Cooperation (Chapter 9, Story 1)

"What is that, Kella?" Michelle asked. "I don't know. Nothing, probably," Kella replied. The letter was very short and appeared to have been typed on a typewriter. The ink was smudged in places, as if water had been spilled on it. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones, it read, We are pleased to inform you that Project Roman is progressing as planned. We appreciate your cooperation. The signature at the bottom was so blurry that Kella couldn't read it. "Kella, can I have that envelope?" April asked. "Sure," Kella said, handing it over to her sister. She wondered why such a short, simple letter had been put in such a bright envelope. It wasn't as if there was any urgent information inside. Kella also wondered why the letter was thanking her parents for cooperating with the Scottsdale Research Institute. Kella's father had hated the Institute, saying that the ugly gray building brought down property values and they were throwing away his precious tax dollars on worthless tinkering. Karen always glared at him whenever he said anything about the Institute, and usually made some snide remark about James wishing he were smart enough to work at the Institute. Kella's father always winced when Karen said things like that.