This is the backstory of one of the new characters Alex Kenyon, the nephew to Jade. This isn't my story as it was written by my friend, who has given me permission to post this story here and also created the character Alex Kenyon. This story is written in a different format, first person POV, which I don't usually write in my stories.
This story was posted a long time ago, and I finally found it after all those months searching! You get luck finding things in Wayback Machine more than others.
For the record, this is a prequel to The Quest Chronicles: Gotham, which is a crossover with Batman: the Animated Series and the story has just started. Hope you guys enjoy the ride!
With all that being said, here we go!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even this story here! The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and the characters belong to Hanna Barbera, Doug Widley and Warner Bros. This story and the character Alex Kenyon belongs to a good friend of mine, used with permission.
Here Comes The Rain Again
Rain. In Seattle where I am from, there is plenty of it. In some ways, it is a double edged sword. You hardly see the sun, yet always sleep without struggle. You can't escape getting caught up in it on most days, but you never have to worry about a drought. It has been there on days where I felt like things couldn't get any better and it has also been there like a specter. Haunting me during my darkest days. When my parents died, it was raining. On the day of their funeral, it rained. In all honesty though, the rain also served to remind me that like life, even it doesn't last forever. It comes and goes. Thankfully, amidst all of the gray clouds in my life, there was a silver lining. That was my aunt Jade. Jade is my mother's sister. She has always been close to me. In fact, she kind of spoiled me. When my parents died, she went about trying to find a way to get custody of me. Which would not be easy. I had no close relatives other than her. Plus, with her background as a freelance agent and whatnot, it looked like I was going to end up in foster care. As a precaution she would attend my martial arts classes. As one of my biggest supporters, she would watch me get my 2 Dan in Judo as well as see me amass an assortment of medals, trophies and title belts. If it wasn't for her I probably would have quit. Knowing that I am a soccer fan, she would also take me to Sounders games. I was never into football so the Seahawks just didn't cut it for me.
Well, I am jumping ahead of myself. Let me take you back to how things got to where they are. I was born Alexander Quinn Travers to Brandon Matthew Travers and Noelle Paige Kenyon-Travers on Valentine's Day at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. I was born 11 days before my due date. I weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. I was kind of a miracle baby. My mother had polyps on her uterus when she was pregnant with me which made the delivery complicated. Thankfully, there was no damage done as my grades can attest. My father Brandon was a very gregarious man. He could get along with just about anybody he met. He was also the kind of person that couldn't hold a grudge. My mother Noelle was very pretty, funny and quick-witted. I get most of my humor from her because even though she could probably cut you in half with her words, she never was the kind of person to insult someone unless it was out of love. My father was a frequent target for her verbal ammunition however even though he knew she didn't mean it. She would have been the perfect person to host a roast for somebody.
We lived in a section of Seattle called Capitol Hill. Which is an entertainment district. When I was seven, I went to a private school. It wasn't cheap by any means. My parents weren't poor but they knew they couldn't afford it. My aunt Jade actually helped cover the cost and got me enrolled there. Even though I made good grades, I was miserable. I got teased on a daily basis and beat up just as often. Being a good student was the primary reason I got bullied. I hated it. 2nd graders shouldn't have to go through this. So my mother had me enrolled in Judo classes so I could learn self-defense. Judo is not a very difficult martial art to learn. You have to learn to fall first before you learn how to throw and grapple. I did pretty well at it. Getting my yellow belt in virtually no time. Things were looking up until one day, my world got turned upside-down.
On that day, my parents decided to go to the Pike Place Market and meet with friends at Starbucks for some coffee and dessert. They ended up getting hit head-on by an SUV and getting pinned in between the SUV and a tree. My father died on impact while my mother died from complications on the way to Pike Market Medical Clinic. I was at my judo lessons when an EMT walked in the door, approached my instructor and asked to speak to me. When he told me the news, I felt myself turn cold. I started crying. I couldn't comprehend what I was hearing. As soon as I could pull myself together, I called my aunt Jade's cell from the office. I told her what happened. She told me that she hoped that I was joking. I screamed at her. Asking her if I sounded like I was joking. She told me she was on her way. She was in Denver when I made the call. She ended up catching a red-eye to Seattle. About 3 hours later, she came by the dojo to get me. She grabbed me and held me for what seemed like an eternity. We both just felt so hopeless. She helped me into her car and we drove to my house.
