The Quest for Skye: Chapter 28

Recap: Things got crazy last time, guys. Morgan sneaked past The Locked Door to find out that Doctor Leontiou is alive (and possibly dressing up as an old lady in a wheelchair), but he and Malinda somehow both got Super Batten from their experiments. They found a treatment for Batten but all their scientists died in the explosion and all their research was saved on their network so Markus' wife's hacking destroyed that, so nobody can make any more Batten medicine because nobody knows how. It is all ridiculous.

Morgan’s gaze shifted to another room.

There is ANOTHER ROOM behind The Locked Door. Looks like it was keeping the Hamiltons out of like half the clinic.

Morgan goes in. It's another bedroom, with a child-sized desk, so, um... Skye's room? Why does Skye have a bedroom behind The Locked Door? What's wrong with the one in her mansion? Is this where she was sleeping before the Hamiltons showed up?

A bunch of paintings of the pictures Mrs. Scott took on Skye's cruise trip are all over the walls, while another wall just has paintings of Jesus. Morgan confirms that Skye painted them all.

“If you examine them closely, you’ll discover Skye’s initials somewhere on every one.”

What a truly novel idea, to initial your artwork. Skye must have thought of that one all on her own.

In one painting, the initials are in Jesus' eye, because Jesus always has his eye on Skye. Sigh. Why?

Anyway.

Morgan asks why so many pictures of Jesus. Doctor L. L. says he asked Skye the same thing, and she'd always respond, "Oh, because He walks with me and talks with me." Doctor L. L. then casually announces he's a Christian now, and Morgan gets all excited. So then we get the conversion story:

“Much has occurred since then. I never really thought about religion, or really cared, for that matter. It just wasn’t important to me. One day I sat down with Skye, and came right out and asked her about it. Can you believe that an adult asked a ten-old-girl why she believes the way she does? Anyhow, she just said, ‘Father, I wish you could understand. I see a train coming down the track towards millions of people— how can I not warn them that it’s headed directly toward them?’” Unashamedly, tears fell from Skye’s father’s eyes. “Yes, I’m a believer. Skye was thrilled when we prayed together.”

I don't get it.

What changed his mind?

Skye's been praying and painting Jesus for years, and now, suddenly, he asks her this out of the blue. He doesn't bother to explain whether he'd been thinking about it for awhile, or whether her answer somehow startled him into realizing he needed to believe, or anything.

This conversion story is disturbing because it has nothing to do with Jesus. It is ALL about Skye. He goes on to gush about how loving she is and how she tells everybody about Jesus, but the emphasis is ALL on her.

God apparently has absolutely nothing to do with any of it. While the Bible would teach you the Holy Spirit convicts people, J. L. Rothdiener knows the real truth: Skye convicts people. With her bouncy hair and her cute nine-year-old ways.

UGH.

Morgan asks how much time Doctor L. L. has left, and he says, “Days... Maybe only hours.”

Well, DANG. It's a good thing Morgan broke into The Locked Door when he did, because Doctor L. L. might be dead by the end of the day.

OK, and now things start getting more confusing:

“Dr. Hamilton, Skye is dying too! Once that occurs, who knows what will happen? We’re simply buying time.”

I still have no idea why Skye is so freaking important to anyone. I mean, yes, she has superpowers, but I don't think we're supposed to think she has superpowers. So let's see if Doctor L. L. will explain why Skye is so important.

“I had hoped to extend my daughter’s life, and at the same time, save my country.” 

Morgan continued gazing at the pictures Skye had painted. “Your country could collapse economically anyway.”  

“True, but at least we will have tried.”  

“Sad! Does Skye realize the role she has to play in all this?”

WAIT WHAT?

*I* don't realize the role Skye has to play in all this, how come Morgan does?

Literally the only thing I can think of that makes Skye a player in this at all is that she was the first one getting the new Batten drugs, so I guess if they ever figure out how to make the new drugs again they'll need a new guinea pig if she's dead. Which is morbid but that's ALL SHE HAS TO DO WITH THIS SO FAR.

This is excruciatingly frustrating. I wish Rothdiener would stop re-explaining things we know already ("GASP, the bracelets monitor the girls' vitals?!") and start explaining what the CRAP is going on with all these conspiracy theories and how the HECK Skye fits into it all.

Tammy suddenly shows up in the room, followed by an apologizing guard. I guess she got tired of waiting in the storage room -- it's not like the Hamiltons are known for their patience or anything -- and just wandered in.

And then we have like a page and a half of this:

“If everyone lived like Skye, the world would be a much better place.”

This chapter has already established Skye is better than God, so can we move past this?

Doctor L. L. then shows them a picture of Skye and her parents chilling with Jesus in heaven. She painted it before she went on the cruise, but in the picture she's wearing the outfit Tammy bought for her, so Doctor L. L. has decided it's a prophecy that means she'll be dead soon and they'll all be in heaven together by the end of the year.

Morgan stepped closer to the wheelchair-bound man. “Skye has been a godsend to us. She has showed us that there are more important things in life than our problems.”

"Which is why I have spent the last several days helping take care of children instead of wandering around a beach, spying on people, sneaking past locked doors, and taunting reporters. CLEARLY I HAVE LEARNED MY LESSON."

However, the Hamiltons quickly reveal they don't really care about anyone but Skye, because after this long speech about giving selflessly to improve others, Morgan says they'll stay at the clinic until Skye dies, but there's no guarantee they'll stick around after that. Doctor L. L. tries to point out that there are other girls here, not just Skye, but Morgan says it'd probably be too emotional for them to stick around.

“I’m still at a loss knowing why you think we’re properly qualified for this. You’re able to obtain the greatest minds in the world to work for you.” 

“You can add much more than anyone else, because you will add heart.”

"I can tell you have heart because you wrote a paper about why we should care about rare childhood diseases. And then only talk about that at the conferences I spontaneously ask you to speak at."

“I’m sorry,” Tammy said. “But heart is something we’re lacking these days. We’re mad at life, and at God, for not allowing us to have a baby.”

Well, that's... honest.

Doctor L. L.'s response is along the lines of, "Well, I'M losing a kid, and I'M not mad at God," which apparently shames the Hamiltons into silence.

Skye and Lance show up in the room, and suddenly Doctor L. L. starts breathing heavily and asks for a moment to say goodbye to Skye, because apparently he's going to conveniently die right now after explaining everything to the Hamiltons. Well, everything except why the heck Skye matters to the Greek economy.

The chapter ends with:

Morgan knew that those left in the Leontiou family needed time alone. Now that everything was public, they no longer had to meet in hiding. 

If all goes well, the next morning the papers will be signed, and Skye will be officially adopted by the Hamiltons. Everything Layland owns will be transferred to Skye and her new mom and dad.

Which begs the question, once more: Why all the secrecy? If they were waiting to transfer Doctor L. L.'s possessions over to the Hamiltons before they told the world they were dying/dead, then why didn't they TELL the Hamiltons what was going on? What were they waiting for? Were they just waiting for them accept the clinic first? Did they think they'd be less likely to accept if they knew the truth?

NOTHING ANYBODY DOES MAKES ANY SENSE

But on the bright side, I did a calculation the other day and we only have 11 chapters left after this one. Three more months of Skye and we'll have finished.

(Chapter 29.)