This novel is about Parks, a teenager who rides skateboards, plays video games and drinks soda.

Up until now, he's managed to watch a few action-adventure movies, visit a few amusement parks and survive as a kid on his own. Unlike the average teen, he's avoided promoting himself in places like myspace, facebook and other online communites. He's not an anti-social youth, he's just a kid on the run.

Basically, Parks is a teenager. Restless around others except his friend Geli. He likes to see movies about heroes and warriors but he doesn't really want to be one himself.

The story is also about Geli, who turns eighteen years old in a few months. She's a smart kid, who likes to read books, study for school and plans to change the world.

She's a teenage girl faced with the realities of becoming an adult. In a few months, she'll be starting that adult life as a college student.

The real story is how these two teenagers became friends and became involved in an adventure to save their world.

Two young people, who meet in San Francisco and discover that they have a common destiny. They have special abilities, not unlike their favorite heroes in books or movies.

Together they learn how to use these almost magical abilites, to save their lives and save the world.

The adventure of this story begins one night, when Parks is riding his skateboard, using bike lanes to move around the San Francisco streets. He notices that he is being followed. When he tries to avoid the car, the chase becomes more serious as it looks like it wants to run him down.

As the adventure story progresses, the two teenagers become involved in their own real-life video game, action film and fantasy novel. But in this case the adventure is real, the magic is real and the bad guys are very real.

Skateboards, video games, super heroes and characters in a novel; are all put away as the the two teens begin a real stuggle for survival in a changing world.

Afterall, being a kid in an adult world was never easy. Maybe with a few supernatual talents, the playing field can be leveled.

