Reunification
with Jamal, Jean returned to college to finish her semester in person. When she entered her dorm room, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee caressed her nostrils, evoking a sense of familiarity and comfort. Emmie sat with her legs propped up on her desk and her eyes glued to her laptop’s screen. The room was eerily quiet until Emmie turned toward the door.
“Jean! You’re back!” Emmie squealed as she ran up to Jean, flung out her arms, and embraced her in a tight hug. She had dyed her hair blue and trimmed it into a short bob.
Jean smiled as she stepped back to release Emmie’s grip. The hug had knocked her breath away. “Yeah, home sweet home,” Jean said, dropping her bag onto her desk and looking around the room. It was strange being back at the dorm. Before she left, it had felt like home. Now, Jean had a sense of detachment, as if she were merely a guest in someone else’s home. Even Emmie seemed different, but she couldn’t figure out why. As her eyes scanned the room, Carmen’s empty bed and desk immediately grabbed her attention. “What happened to Carmen’s stuff?”
“Oh, she moved a few weeks ago. I quite like having an entire room to myself, but it’s great having you back.”
“I’m glad to be back. It’s kind of weird in here without Carmen. Why did she move?”
Emmie shrugged. “Don’t know. I came back from class one day, and she had packed up all of her things and she was nowhere to be found. I checked the student directory and saw that she had moved to another dorm. We had some disputes about Xenos. She seemed to be uncomfortable about the fact you’re part alien, so that might be the reason, but I really don’t know. But, I’m here.”
“Right.” Jean threw herself onto her bed, landing with a thud. “Was this bed always this hard?”
Emmie giggled. “Yep, hard as bricks.”
Deafening silence filled the room. Jean never remembered Emmie being so quiet before. “So…” Should I tell her about my parents? What about Jamal? Where do I start? Did someone tell her where I was? Did she know I was safe?
“Um, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m a member of Starlight’s student organization.”
“Oh,” Jean said, breathing a sigh of relief as she sat upright. “I was wondering why you didn’t ask where I was. How did you find out about the Starlight Organization?”
“Actually, Carmen and I were trying to figure out what happened to you and someone from the organization stopped by to see you. We followed her to a meeting spot and applied, thinking we would get a clue about what happened to you.”
“Those are some major spy skills.”
Emmie giggled. Her chair screeched as she slid it from under her desk and sat down. “Yeah, I was gonna message you on that secure network, but I figured you were super busy. And to be honest, I was busy too. They knew I was your roommate, so they gave me updates.”
“I actually saw your name in the system, but I wasn’t sure if it was you or someone else with the same name. I meant to ask Jamal, but I forgot,” Jean said, tapping her fingers on her thigh.
“Jamal?”
“He’s my uh, friend. Well, accompanied me in my search for my bio family and he helped in many other ways.”
“Oh, Agent Walker. I heard about him. You lucked out. He’s one of the best agents.” Emmie hopped up and pulled a cordless stick vacuum out of her closet. “I guess I gotta get used to having a roommate again. At least we’re free to discuss Starlight without having to worry about a non-member overhearing us when we’re in our room.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely a positive. Do you know if they’re going to assign a roommate?”
“Not sure, but I’m trying to see if one of the organization’s members will be interested in being our roommate. I sent a group message. That way, we don’t need to worry about a random person being assigned.”
“I need to get used to campus again. I was getting used to remote classes. I kind of liked them, but it’s great being back in person.”
“At least it’s the end of the semester. Do you have any plans for the break?”
“Not really. I want to relax. I was thinking about having a small get together at home. Would you be interested in coming?”
“Of course!” Emmie squealed with delight.
“Great. I’ll also invite Jamal and a few other friends.”
“That sounds like fun, and I can’t wait to meet your boyfriend, Jamal,” Emmie teased.
Jean rolled her eyes. “Emmie! He’s not my boyfriend, just a good friend who helped me out. Before I make plans, let me call my parents to make sure it’s okay.” She entered her mother’s number into the phone.
Mrs. Anderson answered in a singsong voice. “Hello?”
“Hi Mom, would you mind if I invite some friends over during the break?”
“Oooh, that would be wonderful. I’ll start planning the menu. Your father will be so excited you’re having friends over.”
After ending the call, Jean turned toward Emmie. “It’s official, the party is on! Maybe I’ll see if my bio parents can come too.”
“Yeah, I heard you met them. I’m so happy for you. This has been such a monumental year. You started college, learned you’re part Xeno, and met your bio parents. Oh, I almost forgot—you also met your half-brother. What’s next?”
“That’s a good question. They still haven’t found Smyte. He might still be alive.” Of course, I hope he isn’t still alive. Is that a bad thing to say? To hope that someone had died?
“He’s a powerful man, but he’s only human. Do you really believe he’s still alive?”
“I believe it’s possible, and so does Jamal. Even if he’s not, there are others who will carry on his work.”
