Chapter 1:

A goodbye party and departure

(Friday March 31st, 2017)

A large gathering of people, most of whom were in their mid to late teens, socialised together within the large hotel ballroom as many of them danced together on the dance floor in the very middle of the space. At his station set up near the stage, the D.J. was playing many of the latest songs for the teens to dance to. Off to the side of the room, along the wall that ran from near the doors that led into the kitchen and down to the doors that led out to the corridor was a line of tables laden with a good variety of snacks, drinks, and other treats for people to enjoy as well as hot food, such as chicken wings and cocktail sausages, in heated metal containers with plates close by for people to place their food on. One table was piled high with different types of small and delicious-looking cakes and pastries, including rich ones with that were topped with chocolate and filled on the inside with whipped cream or a rich custard.

On two long tables was set up a very good selection of different non-alcoholic punches, soft drinks and sodas, together with two large silver bowls filled with ice cubes and plenty of cups off to the sides of the two bowls. At another two tables set up close to the main entrance door to the ballroom, a hot chocolate station had been put in place, as well as an ice cream station with many different flavours of ice cream, as well as plenty of toppings and sauces for sundaes, were being readied to serve. Around the room, there were lots of brightly coloured balloons filled with helium floating together in bunches from weights on the floor around the ballroom, while there were streamers, bunting and other brightly coloured decorations hanging on the walls along with banners saying "Happy Birthday" in different colours.

Although a few of the tables with blue or red plastic chairs had been set up round the dance floor, many of the guests were sitting together at the booths that lined one side of the room, as the leather, upholstered seats were far more comfortable to sit on than plastic chairs would be. And a small group of four teens, each of whom was aged 18, sat together at one of the booths and sipped their drinks or nibbled on snacks and hot food while they chatted with each other and watching their fellow teens, most of whom were between the ages of 14 and 16, dance away to the latest music being played by the DJ at his station.

"This is one fantastic party here. Your parents did a very good job setting it all up, Jack." one of the girls at the table said, as she emptied her cup of punch down her throat.

"Yeah, they did Laura…it's just incredible this little set up they put together. They did arrange and pay for it, but it was the people who work here who helped to get everything ready." Jack said, as he took another swig from his second can of Coca Cola and savoured the sweet, icy cold taste. That a party like this had been set up was no trick really; his parents were, to be modest, reasonably well off. His father worked in a leading position for an Irish pharmaceutical company, which was doing quite well, while his mother ran a really highly successful bakery and confection business, which had been started a little over 52 years before by his grandmother, with 20 shops spread around the length and breadth of the island of Ireland, 17 of which were based within the Republic of Ireland with another three based up within Northern Ireland, with more shops to follow in the future.

Laura smiled at Jack and then she stood up and went over to dance on the dance floor with her boyfriend.

"I can't believe that this is gonna be the last time that you'll be with us all until you come back in early June, Jack. It's gonna be very different within school for the last few months of the school year without you being there with us." one of the boys said as he sipped his can of Coca Cola.

"I know Henry, but at the same time though...I'm really excited to be going on this little adventure over to a brand-new country and one which I've always had a great deal of respect and admiration for." Jack said, with an excited smile on his face.

"Well, we all wish you the very best of luck while you're over there, Jack; and try not to get into too much trouble. And we're all a little bit jealous that you were awarded the most prestigious country to go to on the exchange programme instead of anyone else." another girl at the table said, with a cheeky but friendly smile on her face.

"Well, Jenny…I'm sure you know me quite well by now; I always try not to get into trouble at all if I know I can avoid it. I just wait for it to find me instead. And I know you're all jealous of me getting that position, but that's just the way life works sometimes." Jack said, giving her a smile and a wink. After a moment, Henry and Jenny finished their drinks, stood up and went over to dance leaving Jack sitting all alone at the table with his thoughts.

