Thanks for the reviews. Anyone know how to get the Italics to show? I
have some stuff in Italics on Word, but it won't how on the site. I think
this chapter is longer. It is 6 pages on the PC w/o spaces between the
paragraphs, and with spaces, it's 8 pages, whereas the others were about
two or three pages.
Disclaimer: I do not own Alex, Jen, or Ransik. They are property of Saban/Disney. I do own Christy and Chris Collins and Dr. Stein.
One Year Later
* * *
'Whoa, it's been one year already.' Alex sat in the grass at the park thinking over the past schoolyear and wondering how this one would be. 'I wonder if Jesse and Jerry will come back this year. I hope so. Although they seemed like real jerks that first day, after my dad died, Jesse and I became friends and he eventually convinced Jerry to join the group. I wonder how many new people I will meet. Oh well. I'll find out soon. Logan said that we shouldn't go there if we just want to make friends since we could lose them in combat later on in our life. Understandable, especially when they're closer to you. Like Dad was. Jen. she'll be coming next year. I wonder if her mom's found out about us being friends yet. Oh great, I've been close to Jen from the start, and she wants to come to the academy. What if I lose her?' His thoughts continued to drift toward Ransik murdering his parents. Thankfully, a boy who looked to be at least a year younger came up to him before he could replay the horrible images.
"Hey, uh.Recruit Collins, A. Uh, I'm Lucas. What are you sweating for? You haven't been doing anything since I got here about twenty minutes ago and it's not hot out."
"Oh. Hi, Lucas. It's Alex, not Recruit Collins." he forced a smile. "I was just taking a walk down memory lane, so to speak."
"I see. Do you go to the academy?"
"Yah, however did you guess? The uniform, perhaps?" he asked sarcastically. Unfortunately, some of Jesse and Jerry had rubbed off on him.
"Uh.duh.of course!"
"Well, Lucas, I'm heading back."
"Hey, what room do you stay in?"
"Five.why?"
"That's my room.guess we're roommates. Already met the other two - Jesse and Jerry or whatever."
"Uh.yep." 'Great, this annoying kid's going to be in my room?! Now I know how Jesse and Jerry must have felt having someone younger barging in all of a sudden.' "Well, see you later then. Bye."
"Wait - Collins. I'm coming with you."
'Ugh.what a tag-a-long. Annoying.' "Okay."
They continued to the room with Lucas asking all sorts of questions enthusiastically along the way. Alex ignored him completely. He pretended the trees were very interesting; then, the clouds became distracting; after that, the buildings. Finally, they were at the academy.
When Alex and Lucas got to the dorm, Alex opened the door only to find himself face to face with the fugitive who had murdered both of his parents. "Lucas, go away." he said, forcing a worried look on his usually expressiveless face. Lucas got the intended message to get security because he caught a glimpse of Ransik, and he ran off.
"Ransik, what are you doing here?" Alex asked through clenched teeth.
"Ooh, a brave one, eh? And who might you be?"
"Jerry," he lied. He wanted to be alive to bring Ransik in, so, he felt he had to. 'Jerry, you better not come."
"Oh." Ransik said disappointedly. He suddenly had an idea and glanced down at Alex, putting an innocent look on his face. "And where might I find your friend Alex?"
'I knew it. Time Force, you better hurry up.' "Uh, I don't know. I just got back from a jog in the park. He might be in the ." He looked at the time "cafeteria eating breakfast." A mutant girl about Lucas' age was sitting on his bed leafing through the yearbook from last year, looking for his picture, no doubt. 'Please, no. Time Force better hurry up.'
"Daddy, I -"
"Time Force, you're under arrest, Ransik!" Commander Steinback appeared behind Alex. "Run along, -" Alex mouthed "Jerry." The commander nodded to let Alex know he understood. "Jerry." he finished. Alex rushed out. He found Lucas in the classroom waiting for him. Everyone was heading to the shelter; the academy was under emergency shutdown.
"Cool, no school." he heard Jessica say.
He walked up beside her. "Only because Ransik's here."
"What?" she said worriedly.
