The Children of Time (The Children of Time Trilogy Book 1) Page 14

  “I trusted you with this mission knowing that the doctor was competent. Take the earthling safely and protect him so he won’t be in danger on his planet. Keep our secret well and Merko will also protect you. Hope to see you soon.”

  They all accompanied them to the ship Challenge I and, with sad eyes, they finally saw the ship take off, knowing that they would miss them.

  They traveled with Merko’s ship, entering the space-time gap, and returned to Earth.

  – XX. Back to Earth –

  When they arrived on the planet Earth, Merko entered the deepest part of the sea, by the side of the Pacific Ocean, since members of the Alpha-Omega team were monitoring the Atlantic side. The aliens hid the ship.

  “Z8, put the ship in a latent state.” Merko ordered the ship’s computer. “Confirm if the robot satellites are in orbit on the planet and put them in the invisible module. Keep the contacts with the planet Vida and contact us if necessary.”

  “Yes sir, Commander Merko. All actions had been executed.” Said a computer’s female voice.

  They teleported to Los Angeles and materialized in the Chinatown’s subway.

  Merko put his glasses and chose to become a man about 48 years old, dark brown eyes, broad shoulders, strong physique, 6’1”, the male type that Lorena dreamed of finding.

  Zara returned to be the beautiful woman who charmed Nicolas on their first meeting and the earthling returned to his normal form.

  Together they entered the train as normal humans, but even Nicolas, who now knew he was a hybrid, between human beings from the past and from the future, already felt like an “alien”.

  “Nicolas, would you mind if I came to see your mother?” Asked Merko.

  “Obviously not. If I want to marry an alien, why couldn’t my mother do the same? Especially now that I am also an alien.” He answered.

  “Since my own son is giving me his permission, I’ll date your mother again.”

  “Will she accept? You are very self-confident.”

  “I will do everything possible.”

  ***

  Merko and Zara went to a hotel in Los Angeles. Until they found a definitive place to live they would be staying at that hotel, not far from Nicolas’ house. Everything was new to them; the people, the home, the new planet and they needed some time to adapt themselves.

  When they returned to planet Earth, they timed their return to the approximate point of Nicolas’ disappearance, as they had agreed. This would improve the chances of a return to normalcy in his life. So Nicolas came back shortly after his disappearance and many problems that occurred after his departure, like Lorena and his sister’s concern would be abbreviated with his arrival, preventing his mother to warn the police and receiving the message. Besides, it would also be good to make the biggest traces of extraterrestrial presence on Earth disappear, like what happened in Central Park and at the gym, so that the attention of the Alpha-Omega team wouldn’t be so close.

  Nicolas said goodbye to them and went home, he needed to meet his family again. He missed his mother and his sister very much and seeing them was what he wanted. He knew that the two of them should be worried about him and he just wanted to show them that there was no reason for concern.

  He put his hands in his pocket and didn’t find his keys. He had probably lost them. So, he went toward the house and knocked on the door.

  Lorena promptly opened it and froze when she saw her son, who she feared she had lost. She began to weep and embraced him.

  “My dear son, where have you been during this time? It doesn’t matter! I just want to hug you, feel you.” Tears ran down through Lorena’s cheeks, which showed a big relief to finally have her son back.

  “Mother, I’m sorry for not giving news in the recent days. Don’t cry, it wasn’t that long.”

  “My son, for a mother every second is precious. And you have always been very responsible; you had never done anything like this before. I was very concerned about the lack of news and feared the worst.”

  “Calm down, now I’m back, safe and sound.”

  “Why did you disappear, my son? Why did you leave me so worried?

  “I met a woman and had to travel to help her solve a problem. Forgive me for not warning you. There was a sick person in her family, and we had to find an effective treatment as soon as possible to save her. It was a seven year-old girl named Isadora.”

  “A seven years old girl? How is she? Is she better?” Asked Lorena showing concern.

  “Don’t worry, mom. The girl is healed and all the effort we made to help her had a great result. She is well and happy. We were very pleased to be able to save her.”

  Lorena smiled with satisfaction, realizing that the education she had given to her son turned him into a good man. She couldn’t hold back the flood of tears and cried desperately, giving a tight hug in her firstborn. At first, the boy was frightened by his mother’s attitude, but soon understood and hugged her, filling her with kisses and caressing her for the first time since he had left her without news and worried.

  At this moment, Sophia, who had just heard her brother’s voice, came running to meet him. She jumped on his neck, embraced and kissed him, saying:

  “My brother, you’re back. I love you! I missed you so much!”

  “I love you.” Nicolas replied and was so thrilled that his voice was choked. He embraced his sister and mother in a triple hug. He also missed that he spent many months away from those whom he loved so much. Even if they missed him only for some days, for him it had been months. He needed that comforting hug.

  “Next time, my son, that you need to travel and solve some problems, please let us knows so that we won’t be suffering without news. We are a family. We can’t stay apart. And it doesn’t cost anything, isn’t it?”

  “I’m sorry, mom. And I promise I won’t do that anymore. However, I have good news.”

