Chapter Five: Shocking Revelations
It was only much later that I discovered what exactly had happened next. I was able to piece together the events from what Sydney, Miss Parker and Broots told me, as well as from their thoughts, impressions and emotions.
Whilst I had been heading for my car, the three - plus Sam - had been with Angelo, looking through the boxes filled with what Jarod had left behind. On sensing my danger, Angelo had become extremely distressed and had grabbed Miss Parker saying urgently, "Melinda in carpark. No, don't hurt her! Don't let them hurt her again!"
"What the hell?" said Miss Parker in shock, and with nothing else said the four of them, Parker, Broots, Sydney and Sam, bolted down to the carpark.
Luck was on my side and my assailant, realising I had lost consciousness, had taken his time enjoying the anticipation of the moment. My heroes arrived just in time to stop him indulging in his sick urges. As the attacker moved his bulk on to my inert form, Broots - with a snarl of rage, no less - tackled him violently away from me. It took both Miss Parker and Sam all their strength, as well as Sydney's calming words, to pull Broots off the man, whom Broots was beating senseless.
"Take care of this bastard, Sam." Miss Parker spat in fury. Sam nodded curtly and roughly dragged the man off to be dealt with - The Centre way.
"Well done, Broots." Miss Parker patted his shoulder softly as he bent down to see if I was alright, his distress clearly written across his face.
"Syd. Is she okay? Did he...?"
"No, Broots. We got here just in time." Sydney reassured him. "But we need to get her inside right now."
They carried me back into The Centre and placed me on the lounge that adorned one of the walls in our office.
Sydney examined me and Miss Parker asked quietly, "Angelo said, 'Don't hurt her again.' What does that mean, Syd?"
Sydney thought for a moment. "Well, Angelo was reacting to her emotions so I believe it means possibly that she was raped sometime in the past."
"Oh, god." said Broots "How awful... especially to be attacked again."
"I hope they castrate the bastard." was Miss Parker's vehement remark.
"Look, she's coming round." said Sydney. "Melinda, it's alright, you're safe now."
Safe. What would he know about safe. I would never be safe - never be free.
I shook my head groggily and winced as pain lanced through my skull. I half sat up clutching at my head and as Sydney tried to get me to lie back down, he suddenly started back in shock.
Then I became aware that at some stage my hair had fallen loose and was now cascading down my back and shoulders in a fiery wave of curls. I had also lost my glasses somewhere along the way. With growing horror, I saw myself through Sydney's eyes and saw that image correspond in his mind with me as a child. He recognised me. He knew who I had once been.
"My god." He said simply.
"No." I wailed over and over. "No!"
"What is it, Syd? What's going on?" demanded Miss Parker.
Sydney took a long drawn out breath. "I know her."
"Of course you know her!" snapped Miss Parker.
"No," continued Sydney. "I knew Melinda when she was a child."
"What?" said Broots and Miss Parker simultaneously.
I continued to moan. "No. No. No." I couldn't breathe, my chest felt tight, my heart was pounding and my head was spinning. "No. No. No."
"She was at The Centre." He finished despite my protests.
"What are you saying? Are you telling us that she's a Pretender?" Miss Parker asked in disbelief whilst Broots stood there in shocked silence.
To my frazzled mind it seemed as though it was Catherine standing there betraying me, labelling me that hated and feared word, Pretender - my nightmares come true. "No, Catherine!" I shrieked, totally panic-stricken, "Please, tell them I'm not a Pretender! You know I'm not!"
I very nearly fell off the lounge in my panicked state but Sydney caught me and held me as I flailed around in terror.
"Parker." Sydney said urgentlly. "Say she's not!"
"What?"
"Tell her she's not a Pretender. We have to calm her down."
Miss Parker said weakly. "You're not a Pretender. Of course, you're not."
It didn't really help me because the realisation came upon me that I had just revealed that I had once known Catherine and I sobbed in near hysteria.