"Yah, he is."
"And how do you know, Alex?"
"Because he's in my room, after me."
"What makes you so popular that the number one fugitive would be after you?" she asked jokingly, once they were inside the shelter.
"Look, I don't know the whole story, but apparently my dad and mom hurt him somehow. That's why he killed them, and me, I'm assuming he wants to kill me because he wants all things to do with mom and dad off the face of the earth."
Jessica shuddered. Alex put an arm around her to comfort her. 'Now she probably knows that I like her for sure.' he thought in a panic.
"Hey, Alex, get your arm off my girl." Jesse teased.
"Hey, Jesse." Jessica said flirtatiously.
'Why do they have to be together?' he asked himself. "Hi, Jesse." he muttered., taking a seat beside Jessica.
"Why'd they put the school in lockdown?" Jesse asked Alex.
"Ransik." Alex muttered through clenched teeth.
"What? Where is he?"
"He's in the dorm. Our room. The commander is in there with some others." Alex became dead to the world around him as the horrible pictures from his father's death flashed through his mind.
"Yo, Alex. Earth to Alex. Alex! Hey, Collins!" Jesse yelled for the umpteenth time.
"Huh? What is it?"
"Finally. I must have said your name like a million times. People were starting to look. Were you having those flashbacks again?"
"Yes."
"Remember what I told you would help you lose those pictures when they start coming in? Think of happy times you had with your dad. It helps me when I remember my sister's lifeless body in Ransik's arms."
"Okay, I'll try." he said with a frown. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered how happy his father was when he would bring his report cards home in the old school when he was five. 'This won't work. I never had any good memories with my dad. He was grieving all those ten years. He died a year ago, but it seems like just yesterday I saw Ransik holding him like a trophy over his head.' He broke down crying. He did not care that a lot of people could see him, but then he remembered Jessica was there. He could not let her see him crying. He dried his tears and sat up straight.
The older girl looked down at him. "You gonna be alright?"
"Yah, I'll be alright, Jezzi." he said, forcing a smile. The expression felt weird to his face, so he quickly had to stop smiling.
Finally, an announcement came through the PA. A voice Alex recognized as Lieutenant Logan said, "Students, report to the classes you would be in at this time. It's target class for the boys; PE for the girls. Go immediately. Ransik has been captured. Let's hope he doesn't escape again, sir." The kids laughed. Logan had forgotten to turn off the speaker when he answered his superior.
Lucas followed Alex to class. "Why did Ransik want you? Why'd it take so long? It was two hours! Who was that girl you and Jesse were with? Who was that on the speaker? Why were you -"
"Do you ever run out of questions? Can you ever be quiet? Do I have to answer you?" Alex asked, hoping Lucas would get the message and "get lost."
That class period, they talked about what students were to do if they ever saw Ransik. After class, Alex headed to his room. He spotted the pink-haired mutant in the corner crying.
"Hello? What's your name?" he asked cautiously. Half of him expected her to hurt him, but he was not really sure. He had lost Lucas earlier in the crowd.
"You." she said abruptly, glancing up from her crouching position. She had obviously been crying although she tried to hide it from Alex. "I'm Nadira, Ransik's daughter."
"Oh. You could sit on the couch if you like." She nodded expectantly, obviously wondering what was wrong with him and if he was going to hurt her as she made it to the couch. Alex sat across from her, on his bed. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"No." she said with a questioning tone and look, arching her eyebrows.
"Could you tell me why your dad killed my mom and dad and is after me?"
"He says your dad was his friend, and your mom was his girlfriend. Anyway, she went to be with your dad, and they betrayed him. He just wants revenge." she said, an evil smile coming to her face as she stood up.
He followed her every move. Could this mutant be right? "Oh, really?" he said as smoothly and coolly as possible.
"Yes, and I'm going to get it for him!" her pink nails grew longer and she went to cut with them, causing Alex to lunge backwards away from her and land on the "emergency" button. Security soon was inside. Nadira smiled at the officers innocently. "I was just on my way out, officers. Alex and I were playing a game, and I accidentally hit the button." she turned to Alex. "Good-bye, Alex." She whispered in his ear, "My father will be back." She walked out the door.