About Harry Potter: Amazon.com Review Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley. A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Ages 8 to 13) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly Readers are in for a delightful romp with this award-winning debut from a British author who dances in the footsteps of P.L. Travers and Roald Dahl. As the story opens, mysterious goings-on ruffle the self-satisfied suburban world of the Dursleys, culminating in a trio of strangers depositing the Dursleys' infant nephew Harry in a basket on their doorstep. After 11 years of disregard and neglect at the hands of his aunt, uncle and their swinish son Dudley, Harry suddenly receives a visit from a giant named Hagrid, who informs Harry that his mother and father were a witch and a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry himself. Most surprising of all, Harry is a legend in the witch world for having survived an attack by the evil sorcerer Voldemort, who killed his parents and left Harry with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. And so the fun begins, with Harry going off to boarding school like a typical English kid?only his supplies include a message-carrying owl and a magic wand. There is enchantment, suspense and danger galore (as well as enough creepy creatures to satisfy the most bogeymen-loving readers, and even a magical game of soccerlike Quidditch to entertain sports fans) as Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione plumb the secrets of the forbidden third floor at Hogwarts to battle evil and unravel the mystery behind Harry's scar. Rowling leaves the door wide open for a sequel; bedazzled readers will surely clamor for one. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From School Library Journal Grade 4-7-Harry Potter has spent 11 long years living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, surely the vilest household in children's literature since the family Roald Dahl created for Matilda (Viking, 1988). But like Matilda, Harry is a very special child; in fact, he is the only surviving member of a powerful magical family. His parents were killed by the evil Voldemort, who then mysteriously vanished, and the boy grew up completely ignorant of his own powers, until he received notification of his acceptance at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once there, Harry's life changes dramatically. Hogwarts is exactly like a traditional British boarding school, except that the professors are all wizards and witches, ghosts roam the halls, and the surrounding woods are inhabited by unicorns and centaurs. There he makes good friends and terrible enemies. However, evil is lurking at the very heart of Hogwarts, and Harry and his friends must finally face the malevolent and powerful Voldemort, who is intent on taking over the world. The delight of this book lies in the juxtaposition of the world of Muggles (ordinary humans) with the world of magic. A whole host of unique characters inhabits this world, from the absentminded Head Wizard Dumbledore to the sly and supercilious student Draco Malfoy to the loyal but not too bright Hagrid. Harry himself is the perfect confused and unassuming hero, whom trouble follows like a wizard's familiar. After reading this entrancing fantasy, readers will be convinced that they, too, could take the train to Hogwarts School, if only they could find Platform Nine and Three Quarters at the King's Cross Station. Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From The Washington Post Obviously, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone should make any modern 11-year-old a very happy reader. The novel moves quickly, packs in everything from a boa constrictor that winks to a melancholy Zen-spouting centaur to an owl postal system, and ends with a scary surprise. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From AudioFile If you haven't heard of Harry Potter then you haven't turned on your TV or radio or opened a newspaper in the last few months. For the uninitiated, Harry is a young orphan who is living with his nasty relatives when he's summoned to claim his magical heritage by attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What could be better (or more satisfying to children) than studying, not English and chemistry, but Potions and Defense-Against-the-Dark-Arts? Jim Dale, with his fully voiced reading, brings the world of wizards to life in ways unimagined even by those who have read and re-read the book. The accents are sure, the inflections perfectly suit the characters, and some of Rowling's particularly inventive bits, like the game of Quidditch, become clearer. Sometimes poignant, often funny, Dale's interpretation of this enchanted other world is the consummate family-listening experience. S.G. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. From Booklist Gr. 4^-7. Orphaned in infancy, Harry Potter is raised by reluctant parents, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, an odious couple who would be right at home in a Roald Dahl novel. Things go from awful to hideous for Harry until, with the approach of his eleventh birthday, mysterious letters begin arriving addressed to him! His aunt and uncle manage to intercept these until a giant named Hagrid delivers one in person, and to his astonishment, Harry learns that he is a wizard and has been accepted (without even applying) as a student at Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There's even more startling news: it turns out that his parents were killed by an evil wizard so powerful that everyone is afraid to so much as utter his name, Voldemort. Somehow, though, Harry survived Voldemort's attempt to kill him, too, though it has left him with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and enormous celebrity in the world of magic, because Voldemort vanished following his failure. But is he gone for good? What is hidden on the third floor of Hogworts Castle? And who is the Man with Two Faces? Rowling's first novel, which has won numerous prizes in England, is a brilliantly imagined and beautifully written fantasy that incorporates elements of traditional British school stories without once violating the magical underpinnings of the plot. In fact, Rowling's wonderful ability to put a fantastic spin on sports, student rivalry, and eccentric faculty contributes to the humor, charm, and, well, delight of her utterly captivating story. Michael Cart --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Kirkus Reviews In a rousing first novel, already an award-winner in England, Harry is just a baby when his magical parents are done in by Voldemort, a wizard so dastardly other wizards are scared to mention his name. So Harry is brought up by his mean Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia Dursley, and picked on by his horrid cousin Dudley. He knows nothing about his magical birthright until ten years later, when he learns he's to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts is a lot like English boarding school, except that instead of classes in math and grammar, the curriculum features courses in Transfiguration, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry becomes the star player of Quidditch, a sort of mid-air ball game. With the help of his new friends Ron and Hermione, Harry solves a mystery involving a sorcerer's stone that ultimately takes him to the evil Voldemort. This hugely enjoyable fantasy is filled with imaginative details, from oddly flavored jelly beans to dragons' eggs hatched on the hearth. It's slanted toward action-oriented readers, who will find that Briticisms meld with all the other wonders of magic school. