Project Integrate Series Boxed Set

by Campbell, Jamie

  Lochie looked at it with disgust. “It’s pink.”

  “And yummy. Just eat it.”

  “But it’s pink.”

  I leaned over the table and took a spoonful from his dish, waving it in front of his face. “Just taste it. Don’t be a baby.”

  He gave me a resigned look before opening his mouth. It only took one spoonful to get him hooked. “Okay, it’s good. But it’s still girly pink.”

  He ate every bite.

  “So what do you want to do now?” I asked as the waiter took the last of our plates. “It’s your birthday, your choice.”

  I expected some smart retort with highly suggestive undertones but Lochie was quiet. He took a sip of his water, thinking it through. I didn’t realize it was such a difficult question. We really only had limited options in Portview.

  He suddenly dropped his napkin on the floor. He muttered under his breath as he ducked down to retrieve it. When he popped up beside me, I really had no idea what he was doing.

  Until I saw the ring.

  Lochie was down on one knee, the napkin just a ruse to get there, I realized. He held open a small blue box, a solitaire diamond ring sparkling in the candlelight.

  “I, uh, I’m not good at this so don’t interrupt.” He gave me a pointed look. I couldn’t have spoken if I had wanted to, all the words had suddenly dropped out of my head. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I was actually awake and it was really happening. His hands were shaking. I’d never seen Lochie so nervous before. “Amery Jones.”

  He didn’t seem to be continuing. “That’s me.”

  “What did I just say?” He took a deep breath again. “Okay. Amery Jones, I’ve loved you since the fourth grade and I’m going to love you until I take my last breath. I always knew I would call you my wife one day. But recent events have told me that I shouldn’t wait for that one day. I want to call you my wife now because if I die tomorrow being your husband, I know I would have gotten everything I wanted in life.”

  The tears were stinging my eyes. I really didn’t want to be a blubbering idiot in the middle of a fancy French restaurant. Not when everyone else were staring at us.

  “Lochie…” I whispered.

  He held up a hand to stop me. “I have to finish or you’ll miss the best part. You make me a better version of me. You bring light to the day and you keep the darkness away at night. I want to experience everything this world has to offer and I know anything is possible when you’re with me. I know we’re young, and a lot has happened, but I’m ready for this. There’s never going to be anyone else for me. You’re it. So please, will you marry me?”

  You could have heard a pin drop in the restaurant. It was like the entire world stopped momentarily to hear my answer. The waiters stood by the kitchen, the other patrons weren’t eating, and Lochie was staring at me.

  My heart pounded against my ribs, threatening to break out at any moment. My face flushed with heat at the pressure. My eyes didn’t focus on the ring, it didn’t matter. The only thing I could see was Lochie’s beautiful blue eyes. There, I saw it all.

  There was my future.

  My husband.

  “Ame? You’re killing me here,” Lochie whispered.

  I forgot he couldn’t read my mind. I started nodding. “Of course I will.”

  In an instant, he was pulling me to my feet and kissing me. My hands linked at the back of his neck as we held each other. Everyone in the restaurant clapped and cheered. It made a wonderful change from the hostility we used to get.

  Lochie finally let me go. “I forgot the ring. Hold out your hand.”

  My fingers were shaking as I tried to hold still for him. He pulled the ring out of its box and slid it on my finger. It was a little big but I really didn’t care.

  “I’ll get it taken in. Or changed if you don’t like it.”

  The diamond sparkled as bright as the sun. It was the most because piece of jewelry I had ever seen. “No, I love it. You’ve got great taste.”

  “I might have had some help,” he admitted.

  “Lola?”

  “Lola.”

  I grabbed my purse. “Let’s get out of here,” I said. There were too many eyes still on us when all I wanted was Lochie. We returned down the wharf to his car and climbed in. “I can’t wait to tell everyone.”

  “Your parents already know,” Lochie replied.

  “You asked their permission?” Something about that tradition seemed so sweet.

  “Kind of. I said I was going to do it and asked if they had any objections.”

  “That was brave. I’ve got double the amount of parents than normal people,” I pointed out. I would have loved to have been a fly on that particular wall. It would have been hilarious. Two aliens, two special agents, and one seventeen year old boy. It had all the makings of a disaster.

  “You do, Jones. Can you believe I want to marry you anyway? They threatened to kill me.” He was laughing at the memory. I made a mental note to ask my parents all about it one day.

  “You got off lightly then. At least they didn’t show you the gun collection.”

  “They kind of did.”

  I couldn’t stop the laughter escaping. Poor Lochie. He was in for a lifetime of torture from all my parents. And I was in for a lifetime of his annoyance. Fair trade, I guess.

  EPILOGUE

  ten years later

  “Come on, we’re going to be late,” I urged, frustrated that I had to say it again.

  “Okay, okay, we’re hurrying,” Lochie replied. “We’re hurrying, aren’t we Hattie? Yes we are. Oh yes we are.”

  If he didn’t have our ten month old daughter in his arms, I probably would have pulled him along. Or lit a fire under him. Why did it always take so long to get out the door these days? We used to be able to flee at the drop of a hat. Now we’d need a week just to pack.