"Broots. Get my medical bag." Sydney ordered. Broots ran.
When he returned with the bag, Sydney swiftly removed a syringe and a vial of liquid. "It's a mild sedative." He said by way of explanation. "You're in shock. Your blood pressure is way too high."
This made things worse, however, as one of my tormentor's favourite games when I had been a prisoner within The Centre had been to dose me up until I couldn't move and then commit unspeakable acts upon me.
As Sydney approached me with loaded syringe, I shrieked and flung both hands out in front of me. Sydney was knocked down by the force of my will.
Sydney and I stared at each other. His amazement turned to fascination and he smiled slowly from his position on the floor. "You know, I always thought there was something more to you than The Centre was able to discover, Millie."
Millie. I laughed harshly, "There is no more Millie." I enjoyed their reaction at the similarity to Angelo's comments about his former self, Timmy. I turned toward Miss Parker. Her gun was drawn and pointed towards me. Broots was standing behind her looking frightened.
Bitterness welled up inside me. "I guess dinner is off then." I gasped. Why couldn't I breathe properly? My chest was hurting badly and everything was looking hazy.
"Don't move! Don't even think of trying anything." Those walls around Miss Parker were up again and her gun was still unflinchingly levelled in my direction.
"What, like this?" I stared her in the eyes as I slowly raised my arms and every piece of furniture in the room - except my lounge - rose with stately precision a good metre and hovered for a moment before returning to their original position on the floor when I lowered my arms again.
Silence dominated the room. "What?" I demanded wildly and breathlessly. "No cute names for me? Like Labrat? Cousin It? Girl Wonder?" I taunted her with the names I knew she used to refer to Jarod and Angelo. I was suddenly angry. Angry at her for turning on me so easily, and even angry with Catherine for dying and leaving me to the mercy of my depraved torturers. Most of all, however, I was angry with myself. I had let my guard down - I had not been strong enough - and now I had lost everything.
With a simple flick of my hand, the gun was suddenly in my possession and now pointed in their direction. My vision wavered but my hand remained steady. My breathing was in short harsh gulps.
"Don't even think about it, Parker." I rasped as I realised that she was about to make a move. "I can read your thoughts too." I was tired of hiding.
She gasped and stepped back but her eyes were livid.
"Melinda," Sydney said in his best psychiatrist voice. "Just stay calm. No- one is going to hurt you. I do, however, need to give you this injection."
I realised he was very worried. Was I going to die? My whole body felt weak as I tried to force air into my lungs. He stepped forward with the syringe again. I indicated the gun I held. "Don't come any closer, Sydney. I'd rather die than be locked up here again."
"That's not my intention. I just want to help you." He replied soothingly.
"Catherine." Past and present seemed to merge in my mind as I gazed at the stunned figure of Miss Parker. "Catherine. Why did you leave me? How could you let them do those things to me?" I sobbed brokenly. "Please don't let them hurt me again."
"No-one is going to hurt you." Miss Parker replied firmly. "But you have to let Sydney give you the sedative."
"You're not Catherine!" I suddenly screamed at her and she stepped back warily. "I won't believe you!"
"Then believe me, Melinda." said a soft, gentle voice. It was Broots. I felt almost hypnotised by the tenderness and sympathy that I saw in his eyes. "You can read my mind? You can tell what I'm feeling?" He asked.
I nodded shakily.
"Then you know that, although frankly what you can do terrifies me, I still care about you."
I nodded again in surprise. He was telling the truth.
"And you also know," he continued, "that no matter what, I will not let anything bad happen to you." Broots moved closer to me very slowly and carefully. Fear emanated from him in waves, but so did his rock hard resolve. He sat down on the lounge near me and held out his arms. I clung to him and wept with relief as I allowed him to take the gun from me. He kept it pointed towards the others.
On the edge of my consiousness, I heard Miss Parker's wondering thought, "When did he grow that backbone?"