"Get her. She's Ransik's daughter. Beware of her nails. They grow long and sharp as swords. She tried to kill me for her father."
"Sorry, kid. No can do. You and your roommates are moving out." the short, fat officer said. "And if you two were doing what I think you were doing, I better not catch you two again. I won't say anything this time, Collins. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir. No, we weren't doing what you think we were doing! I just told you, she tried to kill me!" he ran his hand through his hair, obviously annoyed. He fought off the urge to roll his eyes. "Thank you, sir." he said as soon as he had calmed down enough from the accusation. He was relieved that he was moving though, since Ransik now knew where he was. Jesse, Lucas, and Jerry were brought to the room shortly after. All four boys packed their things and moved to room 505, Jerry complaining the whole time. It took a few hours to get settled. Alex was about to drift off to sleep in his new bed when Jesse came over.
"Come on, Alex. It's only ten minutes until dinner. We need to leave now since we're in a higher level."
"I'm not hungry."
"Why?" he looked at Alex's unexpressive face and tried to figure out what was wrong. It was always hard to tell with Alex. He sat down next to him. "Your father?"
"No. I just am tired after all this commotion today. And, I want to read through my mother's old diaries. I may have found them a while ago, but I've never had much of a chance. I've been otherwise preoccupied."
"Oh. That's understandable. You want to know what she was like, right?"
"Yah, right."
"Well, see ya." Jesse said, standing up. "Come on Jerry, Lucas. Let's go eat. We'll bring you something up later, OK, Alex?"
"Okay." Alex replied as they left and closed the door behind them. He pulled out a picture of his mom in the hospital holding him shortly before she died. 'Mom, don't worry, I'll get Ransik for you when I'm old enough.' Adding to the stress of the day, around one Jen had called saying Ransik had escaped. She had looked so scared and sad for him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He pulled out his mother's diary from when she was nineteen. It was the earliest one she had written in. In flowing writing, she wrote,
"December 24, 2980
Dear Diary,
Today Chris proposed to me! I was so shocked. I love him so much, so, I said
Yes right away. We were on the balcony this evening watching the
sunset. It was so beautiful and romantic. Then, he got down on his
knee and asked me. I said yes. I was barely breathing. He picked me
up and twirled me around. Then, we hugged. I wish that moment could
have lasted forever. It was perfect!
When I got home, I was scared to tell mom and dad though. They like
Chris, but they don't want me to marry him. I expected them to go
ballistic, but instead, they congratulated me. Then, I released the
breath I didn't realize I had been holding until that moment. Well,
I'm going to sleep now. Christy"
The mention of his mom's parents gave him an idea. He had never considered looking for his grandparents. He would deal with it tomorrow morning. 'For now,' he thought, 'I'll go to sleep.' He yawned and drifted off to sleep with high hopes.
* * *
Alex awoke early in the morning. It was a Saturday, so Jesse, Jerry, and - he hoped - Lucas, were sleeping in. He quietly went to the phone to call Jen. He was too anxious to see if she could look up his grandparents for him.
"Hello?" Jen said groggily, wiping her eyes. "Oh, hi, Alex. What do you need this early on a Saturday morning?"
"Just to ask you a big favor. I'm sorry, but I'm too excited to wait."
She looked at his eager expression and smiled. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait. My mom wants me to do some stuff. I'll call you later. Bye." She hung up before he could say anything to stop her.
Alex stared at the now blank screen disappointedly. 'Jennifer, you weren't supposed to do that.' He laughed at himself. The other guys would have laughed too; he had said he liked Jessica, yet he was depending so much on Jen all the time. He was glad it was a Saturday. He wanted to finish his mother's first diary even though it was gross to him when she would go off declaring her love for his father, or "mushy stuff" as he called it. She was so much in love with his dad. He could not wait to finish this diary so he could read, or listen to rather, which he had been given over a year ago.
