Something terrible raged inside of my head. I groaned, feeling the pressure build up and wave over my temples. My eyelids fluttered. A foul smell was under my nose, making me feel sick.

“She’s alive!”

“Move out of the way!”

Something flapped across my face like an irritating fly. I swatted at it.

“Get lost,” I mumbled, forcing my eyes open.

I was on the ground, something soft under my head. My breathing was tight and restricted. Looking down at me were two strangers with concerned looks on their faces.

One of the strangers held the object that was blowing in my face. It was a fan, made of lace like the one Vikki had bought to match her dress. Its owner was old, with her hair cinched back into a tight bun. Her concerned look was strictly platonic, as if she couldn’t care less that I was lying on the floor.

“Do you mind?” I snapped, waving away the fan. I tried to sit up.

“Don’t be rude, darling,” Another unrecognizable face spoke. This voice belonged to a woman with a stern face. She looked at me with disapproving eyes, and I glared back, opening my mouth to retort.

She interrupted me. “Teddy, dear, help your sister onto the settee.”

A man clearly not my brother came into view, a grin plastered over his face as if this was the funniest thing he had seen all night. Swiftly, he picked me up in his arms, a yelp escaping from my mouth.

“You always knew how to make a spectacle,” he laughed. I fought against him.

“Put me down!” I cried, defying the pain throbbing in my head.

“As you wish,” he said, carefully placing me on an antique chair. The old lady with the fan pushed her way to my side, shoving a small bottle under my nose. The same putrid smell entered my nose. I choked on it, fanning it away.

“That is disgusting!” I cried, pushing off from the chair. “Where’s Vikki and Todd?”

“Georgiana, behave with more decorum please,” the stern lady reprimanded. I looked at her incredulously. I had never seen her or the other lady around school before, and here they were, bossing me around and calling me by my full first name. I heard Teddy chuckle. He most certainly was not a teacher, nor was he a student. Where had all these people come from?

“Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m fine. Let me get back to my friends, and they’ll take me home,” I said, rubbing my temple.

“You are home, silly,” Teddy laughed from the corner.

“Now come, Georgiana, don’t speak nonsense. Look, here comes Mr. Elliott with Doctor Humphries,” the stern lady said. I looked to see where she was also looking, watching as two more men approached. One was young, around the same age as Teddy. He wore a costume that consisted of black trousers and a black jacket, a white shirt underneath a black waistcoat. Like all of the guys at the ball, he wore a cravat around his neck. Brown hair flopped in his face. Unlike everyone else, genuine concern crossed over his face, which made me laugh because I had never seen him before in my life.

The man next to him was older and shorter. I snorted. This man was taking the theme of the ball way too far. He was wearing a brown tweed suit with a dark brown waist coat. His belly jutted out of his body, showing his old age. Glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, his hair grey and wiry. A small silver chain with a watch on it dangled from his breast. He was also carrying a black bag.

The small throng of people parted, allowing the older man to come kneel by my side. I watched with incredulous eyes as he began getting an odd assortment of items out of his black bag before turning to me.

“I’m going to ask you a series of questions, dear. Just answer them as best as you can.” He smiled as if I was a five year old child. I nodded, too dumbfounded to answer. Where were the school pulling these people from? And where were people I actually knew?

“Now, what is your full name?” he asked.

“Georgie Elizabeth Hampden,” I immediately replied.

The stern lady scoffed. “I have not brought you up to shorten your name like some commoner,” she scolded me before turning to the old man. “It’s Georgiana Elizabeth Hampden,” the lady corrected. I raised my eyebrows, resisting the urge to make a sarcastic comment back. The last thing I needed was to be failed for backchat.

“And how old are you?”

“I’m seventeen, turning eighteen in a week’s time.” My answer was as quick as the last.

“And can you tell me the date?”

“The twelfth of May, two thousand and nine.” These answers were too easy. Were they actually leading to anything medically related?

“Georgiana, please be serious!” the stern lady scolded again. I looked at her defiantly, but the glare in her eyes stopped me from retorting.

“My dear, it is the year eighteen seventy nine. Do you not remember that?” The doctor asked, putting a hand against my forehead.

“Don’t be daft,” I laughed. “I know the theme of the ball is eighteen seventy nine. It isn’t really that year.”

The doctor looked me over, nodding slowly. Concern showed on his face. A newspaper was thrust in front of me.

“Take a look George, it’s 1879,” Teddy said. Under the bold heading of the Times was the date, and I dropped the paper, shaking my head.

“It can’t be. That’s just a prop. It’s not 1879, it’s 2009!” I looked around frantically, trying to see if I saw anyone I knew. More people had gathered around, all staring as I made a fool of myself.

The doctor stood up, taking the glasses off his nose. “I’m afraid she has hit her head rather bad, and is suffering from a mild case of amnesia. Aparts from that, she is perfectly fine. Let her rest, and see how she is doing tomorrow. If the symptons worsen, then I will be here as soon as I can.”

The stern lady stood also, placing her hands on the doctor’s arms. “Thank you ever so much Mr. Richardson.” Her voice was soft as she motioned for the older lady to escort him out of the room.

Turning back to look at me, her voice changed. “Now, let’s get you upstairs. I’ve had quite enough of your theatrics for one evening.” She motioned for Teddy, who bent down and picked me up in his arms again.

“Always knew you were a lunatic, George,” he laughed.

I didn’t reply, looking away as he carried me to what I supposed was my room. None of this made sense. The paper still lay in my lap, the small font of date in my peripheral vision. How could this have happened? One moment I was reading that small blue book, the next I had crazy people around me, telling me that it was 1879!

“The book,” I whispered, feeling myself be set down on something soft. I was still in a daze as someone instructed me to put my arms up, pulling the silky dress off me.

The book had something to do with it. All this weird stuff had started after I had bought that book.

I vowed tomorrow to find the blue book. It must be somewhere inside the house. It was the last place I was in, so it must be here. I was vaguely aware of the people around me. My head throbbed and I closed my eyelids, hoping to drive the pain away.

The blue book. I needed that blue book.