Here's what is happening

My oldest, Kayla, told me that next month is National Novel Writing Month. So I'll be back with more updates after the contest is finished. Unless of course, a publisher picks this up.

Chapter 9, part 2

After sitting up and sipping some water Sierra was prepared to tell Shem what she had seen. “Can you just imagine and entire meadow filled with flowers of every color you can imagine. He told me that was my safe place. Never been there have I? This bloke’s not right in his head Shem. He said that they were the Creators and have watched our kind since birth. He was glad we had a second chance. Off his rocker he is.”

Shem checked Sierra’s head for any sign of trauma. He clearly thought she was reproducing a hallucination. He had a perplexed look on his face and then quickly looked around for Mark. Mark was now sitting at a table with Monica eating some sort of slop from a bowl. He didn’t seem to look worried. Shem turned his attention back to Sierra.

“Alright my dear, we are going to take you to the infirmary just so we can make sure you are okay. We don’t have a doctor but I’m sure we’ll find someone who wants to learn.” Shem motioned for Addison to help Sierra up.

“Actually Dr. Finch I was studying to become a forensic pathologist. I was in my first year of college at VCU. Long way to becoming a doctor but I’d like to have a crack at it if you don’t mind?” Sierra gazed at Shem with her big brown eyes.

“Sierra, that is hardly the path we’d want you to take now. I suppose you had to learn to work on the living before working on the dead. Alright, I’ll let you continue your studies but for now we’ll have to get someone to help.” Shem searched around for someone older. Someone the others would trust. His eyes moved toward Dana. Ahh Dana. PERFECT. She was a professor herself and had obviously seen the inside of a hospital too many times because of her injuries.

“Dana Church!” Shem yelled. “Would you come here please?”

Dana moved her new hovercraft chair forward. It had been a bit hard to maneuver but she knew that in due time she would get used it. She couldn’t imagine why Dr. Finch wanted her.

“Yes, sir,” Dana was now at looking up at Shem.

“Would you please follow Addison and Sierra to the infirmary? If it’s alright with you, I’d like you to start medical training along with Sierra here. She had begun studies in university and was going to become a doctor. I thought that since you are a University Professor you may lend her a hand in her studies as well as learn a thing or two to become a medic. What do you think?”

“Dr. Finch, I’m honored. Wow! But I am bound to this chair. Not sure I can be of much help otherwise.” Dana had retreated into her familiar role of worthlessness.

“Oh bullshit Dana. You can take a temperature or a blood pressure can’t you? Right, I thought so. Off you go.” Shem had seen a lot of people in his life triumph over their disabilities. He always expected the same out of everyone, disability or not. Dana looked at him in disbelief. She was not sure if she should be horrified at the way he talked to her or grateful that he didn’t see her as a cripple.

After watching the lift door close behind Sierra, Addison and Dana, Shem headed over to Mark. He needed to have some sort of security. But what kind of security. These aliens had already proven that they could come in at will.

“You need to stop thinking of us as aliens Shem.” Shem wisked around to see who was behind him. No one. Everyone was as they had been as he walked by them. Turning around Shem closed his eyes to gain perspective. It was lack of sleep, it had to be. Shem then opened his eyes and saw Mark staring at him from across the room. She then continued his walk toward Mark’s table. Stopping at the chair before him, Shem stared down at Mark.

“What’s up?” Mark still didn’t look phased by anything.

“Mark, I need you to help me with security. I don’t know how, but everyone here needs to know we can protect them.” Shem started to worry and was on the verge of an anxiety attack.

“Protect them against what? These quote unquote aliens? I’m not worried at all.” Mark was now playing with Shem’s head.

“They’re in my head Mark and I don’t like it.” Shem was getting angry now. His anxiety grew.

“Whoa don’t blow a gasket there doc. Listen, they have already breached our perimeter. If they had wanted to kill us, they would have done so, don’t you think?” Mark was now looking at Shem face to face as Shem had pulled out the chair and took a seat. “If we stay calm,” Mark pointed his finger at the rest of the room “they’ll stay calm.”

“I just don’t like them popping in here.” Shem felt out of control.

“We’ll announce our arrival next time Shem. Please do not worry.” There they were again, in his head.

“What the FUCK is going on? Mark, they are talking to me in my head.” Shem was out of control

“yeah, kinda cool huh?” Mark grinned at Shem..

“They spoke to you? Why didn’t you tell me that?” Shem felt like an idiot.

