Chapter 11

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Attention participants: Teachers' Conference will commence in the blue room! Teachers' conference will commence in the blue room.

Someone with a loud speaker was calling out in the lobby. Alice ignored it. She was too busy following Dr. Fibbs and his group into the red room.

Some one closed the heavy door behind them with a thud. Alice jumped! "I hope I can escape if I need to" she thought.

Some of the participants found chairs, some stood. Dr. Fibbs went to the front where a table and chair was and sat there. There was a blackboard behind him.

"Welcome to the communications forum!" an excited young man began to speak. "Communications is extremely important. it is the key to....."

Alice looked around. Everyone was so polished. She recognized a few from when she had begun to do research about the FCC. Important figures were there.

The audience began to clap. The young man had finished his intro and Dr, Fibbs stood up to talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." he began. He sounded very soft spoken, but mezmerizing. "we have such a responsibilities upon our shoulders. Reaching out to different people through the media....we are the water that keeps plants alive.."

The way he said "alive" sent shivers down Alice's spine. Three young blond girls came into the room. They had big smiles for everyone as they offered drinks. Alice declined.

to be continued

Chapter 10

Alice collapsed onto her bed. After the plane ride to Settertown, with Sam Billbull, cologne, shampoo, Jane Eyre, Mr Reynolds, etc. She was relieved to be in her hotel. She glanced at her hands. She still held the note she got from Sam with his address and phone number on it. Her mind wandered back to the airport...

"Sam!" She called out as Sam hurried out of the plane. He took large steps as his coat swung from the wind in his step. "Sam!!" Alice was not liking this. She was flushed and embarrassed out of her comfort zone. To have to call out to a man! she thought. But since there was a chance that this man could be or could become an important player in her agenda, she took a deep breath and pursued her goal.

"SAM!" He finally stopped and turned in surprise.

"Oh hi, Alice." He looked puzzled.

"Could I just get your number? I mean its not for any thing romantic... I mean... I just thought maybe...um..."

Sam smiled broadly. "Sure you can have my number." He wrote his information on the back of a card and took Alice's info.

They both looked at each other. There was nothing more to say, it seemed; but both seemed curious about the other. Sam opened his mouth, "I..."

"Mr. Samuel Billbull?" Said a jarring voice. It was the usher sent to pick him up.

"Yes." And off the two went. Alice was still unsure how to view Sam.

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Alice looked around at her room. Her luggage strewn on the lush carpet, the paintings on the beige wall. the oak wood funishings, it was a very posh hotel. She glanced back at her hands. She looked at her big boned wrist and wondered, could those guys be after me? Should I allow romance into my life again?

Her whole life was Reena. Ever since her husband past away, she never even thought of getting romantic again. The playing field was so vastly different. Men seemed more doggish and from the experiences she's heard about from her friends, it wasn't a bed of roses out there. Mr. Reynolds. Charles Reynolds. He seemed so capable, Alice thought. But why isn't he married already? Samuel Billbull. Could he be a prospect?

RING RING RING!!!

Alice snapped out of her reverie and realized the phone had been ringing.

"Yes, hello!" She said, "Conference tonight. Okay. To get acquainted, sounds good. Where? The Magenta Science Center, Okay. Thanks."

Happy to push the romance thoughts out of her mind, she busied herself unpacking. There was a conference tonight.

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"This is so out of my comfort zone!"

Alice stood inside the entrance of the Magenta Science Center. There was loud music blaring with a strong beat. There was excitement in the air. Judging from the amount of people hustling and bustling at the center, there were several conferences going on there that night. It was a chilly night, but Alice still chose to wear her thin strapped evening gown. Her heels, her earrings and necklace, even her silver bracelets seemed so foreign to her. She hadn't adorned herself like this in years. Why was she doing this? Was it for the conference? Its just a teachers' promotional conference for crying out loud, Alice thought. Okay it was not an ordinary conference, they were trying something new this year, she reminded herself. That's why more money was spent and teachers flown in. She was not convincing herself. Perhaps her real motive was....Charles Reynolds???

