Not a Pretender, Part 11
Amy had woken, slowly, in the middle of the vents. Panicked, she tried to figure out what she should do. How long had she been asleep? Where was Jarod?
She backtracked to where she had left Jarod, but she didn't find what she expected. Actually, she didn't know what she had expected, but certainly not this: a man who at first glance looked younger than he was, and who was comfortable in the vents. He had a strange expression on his face. Startled, Amy began to back up, but the man put his finger to his lips and shook his head.
"Sister and friend in trouble. Must follow me." With that whispered comment he turned and scampered off. Amy hesitated, then decided she had nothing to lose and followed. Even though she had the advantage of small size, she had trouble keeping up with him. Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, she wondered who this man was.
Finally they reached a room, and stopped. To Amy it looked like a storage room. She looked to the man, then asked (still quietly), "Who are you?"
He put his hand on his chest. "Angelo." This was accompanied by a half smile. Pointing to her, he said, "Jarod friend. Jarod and sister in trouble."
She didn't know quite how to respond. He talked like he was retarded, but something inside her was saying that he could be a great help.
"What can we do?"
"Friend wait here." Before she could protest, he disappeared back into the vent.
It felt like forever before Angelo returned. Over and over Amy considered leaving, then reminded herself that this man, whoever he was, was her best hope. That thought didn't help much, though, because her patience was still running thin: she had heard the urgency in Jarod's voice and knew that time was short.
When Angelo returned, there was an urgency in his voice also. "Friend must come now, sister in trouble!" He immediately returned to the vents, forcing her to scramble to her feet to follow him. If she had thought she was having trouble before, now was clearly worse. Only sometimes could she see him--sometimes she could only hear him, just barely around a corner. One of those times she rounded the corner to find him at a full stop. She recovered before she ran into him, then nodded as he once again reminded her to be quiet. She wondered if this child-like man was playing a game and had no idea what was really going on.
-----
Jarod stopped his work with Janie when he heard the noise. Someone--was that Sydney?--was yelling angrily outside. Remember himself, he did his best to explain to Janie. She, in turn, looked to the vent, and was surprised to see eyes there.
Carefully avoiding changing her body language, she explained this to Jarod in a combination of guestures and isolated words. She looked back and saw that the grate was off. There was a man, motioning her to come, and indicating Jarod also.
As soon as Jarod understood, he quietly stood and moved to the vent, knowing Janie would follow. His suspicions were immediately confirmed: it was Angelo waiting for them. They climbed in and past Angelo, who proceeded to close the vent. As though that would fool Centre personnel. Then he looked forward and was relieved to see that Amy was there also.
--
Amy rounded the corner and saw Jarod. Immediately afterward, her gaze met that of her sister. She was excited to see her, but that almost immediately turned to shock as she took in her sister's appearance.
Janie had lost quite a bit of weight, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Amy could see a large bruise on her forehead which was in the process of turning a nasty shade of yellowish green. Worst of all, though, was that it seemed like some spark, some essential part of Janie was missing.
Jarod moved forward, blocking her view of Janie. "C'mon, Amy, let's get out of here," he said quietly. "Your sister will be okay... she just needs time." Amy nodded numbly and turned, moving as quickly as she could back the way she had come. Angelo soon took the lead and set his usual blistering pace. They were almost out!
--
I meet my sister's gaze, and wait for the burst of happiness to well up inside of me. It doesn't come. I feel hollow, empty; I can see in her her eyes that I look every bit as bad as I feel.
Jarod interrupts the eye contact and says something to my sister. Then he lets me pass and urges me forward. I understand the urgency and try to keep up, but I just can't do it. Jarod continues to herd me from behind, and somehow I keep moving. They could be coming, but I won't hear them!
This journey seems to continue forever. Finally, the man who has been leading us moves aside and Jarod takes the lead. I make eye contact with the stranger and he gives me a sympathetic look... no, it's more than that. I can see my emotions being mirrored back, and it's an uncanny feeling. I make a mental note to ask Jarod about him later.
We get to a series of metal ladders and begin to go up. I make the mistake of looking up--I can't see where they end. My pace is slowing and they are leaving me behind.
All of a sudden, Angelo is below me. He places my arms around his neck and begins to climb, letting me ride on his back. He lets me wet his shoulder with my tears, tears of sadness and pain, but most of all fear.
We stop, and Jarod gently removes me from Angelo's back. He says something to Angelo, and Angelo smiles. Then looks to me, pats my shoulder, and gives me a thumbs up. Somehow, that gesture has so much more meaning to me than any, "You're going to be alright," that I've ever heard from an adult. I watch him disappear, then look back.
