AMSL Ch: 3

After that frankly roller coaster of dinner, the Walker family's daily lives quickly became very busy. Luke’s father still had to work until the end of the week, so he got a break from the chaos, but it was all hands on deck for the rest of them.

Packing up an entire house for storage wasn’t easy. So much cardboard was floating around the Walker family house that their downstairs quickly became a sea of brown boxes.

If they were moving across town, that would be one thing, but this wasn't that simple. Every drawer needed to be gone through, and each item assessed because if it weren't put in one of the twenty boxes designated for shipping, they wouldn’t see it for at least five years, likely longer.

It wasn't easy, but Luke found the whole experience rather enlightening. He wasn’t exactly a minimalist, but when faced with what he could and couldn’t bring with him, he was surprised to learn he didn’t hold much sentimental attachment to most of the things he owned.

He had a collection of comics wrapped in protective sleeves, but other than reading each once, he hadn't picked any of them up since he got them. The same went for the few books he owned and all the mint-in-box collectibles he'd acquired through various birthdays and Christmases. They mostly just decorated his walls; he liked owning them; they just weren’t exactly something Luke needed.

A good chunk of his clothes were set aside to be donated. He'd already grown out of half of them, and the rest wouldn't last much longer—he was a growing boy, after all. Between the clothing that was left and a few accessories, Luke had only managed to fill up a single box of stuff.

It was a little jarring to know that he barely had anything he truly treasured after ten years, but that made what was inside more precious.

He would bring some of his clothes on the plane in a suitcase while the rest were used as padding inside his lone box. Balanced carefully on top of the cushion of clothes was a stack of framed pictures that, until recently, had been placed around his room. Each was a treasured moment, the most notable being the first time he held his baby sister.

A few other miscellaneous things were carefully placed inside his box, like a single stuffed animal sitting on top of it all. It was a zebra and was the first thing he’d ever been given in this life, and it held a special place in Luke’s heart. It usually sat on the corner of his dresser out of the way, but it didn’t feel right packing it up with the rest of the things bound for storage.

The most colorful item was his blue foam sword, which, thanks to his sister, had a new coat of paint. He also had a portable CD player and a few CDs.

Luke couldn’t think of anything else he wanted to bring besides those few items and some minor necessities. Sure, going through his closet and seeing things for the first time in forever was fun, and doing so brought up many fond memories, but none of it was anything more than that. On the other hand, his sister had a harder time deciding what she wanted to bring.

Unlike her brother, it took Hailee twenty minutes to fill her first five boxes. Every stuffed animal was a treasured friend she had to bring with her, no matter how many times she’d carelessly flung them at Luke’s head. Each doll had a backstory and assorted past; every toy held a special meaning; the list continued.

Three days had passed since they started packing, and every day, their mother had to go up and try to talk Luke’s sister into parting with some of her treasured possessions. At the rate she was going, she would need every one of Luke’s spare boxes and then some.

While his sister struggled to part with the simplest items, Luke and his mother moved on to the rest of the house. They went room by room, and everything was promptly sorted, packed, and set aside for the weekend, which was quickly approaching.

His father planned to rent a U-Haul on Saturday, and they would start taking all the stuff they'd already packed to the storage facility.

Bit by bit, Luke’s childhood home was boxed up, but he didn’t feel that sad about it. It wasn’t goodbye, after all; it was, see you later. If anything, Luke was growing more excited by the day. When he wasn't packing, he searched the internet for notable things to do around London, which was a lot harder than it sounded.

Search engines, as people in the future knew them, didn't exist yet, so finding information relevant to what you were looking for on the internet was more challenging than pulling teeth, especially since computers noticeably lacked teeth.

It took some effort and a lot of time waiting for each webpage to load, but Luke was slowly accumulating a list of places he hoped they could eventually visit. England was only a fraction of the size of the continental U.S., but what it lacked in size, it made up for in history. For now, though, he'd have to settle for the grainy pictures on the computer screen.

-X-X-X-

The days continued to fly by in a whirlwind of activity. Friday came and went, and soon, the weekend was upon them, meaning Luke’s father was now home full-time. The extra pair of hands was greatly appreciated, and with another adult around, they could start moving the bigger furniture to make room for more boxes.

Over the following week, the Walker family made several trips between their home and the storage facility.

