“Wait up!!! I can’t walk any further! Or faster! I think I’m going to PASS OUT! UGH! WAIT UP!” Delilah screamed to Jordyn and Mike.
“Well it’s not my fault that you’re a slowpoke!” Jordyn called back to her younger sister, Delilah.
“Guys! Can’t we just go ONE day without you two screaming at each other? Please?” Mike begged.
You see, Mike and Jordyn are best friends, and Delilah is Jordyn’s little sister. Mike, (age 13) and Jordyn, (age 14) have known each other since age 4. Being age 9, Delilah is the youngest of the group. Mike looks at Jordyn.
“Jordyn? Didja hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard ya. But I can’t handle her! She’s always whining!” Jordyn exclaims.
“PLEASE! LIKE YOU’RE ANY BETTER!” Delilah screams back at Jordyn.
“Well at least I don’t still sleep with a TEDDY BEAR!” Jordyn hollers back at Delilah.
“GIRLS!” Mike exclaims. “Get it together!”
He stops and turns around so Delilah can catch up. There’s silence for a few moments.
“Mike? Jordyn? Guys? I can’t see you! It’s so dark! Just keep talking so I can cat---- OW!” Delilah screams in pain.
“Ugh stop making a big deal out of everything. I don’t care if it IS dusk, and I don’t care if we’re in a dark alleyway. Use your brain, Delilah! You’re gifted for a reason. There’s a big bright moon, and even though all of the streetlamps are out, well, accept for that one flickering one, you should still be able to see just fine.” Jordyn called back to her sister.
“No Jordyn, I think she’s really in pain! I can hear crying!” Mike exclaimed.
“What?” Jordyn looked back at Mike in shock.
Of course, Mike couldn’t tell that she was in shock because it was very dark and no one could see anything.
Jordyn continued, “Hang on, Delilah! I’ll be right there!”
Jordyn started running in the opposite direction towards Delilah. Reaching into her bag and pulling out her flashlight, she bumped into Mike, (because she looked down to turn on her flashlight while she was running) and she (along with her flashlight) and Mike both fell to the ground.
“What the heck?” Jordyn called out.
“It’s just me, Jordyn. You ran into me.” Mike said.
“Oh… Sorry.” Jordyn apologized.
“It’s fine. Now c’mon, we still have to help Delilah!” Mike said.
“Right! Delilah!” Jordyn exclaimed.
Now running as fast as they can, (making sure not to run into each other) Mike and Jordyn ran to Delilah.
“Delilah?” Mike called out.
“Over here…” Delilah said.
Mike and Jordyn ran to the voice that they heard.
“Delilah! What are you doing? Are you ok?” Jordyn asked.
“Well, I was running so I could catch up to you guys, and I tripped on some sort of medal thingy! I’m ok, but I think I bruised my knee really bad.” Delilah explained.
“Why didn’t you just use your flashlight, Delilah? Then you could’ve told us where you were quicker with the light from the flashlight!” Mike explained.
“We had flashlights?!” Delilah asked, astonished.
Mike looked over at Jordyn. “You didn’t tell her that she had a flashlight?”
“Yes I did! She just didn’t listen. I’m not surprised…” Jordyn said.
“You didn’t tell me that!” Delilah exclaimed.
“Yeah I did.” Jordyn rolled her eyes.
“Well then, why didn’t YOU guys use your flashlights to find me? You used them while you were walking, right?” Delilah questioned.
“Well, my flashlight dropped when I ran into Mike. I didn’t have time to look for it.” Jordyn explained.
“My flashlight… is…” Mike peered into his bag, “It’s um… It’s in my bag. Heh… I guess I didn’t think about my flashlight…..” Mike said.
“Well, don’t just sit there! Take it out and see if she’s ok!” Jordyn demanded.
“Ok, jeez. Be patient, Jordyn.” Mike said.
As Mike took out his flashlight, Jordyn thought about the secret meeting that they had been coming back from. You see, Jordyn, Mike, and Delilah live in New York - but, not the New York that you’re thinking of. Jordyn, Mike, and Delilah live in New York, 100 years from now. Yeah. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Well, 100 years from now, something terrible happened in New York. There was a toxic waste spill, and everything is CHAOS. Jordyn, Mike, and Delilah are trying to help New York. They are on a mission. Their job is to help New York with the toxic waste spill. Anyway, back to Mike!
“AHA! I got it!” Mike exclaimed.
“Wow, great job Mike! It only took you FIFTEEN MINUTES!” Jordyn yelled.
“Let me see your knee, Delilah. Mike said softly.
“Ok, but it really hurts!” Delilah complained.
Turning on the flashlight, the light revealed a bleeding, black and purple knee.
“See, I told you it hurts.” Delilah said.
Jordyn gasped. “Delilah! How hard did you fall?”
“Hard enough for it to bleed all the way down her leg.” Mike noted.
“Wait, what’s this?” Jordyn picked up a large metal cylinder.
“That must have been the thing I tripped on!” Delilah said.
Jordyn ran her hand up and down the metal cylinder. “It feels like something’s engraved in it! Give me some light, Mike!”
Mike moved the light from Delilah’s leg to the cylinder.
Mike read the words from off of the cylinder. “He will prevail.”
“What is THAT supposed to mean?” Delilah asked.
“I’m not sure… But I do know that we should probably leave this here…” Jordyn said.