Streams of people, some in business suits, some in evening gowns walked hurriedly past her. She shook her head at the thought of herself being among them. Took one precarious step with her heeled shoes. "This is a farce. I need to go back to the hotel and change."

Before she could do anything more, a large crowd burst in through the door. They all had an air of importance. Everyone seemed to be trying to get the attention of the man in the middle.

The man in the middle had a really expensive suit. His whole aire said money. He had a pleasant smile on his face and confidence -perhaps arrogance- in his gait. This was home for him. He was used to this type of crowd. He had olive skin and his slick back hair. His whole being told of perhaps generations of money.

Enthralled at the whole scenario, Alice slipped closer to a curtain so as to not get caught as she stared at the whole scene.

"But Dr Fibbs...." Alice overhead one of the entourage call out to the man in the middle.

She gasped! This was Dr. Fibbs....

Chapter 9

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Alice tried to focus in the packed plane. Everyone was shuffling to their seats, ticket on hand and carry on bags with them. She finally found her seat, it was next to a business man. "Why isn't he taking first class?" she wondered but said nothing.

She tried to make herself comfortable for the ride; Her carry on bag, she put up on the shelf, she layed her jacket around her seat to give her a snug seat, she had a novel in her hand and sat down. It was just a two hour ride.

The businessman next to her leaned a bit closer to Alice. She could smell his cologne. His shampooed blond hair tickled her cheeks. "What are you reading there, ma'am?"

Alice closed her eyes. Her nerves were already frayed with not knowing what to expect in Settertown, the thought of meeting Mr Reynolds there was not helping matters. Everything made her jittery. "Uh J-Jane Eyre"

"Ah! an old classic!" The man became excited,"I love these old classics. The authors back then had such a subtle way of conveying moods, intentions, love. Ah, I could read that book over and over."

"Well the characters are definitely multidimenional" Alice offered cautiously.

"Can I read a bit? Can I show you my favorite part?" Before Alice could answer, the man had gently taken the book from her hands.

He began to read. Quite dramatically. The whole plane was enthralled with his dramatic booming voice.

The reading was interrupted when someone cleared his throat quite loudly. Both Alice and the business man looked up. It was Mr. Reynolds!

"Oh!" Alice said with a jump. She was feeling guilty but not sure why. "This is Mr. Reynolds; Mr. Reynolds this is....uh..."

"Sam BilBull, from Media Lite Corporation." He smiled wide and extended his hand for a handshake.

An intense second went by but then Mr. Reynolds seemed to have made up his mind. He reached out and shook Sam's hand. "Are you headed for Settertown?"

"Yep. Got a meeting with a big shot up there. Wish me luck!"

"Attention passengers: please sit in you assigned seats and fasten your seat belts"

The plane was warming up for the flight. Alice was calculating. Could Sam bilBull be heading to Dr. Fibbs? Should she say something? Will he keep his mouth shut in front of Mr Reynolds? In front of Dr. Fibbs? Could he be a part of the problem too?

One thing was for sure, she had to get his number and contact information; he could prove useful.

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Chapter 8

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"Kora, you ate from the forbidden fruit. That means you are like Eve, knowing good and evil. "

"Hunh?" Kora was expecting good news, not this. But Shana went on and didn't disappoint her.

"Reena is always connected to the good, the Universe, God, etc. You, however, have access to the dark side. You can jump in there and understand immediately the situation and how to save whoever needs saving and then jump out with them.Where Reena can harness the power of good alone, you can be a navy seal and enter evil and come out unpfazed" Shana was beaming at her, "Don't underestimate what you can do, Kora."

Kora was not quite sure she understood, but she kept silent for now. They both walked back to the apartment and out of the frosty cold outdoors.

Hours later they had devised a plan and Alice was back in her house packing. She felt a bit guilty that she had not told the girls about Mr. Reynolds, the hot historian. Mr. Reynolds had been calling her pretty consistantly. If she wasn't mistaken, Mr. Reynolds was actually wooing her. This was nervewracking for several reasons. Firstly, she had not entertained the idea of being romantic with anyone for a long time. Secondly, she wasn't sure if Mr. Reynolds was on their side or if he was a bug sent from the enemyside. He was so smooth!

