Swans Crossing: The Return
by Stephanie Blydenburgh
Previously in Swans Crossing . . .
To end summer with a bang, Sydney Rutledge
threw a "Good-bye to Summer Party". In addition saying
farewell to summer, Swans Crossing was also bidding
adieu to Garrett Booth, Sydney's ex-flame and enemy, who
was leaving for France to attend boarding school. To
stay in town, he plotted to have Owen Fowler, a young
musician, direct a music video starring Mila Rosnovsky,
former child star and Garrett's girlfriend. Once Mila
became a rock superstar, he hoped his father would see
how important he was in Swans Crossing and let him stay
in town.
Meanwhile, J.T. Adams and Neil Atwater, brilliant
young physicists, were almost ready to test run their
secret rocket fuel project, UB2B. Little did they know,
however, that they were being followed.
And Jimmy Clayton and Callie Walker, sweethearts
and co-workers at the local auto shop, just found out
that two bald men, who they had come across several times
during the summer, were tracking J.T. and Neil. . . and
closing in.
Chapter One
Her heart rate began to quicken. Callie Walker
turned to Jimmy Clayton.
"That's the guy who followed Saja!" Jimmy
whispered loudly, his dark green eyes widening.
Callie nodded. "The guy we chased out of Swans
Shop!"
"The one with the Band-Aids on his head!" Jimmy
added.
Callie peered through the door of the Tool n'
Die, and looked at her seedy boss Barek staring intently
at the TV screen. An image of a bald man crouching in
the bushes watching two teens was what had Barek's
attention. The man on the screen, whom Jimmy and Callie
had had several run-ins with, was watching local teen
geniuses J.T. Adams and Neil Atwater.
"He must be the one after J.T and Neil!" Callie
told Jimmy, her blood running cold at this realization.
"Well, one of the ones." She took his arm and without
mentioning it, they knew where they had to go. They
headed back to the Swans Crossing Country Club where
Sydney Rutledge was having a pool party.
¤ ¤ ¤
After hearing the roar of motorbikes outside the
Tool n' Die, Barek hit stop on the VCR.
"Really great stuff Owen," he said, grabbing
his leather jacket and motorcycle helmet.
"There's a lot more," Owen Fowler said, taking a
bite of his triple ripple ice cream. Owen, a talented
musician, was working on filming a music video. Barek
had asked to view it, so after catching some footage at
Sydney's pool party, he headed to the Tool n' Die.
"I'll have to take a rain check," Barek explained
hastily, as he got on his motorcycle and sped out of the
auto shop.
¤ ¤ ¤
Sydney climbed out of the swimming pool, laughing.
"We killed you guys!" she exclaimed, wringing
out her wet raven hair and high fiving her friend Glory
Booth.
"No way!" J.T. said, his eyes shining. He
grabbed two towels, and wrapped one of them around Glory,
his girlfriend.
Sydney, J.T., Glory and several of the other
guests at Sydney's "Good-bye to Summer Party" had just
partaken in a rousing game of pool volleyball, boys
against girls.
"We would have creamed you," J.T. explained.
"if all the guys were here. Both Jimmy and Owen are gone."
Glory looked around. "Yeah. And hey, Callie's
gone, too."
Sydney rolled her green eyes. "Big deal. Wherever
Jimmy goes, Callie goes. And wherever Callie goes,
Jimmy goes. Obviously, they're together."
Glory looked concerned, as she often did when
the slightest thing was wrong. "They wouldn't just leave...
what if something happened to them?"
Just then, Callie and Jimmy came bursting in to
the pool area of the Swan Club.
"See Glory, they're fine." Sydney said, wearing
a smug look.
"J.T.!" Jimmy called. He ran up and put a hand
on J.T's shoulder. "Man, we've got to talk to you."
Callie nodded and turned to Glory and Sydney.
"Will you excuse us for just a minute?"
Glory and Sydney said okay and walked over towards
Mila Rosnovsky and Sandy Swan, two of their other friends.
"What's going on?" J.T. asked, noticing the
worried expressions on Jimmy and Callie's faces.
"No time to explain," Callie said hastily.
"Where's Neil?" Jimmy asked urgently as he and
Callie led J.T. by he arm.
"I don't know," he said. He looked around the
club. "Hey Neil!!" J.T. bellowed.
"Shhh!" Callie said. Neil appeared and trotted
up to the three casually.
"Yeah?" Neil asked. Callie grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey!" he cried in surprise.
"We can't explain, just hide!" Jimmy said.
