Canada, 2000
"Jelly Bean, come and get you lunch!" came the call of Malissa O'Connor to her daughter who was busily throwing a ball for the family German shepard, Omega. The fifteen year old girl turned auburn hair blowing in the the light breeze and behind her and Omega trotted up with the ball in his mouth and then dropped the ball at the girl's feet. The girl's hand went to the top of the dog's head and gently scratched behind his ear and a contented look cross the dog's features.
"Coming." Juliet O'Connor called back to her mother and then looked down at her faithful canine companion and smiled. "Come on Omega." she commanded in a gentle voice and she walked across the yard to the porch of the small bungalow. Her most recent of homes. Ever since she was seven Juliet had known a life of constant moving, when she was young all she knew was that bad men were looking for them. Someone she had known as Morrison.
Now Juliet knew that what she had known as a little girl was only a tiny part of the equation. Before any of this had happened she never suspected that there was anything different about her family. Her mother knew things she was doing, but to Juliet as a child she believed all mothers knew what their children did or were going to do. Even if they were not close, even if they were kilometers apart. But when her mother had made them first move she started to realize that they were not normal. That other people could not do what she did.
Her mother knew things that happened or were going to happen. Juliet knew people's thoughts and feelings. Which over the years helped her and her mother when they were on the run. She had learned as she got older that her mother's estranged sister, Adele, had handed information over about the psychic abilities of her sister Malissa and her daughter Juliet. All the young girl knew about her aunt was that she blamed her sister for the failure of her marriage.
Malissa had told her older sister that her husband was cheating in her with a younger woman, her aunt had not wanted to believe it, and the next day she found what Malissa had said to be true. Ever since then Adele had broke contact from her sister and blamed her and her psychic powers for the destruction of her marriage. And somehow turning all information about her sister's special abilities and that of her daughter's as well.
As a result the Morrison Center had been pursuing them constantly, wanting to conduct some tests and ask some questions was what they had said. But Malissa was no fool, she saw what "tests" they wanted to preform on her and her daughter and ever since they had run. At first Malissa had thought that they would just find a new place and it would need. But eventually the Morrison Foundation would find them.
Over the eight years they had moved twelve times or was it thirteen? Juliet could hardly remember. About a year ago her mother bought Omega as a form of protection when the last time the men from the Morrison Center had come after them with weapons.
"It's your favorite." Malissa said to her daughter and a smile crossed Juliet's lips. Omega pranced around her expecting, he wanted food, he could smell the hot meal that sat on the table.
"Grilled cheese." Juliet said and pushed the snout of her dog away from the plate and she picked up half of the sandwich and bite into it. Malissa sat in the chair next to her daughter holding a glass of iced tea.
"Say what you need to say mom..." Juliet said and she looked to her mother. She knew the look could hear her mother trying to block her thoughts from her. But she already knew what it was, her mother had seen a vision of what was to come and it was not a good thing for them.
"Jelly Bean..." Malissa murmured lowly.
"Mom... we just moved here." Juliet said. In the middle of no where, east coast, in Cape Breton. A place they had never been and where no one knew them. How could they have been found so quickly. It had been barely weeks. Before they knew they would be have for at least a couple months before they would leave enough of a trace for them to follow and find them.
"Yes I know honey... but you know why we do it. It will be a few days before I can figure out where we go next and figure out the details. But it will be a good place, not like Yellowknife, I promise." Malissa said trying to lighten the mood, she knew all this moving and changing names and lives was hard on her daughter, but she did what she had too to keep her child safe from the hands of those monsters.
"Where too next mom?" Juliet asked as she took another bite of her grilled cheese. Omega was resting his head on her lap and she gently pet his head and fed him the crust of her sandwich to the German shepard.
"Maybe Quebec... could improve your french." Malissa said and Juliet managed a smile and picked up the other half of the grilled cheese and bit into it.
Two days later
Juliet rushed into her home, he heart beating rapidly in her chest. They had come to her school, why now? They were suppose to leave for their next home that night. Did they know that? How could they know... that is was bothered the young girl. She was lucky she spotted the men first, they had been waiting out the front doors of school when class got out. They had a photo and were posing as police officers, but she had heard their thoughts knew who really had sent them.
"Mom! Mom! We got to go now!" she cried into the house and she looked up. Something was not right, and she didn't need to have her mothers abilities to know that. Omega wasn't running to the door. And Juliet saw a large figure in the kitchen in the light she knew it was a man and recognized him from her school. He had been one of the one's waiting for her.
"Juliet run!" Came her mother voice from the deeper part of the house and then barking of her beloved dog. Juliet didn't need to be told twice. Her mother had taught her from the first time they moved that when she was told to run, that she would run before asking why.
The teenage girl turned on her heels and bolted from the house, her adrenaline was pumping through her veins and she heard the voice becoming more distant with every step she took. Then there was a loud bang and it took a moment for Juliet to realize that it was a gunshot. Then there was the loud whining cried of a dog, an injured dog. And then another bang and the sound ended. Then came the shrill cry of her mother and then another bang, and then there was no more.
Canada, 2007
Juliet sighed as pulled the apron from her waist, quickly taking the cash and change from the pockets. She had made a lot in tips. Which was good news for her, she had money to pay the rent now. She had been in Ottawa a couple weeks, her apartment was better than what she had had in her last location. People thought Toronto was a great city to live in, but really she found it to be rather awful.
People in Toronto were much rougher than those in other places, it was also tougher to find someone to forge papers for her. Here is Ottawa it was easy, all she had to do was pretend to still be nineteen and that she was a run away and youth services would help her "recreate" documentation. Yes she felt bad that she had to lie to so many times to so many people but ever since she was seven it had been part of her life.
"Jessie!" came the call of her boss. Jessie Murdock was her name this time, in this city. Brushing her long auburn hair back she breathed in deeply and nodded across the now empty dining room. She was working at a small bistro restaurant in the heart of downtown Ottawa, and it was not too far from her apartment. The perfect job for her.
"Yes, yes I know." Juliet called back and picked up the last tub of dishes she was helping to clean up. She went to the kitchen and dumped it on the counter and her boss walked up to her.
"Go home Jessie." she said and smiled at her fondly, Jessie looked to him. She really like this job, this home, this city. It was a place she wished she could stay, she could make this home. But she feared that one day she would be ripped away again. All because of the Morrison Center.
"I'm almost done James... I promise." she said and started to take the dishes out but James came and too the dish tub from her.
"No I insist you worked a double shift, you need some rest. You work too much." James said and then pushed her gently to the door. Juliet smiled and grabbed her jacket as she put the money she made that night into her pocket.
"Fine fine. I will see you all tomorrow!" she called and then head out the back door, the streets even at night had people wandering. Seeing the night lights from the Parliament building in the distant skyline she smiled and headed off to her apartment, content in that moment. That she could pretend that this was her life and she would be in this city forever.