Table of Contents [Report This]
by Alana
Disclaimer: If I really did own The Pretender and any songs mentioned here, I wouldn't be worried about the $20000 in HECS fees I'll owe when I finish uni. I do own Julia though :-)
‘We may never meet again,
So shed your skin and let’s get started,
And you will throw your arms around me.’
-Throw Your Arms Around Me- Hunters and Collectors
Part One
The CD-player was blasting, filling the sparsely-decorated apartment with music.
The song was Cigarettes Will Kill You by Ben Lee, one of my favourite musicians. I had become a fan after he appeared on GNW Night Lite.....but that’s another story. It was seven a.m. here in Blue Cove, Delaware, and the music was helping me to wake up. I was getting ready for my first day at my new job. I had been in America for a little over a year, but I still had a very strong Australian accent. I have a feeling I’ll never lose it, no matter where I travel. I had to admit, I was very nervous about starting this job. There was so much riding on it, and I couldn’t afford to screw it up. At the interview, I had gotten the impression that my new bosses were perfectionists and they weren’t telling me everything about the job. It didn’t really matter though. I had ways of finding out whatever I needed to know. The song finished and Custard’s Girls Like That came on. I love music, all types of it. I find that it’s such a great stress reliever, and with my life I need all the stress release I can get.
I probably should introduce myself. My name’s Julia. Julia Anne St. Croix. I love my name. I think it’s nice, it sounds almost musical. I guess that’s why I like it. I’m
twenty-four, but I already have a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from Newcastle
University in Australia. I skipped a few grades at school, and have spent the last four years travelling. Sometimes I wish I had have been a normal kid. Spending your entire life studying isn’t fun, even though I found everything I learnt interesting. It was hard seeing the other kids play outside when I was cooped up inside.
But, there are some advantages. I have travelled all over the world, I have a very
well-paying job and if I decide to go back to university, I’ll still be very young when I get my second degree. I don’t think I’ll have a major career change though. I have a feeling that quitting my job is not an option I have. But, I think the good outweighs the bad. After all, how many 24-year olds get paid to travel? That has to be the greatest perk. That, and the salary. My job pays a lot.
I was almost ready. I studied myself in the mirror. God, I hate wearing this sort of
stuff. I am not the business-look type. I usually just wore jeans and T-shirts,
comfortable stuff like that. I leant towards the mirror and started applying some
mascara. I’m usually not a make-up person either, but I’m meant to look professional. There was a loud knock at the door. I turned my head instinctively, and smeared mascara on my eyelid.
"Damn," I muttered and reached for a tissue, "Come in." I called out. There was only one person who it could be. I had only made one friend in Blue Cove so far. He walked into the bedroom and studied me.
"Very cute Julia. Going somewhere?" Jarod Finn asked.
"Very funny Finn. I feel like a bloody idiot. This is not me." I replied.
"Relax. I know people who have done worse things for money." he smirked.
"There’s that look again." I told him as I fixed my mascara.
"What look?" He sat down on my unmade bed and started leafing through a copy of Cosmopolitan. Like most of my papers and books, it had been lying on the floor.
"It’s just this look you give me occasionally. Like there’s something you’re not
telling me." The song changed again. Celebrity Skin by Hole. I started singing softly.
"You have a good voice. Why are you working for some company when you can sing like that?"
"I’m not that good Jarod. I just like singing, it’s a release."
"A release?" He raised his eyebrows. He looked so cute when he did that.
"Yeah, a release. Some people smoke or drink or do drugs to escape from their lives, I sing or write. It just makes me feel better. You don’t have anything like that?" He shook his head.
"Actually, I don’t. What should my release be?" I thought for a moment.
"It’s usually a personal thing. Well, do you read?" He looked at me strangely.
"Of course. Everybody does."
"That’s not what I meant. I swear, sometimes it’s like you’re a little kid who
knows nothing about the world."
"I had a strange childhood."
"Obviously. I meant do you read in your spare time? You know, just pick up a book and read it, just because you want to?"
"I wrote one once, does that count?"
"You wrote a book?" he nodded, "I’m impressed. Can I read it?"
