Ella`s Story
My Love From The Future
BOOK TWO

Chapter 5 : Love at First Sight

Episode 16 : September 14th 2019 Saturday 14th birthday 9th grade

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

The October sun bathes Ella's backyard in a warm glow, the air filled with the scent of grilled burgers and freshly cut grass. Streamers flutter from the patio, and a folding table groans under chips, soda, and cupcakes. Ella's mom darts around, adjusting balloons, her face flushed with effort.

"Mom, slow down," Ella says, trailing her with a stack of paper plates. "You're gonna collapse."

"I'm just getting everything set," her mom says, straightening a tablecloth. "Guests are coming, including that Navy lady."

"I know," Ella says, rolling her eyes. "But this isn't a Quinceañera or Sweet 16. We're only 14—not a huge deal."

"You girls *are* a big deal," her mom insists, pausing to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "You'd be surprised how many people in town love you. You're practically famous. I want this to be perfect."

"Perfect for you, you mean," Ella says, half-teasing, half-serious. "Nobody cares if a napkin's crooked. And just as many people hate us as love us—trust me."

Her mom sighs, deflating. "Fine, I'll calm down. Help me set out the food. We'll bring the cake later—I don't want the dogs knocking it over."

Helana leans in, her voice a whisper. "Sisters, turn off your telepathy, like I showed you. Parties get loud in your head—people's thoughts turn mushy, and it can make you sick."

The party hums to life as guests arrive: neighbors, a few classmates, and family friends. Some linger, chatting over snacks; others drop off gifts and leave. A rental car pulls up, and a woman in her early sixties steps out, her silver hair catching the sunlight. She introduces herself as Melanie Crenshaw, her smile wide and warm. Melanie crosses the yard, enveloping the girls in hugs and kisses. "I've wanted to meet you in person!" she exclaims. "You're as gorgeous as I imagined."

"I thought you were their instructor?" Ella's mom says, frowning.

"I was," Melanie says smoothly, "but only via video. This is my first time seeing their faces up close, giving them hugs."

The doorbell rings, and Ella's mom hurries to answer it. She returns with a single red rose in a vase, her expression puzzled.

"Someone sent a flower?" Eileen asks. "Just one?"

"It's for Helana," her mom says, holding up a note. "From a Bobby—Bobby Miller, I think."

The girls freeze, their faces paling, eyes wide as if they've seen a ghost.

"Do you know him?" Ella's mom asks. "He seems old for you."

"Mom, read the note!" Ella urges, her voice tight.

"It's addressed to Helana," her mom says. "You should read it privately, in case it's personal."

"No, it's okay," Helana says, her voice soft, her English now flawless. "Read it, please."

Ella's mom clears her throat and reads aloud:

Helana stares, her eyes welling with tears. Without a word, she bolts, sprinting upstairs and slamming her bedroom door. Eileen and Roxana follow, their footsteps quick.

"Wow," Ella's mom says, stunned. "Is she happy or mad? I can't tell."

"Mom, Helana's not ready for romance," Ella says, her voice heavy. "We've watched a million rom-coms, so it's no big deal for us. But this hit her like a truck. She's reacting on instinct, no filter."

"You're right," her mom says, wincing. "I didn't think. I'll talk to her."

After persistent knocking, the girls let Ella and her mom into the guest room. Helana sits on the bed, clutching Roxana's hand, her face streaked with tears.

"Honey, I'm sorry this hit you so hard," Ella's mom says, sitting beside her. "Do you know this boy?"

"She doesn't," Eileen says. "She's seen him, likes him. I think her heart's pierced too."

"I don't know how to handle this," Helana says, her voice breaking. "It hurts so much. I want to run to his house, hug him, kiss him, stop him from leaving. Liking him from afar was okay, but knowing he likes me back—it's too much. Does it always hurt like this?"

"It's complicated," Ella's mom says gently. "Matters of the heart are intense, often painful, especially at your age. First, if you love him, let him go. Don't block a man's path—you'll lose. Second, don't chase him. I've seen friends do that and end up struggling, their dreams lost."

"Mom, don't diss those women," Ella says, frowning.

