“Dad we know that you are retired now, and you and mom wanted to do some traveling and exploring ...”
“Son, I hear a big “But” coming our way.”
“It was wonderful of you to let J.R and Helaina spend the summer but we really don’t want to intrude on your retirement,” Katie began.
“You don’t have to agree to this but considering what has been discovered about their DNA and genes, we think this might be best,” Joanna continued where Katie left off.
“We believe that we have to think about what’s best for them; and about where they could be best be protected,” added Charlie.
Jennifer couldn’t take seeing the four of them stumbling around the question any longer, and wanted to put an end to their discomfort. “Alright, enough! You want to know if J.R and Helaina can stay with us and go to school here, because of this new information we discovered. It would be less of a security risk for them here on Hope Island. William and I talked last night and we agreed that if you felt this was best it would be alright with us. We love having the kids here.”
“If we want to travel there is always Sophia and Mason here, they are very good Watchers,” inserted William.
“If they do leave the island, even for a trip to visit you, a Watcher would be close by at all times. Well, as close as they can get to those two anyway.” Jennifer wanted to assure them they were doing the right thing.
“Then it is agreed, we will talk to them tonight after the younger ones finally collapse from exhaustion,” David agreed.
“That should be early, can you believe they were all up by 5 a.m.?” laughed William.
“Do you think they will understand? I mean, we aren’t giving them a choice, not letting them decided for themselves where they should go to school.”
“Joanna it’s your job as a parent to let them know you aren’t abandoning them and because of things beyond our control we need to do what’s best for them and their future,” Jennifer acknowledges her concern.
“Don’t worry, they know we all love them, they are secure with that. But let’s not scare them about their security. I think it might be best that they believe that the school here is a better choice for their needs. That here, they can focus on the things they are interested in, along with the traditional subjects. And that they can easily work together to build their machine here, which would be difficult if one is in Maryland and the other in Florida.”
“That’s a very good idea Dad. We can also point out to them that they have so many friends here already that it would be fun going to school here,” David agreed.
The adults than relaxed knowing the decision was made and they watched the kids enjoy the day. Soon William, David and Charlie were sound asleep in their loungers, cold drinks still in their hands. As the women kept watch on the kids they took the opportunity to make a few phone calls. They needed to make a few arrangements, like transfer the kids records to the school there on Hope Island, then have their staff back home pack up and ship the kids things to William’s and Jennifer’s home. Joanna and Katie gave a very detailed list with everything J.R and Helaina would need or things they would want to have with them to their house keepers back home. They even made sure the kids most prize processions were packed and brought to the island. Including Helaina’s lizard and other small pets she held dear and J.R comic book and trading card collections, his stereo, electric guitar and amplifier. They made sure that enough things were left in their rooms back home, so they can easily travel between places and feel at home anywhere they laid their heads. Of course, Jennifer and William might regret sharing a home with a few lizards, a fuzzy spider, and a very loud guitar.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
THERE ARE NO SURPRISES
After a dinner of left overs, and ice-cream, the younger members of the family ran out of steam and fell asleep in front of the television, just as the adults predicted they would earlier. Cassie, Tina and Paul had snuggled up on bean bags to watch a Disney movie, ten minutes in to it all three where sound asleep. David and Charlie carried the three kids upstairs, where their mothers tucked them in, not bothering to change them into their night clothes. The kids didn’t even open their eyes.
Downstairs, J.R and Helaina were still wide awake. Probably because they decided to have two very large cappuccinos’ each, which they had confiscated from the refrigerator around three that afternoon. They were playing air hockey, Helaina was trying to win a few games which was hard because J.R was the raining air hockey champ of the family. While they played, they were also having one of their silent conversations.
“Tomorrow everyone goes home; do you think they will want us to go with them?” J.R asked.
“Nah, they would have said something, so we could have packed our things,” Helaina reasoned. “They did say we could stay the whole summer.”
“Want to watch a movie?”
“No. Do you know what I really want to do?” J.R asked.
“Yeah!”
“I hate when you do that.”
“Sorry, the little ones are asleep, so why don’t you go ask Granddad?”
“He just came in, sometimes I think Granddad can hear when we Mind Speak?” J.R. told his cousin.
“Nah, you know adults, they try to outguess us, when they can.”
William, trying not to laugh at what he just heard, came into the room. The others were upstairs in the den, ready to spend quality time with their two teens. William was sent to get them.
“Granddad, can we see some more stories from the Story Chamber? Please, the little ones are asleep,” asked Helaina, before J.R had the chance to do so.
“Sure, let’s go to the den, your parents are waiting for us there.”
“Are we in trouble?”
“No J.R. you’re not in trouble. They just want to spend some time with you before they leave tomorrow.”
Using Mind Speak J.R told Helaina, “I think they know we drank all those cappuccinos and they are going to gang up on us.”
“It was your idea! Besides, no one said we couldn’t have them.”
“That’s true. What story do you think that thing will tell us tonight?”
