by Amy DuBoff
“What do you mean?” Raena murmured, still weak.
They can’t possibly go back to school now that their abilities are emerging. I’d hoped they could complete their senior year, but… “I’ll fill out the official withdrawals later. In the meantime, please alert their teachers that they won’t be returning.”
Martha worked her mouth. “I think they’ll need more explanation than that.”
“Later,” Wil stated and headed for the door.
Jason ran ahead and opened the front door for him. “What do you mean we’re not coming back? Don’t we get a say in that?”
“This is outside all of our control. I’m sorry, I didn’t want things to go down this way.”
“I…” Jason was at a loss for words. “Wait, where’s the car?”
“There,” Wil said, gesturing toward his sedan with his head.
“Yeah, right. Did you stop by a dealership on your way over?”
“There’s a lot you haven’t seen.” The vehicle automatically unlocked as Wil approached. “I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Jason stammered.
Raena began to rouse in Wil’s arms, her mind finally settling within the protective shield. “What’s happening to me?”
Wil leaned against the back passenger door and he stepped backward as it opened automatically.
Jason stared at the car, dumbstruck.
Wil set Raena gently in the back seat. “We’re heading home, don’t worry.”
She sat up straighter and secured her seatbelt as he closed the door.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked again as he climbed into the other back seat.
Can’t delay any longer. Wil took a slow breath to clear his head as he jogged around to the driver’s seat. When Jason was secure in the back seat and had closed his door, Wil looked at his children in the rearview mirror. “I’ve run through this speech a thousand times in my head but I still don’t know what to say.” He started up the car.
“For starters, what’s this car?” Jason asked.
“I custom-fitted it for my purposes here.” Wil drove toward the exit of the school parking lot toward their home. When he had merged onto the main street, he activated the autopilot and swiveled his seat around to face Raena and Jason in the back.
The two teenagers gasped.
“There’s a lot we haven’t told you.” Wil took in their bewildered expressions. All of this is going to sound crazy no matter how I put it. He reached up and removed his tinted glasses, revealing his glowing cerulean eyes again. “I wasn’t born on Earth and neither were you.”
Raena and Jason exchanged glances.
“Dad, what are you talking about?” Raena asked in a weak voice.
Jason crossed his arms. “Is this some sort of midlife crisis?”
“Hear me out,” Wil said. “There is an ancient galactic empire that exists among the worlds beyond Earth. Humans here on Earth are a divergent branch of that culture, essentially a lost colony of those seeking to break away from their fellow Tarans. One of the main differentiators of humans and Tarans is the prevalence of telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Though some humans do possess these abilities, it is far more common among Tarans. What you are experiencing right now is the Awakening of those abilities.”
Jason shook his head. “Wait, Tarans? Like in The Citizen’s Handbook?”
“Yes, exactly. We wrote that book so you’d be familiar with the terminology when the time came. Taran is the blanket term for people of our general appearance.”
“This is crazy!” Jason exclaimed.
“I know it seems that way now, but it’s the truth. Most divergent branches—like humans—are differentiated by the planet where the bulk of the microevolution occurred,” Wil explained. “None of that matters right now, though. All that you need to understand now is that you aren’t just human teenagers living on the only occupied planet in the galaxy. Quite the opposite. You’re about to become a key part of that empire spanning the stars.”
Raena slumped back in her seat. “This would sound insane if I hadn’t started hearing my classmate’s thoughts this morning.”
“Awakening is disorienting under the best of circumstances. I wish we’d been able to debrief you and start integrating you into life beyond Earth sooner, but we wanted to give you the longest childhood we could. Once we leave Earth—as we now must—you won’t have the same degree of freedom anymore.”
Jason bolted upright. “Leave Earth?”
Wil nodded. “Now that your abilities are emerging, you need to begin training in order to gain control. Quickly. We have reason to believe you’ll be much stronger than most, given your mother and me.”
Raena and Jason did double-takes. “Mom isn’t from Earth either?”
None of this is coming out right. “Let me back up. I wasn’t born on Earth and I’m full-blood Taran. Your mother was born on Earth, but her mother was Taran and her father was half-Taran—the rest of her lineage is human. She grew up here on Earth and left to begin her training at the age of fifteen. That’s when we met.”
“Yep, you’ve officially lost it,” Jason muttered, slouching in his seat.
Raena took a slow breath. “Okay, so you and Mom met at this training facility. Where is that?”
“The only sanctioned telekinesis training program is with the Tararian Selective Service, or TSS. TSS Headquarters is located in Earth’s moon.”
Jason chuckled. “Right.”
Raena glared at her brother. “A car with no seams on its doors is presently driving itself without using the transportation grid, Dad has glowing eyes, and I can hear thoughts. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Jason’s smirk faded. “Sorry, Dad. Go on.”
“Now, as you may recall from the book, the seat of power for the Taran Empire is the planet Tararia. The main functions of the infrastructure are controlled by corporations led by six powerful families known as High Dynasties. The Priesthood is a supposedly impartial organization monitoring everything. So here’s where things get crazier. I’m heir to the most influential of those High Dynasties—Sietinen.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Raena asked.
