Chapter 75: Where Did You Go?

When we were finally out of the BVI’s (British Virgin Islands) Captain Alfred radioed the Chevalier Paul to let them know we were underway again.

“Roger, Serendipity. We have you bearing south-by-southeast at 152, speed seven knots. We are east of you on a parallel course, approximately seven miles off your port. The captain said to tell you the American fleet exercise is ahead of you bearing 159 from your position, range 220 miles and steady. Good luck, Serendipity, Paul out.”

“Well, it looks like your American friends are not so forgiving,” the Captain said.

“They’ll find I’m not the forgiving kind either,” I told him with a grim smile. I hated the fact that they were messing up what would have been an otherwise wonderful cruise.

Isabella came to the bridge about mid-morning and asked me to come to her cabin when I had a moment, so when the Captain came up later, I took off.

“You rang?” I asked cheerfully as I knocked on her open door.

“Hey!” she said. “C’mon in and close the door.”

I did and sat down on the edge of her berth. She was at the little desk, working on her laptop.

“I was just reading these encrypted files again. My mom says it’s time for you to pay the piper. She’s sending Reginald to meet us in Martinique and escort us back to Paris,” she told me.

“Who’s Reginald?” I asked.

“Reginald De’bushe is my boss. He’s the head of Rappeneau Security. He always gets involved when anyone is being recruited for the Foundation,” she explained. “And he’s Carina’s brother.”

I didn’t know if I was pleased or not with that last piece of information. I’d have to talk to Carina about it later.

Isabella took my silence for hesitation.

“It’s not that bad. I believe that mom just wants to see where you might fit in at the foundation. She says that the first thing we’ll have to do is get you tested and find out what you need to graduate from high school. Then she wants to discuss which college might be best for you.”

College! I hadn’t even began to think of college.

“What college is she thinking?”

“She mentioned both Oxford and Cambridge, but I think she’s leaning towards the Imperial College of London (legally the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) because of their scientific research center.”

I didn’t say anything. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Don’t worry about it now. The Foundation has decided that you are an important person and they are going to take care of you. It’s almost as if you were old world royalty,” she said.

“I didn’t know that there was such a thing as ‘old world royalty’ anymore,” I replied.

“Oh, yes. There are over forty monarchies in the world today, from Great Britain to the Vatican. Many of them in Europe and all of them very old. You didn’t see it very much in America, but we grew up with it in Europe. Monarchs and other old families get treated differently than others,” she said.

“Well, my family certainly isn’t royalty and we don’t have old world money,” I told her. “I always figured I’d go to Kennesaw State in Marietta. They have a good golfing program.”

“Heaven help us if mom finds out you want to go to community college to golf,” she said.

I just smiled. I could imagine Cynthiana’s reaction.

“By-the-way, I didn’t put what happened on the beach night-before-last in my report. Although I did tell mom about it. I wasn’t sure Reginald was ready to hear about his sister and a teenager,” she said. “So, can you tell me what really happened?”

“I guess. It’s really not a secret since everybody saw it,” I said. “We discovered that different emotions creates different responses.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I’m angry, I can fry a ship in seconds, but when I feel great, like lots of love, I can’t fry a thing. When I was with Carina, we couldn’t see the big glowing light everyone else saw.”

“You couldn’t? How could you miss it?” she asked.

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like when I’m playing golf. I get lost in the game and don’t even know you’re there,” I told her. “No offense.”

“I’m not sure if I’m offended or not.”

“It’s the same thing when we kiss. I become lost in your kiss and forgot all about the rest of the world.”

“You become lost in my kisses?” she asked. “Really?”

“You probably don’t realize how much you have taught me about kissing or making love,” I told her. “But there is just something special about feeling you in my arms.”

“Special like a bonfire on the beach?” she asked.

“That’s what I was trying to explain. We discovered something new when I kissed Carina and Jenna,” I said.

“What did you discover?”