Chapter 3:
Evening took its toll on the sky. The sun had completely set, shrouding this part of the world in darkness.
"Come on Trance! It's time to come in! Dinner is waiting!"
Suppressing the emotional dissatisfaction with his own mother's attitude, Trance immediately put down his equipment and started down the driveway.
Trance Enphernium, even at age 16, was constantly sheltered by his mother. There was every reason in the world for Trance to be sick to death of the way his mother treated him. Every single day it was nag, do this, nag, do that, to no end. She constantly monitored his activity day in and out wherever he was except for school. Fortunately, Trance knew that respect for his mother came first, and that once he was on his own it would all end.
"Alright mother, coming!" Trance tossed aside his shouldered rifle and jogged down the driveway and up to the porch. His mom did not go inside until Trance had entered the house before her.
"Smells delicious. What is it?" Trance entered the kitchen and saw a neatly decorated table for two. "Wow, it's my favorite. I'll bet it's in celebration for tomorrow isn't it." He smiled.
"Yes dear, after all, tomorrow is the beginning of a new life for you."
"It's going to be so awesome. Not only is father coming home tomorrow, but I'll be getting my ranger license." Trance was very enthusiastic about the following day. He was anticipating the privileges that would be bestowed upon him at the acquisition of his ranger license.
Heather, wife of Sean Enphernium, was just as excited at the thought of seeing his son become a man.
Sean Enphernium, head of the local district's ranger organization, was currently on a mission of peace in South Africa. This "peace" mission was centered around a country-wide hunt that was sponsored by the authorities of the South African country. Observing successful efforts at worldwide reform on the society level, the government officials agreed to hold a national hunting tournament, where two of the top sharpshooters of Gallaway would face off against two of the best sharpshooters of South Africa. Sean was chosen to participate in the tournament because his skills at handling a gun were currently unmatched by anyone else in the country. Accompanying him was his most trusted "deputy," who he believed would be able to support him both on the hunting grounds and through moral support as well. By winning the tournament, Sean would not only hold one of the highest recognitions among the philanthropists, he would also help strengthen the power of Gallaway. If the representatives of Gallaway were victorious in the hunt, the government officials of South Africa would surrender the entirety of their land to Gallaway and allow Gallaway to annex the territory as part of the Gallawain nation. Everyone on both sides had little doubt that Sean would lose the tournament. Overall, this would be a great victory for Gallaway if everything went well.
"It would be a great thing for us if father wins the tournament," said Trance.
"It certainly would. Not only would our nation strengthen greatly, but we would be one step closer to returning this world to normal." Heather was a strong supporter of the movement. As a district representative, she worked hard to represent the opinions of not only herself, but of everyone in the local district.
Heather sat herself down at the table to begin the meal. She stood up immediately realizing that the current table decorum consisted of everything but napkins. The lack of napkins nearly enraged her, as she thought she had set everything up perfectly. She headed over to the cabinet where the napkins were stored. As she reached up to grab the container of napkins, she spied something outside as she glanced out the window.
What she saw was most peculiar, because it was not a sight seen often.
"What is it mother?"
"There's someone running down the street." Heather had a worried look on her face. "The boy might get hurt. It's so dark out. He may become abducted by someone."
"He's probably heading home. Doesn't he live down the street?" Trance had joined his mother at the window, curious enough to see what was going on. "I don't recognize him."
Taking a closer look, Heather saw exactly what was going on.
"Oh my. He's carrying an animal. It looks like a cat. And it looks badly injured." She headed for the door.
"Do you think that he's running to the vet?" Trance inquired.
"I would assume so… but wow, that's quite a trip. It's at least another kilometer away. Maybe we should go help him." Heather abruptly opened the door and was about to run after the boy when Trance grabbed her arm.
"Wait a second. That's not a cat. I've seen that animal before… I'm certain that we studied it in biology. I think foreigners call it a… pike-a something."
"Oh my God, Trance, you're right. That boy is carrying a pokémon." Heather shut the door in front of her and headed back for the dinner table. She sat down quickly enough with a disgusted look on her face. Trance stood at the doorway. "Well are you coming?"
"But mother—"
"Trance! Don't even think about it. We are not going to help a foreigner."
"Mother! We can't just leave him! What if the thing attacks him? He might be killed! I have to say that I don't agree with you or the police on this one."
"Trance, you know that the law is the law. We cannot just stand by and let foreigners invade our country! I've told you this over and over. Foreigners are a danger to our society. You of all people should understand this as a ranger in training." Heather reached beside her and picked up the cordless phone mounted on the wall. She dialed the police and took a bite of the food on her plate. Trance slowly joined her. He gazed at the threshold at which he lost sight of the boy carrying the strange creature. He could not help but think what he could have done to help out. It was only a boy. It was not as if he was trying to harm anyone by crossing the border. Regardless, Trance understood society's laws and knew that tomorrow he would have to live by them, whether he liked them or not. Although he did not agree completely with the law, he knew that most of the laws made sense and that if he were to be successful, he would have to promote these laws through his own actions.
"Hello, I would like to report a foreigner sighting by our house… yes, that's the address… alright thank you." Heather returned the phone to the receiver and continued eating. Trance continued eating as well.
"Tastes good."
"Thank you dear."