Broots' gentle voice went on, "Now," he directed. "Concentrate on Sydney. Does he intend you any harm by giving you a sedative that will make you feel better?"
I shook my head. "No, but its not that..."
Sydney said softly, "I know. I remember what was done to you but I swear this will just relax your muscles, help you breathe easier, slow your heartrate and so on. You'll still be awake and in control. And," he added with a smile. "In any case, Broots will protect you."
I knew this was true. The arm around me was warm and strong. I didn't feel safe exactly but something... close to it. "Okay. Do it." I whispered fearfully before burying my face in Broots' chest. His arm tightened around me reassuringly as Sydney's gentle hands pushed up my sleeve to administer the sedative. I whimpered as the needle pierced my skin, too scared to scream.
Almost immediately I felt my body relax, I could breathe more freely and my pounding heart calmed. I also started to feel sleepy and panic rose within me but I could still move my limbs and Broots was still holding me close - and holding the gun trained on the other two.
"See, everything is okay." He said softly. "Is it alright if I give Miss Parker's gun back to her?"
I nodded against his chest. I did not need to be afraid of her. Her annoyance as she snatched back her gun was only half-hearted and the evident compassion she felt for me filled me with a warm feeling - not unlike hope.
Now I was calm, Miss Parker and Sydney pulled chairs over near to where I lay on the lounge with Broots' lap as a pillow, his hands softly stroking my hair back from my face.
"This is fascinating." Sydney enthused. "You're a telepath, an empath and you use telekinesis - what else?"
Each word - each label - stung as though he had slapped me. I tried not to let it bother me but I couldn't help it. Years of hiding my powers had conditioned me to fear those terms as much as being labelled Pretender.
"Sorry." Sydney apologised as he saw me stiffen. "I don't mean to pry."
"You're a shrink," I replied wryly, "Of course you meant to pry. It's just that these things are not easy for me to talk about. I've never really talked about my abilities - not even with Catherine, though she knew more than anyone."
Miss Parker said. "You knew my mother."
I nodded, feeling tears well up. "She was the most wonderful person that ever lived. When she died there was no-one left who gave a damn about me - and no-one left to protect me." My voice shook. "I couldn't save her. I tried, I really did, I'm so sorry..." I trailed off.
She stared at me intently. "Do you know who killed my mother?" She demanded.
I began to cry as the awful memories of that fateful day surfaced.
"Well, do you?" She pressed on, relentlessly.
"Parker," Sydney warned firmly. "Leave her be until she's feeling stronger, alright?"
Thankfully, she agreed, if reluctantly.
Broots' gentle fingers continued stroking my hair as the tears ran down my cheeks. The truth was I didn't know who had murdered Catherine - I had only witnessed the event through her eyes and thoughts. I don't even know if she knew her killer or if she even saw him. Her thoughts - so clear to me as I had stretched out with my powers in a vain attempt to save her - were only on the gun, the certainty that she was going to die and her utter despair when she realised she would now never escape with her beloved daughter to Europe. All the happiness she had dreamed for them both was never to be. And all the things she wanted to tell her little girl would be lost, forever unsaid.
But those words and the love were not lost. I held them inside me. I would never forget the moment of her death when the last soundless cry of her mind, of her heart, swept through me like a powerful wind. I tried to take hold of her spirit but she was gone. The bravest, most compassionate woman I have ever known was gone - and so was her protection and my hope of salvation. It was when her young daughter, Miss Parker's, grief and horror then washed over my already raw senses that I had started screaming. The Centre's doctors had had to sedate me.
So Catherine's last moment was with me and perhaps one day I would be able to share it with her daughter whom she had loved more than anything else in the whole world. But I would not share it until we were both ready.
There were other things that I felt ready to share - I needed to share. No more secrets, no more hiding. Trust can kill you... Or set you free. Either way I didn't care. These three people would finally know who I really was. They would know me.