“Don’t know, but I do know something you don’t know.”
“Yeah! What?” demanded J.R.
“Just wait a few minutes, you will find out.”
“Another dream story?”
“No, it’s more like a day dream,” Helaina told him as they arrived at the den.
Going in the den they found their parents waiting for them.
J.R couldn’t help it, he just had to ask, “Are we in trouble?”
Everyone laughed at the question.
“No Son you two aren’t in trouble, even though we do know about those cappuccino’s you both drank. Next time just have one, too much caffeine and you will pay for it the next day, believe me,” Charlie told his son.
“I told you so.” Helaina just had to remind him she was right.
“We have something we would like to tell you. Come and sit down.” Joanna told the two teens.
“Mom, you don’t have to worry, we would love to go to school here. We can be with our friends Kellie, Mark, Emma and Dylan, it will be so much fun. But can you send me my little furry friends, they will miss me?”
Now, this kind of stunned the adults in the room. How did she know what they wanted to discuss?
David just had to ask his daughter, “Of course Helaina my love, but how did you know we wanted you to go to the school on Hope Island?”
“Because, I saw it in my head while we were making breakfast this morning,” she answered.
“When did you start seeing things in the future?” asked her mom.
“When my dream stories stopped,” she simply answered.
J.R had been listening all this time, and suddenly realized that they would be staying to go to school on the island and his cousin didn’t tell him.
“You mean you knew they were going to let us stay on Hope Island and yo
u didn’t tell me? Don't you think you should have?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I don‘t have to tell you everything.”
“But, I didn’t …”
Helaina interrupted him before he could say another world. “Quiet! Don’t be stupid and tell them we Mind Speak!” Helaina said, having switched to Mind Speak for a few seconds, not wanting the adults to know their secret. (Even though they already did)
“Sorry, how come I didn’t know? I usually can feel when something changes in us.”
“Don’t know,” Helaina said, correcting his grammar.
She turned to her parents. “Granddad and Grandma will take good care of us and we will call every night, we promise.”
“You don’t have to call every night sweetheart but an email would be nice.” Joanna hugged her daughter.
“I don't know about staying here. I like it here but Dad what about my friends. And what happened to our plans to build a car in the garage? And what about the rock band my friends and I were starting? And . . .”
Charlie interrupted his son, “J.R we feel that with all the changes that are happening to you and Helaina that you could get the best specialized education here. Just think about it like this. Instead of building that car you can build that machine of yours. It would be easier if you and Helaina were together for that. And you can call and email your friends back home.”
“Please J.R,” Helaina pleaded with her cousin. “Let's give it a try. And we can go home anytime we want if it doesn't work out.”
“I guess I can give it a try for a few weeks. It would be mega cool to go down to Station One anytime we wanted.”
“And another plus is that we get out of babysitting the younger kids.”
“Now that's a great reason for staying,” J.R laughed, getting a little more comfortable with the idea of living on Hope Island.
“Can we see some more stories from the Story Chamber now?” J.R said wanting to change the subject before the women got all mushy. But it was too late; his mom came over and gave him a hug. He hated that, hugs were for babies and little kids. But it felt kind of nice anyway.
William retrieved the Story Chamber from its hiding place and everyone now focused on the machine.
“What would you like to see?”
“You mean we have a choice?”
“Sure you do. You could see stories from the Watchers who came before us. Some are pretty scary. One of our Watchers off spring turned out to be Jack the Ripper. Then there was another man who committed even worse crimes and he was named Adolph Hitler. Those are examples of when our gene turned to evil. We have plenty of examples of those who carry our genes that did wonderful things. Like Henry Ford, Christopher Columbus, a few Kings and Queens, and even a few presidents, and plenty of scientist including Thomas Edison and Madam Curry. All possessed a little part of our gene, of course they didn‘t know it,” explained David Unity to the kids.
“All of that is in the Story Chamber?”
“All that and much more,” said Charlie.
“How does it work? I don’t see any dials or switches. I don’t even see buttons; it’s not plugged into the wall or even have a battery,” J.R observed as he walked around the Story Chamber.
Charlie explained, “It works with the power of your mind and it will only work for those of us that have at least 75% of our special gene. You think of something you are interested in or would like to see, then you wave your hand above this crystal imbedded in the chamber. Watch I will show you!”
Charlie concentrated his thoughts on one subject, than waved his hand. Immediately the Story Chamber game to life and there before them was Paul hitting a home run, for his team the week before.
“That boy sure can hit that ball; maybe we have a home run king in the makings,” observed David, the boy’s uncle.
“Maybe even another Joe Montana.”
“Aunt Joanna, Joe Montana was a football player, not a baseball player.”
“I stand corrected, what would you like to see?”
“How about a story about Thomas Edison, he invented cool things.”
“Good choice,” William acknowledged. “Now come over here and think about Thomas Edison, then wave your hand.”
