Destiny
By Claire Campana
Two paths go on their separate ways.
But circumstance and events draw them closer.
It it fate or is it destiny?
That draws these two together.
For the paths finally meet.
The two make one,
And now, each is whole.
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Destiny, Part 1 - Destiny
By Claire Campana
Alonzo
Alonzo jumped out of his bed as quickly as he could. It was his birthday! In the midst of his excitement, Alonzo woke up his older brother, Marcus.
" Watch where you are jumping!" Marcus complained when one of Alonzo's jumps landed on his foot.
" It's my birthday, Marcus." Alonzo reminded his brother. " I know, I know. How could I forget? You've been telling me every day for the past month." Marcus said sternly but there was a twinkle in his eyes. " You better quiet down. Or else Mama and Papa might return your presents." Alonzo's face fell. " I'm just kidding!" Marcus said much to the relief of his little brother. " Come on. Let's go find everybody else."
The two boys ran out of their bedroom to their sister's room. Alonzo preceded to wake each of them up much to their chagrin. Monica and Melinda may not have been that happy about it, but when they saw Alonzo's happy smile they forgave him on the spot.
" Monica, Melinda. Do you know what today is? " Alonzo said with a smile that would someday cause women to swoon.
" Hmm. Let me think... No I can't think of anything. Tell me. What is today, Dimples?" Monica said even though she knew full well what day it was. Alonzo hadn't let let them forget when his birthday was. She bet he had even been counting the hours.
Alonzo frowned at his nickname, but he couldn't stay unhappy for long and a smile came to his face proving once again why he had his nickname. " It's my birthday. I'm seven years old." Alonzo proudly replied.
Melinda pretended to faint and Alonzo gave her a kiss to wake her. " You're that old?!? Wow, Dimples. That makes me ancient."
Alonzo shook his head and seriously said. " No, don't be silly, Melinda." He smiled again." Let's go find Mama and Papa," Alonzo said as he pulled Monica out of the door.
The four kids quickly ran to the kitchen where they found their parents making Alonzo's birthday breakfast. Alonzo snuck up behind his mom and gave her a hug from the back, as she pretended to be surprised.
" Well, here you are." Mrs. Solace said with a proud smile. " We were staring to wonder if you had forgotten it was your birthday." Mr. Solace said as he let out a hearty laugh.
Alonzo shook his head with a look that said," Parents..." The day passed all to slowly for Alonzo. He couldn't wait until the evening when he would get to open his presents. Finally Mrs. Solace announced that the time had come. Alonzo quickly opened up the presents from his family and found many treasures underneath the wrapping paper. Soon there was but one present left and it was the biggest of them all. Alonzo had purposely saved it for the end. It was from his parents who always gave the best presents.
Alonzo slowly pulled on the bright red ribbon surrounding the box and then tore off the red, star covered wrapping paper. He opened the box and slowly pushed the tissue paper away from his newest treasure. There, at the bottom of the box was a new model spaceship. Alonzo pulled it out of the box and held it in his hands with a look of pure awe on his face. He stared at it for a couple of minutes and then he remembered he needed to say thank you to his parents. He put the spaceship in the box and ran to them. Alonzo gave each of his parents huge hugs and a kiss on the cheek for his mother. As his parents laughed, Alonzo ran back to his presents and preceded to fly the spaceship around the room.
Alonzo's mom looked over at her husband questionably. " Alonzo, isn't there something else in the box?"
Alonzo ran to the box again and dug to its bottom amid all the tissue paper. He pulled out a small replica of a planet.
" Mama?"
" Now you can fly your spaceship somewhere, Dimples." Mrs. Solace responded. Alonzo smiled and made Melinda hold the planet so that he could do just that.
Mr. Solace watched his son play with his new treasure. After a little while, he turned to his wife and said," You know, dear. I think our little boy is going to be a pilot someday."