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Review ...funny, moving and impressive.... Like Harry Potter, [J.K. Rowling] has soared beyond her modest Muggle surroundings to achieve something quite special. -- The New York Times Book Review, Michael Winerip --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Review “Wonderful…Funny, moving and impressive” - The New York Times Book Review “A delightful award-winning debut from an author who dances in the footsteps of P.L. Travers and Roald Dahl” - Publisher Weekly starred review Product Description New Jacket artwork by Mary GrandPre Additional four-color frontispiece artwork from Mary GrandPre Two pages of special content from J.K. Rowling Full cloth case with gold stamping 28 million copies sold worldwide! The wickedly funny debut novel from master storyteller J.K. Rowling tells the story of Harry Potter who, having endured 11 miserable years with his hideous aunt and uncle, is invited on his 11th birthday to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There he learns of his distinguished wizard pedigree—and his frightening destiny. About Twilight: Amazon.com Review The book that started the phenomenon is now available in a deluxe collector's edition! Featuring a ribbon bookmark, cloth cover, ragged edges, new chapter opener designs, and a beautiful protective slipcase, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike. Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite. From School Library Journal Grade 9 Up–When Bella Swan moves from sunny Phoenix to Forks, Washington, a damp and dreary town known for the most rainfall in the United States, to live with her dad, she isnt expecting to like it. But the level of hostility displayed by her standoffish high school biology lab partner, Edward Cullen, surprises her. After several strange interactions, his preternatural beauty, strength, and speed have her intrigued. Edward is just as fascinated with Bella, and their attraction to one another grows. As Bella discovers more about Edwards nature and his family, she is thrown headlong into a dangerous adventure that has her making a desperate sacrifice to save her one true love. One of the more original vampire constructs around, this recording of Stephenie Meyers debut novel (Megan Tingley Books, 2005) is narrated with great style by Ilyana Kadushin, who makes the infinitely romantic tale of star-crossed lovers resonate with a bittersweet edge. Although Edward and Bellas romance and subsequent danger develops slowly, the pacing is appropriate for teens who want learn all the details in this suspenseful tale. An excellent purchase for both school and public libraries.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From AudioFile Stephanie Meyer's teen-vampire romance offers an appealing heroine in Bella, transplanted from sunny Phoenix to the wet, dreary town of Forks, Washington, and the seductive, secretive object of her obsession, Edward, who may or may not be a vampire. Predictability doesn't keep this spine-tingling tale from being fun, but alas, Ilyana Kadushin's reading, does. Her speaking voice is thin and underdeveloped, and any sense of nuance is nonexistent. Kadushin doesn't try to give the characters personalities, so distinguishing between speakers is difficult. This is one of those rare times in audiobook listening when the writing exceeds the reader's capabilities. Still, the story is engrossing and the characters well drawn, ensuring that older teens will find much to enjoy. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition. From Booklist *Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul. Ilene Cooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Review Praise for Twilight: A New York Times bestseller A New York Times"Editor's Choice" A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A Publishers Weekly"Kids' Book Adults Would Love" An Amazon "Best Book of the Decade * So Far" An ALA "Top Ten Books for Young Adults" * "Propelled by suspense and romance in equal parts [this story] will keep readers madly flipping the pages of Meyer's tantalizing debut." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) * "The novel's danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive. Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it."-School Library Journal (starred review) * "In the tradition of Anne Rice. . . this dark romance is gripping." -Booklist (starred review) Product Description About three things I was absolutely positive: First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. “I’D NEVER GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT TO HOW I WOULD DIE– I’d had reason enough in the last few months –but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this. . . . Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of something else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.” When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret. What Bella doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back. . . . Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight will have readers riveted right until the very last page is turned. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition. About the Author Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature, and she lives with her husband and three young sons in Arizona. Stephenie is the author of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. About the TV series Lost: Lost was one of the two breakout shows in the fall of 2004. Mixing suspense and action with a sci-fi twist, it began with a thrilling pilot episode in which a jetliner traveling from Australia to Los Angeles crashes, leaving 48 survivors on an unidentified island with no sign of civilization or hope of imminent rescue. That may sound like Gilligan's Island meets Survivor, but Lost kept viewers tuning in every Wednesday night--and spending the rest of the week speculating on Web sites--with some irresistible hooks (not to mention the beautiful women). First, there's a huge ensemble cast of no fewer than 14 regular characters, and each episode fills in some of the back story on one of them. There's a doctor; an Iraqi soldier; a has-been rock star; a fugitive from justice; a self-absorbed young woman and her brother; a lottery winner; a father and son; a Korean couple; a pregnant woman; and