Mark set the Messenger down on the table in Courtney's basement. He leaned
back on her sofa.
"What do you think?"
Courtney leaned back on the sofa too, "Well, I hope that Lita and Bobby are right about Saint Dane, I mean, if the whole rebellion thing is not really him and he's just using it as a cover up." she trailed off not wanting to finish her statement.
"I agree," said Mark, "I wish we were able to communicate with Bobby too."
"Yeah, that would be nice," mused Courtney, "Hey, maybe we can with this new piece of technology!" Courtney picked up the Messenger and started playing with the buttons on the screen.
"Uh, Courtney, I'm not sure if we should be messing with it, what if we mess it up and can't use it?" said Mark nervously.
"Well then you play with it, since you are more of an expert at computers than I am," Courtney said tossing the Messenger to Mark. Mark caught it and then carefully put it down on the table. He started playing with the buttons going through different screens.
"What do you make of it?" asked Courtney peering over his shoulder.
"I don't know, everything seems to have some type of code on it. I can't open anything but Bobby's journal."
"Drats!" Courtney said frustrated.
"Didn't Bobby say this belonged to Lita? I bet that she didn't want us snooping around into anything else such as her own journal," said Mark.
"I suppose so, it's just that I miss Bobby. I want to be able to talk to him and tell him about everything that is going on here. I really wish he would just stop this Traveler business and come home," Said Courtney.
"You and I both know he can't do that," replied Mark.
Courtney sighed but nodded. "Want to go and get some fries from the Garden?" she asked.
"Sure!" replied Mark. The french-fries at the Garden were the best fries in the world.
"Race you to the Garden?" asked Courtney and with that she bounded up the basement stairs. Mark pocketed the Messenger and trotted up the steps after her. There was no point in actually trying to race Courtney. She was like the total athlete. Mark doubted if even Bobby could beat her to the Garden. By the time Mark made it to the Garden Courtney had already orded two fries for them.
"Here ya go," she said passing him one of the fries while she dug into the other. "Mmmm.these are so good!" she said sitting back in her chair. Mark popped one of the fries into his mouth and smiled. Nothing could make you feel better than fries from the Garden.
"So when do you think we'll get another journal?" asked Courtney.
"How should I know?" replied Mark irritated.
Courtney laughed, "You know, you get so red when you get angry."
Mark tried to stop from blushing. "And you get red when you are embarrassed too!" said Courtney smiling. The two started talking about Bobby but after awhile their conversation turned away from Bobby and they just chatted about school and things going on around them. The finally left after each having two fries and a soda promising that they would get in touch as soon as another of Bobby's journals came via Mark's ring. Mark hoped that another journal from Bobby arrived soon. He was really starting to enjoy spending time with Courtney.
Mark didn't have to wait long. The next journal arrived two days later. The problem was that Mark was sitting in the middle of algebra when he felt his ring start twitching. "Oh great," he thought, "Just what I need." He hurridley told the teacher that he had to go to the bathroom and rushed out of the classroom, he hadn't even waited for an answer from the teacher. The ring was already starting to get bigger and there was no way he was going to make it to the bathroom that he normally received Bobby's journals in. He had always used that bathroom because nobody came in there except the occasional janitor but he was out of luck today. Music started to play from the ring and the diameter was still growing! Then of all bad things the worst had to happen, a teacher and her class were coming down the hall heading for the library and they were going to go right past Mark in doing so. Mark ran towards a janitors closet and just managed to dive into the room and close the door before the class reached the hall he was on. Mark sighed with relief he was safe. The ring expanded to it's fullest and then Bobby's newest journal appeared or actually a computer chip appeared with a note attached to it. The music stopped and the ring returned to normal size. Mark picked it up and put it back on his finger. Bending down Mark picked up the note and computer chip. Mark read the note silently to himself:
"Mark, Courtney this is my next journal. Just take the last computer chip out and put this one in. Hope you guys are doing ok. Bobby."
Mark put the computer chip back in his pocket and returned to class. It was awful trying to finish the day knowing that he had Bobby's next journal in his pocket. Suddenly algebra just didn't matter to him. As soon as school was over Mark rushed to Courtney's locker, he had to push through two jocks wanting to know if she wanted to play some football with them on Saturday but he finally managed to reach Courtney. All Courtney had to see was the look and Mark's eye and the fact that he had come to her locker and she knew what it was.
"Another one?" she asked. Mark nodded.
Courtney frowned, "My parents are going through our basement so that the can sell some of the junk in there so we can't read it there."
"How about the Pocket?" suggested Mark. The Pocket was a small park surrounded by other shops that the local kids liked to hang out at. They had met Bobby there the last time he had come home.
"Well that would normally work if we were trying to read Bobby's journals but since they now speak I don't think that would be the best idea," replied Courtney testily.
"Oh, didn't think of that," said Mark, "Hey, let's just go to my house, I've got to get the Messenger anyway."
"Alright, but I'm going to my house first to get some scented candles, I don't think I can handle staying in your room more than a few minutes with the smell that it has," replied Courtney. Mark grimaced; he had better run home and pick up some certain things in his room that he didn't want Courtney to see.
"Alright, I'll meet you at your house in fifteen minutes, sound good?" said Courtney.
"Works for me," replied Mark.
Fifteen minutes later Mark and Courtney were sitting on Mark's bed. Mark had the Messenger and he slowly pulled out the first chip and put the second one in. He then pushed the button on the Messenger screen that read: Journal 14.