"No disrespect," her mom says. "But getting involved too young can steal your future. My advice: don't wait for him. He won't wait for you. You'll meet others who make you feel this way. Someday, if you're married and see him, smile, say hi, and keep walking. Don't risk a good life for a high school crush."

She looks at all the girls, her voice firm. "Listen carefully—this is crucial. The most important decision you'll make is choosing your children's father. When a man takes your breath away, it's easy to forget that. Don't."

Helana nods, still tearful. "Thank you, but it doesn't help."

"Good thing I didn't get that rose," Eileen says, smirking. "I'd be chasing him right now."

"No, you wouldn't," Ella says, grinning. "I'd tackle you first."

"Let's get back to the party," Ella's mom says. "Roxana's mom is handling guests alone. Helana, cheer up. Something magical happened today—cherish it, even if it hurts."

"I'll stay here," Helana says quietly. "I'm not feeling festive."

As the party winds down, the girls, their parents, Commander Beaker, and Melanie gather in a small Navy office downtown, the room stark with fluorescent lights and metal chairs. The adults sip coffee, while the girls fidget, the day's emotions lingering.

"What's ONI?" Mr. Danvers asks, leaning forward.

"Office of Naval Intelligence," Beaker says. "ONI runs an intern program for college graduates in administration, computer science, engineering, IT, and intelligence. There's a high school extension, offering college credit. Melanie's an instructor and wants the girls in Saturday classes."

"Saturday?" Eileen groans. "No way."

"Hold on," Mr. Danvers says. "Let's hear them out."

"Those skills sound like spy training," Mrs. Danvers says, her voice sharp. "I'm not comfortable with that."

"It may seem that way," Melanie says, "but not for high schoolers. There's no military obligation. These skills benefit any career, serving the national interest. Your girls score off the charts on Navy assessments—intelligence, achievement. They're exceptional. We want to nurture that, invest in our country's future."

"You make it sound like they'll save the world," Roxana's mom says, half-joking.

"They, and kids like them, might have to," Beaker says. "Our generation's made a mess of things."

Ella cuts in, her tone skeptical. "You're overselling this. How many Saturdays? Morning, afternoon, or all day? Just us or other students? Where's it held? And is there pizza?"

Melanie laughs. "Six weeks, here at the high school, just you four for now. Two hours morning, two afternoon, pizza in between. We might finish early."

"I'm into engineering, IT," Ella says. "But my sisters aren't. What's for them?"

"No need to specialize yet," Melanie says. "We teach fundamental skills—applicable to science, social studies, politics, even religion. There's something for everyone."

"Fundamental skills?" Roxana asks, wary. "Like math? I hate math."

"Not algebra or geometry," Melanie says. "New assessment methods, almost like math, but fun."

"We'll discuss it with the girls," Ella's mom says.

"I'm in," Ella says. "Saturday TV's boring, and movies don't start till seven. Free pizza's a win. But it's up to my sisters."

"If Ella goes, I'm going," Helana says.

"I'll go if my girls are," Eileen says. "But I want wings with my pizza."

"Now I'm feeling left out," Roxana says, pouting. "I'll go, but I want fried zucchini, breadsticks, onion rings."

"Let's rent the pizza parlor's conference room instead," Beaker says, chuckling.

Late that night, Ella sits at her desk, the house quiet, moonlight spilling through her window. She opens her diary, her heart heavy with worry for Helana.

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NEXT >> Chapter 17
Saturday School

Four teenage girls with psychic abilities are recruited by a government program, but when Helana reveals that their remote viewing techniques are flawed because they're using spiritual powers adversarially rather than cooperatively, it becomes clear the girls possess far greater abilities than anticipated. During a training exercise at a mall, an armed attacker targets the group, forcing the girls to use their powers defensively while one of them, Eileen, kills the assailant—an incident that reveals they've been under secret government protection and raises questions about whether the attack was coincidental or orchestrated.

<< PREVIOUS Chapter 15
15

Four teenage girls experience a shared dream where they travel to a mystical beach called the Ocean of Infinity, learning how consciousness can manifest reality while celebrating their 14th birthday party with ancestors, spirit guides, and future descendants. The next day, mysterious packages arrive from a remote viewer who had visited their dream, confirming the supernatural experience was real.

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.