Chapter 7
Maxwell Luceid was sitting at his desk filling out some paperwork when the phone call came.
"Hello, Max." It was his father, Bryant.
"Father?"
"She knows, Max."
"Did you tell her?"
"She figured it out on her own."
"How did she take it."
"I'm not too sure. It's always been hard to tell what she's thinking."
"Heh, That's true."
"Anyways, she's on her way home. I believe she'll be expecting more of an explanation."
"I see.. Thank you Father."
Maxwell hung up and made another call, "Hello Kay, it's time.. Have everything ready by tomorrow."
Maxwell hung up again and sat back in his chair, 'Kay was right about her. No surprise there, they've always been right about us.'
B.C. stared out at the city of Wolf's Ridge from James's truck window. 'For twenty years I've called this place my home and never questioned it. Noiseland Arcade, for years I'd go there and blow my allowance on video games and never thought twice about it. There's the Burger Kong where I'd have lunch with my friends, talking about what boys we thought were cute and what we wanted out of life. There's the comic book store James would drag me off to and spend hours listening to him go on about what heroes he liked and why. My whole life, I never questioned it.'
"What's on your mind, babe?"
"Nothing really. Just thinking that's all."
"Are you sure you're alright. I've never seen you this quiet before."
"Yeah."
James shook his head and continued to drive B.C. home. He drove up the long driveway to the spectacular Luceid estate. B.C. turned towards her boyfriend and smiled, "Been a long day, huh?"
"Yeah, it's getting late."
"You wanna watch the sunset with me? It's really spectacular from out back."
"Sure, I'd love to." James answered enthusiastically.
The pair went to the backyard balcony. The sunset was gorgeous. The sky was brilliant shade of orange, the sun was cherry red and the clouds were a deep shade of purple. James and B.C. enjoyed the view while sitting on a patio couch.
"It's so beautiful." B.C. said softly.
"Just like you." James replied.
B.C. said nothing. She just turned her head and kissed James deeply. When they were done kissing, B.C. smiled and watched the sun sink beneath the horizon. "James, I'm going through a lot of things right now. When I get everything sorted out, I'll tell you everything. In the mean time, I just need you to be there for me."
"I'll be here for you. You can count on me." James answered. "When ever you need me, I'll be there."
"Thank you." B.C. smiled and hugged her boyfriend. 'James, you've been so good to me. I don't know what's going to happen but no matter what I know I'll always love you.' B.C. and James walked back to the truck. B.C. got her laptop from the cab and suitcase from the back.
"You need any help with those?" James asked.
"Nah, I'm good. I'll see you later."
"Okay. Let me know if you ever need anything." With that, James drove off leaving B.C. by herself. She carried her belongings inside.
"Miss Luceid, do you need any assistance carrying your items?" Kirk asked her.
"No, that's okay, Kirk. By the way, did say when he was coming home? It's getting late."
"Ah yes, Mr. Luceid informed me that he had some important work to do and would be coming home late."
"Okay, thanks Kirk." 'God dammit, why is it that whenever I need him, he's never around.' B.C carried her belongings upstairs and into her room. B.C. tossed her suitcase aside and put her laptop back onto her desk. She then changed into some nightclothes and threw herself into the bed.
'Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?'
'Good question. What am I going to do?'
(Eleven years earlier)
B.C. was happily enjoying some loud music when a knock on the door interrupted her euphoria. B.C. paused the CD she was listening to. "Yeah, what is it."
"Beth, may I speak with you?" Maxwell asked from outside.
"I guess." B.C. answered grudgingly.
Maxwell entered B.C.'s room and addressed his daughter, "Beth, your finance teacher called me today, she was concerned about your performance in class. Is there anything wrong?"
"No." B.C. snorted.
"You know, if you're going to run the company, it's important that you learn about finance and business."
"I don't want to run the company." B.C. mumbled.
"What was that, dear?"
"I don't want to run the stupid company!" B.C. yelled, tears forming in her eyes.
Maxwell just smiled, "Oh? What would you like to do?"
"I wanna be a scientist."
"Really? What kind of scientist?"
