This one is longer then the others, but I hope you enjoy it!
After Rory had looked around the room the way Logan had taught him, he unpacked. By the time he was done, only half an hour had passed, so he sat down on the bed to think. He remembered his father once telling him that McKenzie had been given the last name of her mother's sister. Logan told him his Max's sister was named Jace, but she may have changed her name.
'This is to weird.' He thought. 'I found Max's sister, and there are two children here. Does that mean one of the children I saw earlier was McKenzie? The other one must have been Jace's son. Logan mentioned that she had a child and was planning on naming it after Max. They must have also changed McKenzie's name.' The smells of the dinner Jace was cooking started to travel into the room, so Rory decided to go check it out. He left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen.
"Need any help, Ms. McKenzie?" he asked. She turned away from the stove where she was stirring a pot.
"Well, if you want you can set the table. Plates and cups are in that cupboard, and the forks are in this drawer. And I told you, call me Jace."
"Right, sorry. How many places do you want me to set?" He went to the cupboard she had pointed to, opening it and finding blue china plates. "These are really nice plates. You use them for everyday?"
"Yes. Set it for four, please."
"Wow. I remember my Grandma had a setting sort of like this, and I was never allowed to touch it. It was always kept locked up." He remembered trying to open the cabinet one day, and being scolded for getting fingerprints on the glass.
"Well, I figure plates are plates. They were meant to be eaten off of, not just sit and look pretty."
"I agree. Where are the children?"
"Oh, they'll be back in about ten minutes. My son knows exactly when meals will be, and is always on time." They continued talking until dinner was almost ready. Rory told her some of the story that he and Logan had made up, that he was twenty, and from Portland, going to visit some cousins in another small town near the Mexican border. Just as Jace started setting things on the table, they heard a tumble of noise coming from the front door.
"Here they come." She said, then she yelled over the noise, "Wash your hands! I'm inspecting! It gives me a few more minutes." She explained. "If I say I'm going to inspect their hands they'll take a long time washing them, to be sure they aren't sent back."
"Smart idea." Rory said, pouring milk into the glasses. He had just finished and put the pitcher into the icebox when they came into the room.
"Inspection." Said Jace. Rory turned and watched as Jace looked at both sets of hands. "Alright, you may sit." Everyone sat at the table, and Jace started introducing.
"Children, this is Rory Sung, he will be staying with us a few days. Rory, I'd like you to meet my son Max, and my niece Meiying."
"Meiying Aneko McKenzie, pleased to meet you." The child said, offering her hand to shake. Rory took her hand.
"Pleased to meet you, too Meiying." Rory knew right away that this was McKenzie, his childhood friend that he used to call Mac because of her initials. She hadn't changed a lot. Her hair was longer, and she wore glasses now, but she still looked a lot like she did when she was eight.
"Hi." Said Max, his hand shooting out for the bowl of potatoes. Everyone else followed suit, talking over the meal. Both Max and 'Meiying' seemed very active and healthy.
"Where do you go to school?" Rory asked.
"There's a school house two streets over. Our teacher is really nice, Senior Eduardo is really fun, he's better than the teacher we had last year. I'm in grade seven. Tell me about where you're from?"
"Whoa, slow down Meiying." Jace said, stopping her chattering.
"Well, I'm from a city called Portland. It's a lot larger than this, and really nice, but it rains a lot."
"Is it near Seattle?"
"Have you been to Seattle?"
"No. Someone was here a few weeks ago. She said she was from Seattle. Is Portland near Seattle?"
"Well, it's near, but not close. I've never been to Seattle, but I've heard it's nice."
"Cool, I wish you could tell me about Seattle, it sounds like a nice place to visit. I wish…"
"Meiying, eat your dinner, it's getting cold." A voice came from the doorway behind Rory, and Meiying immediately did as she was told. He turned and saw a blond man standing there. He nodded to Rory then went to the cupboard and got a plate, and then he sat in the empty chair at the table.
"Hi, Uncle Zack." Max said between mouthfuls.