Luke's room was the first and easiest to empty, as he’d always been tidy. After everything was said and done, the only things left inside were his mattress, his suitcase, and the single box of stuff he was having shipped overseas.

The next thing to be stored away was all the unnecessary furniture in the house, including miscellaneous stuff like nightstands and cabinets.

All in all, it was a lot of packing, but a few notable things happened that kept things interesting.

For example, on Wednesday, a man who lived a few streets over, came and bought their mother’s car. It wasn’t mentioned that night at dinner, but Luke's parents had already made plans regarding their vehicles. Unlike their house, their cars wouldn’t hold their value while they were gone, so it made sense to sell them.

The same went for their dad's 1982 Cadillac. A friend from his work had already purchased it; he was just kind enough to let them continue using it for the remainder of their time here.

The day after that, there was a minor incident involving Hailee and a box in the parent’s room labeled XXX that their father accidentally left out in the open. Luke’s sister thought the Xs stood for treasure; thankfully, their mother stopped her before she could open it up and see what was inside.

If they still had a couch in their living room, Raymond would’ve been sleeping on it that night, but since it was already in storage, he had to settle for a scolding from a furious Shannon instead.

After all that, Friday was uneventful, but Saturday and Sunday weren’t. On Saturday, Luke went around the neighborhood and told everyone he regularly helped that he and his family were moving away. Some had already caught on with the moving truck, while others were curious about where they were going, but pretty much everyone was sad to see him go.

At one point, one man was moments away from tears, wailing about having to clean his own yard from now on.

But most surprising of all were the tips he received from people. It was only a few dollars here and there from people who appreciated everything he’d done for them, but it was the thought that mattered. He received more than a dozen hugs from his older customers and many times that in handshakes from everybody else. By the time he returned home, Luke was almost sad to be leaving.

All this time, he’d only ever thought of everything he was doing as a way to make a quick buck. Only now that he was leaving did he realize how much he meant to his community. But if Saturday was hard for Luke, Sunday was terrible for his sister.

In the week leading up to it, word had spread amongst Hailee's many friends that she was leaving, and one of the kids’ moms had decided to host a going-away party for her. Luke was invited by association and spent the whole time acting as an emotional rock for his sister. There were a lot of kids at the party, and emotions were high, which meant Hailee struggled even more than she already did.

A lot of parents probably thought she was bipolar because one minute, she would be happily chatting with her friends, and the next, she would be struggling to hold back her tears. It happened so many times that by the end of the party, Luke’s sister was both physically and emotionally drained.

That night, Luke pushed his mattress into his sister’s room. He spent hours listening to his sister vent her feelings until, eventually, she cried herself to sleep.

She steadily improved over the next few days as Luke did his best to be there for her, but as their day of departure grew ever closer, there wasn’t much more he could do.

-X-X-X-

Things remained relatively quiet after that until it was Thursday again. Their flight was tomorrow afternoon, so this was the last day for the Walkers to get things done, and the family had a lot to do.

Together, they made one last trip to the storage unit to drop off their mattresses and the other few things they waited until the last minute to put away. After that, they stopped at the post office and mailed off the twenty boxes meant for their new home in Little Winging for an exorbitant amount. It was no wonder their father had limited them to so few boxes.

Finally, the Walkers returned the moving truck and returned home, though it didn’t feel like it now that it was empty. The family took one last look around their house before loading their suitcases into their father's—their father's friend's car and headed for the airport hotel.

The drive into Seattle was quiet, as none of them were feeling particularly chatty.

Once they arrived at the airport hotel and checked in, Hailee and Luke’s mom took their luggage to their room while Luke stayed outside in the parking lot with his dad. A few minutes later, a couple in a green sedan pulled up next to them, got out, and greeted both of them with smiles.

It was his dad’s work friend and his wife. The two introduced themselves to Luke, but he wasn't really paying attention. He didn’t know why, but watching his father hand over his keys made him feel weird inside.

The last two and a half weeks had all been leading up to this, but it didn’t feel real until he watched somebody other than his dad drive off with the family's last car.

“This is really happening,” Luke mumbled under his breath.

A comforting arm wrapped around his tiny shoulders; Luke's father didn't say a word; he just pulled his son in close and stood there with him for a minute.

Eventually, the two of them went inside and met up with Luke’s mother and sister in the hotel room, where they ordered pizza to their room and watched trashy TV together until it was time for bed.

Everyone took turns changing into their pajamas in the bathroom before crawling into bed, but none of them got any real sleep.