Two days later, I had to go to the funeral. It was held at Lake View Cemetery which was not far from where I lived. I was a mess that day. It rained all day long. I kept my head down most of the time. I couldn't even bring myself to look at the caskets that were under the tent. There was no eulogy, instead a poem was read that I had requested be read in their memory. I couldn't read it. I couldn't bring myself to. I probably would have collapsed.
After the funeral when we got home, aunt Jade made a couple of phone calls. One of which was to an attorney. Another was to a man named Race. I had heard aunt Jade talk to Race a few times on the phone but I had never met him in real life. Just about every time they spoke, aunt Jade would get this funny tone in her voice. I don't know if they had a thing for each other in the past but it sure seemed that way from how aunt Jade would talk. What aunt Jade was doing was getting things ready to try to become my legal guardian. She knew that it would not be easy. Even though she had immunity, her background as a freelance agent would definitely make things complicated for her to try to gain custody of me. She asked Race to see if he and a friend of his named Benton could compose a few letters to give to her attorney. Letters that would show that the good outweighed the bad. Letters that would show that despite her dangerous background, it wouldn't affect her decisions to take care of me. In fact, a good bit of the money that she would make would go to help me or my parents out. She wasn't this selfish dragon lady like some thought she was, she had a heart. She never had any children of her own so she would spoil me instead and as far as trying to get guardianship of me, she wasn't wasting any time. Aunt Jade wasn't about to see me get put into foster care.
About a week later after the calls were made, we had a hearing at the King County Superior Court. It didn't take long for the judge to reach a decision. The opposing attorneys really gave my aunt Jade a hard time. Asking her questions about her past, all of the dangerous missions she took part in and whether or not she was competent and responsible enough to take care of me. She ended up getting lippy with the lawyers but not so much that the judge would end up holding her in contempt of court. I mentioned earlier that my mother had a sharp tongue. Well, aunt Jade can verbally joust with the best of them. Thanks to the fact that she had kept her cool in the courtroom for the most part, it was enough to win over the judge and also thanks to the letters from Race and this Benton guy, she ended up winning custody of me. With a few court ordered conditions of course. One of them being that she could not be involved in missions that put me in any sort of danger. That rule made no sense because I never had been involved in what she had done. Regardless, she agreed and I never had to worry about being in a foster home.
Jade had suggested possibly moving to another city but I told her that I didn't want to. Soon afterward, she had all of her stuff flown out to Seattle so we could find a new house to move in to. We sold my parent's house and looked all over the city for somewhere new to call home. We looked at houses and apartments in close-by districts like South Lake Union, Belltown and Pioneer Square. Some we saw looked pretty nice but when we got to Queen Anne, we found the ideal place. Queen Anne is the area where you will find the Space Needle. Which is one of the reasons I liked the area. It's also kind of yuppie-like. But when you are a kid, you don't think about stuff like that. It had a great view of the city and that's one of the things that appealed to aunt Jade. The place in question was a three bedroom, two bathroom luxury apartment that surprisingly wasn't very expensive, but not cheap either. So aunt Jade signed the lease, moved everything in and got down to trying to get me enrolled in a homeschooling program. After the whole Northwest School debacle, she figured it would be best to keep me at home. At least that way she knew I wasn't going to be bullied. Things went well for the next few years. We would go to all the cool places in Seattle and go to the previously mentioned Seattle Sounders games at Qwest Field (now known as CenturyLink Field). Speaking of Qwest, someone with that name, albeit spelled in the proper way, would soon be calling. And I would be offered the chance to join a pretty cool team.
Not long after my 12th birthday, aunt Jade started getting a bunch of phone calls. They were all from two different people. Race and Benton. One day I was in the kitchen getting something to drink and aunt Jade was on the phone with Race. He was wanting to speak to me so she hands me the phone. I say hello and he proceeds to talk my ear off. In the midst of this tornado of words he asks me about the possibility of joining the Quest team. He tells me that the Benton that I have been hearing about is Dr. Benton Quest. Dr. Quest is a world renowned scientist and expert in phenomenology. He had heard from my aunt that I was pretty intelligent and could hold my own as far as martial-arts and self-defense. He and Race had discussed the possibility of adding a new member to the team and aunt Jade suggested to them that I be the one. I had no clue what I would be in for but Race assured me that if I were to join that I would be trained in many different activities including parachuting and scuba-diving. I was pretty psyched but a little unsure of accepting the offer. Even though I had been to other cities, I had lived in Seattle my whole life and was very scared at the idea of leaving home behind. They told me that the Quest Compound was near the ocean in Florida. They said that they would do everything they could to make me feel at home if I should go. Aunt Jade had told them that I loved it here and that the thought of leaving would be pretty tough. Race told me that he, Dr. Quest and the rest of the team would be coming to Seattle in a few days to meet with me to discuss joining them. I hate to say this but they really put me in a position where I couldn't say no. Not because the idea of joining was cool but because they would be on their way in their own private jet, and I didn't want them to have to fly all the way back to Florida without me on that jet.