Callie and Jimmy ushered J.T. and Neil into the pool
shed, just in the nick of time.
Barek walked through the gate and entered the
Swan Club, looking slightly out of place, wearing black
jeans and a black shirt, while everyone else was wearing
swimwear. Not to mention the fact that he was about
twenty years older than most of the guests.
Jimmy and Callie walked away from the pool shed,
trying their hardest to keep their composure. Jimmy had
his arm around Callie and the two wore phony smiles as
Barek approached them.
"Callie... young James?" he said as he came up
to the teens.
"Yeah?" Jimmy asked casually.
"You wouldn't happen to know where J.T. and Neil
are... would you?" Barek asked them. Callie nudged
Jimmy.
"No, sorry." he answered coolly.
"Why would we know where they are?" Callie
snapped defensively. Now it was Jimmy's turn to nudge
her. She quickly shut her mouth.
Barek threw up his hands in surrender. "Hey...
sorry! Just askin'." he said and walked away.
Jimmy and Callie exchanged wary glances and hoped
that no one would tell Barek that they had seen J.T. and
Neil.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Sydney walked over to the table where her mother,
Margaret Rutledge, the mayor of Swans Crossing, was
sitting.
"Mother?" Sydney's mom turned around, her face
obviously stained with tears.
"Sydney!" Mayor Rutledge exclaimed, quickly
wiping off her face.
"Mother! What's wrong?" Sydney asked, her voice
full of concern.
"Oh, nothing dear." she sniffed. "Just my, uh, my
allergies acting up,"
Sydney looked at her mom, her face twisted with
care and confusion.
"Honey... I'm going to go home. I just have,"
she paused. "A lot on my mind right now, and, well, I
need some rest." Mayor Rutledge said vaguely. Sydney
didn't really buy her mother's story, but since she was
her mother, she nodded slowly.
"OK... well, how will I get home?"
The mayor reached into her pocket book and handed
her daughter the keys to the Mercedes. "Go ahead and drive
home. I could use a walk anyway." she mumbled, and
strolled out of the country club.
Sydney furrowed her eyebrows together as she
stared after her mother. She fingered the car keys.
"Since when do I have my license?"
* * * *
"I can't believe that the party's almost over,"
Mila Rosnovsky said in a depressed tone of voice.
"I know," her boyfriend Garrett Booth said
monotonously.
Mila sighed. "There's really no way you're
going to be able to stay in Swans Crossing... is there?"
Garrett turned away. "I don't know. I'm trying
my hardest." he took Mila's hand and squeezed it. "We'll
always have the summer." he said wryly.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "But I want to spend
my first year at Swans Crossing High School with you."
Mila said, choking on her words. Garrett put his arm
around her.
She laughed pitifully. "Who am I supposed to go
with to the prom?"
He chuckled and lightly kissed her forehead. "Is
that all you care about?" he asked jokingly.
The couple teased each other some more, and the
problem was forgotten... for now.
* * * *
After asking the party guests where J.T. and
Neil were, and getting no straight answers, Barek decided
to give up for now, and he left the club.
Jimmy followed after him, to make sure that he
left. Sure enough he got on his motorcycle and headed
in the direction of the Tool n' Die.
"OK! He's gone!" Jimmy called out to Callie.
Quickly, in her usual level headed manner, Callie
grabbed two beach towels and opened the door to the pool
shed.
"Hey!" Neil exclaimed. "Would you mind telling
us what's going on?" He and J.T. wore very irritated
expressions.
Callie and Jimmy chose to ignore their displeasure.
Deftly, Callie draped the towels over their heads. "They
can hide at my house." She told Jimmy and he nodded in
agreement.
"But how are we going to get them there?" Jimmy
asked. J.T and Neil were acting surprisingly cooperative,
and did not complain at the towels being placed over
them. "We can't let them go on their bikes, someone
might see."
Callie tapped her finger against her cheek. "Hey!
Sydney's got a car," She began to search the area for
Sydney. "Granted, she doesn't drive, but maybe her mother
would drive us over to the docks."
Sydney walked by with Sandy, laughing about
something. "Sydney!" Callie yelled.
Sydney turned around. "What?"
Callie approached her. "Look, I can't explain
why, but could your mom give us a ride to my house?"
she motioned behind her to Jimmy and J.T. and Neil with
the towels on their heads.
"Well, my mother already left," Sydney started.
Callie's face fell. "But for some reason, she gave me
the keys." Sydney handed them over to Callie. "Will you
be careful?"