Alex pulled out the pink diary that was decorated with roses on the front and had age-worn pages. He opened to the page he had left off on. It was the last entry in this one. He had one more diary to go. She had written every day and he had been up reading the diary all night. He had not been able to sleep after his hopes had been lifted. He enjoyed learning about his mother and wished he could have met her, but it also made him wish he could have met the side of his father that his mother had known. He skimmed through the entry; it appeared to be about the wedding, so he started from the beginning.
"August 18, 2979
Dear Diary,
Today was our wedding. I am now Mrs. Christopher Collins! We are on
our
way to Hawaii, complements of Time Force. It's going to be wonderful.
I hope he won't want to know me tonight. I'm already nervous enough
about having to share a bed with him. Well, maybe I'll change my
mind. I'll see later on how I feel.
The ceremony was so beautiful. The church building was decorated with
deep pink roses, white lace, and tall water fountains. It was just
wonderful. Little Carrie walked down the center aisle in her pink,
sleeveless dress tossing her pink rose petals on either side of her.
She's just so adorable; she's only five. Of course, cute little
Albert was beside her in his black tux, holding the white pillow with
the rings. Then, Jill and Billy walked down. After them, Laura and
Almonzo. I began to get nervous when they took their first steps
since my father and I were going down next. He was whispering things
to me like "What happened to my little baby girl?"
Despite my nervousness, as soon as my father placed my hands in
Chris', I knew I had chosen the right thing. Now, here we are in the
plane on our way to Hawaii, the love of my life and the man I'm to
spend the rest of my life with lying beside me waking up from the nap
he was taking. Got to go. Mrs. Christy Collins"
Alex looked up from the diary. 'Whoa, they were married just nine months before I was born. No wonder dad was so sad. Well, still, I'll have to see how dad felt about her. She sounds like they were very happy together.' Jen called, disrupting his thoughts.
"Hey, Alex!" Jen said with a big smile on her face. He noticed his eyes. "What's the matter? Your eyes are all misty."
"Hey, Jen. Just reading the last entry in my mom's diary. They were married exactly nine months before I was born."
"Oh, I see. Now what was the favor you needed me to do?" she looked into her crush's eyes searching for the answer.
"Um, I was wondering if you could look up my mom's parents and my dad's parents and see if any of them are still alive." He looked into her eyes pleadingly.
"Sure! I was wondering when you were going to ask. I looked up both. Your dad's dad is dead, died around the same time as your dad from a heart attack, but both of your mom's parents are still alive. Uh.your dad's mom is living in the HQ's housing unit in room 101. Phone number is 223-1904 in case you forgot. Your mom's parents are living in room number 110. Phone number is 223-2015." She looked up from her papers hoping she had impressed Alex by having looked up the answer's ahead of time. He smiled gratefully at her.
"Yes, I have the numbers. My dad's mom's number is 223-1904 in room 101. Mom's parent's number is 223-2015 in room 110."
"Yup. Sounds right." Her face was filled with joy that she had made him happy. She was blushing a deep red.
"Uh, Jen. Do you like me or something? You're blushing and considering looking up my grandparents."
Jen put her hands up to her cheeks. "Well," she said nervously, "I can't lie to you. I do like you. I guess it's only right you know." Alex was overwhelmed at the thought and sat down on the stool behind him. Jen practically collapsed on her bed, which was by her phone. "D-do you like me?" she asked nervously.
Alex did not want to hurt her feelings, but he could not lie to her either. "You want the truth?"
"Yes, please." she said nervously, her cheeks a bright red, her heart racing, and her whole body shaking.
He looked at her. It was a lot for her, and took a lot of courage for her to admit it and he knew it. 'Oh, no. Just wonderful.' "Um.Jen, there's no easy way to put this, but I'm not sure. I mean, I kind of like Jessica, but at the same time I kind of think I like you. I'm sorry I can't just say yes."
"O-okay." she said, trying to conceal her heartbreak with a smile. "It's all right, at least you told me the truth. Can't have me believing something that's a lie." she said with mock happiness.