So about three days later, they fly out to meet me. Aunt Jade and I go to SeaTac Airport to greet them. The first person off the jet is Jonny, Dr. Quest's son. Next was Dr. Quest's assistant and Jonny's friend Hadji. Then Dr. Quest himself, followed by Race who I assumed was flying the jet. After we all introduced ourselves, we rode back to my place. When we got there we all met in the dining room and sat down at the dinner table. Jonny and Hadji sat on one side, aunt Jade and Race sat on the other while I sat at one end and Dr. Quest sat at the other end facing me. As I sat there and observed what was going on, I noticed a few things. One of which was the fact that even though everybody else was dressed casually, Dr. Quest was wearing a suit. He was dressed like he was meeting to do a contract negotiation. Another thing was that Race was, from my perspective, starting to perspire a little on his forehead while sitting next to my aunt. Which led me to believe that maybe, just maybe he was still hung up on her.
Well, Dr. Quest was the first to speak and he explained to me that with my accomplishments I could be a valuable asset to them. He said that they wanted to bring in some new blood. Also, aunt Jade had helped them in the past on some trips and had saved their butts many times. They figured, that with the proper training and knowhow, I could be just as good if not better than my aunt. They also wanted to bring me into the fray because Jonny and I are the same age and we would probably get along well. I explained to them that I was honored by the offer but I was very reluctant to leave Seattle. I told them that this was the only place I ever called home and the thought of leaving it behind for however long would be pretty nerve wracking. Dr. Quest told me that he understood and told me the same thing he told aunt Jade, that he would do everything to make me feel at home at the compound. Aunt Jade had told them that I was a vegan and Dr. Quest assured me that he would supply me with whatever I wanted or needed and that since I was home schooled, he would see to it that I could continue my studies that way. I asked if he could give me a little bit to think about it. He said sure.
So after about ten minutes of talking to aunt Jade in private about it, I walked back into the kitchen and told them that I would join. All I asked them to do was give me about a week to get some stuff packed. They told me that it wasn't permanent. And that if I wanted to leave at anytime, all I had to do was ask. With that, I shook all of their hands and told them that I would see them in week. They left, headed back to the airport where they got back on the jet and headed home to the compound. I told aunt Jade that I didn't plan on being there a long time. And I would make the most of my time there however limited it may be. So over the next few days, I set about packing up a good bit of my clothes, all of my CDs and a couple of things that would remind me of home. My Sounders jersey, my Seattle skyline poster, things like that.
A couple of days later, Race and Jonny came out to get me. With that, we met back at SeaTac where I hugged my aunt goodbye for the time being. She was visibly upset but she told me she loved me and to be brave. So with that, Race helped me with my luggage and belongings and I got on the jet. Heading towards the east coast to begin my new journey. Jonny and I started talking about different things that we liked. Sports, music and whatnot. I am a rock and metal fan and so was he. He told me that he played the drums and he a drum set in the lighthouse they had at the compound. I played guitar and had brought my SG with me along with a modeling amp, cables and some extra sets of strings. I said that maybe we could jam when we get things situated. Talking to Jonny made me feel a little better. It would be nice to hang out with somebody my own age for once. He told me that there was somebody else that lived with them that I hadn't met yet. That person was Race's daughter Jessie. Jessie was in Colombia on a bit of a vacation with her mother. And that she would be back a few days after I would move in. I thought maybe I would have no trouble getting along with her as well. I didn't realize just how difficult a time I would have with her when she would return.
When the jet landed, I thought to myself "No turning back now" as I stepped out. I gazed at this big chain of buildings that made up what would be my new home. I could feel the wind softly blowing. The view was amazing from where I stood. It was almost like something out of a movie. After a while, I started helping Race and Jonny move my stuff into the house. I was told that my room was going to be right above the study. Which suited me fine. I asked Race while I was unpacking my luggage about Jessie and what to expect when I met her and he said that she is a pistol but she has a good head on her shoulders. Unfortunately, it wouldn't turn out that way when she and I would meet for the first time. It would only get worse when she would find out that Jade is my aunt.
