Rings of Truth
A "Pretender" Fan Fiction
By MissKate
Chapter 3:
Miss Parker jumped into her car, desperate to get away everything. From the place that had always caused her so much pain, from the memory of her father that did the same. The lies and conspiracies were becoming too much and now nothing could make them escape her mind. In the seat next to her rested the folder decorated with pictures of her sister, reminding her that she could not do anything drastic. Somehow, Miss Parker sensed that she was out there, needing her, and she was not about to do anything to jeopardize that.
After hastily pulling into the driveway, Miss Parker gathered her few things from the car and walked inside, ready to pour herself a cold drink and let her problems slip away. She stepped through the front door and carefully put the folder down on the coffee table. Staring at it for only a moment, she hurriedly walked away to her bedroom to take a shower, anxious to wash the Centre and its secrets from her body.
When she reemerged, she seemed more at ease as if the shower had actually done its purpose, but once she saw the folder again, her thoughts came rushing back. She walked over to the couch, picking up the file in the process, and began to finger its contents. "How could he have hid this from me?" she asked herself, just as the telephone rang.
"What?" Her tone was hard and uneasy, much like its usual quality.
"Really, Miss Parker. This bitterness thing is not flattering for you," the other voice said.
"What am I supposed to do, Jarod?" she said settinging the folder on her lap as she leaned back and let her head fall back upon the soft pillow.
"You tell me."
With heavy thoughts and longing in her voice, Miss Parker continued. "Something in me is saying to help her, but I don't know how to listen.
"I know."
Miss Parker sighed. "Of course you do. You always know. You always know everything, don't you, Jarod?"
"You could say that."
"So is this what you meant about truth?" she asked, her eyes focused on the ceiling.
"It's part of it." Jarod's voice changed with his next comment, and the woman could tell that he was up to something still. "So I understand your father is missing now."
Sitting up quickly, Miss Parker listened intently to her old friend. "What do you know? Tell me, dammit."
"You know that I'm not one to tell secrets," Jarod said before ending the conversation with a click that sent Miss Parker wanting to wring his neck.
Angry and frustrated, she rose from the couch and walked into her alcohol-stocked kitchen. Grabbing a glass, she quickly poured an amber liquid, drinking it in haste, before refilling it and ambling away. She pressed her hand to her head as the fluid wrapped her mind and eased her heart's pain.
Miss Parker knew that she could not hate Jarod for leaving her in such mystery. He had helped her so much already throughout her life and she knew that she could count on him to show her the way when the time was right. He always came through when she needed it most and, somehow, she knew that he would this time too.
Secrets…Secrets and lies had dominated her entire life to the point where she no longer knew who she could trust. Jarod resulted in always being the only one who was ever honest with her, holding back when it was necessary. He was there at the sound of the shots that sent her life into a tailspin, and even when she began to search for the truth. As kids, he broke the rules to comfort her, and as adults, he risked his life to do the same. There had never been anyone in Miss Parker's life that would do so much for her with so little in return and without much thought to his own well-being.
Walking back over to the couch where her conversation with Jarod had taken place, Miss Parker sat down, her eyes focused on the folder that beckoned her touch. Carefully, she picked it up and stared at the words on its surface. Her eyes closed, wondering how it would be to have someone following her every move, and then remembered that she did not have to. The Centre did follow her and she was sure of it. It haunted her, whether physically or mentally, and she knew that until its demise, she would never be able to feel privacy again.
The doorbell rang and she set her glass and the folder down on the coffee table to answer it, though her mind remained preoccupied. Casually, her hand twisted the chilled doorknob and pulled the wooden barrier towards her, revealing the being on the other side. Her shock overwhelmed her, and even once her mind had reconnected with her sight, she continued to stand with her wide, dazed eyes to the visitor while theirs rested on her.
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Chapter 4 is almost done!! Please review while you wait!
*misskate*