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Story Notes:

Alexa shrinks a captive in chapter 6, so the story builds up until that point…

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Chapter 1: Strange New Heritage


Alexa Lockport was a beautiful 12-year-old girl with white skin and long auburn hair. She wore socks and sneakers with pink and purple colors that matched her shorts and a tank top. She was at a park that was near to her home, somewhere along the coastal area of Southern California. Summer would be over within a few days, and she would be starting 7th grade soon. She saw a cute Hispanic boy her age she knew, and walked over to him. 


"Santiago, what have you been up to?"


"I started lifting weights," Santiago replied. "My older brother is charging me five dollars a month to use his weight set."


"It sounds like he's ripping you off," Alexa replied. 


"It's worth it though, because he's showing me the ropes," said Santiago.


"Are you going to Shore Crest junior high in the fall with the rest of us?" Alexa asked.


"Sure, Lexie," Santiago replied. "Aren't you?"


Alexa lit up with joy when Santiago called her Lexie; that was her nickname, and she loved it when boys called her that. "I don't see why I wouldn't," Alexa replied. "My parents are rich, and all my friends are going."


"You don't have to be rich to go to Shore Crest," said Santiago. "I've got a couple of friends who will be going there, and they aren't exactly rich."


"You mean Terry and Bobby?" Alexa asked.


"Yeah," Santiago replied.


"They're cute, so they don't have to be rich to rule the school. I've got my whole life planned out. I will be one of the most popular girls at Shore Crest, I'll be on the debate team and my two best friends and me will be the alpha females of the school by the beginning of 8th grade. After graduating high school, I'll go to one of the best colleges in the country, and then on to law school."


"It sounds like you've got it all planned out," said Santiago. "I can't argue with you, because you've definitely been one of the most determined girls I've known at our elementary school. I don't think I know any other girls as assertive as you!"


"If you prove your worthiness to me, I might marry you some day, Santiago!"


"Thanks for the privilege!" said Santiago sarcastically. "As for my goals in life, I'll probably study to be an electrician, like my dad and my grandfather." 


Just then, Alexa's cell phone beeped. She pulled it out and checked. "I just got a text from my mom, she wants me to come home."


"See you around, Lexie." said Santiago, giving her a warm hug before she departed.


About fifteen minutes later, Alexa arrived at her home. It was a large two story house with an immaculately landscaped front yard. There was an unknown silver vehicle parked in the driveway. Alexa had no clue what was in store for her, or that her life was about to change forever. 


When Alexa entered the living room of her house, a strange woman dressed in business attire was sitting drinking coffee with her parents. The woman stood up and introduced herself. "Hello, Alexa! I'm Olivia Oraculi. I will be your guide on your new journey in life. It has come to my attention that your parents never informed you of your true destiny?"


"What destiny?" Alexa asked.


"I think you'd better sit down, Alexa." said Olivia. Alexa did as she was asked. There were plenty of couches in their large well furnished living room. Olivia set her cup of coffee down on the expensive coffee table, and made sure she used a coaster.


"What is this about?" Alexa asked. "Is this about the vandalism at the mall a couple of my friends were involved with? Because I wasn't even with them when it happened."


"No, it is nothing so trivial as that," Olivia replied. "You and your parents, as well as I, are from a race of futurians from about million years in the future. Our kind have been stranded in the past since about the year 1800, and we have tried to blend in with present day society."


"Do you have proof?" Alexa asked.


Olivia pulled out a device and said, "This is a space warp projector. It can be used to access regions of space nearby that may be out of reach. Allow me to demonstrate."


Olivia activated the device and an oval shaped energy field projected from the device. A second oval shaped energy field appeared near the coffee cup Olivia had left on the table. Still convinced that this was all some kind of a trick, Alexa expressed her doubts. "Is that some kind of a hologram? Because that's kind of conventional, and doesn't prove you're from the future."


Olivia held the device with her left hand, and reached her right hand into the energy field nearest to the device. Alexa caught it all on video with her cell phone. As Olivia's hand disappeared into the energy field, her hand emerged from the other energy field and grabbed the cup of coffee, pulling it into the energy field that was near the surface of the table, and then she pulled her hand and the cup from the energy field nearest to the device. Olivia turned off the energy fields.


"Does that convince you?" Olivia asked, and Alexa nodded her head in acknowledgement. "It's good that you're skeptical," Olivia continued, "it's better to have a critical mind about things. You come from a long line of futurians, some of the members of your family are very high up in our society. All of us are immortals, unlike your ephemeral friends and acquaintances."


"How did our ancestors get stranded in the past?" Alexa asked.