"I dunno, something to do with animals. Like a biologist."
"Well, that would be something. My daughter, the world famous biologist." Maxwell chuckled.
"Wait. You're not mad?" B.C. looked up at her father in surprise.
"Of course not. When I was your age, I didn't want to run the company either." Maxwell smiled while rubbing her back reassuringly.
"Really? What did you want to be?"
"I wanted to be an FBI agent."
"Really? So why didn't you become an FBI agent? I mean, I bet you would've been great at it. You've always caught me whenever I did anything bad, no matter how hard I tried to cover it up."
"Ha ha, that's true. Well why don't you come with me on a little trip tomorrow and maybe you figure out why I didn't."
"But I've got school tomorrow."
"That's alright. Just ask one of your friends to bring any notes and homework you'll miss. I'll call the school tomorrow and let them know you'll be with me."
"Okay." B.C. smiled.
Early next morning, the two Luceids were aboard the corporate jet. B.C. couldn't help but be a little excited. She had never been farther away from Wolf's Ridge than her grandfather's cabin. Her father didn't believe in taking extravagant or distant vacations, a policy that had ran in the family for generations. "Where are we going?" B.C. asked her father.
"We're going to visit a few places." Maxwell told his daughter.
"What places?"
"You'll see." Maxwell answered giving her a fatherly squeeze around the shoulders. The jet took off giving B.C. a bird's eye view of Wolf's Ridge. B.C. was amazed how small everything looked from above. She stared out the window watching cities, towns, forests, mountains, plains and other assorted scenery pass underneath. The plane began to descend towards an airfield situated in the industrial heartland of America. B.C. stared fascinated by the almost alien landscape. It was radically different then the modern shopping complexes and office buildings that made up her own town of Wolf's Ridge. Factories belched out smoke from smokestacks coloring the sky. Old buildings stood proudly as if to defy the progress of the twenty-first century. Maxwell ushered his bewildered daughter to an awaiting car. The CEO drove his daughter to one of the factories. A sign above the entrance indicated it was a Luceid owned factory. B.C. followed her father inside, wondering why he had brought her here.
Maxwell and B.C. stood over a fully function assembly plant atop a catwalk usually reserved for supervisors. Below them were hundreds of workers. Some were testing products, others were sorting out circuit boards and others were doing tasks that B.C. couldn't quite recognize. Maxwell pointed at a man looking at gauges and writing on a notepad. "That gentleman is Richard Baxton, from product quality control. He has a daughter about your age who wants to be a ballerina. He's been saving his extra money so she can go to dance school after she graduates." Maxwell then directed his daughter's attention towards a young man working on the assembly line. "That's Patrick Johnson. He started working here about a year ago after his wife had their first son." His next subject was a tired looking young woman inspecting a machine, "Lynn Carr, she's been raising her two daughters by herself after her husband was killed during the Super Power Conflict."
"Wow. How did you know about them?"
"Well, I like to get know my employees a little. I've always been curious about other people. Why don't you and I meet a few more." Maxwell and B.C. went to a meeting room where a few employees waited for them. B.C. listened quietly while they told their hopes and dreams. When it was all over, father and daughter went back to the airport. On the way there, Maxwell asked his daughter, "Why do you think I kept this plant open when it would have been more profitable to close it after setting up new plants in Asia?"
B.C. didn't even pause to think, "Because they appreciate it being open. They want to work and do a good job so they can feed their families, realize their dreams and live their lives."
"Very good." Maxwell complimented his daughter's answer. "Spoken like a true Luceid."
The next place the pair visited was a small town decimated by a flood. Construction crews worked diligently to repair damaged buildings and rebuild destroyed homes. B.C. gazed at the scene in shock and amazement. She had seen the flood on the news but she never thought she'd ever see the aftermath in person. An elderly gentleman approached the two and shook hands with Maxwell. "Mr. Luceid, it's good to see you. I'd like to thank you for all you've done for us."
"I'm glad I could help out, Mayor Armstrong. I'd like you to meet my daughter, Beth."
