Call and Answer
If you call I will answer
and if you fall I will pick you up
and if you court this disaster I'll point you home
I'll point you home
Emily:
As soon as I could walk, I was out of there. I felt a bit
bad, knowing both Jarod and Dad would worry about me. Jarod was helping
Ethan. Dad was taking care of the boy. We would find Mom together.
That only left one order of unfinished business, as far as I was concerned.
Lyle. That son of a bitch had killed Kyle, pushed me out a window, and
I was sure as hell not going to just let it go. Jarod may not have
killed him, because it was "wrong", but I'm past the point of caring about
right and wrong anymore. That bastard is gonna pay. I am going
to cause him pain, in more ways then he has ever imagined.
Two Months Later:
Blonde hair dye, contacts, and skin toner can change someone
remarkably. I changed the outward appearance and got a job at the
Centre as a…well, they gave it some long fancy name, but basically, I was
to help Lyle and the other three on the hunt for Jarod.
As the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened and I got off. Quickly I made my way to my new office, which was about half way between Lyle and Miss Parker's. I was about twenty minutes early so I got aquatinted to my new surroundings. By the time I had arranged everything to my liking and had gone to the bathroom, it was time to meet the boss. This unnerved me, I was terrified Lyle would recognize me. Deciding to face the music, I made my way down the hall, took a deep breath, and knocked on Lyle's office door.
"Come in," Lyle's voice, even muffled by the door, sent shivers through me. I entered and he looked to see who it was. "Ah, you must be Faith Turner, our newest addition on the hunt for Jarod. I assume you have been briefed on what you will be doing?"
"Yes sir," I had to work to keep the hate out of my tone.
"Okay, why don't you go down and meet the others," he said, sitting back down behind his desk. As I was about to leave, he spoke up again, "Hey, you look kind of familiar. Have we met?"
I paused, panicking, "No, we've never met."
He gave me a strange look, but left it at that and nodded. As I left, I could still feel his eyes on me and once in the hall and out of his sight I shivered. He had been staring at me in a, I don't know, leering way the whole time I was in there. Good, the first part of my plan was working. He found me attractive, and that would be somewhat crucial to what I had planned.
Lyle:
As soon as she came in I gasped internally. She was beautiful.
Not the type I usually went for, but I can't deny my immediate attraction
to her. Even more than that, as much as I hate to admit it, she intimidated
me. She seemed so cool and calm. Most people are almost quivering
in fear when the meet me, but not her. I usually enjoy the looks
of fear, but I was surprised to find myself smiling at the small smirk
she had on her face, as if we shared some private joke.
But still, I couldn't help but feel as if we had met before. In fact, she reminded me a bit of… nah. Couldn't be. Emily is somewhere with Jarod, probably gloating over their victory over me.
Emily:
It's been a few weeks that I've been here, helping them search for my brother. I've seen Lyle several times since that first day, and every day I find him more attractive. 'No,' I tell myself, 'you are not falling for him.' But that's the problem. I am falling for him. When I look at him, I don't see my brother's killer. I see a man, a beautiful man, who was thrown into this whole shitty way of life, just like the rest of us.
Then there's the whole part where he thinks I'm a psyche major.
Which, by the way, I'm not. Yeah, I took a few psychology classes
in college, but nothing extensive. I just put that in my resume because
it made me look good. But, he doesn't know that. A few days
after I started, he approached me about the idea of me counseling him.
Deep down, he doesn't like the life he's living and he wants to change.
That's what we established in the first session. Since then we've
been slowly working the way through his life, facing the demons, finding
the specific events that have made him the monster he is now. And
as eager as he seems to change, there is still a part of me that is terrified
it's an act.