1-800-Where-R-You: Book 6 "Rush Hour"
Jess has always been okay finding missing kids. Okay, so it probably wasn't what she would have chosen had she had a choice, but it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to her. Hell, with a push, she was even okay about finding Rob's little sister. But when, on the day of her wedding Ruth disappears, finding her proves more difficult for Jess. With the clock ticking, a stranded groom, and the fact that Jess' best friend is missing, everything is proving too much. And then something else goes wrong. Everything is proving far too much for Jess, and trying to beat the rush hour traffic to find Ruth, and get to the second emergency, Jess is pushed to every limit possible…
This is my take on Book 6, had there been one. Follows on from "Missing You", Book 5, set just under a year after.
Chapter 1
Do I really need to do the whole introduction thing again? Okay, I'll give you a brief one.
Introduction, I mean.
My name is Jessica Mastriani. Most people know me as Jess. Just under six years ago I got struck by lightning, and from that day onward I was able to find missing kids in my sleep, just by looking at a picture of them. My power then developed to some cases where I could find someone by holding an item of theirs, like a pillow or a cardigan. Yep that's me, "Lightning Girl" as the press kept calling me. If you don't know what I've been through to find these missing kids you might say it was cool to have powers like mine. But believe me now when I say it so wasn't cool. To have these powers, I mean. Well, it was if you think about all the people I've helped.
But at times it was not an easy ride. Well, it was in the sense that, for most of my expeditions I was on the back of a totally cherried-out Indian. Motorcycle, I mean, with a totally hot guy driving. But the truth is I went through some pretty bad things for those kids. Threats, misunderstandings, violence, near death, being held captive, and then, when my powers wanted to be used to help more than just kids, adults too, fugitives, I endured many sleepless nights of nightmares. Because, you see, when the FBI send you to war to help find wanted terrorists, you're right in the centre of all the explosions and the fighting. So consequently, I couldn't sleep which meant I couldn't dream up missing people. I lost my powers thanks to the FBI, who, on more than one occasion I went to work with, and to their disappointment on more than one occasion I didn't want to continue.
War was the final straw and so they sent me home. I was normal, for a while, a normal nineteen year old girl. And then my powers came back. Thanks to, or depending on how you look at it no thanks to Rob Wilkins-the hot guy on the cherried-out Indian. The fact that, at the time he showed up he was my ex seemed to make no difference to him. He needed me to find his sister. So, weirdly, I helped him. And my powers came back. The nightmares stopped. And Rob and I got engaged.
So I suppose if you look at it in a positive way, me having my physic powers I mean, I came out of these near six years with love. Sounds cheesy right? But it's true. From that first day I rode with Rob to Paoli for my first find, it brought us closer somehow. And he was there for every find I made. Lets just say, in more cheesy speak; he was my knight in shining motorcycle gear. And leather. And that's why, when I think of everything we've been through together, I know that Rob Wilkins is the best decision I have ever made. And hey, I don't need ESP or any physic powers to come to that conclusion.
So I guess that was a longer introduction about me than I'd planned. But you can't blame me, I mean, it took me long enough to get here-in every respect. But I wouldn't change a thing.
Preview of chapter 2
"We could. Or I was thinking. We could have our own celebration now."
"Well. I like your idea better, so…"
"Good. So do I."
"Jessica!"