Emmie sighed. “Well, based on what I know, he’s certainly no match for you.”
“I don’t know about that. He has an entire army.”
Emmie grinned. “So do you. Hey, I was going to head to the cafeteria. Do you want to come?”
“No, I’m not hungry. Thanks anyway.”
After Emmie left, Jean sat on her bed and leaned against the wall. As excited as she was to be back, everything felt different. She gazed around the room that had been her home for two months before everything changed. Part of her missed the normalcy of her past college life—staying up late, goofing off with Emmie and Carmen, eating pizza in the cafeteria, cramming for exams. She couldn’t just slip back into that carefree routine now. Too much had happened.
She flexed her hands, feeling the subtle power flowing through her veins. Her DNA and the abilities she possessed made her stand apart from everyone else on campus. While her classmates worried about grades and social lives, she now faced dangers they could never fathom.
After pondering her new life, Jean unpacked her suitcase and tidied up the room. As she cleaned around Carmen’s old bed, something wedged between the mattress and bed frame caught her eye. Jean reached down and pulled out something that was hard and plastic. It was Carmen’s old cellphone. Curious, Jean pressed the power button. Although her conscience nagged at her, Jean couldn’t help poking around its contents to see if there were any clues about why Carmen left. Her eyes widened as she read the last emails saved on the phone. One email read, “Here are the photos we discussed. She caught me before I could get more information. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Jean’s hands shook as she looked at the photos. They were screenshots of information from Emmie’s Starlight tablet, photos of Emmie, and a copy of Jean’s missing person flyer. She took a deep breath. Why was Carmen sending private organization information to someone? Something wasn’t right. Footsteps sounded outside and the door lock clicked. Jean slipped the phone into her pocket and sat at her desk as Emmie entered the room. Her facial expression was blank as she pondered what she should do.
“What’s wrong? You look worried.”
“Um…” Jean drew in a sharp breath. She was unsure if she should tell Emmie about the email. Finally, she decided she needed to trust her friend. “I found something strange in Carmen’s bed,” she said, pulling the phone out of her pocket and handing it to Emmie.
Emmie’s mouth hung open and her eyes widened as she read it. “This is … bad. Really, really bad.”
Jean sighed. “I know. It looks like she sent a lot of confidential information.”
“We need to tell the Starlight Organization. They need to know that information may have gotten into the wrong hands.”
Jean nodded. “I agree, but we need to be careful, too. Whoever Carmen sent those photos to might be watching us. And I don’t want you to get in trouble for what Carmen did.”
“Right. We need to be discreet.”
“I’ll contact Jamal and let him know what happened. It might be harmless, but it’s better to be safe. Maybe he can have the organization investigate things without releasing your name.”
“Great. I like your idea.”
Jean felt a surge of anger toward Carmen. How could she be so careless? Handing over confidential information can lead to dangerous consequences, regardless of intent. Her fingers trembled as they pressed on the keyboard. With each keystroke, she felt the weight of the situation, her heart racing with anticipation.
A few minutes after Jean pressed send, a message from Jamal popped up. Don’t worry. I removed Emmie’s name and forwarded a copy of your message to our top people. I also scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss potential risks and solutions.
Jean nervously paced back and forth, her eyes darting around the walls adorned with photographs and celebrity posters. The faint scent of dust filled the air, mingling with her anxious anticipation. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her phone pierced the stillness with its shrill ringtone. With sweaty hands, she answered. “Hey, did you find out anything?”
Jamal chuckled. “No, hello, how are you?”
Jean gasped. “Huh?”
“Sorry, just a little humor. Anyway, we hacked Carmen’s computer and discovered information about a meeting point. It was a fraternity house near campus. We apprehended the man named in her email and secured the data he received from her. It doesn’t appear that he did anything with the data yet.”
“Thank goodness,” Jean exclaimed. “Were you able to determine if he works for Genesis or what he planned to do with the information?”
“He’s not talking yet, but we’ll get answers. The most important thing is that we contained the leak.”
Jean relaxed her body as relief washed over her. “I can’t believe Carmen betrayed us like that. What will happen to her?”
“Apparently, she left campus before we could apprehend her,” Jamal said. “We’ll continue searching for her. But the good news is that you helped stop confidential Xeno information from falling into the wrong hands. You protected countless Xeno lives today, Jean. I’m so proud of you.”
Jean grinned. She had feared turmoil would result from Carmen’s actions. But thanks to Jamal and his associates, justice had been served.
“Get some rest,” Jamal urged gently. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. I love you.”
Jean grinned. “What?”
“Have a good night, sweetie.”
“You too,” Jean said as she sank down on her bed. Despite everything, the Xenos and their allies emerged stronger. With each passing day, she was becoming more confident in her ability to tackle whatever challenges might arise in the future. Her journey was only just beginning, and she looked forward to learning more about her ancestry and her newly discovered family.