Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
A/N: Do to school obligations; I will only be able to post one chapter a week. So, I will post a new chapter every Monday. I hope that works for everyone. Have a great week. And thanks for all the nice reviews! – Alia G. L.
Chapter 2: Ghosts
Her scream echoed across the walls as she sprang out of bed, sheet in hand, and backed up against the wall. How was this possible? Jarod was somewhere in Oregon. He couldn't be… he couldn't be… Miss Parker couldn't complete the thought. Looking down at her attire, or lack thereof, she had a pretty good idea what had happened last night. She and Jarod… well, that was another thought she didn't want to complete.
Jarod just stared at her wide eyed, as if he was trying to figure out what had gotten into her. It was only after her scream had died away that she noticed that she wasn't in her room at her house. In fact, she wasn't in her house at all. Based on what she could see from her limited view point, she was in a bedroom on the second floor of a medium-sized house. The walls were painted a charming white color with pictures of flowers hung around the room. Cute, but not her style.
That was all she had time to notice. Jarod had gotten out of bed and advanced slowly toward her. Clutching the sheet to hide her nakedness, she scooted further back into the corner.
"Stay away from me!" She hissed. Looking around, she couldn't see anyway of running out without coming into direct contact with him; the last thing she wanted. She glanced around for her gun, but it was no where in sight. Damn! She thought. Where had he hidden her gun? Glancing up for a split second, her eyes met his. Miss Parker quickly averted her gaze. There was just something there in his eyes that she didn't like. Her eyes danced around the room, looking for something to look at except him. Her heart was pounding in her chest. What was happening here?
"Andrea, what's the matter?" Jarod looked at her with concern and stepped toward her again. Miss Parker screamed and Jarod stopped his advance.
"I said stay away from me, lab rat. I don't know how you got me here, but I'm not staying and you are not going to get away with it." Jarod's eyes widened in confusion.
"Lab rat? That's a new one. Andi, are you sure you're okay? And you better stop screaming. You'll wake up your mom." Miss Parker's heart stopped. Her mom? Her mom was dead. She had died over twenty years ago in an elevator in the Centre. How could Jarod forget that?
"Stop playing games with me, Jarod. You know my mom is dead. She died trying to rescue you. Remember? Or has all these years of pretending fried your brain?" Her eyes lowered into a glare. This was not funny anymore. Jarod's jaw dropped and he just stared at her in plain confusion.
"Your mom isn't dead. She's right down the hall. Remember? She came up for the week to help us paint the downstairs. Don't you remember?" Miss Parker just looked at him. She couldn't believe this was happening. Her mother alive? Was it too much to believe that her life at the Centre had all just been one big nightmare? No, it was impossible. Something just wasn't right.
Jarod slowly offered his hand to her. She stared at it, not quite sure what he was wanting. His eyes looked at her with gentle compassion and love.
"Come on. We'll go see her together." Wrapping the sheet around her like a shield, Miss Parker grabbed his hand. She felt like a child again. And for some unknown reason she knew she could trust Jarod despite the situation. Gulping down her panic, she decided to just make it through this. Jarod would see that her mother was dead and then he would let her go and then she'd take him back to the Centre. How she couldn't wait to see Lyle's face.
Jarod opened the bedroom door and they walked down the hall. Miss Parker took in all the sights of the house. The floor of the hallway was wooden and the walls were painted a cheerful blue color. Pictures of various kinds were hung on the walls. Some were paintings while others were photographs. Miss Parker came to an abrupt stop when one photograph caught her eye. It was her in a wedding dress with Jarod standing next to her in a tux. Her mother stood on her right side, smiling brightly. Kyle was on Jarod's left and he too was smiling. Another sense of panic washed over her. Kyle was dead. So was her mother. What was going on?
Jarod allowed her a few seconds to take in the picture before tugging on her hand. She followed him forward, her mind going all in a haze. This could not be happening. It couldn't be happening. Jarod opened the door at the end of the hall and they walked into a pretty pink bedroom. Catherine Parker sat in a chair next to a vanity, brushing her hair. She turned and smiled at them, but her smile faltered when she saw the bed sheet wrapped around Miss Parker and her daughter's deathly pale face.
"Dear, what's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." Miss Parker couldn't breathe. Her mother was alive? Her mother was alive! The room started spinning fast and Miss Parker collapsed into a dead faint.