Online Mystery

Academy or Not?

July 4, 2004

Today is the day the Academy heads are formally being introduced to one Owen Blackbourne.  Phil was having flashbacks to that night 6 months ago.  He had sought out Harvey Simons the day after he saw that lost little boy shedding a single tear for his mother's death.  "Harvey, where is the boy from last night?"

"I placed him with a team."

"What?  Why wouldn't you have put him in the system with social services?  Or try to find extended family?  Where is his father?  It was only his mother that came in."  Phil's mind was rushing with unanswered questions.

"The father is the reason for his mother's death.  But we do not know where he escaped to.  And we asked him about Aunts and Uncles but were met with silence.  I told him we would place him with a family but he was adamant he wanted to be alone.  I couldn't, in all good conscience, leave him alone at only 9 years old, but I was willing to compromise by placing him with a team of teens."

Phil raised his eyebrow at his friend, "You placed him with teenagers?"

"I thought he could use a few people close to his own age at a time like this."  Harvey shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with his decision.

"I want monthly reports on his mental healing and I expect him to be formally introduced in six months."  There was just something about this boy that nagged at Phil.

Now the day had come, he would either join the Academy officially or they would have to relinquish him to the State.  Phil looked around at the other heads and waited for Cecilia to begin the proceedings.

"Welcome.  Today we are here to discuss a possible new initiate.  Owen Blackbourne.  Edward, what do we know about him?"

Edward, the oldest on the council began reading his reports.  "Owen Blackbourne, age nine, no siblings, mother is deceased, father is missing.  He has been introduced to the Academy by being placed on the Carter team."

Cecilia asked, "And how has he coped with the loss of his mother?"

Phil spoke up, "His mental health reports show he has accepted and moved on from the incident, but my intuition tells me otherwise."

"And why is that?"  Cecilia was curious now that someone so young could fool a psychologist into giving the all clear.

"Harvey Simons told me that Owen witnessed his father beat his mother to death.  And then his father was not held accountable, because he disappeared.  And according to these reports from the psychologist," Phil shuffled through the papers until he found the report he was looking for, "it says, Owen has successfully cleared all psychological assessments.  And that was ONLY two months after his mother's death."  Phil oozed scepticism.  "The team he was placed with says he spends the greater part of the day reading college textbooks, listening to talk radio and watching CNN.  How many 9 year olds do you know that function like that?"

Edward voiced his concerns, "What do you suggest Phil?  Remove him from his team and interrogate him until he cracks?  Everyone deals with grief at a different rate and in different ways.  I see no fault with the psychologist's report.  After all, he is the one who spent an hour a day with Owen for two months straight.  How much time have you spent with him, Phil?"

"None."  Phil narrowed his eyes at the Eldest council member.  "He was already matched with the Carter team before I had a chance to talk with him."

Cecilia intervened before this became a spitting contest.  "We have the information given to us and we will now meet this young one."  Cecilia looked to the door where a guard stood watch.  "Please bring in Owen Blackbourne, alone."

Marcy, another council head, gasped.  "Alone?  We always meet potential initiates with the team that brought them in."

Cecilia frowned at Marcy.  "The Carter team did not bring Owen in.  He came on his own."  She motioned to the guard and waited in silence for Owen to enter.  With grace and poise, a very dapper looking young man walked to the center of our semicircle.  His hands clasped behind his back, not a hair out of place, a dark grey suit on with a powerful red tie.  This one commanded respect without uttering a word.

Phil took in a gasp as he studied the stoic boy.  'It couldn't be!'  Phil's thoughts screamed at him.  'But it is!'  At this moment Phil knew what he needed to do, but how can he convince the others that Owen and Sean should be teammates together?  Never before, in the history of the Academy, have two nine year old boys been their own team.  It was unheard of.

"State your name for the record." Cecilia demanded.

"Owen Blackbourne, ma'am."

"Welcome, Owen.  You have had a taste of the Academy, our organization, have you not?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And knowing what you know, do you wish to join?"

"I believe I do, ma'am.  But I would prefer to acquire more information, if my request may be granted."

Edward chuckled, "We do not give more information until you have joined.  What you know should be sufficient for your needs."

Owen's lip twitched as he thought through his options.  Trey had already told him that today he had a choice.  Join them, or go into the system.  It was Owen's harsh reality.  He didn't necessarily want to spend the next nine years of his life with this particular group of teenagers.  "Might I ask one question?"

Cecilia motioned to give Owen the floor.  "Go ahead."

"If I join, would I have to stay with my current team forever?"  Owen's piercing grey eyes bore into Cecilia, looking for any hint of falsehood in her response.

"No.  Overtime, if this team does not suit your needs, we will help you find one that does."

Owen squared his shoulders and spoke with a clear voice.  "Then, given the information I have, I make my formal request to join the Academy at this time."

Phil quickly asked, "Are you happy, Owen, with your current team?"  The look Phil was giving Owen was one of hope and promise.  This confused Owen.

"They will do."

"That's not what I asked.  I asked if you were happy.  Our first rule is family first.  Your team is your family.  How can you put them first if you are not happy with them?"

Cecilia didn't like where Phil was going with this and stopped the discussion before they lost this talented young man.  "He said they will do.  Until we hear otherwise, we are not to destroy the bonds he is making with his current team.  That will be all."  She dismissed everyone.  "Oh, and Owen, welcome to the Academy."

Phil went back to the hospital, teeth grinding heavily.  How was he to get this future team together when he can't tell the others about him seeing into the future?  They would strip him of his council position and possibly take him off of the hospital staff, thinking he is losing his mind.

Phil went straight to his office, hung up his suit coat, put on his white doctor's coat and went to find Sean.  He was where he always was, studying in his closet size room.  "Good afternoon, Sean.  Are you not taking the day off?  It is the 4th of July, after all."

"No.  My parents feel that eating barbecue and watching fireworks is a waste of my time when I could be learning the names of all 206 bones in the body."

"Want to shadow me on rounds today?"

Sean's face broke into a radiant smile, "Yes, please."

"Be in my office in," Phil looked at his watch, "10 minutes."  Sean nodded and began putting all of his supplies away.  Phil went back to his office to see another glimpse at the future Facebook site.  Because back in February, some students from Harvard launched their first ever, Facebook site.

Even though he now has high speed internet, Phil still likes to use his dial-up.  He doesn't get glimpses of this future Facebook site with high speed, only with the old school dial-up.  Phil chuckles at his own thoughts.  'Old school!  I guess that is what I am.'  The latest glimpse doesn't have Sean in the picture.  Instead it is a picture of five boys.  The caption below reads, "Sean and Owen have their hands full with these five."