Hey guys! Well, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.
"Dad?" Lucy asked during dinner of mashed potatoes and fried chicken. "You seem quiet."
"What? Oh, nothing Hon…I just have a lot of work to do with business." He smiled. "I'll finish it, though."
"I can do the dishes tonight."
"That's sweet, Luce, but I can do them."
Lucy nodded. "All right. Then I guess I'd better go finish my homework." She stood up and headed upstairs, just as the telephone rang.
"Lucy, don't answer!" Brian shouted, but she didn't hear him.
"Hello…Hold on, please. Dad!" Lucy shouted from the top stair. "It's Eric!"
Brian breathed a sigh of relief as he grabbed the portable in the kitchen. "Hi, Eric."
"Hi, Brian. Listen. I've done some research."
"Research? Do you think it will help me?"
"No, but I do have the family background. The court wouldn't want to Lucy to a bunch of really odd people, right?"
"Odd people?"
"The family has had these powers for hundreds of years, ever since a fairy blessed Margherita Henson, Lucy's very distant grandmother. She goes back to the mid-sixteen hundreds."
"I see."
"I'll come over and explain the story in person," Eric replied. They hung up without saying good-bye.
Within minutes, Eric showed up, and Brian let him in.
"When Margherita was blessed, she was taken from her queen-like home in France, and was taken on another planet where she learned her special powers," Eric said, as the two sat down to a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
"France?"
"Yes, until that time. After that, most of her family was born on that planet. It took Margherita several years to learn where she was—everything looked the same as it was back in France. Even the people were the same—there was one difference, though, and Margherita couldn't explain it." Eric paused for a moment and continued, "Eventually, she realized. The place was different—she had never noticed it before. There was a diamond shining in the middle of the sky, showing that she was not in France. It was a sign of beauty, as she learned."
"So it's that beautiful? But then why is Lucy here? How did you know their family?"
"Lucy's mother, Colette, didn't want to live on the planet anymore. She was the first one of her family members since Margherita Henson to return to what they call the "Normal World". But she didn't want to return to France, so when she turned sixteen—just when her family was about to marry her off—she was able to leave the planet, and she went to a college in Florida, where she met Vincent."
"So her husband is what they would call "normal"?"
Eric frowned. "Not exactly. As it turned out later on, her husband was also from the planet but his family left when he was only seven—it was complicated, and they had to make many promises, but they managed to leave—and they settled in Massachusetts until he was accepted to the college in Florida. When they were nineteen, they were married, but then they returned to their planet to tell their family—Vince's grandparents still lived there. A year later, Lucy was born—on the planet. They didn't want her to have those powers, so they moved out to Pennsylvania as quickly as possible. They didn't realize it was inherited and that no matter where they lived, she was going to have those powers forever. Assuming Lucy doesn't marry anyone from her planet, there will still be a bit of power left into her children—powers that can't be discussed, except on the planet."
"Wow."
Eric nodded. "And the other problem is when Lucy turns sixteen, she must be brought to the planet to live and possibly to marry there, unless she could convince the people otherwise."
"But what about her family? They abandoned her."
"They had to go back to the Planet for a family matter and Lucy was not allowed to go with them, so Alexia—who was Colette's best friend at the time—offered to take Lucy in. When they returned, Alexandria put up a fight about it that they lost their case and was not given Lucy back. However, with Alexandria gone, they now have the right to have another court case. Jack is helping Colette with the case, but I can help you. If you can convince the judge a second time to keep Lucy, then Lucy is yours, forever."
"We have to move," Brian said.
"Where can you move to?" Eric asked. "Jack—or someone else—will probably be back tomorrow and you can't move on such short notice. Besides, Jack knows everyone in Glen Oak. He'll have everyone in the community searching for you."
Brian sighed. "Thanks for your help, Eric. I should think about this and what the best solution should be."
"You're welcome." Eric stood up, and they shook hands. "You let me know soon, all right?"
"Thanks." Brian tried to smile as Eric left the house.