"What do you think?"
Courtney leaned back on the sofa too, "Well, I hope that Lita and Bobby are right about Saint Dane, I mean, if the whole rebellion thing is not really him and he's just using it as a cover up." she trailed off not wanting to finish her statement.
"I agree," said Mark, "I wish we were able to communicate with Bobby too."
"Yeah, that would be nice," mused Courtney, "Hey, maybe we can with this new piece of technology!" Courtney picked up the Messenger and started playing with the buttons on the screen.
"Uh, Courtney, I'm not sure if we should be messing with it, what if we mess it up and can't use it?" said Mark nervously.
"Well then you play with it, since you are more of an expert at computers than I am," Courtney said tossing the Messenger to Mark. Mark caught it and then carefully put it down on the table. He started playing with the buttons going through different screens.
"What do you make of it?" asked Courtney peering over his shoulder.
"I don't know, everything seems to have some type of code on it. I can't open anything but Bobby's journal."
"Drats!" Courtney said frustrated.
"Didn't Bobby say this belonged to Lita? I bet that she didn't want us snooping around into anything else such as her own journal," said Mark.
"I suppose so, it's just that I miss Bobby. I want to be able to talk to him and tell him about everything that is going on here. I really wish he would just stop this Traveler business and come home," Said Courtney.
"You and I both know he can't do that," replied Mark.
Courtney sighed but nodded. "Want to go and get some fries from the Garden?" she asked.
"Sure!" replied Mark. The french-fries at the Garden were the best fries in the world.
"Race you to the Garden?" asked Courtney and with that she bounded up the basement stairs. Mark pocketed the Messenger and trotted up the steps after her. There was no point in actually trying to race Courtney. She was like the total athlete. Mark doubted if even Bobby could beat her to the Garden. By the time Mark made it to the Garden Courtney had already orded two fries for them.
"Here ya go," she said passing him one of the fries while she dug into the other. "Mmmm.these are so good!" she said sitting back in her chair. Mark popped one of the fries into his mouth and smiled. Nothing could make you feel better than fries from the Garden.
"So when do you think we'll get another journal?" asked Courtney.
"How should I know?" replied Mark irritated.
Courtney laughed, "You know, you get so red when you get angry."
Mark tried to stop from blushing. "And you get red when you are embarrassed too!" said Courtney smiling. The two started talking about Bobby but after awhile their conversation turned away from Bobby and they just chatted about school and things going on around them. The finally left after each having two fries and a soda promising that they would get in touch as soon as another of Bobby's journals came via Mark's ring. Mark hoped that another journal from Bobby arrived soon. He was really starting to enjoy spending time with Courtney.
Mark didn't have to wait long. The next journal arrived two days later. The problem was that Mark was sitting in the middle of algebra when he felt his ring start twitching. "Oh great," he thought, "Just what I need." He hurridley told the teacher that he had to go to the bathroom and rushed out of the classroom, he hadn't even waited for an answer from the teacher. The ring was already starting to get bigger and there was no way he was going to make it to the bathroom that he normally received Bobby's journals in. He had always used that bathroom because nobody came in there except the occasional janitor but he was out of luck today. Music started to play from the ring and the diameter was still growing! Then of all bad things the worst had to happen, a teacher and her class were coming down the hall heading for the library and they were going to go right past Mark in doing so. Mark ran towards a janitors closet and just managed to dive into the room and close the door before the class reached the hall he was on. Mark sighed with relief he was safe. The ring expanded to it's fullest and then Bobby's newest journal appeared or actually a computer chip appeared with a note attached to it. The music stopped and the ring returned to normal size. Mark picked it up and put it back on his finger. Bending down Mark picked up the note and computer chip. Mark read the note silently to himself:
"Mark, Courtney this is my next journal. Just take the last computer chip out and put this one in. Hope you guys are doing ok. Bobby."
Mark put the computer chip back in his pocket and returned to class. It was awful trying to finish the day knowing that he had Bobby's next journal in his pocket. Suddenly algebra just didn't matter to him. As soon as school was over Mark rushed to Courtney's locker, he had to push through two jocks wanting to know if she wanted to play some football with them on Saturday but he finally managed to reach Courtney. All Courtney had to see was the look and Mark's eye and the fact that he had come to her locker and she knew what it was.
"Another one?" she asked. Mark nodded.
Courtney frowned, "My parents are going through our basement so that the can sell some of the junk in there so we can't read it there."
"How about the Pocket?" suggested Mark. The Pocket was a small park surrounded by other shops that the local kids liked to hang out at. They had met Bobby there the last time he had come home.
"Well that would normally work if we were trying to read Bobby's journals but since they now speak I don't think that would be the best idea," replied Courtney testily.
"Oh, didn't think of that," said Mark, "Hey, let's just go to my house, I've got to get the Messenger anyway."
"Alright, but I'm going to my house first to get some scented candles, I don't think I can handle staying in your room more than a few minutes with the smell that it has," replied Courtney. Mark grimaced; he had better run home and pick up some certain things in his room that he didn't want Courtney to see.
"Alright, I'll meet you at your house in fifteen minutes, sound good?" said Courtney.
"Works for me," replied Mark.
Fifteen minutes later Mark and Courtney were sitting on Mark's bed. Mark had the Messenger and he slowly pulled out the first chip and put the second one in. He then pushed the button on the Messenger screen that read: Journal 14.