I desperately crave feedback! Please let me know what you think of my fic - imaginarygoddess@hotmail.com
It was only much later that I discovered what exactly had happened next. I was able to piece together the events from what Sydney, Miss Parker and Broots told me, as well as from their thoughts, impressions and emotions.
Whilst I had been heading for my car, the three - plus Sam - had been with Angelo, looking through the boxes filled with what Jarod had left behind. On sensing my danger, Angelo had become extremely distressed and had grabbed Miss Parker saying urgently, "Melinda in carpark. No, don't hurt her! Don't let them hurt her again!"
"What the hell?" said Miss Parker in shock, and with nothing else said the four of them, Parker, Broots, Sydney and Sam, bolted down to the carpark.
Luck was on my side and my assailant, realising I had lost consciousness, had taken his time enjoying the anticipation of the moment. My heroes arrived just in time to stop him indulging in his sick urges. As the attacker moved his bulk on to my inert form, Broots - with a snarl of rage, no less - tackled him violently away from me. It took both Miss Parker and Sam all their strength, as well as Sydney's calming words, to pull Broots off the man, whom Broots was beating senseless.
"Take care of this bastard, Sam." Miss Parker spat in fury. Sam nodded curtly and roughly dragged the man off to be dealt with - The Centre way.
"Well done, Broots." Miss Parker patted his shoulder softly as he bent down to see if I was alright, his distress clearly written across his face.
"Syd. Is she okay? Did he...?"
"No, Broots. We got here just in time." Sydney reassured him. "But we need to get her inside right now."
They carried me back into The Centre and placed me on the lounge that adorned one of the walls in our office.
Sydney examined me and Miss Parker asked quietly, "Angelo said, 'Don't hurt her again.' What does that mean, Syd?"
Sydney thought for a moment. "Well, Angelo was reacting to her emotions so I believe it means possibly that she was raped sometime in the past."
"Oh, god." said Broots "How awful... especially to be attacked again."
"I hope they castrate the bastard." was Miss Parker's vehement remark.
"Look, she's coming round." said Sydney. "Melinda, it's alright, you're safe now."
Safe. What would he know about safe. I would never be safe - never be free.
I shook my head groggily and winced as pain lanced through my skull. I half sat up clutching at my head and as Sydney tried to get me to lie back down, he suddenly started back in shock.
Then I became aware that at some stage my hair had fallen loose and was now cascading down my back and shoulders in a fiery wave of curls. I had also lost my glasses somewhere along the way. With growing horror, I saw myself through Sydney's eyes and saw that image correspond in his mind with me as a child. He recognised me. He knew who I had once been.
"My god." He said simply.
"No." I wailed over and over. "No!"
"What is it, Syd? What's going on?" demanded Miss Parker.
Sydney took a long drawn out breath. "I know her."
"Of course you know her!" snapped Miss Parker.
"No," continued Sydney. "I knew Melinda when she was a child."
"What?" said Broots and Miss Parker simultaneously.
I continued to moan. "No. No. No." I couldn't breathe, my chest felt tight, my heart was pounding and my head was spinning. "No. No. No."
"She was at The Centre." He finished despite my protests.
"What are you saying? Are you telling us that she's a Pretender?" Miss Parker asked in disbelief whilst Broots stood there in shocked silence.
To my frazzled mind it seemed as though it was Catherine standing there betraying me, labelling me that hated and feared word, Pretender - my nightmares come true. "No, Catherine!" I shrieked, totally panic-stricken, "Please, tell them I'm not a Pretender! You know I'm not!"
I very nearly fell off the lounge in my panicked state but Sydney caught me and held me as I flailed around in terror.
"Parker." Sydney said urgentlly. "Say she's not!"
"What?"
"Tell her she's not a Pretender. We have to calm her down."
Miss Parker said weakly. "You're not a Pretender. Of course, you're not."
It didn't really help me because the realisation came upon me that I had just revealed that I had once known Catherine and I sobbed in near hysteria.