"It's good to meet you, Beth" Mayor Armstrong said while shaking her hand. B.C. just smiled and nodded, wondering why she had been brought here.
Maxwell grabbed two safety helmets from a nearby table and put one on his head and handed the other to B.C., "There's a lot of work to be done, so why don't we lend a hand."
"Okay." B.C. answered putting on the helmet. B.C. toiled for hours, cleaning mud and debris from stores. The other workers marveled at the young woman. She was a contradiction to the image of the daughters of privilege. She was no spoiled, whiny, soft brat but a lean, hard worker who pitched in as much as the other young men and women from the small town who volunteered to rebuild the ruined town. She was talkative and friendly, laughing at the coarse jokes of a few teenage boys and telling some of her own. B.C. enjoyed the work, it gave her a good workout and a chance to meet some new people. At the end of the day, B.C. and Maxwell rested by their car, both were exhausted from the hard days work.
"How are you holding out, Beth." Maxwell asked.
"I'm a little wore out, but I'm still okay." She answered.
"You looked like you enjoyed yourself."
"I did, I got to meet some new friends and that was more exercise than I could have gotten at the gym."
"Ha Ha. Well, I'm glad you have a good attitude about this. Do you know why we came here? Why I donated equipment, money and our time to rebuilding this small town instead of a larger city?"
"Because they'll remember Luceid better."
"What do you mean?"
"People in small towns will remember better. Other companies were focusing on the larger cities because there's more people there but we were the only ones helping the people here. When they get back on their feet and ready to buy a computer or a printer or any of the other stuff we sell, they're going to remember the Luceid name."
"Impressive. You truly are a Luceid." Maxwell tousled his daughter's hair lovingly and continued. "You know, there were a few people on the board who opposed the company using its resources to rebuild this little town and they wanted to shut down plants like the one we visited earlier today. Beth, this company has been on the top because it's been run by a Luceid. I'm not going to force you to take over when I retire, but I want you to remember everything you've seen today and ask yourself if can trust anyone to run the company the way we do?"
"I understand Dad."
"Good, let's go home."
"Dad?"
"Yes dear?"
"I'll start working harder on my finance class."
"That's my girl. You are a Luceid."
'I am a Luceid.'
(The present)
'I am a Luceid. I was once Buttercup Utonium, but now I'm Bethany Christine Luceid. Why should anything change just because I was someone else at one time? I have everything I need in this life, a wonderful boyfriend, a nice town to live in, a future as the head of world's most successful company and so many people are counting on me to run this company right. Why should anything be different?'
Maxwell Luceid entered his house wondering what mindset his daughter was in. He was answered by a cheerful hello from his only daughter. The young woman trotted downstairs and hugged him vigorously.
"Hi Dad, I missed you."
"I missed you too, dear. It was quiet without you."
"Ha ha, you say that every time I go on a business trip."
"Yeah, about that.."
"Don't worry, I finished my report at Grandpa's"
"That's good." 'Hmm, she hasn't even acknowledged that she knows.'
"Daddy?"
"Yes dear?"
"What was your story?"
"My story?"
"Yeah. I know grandpa's story and I know my story, sorta. So what's your story?"
"I see. Well, I was an orphan living in a Florida city. I survived for doing jobs for local mobsters. Nothing too big, just odd jobs. One day, they had me deliver a package to a local shop. It was a bomb that killed thirteen people, including a little girl. After that day, I swore that the people who had me deliver that package would pay. I knew the police were corrupt, so I went to the local branch of the FBI and explained to them what had happened. From then on, they had me gather evidence for them. Unfortunately, the Mafia found out and came after me. Some thugs had me cornered in an abandoned building when they came."
"They?"
"Luceid's extraction team. They killed the thugs, knocked me out and took me out of there. When I woke up, I didn't remember any of it."
"But how did you know?"
"You'll find out tomorrow. We'll tell you everything tomorrow. But you need to get to bed, you have a report to give in the morning and you need your rest."
"Okay, g'night Dad."
Maxwell watched the young woman hurry upstairs, 'Tomorrow, she'll know everything and remember everything. What will happen then?'
