Ella`s Story
My Love From The Future
BOOK TWO

Chapter 2 : Bait

Episode 13 : September 3rd 2019 Tuesday 9th grade

Copyright © 2019-2025 Gary Brandt. All rights reserved.

The department store hums with Saturday afternoon bustle, racks of clothes bright under fluorescent lights, the air thick with the scent of new fabric and perfume.

Eileen weaves through the aisles, her arms full of jeans and sweaters for Helana, who’s still adjusting to her new, human-sized wardrobe.

A sudden chill stops her mid-step—she spots Helana near the jewelry counter, chatting with a man whose smile is too sharp, his posture too close. “Mom!” Eileen hisses, darting to Mrs.

Danvers, who’s flipping through a sale rack.

“Call for backup!” “What?” Mrs.

Danvers, in her off-duty police jacket, snaps to attention.

“What’s going on?” “Helana’s talking to some creepy guy,” Eileen says, her voice low and urgent.

“I think she’s in danger.” “Where is she? Who’s she with?” Mrs.

Danvers demands, already moving toward the jewelry section. “Wait, there’s more,” Eileen says, grabbing her arm.

“When we parked, Helana saw a girl in a car—sad, scared, with some sketchy guy.

Helana followed him in here.

With her broken English, he probably thinks she’s an easy target.

He’s offering to buy her jewelry, maybe to lure her.

I think he wants to abduct her.” “That’s not happening,” Mrs.

Danvers says, her voice steel.

“I’m calling it in and alerting security.

Let’s find her.

We need to talk.” They weave through shoppers, the store’s upbeat music jarring against their urgency.

At the jewelry counter, Helana stands alone, her face flushed, clutching a silver bracelet.

The man, in his forties with a slick grin, hurries away as Mrs.

Danvers approaches, her badge glinting. “Helana, sweetie, what are you doing?” Mrs.

Danvers asks, her tone a mix of relief and reprimand. “Helping.

Girl.

Make—world—better—place,” Helana says, her English halting, each word deliberate. “We all want to make the world better,” Mrs.

Danvers says, softening but firm.

“But you can’t do it like this.

You used yourself as bait—that’s incredibly dangerous.

You should’ve come to me or called 911.

Don’t *ever* do that again.” “I’m sorry,” Helana says, tears welling as she grabs Eileen’s hand.

“So sorry.” “Mom, you’re scaring her!” Eileen protests. “She scared me first,” Mrs.

Danvers says, her voice trembling.

“You don’t understand the danger.

A girl like you—beautiful, trusting—can vanish in seconds, found dead weeks later.” Helana’s tears spill, and Eileen squeezes her hand.

Mrs.

Danvers exhales, her shoulders slumping.

“From now on, I need to see you both in the store.

No wandering off.

We’re done shopping.

Grab your things, and let’s go home.” --- That evening, the Danvers’ kitchen glows with the warm light of a single lamp, the scent of leftover coffee lingering.

Mrs.

Danvers sits at the table, her hands wrapped around a mug, her face drawn as she speaks to her husband. “Something weird happened with the girls today,” she says, her voice low. Mr. Danvers looks up from his laptop, concern creasing his brow.

“What? Are they acting out?” “We were shopping,” she begins.

“Eileen runs over, panicked, saying Helana was following a creepy guy because she thought he’d abducted a girl in the parking lot.

Helana used herself as bait to get his attention.

She had no idea how dangerous that was.” “Did you catch him?” he asks. “Yes, but that’s not the weird part,” she says, leaning forward.

“Helana can barely form a sentence in English, yet Eileen knew exactly what she was doing, in detail.

There’s no way Eileen could’ve known that without a conversation Helana can’t have.” Mr. Danvers shrugs, a faint smile.

“Those girls communicate beyond words.

Eileen probably read her body language.” “No,” Mrs.

Danvers says, shaking her head.

“I’m not buying that.

What if Eileen saw the girl in the car and put Helana up to it? But here’s the kicker: we parked in section C, the guy was in F.

No way they saw them from that distance.

Store footage shows he was inside before we arrived—they couldn’t have seen him drive up.

Something’s off.” “Do they know the girl from school?” he asks.

“Maybe they’d heard about her situation.” “No, she’s not local,” Mrs.

Danvers says.

“Turns out, she’s his daughter, but he doesn’t have custody, so it’s kidnapping.

The man’s intellectually disabled—he thought he was finding a friend for her to cheer her up.

Helana might’ve gone with him willingly to help, not grasping the risk.

We need to watch them closely.

They can’t roam town unsupervised.” Mr. Danvers leans back, thoughtful.

“I’m glad she’s safe.

But the girls won’t like supervision—they’ve had freedom, within limits, for a year.

Rolling that back will be tough.” “That’s it?” Mrs.

Danvers snaps, her voice rising.

“You’re worried about their feelings when they could’ve been killed? You’re unbelievable!” “Let’s not fight,” he says, raising a hand.

“I’m worried sick—haven’t slept well since this ‘save the world’ mindset took hold.

But grounding them like six-year-olds won’t work with teens.

Since that Navy program, they act more like Marines than high schoolers.

Let’s talk calmly, find solutions to keep them safe.” “Fine,” she says, her voice tight.

“But freaking out’s hard to avoid.

They know things they shouldn’t—impossible things, like the boy on the mountain, now this girl.

I’m sorry, I’m scared.

What’s happening to our girls?” “I know,” he says gently.

“You won’t like this, but hear me out.

You hate my UFO and conspiracy groups, think it’s nonsense—most is.

But they’re right about one thing: this generation’s different.