Julia
Little Julia jumped out of bed and ran towards her bedroom door. It was her seventh birthday! Julia had all ready forgotten the pain that was last year's birthday. All she could think about was that today was her birthday and the doll, she was hoping she would receive. Julia had never owned a doll and she had never really wanted one. But two weeks before her birthday, that all changed.
Every once and a while, Julia's mother would take Julia with her when she went to work. Julia found it all very tedious, but at least she could get out of the quarters she called home. Julia wandered behind her mother as they made their way down the station's hallways towards Ms. Heller's office. She loved to look in the windows of the stores lining the hallways. Julia never wanted anything she saw, but she thought it was fun to look.
Today was like any other day. Julia's mother led the way with her chin up as if to tell the people around her that they were not worthy to be in her presence. Julia lagged behind her, but always making sure she kept her mother's proud back in sight. In between watching her mother up ahead, Julia glanced at the stores she passed by. Then she saw it. There, in front of her in the store window was the most beautiful doll Julia had ever seen. It was like no other. Instead of being dressed in some frilly princess gown, it had a white top and maroon pants on. It's blond hair was pulled up into a ponytail and it wore hiking boots on its feet instead of glass slipper. Julia wanted the beautiful doll the moment she laid her eyes upon it. She probably would have stood there staring at it forever if her mother hadn't missed her.
" Come on, Julia." Ms. Heller was very annoyed with her young daughter. What was she doing staring into store windows?
" Mother", Julia murmured," Look at the beautiful doll." " Don't be frivolous."
" But, doesn't she look like me?"
Ms. Heller took a quick glance at the doll. Disgusted, that her daughter was interested in it. " Yes and it is a pity." Ms. Heller pulled her daughter away from the window glass. " Come along, Julia. I don't want to be late. Don't waste my time looking at dolls."
" But..."
" I said, Let's go!"
It was Julia's birthday night. The happiness of the morning had been eroded away during the long, fun less, and dreary day. But Julia was not going to let anything get her spirits down. She slowly ate her dinner in silence, listening to her mother drone on about the *wonderful* things the Council had done that day. As dinner ended, Ms. Heller gave Julia no indication that she would receive any presents, so Julia wandered to her lonely bedroom and sat on the floor with her head in her hands.
She was extremely surprised when 20 minutes later, there was a knock on her door. Julia looked up to see her mother standing in her doorway. " Julia, don't you want to open your present?"
A small smile appeared on Julia's face. But inside she was wildly grinning. She slowly followed her mother into the living room of their quarters. Ms. Heller reached behind her desk and pulled out a brown paper bag. This she, unceremoniously, placed into Julia's waiting hands. Julia sat down on the hard wooden bench behind her and slowly opened the bag. Instead of finding a doll beneath the tissue paper, there was a strange looking glove with buttons and lights all over it.
Julia was confused. What could this strange looking contraption be? " Mother?", She asked.
" It is called a dia-glove. I thought it was time you started to prepare yourself for your future."
Julia looked at the glove and then at her mother. Slowly, she slipped the glove onto her hand and watched as the lights blinked.
In one fatal swoop, Julia's childhood had ended. Never to return.
Story Notes:
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I just want to say a big thank you to first, Rosa Moran and then to the great group of people that come to the fanfic chats. Rosa, thanks for the great comments. Fanfic chat attenders, I may not have said much but I listened, and some of the things you discussed did help me very much in this story. Thanks. This story does not need that much explanation. If you understand the poem below, you will definitly understand the story. As A.j. put so elequently," I don't own the characters, they own me. "
I just want to say a big thank you to first, Rosa Moran and then to the great group of people that come to the fanfic chats. Rosa, thanks for the great comments. Fanfic chat attenders, I may not have said much but I listened, and some of the things you discussed did help me very much in this story. Thanks. This story does not need that much explanation. If you understand the poem below, you will definitly understand the story. As A.j. put so elequently," I don't own the characters, they own me. "