Disclaimer: I created the character named Sarah, but everybody else, including the Centre, belongs to TNT, NBC, MTM, etc. No infringement intended, and I'm not getting anything out of this except for the fun. Enjoy!

Let There Be A Light
Part 8/9
By Tchabu

***

Sydney sat in his office the next morning, trying to think of a course of action. It was 10:00 am, and Sarah hadn't been seen for over fourteen hours. Without warning, the harsh ringing of his cell phone cut through the silence, startling him, so he picked it up.

"Hello, Sydney," Jarod said.

"Jarod, thank God! Please tell me she's with you!"

The slightly panicked note in his friend's voice unsettled him and put an ill sensation in the pit of his stomach. "What are you talking about?"

The older man's face fell, along with his hopes. He steeled himself for Jarod's reaction to the coming news. He tried to break it as gently as possible, but knew it wouldn't help. "Jarod, we can't find your sister. The grounds have been searched thoroughly and she has completely disappeared. But I'm worried because Sarah left this note." Sydney then read the pillowcase note he'd found. The other end was totally silent for a few moments, and the psychiatrist thought he'd hung up. "Jarod?"

He heard the younger man slowly let out a long breath as if he'd been holding it. "A suicide note?"

"I'm afraid so."

"How long has she been missing?" His voice was tight with sorrow, fear, and rage at what they'd done to his little sister. Sydney knew that it was terribly difficult for Jarod to remain in control of himself. He'd lost one sibling already, but to lose another, to suicide, would be a crushing blow.

"She hasn't been seen since last night at 8:00. The surveillance system has been tampered with, so we have no idea when she left her room."

Jarod swallowed hard, his mind racing. By now, Sarah could very well have carried out with it. She could be lying somewhere… Stop it, he ordered himself. Getting hysterical would not help anything.

Sydney continued to speak, as much to fill the silence as to give information. "As you know, she was being medicated for depression. I thought she was responding well to the piano, but then the…incident… with Lyle occurred. Since then she's been kept sedated and in a straight jacket."

"My little sister has been drugged and kept in restraints for nearly a week?!?" This time, the fury was apparent in his voice.

"Mr. Parker would not listen to reason. Actually, the Triumvirate is quite curious as to how she escaped her restraints." This comment was met with a muttered remark about Mr. Parker and the Triumvirate doing something obscene and physically impossible. Sydney let it slide. "The last time I saw her, Sarah was huddled into the farthest corner of her bed with her eyes shut and her knees pulled up to her chin. She was whispering 'Let there be light,' or something to that effect."

Jarod smiled a sad little smile. "'Let there be a light by which to guide my feet.' Sarah decided that God must be real, and that otherwise, there would be no point to life," he explained. "That is how Sarah always prayed. Prays," he corrected himself. As hopeless as the situation might have seemed, Jarod was not going to put his sister in the past tense yet. He just wasn't ready to give up.

***

The sky was a flat gray, and the fog was oppressive and thick, but freedom felt wonderful. Sarah sat on the bench with Angelo, waiting for a bus. Despite how good it felt to be out of the Centre once more, she couldn't help but miss her brother. Trying to keep her mind off of that subject, she asked Angelo where they were going. In response, he fished around in his backpack and came up with a blue and red object, which he handed to her. It was a Spiderman Pez dispenser that she knew right away to be Jarod's. As they waited for their ride, Sarah remembered the day her brother had introduced her to Pez.

"This is my favorite candy, he'd said, showing her how to load up the dispenser and eat the candy. She could see his smile as clearly as if he were standing directly in front of her. A single tear slid down her cheek.

Angelo, sensing her pain, put his arm around her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Sarah smiled at him and said, "I'm fine, Angelo. I just can't get used to the idea of Jarod being gone." Her friend smiled secretively and patted her shoulder. Just then, the bus arrived, so they climbed into it and took their seats.

***

Sarah was glad to have the thick coat Angelo had given her, but felt sort of bad that he'd taken it from Miss Parker. She knew she could trust her. Still, it was early November, and the air was already extremely cold. They had gotten off of the bus after a five-hour ride, and now were walking along a nearly deserted highway. Finally, a huge semi-truck came to a stop on the shoulder and the driver swung the door open. Angelo climbed into the cab without hesitation, so Sarah followed.

"I can take you as far as White City," the trucker said, flashing a toothy grin. Sarah liked him. He had green eyes and short, graying hair. He was probably in his mid-fifties, and seemed to be a happy guy. "My name's Lou."

"I'm Anne, and this is Michael," she said. They were the first names that came to mind and she wasn't about to give their real ones. They couldn't risk going back to the Centre.

"Pleased to meetcha," Lou said, and launched into a tale about the biggest fish he'd ever caught. Sarah settled back and listened to the stories and jokes.

***

Jarod sat in front of the fireplace, holding Sarah's tiny golden cross in one hand and a framed copy of the photo he'd sent to Miss Parker in the other. Three days. Three long days of searching for clues, and there wasn't a trace of her anywhere. Maybe it's time I faced the facts, he thought. After all this time, and knowing what her state of mind was…

He mentally yelled at himself for his fatalistic attitude. He couldn't stop hoping yet. He turned his attention to the picture in his hand. He thought of how happy Sarah had been. That was the day she'd had her first ice cream cone. It was a big vanilla one that she'd wanted to make last, but kept dripping down her fingers. He smiled for a moment, remembering Sarah hurriedly catching the dribbles and trying to keep up.

Jarod adored his younger sister. He would have done anything for her, and he loved to see her eyes light up whenever she discovered anything about the world. And he was so proud of her! Anytime he came to her with a problem about one of his Pretends, she could quickly work through it and come up with the correct answer. Even after watching all of the DSA's, he hadn't seen a sim she couldn't get through, or one that she'd asked for Refuge from. Come to think of it, working under Raines most likely didn't include the option of Refuge.

Jarod glanced at the clock and realized how late it was. The Pretender prepared for bed, knowing that staying awake and worrying all night would do no good. He decided to get up early and continue his search from his computer. There was still time.