If you knew clearly in heart, body and soul there was an opportunity to enhance humans and in doing so this would make the world a far better place... why the hell not?
Wednesday 21st April 2010
I wish I’d been pre-warned that today was going to be the longest day of my life...
Last night, Kristina reminded me to lie in bed this morning and relax... our agenda was to begin at 10.30am. Unfortunately I’d been tossing and turning since 7.30am, my mind a whirl of jumbled thoughts and fragile emotions which surprisingly returns to the same person... Jake.
I hadn’t realised how fond of him I really was and thinking about it... I’m struggling to understand why... Jake had proved to be such a detached, uninterested person but no sooner were those words coursing through my mind, I remembered tenderly the way he'd looked at me as he walked away at the airport.
Back to the present... this was doing me no good, I need to get up, showered and dressed. I want to sort out my day. I also embrace the idea of holding my difficult thoughts at bay and try to concentrate on getting to grips with my role within the senator’s household and all it means now I’ve been relocated.
Gently moving my bedrooms lace curtains, I see life at the senator’s residence is well under way.
Nothing though, would have prepared me for the site in the kitchen as I went to get my breakfast...
“Good morning Crystal”
Knowing the voice I halted immediately...
“Jake?” I whispered as I moved quickly into the huge kitchen, “Jake what on earth are you doing here?”
“Grab yourself a coffee and I will explain”
The twinkle in his eyes expressed happiness within.
Holding my coffee I slipped into the kitchens diner facing him ,
“So...” I cried impatiently.
Smiling, he continued.
“An urgent message from headquarters was given to me before I stepped onto the plane, it advised me of imminent changes but the number one priority very clearly stated, Crystal Slater’s not to be left on her own”
He gulped his coffee, I followed suit. The tingles started in my chest and ended up in my tummy...
Being his normal observant self, he quickly turned and scanned our location...
“So young lady, I’m back to follow this assignment with you and from my understanding of the situation, I will be here through to completion”
With a racing pulse I watched this ruggedly handsome man in total admiration, my senses told me something very special had just happened.
Laughing and blushing at the same time I said,
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you’re back.”
With a wink of his eye Jake filled me in on Eric’s departure. During our chat the kitchen door flew open and in ran two boisterous children with Kristina their mother following closely behind.
“Good morning everyone, how lovely to see you Jake, the senator just told me”
“Thanks, you have a beautiful home here” Jake replied.
“It is gorgeous isn’t it; please feel free to explore it with Crystal if you like”
“Thank you I will”
“Oh, before I forget, could you both be back by 12.30pm we’re having a meeting with the senator, lots to go over on the agenda.”
I couldn't help feeling glad to be getting a little more time with Jake...
Jake and I left the immense, kitchen to explore the senator’s residence. I was eager and ready to talk to him about me, my past and the future.
“This is one beautiful piece of land” Jake exclaimed.
“I know, it also appears to be very well run”
Obtaining two horses, we rode in silence until we came to a beautiful pond surrounded by a clear patch of land which nestled snugly at the bottom of a magnificent mountain. The trees were gigantic, I stood at the bottom of one and looked up to see if I could see where it ended, but I couldn’t because I was to close.
Stretching our legs we started to walk.
“Jake before the meeting today, I’d like to chat a little about my special gifts”
An interested face peered towards me in anticipation. We tied the horses up and settled ourselves against one of the biggest trees I had ever seen.
“I’m not sure where to start so will go from the beginning; I’ll try to keep it simple. My parents are scientists and they became heavily involved in a hidden project called ‘GENIUS’ which stands for genetic engineering new in ultimate supremacy... Together they did a lot of work in and around manipulation of genetic material. They quickly realised it was possible to take a single gene from one organism and incorporate it into a totally unrelated species the result; it looks like the original organism but displays the desired genetic trait of the donor organism”
Jake appeared mesmerised so I continued.
“My parents were very talented; their organisation quickly cottoned on to their skills and worked quickly to sign them into a contract of private exclusivity. My parents didn’t mind this because as they told me later, they were able to work quickly and see their work manifest. When they felt ready their first experiment was on a sheep, the results confirmed years of long hard work ensuing in a positive result”
I briefly stopped to catch my breath.
