Pretender Fanatic- I know why seven in the morning? I'm either asleep or going to class. Thank God for VCR's. And you think Sammy is cool now wait until the next chapter.
Crazyrussiangal- Glad you like the chapter and that you felt it captured Bobby. As for what happens in April of 1970 well here it is
CHAPTER 17
LOSS
Sammy returned to the Centre two weeks later more or less fully healed. His bruises had faded but their was still a slight twinge around his waist when ever he turned suddenly. Mor had taken tending to Sammy very seriously. Sammy had learned very quickly not to try to get up and help around the house when Mor was around. He had made the mistake of offering to wash dishes after dinner and had to sit through a thirty minute lecture on how he wasn't ever going to get better if he didn't sit and rest.
A week after he returned to the Centre Sammy headed right back to the Parker Manor for Christmas. He, Mor and Catherine spent the week before Christmas making the house festive. Sammy's first Christmas had been rather difficult. It was his first Christmas with out his parents. Unbeknownst to Sammy Catherine had placed many of Allen and Elizabeth's things in storage. That Christmas she had brought Sammy a box of Christmas decorations that his mother had saved over the years. For the past three years it had become tradition to use some of the Grey family's decorations to decorate around the manor.
Christmas was wonderful and one of the best in the three years Sammy had spent the holidays with the Parkers. Mr. Parker was of course at work most of the time but even that year he was there to watch Mor and Sammy unwrap presents. He surprised everyone when he actually stayed at the manor all day long not once doing anything that evolved work. The next day though he was right back at the Centre. No one was really shocked.
Sammy stayed with the Parker's until Mor's winter vacation was over. When he returned to the Centre life returned to it normal pattern. There was one thing that was different. Sammy had become cold towards his trainer Melanie. He blamed her for what Raines did to him.
January 4, 1970
8:00am
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
"How was your vacation Sammy?" Melanie asked him.
"Fine," Sammy replied.
"I see you got a bunch of new models."
"Yeah," Sammy said somewhat tersely.
"Sammy what's wrong?" Melanie asked realizing that Sammy was somewhat angry.
"What's wrong! What's wrong! You let him hit me! You just stood their. When Jacob was my trainer he told me about Martin Niemoller a Lutheran pastor during Nazi Germany. He's particularly famous for one of sermons you might have heard it, 'When they came for the Jews, I did nothing, for I am not a Jew. When they came for the Socialist, I did nothing, for I am not a Socialist. When they came for the labor leaders, the homosexuals, the gypsies, I did nothing, for I am none of these, and when they came for me, I was alone, there was no one to stand up for me.'"
'How many other times have you stood by while Raines hurt other Centre kid?. How many of them ended up in a coma only they didn't come out of it? I hate you for what you did, or actually the lack of what did. But I hope Raines never comes for you Melanie because there might not be any one to stand you for you. " Sammy yelled.
Sammy got his wish Raines never came for Melanie. Instead he came for one of people Sammy loved most in the world. It would be decades before the truth around Catherine Parker's supposed suicide finally came to light. And when it did it was all Sammy could do not to kill Raines and Melanie. For Melanie had assisted Raines with the birth of a boy named Ethan. And she had been their when William Raines had shot Catherine Parker point blank.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The date we must focus on is April 13, 1970. It is considered to be one of the most important dates in Centre history. It was a lesson. A lesson to never betray the Centre, because the Centre is one path that you don't want to cross. It affected all at the Centre. But no one was affected as much as four children. Mor, Sammy, Jarod, and a boy named Angelo, who was once known as Timmy. All four children witnessed to some degree the supposed murder that was classified as a suicided.
April 13, 1970
12:00pm
Blue Cove, Delaware
The Centre
All day Sammy had, had an uneasy feeling. It had increased when Catherine had stopped to visit him during lunch.
"Hey there kiddo," Catherine said entering Sammy's room. It was a mess; models clothing and books strewn through out the room.
"Cat," Sammy said looking up from the book he was reading as he ate his lunch. "Aren't you usually out at lunch?"
"Well I thought I'd spend some time with my favorite guy." She replied "So what are you reading?"
"Brave New World by Huxley. It's really good. Makes you think about conformity, and how those in charge can control society." They spent the next hour talking about literature. Catherine then stood up and got ready to leave.
"Sammy?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you as though you were my own son, you do know that don't you?" Catherine asked him. Sammy looked up at her in shock his shock the faded into pure joy. Catherine had been always been like a mother to Sammy. Sammy just never realized that Catherine viewed him as though he were her son.
"Y-yeah, course I do." Sammy said.
"Sammy promise me that you'll always look after your sister."
"I promise. It's not like I have anything else better to do." Sammy grinned. Catherine then went and hugged him.
"I love you son," She whispered.
