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Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.

Note: I’m writing this series for a younger crowd. It’s centered around Jarod’s clone whom I’ve named Michael. At present I have no plans to bring in any of the main characters into it, but I welcome any ideas to do so without causing The Centre to find out that he’s alive.


Michael Series
1 : Michael’s First Kiss
by Julie D.




“Michael Jamison,” the teacher called.

“Here,” he answered.

Michael had barely noticed the Mrs. Thompson call his name. He was too busy watching Alexandra who sat next to him.

“Michael!” the teacher said sharply. “Are you ready to give your presentation?”

“What?” he said dumbly as several of his classmates muffled their laughter under their hands. Michael’s face reddened.

“Dickens,” Mrs. Thompson. “I believe you chose to do your book report on Oliver Twist?”

Michael fumbled in his backpack and pulled out his English folder. He pulled out his report and the required visual aids and stood in front of the class to give his report.

Michael’s life had been a lot like Oliver Twists. Born and raised in an underground torture chamber, he had escaped at the age of fourteen. Well actually to be more precise he had been kidnapped by a man whom he had been taught to fear, but who turned out to be the person he could trust the most. His name was Jarod and Michael was Jarod’s clone. Michael had done slave labor just as Oliver twist had, but instead of hard labor, he had been used to kill people. Then just over a year ago, not long after his escape, Michael and his dad or at least Jarod’s dad had been in a plane crash. Michael had ended up in a hospital and Major Charles had disappeared.

One of the Doctors in the hospital, Dr. Alyssa Jamison had taken him in and helped him through all of the surgeries he’d gone through in the last year to reconstruct his mutilated face. She was also a pretender who The Centre had tried but failed to kidnap when she was younger, so he didn’t have to hide anything from her the way he did everyone else.

The surgeries had been painful, but some great things had come out of it. He had made a lot of friends, the people at The Centre thought he was dead, and as an added bonus, he no longer looked like Jarod, so there was little chance of anyone ever recognizing him and realizing the truth later on. He had a few scars, but those would be pretty much gone within the next year so, by next year when he was a junior and had his driver’s license, he would look just like everyone else. The only thing he regretted is that for now at least he had to let everyone involved with his past believe he was dead.

Michael’s presentation was the last for that day and the bell set them free. It was lunchtime and Michael headed for the cafeteria. He chose a pepperoni pizza, an orange soda, and a chocolate ice cream cup, paid for his food and sat at a table by himself.

This was only his first week at school and he hadn’t made any friends yet although plenty of people had stopped him to ask about the scar that went from his forehead, across his left cheek and down to his chin. It was the scar from his most recent re-constructive surgery. He told them he had been in an accident, but did not go into details.

Michael was halfway through his lunch when he saw Alexandra sitting at a table with her friends laughing. He was trying to get up the courage to go over and talk to her. There was a dance in two weeks. The homecoming dance and he wanted to ask her, but was terrified of what would happen if she rejected him in public.

He had almost gotten up the courage, when suddenly she was there. “Michael,” she said. Michael looked up at her. “You know my report in Mrs. Thompson’s class is on Monday and I’m still working on it. Yours was so good would you help me with mine.”

“Um, sure,” Michael said. “What book are you doing it on?”

“Hard Times” she said. “But I don’t think I understand the symbolism quite right.”

“Well,” Michael said. “I’ve never actually read that one, but I’ll try.”

“Great,” she said. “I’ll meet you at the library after school.”

“Oh,” Michael said. “I have an appointment with the doctor after school and won’t be done ‘til almost 5, so maybe we should meet tomorrow instead. I mean I’m sure you have a date or something tonight.”

“No,” she said. “Actually I don’t. Why don’t we meet at your house instead.”

“Are you sure?” Michael asked nervously. “I mean I’m available anytime for the rest of the weekend if you have something else to do.”

“I’m sure,” Alexandra said. “I’ll be there at 5:30.”

Michael rushed to his appt. after school, hoping to get in early. He greeted Alyssa when he came to her office. “Do you know if Daniel has an appt before me today?” He asked.

“I don’t know Michael,” she said. “You’ll have to ask him. What’s going on? I’ve never seen you in such a hurry to do you’re physical therapy before.”

“Oh,” Michael responded casually, “I just have a new friend coming over to study tonight.”