J.R followed Williams instructions and the Story Chamber swirled into action. J.R and Helaina settled themselves in front of the machine to watch the story, sitting on cushions on the floor. When they had settled down Peanut crawled out of Helaina’s’ pocket so she could also watch the stories. The machine took them to Menlo Park during the late eighteen hundreds. Two men were working in a shop, machines of all sorts surrounded them, parts littered the floor and shelves lined up against the walls contained all sorts of things. The first light bulbs, Edison’s phonograph on which he had successfully made the first recording in 1877, which was “Mary had a little lamb”. Edison’s assistant Fred Ott was helping a customer at the counter, trying to repair the turning mechanism for an ice-cream maker. After the customer left, Fred heard Edison call him into the work area.
“Fred I think I did it this time.”
“That’s what you tell me every day Tom.”
“I know, but this time I found a film that will maintain the picture, just had to find the right chemistry make-up. Now I can play the image back.”
“Let’s try it. Why don’t you record that lamp over there?”
“It doesn’t move.”
Having breathed in some dust Fred sneezed.
“Do that again! And I will record it.”
“But I don’t need to.”
“Well then just pretend,” said Edison.
“Alright.”
Than Fred Ott pretended to sneeze as Thomas Edison recorded the event. This marked the first time in history that movement was photographed, and then played back. It also made Fred Ott the first actor in motion pictures being that it was a faked sneeze. Thomas Edison was nick named the Wizard of Menlo Park, and still holds the record for the most patents ever recorded, 1093.
“That was cool, maybe I can be the Wizard of Hope Island,” J.R said as the Story Chambers picture disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“I want to try it to.”
“What would you like to see, or learn about? Jennifer asked Helaina.
“Can it be a surprise?”
“Should we trust her?” William teased. “Alright then come up here and work it just like J.R did.”
After she waved her hand Helaina sat back down to see the story she had picked. This time when the story came to life, it took the family back to the day before. There, outside Station One, was Helaina and Marlo Turner playing Hokey Pokey with the Giant Star Fish. Soon the story took them back to earlier that morning, when Marlo had kept her promise to the Star Fish. Not only did she go and play with her, she brought along her dolphin friend. The dolphin was now well enough to be reunited with his large playmate. The reunion of the two friends brought tears to the women’s eyes. The story ended with Marlo placing her hands on the two, to say good-bye, and amazingly they responded with a “Thank You”, before they swam away. The Giant Star Fish stopped, turned around then waved good bye to her new friend.
“Now that was a good story,” said Helaina, wiping away a tear.
“Next time can we see something that they don’t cry over?” J.R complained.
“Get used to it my boy, women always cry with happy endings,” his father told him.
“Let’s watch more,”
“Not tonight, we need for the two of you to go make up a list of things you want us to ship here, we are already having all your clothes packed and the things we thought you might want. We just need you to make a list, to make sure we didn’t leave anything off. Give us the list tomorrow before we leave. I’m going to miss you,” Katie instructed the kids, trying not to get to emotional again.
The J.R and Helaina got up, hugged their mothers then said good night. But before they left the room they stopped.
Helaina then smiled in understand
ing, “You don’t have to worry, we will be safe here. Night, see you in the morning.”
They went to their rooms to make their list leaving their family staring after them.
It was Joanna, Helaina’s mom that said what they were all thinking. “They understand more than we give them credit for.”
“That my beautiful and wise wife is unfortunately true,” David pointed out.
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE HOPE ISLAND FAIR
The next morning, after a nice family breakfast, a caravan of car’s left the Unity estate and drove to the air field where William and Jennifer Unity, J.R Black, and Helaina Unity said good-bye to the one’s they loved the most. Of course Joanna and Katie couldn’t leave without a few tears. For it is always hard to leave your child, but neither of them regretted the decision that was made, in their hearts they truly believed they were doing what was best. After a lot of hugs, promises to email and to text each other, and promises of long, detailed calls at the end of each week, the family boarded their private planes to begin their flight home. David, Joanna and Cassie Unity headed to Maryland, while Charlie, Katie, Paul and Tina Black went to Florida.
Each family had a long list of things that J.R and Helaina wanted them to ship to Hope Island. Each mother had a memory card filled with pictures of the last few days. Pictures that will soon be labeled, “The days of discovery,” in their scrapbooks. Being mother’s they would have loved to get some pictures while they visited Station One but the high-tech security system disabled any camera that was taken down or brought up to the island, completely wiping every memory card. Even Cell Phones weren’t immune. Pictures could be sent down to the Station via computers but none ever made their way out. Ever! When the scientist needed to document and photograph their work they used special cameras invented by the original occupants of the ten Stations. Then transferred their work to special computers shared by the ten stations. Detailed descriptions could be sent to the various CEO’s or Guardians via special computers, but no pictures, and immediately after the file was read the computers automatically erased the information. Nothing of importance was stored in hard drives outside the stations ever. Security was the Unity Corporations second objective. The first being, “Unite the two Worlds.”
Adventure to Destiny: The Unity Objective Series Page 23