“Think of the Head of a Dynasty being like the CEO of a company and a king rolled into one all-powerful position. SiNavTech essentially manages the transportation network for all of Taran civilization. The Sietinen Dynasty is incomprehensibly wealthy and being born into the family gives a person every possible advantage in life.”
“All right, if everything you just said is true, then… why are we here?” Jason asked.
“Because we wanted—needed—you to understand what it’s like to live without those luxuries, as a regular citizen. I grew up in the TSS so I had a decent perspective on life outside the family estate, but I also had no friends my own age until I was nearly sixteen. I didn’t want to do that to you. Furthermore, everyone would still know who you were. Coming from an influential family changes how others interact with you, as much as we’d like to think it doesn’t. There was no way you could possibly have a normal childhood in any established Taran community. But here on Earth, not far from your mother’s family, we had a shot at giving you a life away from all of that. It wasn’t without its sacrifices on all fronts, but I hope you enjoyed your childhood.”
“You say that like it’s ending,” Raena said, her face drawn.
“Now that your abilities are emerging, we need to get you proper training. That can’t be done here around the civilian population. It’s time for you to understand your birthright.”
“All of this still sounds crazy to me,” Jason muttered.
“I know. You’ll just have to trust me for now. I assure you, within a few hours you’ll see that everything I’ve said is very real.” Wil took a slow breath. “I won’t lie to you—it’s going to be a difficult transition. Life beyond Earth is very different in many ways, but there are also many common elements between the cultures. It
’s one of the reasons this was a good fit. Your mother often described it like stepping into the future.”
Raena’s face lit up. “Cool.”
“You believe him? Seriously?” Jason asked his sister.
“We’ll know soon enough,” she replied. “If it is real, you have to admit that’d be pretty awesome.”
Wil smiled. “Oh, it is. Jump drives for faster-than-light travel, artificial gravity, subspace communications—we have all of the things that are still only aspirational future achievements here. You’ll get to step into a world where anything you can imagine is possible.”
“You gave all of that up to live here with us?” his daughter asked.
“I would have given up a lot more than that.”
The car slowed as it approached their neighborhood street. Wil swiveled back around in the chair to make the final approach. “Many things will make a lot more sense once I show you.”
Jason sighed in the back seat. “So, the TSS… where we’re supposed to get training. Is that where you work?”
Wil parked the car back in the garage where it would be out of sight from the prying eyes of neighbors. “Yes, more or less.”
Raena’s breath caught. “Wait, was this car in here all along?”
“Yeah, just in case.” Wil closed the outer garage door.
Jason’s face reddened the slightest measure as he saw the first evidence of the story he’d just been told having some validity.
Wil gave him a knowing smile in the rearview mirror. “We always told you we were military contractors, which is true—just not for any government here on Earth. I’m semi-retired, but your mother is actually Lead Agent. My father is High Commander, which is like the director of the organization. That’ll change once he eventually takes over SiNavTech.”
“Why did you retire?” Jason asked, less skepticism in his tone.
“That’s for another time.” Wil opened his car door and stepped out. Hopefully the arch is prepped. “Some of our TSS friends are meeting us here to help with your transition,” he explained.
Raena and Jason exited from the back seat of the vehicle.
“Other Agents?” Raena ventured.
“Yes, and my most trusted friends.” Wil led the way into the house. As soon as he’d passed through the door into the foyer, movement caught his eye down the hall. He sent out a telepathic probe to confirm that it was Michael.
His friend strode down the hall from the kitchen toward them.
Raena and Jason froze when they saw Michael in the black Agent uniform.
“You too?” Raena exclaimed.
“It’s a long story,” Michael replied. “How are you feeling?”
“Way more confused but physically better,” Raena told him.
“I grew up on Earth, too. I know how disorienting it is to find out about a whole empire just out of sight and that your parent—or parents, in this case—are Agents with telekinetic abilities.” Michael examined the twins. “Don’t worry, though. All of us will help you through this.”
CHAPTER 7
Raena sat down on the couch in the living room next to Jason, completely bewildered. “Is all of this really happening?”
“I’m not sure,” her brother replied. “Did someone drug our water bottles on the bus?”
“Doubtful.” Raena shook her head. “Say it is real… Leaving home, leaving Earth! I always dreamed about it, but the idea of going now without any warning.”
“Well, we’re heading off to the TSS or we’re getting a one-way ticket to a mental institution along with our parents the moment we say anything about hearing voices and galactic empires. Either way, it’s looking like we won’t finish school.”
“Or even have a chance to say goodbye to our friends,” Raena realized. “I need to text Katie—”
“It’s not like you’ll get cut off from everyone,” their father said from the entryway as he turned away from a private conversation with Michael. “But yes, it will be a while before you can come visit anyone here. And you can’t tell them where you’re really going.”
