Thanks again everyone! I'm really enjoying sharing this story again... getting closer to the unwritten gap but I'll work on finishing the missing chapter in the meantime. As for Jarod appearing, well... you'll find out but for now he's at leastappearingin the storyin flashbacks, visionsand DSA recordings. Hehe.
Monday morning, Broots and I got Debbie off to school and managed to get into The Centre quite early despite having to stop in at my apartment for me to get some clothes suitable for work. It felt strange to be wearing my glasses and pinning my hair up in a french roll again after the comfortable casual air of the weekend.
I was glad that we had arrived before either Sydney or Miss Parker. I wanted to have a chance to settle in a bit before Miss Parker, in particular, arrived. I was concerned about how she would react today following her discovery of the truth about me. Besides, it was always a good idea to arrive before Miss Parker if possible.
The moment I set foot in the office, I perceived that Angelo wanted to see me - that he had something to show me. I wondered what it could be.
When I told Broots about the message, he offered to alter the security records whilst I was visiting Angelo. Otherwise it might look strange that a secretary - even one that worked for Miss Parker - would go to visit the empath.
All thoughts regarding Angelo disappeared as I suddenly remembered about Friday. The security cameras! Did they catch every shocking revelation about my past? God, how stupid was I to forget about that?
"Broots! The damn cameras would have recorded everything! What am I going to do!"
He smiled and said one word. "Deleted."
"When?" My blood ran cold at the prospect of those two days since. Anyone could have viewed those records over the weekend.
"I did it Friday night before we left. Standard operating procedure. It has become a habit of mine to delete and/or alter the security records immediately following any kind of 'interesting' conversations we have in here."
"Oh god, Broots, you're a legend. I could kiss you!"
"Feel free." He grinned.
I startled him quite a bit - and myself as well - when I took his face in my hands and pressed my lips against his. After a moment we both relaxed into it and I felt his hands on the small of my back drawing me closer. His lips were so soft and he sure could kiss! I began to feel light headed and was glad of the support of Broots' hands against my back. I could quite easily perceive his amazement at this turn of events. I was feeling pretty amazed myself.
I broke away suddenly as I sensed Sydney's amused presence behind us. Broots and I both blushed guiltily.
"Glad to see you two getting along so well." Sydney remarked casually, not quite able to hide his smile.
"Hi Sydney." Broots and I said together, feeling like children who had just been busted by their parents.
"Is Miss Parker in yet?" asked Sydney.
"Not yet," replied Broots.
"How are you doing this morning?" Sydney asked me.
"Much better thank you, Sydney." I replied.
"So do you feel up to a session with me today?"
"Oh yes!" I tried not to sound as eager as I felt but I don't think I hid my enthusiasm very well.
He smiled indulgently. He wasn't unenthusiastic either. "I should be free at around 11 o'clock. We'll work on a few things, see how it goes and then maybe continue again after lunch."
"Thanks, Sydney."
As Sydney headed for his office, Broots grinned and gave me an encouraging thumbs-up.
Now we were alone again, I couldn't help but look at Broots shyly, remembering that incredible but all too brief kiss. He seemed to be thinking the same thing and began moving towards me.
Before he could take me in his arms again, however, we were interrupted by the arrival of Miss Parker. The moment she entered, Broots had to reach out a hand to steady me. The hard, angry, dispassionate, controlled woman I had met that first day was back - the walls were back. She may as well have physically hit me. Despite that I still instinctively reached out to cool the ulcer that seethed within her.
"Stop that!" She snapped. "I don't have time for your games this morning. I expect these reports to be completed and on my desk in an hour." She dropped a huge pile of files on my desk.
Okay, so this was the way she wanted to play it. I just smiled coldly and headed for the door.
"And where do you think you're going?" She demanded with an angrily arched eyebrow.
I replied calmly. "I have a session with Sydney at eleven. Until then, I'm going to spend some time with Angelo."
Her eyes blazed and she stepped right up to me until our noses were practically touching. She was very intimidating when she got like this - but somehow I was unaffected by her tactics. Broots looked at us both nervously.
"Don't you forget, Melinda, that you work for me." She growled. "And I seem to remember that I gave you plenty of work to do not more than a minute ago. I will allow you time with Sydney but you do not have time to go 'hang' with Cousin It."
I stared right back at her, my anger rising to match hers - and not just because she had referred to Angelo as Cousin It - my anger was fuelled by the hurtful loss of our closeness. She was deliberately shutting me out, acting like she had when we had first met. I knew it was just a defense mechanism of hers - she was protecting herself - but that didn't stop me from feeling hurt and angry.
Besides, she had no right to push me around. I was not some weak-willed nobody to be ordered about and controlled like one of her personal sweepers. One thing that I had been shoving to the back of my mind for countless years was the realisation of the full extent of my power. I had only begun to accept this idea just before my return to The Centre but after the events of last Friday afternoon the concept was slowly dawning on me. I didn't have to be afraid any more - cautious, yes - but not afraid. The truth remained that my as yet unexplored potential was vast.
I concentrated for a moment and felt the rush as I used my powers. Without flinching from Miss Parker's unrelenting gaze, I spoke in a voice that sounded barely under control as cold fury washed over me, tinged with an aching sadness. "I think you'll find, Miss Parker, that my work is now complete."