  “I bet it’s related to that woman you mentioned, isn’t it?”

  “Does Nicolas have a girlfriend?” Asked a curious Sophia.

  “The two are right. I have a girlfriend and I am very happy with Zara. Soon I’ll introduce her for you two. The three women in my life need to meet and I’m sure you’ll be good friends.”

  Mother and daughter were curious to know the woman who conquered Nicolas’ heart. They knew he was a good man, but he had no luck with women and they hoped that this time he had found a good partner. He certainly deserved it.

  That was a wonderful evening with the family together again. There were endless conversations over dinner, prepared by Lorena especially for her son; with the food he liked the most. They talked about everything, but the subject always came back to Zara. They were all anxious for that meeting.

  ***

  Nicolas wanted to take Zara to meet his mother and Sophia one week after his return.

  The boy asked his mother to prepare a dinner, so he would invite his girlfriend to meet the family. Lorena was a great cook and prepared a delicious duck with orange and roasted potatoes washed down by Port wine. Sophia and her mother waited anxious to know the one that had conquered Nicolas’ heart. The doorbell rang and Sophia ran to the door to answer it.

  “It must be her.” Said the reckless girl.

  “Take it easy, darling. Let Nick welcome her. After all, she’s his girlfriend.” Lorena challenged.

  “Okay, Mom. Let me open it.” Said the boy already heading to the door.

  Nicolas received Zara, which looked lovely. She wore jeans and a red shirt, which despite being simple was elegant. He kissed her mouth lightly and hugged her. Then he took her hand and, realizing that she was nervous about meeting her new family, he led her gently towards his mother.

  “Zara, this is my mother.”

  “Nice to meet you, Zara. I’m glad to know you. I see you’ve been making my son very happy.” The beauty of her daughter in law enchanted Lorena.

  “The pleasure is all mine. In fact, is your son who makes me happy.”

  “
This is Sophia, my sister. Isn’t she beautiful?”

  “I think she’s much prettier than you said, Nick.”

  Sophia blushed and hugged Zara. She smiled at her, somewhat embarrassed. She was very happy to meet her sister in law.

  “My brother has good taste and knew how to choose a beautiful girlfriend.”

  “Your family is very friendly, Nick. I hope they like me.”

  “I love you, Zara. And I want you to be part of my family. Do you all agree?”

  “It’ll be a pleasure.” Lorena replied.

  Sophia just moved her head as a sign of approval.

  The dinner was magnificent! The three women get along very well and Zara already seemed to be part of the family. She praised Lorena’s food and took some time to talk to Sophia, who showed her room and some of her projects in school.

  At the end of the night, Nicolas and Zara went to his room to talk a bit and make plans for their new life.

  ***

  One day, when Lorena was on the way to her work as a hairdresser, Merko allowed himself to bump into her, knocking the purse of the beautiful woman down. He calmly picked it up and said:

  “Please, excuse me. I was nervous when I saw you, because I think you have a beauty from another planet.”

  She smiled at his words and they began a long conversation. Merko suggested they met at night to get to know each other, and Lorraine promptly accepted.

  She was glad to see her son, Nicolas, and meet her daughter in law. Now, what still missed, to complete her life, was a man who loved and protected her. It was quite providential to find such a classy and gentle man on the way to work. Of course she would accept to go out with him and hoped it was a wonderful evening.

  At night, Merko picked Lorena at her home. She had given her address after the long conversation they had on their cell phones during the afternoon. She looked stunning in a black dress with a neckline. She was even more beautiful than Merko remembered.

  For their first date, Merko searched enough on the Internet and even got tips from Nicolas and Zara. Everything had to be perfect and he chose a very elegant restaurant to take that one he already knew to be the woman of his life.

  “Is your name Merko? It’s a different name! What about your last name? You haven’t told me what it is.” Lorena said while they waited for the order they had made to the waiter, tasting a delicious wine.

  “It’s Merko Silion.” Suddenly he answered deciding to use the friend’s name to honor him. ‘Lorena, you look beautiful tonight! I’m glad you agreed to go out with me.” Merko changed the subject, because he couldn’t reveal too much of his personal life.

  The two of them took the opportunity to enjoy the great food while they chatted about amenities. They talked about their musical tastes, movies and even a little bit of their personal lives. Merko used all his charm to conquer the beautiful women.

  The conversation was so good, that after finishing the meal they didn’t want to leave. They headed to a square near the restaurant where they could spend a little more time together. Both enjoyed each other’s company a lot and didn’t want to say goodbye.

  Sitting on a bench at that square, they watched people passing by, the beautiful flowers of the season in the top of the trees and exchanged significant glances. Merko touched her right hand. Since she didn’t move, he held her gently. He looked at Lorena and, not resisting her full lips, he promptly kissed her, feeling sensations that his life would become very special from that moment.

  The couple completed each other and enjoyed that unique moment of extreme happiness.

  Merko kept many secrets in his mind that, if revealed, they would obviously destroy those magical moments. But it wasn’t the time to think about how he would reveal his life to Lorena. It was necessary to enjoy the chemistry that existed between them.

