Teela of Kolander, page 25
Mama H laughed. “My dear, neither of you can ever be just ordinary people again. You are both quite special ... you always were.”
Teela and Mary both blushed for a moment before Papa H laughed. “Enough mush. What is it about these Timexes?”
Teela explained that the Empire would be establishing a more or less permanent monitoring station on or near the Earth. The Earth was close to being ready for membership in the Empire, but not ready to establish relations yet. However, the Empire needed to provide a level of protection for Earth and also to monitor the Earth's movement toward readiness for Empire membership. They needed people on the ground and Teela and Mary were just two of a small team on Earth.
“The world just got so much more complicated,” Papa H mused. “Alright, I've got to get to work. School starts for you two, tomorrow. Still got a couple of months before summer vacation.”
“That's right,” Mama H said. “Got to get new clothes and school supplies.”
“New clothes?” They both said. “Let's go!”
Chapter Thirty-Three
-Small World-
Finishing high school, the graduation ceremony, and the diploma filled Teela with pride, an emotion she had not felt often. She and Mary had both been singled out as future scientists and honored in front of their fellow graduates and families. The Saturday festivities had ended with a trip to Crystal River and a party by the Harrelsons. She and Mary planned to begin their search for colleges and universities the next Monday.
They spent Sunday morning sleeping in and lounging in their nightclothes. After a decadent lunch of pie-Ala-mode with several more helpings of mode for desert, Mary had dressed and disappeared into the backyard. She needed to check on the new building that she and Papa H were building to house the telescope she was going to build next. Teela dressed and stepped out onto the porch and gazed around at the quiet green yard and acres of growing trees, their leaves waving in the light breeze. The sky was a brilliant blue sprinkled with cotton ball clouds and Teela stood still on the porch, basking in the glow of her life. No Empire, no intrigues, no scheming planetary Governors, just a normal life. She looked forward to the chance of growing up for a few years in a more normal social environment without the pressures of royalty or rule.
She and Mary knew the feds would always be watching them and they would have to make a few more trips to DC but their cover stories were solid and they knew the Barkolian secret Earth monitoring station would also be watching them if things were to get out of hand.
Mama H walked up onto the porch from the field of growing trees, bursting Teela's self-indulgent reverie. Mama H was frowning and a little excited. “Glad your finally up. Let's take a walk ... now.” Mama H took her arm as Teela set her cup of coffee down on the porch and led her back down the steps and out across the yard into the grove of growing trees.
After walking silently for two or three minutes, they stopped under the largest tree in the grove, the one with the old tree house. Teela had become progressively more worried as she nearly had to run to stay up with Mama H. “Mama H, what the hell is the matter? You're frightening me.”
Mama H took a deep breath. “Watch your language. It is unbecoming for ... a young lady and a princess ... when you were on Kolander, did you ever hear of an Alana Sanchez?”
Teela stared at her. When she had shared the story of her adventures on Kolander and the monitoring team, she had not mentioned Alana by name. It just had not seemed necessary. “Did she contact you? Is everything alright?”
“So you do know her. And no, she hasn't contacted me.”
“Good. I was worried. She's part of the team that stayed in the hidden ship to monitor Earth's progress and to support us with the FBI. How do you know the name then?”
“Well, there are two young ladies up there, inside that tree house right now who claim that a woman by that name is their mother ... and that their father was from Kolander.”
“Are you serious? Are they legitimate? How'd they find this place?”
“They followed the news stories of your very public leaving and return. They are apparently running from both immigration and the FBI.”
“The FBI? Why are they after them?”
“You can get the details from them but in general, the FBI has a handwritten note from one Alana Sanchez that mentions the planet Kolander by name, and some kind of proof of alien contact ... from almost fourteen years ago, long before you crashed here.”
“Yeah. I was still at home with my mother and Kregus was just going nuts, long before the coup. So much for a quiet life.” Teela looked up at the closed trapdoor into the tree house and sighed. “Yes. Mary and I know her well. In fact, she's not that far away ... and they're up in the tree house now?”
“Yes, up there.” Mama H pointed up at the tree house. “They snuck up there in the middle of the night and got my attention when I came out here to check the trees not an hour ago.”
Teela looked up into the tree house but saw nothing. “I'll go up and talk to them. Would you drag Mary away from her telescope house and tell her to bring our Timexes, the special ones. If these girls are who I think they may be ... well I don't know. Maybe you and Papa H should stay at the house and act like everything is fine while Mary and I play one last time in the old tree house.”
Mama H left and Teela tested the wood strips nailed into the tree that served as a ladder. Letting out a deep breath, she decided to trust them once again and started up. “Hey up there. My name is Teela and I'm coming up.”
Teela gently pushed aside the trapdoor and raised her eyes above the floor. She saw two young teenage girls, twins, huddled against the back wall. They were dressed in dirty jeans and t-shirts. Their hair needed some brushing. She realized that they must have been on the road for a while. “Hi, my name is Teela. You already met my foster mother Mama H. She said you were hiding from the FBI and Immigration. Why?”
“You're her!” One of the girls said.
“I'm who?” Teela asked, still skeptical.