Callie nodded eagerly. "I promise. Thank you!"
she quickly hugged her friend and then tossed the keys
to Jimmy. She grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here!"
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Barek went back to the Tool n' Die and threw the
door open angrily. "Where are those kids?" he asked
himself. He tossed his jacket off and opened up a hidden
compartment in his motorcycle. Inside sat a miniature
walkie-talkie. He picked it up, and, after checking his
surroundings, pressed the button. "Hello?" he asked.
"Barek?" a voice on the device said, in a thick
Russian accent.
"I know who this "Professor Vann" is," he said
in a growl.
"Yes..." the voice said. "Two very young professors."
Barek rolled his eyes. "They're just these local
kids! We've spent an entire summer tracking two teenagers!
Do you know how much money this is going to cost the
party? I mean... how could two kids be involved in a
plot to bomb Russia?"
The other end of the device was silent. "Boss?"
Barek was losing his temper. "What?!"
"We still have orders from the party to arrest.
These kids, as young as they are, still are ordering
chemicals from our country, which in the hands of the
Americans, could be very dangerous."
Barek had to admit he had a point. "So go out
and find them!"
"Yes boss," the voice said. "Over."
Barek replaced the walkie-talkie and sighed.
What a waste his job could be.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
"Jimmy?" Callie said over the loud roar of the
wind. Jimmy and Callie were driving Sydney's red convertible
with the top down, and the wind was tossing her auburn
curls all over her face. Jimmy turned to look at her.
"Huh?" he asked, turning back to the road.
Callie glanced at the speedometer, which was nearing
60 miles per hour. She gripped the side of the leather
seat. "Could you please slow down?"
His mouth turned up in a smile. "So, I guess we
can add speed to your list of fears." He laughed, but
Callie failed to see the humor in it.
"I just don't want to get pulled over," she said
quietly. Noticing she was upset, he slowed down to around
35.
J.T. and Neil were hidden in the back, and they
were grumbling. "Are we there yet?"
Jimmy pulled the car into a parking spot and got
out of the car. "We're here," he replied, escorting
them out of the car. The four teens stood on the docks
which were located on the outskirts of Swans Crossing.
Callie took a deep breath of the warm, salty air. She
loved this smell, as she lived with it everyday of her
life. Instead of living in a normal house, she and her
hermit father Captain Elia Walker lived in a submarine.
Callie's father was a very prominent marine biologist,
and for most of Callie's life they traveled around the
world studying different species. However, now that Callie
was high school age, he decided to settle down and dock
for a little while in Swans Crossing, which was a harbor
town on the New England coast.
Jimmy pulled Callie aside. "Do you think that
your dad is going to be okay with this?" Jimmy had met
Callie's father on several different occasions, and
though he was perfectly nice, he was not used to being
around a lot of people, especially Callie's friends.
Callie shrugged. "I guess we'll have to find
out, won't we?" She hopped up onto the ladder and climbed
down the hatch.
"Dad?" Callie called. Her father, who had been
down below, came up on to the top deck.
"Hi..." his voice trailed off when he saw, Jimmy,
J.T. and Neil standing in his living room. Jimmy smiled
for good measure, and the Captain gave a half hearted
wave.
"What's going on Callie?" Captain Walker asked
under his breath.
Callie gave Jimmy a nervous glance. "Um, Dad.
This is really hard to explain, but J.T. and Neil are in
some trouble."
Captain Walker nodded. "OK, what does that have
to do with us?"
Callie shifted her weight from one foot to another.
"They need to stay here," she blurted.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine." he pulled his
daughter aside. "But not for too long,"
Callie beamed at her father. "Sure, no problem."
"And they have to stay out of the way," he added.
"Alright. Thank you!" she hugged her father.
She turned back to her friends. "Let me show you to your
room," Callie led J.T. and Neil down some stairs. "Are
you coming?" she asked Jimmy. He shook his head.
"I'll wait here," After Callie had taken them to
their room, Jimmy and the Captain stood in silence. "So,
uh, how's it goin'?" Jimmy asked, trying to make conversation.
Captain Walker shrugged. "Fine," he replied
shortly. Then, as fathers often do, he got a surge of
curiosity. "So, are you and my daughter... together?"
Jimmy blushed. "Way to make a guy feel
comfortable," he thought to himself. "Umm," he mumbled
nervously. Callie came back into the room, saving him
from further embarrassment.
"They're just settling in," she said with a
laugh. Jimmy nodded, and Captain Walker figured this
was his time to exit. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"
she asked him. Jimmy thought about it for a second, but
didn't really feel very comfortable around her father.