"Rory, I'd like you to meet my brother, Zack. Zack this is Rory, he missed the bus, so he's staying here until the next one comes along."
"You said you're from Portland?" Zack asked, shaking his hand.
"Yes, have you ever been there?"
"Once or twice. It's nice. Seattle's nicer, though."
"Yeah, I've never been there, but that's what I've heard."
"You live in Portland, and you've never been to Seattle? How long have you lived in Portland?"
"My whole life. This is actually the first time I've ever really been out, except for when my parents brought me down here when I was small."
"Can I be excused?" Max interrupted, already half out of his seat.
"Yes, Max, you can go to Meiying." As soon as the words were out of Jace's mouth, the children were gone.
"Are there any phones around? I trine to use my cell phone earlier to call my dad and tell him what happened, but it wasn't really working."
"No, as I said, we have no electricity. But you might try going out back, to the yard. It might work there."
"Alright, thanks. Excuse me." Rory got up from the table and went to his room to get his cell phone. He went to the back of the building and made sure no one was around, and then dialled Logan's number. The reception was a little better, but not excellent."
"Hello? Rory?"
"Yup. I'm here. This can't be long, the reception's not all that good."
"Alright, how's it going?"
"Pretty good, I'm stuck in this really small town. Really small."
"Have you seen McKenzie?"
"Yes, I'm at a boarding house. It's nice. There are two children, named Max and Meiying. There sweet. Remind me of Josh and Sera." He said, talking in code and naming his brother and sister, in case anyone was listening.
"How long...have?"
"Pardon?"
"How long do you have? When...next bus come in?"
"I might take the bus that comes in three days. It will bring me home. I would have to wait a week to continue on, and by the time I visit I won't make it back to go to work. So I'll probably take the bus that leaves in three days."
"Alright, just...careful, is Zack there?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I'll see...a week."
"Alright, see you in a week."
He closed the phone and went into the house to his room. He could hear Max and McKenzie plying in the next room. Rory sat down on the bed to think about things, and hoped he wouldn't accidentally call Meiying McKenzie. Then he would be in trouble.
To Be Continued...
After Rory had looked around the room the way Logan had taught him, he unpacked. By the time he was done, only half an hour had passed, so he sat down on the bed to think. He remembered his father once telling him that McKenzie had been given the last name of her mother's sister. Logan told him his Max's sister was named Jace, but she may have changed her name.
'This is to weird.' He thought. 'I found Max's sister, and there are two children here. Does that mean one of the children I saw earlier was McKenzie? The other one must have been Jace's son. Logan mentioned that she had a child and was planning on naming it after Max. They must have also changed McKenzie's name.' The smells of the dinner Jace was cooking started to travel into the room, so Rory decided to go check it out. He left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen.
"Need any help, Ms. McKenzie?" he asked. She turned away from the stove where she was stirring a pot.
"Well, if you want you can set the table. Plates and cups are in that cupboard, and the forks are in this drawer. And I told you, call me Jace."
"Right, sorry. How many places do you want me to set?" He went to the cupboard she had pointed to, opening it and finding blue china plates. "These are really nice plates. You use them for everyday?"
"Yes. Set it for four, please."
"Wow. I remember my Grandma had a setting sort of like this, and I was never allowed to touch it. It was always kept locked up." He remembered trying to open the cabinet one day, and being scolded for getting fingerprints on the glass.
"Well, I figure plates are plates. They were meant to be eaten off of, not just sit and look pretty."
"I agree. Where are the children?"
"Oh, they'll be back in about ten minutes. My son knows exactly when meals will be, and is always on time." They continued talking until dinner was almost ready. Rory told her some of the story that he and Logan had made up, that he was twenty, and from Portland, going to visit some cousins in another small town near the Mexican border. Just as Jace started setting things on the table, they heard a tumble of noise coming from the front door.
"Here they come." She said, then she yelled over the noise, "Wash your hands! I'm inspecting! It gives me a few more minutes." She explained. "If I say I'm going to inspect their hands they'll take a long time washing them, to be sure they aren't sent back."
