1-800-Where-Are-You : In The Shadows
Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Characters that appear in this story except for Joey Parker and/or any other new people to show up. Everyone else belongs to the greatly talented Meg Cabot, who I adore and envy.
Summary : While Jess is dealing with her growing powers and her evolving life, things start to get out of hand as someone close to her decides to put an end to 'Lightening Girl', no matter who they have to hurt along the way...
A/N : This is my first attempt at this series, so I'm posting this with vry big reservations. Please let me know what you think! :)
I guess I should just bring a fridge and stove up into my room, cause this is where I always end up at, sitting at this desk writing. Granted, no one's made me do this for quite some time now, but I figured what the hell – if anything were to ever happen, god forbid, to either Rob Wilkins or me, someone should know our story.
That's right – our story.
Ever since Dec10, 2004, I, Jessica Manistroni, have been going steady with Robert Wilkins…even if he still hasn't come fully around because of the whole 'jail-bait' thing and agreed to it.
I mean, yes, I'm only 16 and he's 19. And, yes, he is on probation for some illegal thing he did and still has yet to tell me what it was; but he's coming round, I can feel it. And even though he's admitted to me that he just can't resist me, (and he's shown it quite nicely too…) Rob has yet to make it official.
And, sure, ever since last spring I've been known to over half the world as 'Lightening Girl' and became semi-famous due to the presses inability to leave me alone for a good part of 3 months when everything first went down. Just because I got hit with lightening while hiding out under our school's bleachers with my best friend when a huge hall-storm came rolling through town and I woke up the next morning with this weird ability to locate missing children from just looking at a picture of them then going to sleep, the press and, to my horror, US Government found me utterly fascinating.
And, ever since I discovered (or well accidentally stumbled over due to my best friends insecure ego) this little 'gift' Rob, my knight-in-shining-armor, Wilkins has been helping me with cases ever since. I mean, we've faced some pretty nasty foes and what not since he first asked me if I wanted a ride home from school. (That is, before he knew I was only 16 and was fully in agreement to make-out on the back of his cherried out Indian – now it takes me over 15 minutes to persuade him, and I usually have to resort to the 'L' word)
I just don't understand what the problem is.
I love him. He loves me. At least, I think he does. I mean, why else would he willingly risk getting thrown in jail by helping me with every child I've ever been trying to find. If only he'd risk it for some serious 'kissage' time, ya know?
Claire Lippman, my brother Mike's girlfriend, seems to think Rob is head over heels for me. She said our relationship was like the newest, juiciest soap opera to come along in awhile – ya just have to watch it. And, as Claire claims, she saw, while watching, that whenever Rob thinks I'm not looking (and apparently aren't cause I haven't seen this) he sends me this look that, according to Claire, could melt a rock.
Gee, isn't it nice that everyone else but me gets to see that? The only time Rob lets me see that side of his unbridled passion is when I drop an 'L' bomb. And, quite frankly, I'm getting tired of being the only one saying those words.
But, I digress. Rob and Mine's relationship is another story for another time. (One day a mature rating…hopefully…)
In the old days, before Cyrus Krantz entered into my life and I was still blissfully dodging and testing agents Smith and Johnson, I would have my friend slash partner-in-crime Rosemary from the organization for finding missing children send me (alibi, through Ruth, my best friend) info on children she was positively sure wanted and needed to be found. I had learned my lesson after Sean O'Hara. I still get a post-card every now and then from him, which cracks Rob up. (He's still under the impression that Sean had a crush on me, which is so not true – the boy hated my guts due to the fact that I almost handed him back to his abusive father)
But now, since I finally agreed to join Krantz's little FBI team of psychics and whatnot, Rosemary just sends all my info to him and Cyrus hands it over to me. I think Ruth is starting to feel a little left out though, since whenever I mention my 'co-workers' she just gets red and changes the subject very quickly. Rob seems to think Ruth is just embarrassed by her crush on Joey Parker, the newest member that Cyrus rounded up. While Joey is easy on the eyes with his deep red hair and piercing green eyes (though I'm just stating that for writing emphasis – my heart still belongs to my future husband Mr. Wilkins) I just can't see Ruth going for him.
