Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter three of "Don't Play With Fire." This chapter has a little bit of Jesse/Nadine. The fandoms will meet very soon. I can't wait to do that. Stay tuned for chapter four.
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Chapter 3: Just Getting Going
A wildlife officer pointed his camera at the boat on a beach near the site of the attack two hours later. A dent was clearly visible on port. He snapped two pictures and adjusted his lens. Randolph, Jesse, and Nadine stared at the boat while shaking their heads in disbelief. They listened to distant chatter coming from the forest. The Nastelane was parked not far from them on the shoreline. So were two coast guard boats.
"Another day, another boat damaged," Randolph grumbled.
"Those ladies were lucky they did not get hurt," Jesse added and swallowed hard.
"The next victim may not be so lucky next time," Nadine said, her body shaking somewhat.
"I have read stories where swimmers scrambled out of the water because orcas were nearby. Though it is unlikely the orcas would have hurt them, they were just being cautious," Jesse explained. "Orcas are very powerful animals and can hurt people in good-natured play."
"It is speculated Tillikum, Haida 2, and Nootka 4 were trying to play with Keltie Byrne when they accidentally drowned her after she fell into their pool," Randolph suggested. "They have never encountered a human in the water and weren't sure what to do with her."
"Most oceanariums have desensitized cetaceans to having humans in the water with them. It builds trust between human and animal," Jesse pointed out matter-of-factly.
"However, the animals are still wild. They can never be fully trusted," Randolph warned. "No siree."
The trio heard footsteps and saw a police officer coming their way. He stopped next to Randolph, who rubbed his nose.
"What do you need, officer?" Randolph asked while putting his hands on his hips.
"I just wanted to let you know that we found no signs of anything unusual in the forest," the officer responded swiftly.
"Okay," Randolph said, nodding at him. "Thank you."
"Something tells me the ghosts are biding their time before they decide to possess more orcas and get them to attack people," Jesse whispered, looking up at the sky.
The officer rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't start that paranormal mumbo-jumbo, kid."
"Sir, I respect your disbelief in the paranormal. You still need to understand," Jesse retorted, looking at him. "We never had real trouble with Pacific Northwest orcas until three months ago. The ghosts of murdered researchers are possessing them and making them attack people. It can't be anything else."
"You've been reading too many scary stories. There is no such thing as ghosts, spirits, demons, or any of that paranormal crap," the officer said, waving his hands in the air.
"Tell that to the Ghostbusters who vanquished Gozer, Vigo, and other spiritual entities over the past fourteen years. They know a lot more about this than you do," Jesse said in determination.
"Look—" the officer started.
Randolph held up his hands. "Okay. That's enough. We don't need any more arguing. We need to focus on the most recent attack."
The officer huffed before walking away. He snapped his fingers. Jesse stared after him until he was gone. He turned to Randolph, a frustrated sigh leaving his mouth.
"I hate it when people dismiss my beliefs without a second thought, Randolph," Jesse griped.
"Don't worry about it, Jess," Randolph assured. "The best thing is you did not lose your temper."
"Mom warned me losing my temper would get me in trouble. Unfortunately, I've lost it many times. It led to problems down the road," Jesse muttered with a humorless chuckle.
"You have gotten really good at controlling it," Randolph commented and patted the boy's shoulder.
"Yeah," Jesse said proudly. "We all have our moments. It's human nature."
Nadine crossed her arms. "It's also human nature to be hooked on something."
"I got hooked on playing my guitar that Mom and Dad gave me for my first Christmas with them. It annoyed them at times, but they liked my tunes. They still do," Jesse commented, a smile crossing his lips. "I do not play it quite as much now."
"You can always do an air guitar like Bill and Ted did in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," Nadine suggested.
"No, thanks," Jesse responded.
"Spoilsport," Nadine mumbled.
Jesse raised an eyebrow. "I heard that, Nadine."
Nadine smacked her boyfriend upside the head. He waved his hand in front of her face. He moved it upward, jerking it downward in a rapid motion. She gave him a slap to the cheek. He rushed two fingers forward. She put her hand in between her eyes, blocking him. He pushed her hand downward. Randolph chuckled to himself.
"You two can't get enough of pulling that Three Stooges routine, can you?" Randolph asked.
"Nope," Jesse admitted, standing tall and proud.
"If you stand any taller, Jesse, you will reach the sky," Nadine joked with a snicker.
"If we stood on each other's shoulders, we'd be able to get there," Jesse answered and laughed. He became serious after relaxing his posture. "Anyway, I am going to call Uncle Peter and see if he can bring the Ghostbusters with him, Aunt Dana, and Oscar to investigate the orca attacks."
"I say that is a good idea," Randolph commented and eyed a bald eagle flying overhead. "I believe it is only a matter of time before another orca attack occurs. Other animals could become possessed and begin attacking humans themselves."
"I still think the paranormal is not at play here," Nadine said, seriousness lining her voice. "Forgive me for being so skeptical."
"It's no big deal, Nadine," Jesse assured, patting her arm. He ran his hand over her hair slowly. "Even people who believe in the paranormal can be uncertain about some suspected hauntings."
"Do you think the Ghostbusters will want to examine Willy, though he has not attacked anyone?" Nadine wondered.
"I would say so," Jesse admitted and cupped his chin in his hand. "If he agrees to it, that is."
"I don't think that will be a problem. Willy has been very good in allowing us to get samples from him and his podmates," Randolph said. He started talking about the time Willy spit on him at Northwest Adventure Park.
