Part XVI
“We were hoping you’d be one of the charter human members, dear,” Mary Jean said. “Along with Julian, of course, and Leigh, if you want to stay with us, too.”
Emily’s older sister nodded. “Yes. Absolutely,” she agreed.
“Why did Wesley and Natasha see you as a threat?”
“Because they’ve filled their minds with all the hollow mythology that surrounded the crash of 1947,” Mary Jean explained. “Once they saw what we had done with the lights and knew that Julian’s plane had disappeared in the middle of them, they let fear guide their reasoning. They’re not like you, open minded and inquisitive about things you don’t understand.”
“All we’re doing is using a corner of Arizona to create a place we can enjoy and hope others will enjoy, too. Mary Jean and I have been here for a long time. It’s finally feasible to build what we came back to build and live our lives. The plans had to get approval before we could proceed.”
“Thankfully the exploration committee on our home planet had reorganized after some of the members betrayed us, so we are a united front,” Mary Jean said.
It struck Emily as funny that even extraterrestrial planets had a paper trail. “It sounds like life here. It took five years for the new library to be approved.”
“But before we can create what we came to do, we must deal with Wesley and Natasha,” Harry sighed.
Emily’s eyes grew wide. “What if they try to hurt Julian?”
“We won’t let that happen,” Mary Jean assured Emily. “We need to find a way to keep them out of our territory. As despicable as their actions have been, we do not want to resort to harm. It’s not our way. That’s what perpetuates the fear among humans, and we don’t want to do a disservice to our race.”
“Banning them from the territory seems best,” Harry mentioned. “Even use a light ball to alter their memories since they would only use the memory of this place for wrong reasons. He paused. We don’t like to use our abilities to control anyone, but in this case, many lives will be spared. They can be happy together in some other place in the country, focusing their greed on matters of ordinary life instead.”
Emily felt the tension she hadn’t realized her body held ease and loosen at Harry’s words. No more running or fear, and certainly no more attempts on her life that she couldn’t even remember.
“Can I move in and out of your creation? Once it’s done, do I have the ability to come and go? Do Leigh or Julian? I don’t really want to leave, but I thought I’d travel as a reporter…”
“Of course! You’ll have to do that in order to become the journalist you are meant to be,” Mary Jean answered. “You have a fantastic hometown that you can return to at the end of the day. We give freedom, not captivity.”
Etcetera 