Miss Parker stalked over to my desk and rifled disbelievingly through the completed reports and documents. She stared at me stunned into speechlessness.
"Now if you'll kindly excuse me, Angelo is expecting me." I said quietly before turning and leaving the room.
By the time I reached Angelo's space and had then crawled through the air ducts to his secret hideaway - a place where the air duct widened into a little alcove-like area - my anger had all but been washed away by sorrow. Why couldn't things be the same between us? Broots and I were closer than ever - why did Miss Parker have to make things so difficult?
Angelo sensed my mood immediately and understood its cause. I sat down next to him and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned against his shoulder and sighed.
"It's just not fair, Angelo." I murmured.
Angelo just stroked my hair.
"Daughter scared. Daughter needs time." He said eventually.
Daughter. That was how he referred to Miss Parker - probably meaning that she was Catherine's daughter, or perhaps that she was the daughter of Mr Parker, Chairman of The Centre.
"You're right, Angelo. I just wish that friendships weren't so much hard work!" Finally, I lifted my head from his shoulder and asked. "What was it that you wanted to show me, old friend?"
His eyes lit up and from a corner of this secret place in the air ducts he withdrew a box. It was teeming with DSAs. Digital Simulation Archives - silvery disks smaller than CDs on which were stored The Centre's security logs and other various recordings.
"Secret." Angelo said.
I understood. No-one knew that Angelo had these stashed away. I ran my hands over the multitude of disks. Who knew what kind of information these contained? What treasures - what secrets - what truths. My mind whirled with the possibilities.
However, I simply replied. "Don't worry, Angelo. I won't tell anyone that you have these." These disks were Angelo's and if there was something that I needed to see, Angelo would show me in due course. As if he had read my mind - and in a way he had - Angelo handed me a disk.
"For you."
"Thank you, Angelo." I replied, wondering what the disk contained. I would have to be patient until I was alone and could view its contents.
I stayed with Angelo until nearly 11 o'clock. He could communicate with me telepathically a lot better than he could interact normally with the outside world. Eventually, it was time for my session with Sydney so I bid Angelo farewell and returned to the office.
I bumped into Sydney in the corridor outside the office. We shared a look that conveyed how much we were looking forward to this session. Sydney held the door open for me and we entered to find Miss Parker and Broots huddled around a monitor. Unbeknownst to them, Sydney and I stood behind them and watched the scene being played out on the screen.
A young girl, about ten years old, whimpers. "I can't move. What did that needle do to me? I can't move. What are you doing? No, please don't. No. No! NO!"
She screams over and over as the shadowy figure blocks her from the view of the camera. No-one can hear her in this soundproof chamber and even if they could no-one would help her. What is one more scream from deep within the bowels of The Centre?
My face drained of blood. The terrified girl on the screen was me. Sydney laid a concerned hand on my shoulder. I did not move. I stood there feeling oddly detached and fascinated by how the light from the monitor illuminated the unshed tears in Miss Parker's eyes. The scene changed.
The girl - even younger this time, five years old at most perhaps less - lies motionless in a white hospital bed surrounded by white flowing drapes of material. Two nurses whisper.
"We've had to keep her heavily sedated ever since Mrs Parker died. She won't stop screaming."
"I heard they were close."
"Mrs Parker was close to all the children. Still, how did Millie know Mrs Parker was dead?"
"Someone must have told her."
The scene changed once more.
The girl is now about 15 but once again unconscious in a hospital bed. However, this time there is blood everywhere - covering everything - and her face is puffy and bruised.
A younger version of Raines frantically tries to stop the bleeding.
"Someone help me!" He yells. It is late in the day and most people have gone home. "I won't let you die, I promise." Raines whispers fiercely before raising his voice again. "Someone help!"
The younger Sydney hurries in. "I was just on my way out - what's the matter?" He sees the girl and the state she is in. "Good God, man! What happened? Who did this?"
"I found her like this on SL-15. I don't know who attacked her. Quickly, we must stop the bleeding!"
Sydney and Raines begin to work feverishly to save the young girl's life. A life that hangs by a very fine thread.
"Turn it off." Somehow I found my voice. A thousand emotions boiled in my mind. I felt myself teetering on the edge of control.
Miss Parker and Broots whirled around in shock. Broots started to stammer an apology but I held up a hand to stop him. I knew he would always do as Miss Parker asked and this had been such an occasion. She had asked him to search for the records of my life at The Centre. It's alright, I sent him the thought, I'm not angry with you.
Miss Parker was another story. She had the nerve to treat me so coldly this morning and now she went behind my back to perform a search on me. At least she had the grace to look ashamed.
Finally she said. "I just wanted to understand..." Her eyes softened and tears glistened again unchecked against the cool grey depths.
All my hostility melted away. For a moment, I had her back again - my friend back again - but then with a brisk wave of her hand she announced, "Well, I'm keeping you both from your work."
The moment had passed and the walls were once again up but not as solidly as before. Progress had been made. I vowed I would keep chipping away at those walls around Miss Parker's heart for as long as it took. I would regain the friendship between us that had been gained and lost seemingly in the space of a week.
Let me know what you think...