When she arrived at the compound after being in Colombia for two weeks with her mother. Jessie didn't know that I had moved in because her father wanted it to be a surprise. When she saw me standing there she asked her dad who the new girl was. He told her my first name and said that I was actually a boy and that I was now a part of the team. She just said something to the effect of "Well you could have at least told me before I got back!" She just walked away leaving me standing there with nothing to say. I just thought that she was probably grumpy from jet lag or whatever and didn't think anything of it. The next day though, I made it a point to try to get to talk to her better and tell her why I was invited to join the team. But instead all I got was a diatribe about why she didn't want anyone else on the team. Saying that they had done just fine without someone else and that me being on board would just make things more complicated for the crew. I told her that I was asked to join the team by her father and that he and Dr. Quest both felt that I could make an impact on any future missions. She answered back with a "Whatever!" and a door being slammed in my face. I didn't get it. I tried being nice to her and it just wasn't getting me anywhere. I just thought that if she didn't get off of my case at some point then I wasn't going to be around them much longer. On any team, it is important that you get along with everyone.
Things got worse when one night we had to attend a banquet as guests of Dr. Quest. Since it was a formal affair, I had to wear a suit and put my hair in a ponytail. I hate wearing suits. Ever since my mother and father's funeral, I never wanted to wear one again. But I wanted to be respectful so I went along with it. Especially since Dr. Quest made special arrangements for vegan options to be on the menu when we got there. On the way to the banquet in a limousine, Jessie is sitting across from me in the back giving me a disapproving glare. She looked nice in the peacock blue dress she had on but her demeanor was downright ugly. Like she hated the fact that I had to go with them. At the banquet after we all had dinner, Dr. Quest stood up and announced to everyone that he had a new addition to the team. He asked that I stand up and he told everyone my name. He introduced me as Alexander Travers. I politely corrected him and said that it was Alexander Kenyon. I forgot to tell him that when aunt Jade got custody of me, I legally had my last name changed. Well, that was a mistake. Especially considering what happened on the way to the banquet. As I sat back down, Jessie gave me a frightening look. She took her drinking glass and threw what ginger ale was left in the glass in my face. I was just happy that she didn't throw the glass at me as well! She soon stormed out in a fit with Race behind her asking what was wrong. I got up to go to the restroom to wash my face. I didn't know what my last name had to do with why she reacted the way she did, but I was about to find out why.
The limo ride home was very quiet which wasn't what I was expecting. When we got home, I took a shower, changed clothes and tried to go to sleep. About 10 minutes after I got settled there was a knock at my door. It was Jonny. He told me that Jessie and my aunt didn't get along all that great. Aunt Jade was an old girlfriend of Race's (I had a feeling I was right about that) and she was close to becoming Jessie's stepmother at one point. After a mission in Indonesia, which involved a jewel of great value, it seemed that she and Jessie were on good terms. Until, Jonny told her that the company she was "hired" to get the jewel for was a cover. After that, it was back to square one with her. By the way, Jessie, Jonny nor the others knew about this, but she didn't keep that jewel. she sold it at auction and put over half of the money into my trust fund. It still didn't explain why Jessie got mad at me for being Jade's nephew. Jonny told me he didn't know. He just recommended trying to talk to Jessie once the tension died down some. He said that maybe he and I should just get together with Hadji and play some music in the lighthouse the next day. It would take my mind off of the banquet debacle and give me the chance to showcase my musical prowess. I said that it would be no problem. He said good night and left the room. I tried to get some sleep. Hoping that the next day I would not only make a good impression musically, but that I would make a good impression with Jessie and eliminate whatever hostility there was between her and I.
As I lay there trying to fall asleep, which was difficult considering my new surroundings, I kept thinking about what happened earlier that night. I remembered what Race said about Jessie being a pistol. I just didn't know that I was going to be her practice target. I figured that once I had the chance to talk to her civilly and tell her what kind of a person my aunt really is, then maybe she would let up on me a little bit. I struggled to sleep throughout the night and got up early the following morning feeling rough. In Seattle, I had the rain to help me sleep. I thought here that maybe the sound of the waves would have the same effect but it just wasn't the same. I decided to go to for a little walk just to help me clear my head. I grabbed my iPod and my noise canceling headphones and put on my tennis shoes. I figured I would go walk for about an hour, come back in and shower and make some breakfast. I headed out the door into a cloudy, slightly windy morning. The kind of weather that made you think that it would start to rain at any given moment. For some reason, I felt a little better to see that. As I started walking, the Queensryche song "The Lady Wore Black" began to play. Oddly enough, the opening lyrics seemed to fit the mood for how the day was starting out for me.
