"My dearest Lacy," She read aloud, "If you are reading this, then I have passed from this world. I am leaving all my possessions to you, including my atmospheric hopper and responsibility for Pegasus I. I will explain what these are in a moment, so bear with me. Don't skip ahead!"
"She knows you pretty well, doesn't she?" Drew nodded, "But with words like atmospheric hopper and Pegasus I, sheer curiosity has me wanting to urge you to at least skip ahead, so you can tell us what those are."
"Me, too," Maria agreed, "But we must be respectful toward the dead."
Agreeing with Maria, and trying to not react to Drew’s disappointed scowl, Lacy continued to read, "Be very cautious of who you let close to you. Watch for strangers who would suddenly attempt to insinuate themselves into your life. They may not be what they present themselves to be. There is still a secret agency with knowledge of the hopper and Pegasus I. Last I heard, they called themselves The Chosen. Their one objective in life is to gain control of Pegasus I and if you alert them to its location they will take it - by whatever means necessary."
"Whoa, that sounds dangerous," Maria shared a concerned look with her friend, "This Chosen group don't seem to be people you want to be on the wrong side of."
"You expect her to just give in to them?" Drew growled, "Let them take everything her grandma left her?"
"Well, no -"
"Damn straight, no," Drew agreed, scraping uneven blond bangs out of his eyes, "Go ahead, Lacy."
"Now, if you are still reading, I hope it means you haven’t decided that your Grandmother was a crazy old woman with wild fantasies filling her head. I wanted, on so many occasions, to share my knowledge with you. You, out of everyone I have known, would have enjoyed hearing about the things I have seen and places I have been. You were always looking up information on UFO’s and watching television shows about space travel. So often, I found myself biting my tongue and trying to not let anything slip, while at the same time encouraging your curiosity about what was ‘out there’. Therefore, I have decided to give you the location of my atmospheric hopper, as I said earlier, which is a small craft that will take you to Pegasus I. Pegasus I is a FTL ( faster than light ) spacecraft meant for long distance space travel. It is how we first came to this planet, two thousand years ago. With it, you can travel to wherever you want; perhaps even to find the other two colonies. Ah yes, I can practically see your eyes light up, upon reading the last sentence. Yes, child, there were two other colonies who left and went their separate ways when we decided to come here. Not everyone agreed on how we should live, so we ended up forming three separate groups. But you can read up on that and the rest of our history on Pegasus I, if you choose." Lacy paused and glanced around at her friends, "You guys, this is a freaking space ship! There are other colonies that went to other planets! We aren’t the only life in the universe. I knew it! It’s a dream come true. Why didn’t she tell me?"
"Yeah, that's awesome," Trina agreed, "But more importantly -"
"What's more important than a mother fucking space ship that can travel to other planets?" Drew interrupted, pounding the table for emphasis.
"Maybe nothing," Trina replied, "But did you miss the part where Lacy's grandmother casually stated that they came to this planet two thousand years ago? Lacy's grandma was over two thousand years old, guys."
“I want to know her beauty secrets!” Maria gasped.
“Me, too!” Trina nodded. Motioning to Lacy, she added, “Sorry, please continue. But you have to admit, your grandma looked fine as hell for being a that dang old. My aunt would give up her entire life savings for a secret like that.”
Looking down, Lacy tried to swallow a smile and continued, "Watch out for Sarah. I'm sure I don't really have to tell you that, but I prefer to be cautious. She doesn't have your best interests at heart. Please don’t let her have access to the house and grounds either. I have long suspected that she was behind your father’s accident, though I had no proof. Plus, my sources told me she has been in contact with The Chosen, and may have promised them things in exchange for money. If so, that is on her head, because the property belongs to you, not her, and she can not legally promise them anything. Refer her or anyone else to your lawyers. Don't engage them in a battle of wills or wits. Why waste your time and energy when your estate pays the lawyers quite well to handle it for you?" She grabbed her glass and gulped down half the contents before continuing, "You were and always will be the apple of my eye. Never doubt that. I could not have asked for a more perfect grand daughter. Your mother would have been so proud of you, just like your father and I were. And I'm not talking about that harridan you grew up believing was your mother. Now wipe that surprised look off of your face, child. I apologize for breaking it to you this way, but I've known the truth from the beginning and I couldn't go to my grave without telling you as well. That beautiful red hair and porcelain complexion are very unique and don't happen by accident. Only two people in town had it. Your mother...and her mother. I don't know the specifics, like why your mother's identity was never mentioned, or how she died, or why Sarah claimed you were her child. I do know that your mother was your father's first love, though, and he never really got over her. I also know you were his pride and joy, and he loved you more than anything or anyone else on this planet.”
“Wait...what? Sorry to interrupt again but...your mother isn’t your mother?” Maria scratched her head, “Were you adopted?”
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