CHAPTER 24
2 Months Later
“This place is beautiful,” Gailey exclaimed as she looked around her new room. Her daughter was at her feet, tugging on her shirt until she was lifted up to settle on her hip.
“The Connolleys will make you feel right at home,” I assured her. Their host family was lovely, I could personally vouch for them. “But you can always call me if you need anything.”
Lola straightened the last of the photographs she hung on the wall and turned around to face us. “And me. I’m part of the welcoming committee too. My number is on the contact sheet.”
I laughed. “And Lola too.”
Gailey gave me a one-armed hug. “I’m certain we will be very happy here. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“You’re very welcome.” I smiled and left Gailey and her daughter alone to settle in. Being in a new home was one thing, but being on a new planet was something else entirely.
The people of Trucon had been arriving for the past two weeks. They were each assigned a host family that would help them settle into their new surroundings. The plan was for them to stay there for six months and then relocate to a house of their own. So far, the feedback had been really good from the aliens and the host families.
After the Department released details of Project Integrate in full, the resistance had died down dramatically. There were still pockets of people who didn’t want us on Earth, and the Originals were still causing trouble, but the vast majority had been very well behaved. The change in people’s attitudes was better than I ever thought possible.
It didn’t hurt that the head of the Originals had been arrested for fraud either. The Department had all kinds of dirt on Alonso Ferguson that they used to discredit him.
I could walk down the street now and not be scared. To me, that was the freedom I had hoped for. Even the stares were becoming less and less. The people at my school didn’t treat me any differently to how they did before they knew what I was.
I slung my arm around Lola’s shoulder as we walked along the street. The weather was starting to get stifling hot as summer was almost in full force. Our graduation ceremony was going to be a hot one next week.
“Are you nervous?” Lola asked. I could probably have hidden how anxious I was from everyone else but her.
“A little.”
“Liar.”
I laughed, there really was no point in hiding my emotions from her. “Okay, fine, I’m terrified. Happy now?”
She giggled. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”
“You can’t promise that,” I teased her. Nobody could guarantee the afternoon was going to go well. No matter how much everyone tried to reassure me, they couldn’t stop the bundle of knots in my stomach.
We stopped at the edge of the park while Lola retied her shoelace. The grass was packed with people and families enjoying the beautiful weather. Once I looked a little closer, I realized half the children running around in the playground were alien kids. They happily played tag with the human children. The sight curled my lips into a big smile. That was integration at its best. In the future, there wouldn’t be any us and them, it would just be we.
“Check out the skateboard,” Lola said as she pointed across the pathway. A group of kids about ten years old were playing with a skateboard – except it was hovering off the ground.
“It didn’t take long for the toy companies to jump on the new technology.”
“It looks like fun. I’ve heard a hover car isn’t going to be too long before it’s released. How cool will that be?”
I’d heard similar stories. Big businesses were climbing all over themselves to recruit the aliens and get their trade secrets. Not only in the technology trade but the medical industry too. The people of Trucon didn’t have to suffer cancer and apparently humans on Earth wouldn’t have to for much longer either.
“Hover cars do sound like fun,” I confessed. “I better get home though. I need to change and get to the Department.”
Lola wrapped her arms around me. “Good luck, Ame. Will you call me when it’s over?”
I held onto her tight, scared to let go. “You’ll be the first I call.”
“Remember how great you are, nothing can change that.”
“You’re great.”
She let me go, grinning from ear to ear. “I know.”
I left her at the park and hurried home. Nervous energy filled the house when I arrived. My parents were already dressed in their good clothes. I quickly showered and changed. I spent extra time putting on my makeup and making sure my hair was just right. At least it gave me something else to focus on instead of thinking about what was going to happen.
When the doorbell rang, I almost jumped out of my skin I was so on edge. “I’ll get it,” I called out. I already knew who it would be, I wasn’t expecting anyone else.
“Hey, beautiful,” Lochie said, holding a bouquet of daisies. “These are for you.”
“They’re lovely, thank you.” I gave the flowers to Mom who hurried away to the kitchen muttering something about a vase. I think her nerves were rivaling my own. “You look particularly handsome today.” He did too. Lochie had combed his hair so it was perfectly coiffed, his black jeans were completely fluff-free, and his light blue shirt matched his eyes. He could still send my heart into a complete meltdown.
“You look…” his eyes travelled up and down, not leaving an inch of me unappraised. My heart started to pound even harder. My poor ribs, they were going to crack any moment now. “… amazing.”
I swished around in my light pink dress. “You really think so?”
“Uh-huh.” He held out his hand. “Are you ready?”
I doubted I would ever be ready. “There’s no time like the present, right?” I sounded way braver than I felt. I took his hand and my parents followed us out. We climbed into my dad’s sedan and started the two hour long drive.
I suspected I would always be nervous when returning to the Department building. The place still held so many terrible memories that would never completely fade. Hopefully today though I would be adding a good one to the mix.