"I’m sure that could be arranged someday." He was smirking again, "Is reading a
release?"
"Of course. Reading is one of the greatest releases there is. You get transported into a completely different world, created solely for your enjoyment. I spend a lot of time doing it." I walked over to the bookcase. This was the only part of the room that was semi-organised, even though a lot of my books were still in piles on the floor.
"What are you looking for?" I picked up a book.
"One of my all-time favourites. You’ve probably already read it, but I’ve found it
never loses it’s charm, no matter how many times you read it." I handed the book to him.
"Les Miserables. I think I’ve heard of it. Why’s it so good?"
"Well, it’s only my opinion. You might hate it. I just like it because the characters
are still believable. I mean, there’s the poor desperate mother who would do anything for her child, the relentless cop, the young lovers, the benevolent man, the con artists, and the freedom fighters." I laughed, "I’m sure we both know people like that."
"I think I do know some people fitting those descriptions. What are you doing
hanging out with freedom fighters?" he smiled.
"I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you." I laughed at his puzzled expression,
"It’s a joke Jarod."
"I don’t get it."
"What did you do? Grow up under a rock? Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who have never seen a James Bond movie."
"James who?"
"Bond, James Bond. You know, he likes martinis shaken, not stirred. I can’t believe you don’t know who James Bond is. He’s a British spy. There’s nineteen movies about him, I’m going to see the new one when it comes out."
"I take it you’re a fan." he remarked dryly.
"That’s one way of putting it. I love that sort of stuff. Didn’t you ever want to be
a spy when you were a kid?" I sat down next to him.
"I did always want to travel."
"See, that’s a start. And he has a cool car, and uses all these great gadgets, and he
always gets his man. I always wanted to do that, travel, beat the baddies. Now look at me. I’m working for a company in Delaware." I smiled, "Could be worse. I think I’m going to have to make you watch a James Bond movie."
"I want to know what I’m missing out on. So, can I borrow the book?" I stood up.
"Of course. Why else would I give it to you? You know, you remind me of someone I once met, a long time ago."
"Really? Who was it?"
"His name was Jarod too. Coincidence, isn’t it? The way you act, and talk, it’s like
seeing him all over again." I closed my eyes. I can always tell when I’m about to cry.
"Julia? What’s wrong?"
"He......he was killed in a fire three years ago. I know it’s stupid, but it still hurts
to think about him. I hardly knew him, but I liked him. He was older than me, at least by ten years, but he was so great. Words can’t really describe it. I wish I had have gotten to know him better." Jarod stood up and hugged me.
"I’m sure he was a great guy. Did you talk to anyone when he died?" I shook my
head.
"I couldn’t. I just didn’t want to talk about it. It hurt too much."
"I’m always here." I smiled at him and wiped the tears away.
"I know. You’ve helped me so much since I got here, I don’t know what I’d do
without you."
"I’m sure you would have managed. Still nervous about the job?" I laughed.
"Not at all. Of course, that could be because of the three cups of coffee I’ve already had this morning. I feel like I could stay awake for a week."
"I didn’t think you drank coffee."
"I usually don’t. I had to go out and buy it this morning. I don’t think I’m a coffee
person." I knew what Jarod was doing. He was trying to cheer me up by changing the subject. It was working, I was feeling better.
"You’re a business person now. I think that means you must be a coffee person."
"True," I straightened my skirt. "So, what do you think?" Jarod smiled.
"You look fantastic. They’ll love you."
"I hope so. Thank you Jarod," I kissed him on the cheek. "You have a talent for
making people feel better. You working today?" he nodded.
"I have to go and get ready. I’m meeting with clients. Turning up in jeans and a
T-shirt wouldn’t be a good idea. I wanted to wish you luck before you left."
"You’re a good friend to have. Hey, what time do you finish tonight?" I looked
through my bag to make sure I had everything. I sprayed some 5th Avenue on my neck and wrists and put the bottle back on the dresser.
"I don’t know. Why?" He handed me my keys. I smiled at him. It’s like he can read my mind sometimes.
"I thought we could get some pizza at that place in town. It was pretty good last
time."