“Don’t stop Crystal”
“Then one night it became very clear to my father that their work could benefit the human race because along the way they’d both discovered almost simultaneously how to incorporate superhuman powers by exposing the blueprint of an individual’s chromosomes to the organism, I recall my father explaining the series of events to produce this miracle but for the life of me I can’t remember its sequence, I do however recall he told me diligently we’re all unique, our chromosomes are arranged through nucleic acids of specific DNA which are then arranged differently for each life force.”
Hesitating in a dreamlike state I look out over the water. In my mind’s eye I clearly witness my father’s strong weather beaten face as he smiles and sucks thoughtfully on his pipe...
“Crystal?”
“Their work received top awards and the highest of honours, but behind closed doors the organisation forbade them to talk about their work on genetic engineering because of the moral and ethical dilemmas attached to the subject. Mum and dad knew the advantages and the disadvantages as well as the issues but they also firmly knew their own true commitment was towards mankind and the future”
“This is amazing” said Jake as he reached out and placed his hand gently on my shoulder.
“Not as amazing as the next part” I said touching his hand.
“Then after much deliberation, my parents decided they’d been married long enough and wanted to extend their family which from all accounts brought them close to being ecstatic which if you knew them personally, you’d know this is an emotion very rarely expressed. My parents decided they wanted a child who had been genetically modified and in view of their many successes in the plant and animal kingdom they decided confidently, it would be their own child who would be born with carefully selected superhuman powers because they knew the bigger picture and they saw a definite need”
A warm breeze blew across my face, it was then I realised Jake and I were still holding hands.
“There was one very important thing they didn’t do, they’d both agreed not to inform the organisation in regard to the extension in their work, they decided without hesitation they didn’t want anyone knowing about me.”
“Your parents are beyond clever, they had every angle covered.”
“Yes they did and after completing conception the pregnancy seemingly produced nothing unusual, however they carried on keeping their own private journal of events. My mother’s pregnancy was uneventful, my birth was normal and my childhood produced nothing significant but my dad often said and recorded numerous times... he knew the best was yet to come.
On my 16th birthday I was out with the local youth club taking part in an orienteering session when I decided to sneak off leaving my friends. I skipped across a bridge I’d seen earlier in the hope I’d beat them to the designated point. All did not go as well as it should have because on the top of the bridge, I rather stupidly decided to climb to the highest point without a safety harness. It was one of the youth leaders who screamed as I plummeted to the bottom, landing like a rag doll in the tunnel beneath the bridge.”
“And...?”
“I guess you must already know, when they arrived I was sat up right in a pool of blood without a scratch on me. My parents and an ambulance were promptly called. I was taken to the hospital before I was hailed a walking miracle. The thing was, my parents knew only too well my superhuman powers had well and truly kicked in, the trigger amongst other things was categorised as adrenaline.”
Closing my eyes, I leaned heavily against the old gnarled tree. Sharing my life with Jake had emotionally drained me; I’d talked about things I hadn’t even thought about for such a long time.
“You ok Crystal?” Jake asked quietly.
“Yeah, it’s just overwhelming thinking back to that time”
“So what was the outcome?”
“It turns out my parents had crossed my blueprint with as much intervention as they dared”
I looked at my watch.
“Jake we’ve been gone hours, it’s time to head back, don’t want to keep the senator waiting and I’m eager to go over our new duties and establish a routine within the household”
“Agreed” he said... “But Crystal listen, I’d really like to understand you and your superhuman side that way I’ll always be here for you”
The butterflies fluttering wings scraped my insides and the tingles caused me to blush. Standing, I reached up on tip toes to kiss the side of his handsome face.
“Thank you Jake, I promise when we get some free time we’ll continue where we’ve left off, there's more to tell and so much more to understand”
Mounting the horses, I didn’t see what Jake had cleverly carved into that timeless old tree...
Jake < > Crystal.