“What fun would that have been.” Mark started to laugh.

“Son of a bitch, don’t you ever do that to me again. We need to have trust here and if you pull shit like this and make me feel like an idiot,” Shem was now standing up.

“you’ll what doc? Lighten up. Control the things you can doc, control the things you can.” Mark went back to eating what appeared to be oatmeal.

Chapter 9, part 1

Sierra found herself face to face with what appeared to be the main male alien. She found his jet black hair intriguing and stood there looking at him wondering if it was naturally that black. Her raven hair was marred with a lighter color hair growing in. Her hair wasn’t naturally that black. She was face to face with an alien race and she stood there wondering if his hair color was natural. As if snapping to reality, Sierra then realized she wasn’t in the ship’s mess hall anymore. She was somewhere else. She was outside in an open field filled with wondrous meadow flowers she had only seen in picture books or in old films. There was every color of the rainbow in her eyesight. The sun blazed down on her face and she felt warm. The other aliens were gone and only this one stood before her.

“Where are we?” Sierra inquired as she couldn’t see the ship anywhere.

“We are here. Here is relative to where you would like to be. This meadow is your own doing. I simply took you to where you felt safe.” The main male alien anticipated her questions. Sierra was perplexed as she had never been in a meadow so how did it feel safe to her?

“Who are you?” Sierra’s next question was logical.

“We are Creators.” His answer was met with more confusion.

“Creators? What does that mean? Creators of what? This planet?” Sierra was thinking small.

“You have much to learn Sierra Dockson.” He knew her name. How did he know her name? “We have existed since the dawn of time. Since the birth of every living thing. We have watched your kind with great interest. We are glad to have a second chance with you.”

“What the heck? What do you mean second chance? You’re off your rocker, you are.” Sierra was not convinced. “How do you know my name? You must have scanned our computers or something.” Sierra grew afraid and as if she had only blinked her eyes, the world around her was familiar and everyone from the ship was staring at her in the mess hall.

“Okay that was just weird.” Sierra was now visibly shaken by the experience and searched for answers in the faces of those who had become familiar to her over the past few days. It was then that she fainted.

Rushing to her side, Addison was able to cushion some of the fall. The people sitting at the surrounding tables gasped in horror. No one understood why she fainted. She was there one second, gone the next and then reappeared another second later. Addison laid her head down gently on the floor and looked up for guidance.

“Anyone a doctor here?” The faces searched amongst themselves and shrugs were aplenty. “Come on? Didn’t we bring a doctor?” Addison looked directly at Shem.

“Addison, no I’m afraid we do not have a doctor on board. But we do have all the medical textbooks in the main computer. She’s just fainted, she’ll be fine. There is a med kit in the kitchen.” She pointed to where Addison had been only 15 minutes earlier.

“Oh yes I saw it. You,” He pointed to Miss Maggie and she seemed horrified that she was about to be ordered. “Go to the cabinet nearest the refrigerator and look inside. The top one. There is a first aid kit in there.” Maggie continued to look at him horrified. “Go on woman.” Maggie got up and went into the kitchen. Duke, who was still sitting there with his bowl of cereal, almost finished, chuckled to himself.

Sierra began to come around by the time Maggie arrived with the med kit. She seemed to take her sweet time doing the task she was ordered to do. Once giving it to Addison she sighed a heavy sigh as if to say that she knew she shouldn’t have bothered and that it was a complete waste of her time.

“Sierra, alright luv?” Addison felt a kinship to Sierra because they were both from the UK. They seemed to speak each other’s ‘language’.

“yeah, what just happened?” Sierra seemed confused that she was on the floor. “One second I’m here and then I was in a meadow with flowers. Oh, those aliens are nuts they are.” It was all coming back to her.

“Did they hurt you?” Shem’s voice was now heard towering over Sierra by her side.

“No. Not at all. But they went on about being the Creators or something stupid like that.” Sierra was still processing it all.

“Bless her heart, she’s lost her marbles.” Miss Maggie’s voice piped up. “My mother lost her marbles you know.” And she turned again to talk to the lady sitting beside her.

“SHUT UP!” Duke had had enough. Maggie wasn’t about to argue with him this time. But did get the last word in.

“Well, I never.” Maggie turned around to look at Sierra again.