"I don’t know when I’ll be able to get away."
"That’s fine. Being a builder must be hard. Maybe we can tomorrow or something."
"I’m sure we can." I looked at my watch.
"Can you move for just a minute Jarod?"
"Why?"
"Because I would like to make my bed. I want to room to at least appear organized." He helped me make the bed and I switched off the CD player.
"I’ll give you a call tonight if I don’t see you. I want to hear all about your new job."
"I think you’re more excited than I am." As we walked through the small lounge
room, I switched on the radio. I always leave music on whenever I go out. It
apparently deters thieves, even though I have nothing worth stealing. I locked the door behind me and waved goodbye to Jarod as he ran up the stairs to his apartment. Then I walked down the small flight of stairs, out the front door and down a few more steps to the kerb where my car was parked.
Part Two
I suppose the inevitable question is how did I meet Jarod Finn, builder
extraordinaire? Well, it was a dark and stormy night. Maybe not really dark, but it was almost night, and there was a storm raging, so the cliché is almost true. It was my first night in Blue Cove, and I had just traveled by train from San Francisco. I was tired, cold, hungry and sick of travelling. When I saw the rain, I felt like sitting down on the platform and crying my eyes out. I decided that would be pointless, even though it would make me feel a little better. So I grabbed my bags and tried to find a cab.
Naturally, there were none waiting. Apparently, Blue Cove doesn’t get many tourists. At least, that’s what the bored-looking ticket seller told me. There weren’t any buses either, not for an hour at least. All I wanted to do was have a long, hot shower and unpack, but it looked like I was stuck at the train station. Then, I saw him.
Jarod was standing in front of the newsstand, looking at his watch every few seconds. It looked like he was waiting for someone, so I thought I’d say hi to pass the time. I dragged my bags over to where he was standing and smiled at him.
"Hi, I’m Julia. Waiting for someone?" He looked at his watch, then at me.
"I was. They didn’t show. Were you on the last train?" I nodded.
"Yeah. I was the only one who got off. I guess Blue Cove is pretty small, huh?"
"It’s real cosy." he said sarcastically.
"Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean it as an insult. I come from Australia, so I’m used to
people assuming I live way out in the country, in a tiny town." I frowned and bit my lip, something I always do when I’m thinking. "Although in my case, the
clichés are true." He looked at me strangely, allowing me to see his face clearly for the first time. All I could think was wow. He had these remarkable eyes, and a cute little mole on his cheek. There was something almost childlike about him, and he was one of the most attractive guys I’ve ever met.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I grew up on a farm near Wagga Wagga. It’s in rural Australia. So, you know, I drove tractors and paddock-bashers, rode horses, dipped sheep, fixed fences, country stuff like that."
"What’s a paddock-basher?"
"Just a ute that Dad had. It’s easier than walking between the paddocks, our place
was pretty big." I paused. "God, I’m so rude. I’ve been chatting away, and I don’t
even know your name."
"Jarod Finn. Call me Jarod."
"Jarod," I repeated, "I’m Julia St. Croix. It’s nice to meet you." We shook hands. The expression on his face seemed to change when I said my name, but I couldn’t be sure.
"Are you waiting for anyone?"
"I’m just waiting to get out of here. I didn’t think a cab would be so hard to find."
"Where are you going?"
"Do you know any good hotels? I know I should have made a reservation, I usually do, but coming to Blue Cove was kinda a spontaneous decision."
"How long are you planning to stay Miss...."
"St. Croix. It’s French. Call me Julia, Miss St. Croix is far too formal. I’m hoping
to get a job. I have an interview in a couple of days." He smiled.
"My friend obviously isn’t going to show. There’s a place for rent in my building. If
you’re interested I can take you there."
"How much is this going to cost me? And how do I know I can trust you?"
"Why would it cost you anything? I’m really very trustworthy, why wouldn’t I
be?" He had that strange look on his face again.
"I’m sorry Jarod. I guess I’ve spent too much time wandering around third-world
countries. It makes you a little paranoid. I would be glad to go with you. I have a gut feeling I can trust you." I smiled at him. I picked up two of my bags, and Jarod took the third one.