"Actually, I told my dad I'd come home after the
party. I'll take Sydney's car back and get my bike from
the Swan Club," he said. Callie felt a little disappointed,
but then he took her hand. "I'll call you?"
Callie smiled widely. "Great," she said softly.
He squeezed her hand and then headed up the ladder.
"Night Callie," he said.
She felt her heart flutter. "Night Jimmy,"
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
The air was growing cold, and clouds were settling
around the moon. Sydney shivered. All of the guests
had left, but she was stuck at the Swan Club, waiting for
Jimmy to return her car.
She thought back to the image of her mother crying
at the party. "Did this have anything to do with Garrett?"
she asked herself. Her mind drifted to the scene between
her and Garrett at the party earlier in the evening.
"That is if my plan fails to impress my father,"
Garrett said, when Sydney asked if he seriously was going
to announce to Swans Crossing his discovery that she was
switched at birth with Sandy Swan.
"You're a dreamer," Sydney said, stepping up to
him. Like Mila was really going to be discovered as a
rock star!
Garrett grabbed Sydney's arm and pulled on it.
"I'm your worst nightmare," he said. Just then the
mayor came up to them.
"What is this?" Mayor Rutledge said angrily.
Garrett and Sydney looked up at her.
"Mayor," Garrett addressed her.
"What is this?" she asked again. "Take your
hands off my daughter," she told him with a scowl.
"Gladly," he said, and walked away. Sydney
sensed her mother was upset.
"Mother don't worry, it's okay." Sydney said
trying to assure her mother.
"No it is not okay. It's just another sign that
everything is changing... for the worst."
The mayor's words echoed in her mind. "The worst,
the worst," She was so lost in thought that when Jimmy
tapped her on the shoulder she jumped.
"Here's the keys to your car," he said, handing
them over to her.
"Thanks," she said absently.
He thanked her and left the club. Sighing, Sydney
gathered her things. She walked out to the parking lot,
deciding it wouldn't be too big of a deal to drive home,
even though she had been behind the wheel only one other
time in her life. She put the key's in the door, and
unlocked it. As she was going to get in, she felt a hand
on her shoulder.
The parking lot was dimly lit, and she was alone,
so this too startled her. She let out a shriek and turned
around to face the person behind her.
"Garrett," she said angrily. "Nice of you to
sneak up on me. What are you still doing here?"
Garrett smirked at her. "We still have some
things to discuss."
Sydney sighed, frustrated. She pulled the keys
out of the door and leaned against the car. "What now!?"
Garrett lowered his eyes. "Look, I am beginning
to realize that this plan of mine might not work as well
as I had thought."
Sydney grinned smugly. "Well what took you so
long?" He ignored her question.
"I must admit that Mila isn't the best singer in
the world," he said sheepishly.
She scoffed. "What was your first clue?"
Once again he ignored her sarcastic comment.
"So that's where you come in," he said, giving her a
cocky smile. She grabbed her brown hair and tugged at
it in frustration.
"Well, hurry up. What do I need to do now?" she
asked in an furious tone.
"I want you to get a recording of Sandy singing,
and then you and I are going to dub it over Mila's music
video and send it to her some record producers. When they
see how great her voice is and how good looking she is,
they're sure to sign her, and then I, as her agent, will
get enough of the credit to impress my father." Garrett
smiled when he was through, obviously impressed with his
intricate plan.
Sydney, however, was stunned. Her jaw dropped.
"You want me to double cross one of my friends?" she
asked incredulously.
Garrett rolled his blue eyes. "Oh, come on Sydney!
Don't feed me that innocent friend baloney! You'd have
no problem double crossing Sandy if it was for your
benefit."
She thought about this. "But... it is. I mean,
if I do this for you, will you hand over that birth
certificate?"
"Maybe," he said with a laugh. She kicked the
car tire, enraged. Garrett loved the power he felt over
Sydney, but looking at her in the moonlight, he could
almost remember what he had seen in her when they used
to be in love.
"You," she said, her eyes gleaming with hatred.
"are the most egotistical, irritating, jerky..." Sydney
began, but was interrupted when Garrett grabbed her by
the shoulder and kissed her hard on the lips. She was
so stunned and blown away that the only thing running
through her mind was "I'm kissing someone I hate... and
I like it."
To be continued....
© 1997 Stephanie Blydenburgh
Note: If anyone has any questions, comments, ideas, or
constructive criticism for this installment of the Swans
Crossing novel please e-mail me at SLourdes@aol.com.
Thanks! :)
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