  I took Hattie from him and strapped her into the car seat while Lochie took to the wheel. Something seemed to be missing. I looked around. “Where’s Luca?”

  Lochie shrugged. “He was here a second ago.”

  Just as I was about to go on an all out panic search, Luca ran from behind the bushes. “Boo!” I would have gone crook at him if he didn’t look exactly like his cheeky father in that moment. Damn him.

  “Mama, I found a bug!” He exclaimed happily. In the next moment, to my absolute horror, he went to put it into his mouth.

  “Luca, no!” I managed to swat it away just in time. “Uncle Kyle is teaching you bad habits. We don’t eat bugs.”

  “But Uncle Kyle…”

  “…Can do whatever he wants because he is a grown up. Come on kid, leave the bug and get in. We’re going to be late.”

  I made sure the four year old was strapped in next to his sister and closed the doors. That only left me. I jumped in and Lochie started down the street. In true Lochie fashion, he moved at exactly the speed limit and not one mile over. Even with the safer, newest model car that ran on magnet power, he was overly cautious.

  We arrived at the school ten minutes later and did the reverse to all get out of the car. Lochie held Hattie while I gripped Luca’s hand and refused to let him run off like he so badly wanted to. He really was his father’s son. I had to keep my eyes on him constantly.

  We took our seat in the auditorium with all the other parents. It was a big night, all the teachers looked a little stressed. They were probably more worried than the kids themselves. A giant red curtain fluttered in the breeze at the front.

  “Hey, there’s everyone,” Lochie said, pointing to the same doors we had come in through. He waved until he caught their attention and they started heading our way. I hoped I’d saved enough seats.

  The Jones/Sington clan reached us first. My birth and adoptive parents took their seats behind us. Luca instantly reached for his biological grandmother, he adored her and the feeling was definitely mutual. My parents all loved their grandkids, they could not get enough of them. They also came in really handy when we n
eeded babysitters.

  It was nice my birth parents got to see my kids grow up. They were denied seeing me for so long and didn’t have any other children, so it was almost like they got a second chance. Still, I could have done without the rivalry for the award of best grandparents. My kids were absolutely spoiled by them all.

  Mrs. Mercury and Jordan reached us next. She placed the wheelchair beside the spare seat next to Lochie and sat down between them. Hattie was in her arms in an instant.

  She had long gotten over the whole alien thing. She never said it, but I was pretty certain she laid it to rest that night Lochie almost succumbed to the disease. Something had definitely changed in her that night. She actually cried tears of happiness at our wedding. I never thought I would have seen that. Ever.

  I kept an eye on the doors, hoping to see a few more faces. Rob had already given his apologies for not attending. He was working on a big case but sent a bunch of flowers to the house for our return later. The kids were going to love them. I guess the head of the Department did have more important things on his plate than a school play.

  I spotted Garrick just as he found us. He pushed a pram over, careful not to bump it into anything. Madeleine was his first child, he still had that first-time-dad startled look to him. Lochie held that expression for two years after we had the twins. Some days, I think I still saw it.

  Ella gave me a wave before they sat down next to my parents. They instantly started fussing with Madeleine to make sure she survived the journey from the car. I loved seeing them together, even still.

  After everything that happened ten years ago, it had taken Ella a long time to get back to full health again. Even with the healing from the Truconians, her body was weak and tired. Garrick was with her every single day, encouraging her not to give up.

  The moment she was better, they took off. They travelled the entire globe, seeing everything possible. Occasionally I would get a postcard from some place I had never heard of but sounded faraway. I think they only returned to Portview because they ran out of places to go.

  They only got married two years ago, it seemed like an afterthought after being together so long. But they were ready to put down roots so decided they should make it legal. Madeleine was kind of a surprise shortly afterward.

  The lights started to dim, taking me by surprise. We still had a few spare seats left. All those around us were giving us dirty looks for still holding onto them. But I didn’t care.

  Where was she? She said she’d be here.

  The curtain came up and a row of six year olds took over the stage. I searched the faces, spotting two with bright blue eyes and caramel colored hair. Charlie and Cady. The brother and sister that fought like cats and dogs but protected each other fiercely. The pair that had given Lochie a heart attack when I told him we were having twins. He made me check the ultrasound twice just to be certain. Apparently my credentials as a doctor didn’t count for anything. His engineering career apparently did – ‘how could there possibly be two in there?’.

  The kids started singing and dancing on stage. Of course, mine were the most talented amongst them. Lochie told them being half-Earthling, half-Truconian gave them super powers. I was hoping their actual powers wouldn’t develop for quite some time. I did not want fires being started around the house. Their father was dangerous enough. At least my powers were under control.

  My eyes caught movement at the door and I finally relaxed. She had made it. Lola never let me down. I gave a wave and she hurried over with her entourage – the four male members of her band. They had been travelling all around for their world tour, her schedule happily coinciding with the kids’ play. With her black leather-clad friends, I hoped they didn’t scare any of the younger ones. Not mine, of course, they were used to famous Aunty Lola. They watched her on television all the time. Cady loved singing her songs around the house at the top of her lungs.

