"Run Jade! Run now! To the ship!" he shouted. She still seemed unsure, and Johnny grabbed her by the arm and propelled her up the beach towards the ship.
Having overcome obstacles no normal thirteen year olds should have to face, Johnny and Jade fin...
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'Jade, we need to decide what we're going to do.' She nodded, but said nothing. The ship had attended to Johnny's injury, but since then he had become like a man possessed.
'Cheryl warned me that this may happen, and the Captain of the sub as good as admitted that they were looking for us,' he continued.
'What do you suggest, Johnny?' she asked. Johnny frowned as he considered their options.
'Jade, we need to find others of our kind,' he replied. 'I want to know who I am and where I came from.'
'Okay,' said Jade quietly. 'Where do we start?'
'Well, Jade, Cheryl and Scott tracked us down to your village from the other side of the world, and I'm buggered if I know how they did it! I suppose that's as good a place as any to start. Maybe they can tell us a little bit more about what's going on,' he said.
Jade studied him gravely. She really didn't want any interaction with the outside world, not if she could help it. The emotional scars were still too fresh, and her brief introduction to the civilised world hadn't given her much faith in the soup of human kindness. But she knew it was important – inevitable, actually – so she agreed.
'How are we going to find them, Johnny?' she asked.
'Let me check with the ship,' he replied. Getting up, he strode over to the controls and, closing his eyes, he placed his hands on the handprints.
'Greetings Master,' the ship said.
'Ship, I need your help.'
'Of course Master.'
'Do you recall the two people I spoke to in the village before we left?' he asked.
'Yes Master.'
'I need to locate the female; Cheryl.'
'How do you plan on doing that, Master?' the ship responded.
'Well I was kind of hoping you could help,' he replied lamely. The ship stayed silent for a moment before replying.
'I don't see how that would be possible, Master. I have no knowledge of this woman.'
Johnny opened his eyes and sat back in the chair. He hadn't considered that. How indeed would the ship be able to track down a virtually anonymous woman who could be literally anywhere on the planet?
'Okay Jade,' he said, standing up and walking back to where she sat, 'change of plan.' She waited expectantly for him to elaborate. 'You're going to meet my father,' he said.
'Oh Johnny, that's wonderful!' she cried.
'Not really, Jade. My father is an asshole!' he said. Jade blushed scarlet as this mental image appeared in her mind. Her people didn't use this kind of imagery in their language, and Johnny often shocked her with his colourful descriptions and earthy phrases.