"I'm sorry." Alex repeated. "I need to go. Bye." He closed the link quickly. He stood up off the stool and made his way to his bed where he laid down wondering what would happen between him and Jen now that she had made this confession and he had probably broken her heart. Just then, Jesse walked in.
Disclaimer: I do not own Alex, Jen, or Ransik. They are property of Saban/Disney. I do own Christy and Chris Collins and Dr. Stein.
One Year Later
* * *
'Whoa, it's been one year already.' Alex sat in the grass at the park thinking over the past schoolyear and wondering how this one would be. 'I wonder if Jesse and Jerry will come back this year. I hope so. Although they seemed like real jerks that first day, after my dad died, Jesse and I became friends and he eventually convinced Jerry to join the group. I wonder how many new people I will meet. Oh well. I'll find out soon. Logan said that we shouldn't go there if we just want to make friends since we could lose them in combat later on in our life. Understandable, especially when they're closer to you. Like Dad was. Jen. she'll be coming next year. I wonder if her mom's found out about us being friends yet. Oh great, I've been close to Jen from the start, and she wants to come to the academy. What if I lose her?' His thoughts continued to drift toward Ransik murdering his parents. Thankfully, a boy who looked to be at least a year younger came up to him before he could replay the horrible images.
"Hey, uh.Recruit Collins, A. Uh, I'm Lucas. What are you sweating for? You haven't been doing anything since I got here about twenty minutes ago and it's not hot out."
"Oh. Hi, Lucas. It's Alex, not Recruit Collins." he forced a smile. "I was just taking a walk down memory lane, so to speak."
"I see. Do you go to the academy?"
"Yah, however did you guess? The uniform, perhaps?" he asked sarcastically. Unfortunately, some of Jesse and Jerry had rubbed off on him.
"Uh.duh.of course!"
"Well, Lucas, I'm heading back."
"Hey, what room do you stay in?"
"Five.why?"
"That's my room.guess we're roommates. Already met the other two - Jesse and Jerry or whatever."
"Uh.yep." 'Great, this annoying kid's going to be in my room?! Now I know how Jesse and Jerry must have felt having someone younger barging in all of a sudden.' "Well, see you later then. Bye."
"Wait - Collins. I'm coming with you."
'Ugh.what a tag-a-long. Annoying.' "Okay."
They continued to the room with Lucas asking all sorts of questions enthusiastically along the way. Alex ignored him completely. He pretended the trees were very interesting; then, the clouds became distracting; after that, the buildings. Finally, they were at the academy.
When Alex and Lucas got to the dorm, Alex opened the door only to find himself face to face with the fugitive who had murdered both of his parents. "Lucas, go away." he said, forcing a worried look on his usually expressiveless face. Lucas got the intended message to get security because he caught a glimpse of Ransik, and he ran off.
"Ransik, what are you doing here?" Alex asked through clenched teeth.
"Ooh, a brave one, eh? And who might you be?"
"Jerry," he lied. He wanted to be alive to bring Ransik in, so, he felt he had to. 'Jerry, you better not come."
"Oh." Ransik said disappointedly. He suddenly had an idea and glanced down at Alex, putting an innocent look on his face. "And where might I find your friend Alex?"
'I knew it. Time Force, you better hurry up.' "Uh, I don't know. I just got back from a jog in the park. He might be in the ." He looked at the time "cafeteria eating breakfast." A mutant girl about Lucas' age was sitting on his bed leafing through the yearbook from last year, looking for his picture, no doubt. 'Please, no. Time Force better hurry up.'
"Daddy, I -"
"Time Force, you're under arrest, Ransik!" Commander Steinback appeared behind Alex. "Run along, -" Alex mouthed "Jerry." The commander nodded to let Alex know he understood. "Jerry." he finished. Alex rushed out. He found Lucas in the classroom waiting for him. Everyone was heading to the shelter; the academy was under emergency shutdown.
"Cool, no school." he heard Jessica say.
He walked up beside her. "Only because Ransik's here."
"What?" she said worriedly.
"Yah, he is."
"And how do you know, Alex?"
"Because he's in my room, after me."
"What makes you so popular that the number one fugitive would be after you?" she asked jokingly, once they were inside the shelter.
