handwriting was pristine, almost as if it had been written by someone from a different era. There was nothing to do now but open it and find out what it said.
I exhaled and slid my thumb through the top of the letter and opened it. There was a moment when I pulled out the folded letter that I thought about stuffing it back into the envelope and heading home. I had to read the first few lines more than once for the meaning to settle in. So it did turn out that even when waking up in the desert with no recollection of what happened, your day could still get worse.
“Jackson, my son, if you are reading this, then the worst has happened and I am no longer around to tell you this myself. You were born with a gift. Being one of the Gifted is a great responsibility. Our family has worked with the Ascendancy to ensure humanity’s safety for hundreds of years. This responsibility now passes on to you. Pete and his wife, Nina, were entrusted to take care of you if anything ever happened to us. I hope that you have grown up well and they have been kind. I know this is probably too much to take in now, but I have left some of our belongings with Pete that may help to explain a little more of what has happened. Your life is about to change, son. As one of the Gifted, you may not lead a normal life, but you will lead an exceptional one.”
I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading. If my parents hadn’t told me just enough before I left, I would have thought I was trapped in an elaborate hoax.
The letter continued.
“Because of your mother’s nature, it was not a sure thing that you would be blessed with the gift. We asked Pete to wait until you showed the signs before speaking with you about it. Please do not look unkindly on him for following our instructions. You may be asked to do things that you do not understand; please listen to what Pete tells you. There is a plan in place to keep you safe and keep you away from our enemies. Once you have awakened, the Council will be coming for you. Our only hope is that Pete will be able to get you to the Ascendancy before the Council finds you. I wish I could tell you more, but time is now your enemy.”
It was signed, “We will always love you.” I felt a hitch in my chest and I stopped breathing. My son , what in the heck did that mean? I was sure my Dad did not write this letter. So who was the man who raised me? Who was the man who wrote this letter? I had to get home and talk with my parents and figure this whole thing out. Could the letter be more cryptic? You have a new dad but he is dead, your life will change, it is your duty to protect humanity, and oh yeah, you’re Gifted. What in the hell did that even mean?
I hoped when I got home I would finally start to get some real answers and not any more of the we need to leave right now crap. It was time to have a serious talk about what had happened, and what was going to happen. I would not be taking no for answer. It was time to go all in, to jump down the rabbit hole. It was time to find out why the insane was possible, and why it happened to me.
In other words, I’d just swallowed the red pill. I hoped to wake up in a better place than Keanu did.
4
Jackson
W hen I pulled up to the house, there was a burst of activity. My mom and dad came rushing from the front of the house, and as I jumped out of the car, I was wrapped up in a huge double hug. I felt a rough kiss on the top of my head. A smile broke out on my face. I couldn’t help it. If anything, I had expected to be yelled at. Instead, they just welcomed me home.
My dad then pushed me back, holding me at shoulder length. “Did you get the letter?”
I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded my head. His eyes were red and swollen. He must have been crying for a while before I got here. Mom didn’t look much better. Both of them looked nervous and ready to run. They must have still been on edge about what I told Alby. Maybe now I would finally find out why. I
I exhaled and slid my thumb through the top of the letter and opened it. There was a moment when I pulled out the folded letter that I thought about stuffing it back into the envelope and heading home. I had to read the first few lines more than once for the meaning to settle in. So it did turn out that even when waking up in the desert with no recollection of what happened, your day could still get worse.
“Jackson, my son, if you are reading this, then the worst has happened and I am no longer around to tell you this myself. You were born with a gift. Being one of the Gifted is a great responsibility. Our family has worked with the Ascendancy to ensure humanity’s safety for hundreds of years. This responsibility now passes on to you. Pete and his wife, Nina, were entrusted to take care of you if anything ever happened to us. I hope that you have grown up well and they have been kind. I know this is probably too much to take in now, but I have left some of our belongings with Pete that may help to explain a little more of what has happened. Your life is about to change, son. As one of the Gifted, you may not lead a normal life, but you will lead an exceptional one.”
I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading. If my parents hadn’t told me just enough before I left, I would have thought I was trapped in an elaborate hoax.
The letter continued.
“Because of your mother’s nature, it was not a sure thing that you would be blessed with the gift. We asked Pete to wait until you showed the signs before speaking with you about it. Please do not look unkindly on him for following our instructions. You may be asked to do things that you do not understand; please listen to what Pete tells you. There is a plan in place to keep you safe and keep you away from our enemies. Once you have awakened, the Council will be coming for you. Our only hope is that Pete will be able to get you to the Ascendancy before the Council finds you. I wish I could tell you more, but time is now your enemy.”
It was signed, “We will always love you.” I felt a hitch in my chest and I stopped breathing. My son , what in the heck did that mean? I was sure my Dad did not write this letter. So who was the man who raised me? Who was the man who wrote this letter? I had to get home and talk with my parents and figure this whole thing out. Could the letter be more cryptic? You have a new dad but he is dead, your life will change, it is your duty to protect humanity, and oh yeah, you’re Gifted. What in the hell did that even mean?
I hoped when I got home I would finally start to get some real answers and not any more of the we need to leave right now crap. It was time to have a serious talk about what had happened, and what was going to happen. I would not be taking no for answer. It was time to go all in, to jump down the rabbit hole. It was time to find out why the insane was possible, and why it happened to me.
In other words, I’d just swallowed the red pill. I hoped to wake up in a better place than Keanu did.
4
Jackson
W hen I pulled up to the house, there was a burst of activity. My mom and dad came rushing from the front of the house, and as I jumped out of the car, I was wrapped up in a huge double hug. I felt a rough kiss on the top of my head. A smile broke out on my face. I couldn’t help it. If anything, I had expected to be yelled at. Instead, they just welcomed me home.
My dad then pushed me back, holding me at shoulder length. “Did you get the letter?”
I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded my head. His eyes were red and swollen. He must have been crying for a while before I got here. Mom didn’t look much better. Both of them looked nervous and ready to run. They must have still been on edge about what I told Alby. Maybe now I would finally find out why. I
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