“You're that alien princess, the one in the news. I recognize you from the pictures.”
“Haven't you seen the stories from a couple of months ago. The aliens returned me here after they realized their mistake. I have been debriefed by the FBI and cleared. Not an alien princess, just a plain old Earth girl.”
One the girls frowned and looked at the other one and then back to Teela. “The TV said your name was Rosa Sanchez … my name is Roberta Sanchez and this is my sister, Rosita Sanchez. Immigration is after us because our mother was from Mexico and we were born in Mexico before being brought into the US and left at an orphanage. The FBI is chasing us because our father was an alien from a planet called Kolander.”
“That sounds like fantasy. What makes you think the FBI is after you?”
Rosita squinted at Teela. “Why is your last name the same as ours … and you aren't telling us the truth about yourself. Normally, I can sense what others are feeling, but not you. Why can't I sense anything from you?”
“Teela, I'm here! What's up?” Mary thought to Teela as she ran up to the tree house. Teela heard her skid to a stop at the base of the tree.
“We felt her excitement!” The two young girls said together as they both jumped up. “And we can see the pictures in her mind too.”
Teela smiled and shook her head in resignation. “Mary, you're not shielding your thoughts. Come on up. We have visitors.” Teela smiled when the sensations from Mary ceased as she began climbing up.
Teela stepped aside while Mary climbed through the tree house trapdoor and looked around. Mary's eyes widened when she saw Roberta and Rosita. She turned to Teela and without vocal accompaniment, she thought, “What gives?”
Teela allowed her shield to drop before shaking her head and shrugging. “Not entirely sure. Let's all sit down and sort it out,” she said aloud for the benefit of all.
After they were all seated, Teela frowned. “I'll start. Mary, this is Roberta and Rosita Sanchez. Girls, Mary. Teela sighed deciding to tell the truth. “You are correct. I was not telling the truth before. My real name is Teela of Kolander. I am the daughter of the current Empress of the Barkol Empire and Mary is from here, Earth. She is my sister, regardless ... now tell me and Mary about yourselves and how you got here.”
Roberta looked at Rosita. “You want to start or should I?”
“We'll take turns.” Rosita said. “We are Rosita and Roberta Sanchez, from Mexico by way of San Francisco. We are twins and will soon be fifteen years old. We were both left at an orphanage in San Francisco on September 16, 2001, when we were two months old. I was adopted shortly after ...”
“But I was not.” Roberta said. “Thirteen years later, in June of last year, we met accidentally at the orphanage and figured out that we were twins. We investigated and found the basket we were both left in with a note written in Spanish that told us our real names and birthdays ...”
Rosita took over. “And it also said that our father was Mortulo of Kolander, an alien that crashed in Mexico several years before we were born. He was being chased by the Barkol Empire.” She shrugged and grinned. “I took our baby blanket to be analyzed and it was found to be 'not-of-this-earth'.”
“Then that ass-wipe who did the analysis for us gave it to the FBI and we had to start running.” Roberta interrupted. “Rosita's wonderful adoptive mother helped us escape back to Mexico in early July last year as we turned fourteen. Immigration problem over, we were back in Mexico. Of course we did not know Mexico, and spoke only a little Spanish then. But the FBI, and the Mexican version of the FBI, was still after us because of the alien blanket.”
“Then we heard about the alien ship last year on November 13, when they took you.” Rosita said and took a breath before continuing. “That, at least, told us it all was true, the Empire and all, but ...”
Rosita took a breath and took over. “You were gone and it all seemed to be done with. So we tried to make a life in Mexico with my adoptive mother ...” Rosita looked sad a moment. “We found that we can learn languages easily by using the emotions and images from the speakers and we attended school there for many months. Then we heard you were back and we snuck back into the US to find you.”
Roberta nodded enthusiastically. “When we heard that your name was Rosa Sanchez, we though we have another sister. We've been hiding and traveling ever since ... to get here.”
Mary looked over at Teela and grinned. “What a small world the galaxy is getting to be. Do you guys always finish each other thoughts?”
Roberta and Rosita both nodded together.
“Mary, give her a call.” Teela said.
“Give who a call?” Roberta asked.
Chapter Thirty-Four
-Big Universe-
Mary activated the stealth communicator function of her Timex. “This is Mary. Let me speak to Alana. It's important.”
“You know our mother?” Rosita exclaimed, jumping up.
Mary grinned but Alana came online before she could answer Rosita. “Yes, I know it's unusual to get a call from me and I know it's not in the plans for you to visit us this early, but something's come up and only you can deal with this issue. Come to the specific coordinates of my communicator but wait until dark. There are cameras everywhere.”
Teela answered Rosita for Mary. “We sure do. Look, it's going to be several hours before it's dark and I'm pretty sure our house and yard is being monitored by hidden cameras, so you will have to stay hidden in here until she comes.”
Mary grinned at their expressions. “Why don't Teela and I go back to the house and prepare a picnic to bring back here, you hungry? That would look innocent enough.”
“Man, are we hungry.”