Chapter 8, part 2

Duke sat at a table with one of the older ladies. He didn’t like this lady. She was loud and outspoken. She reminded him of his GranMa. Staring down at his bowl of cereal he kept fantasizing about shutting her up. Permanently. He just wanted to take his hand and put it over her mouth until she couldn’t breath and then she would shut up forever. The lady just kept going and going. What was her name again? Margaret? No it was Maggie. She introduced herself as Maggie. Shut up Maggie. Just shut the fuck up! To make matters worse Maggie didn’t appear to care that Duke was a black man. Didn’t care in the slightest when she went on and on about how her Mama’s maid was black and how blacks made the best maids. Maggie was an idiot and Duke really wanted to shut her up for good. Maggie received a reprieve when the lift door opened to reveal Shem and that lady doctor he fantasized about last night. Maggie still didn’t shut up, but she would soon.

“Can I have everyone’s attention please.” Shem raised his voice slightly so as that even Maggie could hear him over her own talking. He gathered his thoughts and then spoke again.

“I have some rather strange news for all of you. Mr. Daniels and I were just outside the ship and encountered what would appear to be the locals.” Everyone looked at each other and Addison was the first to speak up.

“What do you mean, locals? Are there people like us here?” Addison looked quite handsome standing there in his apron. He was making preparations for lunch.

“Not quite.” Replied Shem. “They are humanoid but were not like anyone I have every seen before. Oh gosh, this is hard to explain when even I don’t get it. They had these weird body suits on and had one of those punk style hair. Sticking straight up.”

“Rock on!” Sierra could be heard across the room. “Must be my relatives then.” Everyone laughed.

It was Maggie’s turn to speak. Duke’s eyes rolled and then he continued the fantasy in his head of shutting her up,

“Mr. Finch” Maggie addressed Shem in her southern drawl and had no regard for Shem’s position as a nuclear and quantum physicist.

“Doctor.” Shem replied

“Pardon me? Doctor Finch I don’t understand what you are talking about.” Maggie feigned stupidity when it served her. She enjoyed attention, any attention.

“Mrs.? I’m sorry I don’t know your name yet.” Shem inquired

“Maggie Mae Calhoun, Doctor Finch. Of THE Calhouns in South Carolina.” Maggie was very proud of her heritage.
“oh Lord, here we go again.” Duke muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me Mr. who ever you are. Was I speaking to you?” Maggie dismissed Duke.

“Mrs. Calhoun,” Shem continued

“Ms. Calhoun” Maggie corrected “But you can call me Ms. Maggie if you please.” She danced this dance with everyone she meets. Entices them with her southern charm and then doesn’t shut up.

“Ms. Maggie. It is obvious to me that we have met some intelligent life on this planet.” Shem indulged Maggie just a little longer before moving on to the next order of business. “I have more things to let you all in on so if everyone saves their questions for the end, I’ll answer them the best I can.” Maggie didn’t like to be shut up like that. Duke snickered.

“Alright, everyone listening? Because it’s gong to be hard for me to even TRY to explain this to you when even I don’t understand it.” Shem now wondered if he was even making the right decision. Addison started at him from across the room. How in the hell is he going to get this one past them, he thought to himself.

It was at this time that a humanoid figure just appeared beside Shem on his right hand side. Startled Shem took a step toward Monica on his left and shielded her for protection. Gasps could be heard around the room. Shem looked around and more figures popped up around the room. They were surrounded.

“Our intention is not to frighten.” This male figure appeared to speak but his mouth did not move.

“Telepathy. Wicked awesome” Sierra was the least afraid of them all. “Then whatcha here for?” Sierra’s mouth didn’t move and it appeared to everyone that they were just staring at each other.

“Would you come with us Sierra Dockson? We won’t harm you. We only wish to speak. You can return anytime you wish.” Sierra’s face looked puzzled.

“Why me? Because I can talk to you telepathically?” She wondered how special she was.

“No the rest can do this, they just don’t know how. You are open enough to it. Do you want to come?” They were insistent. The entire room was dead silent and the others were sure that Sierra was in a trance.

“Right then, everybody,” Her mouth was moving now. “I’m going to go with these lovely people here to I have no idea where.”

Shem spoke up in opposition. “No you can’t take her, she’s a child.” Then the voices in his head started again.

“She will be fine. We will return her by night fall” and then as suddenly as they appeared, they disappeared. This time Sierra was gone too. Everyone looked to Shem for guidance.