All of them were dealing with conflicting emotions, which was perfectly normal. They were giving up everything they knew and were starting fresh in a new country. Each of them was afraid to some degree but also excited. Leaving everything behind hurt, but all of them, even Hailee, were looking forward to tomorrow in some way.

When the sun started peaking through the blinds, it felt like no time had passed. No one had to tell anyone to get up as they all stiffly rolled out of bed.

“Are you guys ready?” Luke’s father addressed the rest of them after they had all taken the time to shower and get dressed.

“””Ready,””” they replied together. Despite the suboptimal sleep, the Walkers were ready for their flight.

They double-checked that they had everything before heading to the hotel Elevator, taking it to the lobby, and checking out of their room. Nobody said anything while they waited for the shuttle, but once it arrived, the nervous haze hanging over the family finally started to lift.

“Do you think we’re going to stand out?” Hailee asked as they loaded their suitcases onto the shuttle and took their seats with a handful of other families heading for the airport.

“Probably,” Luke leaned over his seat and gave his sister a knowing smirk.

“We’ll be fine,” their mom assured Hailee, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Sure, because everybody loves Americans." Luke's sarcastic remark earned him a few snickers from the other passengers on the small bus.

“Just think of it as an adventure," Raymond added his two cents.

Meeting his quota for the day for picking on his sister, Luke switched to a more light-hearted topic and started naming all the places they should visit, hoping to keep the conversation light and cheerful.

“There’s Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, The British Museum, and that's just a few places we can see in London. Even with five years, there are so many sights to see we might not even have time for them all,” he grinned at his sister.

Luke’s distraction worked flawlessly. Hailee quickly forgot all about standing out and instead asked her brother all he knew about the locations he mentioned. He recited a few facts he found on the web, keeping her entertained until they reached the Seattle airport. Upon which, Luke admitted he didn't know much more than the basics. He would've shifted things to a different topic but was distracted by the airport itself.

This was Luke’s first time flying since his reincarnation, and boy, was it different from the airports in his memories. Like everything else in the early 90s, SEA-TAC was very retro. It was also relatively busy, but only by pre-September 11 standards. It was amazing how smoothly and efficiently they checked their luggage. Their tickets were mailed to them a few days ago, so they hadn't much else to do.

1990’s TSA was a joke. Some people in line commented on the new metal detectors, but other than that, they were let through with minimal screening.

At least the overpriced concession stands on the other side of security were the same as the ones in Luke's memories, so there was that.

Everything was normal initially, but as they made their way toward their gate, Luke sensed something in the distance that made him pause. It was somebody like him and his sister.

No, Luke sensed multiple people grouped closely together—at least six of them, maybe more. He’d never sensed so many people like them in one place before that weren't obviously a family.

The signatures were coming from behind a normal-looking wall between two terminals. Luke's senses screamed at him that there was something funny about the wall, but it was as plain as day to the naked eye.

But it wasn't normal. It was faint, but Luke could sense a veil of energy covering the wall.

Luke wanted to stop and observe longer, but his parents kept them walking toward the gates for international flights.

“Luke, you, okay?” Hailee was the only one who had noticed the shift in his emotions.

Schooling his features, he smiled at his sister. "I'm fine. I just thought I saw an interesting-looking person.”

"You shouldn't stare at people," his mom lightly chastised him while his sister’s eyes widened.

An Interesting person was code for somebody like them. From the first time he sat his sister down and explained how she was special, Luke had made it abundantly clear that their abilities were top secret. He’d read comics about superheroes to her before, so she already had a general idea of why he was so paranoid and reluctantly agreed to listen.

Since they couldn’t talk about their abilities in public or in front of their parents, Luke and Hailee devised key phrases they could use to communicate without drawing attention to themselves. Hailee liked using them because it made her feel like she was in a spy movie, while Luke had fun coming up with them and teaching them to his sister.

He was curious about the signatures he sensed, but at the same time, Luke wanted to avoid them at all costs. Based on the few interactions he’d had with similar people in public places, only he could sense people's inner fire, but there was always the possibility that others were out there like him.

Despite how familiar this new world was, he still didn't fully understand it, which made Luke nervous. What if people like him and his sister were hunted for their abilities or dumped in a military black site somewhere? It was too dangerous to risk, so he did everything he could to warn his sister whenever he sensed somebody like them.