Maxwell Luceid was sitting at his desk filling out some paperwork when the phone call came.
"Hello, Max." It was his father, Bryant.
"Father?"
"She knows, Max."
"Did you tell her?"
"She figured it out on her own."
"How did she take it."
"I'm not too sure. It's always been hard to tell what she's thinking."
"Heh, That's true."
"Anyways, she's on her way home. I believe she'll be expecting more of an explanation."
"I see.. Thank you Father."
Maxwell hung up and made another call, "Hello Kay, it's time.. Have everything ready by tomorrow."
Maxwell hung up again and sat back in his chair, 'Kay was right about her. No surprise there, they've always been right about us.'
B.C. stared out at the city of Wolf's Ridge from James's truck window. 'For twenty years I've called this place my home and never questioned it. Noiseland Arcade, for years I'd go there and blow my allowance on video games and never thought twice about it. There's the Burger Kong where I'd have lunch with my friends, talking about what boys we thought were cute and what we wanted out of life. There's the comic book store James would drag me off to and spend hours listening to him go on about what heroes he liked and why. My whole life, I never questioned it.'
"What's on your mind, babe?"
"Nothing really. Just thinking that's all."
"Are you sure you're alright. I've never seen you this quiet before."
"Yeah."
James shook his head and continued to drive B.C. home. He drove up the long driveway to the spectacular Luceid estate. B.C. turned towards her boyfriend and smiled, "Been a long day, huh?"
"Yeah, it's getting late."
"You wanna watch the sunset with me? It's really spectacular from out back."
"Sure, I'd love to." James answered enthusiastically.
The pair went to the backyard balcony. The sunset was gorgeous. The sky was brilliant shade of orange, the sun was cherry red and the clouds were a deep shade of purple. James and B.C. enjoyed the view while sitting on a patio couch.
"It's so beautiful." B.C. said softly.
"Just like you." James replied.
B.C. said nothing. She just turned her head and kissed James deeply. When they were done kissing, B.C. smiled and watched the sun sink beneath the horizon. "James, I'm going through a lot of things right now. When I get everything sorted out, I'll tell you everything. In the mean time, I just need you to be there for me."
"I'll be here for you. You can count on me." James answered. "When ever you need me, I'll be there."
"Thank you." B.C. smiled and hugged her boyfriend. 'James, you've been so good to me. I don't know what's going to happen but no matter what I know I'll always love you.' B.C. and James walked back to the truck. B.C. got her laptop from the cab and suitcase from the back.
"You need any help with those?" James asked.
"Nah, I'm good. I'll see you later."
"Okay. Let me know if you ever need anything." With that, James drove off leaving B.C. by herself. She carried her belongings inside.
"Miss Luceid, do you need any assistance carrying your items?" Kirk asked her.
"No, that's okay, Kirk. By the way, did say when he was coming home? It's getting late."
"Ah yes, Mr. Luceid informed me that he had some important work to do and would be coming home late."
"Okay, thanks Kirk." 'God dammit, why is it that whenever I need him, he's never around.' B.C carried her belongings upstairs and into her room. B.C. tossed her suitcase aside and put her laptop back onto her desk. She then changed into some nightclothes and threw herself into the bed.
'Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?'
'Good question. What am I going to do?'
(Eleven years earlier)
B.C. was happily enjoying some loud music when a knock on the door interrupted her euphoria. B.C. paused the CD she was listening to. "Yeah, what is it."
"Beth, may I speak with you?" Maxwell asked from outside.
"I guess." B.C. answered grudgingly.
Maxwell entered B.C.'s room and addressed his daughter, "Beth, your finance teacher called me today, she was concerned about your performance in class. Is there anything wrong?"
"No." B.C. snorted.
"You know, if you're going to run the company, it's important that you learn about finance and business."
"I don't want to run the company." B.C. mumbled.
"What was that, dear?"
"I don't want to run the stupid company!" B.C. yelled, tears forming in her eyes.
Maxwell just smiled, "Oh? What would you like to do?"
"I wanna be a scientist."
"Really? What kind of scientist?"