Chapter 8, part 1

Unknown Planet

Shem had slept straight through supper and into the next day. Snoring loudly he was awaken by the loud sound of the ship’s alarm system. Rolling over he reached for where his alarm used to be. Swatting at the air around him Shem realized that his alarm was not there. He was not “there”. Where was here? Where is the alarm? He opened his eyes after hearing the pounding on his door.

“Finch … FINCH?” Pound, pound, pound! “FINCH?”

“What?” grabbing his shorts, Shem struggled to put his feet into the leg holes of his favorite pair of shorts. Pulling them up he wandered to the door. He was greeted by a boy that appeared to be eight years of age. The boy was panting rather loudly trying to gasp to catch his breath. He had run all the way from the gang plank to Shem’s quarters and running wasn’t part of Lee’s usual routine back on earth. Looking up at Shem, Lee pointed to the strobe lights in the hall way and the alarm blaring. Lee couldn’t speak a word of English but knew Shem’s last name. Grabbing a shirt, Shem turned back toward the door. Lee tugged on his arm to hurry down the hallway to the lift. When they reached the gangplank, Shem was greeted by Mark.

“Sir we appear to have been surrounded by some … uh people like aliens. No aliens like, rarrrr.” He gestured with his hand coming out of his stomach to mimic a popular movie of the late twentieth century. ”These are like people and they are all just out there staring at us. I do not see any weapons of any kind sir. I hit the alarm and told everyone to get back in the ship.” Mark pointed out that the gangplank had been closed.

“Mr. Daniels, please open the hatch. We’ll go out just you and I. No weapons. Fair enough?” Shem wasn’t worried that his appearance was not what one would wear when welcoming company. Mark thought to himself no weapons? Ain’t happening! He hid the pistol in the back of his pants and covered it with a t-shirt while Shem wasn’t looking.

Monica arrived wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her hair all disheveled as if she too had been woken up by the alarm. “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Daniels here tells me we have aliens or aliens that look like people outside.” Monica’s look of shock and then horror led Shem to continue “not the rarrr kind.” Again he motioned as if his hand came out of his stomach. Monica appeared to breathe a sigh of relief and then gave them a glance that they weren’t very funny.

“So what do they look like?” Monica questioned.

“Well they look human but they are wearing these weird skin tight body suit thingies. They all appear to be male yet look feminine. Weird.” Mark let it be known that feminine looking guys didn’t sit well with him. Shem rolled his eyes.

“Mo, take this sidearm. Mr. Daniels…” Shem gestured for Mark to provide him with the pistol he had tucked in the back of his pants.

Mark interrupted him. “I will never give up my weapon in a potential hostile situation sir. It goes against every fiber of my being”

“Mark, please. You are a civilian now.” Mark remained firm and would not give Shem the pistol. It was a battle of the wills and Shem was not going to win this one.

“Fair enough, PLEASE keep it hidden.” Shem turned to speak to Monica.

“Mark and I will go outside. I want you to stay here. If they do ANYTHING to us, lock up the ship. Do you understand? The shields should hold you for a while. But if it comes down to it, get some of the best men here and let them have it.” Shem motioned to the sidearm. Monica understood.

Shem and Mark took a deep breath and Monica pushed the button to release the gangplank. The air depressurized once again and the gang lowered down to the ground. Shielding their eyes, Shem and Mark walked cautiously down the gang plank. There they stood not thirty feet away. Ten what seemed to be men, dressed in light pink skin tight body suits. Just as Mark had described. Their hair shot straight up and was pitch black. Sort or like the spikey hair look of a couple of years ago. Shem walked a few feet and then stood still. Mark came beside him, guarded.

“hello.” Shem shot around as he heard a voice directly behind him or was it above him.

“Did you hear that?” He looked at Mark.

“hear what?” Mark looked puzzled. She looked at Mark to see if he could catch a glimpse of humor from the man’s face. There was none.

“I just heard the word hello like it was right here. I must be losing it.” Shem refocused his attention on the aliens before him.

“We come in peace. Uhhh take us to your leader?” Shem shrugged looking at Mark and whispered “What? Isn’t that what aliens say?”

“we can hear your every thought.” The voice was there again. Shem whipped back around to find no one behind him. Mark started to look with concern.

“are you guys talking to me in my head?” Shem questioned the aliens.

“yes. In a manner of speaking. We are communicating via your neuro net.” The aliens’ expressions remained unchanged.

“How come he can’t hear you?” Shem pointed at Mark.