“So what, we just send a vague text message saying we’re going away on a mystery trip somewhere?” Raena asked. “They’ll think we’ve been abducted.”
“Or institutionalized,” Jason interjected.
“For now, that’s all you can do.” Her father combed his fingers through his hair. “I need to go look at the transport arch to get it ready for you. Stay here and try to keep your minds quiet.”
“What does that even mean?” Raena replied.
Wil frowned and then turned to Michael, who was still standing by the doorway. “Grab Curtis and have him stay up here with them.”
Michael nodded and withdrew toward the basement.
“You’re in a sensitive telepathic state right now,” her father explained. “Being around Agents like us with strong abilities would be overwhelming were we not keeping a barrier, of sorts, around you. Think of it like a telepathic bubble that’s muting the ambient noise around you.”
Jason crossed his arms. “Okay… So what are we supposed to do?”
“Nothing,” Wil said. “Just try to relax.”
A moment later, a man Raena had never seen before emerged from the hallway near her father. Dressed in a black uniform like the others, he had dark features and was of a lean build. His gaze passed over Raena and her brother. She could feel him silently evaluating her.
“They look just like you,” he murmured in English, but with a distinct accent Raena couldn’t place.
“Thanks, genetics!” Wil cracked a smile. “I’ll let you know when the arch is ready.”
The man inclined his head to Wil and then turned his attention to the two teenagers. “Hello,” he greeted. “I’m Curtis.”
“Hi,” Raena and Jason replied almost in unison.
“It’s hard to believe you’re all grown up,” the man continued.
“Have we met before?” Jason asked.
“Not exactly. You were only infants the last time most of us saw you.”
Raena exchanged glances with her brother. “Where was that?”
“In TSS Headquarters,” Curtis replied. “Where you were born.”
“How long have you known our parents?” Raena asked him.
“For a very long time.” Curtis smiled. “I think I was about your age when I first met your father. He’d been an Agent for a few years by then, but it was my first day in the TSS. I pledged to follow him then and I’ve never regretted the decision.”
Raena tried to read between the lines. “Was he some sort of commander?”
The question seemed to catch Curtis off-guard. “What has he told you about himself?”
“Not a whole lot since the revelations about our origins came to light,” Raena responded. “He mentioned something about our grandfather being High Commander and mom is actually… ‘Lead Agent’, was it?” She looked to Jason for confirmation and he nodded.
Curtis sat down on the edge of a chair across from them. “Yes, that’s all true. Your father used to play a more active role in the TSS than he does now. He should probably be the one to tell you about all of that, though.”
“Can’t you tell us anything more?” Raena pressed. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around any of this.”
The Agent considered her position for a moment. “Well, I can tell you that he was my trainer in the TSS, and then my commander. There was a group of twenty of us—the Primus Elites. He trained us all as officers. Michael and I were two of his four Captains. We’ve all remained very close over the years. Any of us would die for him.”
Die for Dad? Were they ever in real mortal danger together? She decided to keep those questions to herself for the time being. “What about our mom? Dad said they met in the TSS.”
“They did, but that was before I joined,” Curtis confirmed. “They had just become engaged at the time the Primus Elite group first came together. A couple of years after we began training, their relationship
became public and she started training with us, too.”
“It was a secret?” Jason asked, leaning forward.
“For years, as I understand it,” Curtis said. “Your father had graduated to Agent by the time most are just starting training within the TSS. Your parents started seeing each other when your mom was still a first year Trainee, so it was a delicate situation for them to be involved—sometimes those things are easier to keep quiet than to address directly. On top of that, there was your father’s position as a dynastic heir. The combination of the two was a lot to explain.”
“But, eventually, everyone did find out?” Raena pressed.
“Yes. They felt it was best to be honest about their positions for the sake of soldier morale in the war.”
Raena’s breath caught in her throat. “What war?”
Curtis tensed. “Um… Sounds like the arch is ready. Let’s head to the basement.”
“What aren’t you saying?” Jason asked.
“I’ll let your parents handle that one. We need to get you up to Headquarters,” Curtis deflected.
What’s really going on? She decided to let the topic go for the time being, seeing Curtis’ discomfort. If he was an old friend of her parents’, it wasn’t polite to place him in an awkward position. “Don’t we need to pack?”
“We’ll provide clothing and anything else you may need,” Curtis said. “I’m sure you can come back with your parents later to collect any personal items you want to have with you.”
“About time,” Jason said, standing up. “I’d like some confirmation that everything we’ve heard this morning is actually for real.”
“With you there,” Raena agreed. She rose from the couch and headed toward the hallway with Curtis and her brother. “Are we really about to leave Earth?”
Curtis smiled. “Yes, but not that far away.”
The Agent led them to the basement door.
“I thought we were going to the moon?” Raena asked. “Don’t we need a spaceship or something?”
“It’s the ‘or something’ option,” Curtis replied. “Your father figured out a rather ingenious portal system for short-range transport. How else do you think they had been commuting to work at the TSS?”