Jarod took me to his building. His landlady was a charming woman in her sixties,
Mrs. Turner. I loved the apartment the moment I saw it. It was large, with large
windows in the lounge room. There were two bedrooms, and I could see one of them becoming a study. The bathroom was a little cramped, but I could live with that. When Mrs. Turner told me the price, I almost fainted. I couldn’t believe that such a great place was so cheap. But, like Mrs. Turner, who insisted I call her Ellen, said Blue Cove is a small town and if she charged a fortune nobody would take the apartment. I decided I liked Mrs. Turner, I mean Ellen.
And that is the story of how I met Jarod. That was a week ago, and during that time he helped me furnish my apartment, and showed me around Blue Cove. Now, I can’t believe I ever even thought of doubting him. Jarod is one of the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met. He’s so innocent and childlike, I don’t think
he’d ever be capable of hurting anyone.
Reminiscing can really help you pass the time. I was driving down the main street of Blue Cove in the black SAAB convertible that Jarod had helped me pick out. It was time for me to go to work, and I was almost there. I was still nervous. I had no idea what to expect when I got to work, but I was about to find out. I noticed an antique store in the main street and made a mental note to go there after work. I love looking through antique and pawn shops. You never know what you can find.
The Centre. It hadn’t changed a bit since the last time I was here. Well, the last time I was here was my interview, but I was here before that, years ago. The size of the place still amazed me. I had no idea what they did with all of this room, and I had a gut feeling I would never know.
I found a good parking space and looked at myself in the rear-view mirror. My hair was a mess. I suppose that’s what I get for driving with the top down. I took a brush out of my bag and fixed my hair. Having short hair has its advantages. Everything else was perfect, or almost perfect. I put the top up on the car and got out. The breeze started to blow and I shivered. It was cold here, and I regretted wearing a skirt. I’m not used to cold Novembers. The Centre loomed above me, and I shivered again. I looked up at the top of the building and pulled my jacket tighter around me. I locked the car and quickly walked toward the main entrance, keeping my head bowed down away from the wind.
Part Three
When I reached the entrance, I pushed the door open and rushed inside. I didn’t
notice where I was going as I still had my head bowed down. That’s why I didn’t
notice the man I ran into. The papers and folders he was carrying flew everywhere. I looked up at him and smiled apologetically.
"Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Here, let me help you get those." We bent down and
picked up the papers. I handed them back to him. "I do hope they aren’t mixed up." He smiled slowly. Blue Cove seems to have an abundance of attractive men. This one was tall, with captivating blue eyes and brown hair.
"They aren’t important, just some research." He studied me for a moment.
"You’re new here, aren’t you?"
"It’s my first day. Is it that obvious?" He laughed.
"Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it here. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Lyle."
"Lyle. I’ve never met anyone called Lyle before. I’m Julia." He held out his hand,
which I shook. "What happened to your thumb?"
"Work-related accident." I raised my eyebrows.
"You lost a thumb working here?" I looked around the richly decorated lobby.
"I wasn’t working here when it happened. That was my old job. I’m hoping to make a fresh start. But enough about me. Who are you looking for?" I smiled. There was something about Lyle that I liked.
"Miss Parker." He coughed. I had a feeling he wanted to laugh.
"Miss Parker? Why do you want to see her?"
"Why wouldn’t I? She seems like a nice person."
"Are we talking about the same Miss Parker?"
"Yeah. The chairman’s daughter," I laughed, "Don’t worry Lyle. I know where
her office is. You don’t have to take me there." He seemed to breath a sigh of relief. I guess Miss Parker isn’t the nicest person to talk to on a Monday morning.
"So Julia, would you like to have lunch with me today? We can take a couple of
hours off and have a long lunch downtown." I laughed.
"You’re asking me out on my first day? You certainly are forward."
"I don’t believe in wasting time. And I’m sure you’ve had people tell you that
you’re attractive." You’re not too bad yourself, I thought. This was turning out to
be a pretty good day. Wait till I tell Jarod about this.
"I would love to have lunch with you Lyle. I hope everyone here is as friendly as you are."