"On a lonely walk this morning
A light mist in the air
Dark clouds laughing at me in silence
Casting shadows through my hair"
I made my way in the opposite direction of the compound as I listened to the song. Getting goosebumps as the music progressed. I was running different scenarios in my head as to how I would deal with Jessie. I knew that I wasn't going to act like a jerk towards her because it would only justify the way that she had been acting towards me. At the same time, I couldn't just let her walk all over me. I had to hold my own without getting physical. After being bullied when I was younger, I wasn't about to let anybody, male or female railroad me. After an hour of walking, I headed back up the road to the compound. I noticed that nobody was awake yet. With that, I headed back inside to take a shower. One of the nice things about my bedroom is that it had it's own bathroom. So I could shower in peace and if this problem with Jessie wasn't resolved, it would be the only way I would find any peace. After I got dressed I decided to just stay in my room and read for a few hours until everybody else was awake. I hadn't even bothered to look in the kitchen to see what was in the fridge or cabinets. Then again, I was more concerned about what I was going to say to Jessie.
About 45 minutes later, I heard footsteps going down the stairs. I walked out of my room and looked over the balcony and saw Jessie, Jonny and Race walking into the kitchen. I guess I would wait a while before I would walk in there for the fear that Jessie would throw something worse than ginger ale in my face. I guess that maybe breakfast would be the best time to go ahead and get everything out of the way because I wasn't going to spend the rest of the day walking on eggshells. I walked into the kitchen and saw Race making a cup of coffee, Jonny cooking eggs at the stove and Jessie eating a bowl of Golden Grahams at the table. Jonny told me that the cereal and stuff were in the cabinet next to the stove. So I opened it and surveyed the selection. It was like Seinfeld. There were so many boxes of cereal. I reached in and got a box of Peanut Butter Crunch. I opened the fridge and saw a couple cartons of vanilla almond and rice milk in the door. I thought, Dr. Quest kept his word. In fact, he loaded the kitchen with a lot of different vegan foods and snacks!
So I made a bowl and went to sit down at the table. Jessie looked at me and said "Don't sit next to me or you'll be wearing your breakfast." "Fair enough" I thought. I knew my work was cut out for me as far as trying to find out why she didn't like me. So I just went ahead and asked her "Why don't you like me Jessie? She took a swig of orange juice and said "Why do you even have to ask? I mean as far as I am concerned, you and Jade are cut from the same cloth. You think you can just waltz your way into our lives like Jade did and pull the wool over our eyes when we least expect it? I don't think so." "Jessie, you have a lot to learn about my aunt Jade. She isn't as selfish or one-track minded as you think. She has done a lot of good for me and my family." I responded. "Like what?" she asked. "Well, do you remember not long ago when you guys were in Indonesia and aunt Jade was trying to get that jewel?" "Yeah." Jessie said. "She kept it for herself. That whole Courtney's of London thing was just an excuse to keep it." "Well, she didn't keep it. She sold it and put over half of the money into my trust fund." I answered back. "Well, even thieves look after their own." She fired back. "That isn't the only time your Aunt has done something like this. One night, this compound was almost completely destroyed. And she had to work alongside my mother. Even though she got us out of harm's way, she ended up taking a very valuable Egyptian artifact. Oh wait, let me guess, she ended up selling that too and giving your family most of the money."
"Don't get me started." I answered back. "You have talked down to me ever since the day you came back from Colombia." I said. "Yeah, and the biggest mistake you ever made was telling me your real last name." She told me. "All Jade ever did was lie to me and be two-faced. And if history repeats itself, you could be capable of doing the same thing." She said. Her voice starting to get angrier. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble but I'm not going anywhere and I'm not going to let you run me or my aunt down." I fired back. "She took care of me when my parents died. She fought to get custody of me. She kept me from being orphaned and living in foster care with a bunch of strangers. She did it because she cares, she did it because she loves me. At least you have your mother and father. Mine are buried in Lake View Cemetery. Maybe you should let that sink in before you open your mouth to go off on me again!" Jessie then reached across the table, smacked me hard across the face and yelled out, "At least I don't have to worry about my parents acting like thieves!" Race and Jonny were both dumbfounded. They just sat there in shock. "This isn't over Lexi." She said in a mocking tone. "And if you think that hurt, you don't even know half of what I am capable of." With that, she stormed off out of the kitchen.