”We are not speaking with that one.” From his tone Shem would have guessed the alien was annoyed.

“Make him hear it so I don’t think I’m crazy.” Shem glanced at Mark and gave him a shrug.

“We will be in contact again, soon.” The aliens vanished. It freaked Shem and Mark out.

“Where did they go?” Mark was bewildered.

“They said they would be in contact soon.” Shem looked at Mark apologetically as if to say he had no choice in being the one spoken to.

“huh.” Mark turned to go back to the ship. Shem stood for a second and then hurried after him.

“What do you mean huh?” Shem stood and looked hard at Mark’s unreadable face. Mark was left puzzled by a man standing beside him talking to himself and then mysterious people in front of him vanishing. What was he supposed to think? It has left him pondering and with a great big “huh”

Monica’s look of worry on her face coupled with puzzlement about what had just happened didn’t help Shem one bit as he followed Mark inside the ship. She pushed the button to bring the ramp up and seal the ship up tight. Mark and Shem headed back down toward the lift and she tailed them like a puppy lusting after its daily meal.

“What the hell was that all about?” Monica demanded answers. “Did they say anything? What the FUCK is going on Shem?”

Shem turned to Monica and looked her straight in the eyes. She had the most gorgeous brown eyes he had ever seen. She searched his for answers. There was truly no explanation for what had just happened. If Mark and Monica hadn’t been standing beside him, would they have believed that they just disappeared. For a moment they had a moment. It was as if Shem was trying to communicate as these aliens had just done a few minutes ago.

“I don’t know Mo. I could hear them speaking to me in my head. It was weird.” Shem looked to Mark for confirmation. Mark brought his hands up and shrugged his shoulders as if to want no part of Shem’s lunacy.

Entering the lift they were all quiet. Shem had to explain to everyone what had just happened. Shem had to explain to everyone where they were. Shem had to explain to everyone about time travel. Shem knew they would all think he had lost any bit of sanity had had left.

Visual Aid

I got to thinking that if my book were to be made into a movie, who I would want to play my characters. Here is a visual aid to guide you through the rest of the book. I know I've probably taken away from your imagination but, I also want you to see what I see as I write.

Dr. Shem Finch

Dr. Monica Perez

Addison MacKenzie

Sofia Jaramillo

Mark Daniels

Duke Johnson

Sierra Dockson

Dana Church

Noah

All photographs of the various actors above are the copyrighted material of each photographer or artist. I am not here to violate any copyright but to just use their pictures as a visual aid.

Chapter 7, part 2

The lift doors opened to the bridge. Sunlight poured in from the three surrounding bay windows. It was much larger than the cockpit of a jet plane. You could easily fit 10 cockpits into this one. Shem was sitting at the navigational computer looking at images of a planet. He didn’t even notice that Monica and Addison were now standing next to him.

“Is that the planet we are on?” Addison asked

“Shhh” Shem waved his hand as if he was shooing them away.

“Yes, It matches the …” Monica was about to tell him what she new.

“Shhh!” Shem looked up at Monica and put his forefinger to his lips.

“Shem if you tell me what you are theorizing. Oh why do I even bother. Come on Addison, I told you he gets like this.” She put her hand on his arm as if the escort him off the bridge.

“I’m not going anywhere, am I? I’ll sit right over here until he,” He pointed his finger at the back of Shem’s head, “tells me what is going on.” Addison was stubborn to the core. He was a red headed Scot after all. Addison planted himself right in the captain’s chair where Shem had flown just a few hours previously.

After looking around the cockpit for a few minutes Addison inquired “What did you name this ship anyway?”

“Name? We didn’t name her anything.” Monica answered him.

“Oh come on, you HAD to have given it a name.” Addison was in disbelief.

“The Falcon.” Whispered Shem. He had named the ship after one of his all time favorite flying machines.

“What was that?” Addison didn’t quite hear him.

“He said Falcon. Shem you can’t name this ship that, it’s copyrighted.” Monica realized what she had said right after she said it. It didn’t matter now did it?

“I can name my ship anything I want. All that copyright crap and those laws mean nothing now. Monica, come here for a minute.” Monica approached Shem and looked over his shoulder.

“I took the last image we have from the Space Station of Earth and overlapped them with the image we have of this planet. Look there.” Shem pointed to what was Australia and the area on the new planet. Monica looked puzzled.