Alice bit her lip and tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. She had some packing to do for a few days. Reena was more than happy to stay with Shana and that was okay by Alice. She finally hoisted her packed bags out of the house and headed for the airport.

MORE LATER...

Chapter 7

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There was a soft knocking on the door. Reena the 12 year old wonder layed on the rug, she was too engrossed in her book to get the door. Her mom, Alice Brown was drying dishes. They had a normal day today. No practice stick fighting for Reena, no computer hacking for Alice, no saving the day today. Just pure regular life. Reena was a child today and Alice was her mom. Something about that knocking told Alice that all that was about to change.

She reluctantly went to open the door.

"Hello?" She said politely.

"H- Hello. Um...my name is Kora....and...well...see..uh..."

"KORA!!!" Shouted Reena. She leaped up in excitement. "I am so glad to see you! How did you find me? What are you doing here?"

Kora, embarrassed at Reena's unchecked affection, cast her eyes down. But her big smile gave away her glee. "Well, I really appreciate what you did a few nights ago at the Firefly club. I want to be a part of your group. I want to fight this for the sake of all the girls that I left behind."

After they had all sat down for a warm drink and a few discussions, Reena volunteered to bring Kora to meet with Shana. As they stood up the phone ran.

"Hello" Alice picked up the receiver distractedly.

"Wait what? I mean who is this?" Alice 's back stiffened, the other girls looked in curiosity. "My old application for a promotion has been accepted? But that was quite a few years ago....I don't understand..." Alice looked confused.

She hung up the phone. "Somebody's got me marked!" She exclaimed.

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.The women gathered at Shana's house. The weather was getting colder and there was light snow falling outside. The background noise of children playing outside was faintly heard, but the little frosts by the window made it hard to see them.

Kora was warmly greeted by Shana. There was a spirit of female togetherness in the room. As they shared and exchanged information, everyone knew they were coming with whatever arsenal they had gleened from life to the table. It was for a war against black minds and imagination at stake and the girls were fiercely determined not to lose. A new plan was needed.

"Alice, what do you mean you have to fly to Settertown?" Shana was trying to understand what was happening.

Alice sighed, "Its a seminar for a few weeks. Several of us teachers had our application for promotion accepted. So now we must attend this new seminar for training. This is quite new and not normal. Should I back out?"

"Settertown is Dr. Fibbs's hometown. Maybe its worth some investigating?" Reena asked.

"What exactly are we investigating?" inquired Kora.

"Dr Fibbs does not seem to have any formal position in any communications company or organization, yet we have reason to believe that he is running the show. Furthermore, we suspect his aim is to destroy the mind and imagination of Black folks everywhere. Its a new type of genocide." Alice shuddered as she continued, "Dr. Fibbs wants to destroy us from the inside out!"

"How can I help? When can I learn to stick fight? I'd love to know how to leap in the air like Reena did --that was out of this world! Supernatural!" Kora wanted to move.

Shana became very still. "Kora, can I talk to you privately?"

They went out into the frosty air outside. The neighborhood was turning into a winter wonderland. In the distance, a snowball play fight was underway. There was hardly any traffic in the streets and on the sidewalk, the trees stood tall displaying their new coat of snow for all to behold.

"I just wanted to tell you that it won't be as easy for you as it was for Reena" Shana began.

"How come? B- because of my past?" Kora barely whispered.

"Society has taught us that the reasons we have for being moral, chaste, whatever you want to call it, is only because its socially acceptable. That in and of itself is not enough of a reason. But there is a true reason for all that..."

"That purity keeps us in a direct communication with the universe in its purest state. We get clear messages. A child born from a holy union can potentially run so fast that a blade of grass is not pressed down by his feet. He is practically flying. The more holiness, the more radical the feat" Shana proceeded slowly.

Kora began tuning Shana out. How many times has she heard this message in so many different ways. She was damaged good. Not good enough. She looked away.

"But that's not the end of the story" Shana continued. Kora looked back. "you have gifts of your own..."

TO BE CONTINUED...

There Can be Miracles