Teela and Mary returned to the house talking out loud about a picnic and how great the weather was for it. Mama H was cleaning the kitchen when they walked in. Teela walked over to her and hugged her, kissing her on the cheek while whispering. “Mama H, the girls are legit and Alana is their mother.” She turned and then began to gather food for the picnic.
“Thanks ... what are you doing?” Mama H said.
Teela continued to gather food for a picnic and then Mary hugged Mama H, whispering into her other ear, “We have called Alana Sanchez and she is coming after dark, but we need something to do for several hours. And they're hungry.” Then she stepped back and spoke in a normal tone of voice. “We are going to have a picnic in that old tree house. And yes, I know it'll be close to dark, but it's so pretty out.”
Mama H helped finish preparing the food and packed it in a large basket for them. She followed them as they walked out onto the porch. “Okay girls, when it gets close to dark, you finish up. I'll allow this picnic this once. Have fun.”
They both nodded and Teela smiled at how good Mama H was getting at acting for the monitors. After a quick walk, they climbed the makeshift ladder and lifted the basket up to the trapdoor.
“Open up. It's Mary and Teela and we're hungry too.”
It took almost no time at all to set the food out and for the tree house to fill with the sounds of chewing, swallowing, and slurping. After a few minutes of gustatory delight, Roberta asked, “How do you know our mother?”
Teela looked at Mary, wondering where to begin. Mary shrugged and said, “At the beginning.”
“Okay, the beginning.” Teela took a deep breath. “Funny thing about this whole situation. It turns out that my mother was the former Queen of Ander, a free nation on Kolander and enemy of the Empire for a thousand years. When she was young, she was once interested in a young man named Mortulo of Kolander, a handsome young pilot and distant cousin. But during a treaty negotiation with the Empire, she fell in love with the man who would later become my father and the Emperor. They were married, she and Kregus of Bardonis, and lived several years on Kolander ... before he turned evil.”
Mary picked up the story. “While she was away, marrying Kregus, Mortulo took on a secret mission for the independent nation of Ander but was discovered by the Empire and chased. He crashed here on Earth where he met your mother, Alana Sanchez in Mexico.
Rosita nodded. “There was a note in the basket with us when she left us at the orphanage. And that's what the note said. He crashed in Mexico, our mother nursed him back to health, had us, and then the Empire found him again and ...”
Roberta finished up Rosita's comment. “They decided to leave us at an orphanage in San Francisco because they weren't sure if they would survive the run back to Kolander with the Empire chasing them.”
Teela glanced at Mary, her expression suddenly turned sad. “Your father and mother did make it back to the planet Kolander, but I'm sorry to say that your father was killed trying to get back into Ander. Your mother survived.”
Mary spoke up, finishing that small segment of history. “For years, she tried to get back to Earth ... so many times, but was never able to leave. She became a respected teacher of English and Spanish in Ander and a good friend to the queen of Ander, Teela's mother.”
“My mother just recently became the new Empress of Barkol and when we were sent back to Earth, a group of scientists and teachers came with us, including your mother. She is in a ship hidden somewhere on Earth, right now.” Teela suddenly stopped. “Wait. You mentioned your adoptive mother? She seemed like a really good person. What happened to her?”
Rosita shrugged, looking sad. “Nothing. She is a wonderful person. She was willing to sacrifice her career and continue to run and hide with us like she did when she took us to Mexico. But we ran away so she would not know about where we went. That way she could still have a life and go back to the United States.”
Teela knew about sacrifice and keeping secrets, but sometimes the truth was better. “Don't you think that in reality, she will just sit around going crazy worrying, maybe even be too worried to have a career?”
Rosita looked at Roberta and grimaced. “We didn't think of that. What can we do?”
Before they could discuss their possible actions, they heard noises outside the tree house. Mary took a quick glance through the window and confirmed that it had already gotten quite dark under the tree house and was heading for the trapdoor when they heard a voice. “Teela, Mary. Where are you?”
Teela recognized Alana Sanchez' voice. “Up here. Climb up the boards on the tree trunk.”
“This had better be good,” floated up from the dark beneath the tree house.
Alana climbed into the tree house trapdoor and located Teela. “Well?”
“We found something of yours, something you left here fourteen years ago. Turn around.”
Her face became blank, then white with shock and she spun around and saw Rosita and Roberta.
“Hi Mama. It's me, Rosita.”
“And me, Roberta.”
“A Dios Mios!” Was all Alana could say and she repeated it several times as she rushed over to the girls and crushed them into an embrace powered by years of loss and worry. All three sobbed for several minutes.
Teela grabbed Alana's shoulder. “I hate to push, but you don't have much time. They are both being chased by the FBI and immigration in a completely separate action from Mary and me. They need to disappear.”
Alana pulled out of the embrace and shuddered. Then she grabbed Mary and Teela in an equally powerful embrace. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
“They found us. They did all the detective work. All we did was call you.”
Rosita said, “My adoptive mother is in Mexico and is in trouble with the FBI because of us. Can we get her too?”
“Absolutely! Let's go.”
***
Teela and Mary walked slowly back to the house, each deep within their own thoughts until Mary just stopped in mid-step before they reached the house. “You know ... we'll have to pick colleges for next year ... if we're not already too late.”