others. Second, there's a host of unanswered questions: What is the mysterious beast that lurks in the jungle? Why do polar bears and wild boars live there? Why has a woman been transmitting an SOS message in French from somewhere on the island for the last 16 years? Why do impossible wishes seem to come true? Are they really on a physical island, or somewhere else? What is the significance of the recurring set of numbers? And will Kate ever give up her bad-boy fixation and hook up with Jack? Lost did have some hiccups during the first season. Some plot threads were left dangling for weeks, and the "oh, it didn't really happen" card was played too often. But the strong writing and topnotch cast kept the show a cut above most network TV. The best-known actor at the time of the show's debut was Dominic Monaghan, fresh off his stint as Merry the Hobbit in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. The rest of the cast is either unknowns or "where I have I seen that face before" supporting players, including Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly, who are the closest thing to leads. Other standouts include Naveen Andrews, Terry O'Quinn (who's made a nice career out of conspiracy-themed TV shows), Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Yunjin Kim, Maggie Grace, and Emilie de Ravin, but there's really not a weak link in the cast. Co-created by J.J. Abrams (Alias), Lost left enough unanswered questions after its first season to keep viewers riveted for a second season. About the TV series Heroes: Arguably the most talked-about television show of the 2006-2007 season, the Emmy-nominated fantasy Heroes gives viewers blends comic book-style adventure with plotting and characters as rich and layered as any graphic novel or drama series. Creator Tim Kring's premise is deceptively simple – ordinary individuals in locations around the globe discover that they have, for lack of a better term, super powers, and wrestle with this reality while facing challenges both global (the destruction of New York City, for one) and personal (indestructible cheerleader Hayden Panetierre has family issues – serious ones, as the true identity of her adoptive father reveals; Milo Ventimiglia's Peter Petrelli, who absorbs other powers, must overcome his own insecurities). Add to this mix a terrific villain – Zachary Quinto's Sylar, who hunts and kills people with extraordinary powers like our heroes – and viewers have a riveting series that exhibits an almost-perfect balance of cliffhanger thrills (the action and special effects are truly impressive for a network program) and genuine drama that sets the show apart from most speculative fiction (save, perhaps, the revived Battlestar Galactica, which it compares too favorably). The seven-disc set of Heroes: Season One offers a wealth of extras for fans, who may be familiar with some of them through the NBC.com website, especially the cast commentaries, which are featured on half of the episodes. Kring is featured on the 73-minute uncut pilot episode, which for some viewers, may be even better than the network version; the main difference is the degree of character development, including an entire storyline for D.L. Hawkins that isn't featured in the broadcast version. Also on deck are some 50 deleted scenes from the episodes, several by-the-books making-of featurettes, including coverage of the special effects and stunt work, and a profile of artist Tim Sale, whose illustrations are used for Isaac Mendez's prophetic artwork. Prospective buyers should note that while all of these supplemental features are included on the HD-DVD version of this set, the special Web-connectivity elements are not available here. Explaining Skateboard Explained: Review 5 Stars from Skateboard.About.com Skateboarding Explained is a walkthrough DVD for beginner or intermediate skateboarders to learn the basics of skating, and all the tricks you need to know to be a truly intermediate, competent skater. There are several how-to-skateboard DVDs out there, but Skateboarding Explained is honestly the best one I've seen. This video takes the time to really teach the basics of skating (basics that anyone of any level could really use), and the style is such that any skater of any age (even adults!) should feel comfortable with it. You can watch the whole series of instructions in order, or go straight to the section or trick that you want to learn about. The DVD was directed and designed by Dan MacFarlane, a pro skater and the top skateboarding instructor at Camp Woodward s Lake Owen resort. Dan has a comfortable, easy going style in his instructions and masterfully performs all the tricks himself. His methods have been tried, and he knows they work. (Bonus fact - Dan instructed Shaun White at an Encinitas YMCA summer camp back when Shaun was 8 years old!) Dan MacFarlane knows how to teach, and what needs to be taught. The background music, video editing, style and feel of Skateboarding Explained are top-notch. The music is energetic, but doesn't get in the way. Each trick features high quality slow motion parts that blend perfectly with the instructions, walking you through every aspect of what you are learning. This DVD is pure skateboarding, step by step, piece by piece. If you are looking for an instructional skateboarding DVD, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Skateboarding Explained. Steve Cave, Skateboard.About.com --www.skateboard.about.com Review This instructional DVD has been put together by Lake Owen Instructor and Mentality Pro Dan MacFarlane. The DVD does an exceptionally good job at taking skaters from the basics right up to the advance tricks. It s well presented and definitely recommended for beginners and those who want to brush up on their tricks or learn new ones. Concrete Wave Magazine --Concrete Wave Magazine Review This video arrived and at first glance you might think it's some Tony Hawk video where everyone is munching pizza bites and watching dudes ollie, turn, and backside tailslide that vert pocket with some helpful hints you'll never get. This video is exactly opposite and really makes you think about how to do tricks, even if you don't get much farther from the coping bash at the local park. If you ever had a trick that frustrated you, this should shed some light on it. It even helped me land some 360 flips which had been m.i.a. since 1992. It's worth getting and definitely worth making your child watch repeatedly instead of Sponge Bob. - Broken Magazine --Broken Magazine Product Description Transworld Skateboarding is proud to present our twentieth skate film, And Now. Produced in eight short months, and filmed in places as diverse as Australia, China, Spain, South America, and of course, throughout the states, And Now features the talents of 6 rising stars. David Gravette, Nick Trapasso, Matt Miller, Sean Malto, Ritchie Jackson, and Kenny Hoyle display a dizzying array of skateboarding talent. Produced, edited, and directed by Jon Holland and Chris Ray.


