Feeling dazed, James stumbled back to an empty seat and plopped down in it. These boys were a perfect match to the antique bus. The uniforms and crew-cuts looked like something out a Normal Rockwell painting. The boy next to him was asking about a field trip to the Army Air Corps Base - Army Air Corps? What was that? He started to look out, but caught his own reflection in the window glass.
The young teen looking back was maybe 15, with a crew cut to match the other cadets. It seemed to be him, though he'd never had short hair when he was younger. The face looked right, but his teeth were crooked! Years of braces in his early teens had kept that from happening. And he had acne way worse than...
The bus was rolling out of the fog, and he forgot his own reflection as rolling green landscape suddenly appeared. Some antique cars rolled by in the other direction, some looking new, while others were barely drivable. "Oh, man! That's a Cord 810! See the supercharger pipes?" A boy behind him was pointing at a curious-looking old car with a front that almost looked like a coffin and chrome pipes coming out the sides. "It can do way over 100 mile an hour!"
From the low whistles and gasps, these kids must think that was pretty amazing. James was more surprised that something so obviously old was on the road at all, much less able to do 100. Was this some kind of weird hallucination? It sure felt real. But when he was fifteen, an average family sedan could do 100 miles and hour. Something else was missing. Electronics. Not a single kid here had a smart phone, and only a couple even had wristwatches - even those looked to be wind-up antiques.
Still not convinced this wasn't a very intense dream, James was startled when the boy next to him punched his arm. "Hey, Jimmy! Get your uniform straight and your cap on!" He realized that the other boys were doing that as well, and saw that the bus was approaching a fancy gatehouse. A cadet about 18 snapped a smart salute as they rolled through, and James saw the sign reading 'Frederick Military Academy' on the side.
A severe-looking older man in a green dress uniform was waiting by the building they pulled up at, and James grabbed the hat he didn't even know he'd had and pulled it on, making quick adjustments to his tie and jacket. The cadets were sitting bolt upright at attention when the doors opened and the man stepped up on the bus. Almost as one, the cadets said 'Good afternoon, Commandant!" James was startled to realize he had joined in.
"Good afternoon, Cadets. I trust you had a good visit to the Army Air Corps facility." There were nods, but no boy spoke. The man continued "It is important for you all to become familiar with our Armed Forces, for you will become the leader's of tomorrow's military. The recent invasion of Austria by the Nazis has put the world on edge, and America must be ready to defend herself. I know that if and when that time comes, you will all be the fine Soldiers I have trained you to be!"
This brought cheers from most of the boys, but James was more bewildered than ever. Nazis invading Austria? His mind raced, trying to piece things together. That sounds like something that happened before World War Two. Not that he knew much about that history, but he'd seen enough movies set back in that war to have some basics. Antique cars that looked new. No electronics. Kids with old fashioned uniforms and crew cuts. Nazis. James' eyes widened, and he looked at the freckle-faced boy sitting next to him. "What year is it?"
The boy looked confused and glanced outside. "What year is what?" The Commandant had stepped back off, and now the boys were standing to follow him. James stood automatically as his row's turn came, but he asked again "What year is it? The date!"
"Geez, Jimmy! It's May 7th. Friday. We have the weekend coming up."
"What YEAR?" Jimmy asked in exasperation as the boys started forward towards the door.
"1938! All year long!" The freckle-faced boy gave him a puzzled look. "You feeling OK?"