  With everyone I loved safely under the one roof, I was finally able to relax and enjoy the show. The most incredible part of it all was that Charlie and Cady were treated no differently to any of the other kids in their class. You couldn’t even tell the aliens from the humans anymore. If it wasn’t for my triangle tattoo, I would probably even forget I was any different. It was the same worldwide and I couldn’t have been prouder of both the humans and Truconians.

  Which was a good thing, really. The asteroid that had been threatening Trucon had arrived early. Two years ago it had blown the planet to pieces, causing a display in the sky that would never be repeated. It was a sad day for all the Truconians, but at least we were all safe. There was no going back now.

  A warm hand slid into mine, squeezing my fingers. I looked over at Lochie in the dim lighting and saw his beautiful blue eyes lovingly gazing back at me, as bright as any sun. I still saw my future there, every single day. Almost ten years of marriage, four children, two busy lives, and one perfect love.

  “Eyes on the stage, Mrs. M. I know that look,” Lochie whispered.

  “You’re delusional,” I replied quietly, unable to wipe the smile from my face.

  “No more kids. Four is enough.” That’s what he had said after each and every one of them.

  “But we make such perfect ones.” I could not have been prouder of the twins on stage. “Just one more.”

  Lochie sighed, like I was such a pain to deal with. I knew better. He couldn’t love our family more either. “Fine. One more. No cheating and having two at once again.”

  Little did he know the secret I was planning on telling him later. We were going to be adding to our family just a little sooner than he realized.

  I leaned over so my head could rest on his shoulder, enjoying the moments of absolute bliss. Lochie and I were still the best team in the world, time would never change that.

  I never thought I could be this happy and I was grateful for it every single day of my life. Integration had truly happened and it was everything I had hoped for. We had fought hard for it but it was all worth it. So worth it.

  BONUS CONTENT

  IGNITE

  “Given the millions of billions of Earth-like planets, life elsewhere in the Universe without a doubt, does exist. In the vastness of the Universe we are not alone.”

  - Albert Einstein

  .

  CHAPTER 1

  It was burst-out-of-my-seat exciting to enter the gates of Camp Soho. The slow drive to the parking lot seemed eternally long, way too long to keep me contained. The moment we pulled up, I was out that door.

  “Remember what we told you,” Mom started, for the hundredth time. “You need to be careful, keep on your toes, and remember the rules.”

  “The project doesn’t stop just because you’re at summer camp,” Dad added.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and just nodded instead. “I remember the rules, and the project, and everything you’ve already lectured me about. I’ll be fine.”

  Mom and Dad both enveloped me in a hug. I couldn’t believe how worried they were about leaving me. It was my first time away from them, but still, I was sixteen years old – they had to let go eventually.

  “I’m seriously going to be okay,” I tried to reassure them again. “And I have a tracker in my shoulder. If I get lost, you’ll find me. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  They gave me one last sad look before climbing into the car again. I made myself stand there and wave them off, despite how much I was dying to find my cabin.

  The second they were out of sight, I was on my way. According to the map the counselor gave me, my new home for the next four weeks was the third cabin on the right. I practically ran there.

  My best friend Lola was already sitting on her bunk inside. I threw my bag on the bed nearest her’s and plunked down on the mattress. “This is awesome.”

  “It’s just camp,” Lola replied with her usual disinterest. Even though she was playing it down, I knew she had to be excited about the next four weeks. Who wouldn’t be excited about being aw
ay from home and in the great outdoors?

  “But it’s camp with no parents.”

  I earned a smile for my comment. “Are you on a sugar rush or something? It really is just camp.”

  It wasn’t Lola’s first summer camp, surprisingly. For the past three years, I had to put up with the long weeks without her. No matter how much I begged my parents, they would never let me come before. Lola’s parents, on the other hand, were more than happy to ship her off.

  I put away my clothes as the rest of our cabin buddies joined us. There were four bunks in the room, each containing two beds. I hadn’t planned on sharing such a small space with seven other girls but I wasn’t going to let it faze me. We were at camp, it was going to be fantastic. Nothing was going to ruin it for me.

  “Amery, switch with me,” Sarah said, placing her bag on my bed.

  “You don’t want the top bunk?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to have to climb up there all the time. I want the bottom bunk.”

  I clenched my jaw before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. I was there first, I didn’t want the top bunk, I shouldn’t have to switch. But telling her no and making her upset was against the rules. Like my parents hadn’t drilled that into me a thousand times.

  I forced a smile, hoping it looked more genuine than it felt. “Okay, let’s switch.” I picked up my pillow and threw it on the top bunk as she settled into the bottom one.

  I had to keep reminding myself it was just a bed, nothing to get annoyed about. It would be fun sleeping on the top bunk, right? I didn’t have any brothers or sisters so I’d never slept in a bunk bed before. It was an adventure, that’s all.

  A bell started tinkling somewhere outside. I looked toward Lola for some guidance. “It’s meeting time,” she sighed. All the girls started to file out, I tagged along at the back.