Read The Return for Free Online Page B

on?”
    Then without wasting another minute, Tim ran toward Luke and grabbed him in a hug. Luke embraced his friend.
    â€œI missed you, Tim.”
    â€œYou’re okay!” Tim cried out. “Luke, where have you been, what is going on? Please somebody tell me what’s happening?”
    Rusty put his arms around both boys.
    â€œTim,” he said softly. “I’ll explain everything, but you better sit down first.”
    Just outside the cabin, someone was watching.
    After school, Nina had followed Tim into the tunnel, staying just far enough behind so he wouldn’t see her. She couldn’t believe her eyes when Luke began to climb down a ladder just a few feet in front of her, so she retreated further into the tunnel to avoid being spotted.
    Observing from around a turn in the catacombs, she saw Tim collapse and wanted so desperately to run to his aid. But she couldn’t move.
    Within a few moments, several others had climbed down into the tunnel, picked him up, and carried him up the ladder. She waited a bit before climbing out herself and discovered she was in a room of some kind. The others were not there. She lifted herself out and after looking at a few of the pictures around the room, realized where she was—Rusty’s cabin.
    She quickly went to the window, opened it, and climbed outside. Then she quietly ran around the house until she spotted them through a slightly open bedroom window on the side. Hiding behind a tall bush, she strained to hear what was going on.
    Inside, Rusty began his story. He explained how as young children, Tim, Max, Emily, and others were abducted from the planet Earth and brought to Indus. Taking the children was part of a planetary experiment to save their civilization after problems arose in their own species’ ability to have their own children. Even though most were still able to have children for now, a virus had caused a mutation that meant the problem was expected to become critical for future generations. If all went according to the plan, the Earth children would be able to seamlessly integrate into their society, marry others native to the planet, and have their own children. If no problems occurred, and after some close study, the experiment would be deemed successful—and the order would be issued for many more children to be taken from Earth and integrated in order to save Indus from eventual extinction.
    â€œBut your families on Earth never gave up searching for you,” Rusty explained. “They want you all to come home.”
    As he listened, Tim sincerely wished he could pass out again.
    â€œMax and Emily are from Earth, too?” he asked softly. “What about Luke, Isabelle, Anthony, Eva?”
    â€œYes, all except for Luke,” Rusty replied. “Luke was born here on Indus. But his brother Aiden was an orphan—born on Earth and brought here to live with us. Aiden did not handle the transition to our planet well. He got very sick and so he had to be returned. But the authorities would not allow it. So we had to find another way.”
    Luke placed a hand on Tim’s shoulder.
    â€œMy mom from Indus is alive,” Luke said. “She never died, neither did my brother. She brought him back to Earth with her, and that’s where they are now. I’ve seen them.”
    Rusty went on to explain how they had to keep it a secret from everyone—except their close friends, Tim’s parents, Isabelle and Emily’s parents, and Max’s parents.
    â€œWe were all very close friends, and we all felt the choices made by the authorities might have been a mistake. We talked about it a lot.”
    â€œMy parents know about this?” Tim yelled.
    â€œYes, but they have not always felt returning you was the best idea,” Rusty said. “It’s been a long road. The other parents of the Earth kids know as well. In the end, they all grew to love you as their own and realized what the