We're at the exit, but Jarod is holding out a hand to warn us to wait. While we're waiting for the all clear, my sister and I exchange another glance, and I force myself to smile reassuringly.
Jarod takes my hand and we run across an open field, thankfully dark. It lights up just after we get to the beginning of the forest. Jarod picks me up and we run to the car, which is further back in the trees.
--
Jarod set Amy's sister down in the back seat, and Amy immediately climbed in the back as well. Janie leaned over, setting her head in Amy's lap, and Amy instinctively began to stroke her head the way her Mom always did. She was relieved to feel some of the tension leave her sister.
She looked up and saw Jarod watching her in the rear view mirror. "How are you doing?" he asked her, looking back to the road while awaiting a response.
"I'm fine," she responded. "It's just... what went wrong?"
"Something that I should have anticipated," he responded self-depricatingly. "A simple trap. They just pumped an anaesthetic into the vent. By the time I realized, it was too late." He paused. "I take it they didn't find you?"
She shook her head. "Good," he said, real relief in his voice. Amy looked down and saw that her sister had fallen asleep.
"What... what happened to my sister?" she finally got out through the lump in her throat. 'What did they do to my sweet, innocent sister?!?' she was screaming in her head.
Jarod shook his head, disgust on his face. For a moment, he couldn't respond though his anger. Finally, he managed, "Things that should never, ever be done to anyone." There was a deep bitterness in his voice.
"But... will she be okay?"
Jarod nodded. "More or less. You can help her by being there when she needs you."
Amy nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She wiped a tear off her face with her free hand before it fell on her sister, then looked out the window. She was glad to see the darkness being broken by the coming dawn.
-----
When I wake, I don't want to open my eyes. Was it all a dream? The bed feels too comfortable. Maybe I'm still dreaming.
Finally, I open my eyes. The first thing I see is the bright sunshine streaming in through the window. Instantly I know this isn't a dream. For a moment I bask in the warmth of the sunshine. Finally, I sit up and look around.
The room has two beds. The other is empty, but clearly it has been occupied, based on the disarray of the sheets. I stand and make my way out of the room, into the hallway that follows. Clearly I'm in a house, but it's not one that I've ever been in. Maybe Jarod's?
I reach the end of the hallway and turn to the right, following the light. There is a door open on the left, and as I look in I can see a large open room with glass doors that lead to a big backyard. In the room, my mom and dad, sister and Jarod are all seated around the table, laughing about something. I smile, relieved to see that they are all okay.
Jarod notices me first and gives me a reassuring smile. I take another step in, and my dad sees me. "Janie!" I can see him yell, and a moment later I am mobbed by three very happy and very relieved people. I can can't hear them, but I can see and feel their love and that is plenty at this moment.
When the group hug is over, everyone is talking and I look to Jarod to translate. He shakes his head, then nods toward Amy. When I look to her, she has a brilliant smile on her face, and she immediately begins to sign to me.
After a moment, I have a question. "Hey, how did you learn so fast???"
"You've been asleep for a whole day, sillyhead!" She has created her own sign for the last sign, but I catch on immediately.
"Oh, right, and that's plenty of time," I respond aloud.
"Look who's talking, Miss 'I Got Kidnapped So I Could Catch a Genius.'" (Okay, not exactly like that, but I get the point.) At that I catch my breath, the smile disappearing from my face.
At this Jarod intervenes. Kneeling down so that he's at eye level, he signs, "You're going to be okay... They will never find you again." I smile as bravely as I can and he pats me on my back. Then he stops signing.
"How do you like your new house?"
"My new..." I stop as I realize I just read his lips... well, that and his body language.
Jarod grins. "I thought you might hav ea talent for that."
My sister taps my shoulder. When I look, she says, "He just wants to take credit. It was my idea."
But I'm stuck on something else. "Wait... my... OUR... new house?" I see my parents nodding.
Jarod catches my attention. "And you start first grade in a few days." He smiles mischieviously.
"But... I'm not old enough..." I'm feeling very out of place, like an episode of the twilight zone where everything is not quite right.
Jarod explains. "I fudged a bit when I made your new birth certificate." His grin got bigger. "On the up side, your 6th birthday is tomorrow!"
I shake my head. "I'm going back to bed... I must be delirious or something..." I say this with a smile on my face, and I'm clearly doing no such thing. Everything is going to be just fine.
Author's Note: Yay, I finished! Okay, now I need some help.. I'd love to hear what y'all think, but I also would like to know what you think specifically about the ending. Personally I hate endings and I have the worst trouble trying to come up with one that I like... I still don't know what I think about this one... So comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Amy had woken, slowly, in the middle of the vents. Panicked, she tried to figure out what she should do. How long had she been asleep? Where was Jarod?
