But there was nothing. Then Bobby heard something that came as another surprise.
“It will be all right, Pendragon,” said another familiar voice.
Bobby spun back toward the sidewalk to see that standing next to the car was Loor. She was dressed in denim overalls and a tight pink sleeveless shirt that showed off her powerful shoulders and arms. She even had on Doc Marten black boots. Her long black hair was braided down her back and she wore a necklace made of small shells. She could have easily passed for a student at Stony Brook High. No one would ever guess that she was actually a warrior from a far-off territory.
Courtney looked at Loor and sized her up, head to toe. Mark saw this and made a mental note to give Courtney a hard time later for being jealous. But who could blame her? Mark thought that Loor was even more strikingly beautiful than Bobby had described. She may have been dressed like a suburban girl, but she had the powerful presence of a warrior. Courtney Chetwynde had finally met her match.
Bobby walked to Loor. If anyone could tell him the truth, it would be her.
“Does this make sense to you?” he asked.
“It is starting to,” was her answer.
“What about your mother?” he asked. “Was Osa your real mother?”
“No. I was told the truth before I first went to Denduron,” answered Loor. “Osa raised me, she taught me all that I know. She was my mother in every sense, except that she had not given birth to me. But that did not stop me from loving her.”
Bobby looked down, letting this sink in.
“On the mountain,” continued Loor, “I did not say good-bye to you because my mind was elsewhere. Osa’s body was already back on Zadaa. I had to return for the burial ceremony. It was difficult for me. I hope you were not offended.”
Bobby shook his head. He understood all too well because he now knew what it was like to lose your mother. He looked to Press and asked, “So that’s it? Travelers don’t have families? They don’t have lives? They only bounce around the universe looking for trouble?”
Press smiled and said, “You trust me, Bobby, don’t you?”
“I think so,” said Bobby skeptically. “But I’m losing faith fast.”
“Don’t,” said Press quickly. “Believe me when I tell you that as time goes on, this will make sense to you. And I’ll make you a promise. You will see your family again. You’ll see your mom and your dad and your sister, Shannon, too.”
“What about Marley?” Bobby asked.
“You’ll run with your dog again too,” said Press. “But not today.”
“When?” asked Bobby.
Press gave this thought. He may have had all the answers, but this one eluded him. “That’s one I can’t answer,” he said.
Bobby looked to Loor who gave him a slight nod of encouragement, then back to the empty lot. He took a long time to collect his thoughts. Finally he said, “You asked me how I felt before. You want to know how I feel right now?”
“How?” asked Press.
“I feel like I just found out there’s no Santa Claus,” he answered. “It’s not a good feeling.”
“It’ll get better,” said Press.
“So what happens now?” asked Bobby.
“Now you come with us,” answered Press.
Bobby walked over to Mark and Courtney. He looked at his two friends and the memories of his life in Stony Brook came flooding back. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and see his house standing there so he could go back to the way things were before. But that was not meant to be.
“I…guess I’ve got to go,” said Bobby.
“We’ll always be here for you,” said Courtney as tears began to well in her eyes.
Bobby leaned forward and grabbed the two of them in a hug. He tried hard not to break out in tears. He didn’t want to do that. Not in front of Loor. But he didn’t want to let go of his friends, either, because as soon as he did it would be the final act of letting go of his life here on Earth. Second Earth.
“Time to go, Bobby,” prodded Press gently.
Bobby pulled back from his two best friends and looked them in the eye. Mark wiped away a tear, smiled and said, “Hey, don’t forget to write!”
The three of them laughed at this. That went without saying.
“Are you sure?” asked Bobby. “Will you keep my journals?”
“I’d be pissed if you sent them to anyone else,” Mark replied as he held up his hand to show Bobby the ring that Osa had given him.
Bobby gave a smile of thanks and fought back tears to say, “See you guys soon.”
“Good-bye, Bobby,” said Courtney. “Good luck.”
Bobby nodded, then turned and headed toward the car. He stopped in front of Loor and looked at the warrior girl who was destined to be his partner.
“I know you do not want to hear this, Pendragon,” she said. “But this is the way it was meant to be.”
“Yeah, we’ll see,” said Bobby with skepticism. He gave one last look to the empty lot where his house used to be, then slid into the back of the Porsche. Loor looked at Mark and Courtney. Courtney stood up a little straighter. Loor chuckled, then she too got into the car.
“Keep his journals safe,” Press said to Mark and Courtney. “He may need them again someday.”
Mark and Courtney nodded a promise. Press then jogged around the car and hopped behind the wheel. With a roar of the engine, the little sports car blasted away from the curb and flew down the street, headed for… somewhere.
Mark and Courtney watched it until it was out of sight and the sound died away. They stood there for a long time after, not sure of what to do next.
Finally Mark said, “There’s no Santa Claus?”
Both of them laughed. It felt good, but it hid their true feelings.
Courtney said, “You’ll call me if-”
“Soon as the next one comes in,” promised Mark.
Then the two of them walked away from the empty lot, split up, and headed to their homes. Mark went right to his bedroom and waited for another journal from Bobby. The others had come pretty regularly and he expected his ring to start moving with the telltale quiver any second. But it didn’t. He stayed awake most of the night, staring at the ring, willing it to move.
But it didn’t.
Courtney called him twice a day to see if Bobby had written but kept getting the same answer, “Nothing yet.” Whenever she saw Mark in school she would make eye contact as if to ask: “Anything?” But Mark would always answer with a shrug and a shake of his head.
Days passed. The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months, with nothing from Bobby. Mark and Courtney realized that they couldn’t live their lives around waiting for his next message, so they drifted apart. Besides their friendship with Bobby, they really had nothing in common. Courtney went back to playing volleyball and led the Stony Brook team to the county finals. The men’s team, of course.
Mark went back to being Mark. He still ate too many carrots and spent most of his time huddled over books in the library. There was one big change in his life though. Andy Mitchell didn’t bother him anymore. Courtney didn’t know it, but she became Mark’s guardian angel…at least when it came to Andy Mitchell.
The investigation to find the Pendragons continued, but they found nothing. Sergeant D’Angelo and Captain Hirsch would sometimes call Mark or Courtney to ask if they had heard anything, but the answer was always the same. No. Even if they wanted to tell the truth, neither of them could begin to figure out what to say.
Mark and Courtney never forgot about Bobby. He popped into their thoughts at least once a day. But the more time that passed without a word, the less he stayed on their minds. It made sense. They had to get on with their own lives.
The times when they thought of Bobby were usually triggered by seeing things that reminded them of their
