the answers to those questions, it put everyone's nerves on edge. But Jonathan believed keeping me safe would help him focus, so I was willing to go. Nothing is ever simple, however. I knew something was wrong when I discovered my mortal body couldn't travel. When I woke up, I was in the body of Eleanor Hastings, Jonathan's first love. I admit that for the first two weeks, I didn't mind being Eleanor. Eleanor was beautiful-the absolute embodiment of perfection. She turned heads wherever she went. Moreover, she had full use of her left hand! But two weeks became three, then four, and eventually months passed with no word from Grace or Jonathan. Then I discovered that Eleanor was still present inside me, and she didn't feel about Jonathan the way he felt about her. Her strong desire to surface and be with the man she loves has created an inner conflict I'm having difficulty controlling. So, here I am, trapped in 1864 with no way to return to the present. I hope someone, someday, finds this diary. I'm trying not to consider the possibilities of what went wrong; it's unbearable to accept the only possible explanation that makes any sense-Jonathan and Grace aren't coming because the intruders won. Will I ever be Beth Arrington again? Oh, Jonathan.