Mentally, Luke was kicking himself for not being more prepared. He should've known there was a good chance of running into others like them in a place this busy.

Reaching out, Luke took his sister’s hand. “I wonder if any of these people are having a bad day?" He asked, trying to sound like he was making small talk with his sister.

“I don’t think so,” Hailee followed his example, keeping her tone light as if they were having any other conversation.

That, too, was code. Luke had covertly asked his sister if anyone was directing negative emotions towards them. Luke wasn’t expecting anything to happen, but you could never be too sure about these things.

His sister’s answer may have been brief, but it allowed him to relax. She couldn't sense anything, but she would keep an eye out, and Luke would do the same.

He didn’t drop his guard when they reached their gate, even though he could no longer sense the wall or the people hiding on the other side. His senses only stretched a few hundred feet, and both were well out of his range.

What could it have been? A secret meeting place? Luke would probably never know, or at least not anytime soon. Maybe he might investigate such places when he was older and stronger, but until then, he’d play it safe—for his family’s sake.

With that in mind, it was currently 11:27, and their flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 2, so the Walkers had time to kill once they secured some seats in the terminal.

Shannon pulled a risque romance novel out of her purse while Luke's father was content to watch the runways from where they were sitting. Luke and his sister spent a few minutes scanning the crowd, but that quickly became boring, and when neither sensed anything, they decided to move on to other things. They didn’t drop their guards altogether, but they did allow themselves to relax and play a few games to pass the time.

The two started with Tick-Tack Toe before moving on to Rock-Paper-Scissors. They briefly took a short lunch break, eating some overpriced hotdogs, before deciding to move on to something more challenging.

“Mom, can we play checkers?” Luke asked his mother after lunch before she picked up her book again.

“Sure, here you go,” Shannon again reached into her purse. This time, she pulled out a travel-sized checkerboard and a small ziplock baggie of plastic pieces.

Luke had tried teaching his sister chess, but she had little patience for it. Checkers was better. It was slow enough to kill time but fast enough to keep her interested.

They played three rounds, with Luke winning twice when the gate attendant called for people to start boarding their plane.

“Alright, kids, pack it up,” their mother instructed them.

The two worked together to put everything away and returned the game to their mother as the gate attendant called for group B to board.

“That’s us,” their father happily proclaimed as he stood up with their tickets in hand.

"Already?" Luke was surprised by how quickly they were called. Group A didn't have that many people in it, and group B wasn't much better.

“Yep, group B is business class, which means we board second.”

Luke struggled not to let his surprise show on his face. He hadn't thought his father's new employers would splurge on business-class tickets for them. The ten-and-a-half-hour flight to London wasn't looking so bad suddenly.

The Walkers got in line, and soon, only one person was between them and the boarding terminal.

“What’s this about no smoking!?” The man in a suit in front of them angrily snapped at the gate attendant when he saw the small no-smoking sign hanging by the entrance.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but we no longer allow smoking on the planes,” the gate attendant, a lovely lady in uniform, softly yet firmly told him.

"It wasn't like that the last time I flew," the man grew increasingly confrontational.

“And when was this?” She calmly responded.

“I don’t know, two or three years ago?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively.

The woman nodded as if she understood where the man was coming from. "I see, I'm sorry, but our policy on smoking was changed two years ago. I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” she bowed her head submissively, but from Luke's position, he could see a subtle smirk on her face. “If you want, you can go to the front desk and ask for a refund?”

"Well, I can't very well do that, now can I?" he practically shoved his ticket into the woman's outstretched hands. "How else am I supposed to get to London? By boat!?"

"Wonderful, thank you for flying with us; enjoy your flight," she robotically responded to his open hostility while offering him his ticket back after looking at it with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

The man violently snatched the paper from her hands and tried to storm off onto the jet bridge, but somebody had other plans. She was subtle about it, but Luke could feel his sister’s energy churning in a controlled manner. He had the opportunity to stop her, but as he still couldn’t sense anything nearby, he decided to let her have her fun. The man deserved it after all for being such an ass.

All Hailee did was clench a fist, but that was enough. The rude man's shoe stuck to the airport carpet as if it were glued there, and when he went to take a step, he stumbled and fell forward.

Luke and many others in the terminal tried and failed to hide their laughter. Hailee had released her hold on the man’s shoe almost immediately, so he wasn't injured by the fall but was quite embarrassed. When he stumbled to his feet after being denied his grand exit, the man looked like a tomato—he was so red.