“This wouldn’t happen to be a female friend would it?” she asked raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah, so” Michael responded trying to sound more casual than he was feeling. “See you tonight.” He finished rushing from the room.

Alyssa looked at him leaving with a knowing smile. He had grown up so much in the last year. He was starting to act like the kid he’d never been allowed to be. She noted to herself that she would have to set up some ground rules for him just as another doctor walked into her office interrupting her thoughts.

Michael entered the physical therapy room with a sigh. He usually dreaded coming here, despite the fact that he loved to talk to Daniel, his physical therapist. Today he was excited to tell Daniel about Alexandra. He was nervous about tonight even though she was just coming over to study.

“Michael,” Daniel greeted him. “Come in. I have an open spot so let’s get started now.”

Michael lay down on the therapy table knowing the routine. He had endured it three times a week for the last year as they got his muscles to work again. He thought back to the first couple of weeks, as Daniel stretched his muscles. Ironically, at the time those therapy sessions had provided him with a sense of normalcy then. He was used to pain. It gave him a sense that things were ok.

He remembered back at the Centre when Mr. Raines had wanted to punish him, he would leave him alone without human contact for days and his meals would be pushed under his door in silence. When Mr. Raines returned he had always been willing to do whatever he was told just to avoid being left alone again, and whatever he was told to do almost always involved pain.

But, the pain from physical therapy was different from the pain inflicted upon him at the Centre. Physical therapy served a purpose for good. He had seen the purpose as he relearned to feed himself, to stand, and to walk again. He could run and jump now and was thinking about trying out for track this spring if he continued to improve. At the Centre, the pain had been inflicted out of cruelty and in order to spread that cruelty to others.

“You’re quiet today,” Daniel said interrupting Michael’s thoughts. “What’s up?”

“I have a study date to night.” Michael confessed.

“What subject,” Daniel asked knowing that it would be a bad idea to press Michael for details before he was ready to give them.

“English,” Michael said. “I’m helping her with a report on ‘Hard Times’. She said she’s having a hard time with the symbolism.”

“Yes, that can be hard,” Daniel replied with a knowing smile on his face. “I remember my first study date. Laura Winters.”

“What was the subject?” Michael innocently asked.

Daniel tried hard not to laugh. “I’m not sure actually,” he said. “I’ve forgotten that part.”

After physical therapy Michael rushed home and the clock read 4:50. Good 40 minutes to get ready. He went to his room and changed. He moved around swiftly to put all of his clothes in the hamper and pushing the rest of his mess into the closet. He took his allowance out of his dresser drawer and called to order a pizza and soda for 5:45. He checked the freezer and nodded in satisfaction that there was plenty of ice cream for dessert. He cleared the kitchen table of everything and put his leftover breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. He arranged his textbook, notebook and pen on the table and then arranged them again. He was pacing the room nervously when he heard the doorbell ring.

“Hi,” she greeted him when he opened the door.

“Uh, Hi,” He said and then stood there dumbly for a second.

“Are we going to study on the patio?” Alexandra asked.

“Oh, no,” Michael said. “Come in. Sit down. Let me take your books to the kitchen. Do you want anything to drink?”

“No thanks,” Alexandra said with an amused look on her face.

Michael suddenly realized that he was rambling and sat down in a chair in silence.

Alexandra started talking then. Something about Julia Sherman and gym class. Michael was too nervous to follow what she was saying.

“Do you think she where’s a wig,” Alexandra was asking.

Michael jumped realizing that Alexandra had just changed subjects and that he had no idea who “she” was.

“What?” Michael asked suddenly. “Sorry, Alexandra”

“Michael, relax,” she laughed. “And call me Alex. Everyone else does.”

“Okay,” Michael replied. “Maybe we should get started.”

“You’re right,” said Alex leaning towards him suddenly and moving her lips toward his. Michael, unsure of what to do pulled away.

“Relax Michael,” Alex said again. This time Michael met his lips to hers and they kissed.

Just as their kiss ended, Alyssa came through the door, the pizza boy behind her. Michael flushed with embarrassment. “We should get started on that report now,” he said. He paid for the pizza and he and Alex went in to sit at the kitchen table.

That night after Alex had gone home Michael went to bed happier than he had ever been, and for once he slept soundly without nightmares.


TBC









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