“What? No way! We at LEAST have to open it first!” Delilah said.
“No Delilah. We don’t know what’s in here. It could be deadly! Or it could explode! Or Aliens could pop out! Or um… um…” Jordyn continued on.
“JORDYN! It’s going to be fine! And really? Aliens? What are you, seven?” Delilah commented. Jordyn sighed.
“Ugh, you’re right. I’m sorry. We can open it.” “Yeah I know I’m right now- wait, what? Did you just apologize? Wow that’s new…” Delilah said.
Jordyn sneered. “Hurry up and open it before I change my mind you twerp.”
“Jeez ok.” Delilah replied.
Then, very carefully, they opened the capsule. It contained books, shots, a special medicine, a (old to them) current day (2017) iPhone, and some clothes.
“Well, what are we supposed to do with this?” Delilah complained.
“I… well, I don’t know.” Mike said, surprised.
“Ooh! I know I know!” Delilah shouted, very excited. “We could take it home! Please Jordyn? Pretty pleaseeee?” Delilah begged.
“Ugh fine. But I’m not so excited about this.” Jordyn commented.
“YAY!” Delilah screamed.
“Keep it down, Delilah! People are trying to sleep!” Jordyn said.
“Whoops, sorry.” Delilah apologized.
“It’s fine. Now c’mon! We have GOT to get home before mom and dad start worrying.” Jordyn said.
“Mike? Can you come with us?” Delilah asked.
Mike thought for a moment.
“Eh, sure! I’ve got nothing better to do tonight, anyway.
“YAY” Delilah screamed.
“DELILAH!” Mike and Jordyn both exclaimed.
“Oh, yeah, right! Sorry!” Delilah remembers.
Back at home…
Jordyn is in her room, along with Mike and Delilah. Tempering with the time capsule, Delilah opens it and pours the contents out on Jordyns desk. Jordyns desk contains a pencil box, some magic markers (literally magic), a pack of half empty gum, gum wrappers, some papers with doodles, some books (they’re rare because they’re paper books, and now everything is read by hologram), and one science fair project containing one bottle of toxic waste. Mike is texting his parents telling him that he will be spending the night at a friend’s house, and Jordyn is watching him text.
“You know, you don’t have to watch me text, right? It kinda freaks me out when someone is watching me from over my shoulder…” Mike admits.
“Sorry, I’m just bored. There’s like, nothing to do.” Jordyn complains.
“Well, why don’t we do homework?” Mike asks.
“Ok! I’m going to go grab my bag. It’s downstairs.” Jordyn starts down the stairs.
“Wait up! I’ll come with you! My bag’s downstairs, too.” Mike states.
“Don’t get into trouble, Delilah!” Mike laughs.
“I won’t! Don’t worry ha!” Delilah says as she watches Mike start down the stairs.
Delilah gets out of the chair to stretch.
“Ugh I’ve been sitting for too long. I finally get to stretch!” Delilah says.
Putting her hand on the desk, Delilah stretches with her whole body. Moving her hand back just a little bit more, she knocks over the toxic waste onto Jordyn’s desk and onto the contents of the time capsule. Delilah instantly notices what she’s done.
“OH NO!” Delilah exclaims.
As Delilah paces wondering what to do, the toxic waste starts to slowly slip deeper and deeper into the contents of the time capsule.
“Oh I am SO busted! Jordyn worked so hard to collect this!” Delilah continues to worry.
Suddenly, all in one big flash of light, Delilah is gone, everything is cleaned up, and the contents of the capsule are back in the capsule.
“I know! Can you believe that?” Jordyn laughs, coming back into her room along with Mike and their bags.
Sitting on the bed, Jordyn and Mike start to do their homework.
“Done!” Mike exclaims.
“What? Already? How?” Jordyn asks.
“I don’t know. I’m just fast, I guess.” Mike explains.
“Well maybe you can help me?” Jordyn asks Mike.
“No way! Ask Delilah!” Mike exclaims.
“Oh please! Like Delilah will know!” Jordyn laughs.
“Well, she is very smart…” Mike says.
“Ha! Ok! Watch this! Hey Delilah! Come here for a sec would ya?” Jordyn calls out to Delilah.
Silence.
“Delilah? Can you come here please?” Jordyn calls out, again.
Silence, again.
“Delilah? Stop playing games! Come here!” Jordyn yells.
“Wait, hang on a second,” Mike gets off of the bed and walks up to Jordyn’s desk. Holding up the empty toxic waste bottle, Mike asks, “Wasn’t this full before?”
“Yeah… What the heck? What happened?” Jordyn jumps up from off of the bed, starting to worry.
“Maybe Delilah will know.” Mike says.
“DELILAH! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?” Becoming worried, Jordyn begins to search the house.
“Delilah? Delilah? Delilahhh?” Jordyn calls out in each room, still having no response.
Jordyn comes back into her room, exasperated.
Mike notices the look of worry on Jordyn’s face.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Jordyn, now in deep panic, sits on the bed with a panicked expression on her face. Mike, also beginning to worry, comes and sits on the bed with Jordyn.
Mike again asks, “Jordyn? What’s wrong?”
Jordyn looks at Mike.
“Delilah’s gone!”
CHAPTER TWO
“No way! She can’t be gone!” Mike exclaims.
“I’ve searched the whole house! She’s not here!” Jordyn says, still panicking.