"Smart idea." Rory said, pouring milk into the glasses. He had just finished and put the pitcher into the icebox when they came into the room.
"Inspection." Said Jace. Rory turned and watched as Jace looked at both sets of hands. "Alright, you may sit." Everyone sat at the table, and Jace started introducing.
"Children, this is Rory Sung, he will be staying with us a few days. Rory, I'd like you to meet my son Max, and my niece Meiying."
"Meiying Aneko McKenzie, pleased to meet you." The child said, offering her hand to shake. Rory took her hand.
"Pleased to meet you, too Meiying." Rory knew right away that this was McKenzie, his childhood friend that he used to call Mac because of her initials. She hadn't changed a lot. Her hair was longer, and she wore glasses now, but she still looked a lot like she did when she was eight.
"Hi." Said Max, his hand shooting out for the bowl of potatoes. Everyone else followed suit, talking over the meal. Both Max and 'Meiying' seemed very active and healthy.
"Where do you go to school?" Rory asked.
"There's a school house two streets over. Our teacher is really nice, Senior Eduardo is really fun, he's better than the teacher we had last year. I'm in grade seven. Tell me about where you're from?"
"Whoa, slow down Meiying." Jace said, stopping her chattering.
"Well, I'm from a city called Portland. It's a lot larger than this, and really nice, but it rains a lot."
"Is it near Seattle?"
"Have you been to Seattle?"
"No. Someone was here a few weeks ago. She said she was from Seattle. Is Portland near Seattle?"
"Well, it's near, but not close. I've never been to Seattle, but I've heard it's nice."
"Cool, I wish you could tell me about Seattle, it sounds like a nice place to visit. I wish…"
"Meiying, eat your dinner, it's getting cold." A voice came from the doorway behind Rory, and Meiying immediately did as she was told. He turned and saw a blond man standing there. He nodded to Rory then went to the cupboard and got a plate, and then he sat in the empty chair at the table.
"Hi, Uncle Zack." Max said between mouthfuls.
"Rory, I'd like you to meet my brother, Zack. Zack this is Rory, he missed the bus, so he's staying here until the next one comes along."
"You said you're from Portland?" Zack asked, shaking his hand.
"Yes, have you ever been there?"
"Once or twice. It's nice. Seattle's nicer, though."
"Yeah, I've never been there, but that's what I've heard."
"You live in Portland, and you've never been to Seattle? How long have you lived in Portland?"
"My whole life. This is actually the first time I've ever really been out, except for when my parents brought me down here when I was small."
"Can I be excused?" Max interrupted, already half out of his seat.
"Yes, Max, you can go to Meiying." As soon as the words were out of Jace's mouth, the children were gone.
"Are there any phones around? I trine to use my cell phone earlier to call my dad and tell him what happened, but it wasn't really working."
"No, as I said, we have no electricity. But you might try going out back, to the yard. It might work there."
"Alright, thanks. Excuse me." Rory got up from the table and went to his room to get his cell phone. He went to the back of the building and made sure no one was around, and then dialled Logan's number. The reception was a little better, but not excellent."
"Hello? Rory?"
"Yup. I'm here. This can't be long, the reception's not all that good."
"Alright, how's it going?"
"Pretty good, I'm stuck in this really small town. Really small."
"Have you seen McKenzie?"
"Yes, I'm at a boarding house. It's nice. There are two children, named Max and Meiying. There sweet. Remind me of Josh and Sera." He said, talking in code and naming his brother and sister, in case anyone was listening.
"How long...have?"
"Pardon?"
"How long do you have? When...next bus come in?"
"I might take the bus that comes in three days. It will bring me home. I would have to wait a week to continue on, and by the time I visit I won't make it back to go to work. So I'll probably take the bus that leaves in three days."
"Alright, just...careful, is Zack there?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I'll see...a week."
"Alright, see you in a week."
He closed the phone and went into the house to his room. He could hear Max and McKenzie plying in the next room. Rory sat down on the bed to think about things, and hoped he wouldn't accidentally call Meiying McKenzie. Then he would be in trouble.
To Be Continued...