Jack Sullivan then looked over towards his sisters; the three girls in their mid-teens were together on the dance floor with their friends, to the tune of Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca". The three girls were identical triplets and today was their fifteenth birthday. Each of the three was wearing a pair of blue jeans, white runners and had a different colour top; Catherine was wearing yellow, Grace in red and Louise in light green. Although the Sullivan Triplets were very identical to each other from a facial point of view and were the exact same height, their hair was slightly different to each other; both Catherine and Louise had fairly light brown hair, though Catherine's hair was slightly darker by a shade or two, while Grace's hair was black. Jack was their brother, and he was about six inches taller than they were. He was also older than the three of them by close to four years; his nineteenth birthday would be in just a little under two months from now, but he would have to celebrate it in a completely different country.

The reason for that was that he'd been chosen to go over to the United States for two months, in fact for the last two months of his Sixth Year in secondary school, on an international student exchange programme that his school was taking part in and the results of his studies over in the United States would go towards his Leaving Cert.

When his family received the news only four months before, not too long before Christmas 2016, they were all thrilled with the news...especially as going over to the United States was THE most prestigious position on offer on the foreign exchange programme. But still, the family was more than a bit concerned as it would be the very first time that Jack was going to go over to another country all by himself.

But by now everything had been arranged and all the necessary documents gathered, including the necessary visa, with thanks to the United States Embassy, and a new passport, his bags were almost fully packed, and the flight had been booked, which would be a flight on an Aer Lingus 747-8 in First Class and with the apartment he would be staying in for his time over in the U.S.A. ready and waiting for him at the other end. There was no need for Jack to worry about schoolbooks as these would be supplied at the school he would be attending; Ewen High School in Chamberlain, Maine.

Jack sat quietly at the table for a few moments in his own private thoughts, thinking about what the future of the next two and a half months would bring for him. He was a popular guy at the school he went to in Dublin, capital city of the Republic of Ireland, and was particularly renowned in the school's wrestling team and won several medals and trophies in various competitions he'd taken part in.

Standing at 5 foot 11.5 inches, he was also very fit and had quite a strong body, with strong muscular arms, well-toned legs and the beginnings of a six pack on his chest, clear evidence of daily exercise. At home there were a few exercise machines, including a treadmill and a stationary bike, on which he would work-out for at least half an hour to 40 minutes each evening so as to keep in shape. He was also quite good in his studies at his secondary school; he had a very sharp mind, very good organisational skills, an ability to remain cool and calm when working under pressure, a phenomenally good memory and a brain that could calculate like lightning, which meant that his grades in all his chosen subjects at school were very high. He also had a close circle of friends who he was close to, and he had known many of them since he first went to primary school at the age of 5.

He had also passed his driving test a few weeks before as well, and on the very first try too, and had gotten his license not too long afterwards, being the very first person of anyone in his school year who had managed to do so, and it was an achievement that he was extremely proud of.

He also had quite a few interests, including building plastic model kits, reading books and watching documentaries about military history, Titanic and other famous ships, ocean liners, warships and aspects of maritime history and British steam locomotives as well as writing. He had plans for a novel and had been working on one for some time. He also liked photography and had a digital camera and two different lenses for it, one of which was a telescopic lens for taking photos a distance. In fact, he'd brought his camera with him to today's birthday party and had already taken many photos of people enjoying the party. He also really liked watching movies, including war films of which he had many, Titanic movies as well as the James Bond movies; in fact, he had all 24 James Bond films, from the very first Bond film Dr. No (1962), with Sean Connery as 007, all the way up to the most recent Bond movie Spectre (2015), with Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond.

He was very excited about going on the student exchange programme over to the United States, as he'd never been there before and looking forward to having the U.S.A., a country Jack had always respected and admired for many years, as the twentieth country he would visit, having visited nineteen other countries throughout the continent of Europe in the last few years. Yet at the same time, he was also quite nervous about being away from home for a long while and visiting another country all by himself, which he'd never done before, but he was determined to do his best for the coming trip and this party was one of the ways he was being given a good send off by his family and those at school who knew him before he went.

Many of his relatives and cousins, and a small number of the teachers at the secondary school he went to, who were also friends of the family, were also present at the party, as they wouldn't be able to able to see him off at Dublin Airport when he left for his flight over to the States first thing on Monday morning.

Then he suddenly noticed his mother coming over towards him from the stage at one end of the ballroom.