Many kids are psychic, far more than we were.

The only logical explanation for what you’ve seen is that our girls are psychic, especially Helana.

They sense things we can’t.

What else explains it?” Mrs.

Danvers shakes her head, eyes glistening.

“There’s got to be another answer.

Maybe they’re communicating through social media, Snapchat, something.” “Let’s get them flip phones—voice only,” he suggests.

“Smartphones might be the issue, too complex for kids.” “Good luck,” she says, a bitter laugh.

“Remember when your dad took your beeper? Didn’t slow you down, did it?” --- Monday morning, the high school campus buzzes with students, the air crisp with early fall.

Ella, Roxana, Eileen, and Helana stride in, their new outfits—jeans, graphic tees, no middle school uniforms—boosting their confidence.

Their mood shifts as three boys saunter over, led by Jimmy Sterling, his smirk dripping with disdain. “Ew, the Navy girls,” Jimmy sneers.

“No boats here to sail.

And they brought their retard friend.

Hey, retard, you wanna—” His taunt cuts off as he stumbles, face-planting into the dirt. “Whoa!” another boy laughs.

“Jimmy ate it right in front of the new girl!” Ella locks eyes with Helana, thinking, *Did you trip him?* *Nope,* Helana thinks back, a mischievous glint in her mind’s voice.

*I made the stupid prick bow.* *Helana, be careful,* Ella cautions.

*Your emotions can reveal you.

That’s dangerous.* *Okay, I’ll be good,* Helana says.

*But I’m done with their crap.

I’m hating boys more each day.* “Not all are bad,” Eileen says aloud, grinning.

“But Jimmy’s the worst.

I’m down to face-plant him again.” “Let’s get to class before more drama,” Roxana says, ushering them forward. Jimmy spits out grass, blinking back tears, as a voice calls from behind.

“Don’t sweat those idiots—they’re harmless.

If you need anything, we’ve got your back.” The girls turn to see three senior boys, led by Bobby Miller, his easy smile aimed at Helana. “Oh my gosh!” Eileen squeals as they walk on.

“That was Bobby Miller—total hottie—and he was staring at Helana.” “Interesting,” Helana says, her tone analytical.

“He was checking us out, claiming territory, like we’re his now.” “So cool,” Eileen says, dreamy-eyed. “So *not* cool,” Ella snaps.

“We’re nobody’s property, even if they’re cute.” “Definitely not,” Helana says, then giggles.

“But he’s cute.

He’ll be in college when I can date, so I’ll add him to my prospects list.” --- After school, Mr. Danvers pulls into a pizza parlor’s lot, the neon sign casting a warm glow.

“Why are we stopping?” Eileen asks from the backseat, where she sits with Helana, Ella, and Roxana. “Your mom’s not feeling well,” he says.

“I’m grabbing pizza so she doesn’t have to cook.

Also, we need to talk.

Your mom’s freaking out—about the boy on the mountain, the guy in the store.

You’re showing your new abilities around the one person who can’t handle it.

Be more careful, more discreet.” “Okay, Dad,” Eileen says, smirking.

“We’ll be discreet—once I look up what that means.” At home, the girls burst in, pizza boxes in hand.

“Mom, we got pizza!” Eileen calls, heading upstairs.

“We’ll be doing homework.” Mrs.

Danvers, in the kitchen, pauses, her face pale.

“Girls, turn around and look at me for a second.” “Sure, Mom, what’s up?” Eileen says, turning with Helana. Mrs.

Danvers’ breath catches.

“Nothing.

Just wanted to see your pretty faces before bed.” “Goodnight, Mom,” they say in unison, disappearing upstairs. Mrs.

Danvers sinks to the living room floor, tears streaming.

Mr. Danvers kneels beside her.

“What’s wrong, honey? Are you okay?” “I don’t know how to handle this,” she sobs.

“I don’t know who Eileen is anymore—or Helana, Ella, Roxana.

What’s happened to them?” “What do you mean?” he asks, his voice gentle. “I asked them to look at me,” she says, trembling.

“But I didn’t say it out loud—I thought it.

They heard me.

I’m afraid, honey.

I’m afraid of our own kids.” --- In her room, Ella opens her diary, the weight of the day pressing on her heart.

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NEXT >> Chapter 14
No More Fairy Tales

Ella convinces her skeptical mother to let three other girls with telepathic abilities stay at their house, claiming it's due to family emergencies and a Navy program, while the girls secretly struggle to control their expanding psychic powers that are overwhelming them with unwanted thoughts from others. When one girl's mother has a breakdown from witnessing their abilities, Commander Beaker suggests using `white lies` and psychological manipulation to help the traumatized woman retreat into a more comfortable reality that doesn't include the supernatural.

<< PREVIOUS Chapter 12
12

Ella becomes intensely possessive of Helana, a mysterious girl who looks like her twin, insisting her family adopt Helana instead of letting her stay with Eileen's family who are currently fostering her. As Helana struggles to learn English at their new high school, she secretly takes her three friends—Ella, Eileen, and Roxana—to a spiritual `night school` where they meet her parents and begin learning otherworldly knowledge they'll remember upon waking.

FIRST Chapter 0 Sleep Over

Thirteen-year-old Ella and her best friends Eileen and Roxana encounter an interdimensional being named Helana during a sleepover, who appears as different benevolent figures to each girl and reveals glimpses of their legendary futures. When Helana tries to leave after accidentally revealing herself and disrupting their timelines, Ella cleverly traps the entity by claiming authority over her domain, forcing Helana to stay as their `genie in a bottle` despite her pleas to return home.