"Love you too... Mom," Sammy whispered back as tears threatened to fall. Catherine kissed Sammy on the top of the head and then left to go see Sydney. It was the last time Sammy saw her... Alive anyway.
"Whatch doin' little brother," Mor whispered startling Sammy. He had been so engrossed in his book that he didn't hear her come in.
"I was reading. But now that you're here I'm up for something new," Sammy replied.
"Well I need to go and see Momma real quick so go back to your book. I'll be back in no more than half an hour."
"You know where to find me," Sammy replied. And Mor left. Sammy sat reading for five minutes but was unable to concentrate. He got up for his desk and went to go find Mor and his mother.
Mor's back was to Sammy, as she was walking towards the elevator. Sammy figured she must have tried their mother's office and she wasn't there. Sammy then heard the firing of a gun and was teleported back to three years ago. Everything was a blur. He heard both his six year old self and Mor yell Momma. Sweepers and Cleaners came running in a directions to see what the commotion was all about. Mor made a run towards the elevator but was stopped by a sweeper. Sammy made a dash towards Mor, but he to found himself being held back. He and Mor were dragged kicking, screaming and crying through the nearest sim lab. In the mist of the chaos Sammy heard Jarod yelling that they were hurting Mor. Jarod was being held back by Sydney.
Ten minutes latter Sammy and Mor were placed in Sammy's room and locked in. Once released from the sweepers' grasp Sammy ran to Mor and pulled her into his arms and the two cried over the loss of their mother.
They awoke some two hours later at the Manor. They had no recollection how they got there and didn't really care. No one was there, not even Emma. It was in that moment Sammy realized that he and Mor were truly alone in the world. Catherine, along with Elizabeth and Allen was gone. Mr. Parker was too wrapped up in his work to be there for his own daughter in her hour of need. Melanie was too weak to be relied upon. And Emma as kind as she was, was just a nanny for two kids who were too old for nannies. It had now fallen upon Sammy's shoulders to look after Mor.
"Sammy," Mor whispered her voice horse form crying.
"Yeah Mor," Sammy whispered back brushing a piece of hair out of her face.
"Momma's really gone isn't she?"
"Yeah Mor she is." Sammy answered and Mor broke down again. Sammy remained strong for her. He would allow himself to cry but not then. Only one of them could break down at a time. Now was Mor's turn. She had been there for him when he had been hurt, when Jacob had died, and when his parents had been killed. She had been the strong one then. Now he had to be the strong one.
Mor eventually returned to sleep. Sammy held her knowing that she needed to be held. At a little after nine Mr. Parker returned to the manor. Sammy had made dinner already for he and Mor and the two children had gone to sleep. Mr. Parker opened the door to see Mor asleep in Sammy's arms.
"Angel," He called out softly.
"Don't," Sammy said sitting up, his voice laced with anger. "I just got her to sleep. You can talk to her in the morning." He said firmly
"Don't you dare tell me how to raise my daughter," Mr. Parker hissed.
"I'm not telling you how to raise her. I'm telling you how to deal with her emotions. In case you haven't noticed she lost her mother today," Sammy hissed tears falling from his eyes. "Right now she needs to sleep. Believe me I know."
"Samuel I understand that you know what it's like. But my Angel needs to know that she's not alone that I didn't abandon her too." Mr. Parker told the boy
"Mor knows she's not alone she has me. And Mom didn't abandon us. She was killed."
"She committed suicide. She was weak. She was suffering from depression, and couldn't handle it any more."
"Lair. She wouldn't do that. She loved us too much." Sammy said careful not to speak to loudly and wake Mor.
"Samuel."
"Go away. Leave us alone." Sammy interrupted. Mr. Parker left the room leaving the boy to deal with his own grief.
Sammy would not believe that his mother committed suicided. Even after Mor had come to believe the lie Sammy refused to believe. He knew his mother had loved he and Mor too much to leave them alone in the world.
Now if you remember I told you that two other children were affected by Catherine Parker's supposed murder. Jarod and a boy named Angelo. Both were affected in a different way.
Angelo blamed himself for the murder of Catherine. Catherine had been so angry when she discovered that Raines had been conducting experiments that would turn Angelo into an artificial pretender that she had threatened to expose Raines. Hours later Catherine was dead. The blame Angelo felt would be the force that made him expose Centre secrets to Catherine's daughter.
Jarod on the other hand was sad that Catherine Parker had died. Yet he felt no true grief. Mor had told him many things about her mother, but Jarod had not truly known the woman. But he was affected non the less by her death. Because on the same day Catherine Parker died another person began to die a slow death as well. That person was a little girl that Jarod found himself beginning to love. Miss Parker. On the day Catherine died Miss Parker began to build a wall around herself and there was only one person that wall didn't keep out, and it wasn't Jarod.
Up next Sammy and Mor are still dealing with their loss.
Come on folks you're killing me here. I need some reviews.