"Hey Jack, come on. Your father needs you on stage now…for that little speech you're gonna give to everyone." his mother said, as she indicated to the stage at one end of the room. Jack, knowing what was to be done next, stood up, his half-drunk can of cola in hand, and following his mother, made his way up to the stage, while dodging people who were dancing on the dance floor or walking by all the while. They then stepped up onto the stage and stood beside Jack's father, who was waiting for the song to finish playing so he could step up to the podium and announce Jack.

A minute or two later, as the DJ finished the song and everyone stopped dancing, Jack's father stood on the stage behind the podium and, clearing his throat, spoke into the microphone.

"Okay everyone, now may I have your full attention please?" he called, as everyone quietened down and all heads within the room turned to him.

"Thank you; now I hope that we're all having a very good time this afternoon." and with that remark, everyone cheered for a few seconds before quietening down again.

"Now everyone…this little get-together we're having today isn't just a fifteenth birthday party for my three daughters, it's also a special going away party for my son Jack who, as you all know, is going away on Monday on the student exchange programme over to the States for the next two months. That means this'll be the last event we'll have with him until he returns home in June. So, Jack…if you'd like to stand up here and say a few words for us." his father said, as Jack stepped behind the microphone while everyone briefly clapped and cheered.

"Thank you…thank you very much." Jack paused, noticing all eyes, or nearly all, were turned to look at him. Taking a deep breath to keep himself as calm as he could internally, knowing that public speaking made him a little uncomfortable, he continued.

"Well, everyone…I'm not one for speeches and I know that you all want to enjoy this party, so I'll keep it short; basically, I'm very honoured, privileged and pleased to have been selected to go over to the United States for the student exchange programme. It's gonna be a tough personal challenge for me to be away from home in another country for the next two months since I've never gone abroad by myself before. But I can promise you all this; I'll do everything in my power to make my trip a successful visit for two countries; Ireland and the United States. Thank you." said Jack as he raised his can of Coca Cola as if he was raising a toast. And with that everyone clapped and cheered for him as he walked away from the podium.

(A little later on)

Around half an hour or so later, Jack was dancing with his friends on the dance floor among his three sisters and many of their friends. Above, the disco ball on the ceiling turned with the help of a small electric motor, casting countless sparkles of bright light around the room. Then, as the song ended, there was another announcement from one of the staff who were helping with the party.

"Okay, everybody…it's time for the big event…the one you've all been waiting for…the birthday cake!" she cried, in excitement, and all the guests cheered. And, as if on cue, the double doors to the kitchen opened up and four of the wait staff rolled out a very large three tier birthday cake on quite a large trolley.

Each individual cake tier consisted of three layers of chocolate cake with a rich, fudgy, luscious butter cream in between each layer and each tier was a little smaller than the one it was sitting on. The icing on the outsides of each cake tier was in different bright colours and the middle cake tier was covered in brightly coloured sprinkles while the top of each cake was covered with chocolate shavings in various shades of white and brown as well as little figures made of brightly coloured fondant.

Once in the middle of the room, Catherine, Grace, and Louise gathered round their enormous birthday cake as did nearly everyone else in the room, friends, family, and guests alike. After the candles were lit and "Happy Birthday to you" sung, the three girls blew out the candles which brought cheers from everyone and many bright flashes from the cameras a lot of people had on them, Jack among them.

A few minutes later, Jack and his three younger sisters sat at one of the tables around the dance floor, each had a plate in front of them with a big slice of birthday cake. Jack placed the first bite of cake in his mouth and savoured how rich and moist it was as well as how luscious and soft the fudgy buttercream icing between the layers was.

Many of the guests were already lining up at the trolleys for a slice of cake, but Jack wasn't too worried about cake running out anytime, as the three-tier birthday cake was more than large enough for a second helping, or even a third helping if push should come to shove.

At the same time, service was underway at the tables where the settings for ice cream sundaes had been set up, and many guests were having ice cream with their cake. Some were even having pastries, including doughnuts, as well as mugs of rich, thick hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

"This is the best birthday I think that the three of us have ever had." Grace said, with a giggle as she ate through her slice of cake.