“Look at the geographical markers.” She still wasn’t getting it. “Okay over here, North America. If you twist this planet to the right a bit, they all line up. There is more land mass on this planet and less ocean. But the topographical areas remain the same.” Shem could see that Monica started to get it.

“Holy shit! Point of Origin! Shem how?” Monica was bewildered.

“I don’t know. This all may be wrong and this planet may just look the same as earth and not be earth. We have to do some exploration. We have landed here.” Shem pointed to an area on the new planet’s map. He then overlapped it with Earth’s old map.
“That would put us in Canada. Ontario if my calculations are correct.” Monica was stunned. By now Addison was gazing on the same maps. Shem was pointing to where Niagara Falls Canada had been on the old Earth’s map.

“Bloody hell! You mean we never really left? We had to of. This can’t be Earth. Look at it outside. Clean air.” Addison was in shock.

“Okay what we will have to do now is produce a map of the two merged images. Once we get our bearings, and settle the camp a bit, we’ll set out and explore. We’ll go here to where Toronto is supposed to be. If this is Earth, there should be some sort of landmarks.” Shem just realized what he had said. “Monica do you realize what may have happened here?”

“Time travel. Only explanation. But Shem how do we know if we went forward or backward?” Monica and Shem had danced this dance a thousand times. It made them a great team.

“Hold on one bloomin’ moment here. What do you mean time travel?” Addison had wondered what he got himself into.

“Addison, if I explained it all to you, would you truly understand it? No! I didn’t think so. Just let us do our work and you do yours.” Shem was cranky without sleep. “I think first thing tomorrow morning, we need to sort out the camp and living situation, get everyone into some sort of routine and then start picking a team to go and explore. I need some sleep.” Shem got up and went to the lift. “Are you coming?” Monica and Addison joined Shem in the lift.

After letting Monica and Shem off at Deck C, Addison decided to head outside to see where Noah was at. After adjusting his eyes to the light outside, he could see the other 97 people talking in small groups, running, jumping, staring out into the blue sky. Just before where the grass had ceased to be flattened he could see Noah running in circles with another little boy. He hadn’t noticed this boy before. He really hadn’t gotten a good look at everyone as of yet. Sofia and Dana were near by. The boys were running around and giggling. Addison’s face turned happy and he forgot about everything he had just heard inside. He hadn’t seen Noah giggle like that in the short time he had known him. Addison walked at a leisurely pace enjoying the sun on his face and the fresh air. How he missed the sea. He longed for it and it called to him. Addison was born in Crieff and grew up there until he was ten when his mother moved away to Edinburgh for work. It was there that he learned his love for the North Sea. As he walked closer, Noah noticed him and ran toward him.

“Mr. Addi, sir come meet my friend. We have to talk to each other through these. I think he speaks Spanish or something. I saw him and Miss Sofia talking without these things. They sound funny. Come on I want you to meet him.” Noah was so excited. He led Addison by the hand and Noah’s little feet were making Addison run himself.

Before Addison stood a pudgy little boy who appeared to be eight or nine. His face beaming a great big smile.

“Hello there!” Addison addressed Noah’s friend. The boy look turned confused. Noah then pressed the button on Addison’s translator. He smiled at Noah and had realized that he had forgotten to turn on his translator. “Let’s try this again, hello there. My name is Addison.”

“Hello sir, I’m Lee. I’m six. Do you know where my mom is?” Lee searched for the same answers Noah did.

“He doesn’t know where his mom is either” Noah spoke up.

“Hiya Lee. That name doesn’t sound like a Spanish name.” He questioned Lee.

“That’s because his father was a U.S. military soldier of some kind.” Addison turned around to see Sofia standing behind them. “His last name is Garrettson. All I know is that they lived in Mexico City after his father went away.”

“I see. Lee I’m glad to meet you. I don’t know where your mother is son.” Addison hated to break Lee’s heart. “Why don’t you and Noah go back to running around.” Addison stood up and looked at Sofia. They gazed upon the boys once again. Lee shrugged his shoulders and then started chasing Noah and giggling soon ensued. Giggling was a universal language.

A half hour had passed and five of them were sprawled out on the grass looking toward the beautiful sky. It had been a very long time since Dana had done this. Even before her accident, she hadn’t seen a blue sky like this since her childhood. Addison was glad to take her out of her chair and lay her on the grass. Soon the sky turned shades of pink and purple and they gazed upon the sun setting in the valley to their left. It was time to head back to the ship. Stomachs were grumbling.