"You’ll get along just fine. I’ll meet you back here at one. Good luck dealing with
the Ice Queen."
"The Ice Queen?"
"You’ll understand when you meet her." Lyle smiled, and then he was gone. I smiled to myself. First day on the job and a co-worker asks me out. A seriously cute co-worker. I felt like skipping over to the elevator, but I restrained myself and walked. There was another guy that I liked, but I don’t think he likes me. Oh well, I’m sure Lyle is great. I usually have very good instincts.
I managed to find Miss Parker’s office. There was nobody there, so I snuck inside.
The office was very professional and impersonal. I sat down in Miss Parker’s comfy chair and studied her desk. There was a laptop, some photos and a dish of candy. I looked at the photos. Miss Parker was only smiling in one of them. It looked like she was about nine or ten, and she was with her mother. How do I know what her mother looks like? Well, you’re about to find out.
I leant back in the chair and relaxed. It was nice to just sit here, alone and quiet. I
could hear someone in the hallway. It was a woman, I could hear her heels clicking on the tiled floor. She opened the door and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. She turned to shut the door behind her.
"Candy’s for the clients only, and get out of my chair." I stood up and leant
against the desk. She turned back around to face me, and her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oh my God. What the hell are you doing here?" I put my hands on my hips and smiled at her.
"Now really Miss Parker. Is that any way to greet your favourite cousin?"
Part Four
Miss Parker looked like she was about to burst into tears. She slowly walked across the room to where I was standing and hugged me tightly, like she checking to see if I was really there. I hugged her back and we just stood there for a few minutes before she talked again.
"What are you doing here? I haven’t heard from you in so long." She sat down
behind her desk and I sat down in the other, less comfortable chair.
"I’m sorry about that MJ, it couldn’t be helped."
"Don’t call me that." I looked at her strangely.
"Why not? I used to all the time, remember?"
"We’re not kids anymore, Dr. St. Croix. The Centre does not believe in
nicknames or anything else personal." I shook my head.
"You have got to be kidding me, right? What harm can a nickname do?"
"Knowledge is power Julia. You should know that."
"And let me guess, photos of the personnel aren’t allowed because I’ll steal their
souls?"
"You shouldn’t joke about it. Power is the most important thing here, and we
don’t like people who break the rules."
"You sound like a training manual."
"That’s because I would like to live to see my next birthday." she replied
sarcastically.
"This is a research and development company, not the CIA. I swear, you’re a lot like the guy I met downstairs."
"What guy?" Her voice sounded more worried now.
"Calm down, he’s just a guy I literally ran into when I came in. God, is the weather always this bad in November?" She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
"Who is he?"
"Just a guy. What’s the matter with you?"
"There are some people around here who you can’t trust. I don’t want you to get
in any trouble."
"That’s sweet of you MJ, really. But I’m not a little kid anymore, I know how to take care of myself. Oh, by the way, do you like my hair?" My black hair was cut into a short bob, and it kicked out at the ends, just like Miss Parker’s.
"It’s a remarkable coincidence," she said dryly, "Would you please tell me who
this mystery guy is?" I had a feeling I probably should. Miss Parker looked like she was about to start banging her head on the desk.
"Fine, all right. If you must know, he works here, his name is Lyle, and he’s missing a thumb. But don’t hold that against him. Nobody’s perfect, and he is a
nice guy. We’re having lunch today. Do you know him?" Miss Parker’s face was almost white, and I was afraid she was going to faint.
"You are not having lunch with Lyle." she told me slowly.
"Why not?" I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. "Oh God, he’s married, isn’t he?" She shook her head, "Engaged? Girlfriend? Gay?" She shook her head each time. "Then what can possibly be wrong with him? He’s not an ex of yours,
is he?" She shook her head again. Something had to be wrong, Miss Parker was speechless.
"Lyle’s my twin." I raised my eyebrows.
"Excuse me?" She laughed slowly.
"Lyle’s my little twin brother. Can you believe that? That twisted jerk is my brother."
"I’d call your bluff, but this isn’t a joke, is it? Lyle’s the missing Parker, and my
cousin just asked me out. Eww..." Miss Parker smiled weakly.