"Well Grace…it's only our fifteenth birthday; let's just wait until next year when we three reach our Sweet Sixteenth. That should be a much more exciting event than this." Louise said, taking a swig from her third can of 7Up.

"Yeah, let's hope that our Sweet Sixteenth next year is a much bigger than this year's." Catherine said, as she took in another forkful of cake. Their older brother just ate and stayed quiet; with the trip coming up very soon, Jack had far too much on his mind worrying about events that were to happen in the very near future rather than to think about events that were sure to happen in a year's time.

"Hey Jack, are you okay? The upcoming exchange programme on your mind?" Catherine asked, noticed the look on her older brother's face.

"Yeah, it is Kate." Jack said, looking at his younger sister, whom he and a lot of others sometimes nicknamed "Kate" as it was a bit easier to say than "Catherine".

"Don't worry, big bro, you'll do fine in America." Grace said, as she and Louise put their arms around their big brother's shoulders.

"Thanks." Jack said, and they went back to eating his slice of birthday cake.

A good few hours later, partied out, exhausted from all the dancing and absolutely stuffed to the brim full of birthday food, everyone went home, but not after Jack made his farewells to those who wouldn't be able to be at the airport on Monday morning to see him off and promised to keep in touch with them.

The next day at their house, Jack began his last preparations for his trip to the United States with a vengeance. With two large trolley cases to take, which would be put down in the hold of the aircraft, as well as his laptop bag and a smaller trolley case which he intended to bring into the aircraft cabin with him, he was kept quite busy that weekend with the last preparations. He spent the whole day going back and forth, making sure that nothing was forgotten or overlooked while packing.

Packing clothes, some blank note pads for his schoolwork, a few of his books, his iPad, power adapters, some toiletries, a spare pair of shoes, two pairs of slippers, his laptop, and many other things he might need. When he was fully packed, his two larger cases were between two-thirds to three-quarters full; the extra space was for the things he would inevitable be bringing back, be they clothes, books, food gifts like cupcakes or whatever it may be.

At one point, Jack's parents commented about taking so much stuff with him, even though he would be gone for just a little over two months. But Jack said that it was best to bring a lot of stuff with him and not need it, rather than to need it and not have it with him when he wanted it. His parents saw the value of that and agreed with what Jack said and left him to continue on packing his three cases.

(Monday April 3rd, 2017)

Before anyone knew it, Monday morning arrived at last. After getting up earlier than he usually would and having a hearty breakfast at home, which was a full Irish breakfast with sausages, black and white pudding, fried bacon, hash-browns, some scrambled eggs and fried bread with tea, all the necessary documents in hand and a last check of his luggage, as well as packing two more books, Jack was on his way to Dublin Airport in the family's minibus with the rest of his family present. Leaving their home within the Dublin suburb of Blanchardstown, they joined onto the M50, which thankfully wasn't too busy at this time, and headed directly to Dublin Airport not too far away.

Jack was sitting in the single seat right by the sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle with his luggage beside him and his laptop bag, within which was his laptop, iPad, power chargers, power adapters and some books, on his lap and he was nervously drumming his fingers on the surface of the bag. Around his chest under his jacket was his shoulder crossbody chest bag, inside which was his passport and tickets, his wallet, smartphone, a pair of sunglasses in their own small case and a few other small things as well.

The triplets were sitting in the row of three seats at the back immediately behind him and the parents were sitting up front, with his father sitting behind the steering wheel. Catherine, Grace and Louise were in their school uniforms and had their school bags with them and stowed directly under their seats, as all three girls would be going straight to school once they'd seen their older brother off at the airport. They would be a little late getting to school that morning, but as some of the teachers, many of whom were family friends, had been at their birthday party the previous Friday, they had been told about that well in advance and so would understand why the triplets would be a bit later than usual this morning.

"And remember Jack, if you're gonna be with a pretty girl while you're over there, or even sleep with her in your apartment…use protection." Louise said teasingly, which drew a few giggles from Catherine and Grace. The triplets always liked to tease their older brother whatever chance they got to do it and, knowing that Jack was feeling especially nervous this morning at the thought of flying off to a new country by himself, they wanted to take this last chance to tease him before he left.