3.17 — Family Ties

Finn isn’t bothering with the idea of making an escape. There is no hiding place that with time, Ames wouldn’t find. And time—no matter how long or short the period—means nothing to Dissimulants like Ames. Besides, Finn’s ready to have this discussion. Ames must be ready too. After about ten minutes of silence, the canvas bag lifts from Finn’s head.

The room—Ames’ office—is well lit; it takes several seconds for Finn to adjust his eyes to the brightness. Ames, seated behind his large black desk, has his eyes keenly focused on Finn. Bubblegum Paul is standing to the left of Ames, looking at an area just behind Finn’s chair—presumably at the person who’s just removed the hood. Finn knows that the person—the fourth in the room—is Sasha.

“You don’t need to stay back there,” Finn says. “I’m not planning to leave right away.”

Ames nods his head, and Finn takes a breath as Sasha steps around to the front of the room. She’s dressed in army green slacks and a dark brown commando style sweater. Her once long, black hair—exotic and attractive—now comes to just above her ears; it’s lost none of its attraction for Finn. Knowing almost nothing about the political interaction between Britain and her old colonies, Finn can only selfishly appreciate that it resulted in bringing Sasha’s grandfather from Pakistan to England, and eventually bringing her into the world. The shock-pod, still held ready in her hand, reminds him that although her beauty is real, so is her commitment. Personal history aside, she will stun him if necessary—and she’d kill him if ordered.

Sasha looks questioningly at Ames. Seeing no objection, she lets the hand holding the device drop to her side. If Finn decides to leave, it will now be impossible to stop him. She’s not worried, really. The precaution was necessary only until Finn regained his senses—in case he attempted escape as a reflex. Now that he’s fully in the moment, they all know he will stay as long as it’s necessary—after all, he’s part of the Order too.

“I’m sorry about the bag, Jake.” Sasha, the only person in the Order who ever uses Finn’s first name, has a pronounced Manchester accent when she speaks freely—among friends.

“It’s okay. You know I like surprises.” Finn’s matter-of-fact attitude helps him sound cool and unconcerned, which is the image that he wants it to convey—to Ames, of course, but also to Sasha.

Finn has known Sasha longer than he’s known either Paul or Ames. Finn originally brought Sasha to meet Angie—introducing her to the Reveal. Later, Sasha brought Finn to meet with Ames, and join the Order. But where Finn has tried to maintain loyalty to the purposes of two ideologies, Sasha is devoted solely to the weapon. Like most of the Order, she sees no peaceful future for the Dissimulants—not with humans in control.

“So where are they?’ Finn directs his question to Ames.

Ames doesn’t hesitate; he expected the first question. “San Francisco, 1942. But if you think we brought them there, you’re wrong.”

“If you think I did, then you’re wrong.”

“No. I don’t think it was you—not any longer anyway.” Ames stands up, reaching out to Finn with a bottle of water from his desk.

“Thanks,” Finn says, taking the bottle. Removing the cap, he takes a large gulp, holding it in his mouth. The process—bringing him unconscious to the reality where the Order hides—would have taken time. Knocked-out for so many hours, his throat is very dry; he knows better than to drink the water too fast. Instead, he moves the water around in his mouth, releasing only little drops to cool his throat and condition his stomach. “I was coming to see you anyway; you didn’t need to put me through all this.”

“You had an observer,” Ames says.

The news of an observer, while not a shock, was still unsettling to any Dissimulant who’d experienced the Reveal. It could be harmless; if it was another Dissimulant, there could be any number of reasons for them to be watching. It could also be an enemy—one that stumbled into the reality, or one that came there with a purpose. The purpose is usually one thing—in this case, it could’ve been to kill Parks, Geli, or Finn while they were stepping between realities. But Ames had said that Parks and Geli were in 1942; if an enemy observer were after them—they’d be dead.

Although not ruling it out, Ames tells Finn that he’s not convinced it was an enemy observer. Someone must’ve led Parks and Geli into the new reality—someone with enough experience to keep Finn from finding them. Only a Dissimulant with advanced knowledge of the Reveal had this ability. Ames tells Finn that he suspects it was Angie, or someone working with her.

“That makes no sense,” Finn says. “I’m working for her. Why wouldn’t she tell me?”

“Because she knows that you’re also in the Order,” says Bubblegum Paul with a sneer. “Wake up Finn. You can’t keep riding the fence.”

Ames holds his arm up to silence Paul. “That’s possible, of course. Or, she could be keeping you in the dark to protect the future. San Francisco, 1942—that’s your reality isn’t it?”