News cameras and reporters were crowded at the security gates. They tried to ambush every car that waited for the boom to be lifted, ours was no exception. I looked straight ahead, ignoring them as much as possible. They didn’t have a right to be here today, it was nobody else’s business what was going on here. For just one day, we could be selfish and not have to fit in.
We joined the other project members on the back lawn – a place I hadn’t been before in the grounds. Tents had been set up, along with rows of tables and chairs. The Department had gone all out for the occasion.
I waited, still gripping onto Lochie’s hand. He was my lifesaver, the only thing keeping my head above water when I felt like I was drowning. Over the past two months we had only grown closer. We didn’t argue as much as we used to, but he still knew how to press my buttons like nobody else did. He quite often did it just to rile me too.
My parents were standing on my other side, it felt like we were awaiting our doom. I hoped that wasn’t going to be the case but I also knew not to expect too much anymore. The world had changed, my world had changed, and there was nothing to stop it doing it again.
“They’re going to love you,” Lochie whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I squeezed his hand tighter in response.
The large doors to the building started sliding open. The hundreds of project members all stood at attention. I’m sure they were all feeling the same as I was – terrified, worried, curious, hopeful, anxious. There was a whirlwind going on in my head and it was only getting worse with the anticipation.
They started emerging from the building, each one accompanied by a handler of their own. The agents guided them along, matching them up with awaiting members. I looked through the crowd for Rob, desperate to see him and dreading it at the same time.
I couldn’t see him anywhere. Where on Earth
was Rob? All those times when I didn’t want to see him and now I would have given my right arm to spot him. He had to be there somewhere. Unless… had they changed their mind? Did something go wrong? Was I going to miss out?
I finally saw the familiar brown hair, combed to the side and held in place with a tub full of gel. Rob crossed the lawn, accompanied by two people.
It was surreal seeing them. My head felt dizzy, my eyes were tearing up, and my legs told me to run the hell away from there. All that and all I could do was stand on the spot grinning like a fool. I probably looked creepy, I shouldn’t be smiling like that. They wouldn’t like me if I was creepy. I wiped the smile away, trying to look normal. The problem was I forget what normal was.
“Amery,” Rob started. At least he remembered what normal looked like. “I would like to introduce Malia and Galen Sington. Your birth parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sington, this is your daughter Amery Jones.”
They looked as nervous as I felt. My mother had the same hair color as I did – chocolate brown. My father had my eyes, except his were more vibrant than my own. They were both taller than I was, Galen especially.
A smile spread across Malia’s face, her eyes watery and kind. She held open her arms and I fell into them. They both embraced me, holding me tight like they had waited seventeen years for that one moment. I was in my birth parent’s arms, it was going to take a long time for that to sink in.
Tears ran down my cheeks as they held me. How I could feel so close to people I had just met was crazy. But I did, I felt like I belonged there. We were family, it was that simple.
“We missed you so much,” Malia whispered, her voice shaky from the sobbing. “You’re so beautiful. You have no idea how much I have thought about you.”
We let each other go so we could see one another. “You did?” I asked, wiping at my wet cheeks. Mom handed me a tissue, making sure to stay on the sidelines.
All the anxiety and nerves flooded away from me. I had spent a lifetime worried my birth parents had given me away without another thought. A part of me considered I might be a disappointment to them or they never really wanted me in the first place. But the two people standing in front of me oozed with love.
Malia and Galen both nodded eagerly. It was my birth father who replied first. “Every single moment of every single day we hoped you were happy and knew you were loved.”
“I was,” I blubbered out. “My parents have loved me so much, I’ve never wanted for anything.”
They turned their attention to Mom and Dad. “Thank you,” they said in unison.
Mom stepped forward, hugging Malia tight. “Thank you. You gave us Amery and made us a family. We can’t thank you enough for that. We owe you the world.”
Malia shook her head, a new round of tears streaming out. “You raised our gorgeous daughter, you looked after her, you loved her, you gave her everything we wanted to. Thank you, Mrs. Jones.”
I stood back while my parents, both birth and adoptive, got to know each other. I leaned against Lochie, feeling his strong chest against my back and his arms around me.
I knew my mom was worried about me meeting my birth parents. She never came right out and said it but she was concerned I wouldn’t need her anymore. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Instead of dividing our family, my birth parents were only making it bigger. I felt utterly blessed to have two sets of awesome parents now.
My eyes scanned the crowd, watching the reunions of the other members. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many tears mixed with so much happiness before.
The Department had delayed the meeting until they were certain they would be able to do it in private. With the amount of interest in the project members, they wanted to ensure we would have time to get to know each other without the eyes of the world watching. They kept all the parents in isolation, teaching them what our lives were like so they would have the best chance of understanding their children.
I saw another familiar face in the crowd – Garrick. He was with a man and woman, his parents. They were standing on either side of him, their arms around his back. Garrick had the widest smile I had ever seen him have.