I just stood there feeling numb. I wanted to cry but I wouldn't let myself. "Alex I am so sorry. I don't know why she has to be this way towards you." Race told me. I heard him but I didn't say anything. Within a span of just four days, Jessie had single-handedly made me question my decision to join the Quest team. I was now starting to have doubts. Maybe if I left then Jessie would be happy and things would go back to the way they were before. I didn't want to back down though. I was determined to show her that she was wrong. Wrong about me and wrong about aunt Jade. I felt that if I had one shot at trying to make Jessie see the error of her ways, I would need the help of her father and my photo album. It would hold the only hope of showing her that she had misjudged me from the get-go.
After being slapped and berated by Jessie in front of her father and best friend, I had lost my appetite. I ended up dumping the rest of my cereal in the garbage disposal and walking out of the kitchen. Jonny trailed behind me. "Hey Alex wait a sec. Are you still wanting to play guitar?" He asked me. "I don't know. I thought that maybe doing so might help me take my mind off of what just happened. But just not now." I told him. Jonny said it was no big deal. He offered to show me the lighthouse. He said there was something about it that I didn't know about. So with that we headed out to the lighthouse near the compound. It was pretty impressive. I hadn't been to a lighthouse since I went to Discovery Park back home. This one was a little taller though. We headed in and it looked like it was furnished. It could easily have been a guest house. In the center of the main room was a chair that looked almost like a recumbent bicycle. There was also a slew of monitors and computer equipment in the corner. "What is all of this?" I asked him "This is where we access Questworld." He explained, "Our alternate reality program. We have made a lot of improvements to it since we came to Florida. Maybe, one day I'll let you try it out." "Wow" I said. I noticed there was also a jukebox in the room. I guess that I wasn't the only one that was a music freak. Jonny told me that the jukebox had a lot of different songs from different periods in music. Rock, blues, jazz, metal, classical, even country. He said that it works.
As we headed up the stairs to the second floor, he asked me if I was alright. "Yeah, I just think I will keep my distance from her for a while today. Later on this afternoon, I'm going to show her my photo album. Maybe she will change her mind." I told him. Jonny said that Jessie has always had a bit of a temper but that what she had done She said in a mocking tone. was uncalled for. "Maybe Race can help me out." I figured. Jonny said in an unrelated statement that it would be a while before I would be able to go on my first mission. He told me that I would have to do some training in activities like wall climbing, scuba diving and skydiving. He also told me that because I didn't have a passport yet, my first trip would be to somewhere in the states if I was called to go. He told me that it would probably be about 3 months before I would be ready. "I'm ready and willing, I'm just not crazy about scuba diving or anything like that. I have a terrible fear of drowning." I told him. It was really the only fear I had. I wasn't afraid of water at all. It was just the fear of being underwater and not being able to reach the surface that freaked me out. I told him that I had many nightmares that involved that scenario. "Well, you won't have to go diving if you don't want to. You can just stay in the boat." He said with a chuckle. "Thanks. Just don't tell Jessie about it." I told him. With that, we left and headed back to the compound. I met up with Race and asked him to help me out with something. I told him that I had brought a photo album with me with a bunch of old pictures of me when I was younger. Aunt Jade was in a good bit of these pictures. I figured that since telling Jessie that aunt Jade wasn't a bad person wasn't working, maybe showing her would change her mind. He told me that he would be there to prevent any hostilities from surfacing. He was basically going to be the peace keeper. So I waited a few hours in my room meditating. Trying to clear my mind of any fear or negative thoughts regarding what would happen.
After lunch, I walked up to Jessie and I asked to speak to her in the study. She reluctantly agreed. I guess she felt that she owed me after the slap. When we walked in there, Race was waiting. I sat next to Jessie on a couch. I pulled the photo album and told her that I had a few things I wanted to show her. "What is this? This Is Your Life?" She asked. "No, this is my life." I answered. With that I opened the album and showed her a picture of my aunt Jade holding me after my mother was allowed to leave the hospital. She was beaming in the photo. She was finally an aunt. "You see, aunt Jade never had any children of her own. I was the closest thing to a child that she could have." I could see Jessie's face start to change. "You have been wrong the whole time. You were so quick to judge her that you didn't even stop and consider what she was like outside of her profession. You deemed her to be selfish, ruthless and manipulative. Whereas I see her as kind, altruistic and selfless." Jessie looked at me and said. "Okay, I apologize for hitting you. You proved your point. Maybe I won't be so short with you from here on out. But don't think that I'm going to change my overall opinion of you so quickly. I still have my eye on you." With that, she got up and headed outside.