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Nadine brought two coffee-filled mugs into the Johnson residence's living room in the midafternoon. She approached Jesse, who was talking to Glenn on the cordless phone as he stood next to the TV. She handed the first one to him. He nodded at her and took a sip of the cream-filled coffee. He smiled approvingly as she went over to the couch and sat down with a light grunt. She proceeded to sip her black coffee.
"I feel the Ghostbusters should investigate the orca attacks. I really do believe ghosts are possessing the orcas and making them attack people," Jesse said seriously.
"I don't doubt what you are saying, Jess. Of course, Annie is a little skeptical as usual," Glen replied and made a funny noise.
"So is Nadine. It is not a big deal. They are not dismissing my beliefs completely," Jesse said, smiling.
"It is good to have a little skepticism. You could be right or wrong," Glen commented.
"Randolph was skeptical of Jon Milner moving Willy, Luna, and Littlespot into captivity to recover from their injuries. He warned me not to trust him. Elvis overheard him and Wilcox planning to sell them to marine parks. He rushed back to tell me. I realized Randolph was right. I felt sick to my stomach," Jesse explained.
"Annie and I had a long talk with Elvis after you guys were rescued. We told him we didn't love him any less simply because he ran away. We made him promise to talk things over before he did something rash again. He agreed to do so," Glen explained softly.
"I may not be fond of captivity, but moving Willy, Luna, and Littlespot into a seapen would have worked out well. They could've stayed in a cove that J-Pod went past frequently. Once the pod passed, they would've been released," Jesse commented and sipped more of his coffee.
"That would've been a good plan," Glen agreed.
"I can tell you one thing. Uncle Peter will be surprised I am asking him to bring the rest of the Ghostbusters with him," Jesse admitted.
"I have no doubt you are looking forward to seeing him, your aunt, and your cousin," Glen said.
"Definitely," Jesse replied, sighing in content. "They've been looking forward to this vacation for months. They do not want to cancel it."
"Tell your uncle I said hi when you call him," Glen said.
"Sure," Jesse said with a nod. "Bye, Dad."
Jesse turned off the cordless phone. He headed over to the base and placed it there. He went to the couch, sitting down beside Nadine, who placed her coffee on the end table.
"I am glad your dad supports your beliefs about the orca attacks," Nadine said, crossing her arms.
"I am too," Jesse agreed. "I remember when Mom said she thought her brother was a little bit of a kook for investigating the paranormal. I fussed at her over that. She explained not everyone believes in such things and that I should respect their opinion."
"It is obvious you do respect other people's opinion. Of course, you can be quite passionate about your views," Nadine pointed out truthfully.
"There is nothing wrong with a bit of passion for something," Jesse said, sipping more of his coffee. He smacked his lips. "Unfortunately, some people take it too far."
"Like opening cages to release animals from fur farms," Nadine suggested while holding up a finger.
"Exactly," Jesse agreed. "I am no fan of fur, but releasing furbearers can be very damaging to the ecosystem. They can establish themselves and decimate native species. It does not matter if they are herbivores or carnivores. They can do the same amount of damage."
"European starlings are the perfect example of a nonnative animal doing damage. They have taken over many native birds' habitats. They deprived them of nesting areas," Nadine said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Starlings can live just about anywhere. We see them all the time in Seattle," Jesse said.
"We see them in Friday Harbor too," Nadine added. "They are not as numerous here as they are on the mainland."
"They are beautiful birds, but they should never have been brought to North America. We can't get rid of them completely because their population is in the millions," Jesse said. "It sucks, but it is what it is."
Jesse took a tiny sip of coffee before licking his lips. He placed it on the other end table. He looked at his girlfriend, who pulled her hair behind her neck. She cleared her throat.
"It will be nice to see your uncle, your aunt, and your cousin. The last time we saw them was at Thanksgiving," Nadine commented with a smile.
"They were planning to come down for Christmas, but Oscar caught a very bad cold. Uncle Peter and Aunt Dana decided to cancel the trip because they did not want us to get infected. They never caught his cold, but he was miserable throughout the first week of Christmas Break," Jesse explained. "Opening his presents did cheer him up a little bit."
"You and Elvis got your presents by mail," Nadine added.
"We loved every one of them. We called Uncle Peter and said thank you over and over again," Jesse said, laughing. "It annoyed him a little bit."
She put her arm behind her head. "You heard Oscar coughing in the background."
"I mentioned to Uncle Peter that it sucked Oscar was not feeling good. He said shit happened. We have to take it in stride," Jesse explained, giving a shrug.
"I imagine Oscar is excited about coming here," Nadine said.
"He is such a smart boy. He already knows all the Southern Resident orcas by name and designated number. Randolph sent him an entire catalogue of pictures for his sixth birthday," Jesse whispered and sighed softly.
"His birthday is April 16," Nadine pointed out matter-of-factly.
"That day is one of infamy for Tennessee. A tornado outbreak tore through the state. Ten people lost their lives. Nashville was hit by two F3 tornadoes. That was significant because it had been twenty years since strong tornadoes ravaged a downtown area," Jesse said.
"There is also the forgotten Lawrenceburg F5 tornado. It is the only one to have ever hit Tennessee," Nadine added.
"Aunt Dana told me Oscar was glued to the news reports about the Nashville tornadoes after he got home from school. He said he would remember this birthday forever," Jesse responded.
"I can't really blame him for saying that. He probably did not expect such an event to happen," Nadine murmured and cleared her throat.
He snorted. "No, he didn't. One thing is clear. Events can be so memorable that you can recall them decades after they occur. Some are good. Some are bad. We must take the good with the bad."
Nadine nodded in agreement. She grabbed her coffee and took another long sip. She smacked her lips before putting it down. She began talking about the time she volunteered for a hospital.