"I dunno, something to do with animals. Like a biologist."
"Well, that would be something. My daughter, the world famous biologist." Maxwell chuckled.
"Wait. You're not mad?" B.C. looked up at her father in surprise.
"Of course not. When I was your age, I didn't want to run the company either." Maxwell smiled while rubbing her back reassuringly.
"Really? What did you want to be?"
"I wanted to be an FBI agent."
"Really? So why didn't you become an FBI agent? I mean, I bet you would've been great at it. You've always caught me whenever I did anything bad, no matter how hard I tried to cover it up."
"Ha ha, that's true. Well why don't you come with me on a little trip tomorrow and maybe you figure out why I didn't."
"But I've got school tomorrow."
"That's alright. Just ask one of your friends to bring any notes and homework you'll miss. I'll call the school tomorrow and let them know you'll be with me."
"Okay." B.C. smiled.
Early next morning, the two Luceids were aboard the corporate jet. B.C. couldn't help but be a little excited. She had never been farther away from Wolf's Ridge than her grandfather's cabin. Her father didn't believe in taking extravagant or distant vacations, a policy that had ran in the family for generations. "Where are we going?" B.C. asked her father.
"We're going to visit a few places." Maxwell told his daughter.
"What places?"
"You'll see." Maxwell answered giving her a fatherly squeeze around the shoulders. The jet took off giving B.C. a bird's eye view of Wolf's Ridge. B.C. was amazed how small everything looked from above. She stared out the window watching cities, towns, forests, mountains, plains and other assorted scenery pass underneath. The plane began to descend towards an airfield situated in the industrial heartland of America. B.C. stared fascinated by the almost alien landscape. It was radically different then the modern shopping complexes and office buildings that made up her own town of Wolf's Ridge. Factories belched out smoke from smokestacks coloring the sky. Old buildings stood proudly as if to defy the progress of the twenty-first century. Maxwell ushered his bewildered daughter to an awaiting car. The CEO drove his daughter to one of the factories. A sign above the entrance indicated it was a Luceid owned factory. B.C. followed her father inside, wondering why he had brought her here.
Maxwell and B.C. stood over a fully function assembly plant atop a catwalk usually reserved for supervisors. Below them were hundreds of workers. Some were testing products, others were sorting out circuit boards and others were doing tasks that B.C. couldn't quite recognize. Maxwell pointed at a man looking at gauges and writing on a notepad. "That gentleman is Richard Baxton, from product quality control. He has a daughter about your age who wants to be a ballerina. He's been saving his extra money so she can go to dance school after she graduates." Maxwell then directed his daughter's attention towards a young man working on the assembly line. "That's Patrick Johnson. He started working here about a year ago after his wife had their first son." His next subject was a tired looking young woman inspecting a machine, "Lynn Carr, she's been raising her two daughters by herself after her husband was killed during the Super Power Conflict."
"Wow. How did you know about them?"
"Well, I like to get know my employees a little. I've always been curious about other people. Why don't you and I meet a few more." Maxwell and B.C. went to a meeting room where a few employees waited for them. B.C. listened quietly while they told their hopes and dreams. When it was all over, father and daughter went back to the airport. On the way there, Maxwell asked his daughter, "Why do you think I kept this plant open when it would have been more profitable to close it after setting up new plants in Asia?"
B.C. didn't even pause to think, "Because they appreciate it being open. They want to work and do a good job so they can feed their families, realize their dreams and live their lives."
"Very good." Maxwell complimented his daughter's answer. "Spoken like a true Luceid."
The next place the pair visited was a small town decimated by a flood. Construction crews worked diligently to repair damaged buildings and rebuild destroyed homes. B.C. gazed at the scene in shock and amazement. She had seen the flood on the news but she never thought she'd ever see the aftermath in person. An elderly gentleman approached the two and shook hands with Maxwell. "Mr. Luceid, it's good to see you. I'd like to thank you for all you've done for us."
"I'm glad I could help out, Mayor Armstrong. I'd like you to meet my daughter, Beth."