I was surprised, I was expecting another confrontation. I had no clue that things would go that smoothly. Then again, I thought that maybe she was being this way because her father was sitting about 10 feet away from me. "I guess your services were not required." I told Race. "Well, I just wanted to make sure that nothing bad went down. I'm just glad that she didn't try to strangle you." He answered back. "Trust me Race, you aren't the only one." I said in relief. I was about to walk away when I was hit with the notion to ask Race a question that had been on my mind. "Race, are you still hung up on my aunt Jade?" He almost fell out of his chair when I asked him that. "Uh...Alex...I think maybe you and I will discuss this some other time." And with that, a red faced Race got up and left. Judging by his reaction, I had to believe that I was right.
After all of that I decided to give my aunt Jade a call. She was probably wanting to hear how I was doing. As I went to dial her number, I was uncertain as to tell her what had transpired between Jessie and I but I figured she might be interested to hear what happened when Jessie returned from Colombia. So I called her and she happened to be home. "Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" She asked me. "I'm doing alright aunt Jade. But it hasn't been sunshine and lollipops since my feet hit the ground here." I told her. "Wait, what happened? I can tell by the tone of your voice something was up." Aunt Jade must have a sixth sense for things like this. "Well, I had been here a few days and Jessie returned from Colombia on the third day. Well, Race didn't tell her about the fact that I was going to be on the team and she pretty much brushed me off from the start." I reluctantly told her. "Well, Jessie was the same way towards me. Maybe it's genetic with us." She told me. "Well, you should have seen how she acted when she found out I was your nephew. We were at a banquet as guests of Dr. Quest and I corrected him on my last name. When Jessie heard it, she threw a drink in my face." I continued. "Excuse me? She is walking a very fine line with me by acting that way towards you." She told me. "I don't want to have to fly out there and make an example out of her." She threatened. "No, please don't do that. If you do I might not be on the team much longer." I pleaded with her. "Well, I'm not going to let her run roughshod over you. You've been through enough as it is. If it keeps up, I will be giving her father a call and trust me, it won't be pretty." When she said it, I knew she meant it. "Aunt Jade, earlier today I showed her my photo album with a picture of you holding me as a baby. I showed her that one specifically to show that you have been there since I was born." I said. "Well, what did she do?" Aunt Jade asked me. "Her attitude towards me lightened up a little bit. I told her that you weren't as selfish as she thinks you are. I told her that you stepped up and took care of me. You fought to keep me to prevent me from ending up in foster care." I told her. "Did it change her opinion?" She inquired. "Well, it changed her opinion of you. Slightly. She still ended up telling me that she had her eye on me." When I told her that, aunt Jade just sighed and said to me, "Well all you can do is try to prove her wrong. It isn't going to take one day to do that. Over time, she will realize that she was wrong about you and she will accept you." Aunt Jade was right. Some people are hardwired. Jessie was very leery about trusting people to begin with. And once you get on her good side, you better not do anything to try to ruin it. "Well, please stay safe and be careful over there." She said. "And if Jessie doesn't stop giving you a hard time, let me know. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt her, I'm just going to politely explain to her why she shouldn't mess with my family." She assured me. "Thanks aunt Jade, hopefully it won't get to that point." I said. "I have to go aunt Jade but I will talk to you later. I love you." I told her. "I love you too. By the way, I will be sending you some money very soon. About 300 dollars worth. Just so you can get CDs, clothes, books, bathroom stuff or whatever else you might need." she said. "Cool! Thanks aunt Jade. I have to go now but thank you." I told her. "You're welcome sweetie. You be good okay? I love you. Bye-bye". She said. "Bye." I told her and I hung up. Later that night we had dinner. Race was kind enough to get me a Tofurky vegan pepperoni pizza and a salad. Before I talked to my aunt Jade, I wasn't so sure that I would be able to stomach anything else that day after what had happened at breakfast. But after talking to her, I felt better enough to the point that I could stand to eat some pizza. As we sat down at the table, I was sure that maybe some of the tension between Jessie and I had died down to the point where she and I could have a civil conversation. I could only be so sure.