"I wouldn’t worry too much. Lyle didn’t know, and you didn’t know. It’s not
something I like to talk about. I should have written when I found out that he was my brother, but I didn’t know where you were. Look, I would encourage you to get to know him, he is my brother, but Lyle is not the kind of person I want you to know."
"Why not? What’d he do?"
"Oh Julia, there’s so little you know. Lyle lost his thumb because he tried to cheat the Yakuza." My mouth fell open in shock.
"The Yakuza?" I laughed bitterly, "Well, he did say it was a ‘work-related accident’. Why is it I get the feeling there’s more to this than you’re telling me?"
"Because there is. I don’t really want to talk about it here though."
"Fine, we’ll do lunch." I smiled, "I’ve always wanted to say that. I’ll tell Lyle we’ll
have to make it another time. He doesn’t have to know."
"I should warn you. There’s no such thing as a secret in the Centre. But what the hell, it’ll annoy Lyle." She smiled.
"This is why he calls you the Ice Queen, isn’t it?"
"Everyone calls me the Ice Queen. It’s because I’m heartless and calculating. I like to say I’m ambitious."
"You’re not heartless and calculating MJ."
"You’ll change your mind within a week. And don’t you dare call me MJ around
anyone else, or you’ll be joining Lyle in the Thumb Donor-of-the-Month Club." I
laughed.
"I’m beginning to see your heartless side. So, what do you do all day?"
"I find things."
"You find things? You got a college education just so you could ‘find things’?"
"It’s a very demanding job. And I’m going to ask you for the third and final time,
what are you doing here?"
"Working on my Ph.D. I’ve finished travelling aimlessly for now, so I thought I’d
kill the time by adding a few more letters to the end of my name."
"A Ph.D.? Congratulations. But that doesn’t explain why you’re at the Centre."
"You seem to be forgetting that this is a research and development company, with
lots of labs equipped with shiny, expensive equipment. I figured I might as well make use of them."
"You have labs in Australia, don’t you?"
"Why is it I get the feeling you want me to go home? Anyway, you have some of the best equipment I’ve seen. I also wanted my own lab, and your dad said I could have one." There was a knock on the door. A balding man wearing an Hawaiian shirt came in.
"Broots!" She snapped, "Can’t you see I’m busy?"
"I’m sorry Miss Parker," he stammered, "But something was just delivered."
"Fine, I’ll be there in a minute." Broots stood there, waiting for her. "Go, Broots."
she ordered. He practically ran out of the room.
"I probably should go. I have a lot to do." I told Miss Parker.
"No, come with me. You can see what I do all day." We stood up, and I followed
Miss Parker out of the room.
Part Five
I followed Miss Parker to a tech lab. I had forgotten how maze-like this place was.
There were so many levels, sublevels, corridors and rooms here, it would be really easy
to get lost and never be able to find your way out. I was glad I had Miss Parker with me. I would never have been able to find the tech lab without her help.
When we reached the lab, there were three people waiting for Miss Parker. There was
the balding guy who had came into Miss Parker’s office, I think his name was Broots.
It was something unusual like that. Another man was talking to Broots. They were both
holding cups of coffee. The other man looked like he was in his sixties, and he had grey
hair. He looked a little familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. The other person in the
room was Lyle. I knew that Miss Parker didn’t like her brother, and from what she had
told me I really couldn’t blame her, so this would be interesting. A large box had been
placed on top of a table in the middle of the room. They were obviously waiting for Miss Parker before they would open it.
"Miss Parker," Broots nervously walked over to us, "The courier would have delivered
this yesterday, but he said he was held up."
"Does it look like I care?" she replied, "Lyle, open the box."
"You’re kidding. It’s probably booby-trapped." He didn’t move, and he winked at me
when Miss Parker wasn’t looking.
"Once again, does it look like I care? Open it, now. By the way, this is my cousin, Julia. She’s just joined our happy little Centre family." Broots dropped his coffee, and the cup shattered on the tiled floor. Miss Parker rolled her eyes.