"Well…I'm really sorry to disappoint you and the others, but I don't plan on going THAT far…at least not yet anyway." Jack said, slightly annoyed at the idea even being suggested as he rolled his eyes, while quietly muttering the last bit to himself.

"Well try not to; us three don't wanna be aunts before we reach the age of 18, much as we'd love to be aunts though." Catherine said.

"And your father and I don't wanna be grandparents just yet." his mother added, as she turned her head back to glance at her son.

"And do your very best over there, Jack. I want you to be a credit to our family by not getting into trouble over there." his father said, as they approached the airport.

"Okay I will." Jack said. He looked out the window at the changing scenery along the M50, which was very familiar to him, as well as the many different vehicles going by in the other lanes, and the trees on both sides whizzing by as the minibus went along. He knew they were getting closer and closer to the airport, having gone along this way many times in the last few years, particularly when the family went on flights to go on holidays over in Europe during many summers.

Soon, they turned off the M50 and arrived at Dublin Airport. After parking the minibus in the carpark and unloading Jack's luggage and placing it onto a trolley, they made their way into the large and very modern terminal building, Terminal 2, and joined the queue to the check-in desk for the long flight to Bangor International Airport, which wasn't too far away from Chamberlain. After his two larger cases were checked in, they made their way over towards the main security area where passengers would go through the x-ray machines and have their carry-on bags scanned before being allowed to go into the duty-free area and hence to the boarding gates. One of Jack's uncles, who worked in a key position at Dublin Airport, would help him get to US Border Preclearance and then, when that was finished, get him to the gate where he would board his flight, and maybe even to some of the duty-free shops along the way.

Stopping before the queue leading into security, Jack paused before he turned round and faced his parents and three younger sisters standing behind him.

"Well then…I guess this is it." he said, with his voice sounding a bit shaky.

"Goodbye son, and please take care while you're over there." his mother said, with one or two tears running down her face as she hugged her only son. Jack then hugged his father and then three younger sisters one by one, who were just as emotional to see him leave.

"Do your best over there, son…and keep in touch with us via Skype." his father said, giving him a good pat on the shoulder.

"I will dad; anyway, I'd best be off. See you again in early June! I shall return!" Jack called, and he turned and walked towards the security gate before he turned and gave his family one last wave. Heading up to the security line, he looked at his watch; it was 9:30am and his flight was due to leave the gate at 11:30am, so there would be more than enough time available for him to get through U.S. border Preclearance and then to get some things in some of the duty-free shops nearby before heading over to the gate to board the aircraft.

Taking a deep breath, Jack approached the X-ray scanners and got ready to go through them. He could see his Uncle Mike, his mother's older brother, waiting for him to arrive by the security gate, ready to take him to pre-clearance when he got through security.

(A little later)

By 11:35am, after having gone through the x-ray scanners and them having gone through U.S. Boarder Preclearance without a problem and having gotten some things he wanted to get at some of the duty-free shops within the terminal, including some chocolate bars and two magazines, Jack was finally in the First-Class section in the upper level of the Aer Lingus 747-8, buckled up in his seat on the starboard side of the aircraft and ready to take off. His uncle Mike had seen him off at the gate and, after firmly shaking his hand, wished him the very best over in the States.

The jumbo jet, fully loaded, provisioned and fuelled for this long trip, had already moved away from the jet-bridge connected to the main terminal building, had made its way to the end of runway, where it had to wait its turn to take-off, and was now turning at the end of the runway, ready to take off on its long Transatlantic flight. Jack had his camera in hand, ready to take pictures of the take off.

His smartphone and iPad, both having both been removed from his shoulder crossbody chest-bag and set to Flight-mode, were plugged in and charging up while his laptop bag was sitting by his feet and his carry-on trolley case was securely stored away in the overhead locker above him. His two larger trolley cases had already been loaded onto the aircraft and were secured safely down in the hold. The crew had already gone through the highly important pre-flight safety procedures, which included putting on and inflating a life-vest properly and how to put on an oxygen mask in the event of the cabin depressurising as well as how to disembark from the aircraft in the event of an emergency.

