School Yard Games

9

Blind Sided

N/A: Some answers in this one- YAY! I can't believe it myself must be Christmas or something?

Enjoy and Happy New Year

JoxX...

I followed suit. Entering the outside office I steeled myself, Maxine was sat there, she smiled brightly, "Mr Northman, your mail is on your desk, your three o'clock rescheduled for Wednesday, you look like you could use a coffee. Cream? sugar?" Please that would be great you batshit crazy bitch.

I smiled, although it was forced, "Both please and thank you Maxine. I am sorry about this morning," the apology sounded awkward but it was the best I could do.

"Don't worry about it. I am glad you have decided to keep an open mind. If you owe anyone an apology it's Sookie. She did warn you those students would be trouble, I believe you ruled against her better judgement, am I right?"

"You're right Maxine, I'll speak to her as soon as I can," with that I walked into my office, shutting the door. A few in minutes later Maxine appeared with coffee, "there you go, Mr Northman the cupcakes aren't as good as Sookie's but nearly," she smiled.

"Thank you Maxine." Oh how very civilized. I tried to work, but my mind kept going off into hundreds of tangents. Around ten thirty there was a knock on the door; funny as we had an intercom and Maxine hadn't said she was taking off anywhere.

"Come in," I called to the door.

The door opened to reveal the Pelt girls, "Everything okay girls?" I asked tentatively, my eyes raking over them for signs of abuse.

"Well..." Debbie began coming into the office and shut the door, Sandra burst into tears. Shit. "…we're so sorry !" they both cried out. WHAT? Huh?

"Wh..what?" not what I was expecting.

"Principal Northman, my sister and I are so sorry for all the disruption we have caused, we feel just terrible about it. We promise to work hard and respect others," Debbie spoke as she comforted Sandra.

"Are you girls okay?" I asked, lame question but I didn't know what else to ask it seemed like a start.

"We are now, thanks to Sookie. We'd better be going, we don't want to miss any more school than we already have, we have a lot of catching up to do." Debbie got up.

"I promise Principal Northman we will make you proud, and you'll get no more trouble from us," Sandra spoke as she dabbed her eyes. With that, they left, taking my sanity with them. I was actually beginning to think Fox Mulders gig had been easier than this-fuck.

Head trip anyone? Get your head trips here. Shit what was that, Stepford? What could Sookie have done to them? They were like different girls, Sandra fucking cried! She was so hard-faced I didn't think she knew how. Oh my fucking God- I am freaking out!

Lunch was the usual affair. When Pam and I entered the cafeteria, Dawn apologised asked that there were no hard feelings, to which I agreed. That fake smile I had been sporting was dusted down and used again and again. I spotted Debbie and Sandra Pelt sitting at different tables surrounded by their peers, laughing and joking; it was the first time I had seen them be so social and accepted. Sookie was sitting on Compton's lap. She looked pale, drained, as he fed her pieces of a sandwich. Fuck I hated being so out of the loop.

"Principal Northman?" an 8th grader asked, Marcie I think. I hadn't even seen her come up, so lost in my thoughts I was.

"Yeah, Marcie isn't it?"

"Yes, it's Marcie, your wrist - can I see it?" she pointed at the wrist that was now showing a bruise from the cable ties, I hadn't even noticed.

I looked at her, extending the hand to her. Pam watched her closely, Marcie looked unsure. "Go ahead sweetie, its okay, Principal Northman is here to stay, aren't you?" Dawn said to her encouragingly.

I nodded, as my mind screamed; run far, far away.

The girl placed her tiny hand on my wrist and closed her eyes; a green glow came from her hand and the most soothing feeling I had ever felt. I sat mesmerised, unable to move. I think I may have stopped breathing. She finally took her hand off my wrist and beamed, "all better," she said proudly.

"Good job Marcie," Dawn praised her, as she bounced off. I had been so busy looking at the girl's face that I had forgotten to look at my wrist. It was healed, completely healed. My eyes were like saucers I am sure, Pam's certainly were.

"How?" the word sounded strangled in my throat.

Dawn winked at me, "Surely by now you have noticed that the kids in this school are special?" she smiled. SPECIAL! An eighth grader just healed my fucking wrist instantly! SPECIAL. . .didn't cover it. . . Holy shit. Pam's fork had been stopped mid air for quite a while, suddenly she shrugged and began eating. It didn't mean it didn't happen if you pretend not to see it. Christ on a bike!

I looked around, seeing the school kids as if for the first time. Could they all do this? I am a telepath. Sookie's words rang in my ears once again. Was she? Could she read my mind? My head hurt, I couldn't get out of the lunch hall fast enough as I made my excuses.