  ***

  At the Pentagon, the chief Ronald Steighen and the agents Netil and Soliver were gathered to review all the evidence they had collected from the alien presence on the planet.

  They didn’t find a concrete conclusion; however, they made a report with all the information gathered during the investigation. They would keep their eyes open, waiting for some opportunity to capture, with the help of security forces, aliens from other planets, their ships and weapons.

  ***

  Dither, the editor, asked his journalist, Thomas, to discover why the government was protecting so much the information about the presence of aliens on Earth. An informant from the Air Force told the editor about the episode of the invasion of the Earth’s airspace by UFOs. He learned that two alien’s spaceships were detected by the radars of the Multinational Space Station and then disappeared without explanation. Probably, there were aliens on our planet.

  The journalist waited for more evidence of the extraterrestrial presence here on Earth in order to give the news that would shake the way that humans saw the world.

  ***

  Zara, Nicolas and Merko vowed to keep their identities in secret and managed to live like normal people.

  Merko opened a company of security values and personal protection. He worked during the day and at night went to Lorena’s house to date her. She thought about him as protective man and imagined he had appeared in her life to complete all her dreams as a woman. He was actually the other half that would complete her, the one that would protect her for the rest of her life. A man transformed by the power of love.

  ***

  After all the adventures he lived, it was time for Nicolas to go back to his studies in physics. When he returned to college, he met Sanchez.

  “Where have you been, Nicolas?” Sanchez asked when he saw his friend. “We missed you. You have a lot to catch up on. During this time you were absent, a lot of things was thought to us, the students. Coincidentally, Zara didn’t show up at college. What a strange thing!”

  “If I told you everything I’ve been through during this period, you wouldn’t believe.” Replied the boy with a mysterious air. “But let’s say I made an important trip to meet new people from other places.”

  “I didn’t understand what you mean by that.” Sanchez said confusing.

  “Okay. Maybe someday I’ll explain it to you better.”

  While they talked in the middle of the courtyard of the college, few students from the same course, including George and Adam, came closer to him.

  “Nicolas, you are here? You disappeared. What happened? Did you have any psychic outbreak?” Adam asked with a sarcastic tone.

  “Let’s say I took a time to relax my mind.” He answered without getting embarrassed with the mean comment.

  That was when the beautiful Zara came walking toward them with her heavenly blue eyes and a beautiful silhouette, which the pregnancy hasn’t been able to modify yet. Everyone on the campus stared at her as she walked toward Nicolas. She kissed him on the lips and said:

  “Nick, my dear... Do you want to introduce me to your friends? I study in this college, but it seems that you’re the only one I know.”

  “Of course, my love.” He said, proudly. “This is Zara.” He turned to those who had mocked him minutes before, to introduce his girlfriend. He had a smile, and the happiness was stamped in his face. “She is a new student who came transferred from another university from the East Coast. Do you remember her? She entered our university little time ago to study physics there. We’re together.”

  Everyone was perplexed and amazed by the lucky of the boy they teased so much in college for being weird and unable to captivate any girl.

  “What did you see in him, Zara?” George wanted to know.

  “Let’s say I can read his mind, so I know things about him that no one else is able to know.” Zara replied with half a smile.

  “Come on, Nick, we need to have dinner together tonight. You promised me a romantic dinner, remember?”

  And they were all amazed watching the two lovers leaving embraced.

  Sanchez looked at the couple and thought: Now I understand
why Nicolas disappeared during this time with the new student. They know how to enjoy life!

  ***

  At night, Nicolas and Zara got out for the highly anticipated romantic dinner and chose an Italian restaurant where she really enjoyed the food. Her pregnancy made her insatiably hungry, although it was still very early.

  “Zara, what name will we choose for our daughter?” The boy took the opportunity to talk about the baby.

  “I’d like we called her Helen. It is a strong name. What do you think?”

  “I like this name. It’s certainly beautiful like her mother. We’ll do everything to make her a happy girl.”

  She smiled feeling the happiness in the glance of her love, and read in his mind the desire to take care of the daughter who was in her womb.

  “My love, we need to tell your mother about my pregnancy. We can’t wait too long or she will discover by herself and may be disappointed because we didn’t reveal the truth.”

  “We’ll tell her next weekend. We’ve already scheduled that picnic and I think it will be the ideal moment to tell about our little Helen. I’m sure that both my mother and my sister will be happy to hear the news.”

  “It will really be a perfect time!”

  The rest of the night was really enjoyed by the couple, who now lived romantic moments, with a lot of passion, involved in total harmony.

  ***

  Zara changed to medical school after making some tests and proving to be capable. She soon stood out as a student, with great grades, but she couldn’t go beyond what would seem ordinary to the eyes of other students or teachers. Her desire was to specialize in Genetics to be able to return to practice her profession according to the law on the planet Earth.

  Those feelings of anxiety that she once felt were now so rare, that she didn’t mentioned them anymore. Maybe it was the fruit of the passion she felt for Nicolas and also the joy of being a mother. The boy noticed that Zara was better from those symptoms of anxiety and avoided talking about it.