Ruth is so uptight, but in a good way, and Joey is…well, Joey. Joey's ability it seems is even stranger than mine: he's a human lie detector. No machine, no feeling pulses; the person doesn't even have to be right in front of him. I've seen him watch a videotape of someone being interrogated and he declared him or her lying, not even after a seconds worth of hesitation. Dr. Krantz is trying to help him develop it so that he could just read a letter and know if the writer was telling the truth. My brother Doug thinks it's a long shot, but claims ya never know since my 'power' has under-gone some changes as of late.
Yep, that's right: I no longer have to go to sleep, or ever need a picture of a person to know where they are. Just a possession belonging to that person. So far it's only worked on people I personally know or when I'm deeply connected into the matter like what happened with Claire. All I've gotten lately for trying it with people I don't know or care about is a splitting migraine.
Though, I have to admit, I have been using it to do some spying, but not a lot. I just sometimes, on accident, check in on Rob. But it's not my fault most of the time, I swear. Ever since he gave me that watch of his I've been able to see whatever he's doing when I put it on. And, since I wear it every day and my mind always goes to him when I put it on…
I can't help it if the boy makes me warm for his form.
And I totally felt guilty when it happened last night at dinner, when I was putting the watch on after we ate (one of my mother's new 'anti-Rob' rules – no bulky jewelry at dinner) and I happened to see him in the shower. It's not like I saw a lot since it was steamy and everything, but I saw more than I've ever seen of him before. And, may I just add, that what I saw was very well defined and muscular and…man-like.
I think Mom sorta seemed to guess I was thinking about Rob since she hurriedly volunteered me to do the dishes. And even though I tried to get out of it by claiming that Trigger needed to be taken out for a walk since I had been sneaking him pieces of my meat loaf all through dinner (not that I offered that last tidbit of information forward) my Mother still ushered me out into the kitchen along side of her.
"Your father can walk him," she insisted, shaking her head as she said it. Just like me, Mom was confused on the developing bond happening between Trigger and my Father. I mean, don't get me wrong, Trigger is a good dog, but he's big and sorta smelly and likes to drool everywhere, much to my Mother's cringe. But, Dad, he likes Trigger; says he's a good watchdog and that we need one right now, with everything that's been happening.
It was that argument right there that actually made my Mother calm down some one the whole 'Rob Issue'. Since Rob has saved my life more than once, my Father argued, we should show him some hospitality. And since my parents own 2 (with one under construction) of the most profitable restaurants in town, hospitality to them means food.
As in dinner with Rob and his mother Mary.
Which is scheduled to happen this Friday.
As long as I invite Rob and his mother on time.
It's not that I don't want this dinner to happen. Oh, who am I kidding, of course I don't want it to happen. As much as I love my family, they just won't mix well with the Wilkins. I mean, sure, Dad likes Mary and he seems to think Rob is a worthy human being (which is more than I can say for my Mother) and Doug doesn't really have a problem with him either. But my Mother and Mike…they're another story.
I've already seen her picking out the print for our dinner outfits. It's not pretty…or flattering…or worthy of seeing…
She's doing it on purpose, I swear. And, no, I'm not being paranoid. She's out to ruin this relationship even before it's started. Not only does she dislike Rob, she dislikes anything that has to do with him; the watch, the jacket, the motorcycle. I'm just praying that, if I ever get the courage to invite him, that he arrives in his mother's truck.
Plus, not only is she hell-bent on not liking Rob, she loves Ruth's twin bother, who has a crush on me. And she invited him and Ruth to dinner too. Ruth, who also dislikes Rob; Ruth who doesn't like any guy who's not college bound and is a 'Grit'.
And Rob is, indeed, a 'Grit'.
Even though I've made some lead-way with Ruth and Rob, they both aren't very fond of each other. Rob calls Ruth a snob and elitist and Ruth calls Rob a hillbilly mechanic, so they're even.
All I can pray for with this dinner is a severe and freaky snowstorm, or else I can kiss Rob and mine's relationship goodbye.