It was true that Finn came from San Francisco, but he wasn’t around in 1942—he was dead. More accurately, he was waiting on a battleship just a little after 8AM on December 7, 1941 to die. Angie knows this, even if Ames doesn’t; there’s no reason she would be afraid of something in 1942 affecting Finn’s future.

Ames doesn’t wait for Finn to respond. “Whatever the reason—if it is Angie—she’s gone to great trouble to separate your two students from you, and from each other.”

“They’re not together?”

“They were, but someone arranged a separation for them.”

“Why?”

It’s another question, for which Ames gives no answer. Instead, he removes a plastic envelope from beneath the blotter on his desk, and offers it to Finn.

Finn opens the envelope and removes the reflective card inside. “A gencard? Is this the one you had me take from Angie?”

“It is,” Ames says. “Any guesses about whose genetics are on the card?”

“Not really, except that from where she kept it, I’d guess they were important.”

“You’d guess right. It belongs to Justice—one of Landry’s.”

Finn was surprised. The Feds took great care in protecting the genetic ID of people with high rank in the government. Besides the obvious—and officially stated—concern of identity theft, there were whispered rumors about other reasons certain leaders fought to keep their genetics a secret. If the human and Dissimulant population has been coexisting for hundreds of years, there had to be more carriers of the gene, especially when you looked deeper than the legal definition of three generations. Humans wanted to weed out the Dissimulants, but no one was prepared to look under every blade of grass. It would’ve been hard for even Angie to get a hold of the gencard for someone in the Department of Justice.

“Do you know who it is?” Finn asks.

“We do,” Ames says. “The soon to be chief of the DDA.”

Finn hides his emotions, changing the subject back to looking for Parks and Geli.

“There’s no use in your trying to find them—not if Angie’s behind this.” Ames says. “You’ll need to sneak this card back where you got it—and just keep an eye out for any clues about what she’s doing.”

“Alright, I’ll do that. Do you still want to meet with Parks?”

“In a few weeks—after he’s able to step between realities on his own. You get him away from the house—away from you and Geli. I’ll work out how to bring him to me.” Ames waits, pausing to confirm Finn’s understanding of this final instruction. Once satisfied, he decides to end the meeting. “Anything else?”

There is something else on Finn’s mind. Nancy Paulsen is his great-niece—he’s known this for a while. Not that he’s ever met her. She was born twenty years after Finn’s death. Even so, he has kept informed on his family’s history—or future—the family of his nephew Sam, in particular. If the card has anything to do with 1942, Sam might be the person that has attracted Angie’s interest. It’s clear to Finn that Ames hasn’t made this connection. Until he can learn what Angie is planning, Finn decides to keep it this way. “Nothing, I can think of,” he says.

Ames, Bubblegum Paul and Sasha start to lose focus. Sasha is the last, but Finn thinks he sees a questioning look directed at him just before she goes. He suspects that either she knows what he’s hiding, or she knows that he’s hiding something. The office, along with the three soldiers, disappears.

Finn, left sitting alone on a bench in Golden Gate Park, unscrewed the water bottle to take several big gulps. He’d decided to sit there and think for a while—watch the bison graze in their meadow on the other side of the paddock fence.

The situation between Ames and Angie had been strange enough before. Now with Parks and Geli in the Reveal, things seemed to be getting worse. Both were unusually involved with the two kids, and leaving Finn in the middle.

Finn’s other concern—Angie’s potential interest in his family—left him wondering how long she’d known about his relationship to Nancy Paulsen. She hadn’t mentioned anything about it; maybe she’d stopped trusting him.

Finn stopped thinking, to let his gaze stare absentmindedly out in front of him, as he sat there on the bench. He liked to watch the bison—and he was a little shaky.

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4 Responses to “3.17 — Family Ties”

  1. Kayla Bee Says:

    YES! New chapter section thingy! You’re are a very tricky author you know….. well clearly, you still have my interest. :P

  2. kdk Says:

    And we’re back! I’m curious how the connections are going to play out… I have several theories about who is who/what to each other… post soon!!!!

  3. BreiMychelle93 Says:

    I really adore this story because of all the twists and turns that are hardly ever expected. Please continue soon! :)

  4. gurnius2 Says:

    Talk about ties! When I saw that Sam’s name was Paulsen, I wondered if he was somehow related to “Poppers” Paulsen. Then you dropped the other shoe by bringing Finn into all of this. Well done! I will be curious to see how things play out.

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