"They had colonized an Earth-like planet in another part of the galaxy. The star that planet orbited went super nova, and scientists were able to predict when the explosion would occur. Thousands of star cruisers escaped the cosmic cataclysm. The star cruiser our ancestors evacuated in was the last to leave. We got caught in the blast of the exploding star, so the chief engineer caused the ship to enter temporal space to escape the force of the blast. We got caught in the gravity well of a black hole cluster in temporal space that damaged the ship beyond repair. We used a sling shot trajectory to escape the gravity well of the black hole cluster, and when we emerged in normal space, we found ourselves stranded in the early 1800's. I am a member of that generation, I may look like I'm in my early 40's, but I am actually much older."


"Why can't we return to our own time?" Alexa asked.


"We are only able to make short jaunts through time," Olivia replied. "The shuttle that will take you to Futurian academy manipulates time to a certain extent, but we don't have the kind of power we need to get all of us back to our millennium." 


"What can this space warp gizmo do?" Alexa asked. "I mean, what practical purpose does it serve?"


"It can be helpful if you use a neutrino dissimilator on someone," Olivia replied.


Olivia had no clue what a neutrino dissimilator was, but before Olivia could continue, Alexa's father interrupted. "You're going to be attending Futurian Academy for junior high and high school, Lexie. It's a boarding school, so you will stay there nine months out of the year, and return home during the summer months."


"What?" Alexa shouted. "I'm going to that new junior high school called Shore Crest! All of my friends will be going there! You can't just rip me out of my life, dad! If all of this is true, why am I just now finding out about all of this?"


"We have always known you were a dominant personality type," said Mrs. Lockport, "so we didn't tell you sooner because we didn't want any of this going to your head. We wanted you to think of yourself as an ordinary 21st century girl, until we felt it was the right time to tell you about all of this."


"It takes a lot of responsibility to be a Futurian," said Mr. Lockport. "You'll have access to technology that can change the world. You need to be taught to use that technology responsibly."


"There are things about our culture you can only learn at the academy," said Olivia. "You'll get to wear a school uniform! The academy you'll be attending is located on another planet that occupies the same coordinates as Earth, but in a separate space-time continuum. A normal cell phone can't even be used to call from there, you will need a special device that I will give you."" 


"I need time to think about all of this," said Alexa as she headed out the front door, slamming the door behind her. She made her way back to the park.


At the park, her two friends Tricia and Roxie were there with Santiago.


"According to my parents, I'm not going to Shore Crest with the rest of you," said Alexa. "I'm going to a boarding school for nine months out of the year."


"Why do you have to go there?" Tricia asked.


"Apparently, my family belongs to a group of people from the future who have been stranded here since the early 1800s. I have to go to Futurian Academy to learn of my special heritage. My ancestors are from a million years in the future!"


All three of Alexa's friends started laughing, but Alexa remained serious.


"I don't think she's pranking us," said Tricia. "I've known Lexie since first grade, and I've never seen her so serious. Lexie, what are you going to do?"


"I don't know, my parents seem intent on me going to the academy."


"I wish I could go," said Roxie. "If they do make you go to school there, we will always be your friends. You could keep us informed about the things that you experience."


"A lady from that academy came to my house and used a space warp device to reach through and grab a coffee cup that was several feet away," said Alexa as she pulled out her cell phone and showed them the video.


"A video like that could've been faked," said Santiago, after watching the video.


"I just took this video ten minutes ago!" said Alexa. "How could I have had time to fake this?"


"I believe you, Alexa," said Tricia.


"So do I!" said Roxie.


"I wanted to be part of the first group of seventh graders to go to that new junior high school!" said Alexa. "All of you will be going there, except me! You guys get to wear your own clothes, I'll have to wear a uniform at the academy.""


"They say there will be hot chocolate dispensers at Shore Crest, and you can pay with your student I.D. if you have money loaded onto the card," said Santiago.


"Don't make her feel worse, Santiago!" said Roxie.


"Shore Crest is the most advanced junior high school in Los Angeles county!" said Alexa. "I don't want to miss out!"


"Maybe you'll look cute in your uniform," said Tricia. "If your parents are making you go, I don't think you're going to have a choice."


"Try to find the good in all of this," said Roxie. "If your ancestors hadn't journeyed back in time, you would've spent your whole life living in the future, and you never would've met us to begin with."


"If all of this is true," said Santiago, "then Roxie is right. You have a destiny to fulfill, so don't let your friendship with us hold you back."


"I guess you guys are right," said Alexa. "I'll go back and talk to that lady from the academy."


"Just make sure to keep us informed of what happens there," said Tricia. "When you come back every summer, keep in touch with us."


When Alexa returned home, Olivia's car was still parked in the driveway. She entered the living room and said, "I've thought about it, and I've decided to attend the academy. But those uniforms better look cute on me!"


"I need to take you to downtown L.A. to get you fitted into your uniform, and to get you some technological items you're going to need."


"I'm ready when you are!" said Alexa.


Olivia led Alexa to the vehicle, and they got in and put their seatbelts on.


"I think you're really going to love your new life!" said Olivia, as she put the car into gear.

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