Terra Nova Quest

Chapter 5

"Dr. Shannon is taking good care of him."

"You know, the histories all say he and his family vanished without a trace and they were never found."

"So Malcolm said."

She allowed herself to a slight smile. "Then I would count us very fortunate he's here."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"We're leaving," Mira told Lucas, who huddled underneath a blanket.

"Safe trip," he mumbled, his eyes not even opening.

"You shouldn't sleep all day."

"You're not my father." He turned his back to her.

"When you're ready, you know where we are." She motioned to the others and they left. Mira couldn't wait to get back. "Take care of yourself, Lucas."

"Whatever," he replied.

She'd tried. Mira joined her party and they started off across the land. It would take two days of hard travel to reach the rest of her people and the Phoenix group. Part of her looked forward to it, part of her wanted to stay with Allen and her daughter.

Mira shook her head. She couldn't dwell on what might never be.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Where's Race?" Jonny asked his blond hair damp from his shower. He had the only outfit Skye had ever seen him wear, jeans and a black top.

"At the hospital with your dad," she told him stirring the cereal.

"Is my dad okay?" Briefly he looked like a frightened little boy.

"Far as I know." Skye added some berries Laura had shared were safe to eat while they'd been hiding from the Phoenix group and the Sixers. "Where's everyone else?"

"Jessie's in the shower." Jonny sank down into a chair and tapped on the table surface. "Hadji has been up for a couple of hours. He's meditating."

"Well, he'd better come for breakfast." She put food in four bowls and moved them to the table. "What do you want to drink?"

"I can do that." Jonny grabbed some glasses and poured juice in.

Hadji joined them, looking comfortable in his clothes. Skye wondered if he ever took the turban off his head. He sipped some juice. "This smells very good."

"Thanks."

She joined the two boys. "Dig in."

"We usually say grace first," Jonny said.

"Grace?"

"Yeah, you know, thanking God for the food."

"Okay."

Jessie bounced in, dressed in a green sundress. "Morning!" she greeted brightly, slipping into a chair.

Jonny bowed his head. "Thanks for the food and thanks for taking care of my dad. Amen."

"Amen," echoed Hadji and Jessie.

Skye squirmed a bit uncomfortable. Other than the reverend, she'd never known anyone to keep this custom in their home.

"This is really good." Jonny grinned. "Where'd you find the berries?"

"Laura goes OTG a lot. She discovered they were safe for us to eat."

"OTG?" Hadji frowned.

"Outside the gate."

"You mean beyond the protection of the fence."

"Yeah." She nodded.

Jessie sipped her juice. "I wonder if we'll ever do that."

With a shrug Skye answered, "Some have and some haven't. All depends on what work details they're on."

"We have much to learn," Hadji acknowledged. "You are Skye."

"Yeah. Mr. Bannon asked me to stay and look after you."

"He likes to be called Race," Jonny informed her. "Says Mr. Bannon is his father."

The other two laughed.

"I'll remember that." Skye smiled, enjoying their company. "After breakfast I need to go back to my place."

Jonny perked up. "You have your own place."

"Have to grow up fast here." She took a bit of cereal. The berries had been a good addition. "I'm sure you'll have apprenticeships."

Jessie bit her lip. "You're saying we won't be able to leave."

"The terminus is gone and we're cut off from 2149."

"We aren't from your time." Jonny pushed his empty dishes away.

"Look, I'm not an expert on time travel. I just know I can't every go back and from what I hear, I don't want to."

"I am sure Dr. Quest will explore all avenues." Hadji rose placing his dishes in the sink.

"What happens if you decide you can't go home?" She wanted to know what they thought of staying in Terra Nova.

With a grin, Jonny answered, "We like to explore."