"It's good to meet you, Beth" Mayor Armstrong said while shaking her hand. B.C. just smiled and nodded, wondering why she had been brought here.
Maxwell grabbed two safety helmets from a nearby table and put one on his head and handed the other to B.C., "There's a lot of work to be done, so why don't we lend a hand."
"Okay." B.C. answered putting on the helmet. B.C. toiled for hours, cleaning mud and debris from stores. The other workers marveled at the young woman. She was a contradiction to the image of the daughters of privilege. She was no spoiled, whiny, soft brat but a lean, hard worker who pitched in as much as the other young men and women from the small town who volunteered to rebuild the ruined town. She was talkative and friendly, laughing at the coarse jokes of a few teenage boys and telling some of her own. B.C. enjoyed the work, it gave her a good workout and a chance to meet some new people. At the end of the day, B.C. and Maxwell rested by their car, both were exhausted from the hard days work.
"How are you holding out, Beth." Maxwell asked.
"I'm a little wore out, but I'm still okay." She answered.
"You looked like you enjoyed yourself."
"I did, I got to meet some new friends and that was more exercise than I could have gotten at the gym."
"Ha Ha. Well, I'm glad you have a good attitude about this. Do you know why we came here? Why I donated equipment, money and our time to rebuilding this small town instead of a larger city?"
"Because they'll remember Luceid better."
"What do you mean?"
"People in small towns will remember better. Other companies were focusing on the larger cities because there's more people there but we were the only ones helping the people here. When they get back on their feet and ready to buy a computer or a printer or any of the other stuff we sell, they're going to remember the Luceid name."
"Impressive. You truly are a Luceid." Maxwell tousled his daughter's hair lovingly and continued. "You know, there were a few people on the board who opposed the company using its resources to rebuild this little town and they wanted to shut down plants like the one we visited earlier today. Beth, this company has been on the top because it's been run by a Luceid. I'm not going to force you to take over when I retire, but I want you to remember everything you've seen today and ask yourself if can trust anyone to run the company the way we do?"
"I understand Dad."
"Good, let's go home."
"Dad?"
"Yes dear?"
"I'll start working harder on my finance class."
"That's my girl. You are a Luceid."
'I am a Luceid.'
(The present)
'I am a Luceid. I was once Buttercup Utonium, but now I'm Bethany Christine Luceid. Why should anything change just because I was someone else at one time? I have everything I need in this life, a wonderful boyfriend, a nice town to live in, a future as the head of world's most successful company and so many people are counting on me to run this company right. Why should anything be different?'
Maxwell Luceid entered his house wondering what mindset his daughter was in. He was answered by a cheerful hello from his only daughter. The young woman trotted downstairs and hugged him vigorously.
"Hi Dad, I missed you."
"I missed you too, dear. It was quiet without you."
"Ha ha, you say that every time I go on a business trip."
"Yeah, about that.."
"Don't worry, I finished my report at Grandpa's"
"That's good." 'Hmm, she hasn't even acknowledged that she knows.'
"Daddy?"
"Yes dear?"
"What was your story?"
"My story?"
"Yeah. I know grandpa's story and I know my story, sorta. So what's your story?"
"I see. Well, I was an orphan living in a Florida city. I survived for doing jobs for local mobsters. Nothing too big, just odd jobs. One day, they had me deliver a package to a local shop. It was a bomb that killed thirteen people, including a little girl. After that day, I swore that the people who had me deliver that package would pay. I knew the police were corrupt, so I went to the local branch of the FBI and explained to them what had happened. From then on, they had me gather evidence for them. Unfortunately, the Mafia found out and came after me. Some thugs had me cornered in an abandoned building when they came."
"They?"
"Luceid's extraction team. They killed the thugs, knocked me out and took me out of there. When I woke up, I didn't remember any of it."
"But how did you know?"
"You'll find out tomorrow. We'll tell you everything tomorrow. But you need to get to bed, you have a report to give in the morning and you need your rest."
"Okay, g'night Dad."
Maxwell watched the young woman hurry upstairs, 'Tomorrow, she'll know everything and remember everything. What will happen then?'