"Broots. Get my medical bag." Sydney ordered. Broots ran.
When he returned with the bag, Sydney swiftly removed a syringe and a vial of liquid. "It's a mild sedative." He said by way of explanation. "You're in shock. Your blood pressure is way too high."
This made things worse, however, as one of my tormentor's favourite games when I had been a prisoner within The Centre had been to dose me up until I couldn't move and then commit unspeakable acts upon me.
As Sydney approached me with loaded syringe, I shrieked and flung both hands out in front of me. Sydney was knocked down by the force of my will.
Sydney and I stared at each other. His amazement turned to fascination and he smiled slowly from his position on the floor. "You know, I always thought there was something more to you than The Centre was able to discover, Millie."
Millie. I laughed harshly, "There is no more Millie." I enjoyed their reaction at the similarity to Angelo's comments about his former self, Timmy. I turned toward Miss Parker. Her gun was drawn and pointed towards me. Broots was standing behind her looking frightened.
Bitterness welled up inside me. "I guess dinner is off then." I gasped. Why couldn't I breathe properly? My chest was hurting badly and everything was looking hazy.
"Don't move! Don't even think of trying anything." Those walls around Miss Parker were up again and her gun was still unflinchingly levelled in my direction.
"What, like this?" I stared her in the eyes as I slowly raised my arms and every piece of furniture in the room - except my lounge - rose with stately precision a good metre and hovered for a moment before returning to their original position on the floor when I lowered my arms again.
Silence dominated the room. "What?" I demanded wildly and breathlessly. "No cute names for me? Like Labrat? Cousin It? Girl Wonder?" I taunted her with the names I knew she used to refer to Jarod and Angelo. I was suddenly angry. Angry at her for turning on me so easily, and even angry with Catherine for dying and leaving me to the mercy of my depraved torturers. Most of all, however, I was angry with myself. I had let my guard down - I had not been strong enough - and now I had lost everything.
With a simple flick of my hand, the gun was suddenly in my possession and now pointed in their direction. My vision wavered but my hand remained steady. My breathing was in short harsh gulps.
"Don't even think about it, Parker." I rasped as I realised that she was about to make a move. "I can read your thoughts too." I was tired of hiding.
She gasped and stepped back but her eyes were livid.
"Melinda," Sydney said in his best psychiatrist voice. "Just stay calm. No- one is going to hurt you. I do, however, need to give you this injection."
I realised he was very worried. Was I going to die? My whole body felt weak as I tried to force air into my lungs. He stepped forward with the syringe again. I indicated the gun I held. "Don't come any closer, Sydney. I'd rather die than be locked up here again."
"That's not my intention. I just want to help you." He replied soothingly.
"Catherine." Past and present seemed to merge in my mind as I gazed at the stunned figure of Miss Parker. "Catherine. Why did you leave me? How could you let them do those things to me?" I sobbed brokenly. "Please don't let them hurt me again."
"No-one is going to hurt you." Miss Parker replied firmly. "But you have to let Sydney give you the sedative."
"You're not Catherine!" I suddenly screamed at her and she stepped back warily. "I won't believe you!"
"Then believe me, Melinda." said a soft, gentle voice. It was Broots. I felt almost hypnotised by the tenderness and sympathy that I saw in his eyes. "You can read my mind? You can tell what I'm feeling?" He asked.
I nodded shakily.
"Then you know that, although frankly what you can do terrifies me, I still care about you."
I nodded again in surprise. He was telling the truth.
"And you also know," he continued, "that no matter what, I will not let anything bad happen to you." Broots moved closer to me very slowly and carefully. Fear emanated from him in waves, but so did his rock hard resolve. He sat down on the lounge near me and held out his arms. I clung to him and wept with relief as I allowed him to take the gun from me. He kept it pointed towards the others.
On the edge of my consiousness, I heard Miss Parker's wondering thought, "When did he grow that backbone?"