He caught my eye and nodded, I returned it. He had found his family, the place where he belonged. He might not have had his adoptive parents with him, but I think he wouldn’t feel the sting of their rejection so much anymore. He had never looked so happy before.
“Are you going to introduce us to this handsome young man?” Malia asked, indicating to Lochie.
I stepped out of his arms so I could introduce him formally. “This is Lochie, my boyfriend. He’s pretty annoying but I love him anyway.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lochie,” Malia said as she gave him a hug. “Welcome to the family.”
“It’s great to meet you too, Mrs. Sington,” Lochie replied over her shoulder. She let him go long enough for Galen to do the same. “And you too, Mr. Sington.”
“I know how to kill just by pinching the right place on your neck,” Galen warned. He did it with a smile, but Dad stepped forward, impressed.
“I’ve already introduced him to my gun collection. Lochie here won’t take one step out of place when it comes to our daughter.”
“Don’t scare him off,” I told them both, giggling. My birth parents might not have been around for the past seventeen years, but they quickly seemed to get the hang of the parenting thing.
Lochie winked at me. “They don’t scare me, nobody is scarier than you.” He earned a punch to the arm for his comment.
The lunch bell rang from the catering tent. My stomach grumbled with the thought of food, I hadn’t been able to eat anything all day with my nerves.
“Who’s hungry?” Mom asked. Everyone nodded as she led us to the tent.
I hung back with Lochie, taking a few moments to ourselves. “Thank you for coming here with me today,” I started. I owed Lochie so much for his support during the toughest times of my life. His presence, even today, made me a stronger person. Even if I didn’t always realize or appreciate it.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world… free food,” he laughed, pulling me closer until he could get his arm around my shoulder. I was still amazed at how well I fit there, like I was made just for him.
“Do you ever think about anything other than food?”
“You make me have a lot of other thoughts.” He gave me that cheeky grin I loved before kissing me on the cheek. I stopped, dead in my tracks.
“Oh really? Like what kind of thoughts?” I challenged, unable to stop grinning like the love struck fool I was.
He slid his arms around me, linking his hands at my back so I couldn’t move. I was completely at his mercy, until both of my fathers saw us anyway.
Lochie leaned down, brushing his lips over mine. He was just teasing me, waiting until I couldn’t take it any longer and reaching up for the sweet release of the kiss. But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. If he wanted a kiss, he would have to lean down. I was not going to reach up.
“I love you, Jones,” he whispered, his breath caressing my skin.
“I love you too.”
My stomach was fluttering like crazy, my heart beating against my chest. I was sure he knew exactly what kind of an effect he had on me but I wasn’t going to give in.
“You drive me crazy,” he sighed.
“And you infuriate me.”
“I guess we’re the perfect couple then.”
I grinned. “Who else would have us?”
Lochie finally leaned down and covered my mouth with his own. He kissed me tenderly, sending waves upon waves of warmth and happiness flooding over me. My knees went weak as I leaned against him.
If it weren’t for the couple of hundred people standing around us, I would never have let him go. I suspected we would have the rest of our lives to drive each other crazy, we could wait a few more hours.
He released me from his bear grip and found my hand again. “That food smells really good.�
��
I rolled my eyes. “It’s always about the food.”
“So, what are you doing this summer, Jones?”
I gave him a sideways look, unsure where he was going with that. “I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it.”
“How about you and me, the beach, alone, nothing to worry about for three months?”
With an offer like that, how could I refuse? “Sounds good to me. Oh, but we’ll have to go to Rockapalooza. Lola and Asher are playing there.”
“I guess I can share you for one day.”
He pulled my hand up to his mouth to kiss my fingers. Little bolts of lightning shot out in all directions. I didn’t care what I was going to do during summer or for the rest of my life, but it didn’t matter. If Lochie was there, I would be okay. We had fought for my freedom and won. It didn’t matter that I was an alien anymore. We might even have our own little human/alien running around one day.
SOAR
“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back.”
- Anais Nin.
CHAPTER 1
There was nobody more infuriating in the world than the person standing beside me. Seriously, if there was one word to describe Lochie Mercury, it was annoying.
“I’m not going to Adele’s,” I insisted, for the fifteenth time. Adele’s was Lochie’s favorite restaurant. And we went there all the time. All. The. Time. “How about The Bread Basket?”
“I don’t like the bread there,” Lochie replied, crossing his arms. He could throw himself on the ground and have a tantrum like a two year old for all I cared. “Adele’s has chocolate mousse. You love chocolate mousse.”
“Not every day.”
“You like me every day.”
“Not every day,” I shot back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the scowl on my face. He was right, I did like him every day. Actually, I loved him every day, and no matter much I tried, I couldn’t stop. He was like a sinus infection, once buried under your skin, no matter how much medication you took, it refused to budge. Or so I’d heard.
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 65