"I’m sorry," he stammered, "I didn’t know you have a cousin Miss Parker."
"There’s a lot you don’t know about me." she replied. "Julia, my clumsy colleague is
Broots, that’s Sydney, and you already know Lyle."
"It’s nice to meet you Broots." I smiled at him, and he hesitantly smiled back. I had a
feeling he thought I’d be just like Miss Parker. Lyle walked over to us.
"My sister never told me that I have a cousin. I don’t see too much of a resemblance
though." Lyle told me.
"I take after my father. My mum’s Aunt Catherine’s twin sister."
"Well, we’ll have to get together and catch up sometime." Miss Parker smiled.
"Julia and I are having lunch together today. Would you like to join us Lyle?" Her voice was unnaturally sweet, and she obviously knew that he would refuse.
"I’m sorry sis, I know how much you would love to have me there, but there are a few
things I need to take care of. Just one question, are there any more family members
you’re hiding from me?" His voice was becoming as sarcastic as Miss Parker’s. I was
beginning to see the family resemblance.
"Don’t get your hopes up Lyle, Julia’s not as dysfunctional as the rest of us. Hell, she
actually has both her thumbs left." Miss Parker wiggled her thumbs in front of Lyle’s
face to illustrate her point. I could see his face turning red.
"Tell me if we finally get any leads on Jarod. Unlike you, Miss Parker, I have work to
do." Lyle turned and angrily walked out of the tech lab. I was expecting him to slam the
door or something, but he didn’t. Broots and Sydney had just stood aside and watched
Lyle and Miss Parker argue. I got the impression that it happened a lot, and they had
learnt to not interfere. The four of us walked over to the table. I studied Sydney.
"You’re a shrink, aren’t you?" I asked him. He smiled.
"I’m surprised you remember. It was a long time ago." He replied. He had a lovely soft
Belgian accent.
"You still speak with an accent. You always had the coolest voice Doc."
"Thank you Julia. What are you doing back here?"
"Working on my PhD. It’s time I increased my job opportunities. I’m surprised to see
you here though. I thought Miss Parker ‘found things’. That’s not something a shrink
would do." Sydney smiled again.
"It depends on what you’re looking for.'
"Enough small talk. Broots, open the box." Miss Parker interrupted. Broots looked like
he was going to protest, but he changed his mind. He opened the box, and the three of
them stepped back. I was the only one left standing next to the table. I looked at the three of them, and then I looked in the box.
"Hey cool, videos." I told them. The three of them moved back to the table. They looked a little embarrassed about their initial reaction. I reached into the box and started pulling out the videos. Broots started to help me after a few seconds. When the box was empty, I picked it up and threw it to the floor. Miss Parker went over to where it was lying and started to study it.
"What did you do that for?" she asked.
"It was empty and it was taking up room." I replied.
"They still might be something in it." she told me.
"Like what? It’s a cardboard box, and it’s empty. What’s wrong with you?" She tore
the box apart and studied the pieces. When she finished, she put the pieces in a pile on the floor and rejoined us.
"What have we got?" she asked.
"Movies, eighteen James Bond movies." Broots told her.
"Eighteen James Bond movies? What does he want us to do, have a movie marathon?"she replied sarcatically.
"Now Miss Parker," Sydney said, "Jarod always has a reason for sending these things."
Jarod? I thought.
"Yeah, maybe Boy Wonder’s joined Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Broots, Syd, look
through the cases, watch them, see if there’s anything even slightly relevant here."
"Hey Miss Parker, can I have those when you’ve finished with them?" I gestured to the
videos.
"That’s right, you like James Bond, don’t you?" she replied slowly.
"Of course. Remember? We used to watch them together."
"Don’t you have all the movies already?"
"I do, back at home in Australia. I didn’t bring them with me, they weighed too much. If you don’t want them, I’ll happily take them. It’d save me a lot of money."
"Sure Julia." Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney glanced at each other, then back at me. I
felt like I was under a microscope.
"It looks like Jarod was telling us something about the Centre. The courier did say he
was meant to deliver this yesterday." Sydney told Miss Parker.
"Looks like you’re right Syd. How does he know everything that happens here?" she
replied.