As I retreated to my room that night after dinner, I still had some uncertainty. I wanted to cry when I was on the phone with my aunt but I just wouldn't let myself do that. I had cried too much in my life and I didn't want to let it happen as a result of someone's stubbornness. But my soul was hurting. It was like living with the enemy. I had thought about what my aunt had told me on the phone. That Jessie could have a bad temper and that she didn't trust easily to begin with. I wanted to kick Race for keeping my recruitment a surprise. I believe that if he had told her about me while she was with her mom then maybe she wouldn't have given me the response she gave when I introduced myself to her. It was too late for that though. I decided to go out onto the balcony for some fresh air. I opened the doors that led to the outside. The moon was out and shining upon the water. Even with the reflection disheveled by the motion of the waves, it still exuded a calm. Something I needed right then and there. I closed the doors behind me and stood out there in the quiet. I thought about why I joined the Quest Team in the first place. I wanted to help the people that my aunt Jade had helped many times in the past. I wanted to associate myself with the whole group and I wanted to contribute my skills and knowhow to the group. I hadn't even had my first mission yet and I was already questioning my decision to join. Not because of fear or the danger of what might happen, but because of how Jessie had been towards me. Granted, it's not like she's some sort of she-wolf but she seriously has got some issues towards my aunt and was taking it out on me. Even after showing her the photo album that I brought with me, it only made a minor dent. The fact that she told me that she still had her eye on me was proof. I figured that I would just continue to be nice to her until she just gave up.
I walked back into my room after a few minutes of being out on the balcony. After getting some fresh air I figured I would have no trouble getting some sleep. As I settled into bed I heard what I thought was a faint knock at my door. I got up and opened it. It was Hadji. He asked me how I was doing and I honestly couldn't put how I felt into words. I hadn't spoken much to Hadji since I got here. He had been busy for the past few weeks. I told him what had been going on with Jessie and how I felt like leaving. He told me that the pain that I was feeling would pass. He said he was going to talk to Jessie to try to figure out what her problem was with me. I explained to him what it was. That Jessie doesn't like me for the simple fact that I am related to Jade. That she felt that I was cut from the same cloth. He told me that Jessie has always been like that. That when Race and her mother Estella divorced, Jessie believed that Jade might have had a hand in that. But there was never any proof. Even Race said that Jade wasn't responsible. But the resentment towards Jade continued. And that since I happened to be there, I was a suitable punching bag for her hostility. I told Hadji that I just wanted it to stop. That she was making me homesick. I told him what she said to me earlier in the night. That she still had her eye on me. It made me feel like I was under surveillance. Hadji said that the best thing to do is ignore her. That she would stop if I didn't respond. He said that she would get over it if she couldn't get a response out of me. I thanked him for listening to what I had to say. With that I plopped back down on my bed and tried to go to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day.
I woke up the next day after a somewhat peaceful sleep at about 9 AM. I walked onto the balcony and gazed out into the horizon breathing in the ocean air. Thinking about how my day was going to go. I wasn't about to let Jessie get the better of me. After a few minutes, I walked downstairs into the kitchen where I set about making some breakfast. Sure enough, Jessie was down there at the table, eating her Golden Grahams. I poured myself a glass of green juice and made a bowl of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. I was about to go eat in the den when Jessie said "You can sit over here if you want." I grabbed my bowl and glass and walked over to the table. I set them down across from her, pulled out a chair, sat down and started eating. Jessie seemed to be amused at what I had in the glass. "That juice looks like a science project." she told me. "You wouldn't be saying that if you tried it. It's really good." I replied. She asked me what was in it. "Green apples, kiwi, bananas, spinach, lemon grass, wheat grass, Jerusalem artichoke, broccoli etc. I'll make you a glass if you want. I promise you'll love it." I told her. "Okay. I'll try it." She answered. So I walked over to the fridge and poured her a small glass. I handed it to her and she sniffed it. "It smells like bananas" she said. Then she looked at me, said "Salud" and took a sip. I asked her what she thought. "It's not bad. Tastes better than what I thought it was going to be like." she answered. "Well, I'm glad you like it." I told her. As I went back to eating my cereal she said "I don't get how anyone could be a vegan. I mean, how could you not eat a burger or a steak?" "We do have burgers and steaks. They just aren't made out of meat." I told her. "We don't just live off of sprouts and salads. You would be surprised at how many vegan food alternatives are available now. " "I'm still sticking with my burgers" she replied. It was at that moment that I realized that we could have a disagreement and not have a full-blown argument. Things I thought, could only get better from there.