In the end, the flight attendant had the last laugh. “Please don’t rush, Sir. We wouldn't want you getting hurt."

Now, if that wasn't the best customer service burn Luke had ever heard, he only wished he could've filmed it.

The man said nothing further. He just turned around and made his way towards the plane, second-guessing every step he took.

"Sorry for the wait," the flight attendant said, turning her attention towards the Walkers once the man was out of sight. “Tickets, please.”

"Here you go," Raymond happily handed over his family's tickets with a smile. "And might I say, you handled that perfectly."

“I’ve had loads of practice,” the stewardess said, returning Luke's father's smile with a more genuine version of the one she had given the angry man before them. “Everything seems to be in order; enjoy your flight," she said, returning their tickets.

The four of them walked onto the jet bridge together, each with a pep in their step, with Hailee being the most excited of them. Luke wasn't reacting much because he'd flown in his past life, but this was his sister's first time on a plane, and people noticed.

As soon as they stepped onto the plane proper, they were greeted by a swanky-dressed pilot who immediately zeroed in on Luke's excited sister. “Hello, welcome aboard. Would you kids like to see the cockpit?” He offered nicely, to Luke’s surprise.

Hailee couldn't say yes fast enough, so they were shown the cockpit and even pointed out where the pilots took turns sleeping during long flights like this one. His co-pilot was just as friendly and even let Hailee press the fasten seatbelt button a few times.

Luke couldn't help but compare how laid back both pilots were to their future counterparts, even though he didn’t want to. It would be eleven years before the greatest tragedy since the bombing of Pearl Harbor would happen.

Luke didn't like to think about it because he wasn't sure if he should try to stop it. Would he mess up history if he did? How would he even go about doing it? It wasn't like his memories were detailed enough to remember which flights were targeted. The most he could do was make an anonymous report and hope the government did something about it.

Sighing, Luke shook his head as he found his seat next to his sister, who had already claimed the window seat. Unlike economy seats, which had three seats on either side of the aisle, business class only had two.

As Luke took his seat, he concluded that nothing was forcing him to decide now. He had eleven years to think about what he would do that day. Until then, he’d have to live his life to the best of his abilities and act how he saw fit when the time came.

Because that was the biggest downside of knowing the future. Knowing which companies would make Luke rich was one thing; national tragedies were something else entirely.

Luke tried to distract himself by scanning everybody who got on the plane. But it didn’t surprise him when the last person walked by and the stewardess closed the plane's doors, that he hadn't sensed anyone like him or his sister on board—nothing but smoldering coals.

Having someone like them on board would've been enough to distract Luke, but this was better for him in the long run. Luke had a long flight ahead of him, and he wouldn't have been able to meditate freely to pass the time if he had been worried about getting caught.

Leaning back into his chair, Luke listened as the plane's captain's voice echoed over the intercom, announcing their departure and predicted arrival time.

He tried to hold it back, but Luke couldn't stop himself from yawning any further. He was more than a little tired. The excitement of traveling had kept him going this far, but he was struggling to keep his eyes open between the lack of sleep last night and his near-constant vigilance in the terminal.

A quick nap would be best. Luke could meditate later.

Thanks to the differences in time zones, they weren’t due in London until tomorrow at 9 a.m. Luke figured that if he didn't get some sleep now, he would be a walking corpse by the time they landed.

He stayed awake for the takeoff, holding Hailee's hand reassuringly the entire time, but once they reached cruising altitude, Luke let himself drift asleep, much to his sister's displeasure.

Luke briefly woke up when they served dinner, which was surprisingly a hot meal of all things, before promptly falling back asleep for a second time. A movie was being projected on a screen at the front of business class, but Luke was too tired to pay attention to what they were playing.

The second time Luke woke up was to use the bathroom. He smiled when he noticed his little sister passed out next to him, as were his parents and most of the rest of the plane. He enjoyed the silence by meditating and circulating his energy but quickly fell asleep for a third time.

When Luke would open his eyes again, they would be over Great Britain.

He could hardly wait.

-X-X-X-

Author's Comments:

How do you find the pacing? I don't want to rush anything, but I also don't want it to get stale. My only real goal when writing this series is to include a bit of magic in every chapter while keeping the story moving forward.

Please tell me what you think below, and thanks for reading.