"All right, this is driving me crazy. How can Jarod have sent this? He’s dead,
remember?" I practically yelled. The three of them froze. Sydney looked like he was
going to have a heart attack, and Miss Parker looked like she was going to faint. Broots’
mouth fell open, and if he was holding anything, I think he would have dropped it.
"Jarod’s dead?" Miss Parker whispered, "Since when?"
"Since three years ago. There was a fire, why don’t you remember? What’s going on
here?" The three of them seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"There wasn’t a fire here, not three years ago. Julia, we saw Jarod last week."
"Miss Parker, I have a letter from Uncle H-...your father saying that Jarod was killed in a fire. He said you were really upset about it, that’s why I never brought it up."
"Julia, listen to me. He’s not dead, far from it." I leant on the table to support myself,
and I started laughing softly.
"He’s alive, Jarod’s alive!"
"Alive, well, and making my life hell." Miss Parker replied dryly. I laughed even harder. "What’s so funny?"
"That rhymes. Well, hell. It’s funny."
"Hilarious."
"Why would your father say Jarod was dead when he isn’t?" Broots asked. The poor guy sounded confused. I couldn’t blame him. Miss Parker shook her head.
"I don’t know. Julia, I should also warn you that no-one really dies around here. We’re
like a bunch of phoenixes. So don’t believe anyone who tells you somebody died." I took a deep breath and stood up straight again.
"I’ll keep that in mind. I’m so sorry to have mentioned it. I was afraid you were all
going to faint. I just had to know what was going on."
"Don’t worry about it. Things like this happen all the time at the Centre." Sydney told
me.
"Syd, Broots, I’ll see you soon. Come on Julia." Miss Parker started walking away. I
waved to Sydney and Broots. The two of them waved back, and I followed Miss Parker.
"Where are we going?" I asked her.
"To have a nice stiff drink or two. Or ten."
It was late when I got home that night. After a drink with Miss Parker, I had gone to my new lab and strarted to set everything up. We had lunch, and we talked about everything except for the Centre and Jarod. Even so, I apologised about ten times for scaring her like that. I had come to realise that ‘finding things’ meant finding Jarod, and that there was a lot more to it than she would tell me. That was a feeling I was getting a lot lately.
I unlocked the door to my apartment and switched on the light. I almost went upstairs to see Jarod, but I knew he wouldn’t be there. Everything about him made sense now. His ‘strange childhood’, why he knew almost everything about me, and his curiousity about my new job.
I now faced one of those horrible moral dilemmas: should I tell Miss Parker that Jarod
was here, and that I was friends with him? Whatever I decided on, I would be betraying a friend. I’ll think about it tomorrow. It’ll all be clearer tomorrow. I put my bag on the
lounge and went into my bedroom. I turned on the light and gasped.
An acoustic guitar was lying on my bed. I picked it up and noticed a piece of folded
paper placed under the strings. There was also a light blue notebook lying next to the
guitar. I unfolded the paper and read the note.
Dear Julia,
You obviously know who I am now, and I left Blue Cove this morning. I’m sorry I
couldn’t tell you the truth, and I hope Miss Parker et al weren’t too shocked when you
told them you thought I was dead. Watch your back Julia, the Centre is a very dangerous place, and take care of Miss Parker. You’re a lot like her. If things had been different, she would have been exactly like you.
God willing we will meet again,
Jarod.
PS. I hope you like the guitar.
"Thank you Jarod." I whispered. I played a few chords on the guitar. Not bad, but I
needed a lot of practice. I opened the book. There was another note, on the first page.
Why don’t you write about the Centre? It’d make a very interesting story. -J.
I smiled, and looked through the room for a pen. I took the pen and book into the lounge room and sat down on the lounge. I kicked off my shoes, took off my jacket, untucked my shirt and put my bag on the floor. I laid down on my side and turned on the CD player. Thank God for remote controls. I found the song I wanted and pressed play.
'We may never meet again,
So shed your skin and let’s get started,
And you will throw your arms around me......'
I opened the book and sighed sadly.
"God willing we will meet again Jarod."
The End
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