She backtracked to where she had left Jarod, but she didn't find what she expected. Actually, she didn't know what she had expected, but certainly not this: a man who at first glance looked younger than he was, and who was comfortable in the vents. He had a strange expression on his face. Startled, Amy began to back up, but the man put his finger to his lips and shook his head.
"Sister and friend in trouble. Must follow me." With that whispered comment he turned and scampered off. Amy hesitated, then decided she had nothing to lose and followed. Even though she had the advantage of small size, she had trouble keeping up with him. Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, she wondered who this man was.
Finally they reached a room, and stopped. To Amy it looked like a storage room. She looked to the man, then asked (still quietly), "Who are you?"
He put his hand on his chest. "Angelo." This was accompanied by a half smile. Pointing to her, he said, "Jarod friend. Jarod and sister in trouble."
She didn't know quite how to respond. He talked like he was retarded, but something inside her was saying that he could be a great help.
"What can we do?"
"Friend wait here." Before she could protest, he disappeared back into the vent.
It felt like forever before Angelo returned. Over and over Amy considered leaving, then reminded herself that this man, whoever he was, was her best hope. That thought didn't help much, though, because her patience was still running thin: she had heard the urgency in Jarod's voice and knew that time was short.
When Angelo returned, there was an urgency in his voice also. "Friend must come now, sister in trouble!" He immediately returned to the vents, forcing her to scramble to her feet to follow him. If she had thought she was having trouble before, now was clearly worse. Only sometimes could she see him--sometimes she could only hear him, just barely around a corner. One of those times she rounded the corner to find him at a full stop. She recovered before she ran into him, then nodded as he once again reminded her to be quiet. She wondered if this child-like man was playing a game and had no idea what was really going on.
-----
Jarod stopped his work with Janie when he heard the noise. Someone--was that Sydney?--was yelling angrily outside. Remember himself, he did his best to explain to Janie. She, in turn, looked to the vent, and was surprised to see eyes there.
Carefully avoiding changing her body language, she explained this to Jarod in a combination of guestures and isolated words. She looked back and saw that the grate was off. There was a man, motioning her to come, and indicating Jarod also.
As soon as Jarod understood, he quietly stood and moved to the vent, knowing Janie would follow. His suspicions were immediately confirmed: it was Angelo waiting for them. They climbed in and past Angelo, who proceeded to close the vent. As though that would fool Centre personnel. Then he looked forward and was relieved to see that Amy was there also.
--
Amy rounded the corner and saw Jarod. Immediately afterward, her gaze met that of her sister. She was excited to see her, but that almost immediately turned to shock as she took in her sister's appearance.
Janie had lost quite a bit of weight, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Amy could see a large bruise on her forehead which was in the process of turning a nasty shade of yellowish green. Worst of all, though, was that it seemed like some spark, some essential part of Janie was missing.
Jarod moved forward, blocking her view of Janie. "C'mon, Amy, let's get out of here," he said quietly. "Your sister will be okay... she just needs time." Amy nodded numbly and turned, moving as quickly as she could back the way she had come. Angelo soon took the lead and set his usual blistering pace. They were almost out!
--
I meet my sister's gaze, and wait for the burst of happiness to well up inside of me. It doesn't come. I feel hollow, empty; I can see in her her eyes that I look every bit as bad as I feel.
Jarod interrupts the eye contact and says something to my sister. Then he lets me pass and urges me forward. I understand the urgency and try to keep up, but I just can't do it. Jarod continues to herd me from behind, and somehow I keep moving. They could be coming, but I won't hear them!
This journey seems to continue forever. Finally, the man who has been leading us moves aside and Jarod takes the lead. I make eye contact with the stranger and he gives me a sympathetic look... no, it's more than that. I can see my emotions being mirrored back, and it's an uncanny feeling. I make a mental note to ask Jarod about him later.
We get to a series of metal ladders and begin to go up. I make the mistake of looking up--I can't see where they end. My pace is slowing and they are leaving me behind.
All of a sudden, Angelo is below me. He places my arms around his neck and begins to climb, letting me ride on his back. He lets me wet his shoulder with my tears, tears of sadness and pain, but most of all fear.
We stop, and Jarod gently removes me from Angelo's back. He says something to Angelo, and Angelo smiles. Then looks to me, pats my shoulder, and gives me a thumbs up. Somehow, that gesture has so much more meaning to me than any, "You're going to be alright," that I've ever heard from an adult. I watch him disappear, then look back.