"Look, I don't know the whole story, but apparently my dad and mom hurt him somehow. That's why he killed them, and me, I'm assuming he wants to kill me because he wants all things to do with mom and dad off the face of the earth."
Jessica shuddered. Alex put an arm around her to comfort her. 'Now she probably knows that I like her for sure.' he thought in a panic.
"Hey, Alex, get your arm off my girl." Jesse teased.
"Hey, Jesse." Jessica said flirtatiously.
'Why do they have to be together?' he asked himself. "Hi, Jesse." he muttered., taking a seat beside Jessica.
"Why'd they put the school in lockdown?" Jesse asked Alex.
"Ransik." Alex muttered through clenched teeth.
"What? Where is he?"
"He's in the dorm. Our room. The commander is in there with some others." Alex became dead to the world around him as the horrible pictures from his father's death flashed through his mind.
"Yo, Alex. Earth to Alex. Alex! Hey, Collins!" Jesse yelled for the umpteenth time.
"Huh? What is it?"
"Finally. I must have said your name like a million times. People were starting to look. Were you having those flashbacks again?"
"Yes."
"Remember what I told you would help you lose those pictures when they start coming in? Think of happy times you had with your dad. It helps me when I remember my sister's lifeless body in Ransik's arms."
"Okay, I'll try." he said with a frown. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered how happy his father was when he would bring his report cards home in the old school when he was five. 'This won't work. I never had any good memories with my dad. He was grieving all those ten years. He died a year ago, but it seems like just yesterday I saw Ransik holding him like a trophy over his head.' He broke down crying. He did not care that a lot of people could see him, but then he remembered Jessica was there. He could not let her see him crying. He dried his tears and sat up straight.
The older girl looked down at him. "You gonna be alright?"
"Yah, I'll be alright, Jezzi." he said, forcing a smile. The expression felt weird to his face, so he quickly had to stop smiling.
Finally, an announcement came through the PA. A voice Alex recognized as Lieutenant Logan said, "Students, report to the classes you would be in at this time. It's target class for the boys; PE for the girls. Go immediately. Ransik has been captured. Let's hope he doesn't escape again, sir." The kids laughed. Logan had forgotten to turn off the speaker when he answered his superior.
Lucas followed Alex to class. "Why did Ransik want you? Why'd it take so long? It was two hours! Who was that girl you and Jesse were with? Who was that on the speaker? Why were you -"
"Do you ever run out of questions? Can you ever be quiet? Do I have to answer you?" Alex asked, hoping Lucas would get the message and "get lost."
That class period, they talked about what students were to do if they ever saw Ransik. After class, Alex headed to his room. He spotted the pink-haired mutant in the corner crying.
"Hello? What's your name?" he asked cautiously. Half of him expected her to hurt him, but he was not really sure. He had lost Lucas earlier in the crowd.
"You." she said abruptly, glancing up from her crouching position. She had obviously been crying although she tried to hide it from Alex. "I'm Nadira, Ransik's daughter."
"Oh. You could sit on the couch if you like." She nodded expectantly, obviously wondering what was wrong with him and if he was going to hurt her as she made it to the couch. Alex sat across from her, on his bed. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"No." she said with a questioning tone and look, arching her eyebrows.
"Could you tell me why your dad killed my mom and dad and is after me?"
"He says your dad was his friend, and your mom was his girlfriend. Anyway, she went to be with your dad, and they betrayed him. He just wants revenge." she said, an evil smile coming to her face as she stood up.
He followed her every move. Could this mutant be right? "Oh, really?" he said as smoothly and coolly as possible.
"Yes, and I'm going to get it for him!" her pink nails grew longer and she went to cut with them, causing Alex to lunge backwards away from her and land on the "emergency" button. Security soon was inside. Nadira smiled at the officers innocently. "I was just on my way out, officers. Alex and I were playing a game, and I accidentally hit the button." she turned to Alex. "Good-bye, Alex." She whispered in his ear, "My father will be back." She walked out the door.