Broots' gentle voice went on, "Now," he directed. "Concentrate on Sydney. Does he intend you any harm by giving you a sedative that will make you feel better?"
I shook my head. "No, but its not that..."
Sydney said softly, "I know. I remember what was done to you but I swear this will just relax your muscles, help you breathe easier, slow your heartrate and so on. You'll still be awake and in control. And," he added with a smile. "In any case, Broots will protect you."
I knew this was true. The arm around me was warm and strong. I didn't feel safe exactly but something... close to it. "Okay. Do it." I whispered fearfully before burying my face in Broots' chest. His arm tightened around me reassuringly as Sydney's gentle hands pushed up my sleeve to administer the sedative. I whimpered as the needle pierced my skin, too scared to scream.
Almost immediately I felt my body relax, I could breathe more freely and my pounding heart calmed. I also started to feel sleepy and panic rose within me but I could still move my limbs and Broots was still holding me close - and holding the gun trained on the other two.
"See, everything is okay." He said softly. "Is it alright if I give Miss Parker's gun back to her?"
I nodded against his chest. I did not need to be afraid of her. Her annoyance as she snatched back her gun was only half-hearted and the evident compassion she felt for me filled me with a warm feeling - not unlike hope.
Now I was calm, Miss Parker and Sydney pulled chairs over near to where I lay on the lounge with Broots' lap as a pillow, his hands softly stroking my hair back from my face.
"This is fascinating." Sydney enthused. "You're a telepath, an empath and you use telekinesis - what else?"
Each word - each label - stung as though he had slapped me. I tried not to let it bother me but I couldn't help it. Years of hiding my powers had conditioned me to fear those terms as much as being labelled Pretender.
"Sorry." Sydney apologised as he saw me stiffen. "I don't mean to pry."
"You're a shrink," I replied wryly, "Of course you meant to pry. It's just that these things are not easy for me to talk about. I've never really talked about my abilities - not even with Catherine, though she knew more than anyone."
Miss Parker said. "You knew my mother."
I nodded, feeling tears well up. "She was the most wonderful person that ever lived. When she died there was no-one left who gave a damn about me - and no-one left to protect me." My voice shook. "I couldn't save her. I tried, I really did, I'm so sorry..." I trailed off.
She stared at me intently. "Do you know who killed my mother?" She demanded.
I began to cry as the awful memories of that fateful day surfaced.
"Well, do you?" She pressed on, relentlessly.
"Parker," Sydney warned firmly. "Leave her be until she's feeling stronger, alright?"
Thankfully, she agreed, if reluctantly.
Broots' gentle fingers continued stroking my hair as the tears ran down my cheeks. The truth was I didn't know who had murdered Catherine - I had only witnessed the event through her eyes and thoughts. I don't even know if she knew her killer or if she even saw him. Her thoughts - so clear to me as I had stretched out with my powers in a vain attempt to save her - were only on the gun, the certainty that she was going to die and her utter despair when she realised she would now never escape with her beloved daughter to Europe. All the happiness she had dreamed for them both was never to be. And all the things she wanted to tell her little girl would be lost, forever unsaid.
But those words and the love were not lost. I held them inside me. I would never forget the moment of her death when the last soundless cry of her mind, of her heart, swept through me like a powerful wind. I tried to take hold of her spirit but she was gone. The bravest, most compassionate woman I have ever known was gone - and so was her protection and my hope of salvation. It was when her young daughter, Miss Parker's, grief and horror then washed over my already raw senses that I had started screaming. The Centre's doctors had had to sedate me.
So Catherine's last moment was with me and perhaps one day I would be able to share it with her daughter whom she had loved more than anything else in the whole world. But I would not share it until we were both ready.
There were other things that I felt ready to share - I needed to share. No more secrets, no more hiding. Trust can kill you... Or set you free. Either way I didn't care. These three people would finally know who I really was. They would know me.
I desperately crave feedback! Please let me know what you think of my fic - imaginarygoddess@hotmail.com