So screwed, I practically ran for the car park throwing myself into my car. I just wanted something that was mine, you know something I knew. Something that made sense, as nothing in that God damn school made sense any more. "Fuck" I hit the steering wheel. I'd just left Pam in there; shit what is wrong with me, I'd seen combat in Iraq for fucks sake. I am a time served FBI agent, I am losing my shit. I am losing my shit in a Podunk town.

I could hear my heart thudding in my chest and the sound of my own breath rasping, my lungs clawing for the air they needed as I fought to keep it together.

The car opened and Pam slid in next to me, "You okay?"

I snorted, I am so not okay. I am a million miles from okay. "Eric breathe, deep breaths… I am NSA, this is what I was sent to investigate," Pam said staring out the windscreen.

"What? You're FBI, we have worked together for nearly six years, we did our training together, what the fuck are you talking about?" I blurted out.

"Yes, but I am also NSA. They sent me to the FBI to infiltrate the Bureau to oversee any threats to national security. It's taken me three years to set this gig up through the FBI, don't fuck this up for me," Pam warned.

"So all along you have been NSA, what do you know about this town? What have you gotten us mixed up in? Jesus. . ."

"Other than what you already know, not a lot more. I was sent to look for some sort of 'super soldier'. Brigant and Compton senior were making great strides in bio-engineering, when suddenly in the mid seventies they stopped all research. Brigant had a change of heart, believed they were going against nature from all accounts so did Compton. Naturally the government was disappointed, it was the cold war and they believed Brigant and Compton's research was to yield a viable super soldier."

"So what happened?"

"We don't know. Then about four years ago, De Castro started sniffing around Brigant. One of the spooks we had deep in De Castro's fold, began talking crazy. Talking about people that could do stuff, unnatural stuff; he said he had proof. He went to meet an agent for the information exchange..."

"...let me guess, he never made it?" I asked.

"Oh no, he made it," Pam said her voice strange.

"What then?"

"Before he could give the information, he spontaneously combusted, destroying the computer files he had with him."

"Spontaneously combusted? Blown up?"

"No, not blown up. Spontaneous human combustion was the cause of death; he burned hotter than magnesium but the chair he was sitting in was un-burnt, as was the diner he met the agent in, all of it was witnessed by the agent. It took less than a minute and the spook was a pile of ash, un-rec-cog-nis-able."

"Brigant did this?" I asked.

"We're not sure. Since then, every agent that has tried to infiltrate De Castro or Brigant has never made it past the fourth interview, it's like they know. Hence the gig in the school."

"What about Compton?"

"Oh, he is still tight with Brigant; this town closed ranks and they are tighter than ever. Carmichael features somehow too."

"But how? You know with the spontaneous combustion, I thought that was like an unsolved mystery of life that only happened to old ladies with cats," I asked trying to process everything.

"It was what got the NSA really excited, what if it had been weaponized? Only the agent's shoes were left." She raised her eyebrows. Fuck. I had an image in my head of a pair of smoking shoes.

"So what now?" I was nearly afraid to ask, afraid I wouldn't like the answer.

"Now we stick to the plan, find out if Sky Pharmaceutical and Compton Software are a threat to national security." Pam sounded firm.

"De Castro is dead do you think? They killed him? Did Sookie?" Had the girl that had gotten so under my skin, killed one of the most dangerous and well connected criminals in the west… what? For her granddaddy? Her boy toy's dad? Or was she a victim?

"That's one of the questions we need to answer. Northman, are we cool? You know, with the whole NSA thing?" Pam's eyes locked with mine.

"We're cool, but no more secrets… this town has enough for the both of us," I replied running my hands through my hair. "Fuck Ravencroft," I sighed.

"Deal. And you're telling me. Can I see your wrist?" she asked holding out her hand.

"Sure," I held it out for her. She rubbed her tiny cold fingers over it.

"Wow, can you imagine the practical applications of someone like her, Marcie I mean. There would be no need for field medics. Agents, soldiers that could heal themselves… so you think they all can do it?" Pam inquired turning my wrist over in her delicate hands.

"I've got no idea, they're school kids, brilliant school kids… are Brigant and Compton using the town's kids to breed super soldiers? Why would they do that to their own kids? None of this makes any sense, you know?" I felt I now had even more questions.

"You know, that's what I can't work out? The parents of this town seem so loving towards their kids. Whatever is going on, the whole town must be in on it. Also Brigant is a nature lover, he donates millions every year to the environment, children's charities and regularly gives talks on world peace and how we must work together, 'children are our future'."

"Fucked if I know," I was starting to question everything about my existence.

Down the Rabbit Hole we go. . .