"Get her. She's Ransik's daughter. Beware of her nails. They grow long and sharp as swords. She tried to kill me for her father."
"Sorry, kid. No can do. You and your roommates are moving out." the short, fat officer said. "And if you two were doing what I think you were doing, I better not catch you two again. I won't say anything this time, Collins. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir. No, we weren't doing what you think we were doing! I just told you, she tried to kill me!" he ran his hand through his hair, obviously annoyed. He fought off the urge to roll his eyes. "Thank you, sir." he said as soon as he had calmed down enough from the accusation. He was relieved that he was moving though, since Ransik now knew where he was. Jesse, Lucas, and Jerry were brought to the room shortly after. All four boys packed their things and moved to room 505, Jerry complaining the whole time. It took a few hours to get settled. Alex was about to drift off to sleep in his new bed when Jesse came over.
"Come on, Alex. It's only ten minutes until dinner. We need to leave now since we're in a higher level."
"I'm not hungry."
"Why?" he looked at Alex's unexpressive face and tried to figure out what was wrong. It was always hard to tell with Alex. He sat down next to him. "Your father?"
"No. I just am tired after all this commotion today. And, I want to read through my mother's old diaries. I may have found them a while ago, but I've never had much of a chance. I've been otherwise preoccupied."
"Oh. That's understandable. You want to know what she was like, right?"
"Yah, right."
"Well, see ya." Jesse said, standing up. "Come on Jerry, Lucas. Let's go eat. We'll bring you something up later, OK, Alex?"
"Okay." Alex replied as they left and closed the door behind them. He pulled out a picture of his mom in the hospital holding him shortly before she died. 'Mom, don't worry, I'll get Ransik for you when I'm old enough.' Adding to the stress of the day, around one Jen had called saying Ransik had escaped. She had looked so scared and sad for him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He pulled out his mother's diary from when she was nineteen. It was the earliest one she had written in. In flowing writing, she wrote,
"December 24, 2980
Dear Diary,
Today Chris proposed to me! I was so shocked. I love him so much, so, I said
Yes right away. We were on the balcony this evening watching the
sunset. It was so beautiful and romantic. Then, he got down on his
knee and asked me. I said yes. I was barely breathing. He picked me
up and twirled me around. Then, we hugged. I wish that moment could
have lasted forever. It was perfect!
When I got home, I was scared to tell mom and dad though. They like
Chris, but they don't want me to marry him. I expected them to go
ballistic, but instead, they congratulated me. Then, I released the
breath I didn't realize I had been holding until that moment. Well,
I'm going to sleep now. Christy"
The mention of his mom's parents gave him an idea. He had never considered looking for his grandparents. He would deal with it tomorrow morning. 'For now,' he thought, 'I'll go to sleep.' He yawned and drifted off to sleep with high hopes.
* * *
Alex awoke early in the morning. It was a Saturday, so Jesse, Jerry, and - he hoped - Lucas, were sleeping in. He quietly went to the phone to call Jen. He was too anxious to see if she could look up his grandparents for him.
"Hello?" Jen said groggily, wiping her eyes. "Oh, hi, Alex. What do you need this early on a Saturday morning?"
"Just to ask you a big favor. I'm sorry, but I'm too excited to wait."
She looked at his eager expression and smiled. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait. My mom wants me to do some stuff. I'll call you later. Bye." She hung up before he could say anything to stop her.
Alex stared at the now blank screen disappointedly. 'Jennifer, you weren't supposed to do that.' He laughed at himself. The other guys would have laughed too; he had said he liked Jessica, yet he was depending so much on Jen all the time. He was glad it was a Saturday. He wanted to finish his mother's first diary even though it was gross to him when she would go off declaring her love for his father, or "mushy stuff" as he called it. She was so much in love with his dad. He could not wait to finish this diary so he could read, or listen to rather, which he had been given over a year ago.
Alex pulled out the pink diary that was decorated with roses on the front and had age-worn pages. He opened to the page he had left off on. It was the last entry in this one. He had one more diary to go. She had written every day and he had been up reading the diary all night. He had not been able to sleep after his hopes had been lifted. He enjoyed learning about his mother and wished he could have met her, but it also made him wish he could have met the side of his father that his mother had known. He skimmed through the entry; it appeared to be about the wedding, so he started from the beginning.
