Chapter 3 - Things are changing - Part I.

Noone could be seen. Lyle opened the shower cabin and looked in the bathtub. But to the biggest disappointment to Lyle there was no man in -or without- underpants. And there was no Jarod to the biggest surprise to Miss Parker. She smiled to herself but didn't let it show before him.

"You never believe me. It's your biggest problem. Without trusting eachother we couldn't get on with eachother." She said trying to sound angry.

"Who wants to get on with you? You didn't even want to invite me to a drink in your house!"

"How shall I tell you that I'm dead-tired?!"

"God, you're worse than anyone I know!" She set his nerves on the edge like she always did.

"I must be really very bad then." She said mockingly.

"You don't have any friends, do you. So don't make fun of me."

"It's you who tries to make a fun of everyone. But God, how can a man be so curious?! I told you there was nobody."

"Oh, I hate you so much. The best day in my life will be when I get to know that I'll never see you again." He let out a sigh as if it could take away his anger. But it couldn't.

"Then wait for that. Bye. Or are you going to sleep at me just to see wheather that day is today?"

With that he rushed out. His head was red from the nervousness.

They quarrelled. Again. It was in their genes. Neither of them wanted but they couldn't help. Noone thaught them how to bear with eachother, with themselves. They were the same.

Having checked the rooms again she fell on her bed. He was gone. Both men were gone. She started thinking of them.

Jarod. He meant her always too much to admit. When she was young, Jarod was her first love. She looked up to him, she wanted to be like him. When she became older she started to hate him for being in the centre of attention. Her father spoke so good of him. But he never praised her. The envy she felt seemed to repress the love. But it couldn't. So much time passed that she couldn't remember how it felt to love a man. He became her job. She could get him if she really wanted to. She wanted to catch him to show her father, Lyle, Rains and the whole world that SHE could do it. But it wasn't enough. Something stronger prevented it. It was burried deep inside the ice. But it was there. The less she cared about the world the more she realized how much he meant to her. How much she needed him.

Lyle. It was a harder case. She felt hate when he came to her mind. Or wanted to feel it. He was her brother. Her twin. There was something between them what they both tried to hide. A tie. They could cover it with big quarells, ihateyou's, mockings... But it was there. They were the same. Exactly. Both hated letting emotions showed. Both created an image not to let anyone in. And they were damn succesfull. But both knew that the other did the same. Both were ambitios but they had to fail. It was their faith but still only she could see it. They were encouraging eachother in a negative way. If they saw a spark of weekness in eachother neither could make it without a word. And they looked for these sparks, they seemed to live for finding these sparks.

She didn't care about being week. No more. She wanted to be together with Jarod but knew it could never happen till the wall between Lyle and her were on. He had the key to their happiness. She had to build down the wall. She had to make him feel. They together could be unbeatable. They could make the Centre to their own playground. And it did no more matter for her if he was the leader. She wanted to quit. But till they were against eachother they 'neutralized' eachother. The Centre did know what it did. They could be controlled by eachother.

The letter came to her mind. Lyle left it on the table. She read it. Then read it again. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was an order to kill Lyle. An order to kill Lyle!? There was no signature but she knew it was official and she couldn't resist a direct order like this. She wanted to believe it wasn't her Dad, who wanted her brother dead. She suspected it was somebody her father had to obey without a question. Maybe the triumvirate. Maybe her father didn't even know what was in the letter. It was only a naive hope. Maybe it was only a test or a bad joke...

She was sure she couldn't do what was expected of her. But she had no other way. Or maybe...

She had to reconcile Lyle with Jarod. Even the thought of it seemed weird.

The thoughts were rushing in her mind. There was too much on risk. Maybe the two most important men in her life. She worked out a plan.

Next morning she woke up early. Her first thing to do was to call Lyle.

"Hello, Lyle. Thanks for coming again and sorry for last night. Why don't you come in?" She tried to be polite.

"What's this Sis? I don't have much time." He sounded rude as usual.

"It's really important. Please come in." She was very calm. She wasn't often calm while talking to him.

He sat down in her living room. She looked very serious.

"I have two important things to tell you about. But please don't interrupt me." She started. He just sat there silently.

"Last night Jarod was here."

"What? Did he got away again? How...?" He couldn't end this question.

"I asked you to stay silent. He loves me and wanted to persuade me to escape with him."

"And?" He was getting more angry.

"That's the cause I couldn't let you in. Please forgive me but I think that I love him." 'Huh, it was out. It wasn't as hard as it had seemed to.' She thought. God, she just told Lyle about Jarod. She made herself vulnerable. She knew it was what Lyle had always dreamt of.

He was surprised. He couldn't believe it was happening to him. He waited for that moment in his life. Now he had something against her. It made no sense why she revealed this secret. But it didn't matter. 'Please, forgive me' it was the worst gassy talk he had ever heard.

He could set her out of way. She would be his plaything. He was clever enough not to tell her what he planned for her. He needed time to work out the details. He decided to listen what more she was about to say.

"Read it. It's the letter you left here yesterday." She handed him the letter. As he was reading it, his face became gloomy and frightened. As he looked up he saw her aiming her gun at him. He cursed himself not seeing what was about to come. She made a complate fool of him, like she did with everyone else in the Centre. 'How happy she could be now' he wondered.

He came voluntairly to be killed. He hadn't suspected anything. But it was obvius she wasn't so stupid to tell him everything. He let himself be vulnerable. He just sat there waiting for the inevitable. He knew he had no right to fight. He should even thank her for being still alive. That's why she talked about Jarod. It didn't mattered anymore. He could tell noone about it anyway.

She won. 'Kill or be killed' He didn't blame her. He would have done the same. If he had been her he would have done everything exactly the same way.

"Then congratulations. You won." It was all he could say.