We're at the exit, but Jarod is holding out a hand to warn us to wait. While we're waiting for the all clear, my sister and I exchange another glance, and I force myself to smile reassuringly.
Jarod takes my hand and we run across an open field, thankfully dark. It lights up just after we get to the beginning of the forest. Jarod picks me up and we run to the car, which is further back in the trees.
--
Jarod set Amy's sister down in the back seat, and Amy immediately climbed in the back as well. Janie leaned over, setting her head in Amy's lap, and Amy instinctively began to stroke her head the way her Mom always did. She was relieved to feel some of the tension leave her sister.
She looked up and saw Jarod watching her in the rear view mirror. "How are you doing?" he asked her, looking back to the road while awaiting a response.
"I'm fine," she responded. "It's just... what went wrong?"
"Something that I should have anticipated," he responded self-depricatingly. "A simple trap. They just pumped an anaesthetic into the vent. By the time I realized, it was too late." He paused. "I take it they didn't find you?"
She shook her head. "Good," he said, real relief in his voice. Amy looked down and saw that her sister had fallen asleep.
"What... what happened to my sister?" she finally got out through the lump in her throat. 'What did they do to my sweet, innocent sister?!?' she was screaming in her head.
Jarod shook his head, disgust on his face. For a moment, he couldn't respond though his anger. Finally, he managed, "Things that should never, ever be done to anyone." There was a deep bitterness in his voice.
"But... will she be okay?"
Jarod nodded. "More or less. You can help her by being there when she needs you."
Amy nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She wiped a tear off her face with her free hand before it fell on her sister, then looked out the window. She was glad to see the darkness being broken by the coming dawn.
-----
When I wake, I don't want to open my eyes. Was it all a dream? The bed feels too comfortable. Maybe I'm still dreaming.
Finally, I open my eyes. The first thing I see is the bright sunshine streaming in through the window. Instantly I know this isn't a dream. For a moment I bask in the warmth of the sunshine. Finally, I sit up and look around.
The room has two beds. The other is empty, but clearly it has been occupied, based on the disarray of the sheets. I stand and make my way out of the room, into the hallway that follows. Clearly I'm in a house, but it's not one that I've ever been in. Maybe Jarod's?
I reach the end of the hallway and turn to the right, following the light. There is a door open on the left, and as I look in I can see a large open room with glass doors that lead to a big backyard. In the room, my mom and dad, sister and Jarod are all seated around the table, laughing about something. I smile, relieved to see that they are all okay.
Jarod notices me first and gives me a reassuring smile. I take another step in, and my dad sees me. "Janie!" I can see him yell, and a moment later I am mobbed by three very happy and very relieved people. I can can't hear them, but I can see and feel their love and that is plenty at this moment.
When the group hug is over, everyone is talking and I look to Jarod to translate. He shakes his head, then nods toward Amy. When I look to her, she has a brilliant smile on her face, and she immediately begins to sign to me.
After a moment, I have a question. "Hey, how did you learn so fast???"
"You've been asleep for a whole day, sillyhead!" She has created her own sign for the last sign, but I catch on immediately.
"Oh, right, and that's plenty of time," I respond aloud.
"Look who's talking, Miss 'I Got Kidnapped So I Could Catch a Genius.'" (Okay, not exactly like that, but I get the point.) At that I catch my breath, the smile disappearing from my face.
At this Jarod intervenes. Kneeling down so that he's at eye level, he signs, "You're going to be okay... They will never find you again." I smile as bravely as I can and he pats me on my back. Then he stops signing.
"How do you like your new house?"
"My new..." I stop as I realize I just read his lips... well, that and his body language.
Jarod grins. "I thought you might hav ea talent for that."
My sister taps my shoulder. When I look, she says, "He just wants to take credit. It was my idea."
But I'm stuck on something else. "Wait... my... OUR... new house?" I see my parents nodding.
Jarod catches my attention. "And you start first grade in a few days." He smiles mischieviously.
"But... I'm not old enough..." I'm feeling very out of place, like an episode of the twilight zone where everything is not quite right.
Jarod explains. "I fudged a bit when I made your new birth certificate." His grin got bigger. "On the up side, your 6th birthday is tomorrow!"
I shake my head. "I'm going back to bed... I must be delirious or something..." I say this with a smile on my face, and I'm clearly doing no such thing. Everything is going to be just fine.
Author's Note: Yay, I finished! Okay, now I need some help.. I'd love to hear what y'all think, but I also would like to know what you think specifically about the ending. Personally I hate endings and I have the worst trouble trying to come up with one that I like... I still don't know what I think about this one... So comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!