"August 18, 2979
Dear Diary,
Today was our wedding. I am now Mrs. Christopher Collins! We are on
our
way to Hawaii, complements of Time Force. It's going to be wonderful.
I hope he won't want to know me tonight. I'm already nervous enough
about having to share a bed with him. Well, maybe I'll change my
mind. I'll see later on how I feel.
The ceremony was so beautiful. The church building was decorated with
deep pink roses, white lace, and tall water fountains. It was just
wonderful. Little Carrie walked down the center aisle in her pink,
sleeveless dress tossing her pink rose petals on either side of her.
She's just so adorable; she's only five. Of course, cute little
Albert was beside her in his black tux, holding the white pillow with
the rings. Then, Jill and Billy walked down. After them, Laura and
Almonzo. I began to get nervous when they took their first steps
since my father and I were going down next. He was whispering things
to me like "What happened to my little baby girl?"
Despite my nervousness, as soon as my father placed my hands in
Chris', I knew I had chosen the right thing. Now, here we are in the
plane on our way to Hawaii, the love of my life and the man I'm to
spend the rest of my life with lying beside me waking up from the nap
he was taking. Got to go. Mrs. Christy Collins"
Alex looked up from the diary. 'Whoa, they were married just nine months before I was born. No wonder dad was so sad. Well, still, I'll have to see how dad felt about her. She sounds like they were very happy together.' Jen called, disrupting his thoughts.
"Hey, Alex!" Jen said with a big smile on her face. He noticed his eyes. "What's the matter? Your eyes are all misty."
"Hey, Jen. Just reading the last entry in my mom's diary. They were married exactly nine months before I was born."
"Oh, I see. Now what was the favor you needed me to do?" she looked into her crush's eyes searching for the answer.
"Um, I was wondering if you could look up my mom's parents and my dad's parents and see if any of them are still alive." He looked into her eyes pleadingly.
"Sure! I was wondering when you were going to ask. I looked up both. Your dad's dad is dead, died around the same time as your dad from a heart attack, but both of your mom's parents are still alive. Uh.your dad's mom is living in the HQ's housing unit in room 101. Phone number is 223-1904 in case you forgot. Your mom's parents are living in room number 110. Phone number is 223-2015." She looked up from her papers hoping she had impressed Alex by having looked up the answer's ahead of time. He smiled gratefully at her.
"Yes, I have the numbers. My dad's mom's number is 223-1904 in room 101. Mom's parent's number is 223-2015 in room 110."
"Yup. Sounds right." Her face was filled with joy that she had made him happy. She was blushing a deep red.
"Uh, Jen. Do you like me or something? You're blushing and considering looking up my grandparents."
Jen put her hands up to her cheeks. "Well," she said nervously, "I can't lie to you. I do like you. I guess it's only right you know." Alex was overwhelmed at the thought and sat down on the stool behind him. Jen practically collapsed on her bed, which was by her phone. "D-do you like me?" she asked nervously.
Alex did not want to hurt her feelings, but he could not lie to her either. "You want the truth?"
"Yes, please." she said nervously, her cheeks a bright red, her heart racing, and her whole body shaking.
He looked at her. It was a lot for her, and took a lot of courage for her to admit it and he knew it. 'Oh, no. Just wonderful.' "Um.Jen, there's no easy way to put this, but I'm not sure. I mean, I kind of like Jessica, but at the same time I kind of think I like you. I'm sorry I can't just say yes."
"O-okay." she said, trying to conceal her heartbreak with a smile. "It's all right, at least you told me the truth. Can't have me believing something that's a lie." she said with mock happiness.
"I'm sorry." Alex repeated. "I need to go. Bye." He closed the link quickly. He stood up off the stool and made his way to his bed where he laid down wondering what would happen between him and Jen now that she had made this confession and he had probably broken her heart. Just then, Jesse walked in.