Free CHOSEN: A Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Dystopian Novel by A. Bernette Page A

where Stephen and Stella had spent
countless hours when they were young. The twins would sit and lay in the
tunnels that led out into the ocean and watch the ocean life.
    Both
of his parents were in the room, focused, and barely noticed him enter. Johan leaned
over his desk, looking at several reports spread out on paper, on tablets and
even projected on the desk. His fingers kept tapping on the projection, going
to different parts of the data he was studying. The data contained information
on the changes within the past few months. His mom was intensely studying two
reports while she paced nervously back and forth in front of the large windows.
    “Mom?”
Stephen said, getting her attention. Zura stopped looking at the paper in one
hand and tablet in the other.
    “Stephen?
When you gave me that data yesterday what date did it come from?” she jumped
right in.
    “One
week ago today, just like you asked. Did I do something wrong?” he asked with a
look of self-doubt coming over his face. 
    “No.
No. That’s what I asked for. It just doesn’t make much sense. The change
between last week and the prior two months doesn’t seem to be right. It’s too
big of a change.” She put the reports down and nodded to Johan curiously. “What
are you seeing over there Johan?”
    His
dad stood up slowly. He shook his head and wiped his thick brow. “Zura, I don’t
know what I’m seeing. Actually, I know what I’m seeing but I don’t know if I
believe it. I think we need to get Rupert and Mave in here.”
    “Wait,
Mom. I spoke to Stella this morning and,” he was cut off mid-sentence.
    “What?
You spoke to Stella and didn’t come get us?” Zura shook her head as if to say,
“teenagers”. 
    “Yes,
I spoke to Stella and she’s doing fine. She needs forty lubles for snacks and a
gift. Her aircraft arrives on Saturday morning at 9:16 a.m. sharp. I’ll remind
you again but she asked me to remind you now. She wants both of you to meet her
at the hangar with me. If not both of you, then at least one of you.”
    “Forty
lubles? After all we spent to send her to this camp; she needs forty more
lubles for snacks and a gift! That girl.” Zura took a few moments to open her
banking application on her watch and entered her password to transfer money to
her daughter. “Done. She can ask for money, but she can’t pick up her hand and
call me.”
    “Stephen,
I’ll go with you to meet her when she gets back. Your mom will have her hands
completely full.” Johan said cautiously glancing at his wife.
    “Thanks
Johan. You know you’ll still be busy too but it’d be good if you could go with
Stephen.” Zura said turning back to the reports.
    “I’ll
go get Rupert and Mave. Oh and Mave made some more coffee.” Stephen quietly
left the room.
    He
walked back through the decontamination chamber, the control room, and into the
workroom where Mave was standing closely to Rupert talking in a hushed voice. Rupert
stood with a smile on his face and the last of the coffee in his black mug that
read Solution Exists .
    “Hello
Rupert,” Stephen said. He always tried to be courteous and greet them when he
saw them. 
    “Good
morning, my man.” Rupert responded with a nod, graciously sharing his smile
with Stephen. 
    “They
need both of you to look at some data. It seems to be bothering mom. I’ll make
another pot of coffee.”
    Rupert
was the smartest man he knew when it came to looking at data and noticing
details others missed. He was full of brains, having graduated second in his
class to the woman he now stood beside. Even as smart as he was he managed to
hold on to his relaxed and easy nature. His long locks were filled with salt
and his beard was long. He would let it grow for weeks without trimming,
especially during the cold months they spent here.
    Rupert
walked with a slight limp due to his right leg being a prosthetic. He’d lost it
in an accident during a beach trip while in University soon after he turned
eighteen.