The Jovian Legacy by Lilla Nicholas-Holt

reunited.
    “Son,”
his father began. “You must prepare for your journey to join
us. The people of Jovian have arranged it. And..,” he paused,
“...it has been agreed by the research team that you bring
Megan with you.”
    “What?!
Oh yeah? Really? Far out!” Really?” Jack jabbered.
“Totally awesome!”
    “Yes,
Jack, Megan belongs here too. But you mustn’t scare her, so
you won’t be able to explain to her what’s going to
happen. It is going to be enough of a sacrifice that she leaves
behind the people who love her and who brought her up. The McGlews
are now elderly so it will probably be the last time they see her.
We will make contact with you again tomorrow,” his father
stated as they both waved goodbye (with Nancy blowing a kiss) and
left the screen. The computer buzzed off. Jack sat there transfixed
at the blank screen, then decided to get himself together.
    “I’ve
got to think of something,” he said aloud. With that thought,
and bursting with excitement, he rang Megan. He thought it wonderful
to hear her lovely sweet voice again.
    “Jack,
I…I didn’t expect you to call again. I thought it was
over,” Megan began. Jack ignored her words because he didn’t
really know how to respond to them.
    “Would
you like to go out for dinner? I just feel like getting out of the
flat,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on his
nervousness.
    Megan
didn’t reply straight away. “Well, um.. Where?”
    “How
about we go to that restaurant that’s just around the corner
from where you live? Tell your folks I’ll bring you back by
nine.” Jack held his breath.
    “I
don’t know. My parents aren’t home, and they said I had
to stay home and study. My sister’s here.” Megan
replied.
    Shit.
    “They’ve
gone out to visit some friends,” she continued. “I think
they’ll be back around about nine though. I’ll ask my
sister if it’s okay. I’ll ring you back.”
    Jack
placed the phone on the cradle and stared at it, waiting. It rang
within a few minutes.
    “Hi,
it’s me,” Megan said. “She said it was okay as
long as I got home before the wrinklies did.”
    Yes! Jack said under his breath,
punching the air. “Pick you up at say, half-past five?”
he said with a lilt in his voice.
    Jack
replaced the receiver and started pacing around his flat. What do
I do now? Pack? No, I won’t need to. How can I tell Megan to
pack anyway? Tell her to pack for what - for a journey to the Planet
Jovian? He knew he was having
crazy thoughts.
    Patting Fahrenheit on either side of his face, Jack thought he looked
pretty sharp in his white tee-shirt, black leather jacket and new
jeans.
    “Might
as well go out in style... I mean, up,” he said, smirking.
    Bang
on five-thirty p.m. Jack rang Megan’s doorbell, and was chuffed
that she had put makeup on, her hair up, making herself look older.
He thought she looked like a model.
    Anyone
would have thought she’d made a special effort, Jack
mused. The chemistry was still there, even though he knew that Megan
was his first cousin and genetically engineered from Katy and
Theresa, thus having the characteristics of both of them.
    He
realised he was staring when Megan blushed.
    “I’m
ready,” she said awkwardly, trying to mask her discomfit. Jack
regained himself, took hold of her hand and led her down to his
Mazda.
    This
will be the last time I’ll have to take poor Megan out in this
old banger, he said to himself.
    The
evening went well. Jack ordered seafood chowder as an entrée
while Megan had Soup de Jour. They both ordered the ‘Ship to
Shore’ as their mains as they both loved seafood. Now Jack
knew why their tastes were so similar. Instead of dessert they
ordered two hot chocolates. He discreetly kept an eye on the time so
it would leave enough time for Megan to spend some time with her
parents.
    Mr
McGlew answered the door and greeted his daughter with a look
indicating she was in trouble. Megan became anxious, quickly introducing Jack to