Looking out of the window, there was only the sound of the engines running as the 747-8 turned off the taxiway and onto the long asphalt runway, but after a few short moments of waiting, and having been given the "all clear" by the control tower, the plane slowly started to move and picked up speed as it charged down the runway.

"Well, this is it…Thunderbirds are Go!" Jack said quietly, as he settled back into his seat and looked out the small window. It was always an exciting and exhilarating feeling to take off in an aircraft when it charged along the runway, and this experience was no different. They went faster and faster until, just as it looked like they would never get airborne, the nose slowly lifted, and they rose up into the sky.

Jack snapped pictures on his camera as the ground quickly fell away from them and everything then became smaller and smaller until the land, Dublin city, the roads and the Wicklow Mountains in the distance to the south almost resembled a model scene far below them, and then they all disappeared under the crisp white cloud bank as the aircraft climbed higher over the Irish Sea before it turned towards the north.

"Well…this is it. Goodbye to Ireland until early June." he thought to himself as he watched his native country disappear from view into the clouds below.

As the aircraft climbed to 37,500 feet and turned onto its westerly course, Jack looked at his watch; it was 11:52am and time on the American Eastern seaboard was exactly five hours behind time in Ireland so he adjusted his watch back five hours accordingly to 6:52am. The flight was expected to take a little over six hours or so, which meant they were due to arrive at Bangor International Airport only a few miles outside of Chamberlain anytime between 12:45pm and 1:10pm, barring any weather conditions en-route that could cause a delay. He looked below and saw they were already over the blue waters of the North Atlantic and, according to the map on the screen before him, they had just overflown the town of Sligo along Ireland's north west coast. Sligo was the town where Jack's late grandparents on his father's side had grown up before they moved down to Dublin.

As soon as the aircraft levelled out and the seatbelt light over his seat went off with an audible "ping", Jack unbuckled his seatbelt, took out his laptop from its carry bag and settled down to enjoy the long flight. The First-Class stewardesses soon began inflight service, including serving snacks and drinks.

"Would you like a complimentary drink and snack, sir?" one stewardess asked, when she came by Jack's seat with the service trolley. Jack noticed on top of the service trolley there was a selection of drinks, including orange juice and sparkling champagne.

"Yes, could I have an orange juice and some salt and vinegar Pringles please?" he said.

"Certainly, sir. Will there be anything else?" she asked, as she handed Jack a glass of orange juice and then a small box of Pringles.

"No, that'll do me for now. Thanks." Jack said with a polite smile, as the stewardess went to attend to other passengers in the First-Class cabin.

Jack soon finished his orange juice and Pringles, and then he turned on his laptop, connected to the on-board Wi-Fi and settled down to listen to music, watch YouTube videos and do some writing on the novel he was working on. As he settled down to enjoy the long flight, Jack knew that this trip to the United States was going to be a life-changing experience; yet what he didn't know at that time was just how right those thoughts were.

(Chamberlain, Maine, U.S.A.: 6:50am)

The sun was rising into the early morning sky and casting its warming light over the town, just as it had done for many a morning over the years. Most of the early risers in town were already leaving their homes and were heading on their way to work as others were just getting up.

At the old rundown house of 47 Carlin Street, Chamberlain, the home of a certain religious fanatic known throughout town, a young and lonely girl with strawberry blonde hair awoke, slowly got out of bed, and went over to the window where the curtains were closed.

Opening the curtains and leaning on the window sill, she looked out at the rising sun and dreaded the day of school that lay ahead, particularly after what had happened the previous Friday in the showers immediately after gym class finished in the late morning.

"Lord, our father in heaven,"

"If you can hear my prayers, then please help me."

"I don't want to be alone anymore,"

"I want to be a confident person and fit in with all the others at school,"

"Please send someone, or anyone, to rid me of my loneliness,"

"And to give me the confidence I really need to be who I want to be."

That's all I ask in your name, amen."

After a few moments of quiet reflecting, Carrie White turned away from the window and set about getting ready for the day ahead, completely unaware that fate and destiny were on her side; the answer to her prayers was on a flight right now and when they met, he would help to change her life for the better.

Note: Aer Lingus did briefly operate 747's from the early 1970's until the mid 1990's, so the company doesn't operate the 747-8 in real life.