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Disclaimer- Jarod, Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots and anyone else that has been on the Pretender(not including Marcie), that I am using in my story belongs to NBC and whoever else is in charge down there.
True Awakening
Amanda
AKA Missy Parker
Miss Parker’s office
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Tuesday, 9:12 am
"Broots! Get in here! Now!" Miss Parker yelled as she sifted through the piles of papers on her desk.
"Uh, Miss Parker?" Broots asked as he came into my office.
"Has anyone, namely my brother or a ditzy blonde who’s been not only fucking my father, but my sweet brother as well, come into my office this morning?" She asked him sweetly.
"I, uh, don’t think so, uh Miss Parker" he stammered. "Why?" He looked up at her as though she would turn into a three-headed monster of some sort.
"Well, it just so happens that a paper that I laid right here last night," She banged her fist on the spot on the desk for emphasis, "Isn’t here anymore, and I was wondering where it might have gone" Miss Parker walked around to the front of the desk to where Broots was standing.
" I ,um, have no idea, and, oh yeah!" he exclaimed getting excited, "I have a lead on Jarod"
"Does anyone else know?" Miss Parker asked, getting excited herself. She just hoped Lyle and Raines hadn’t found out yet.
"No one, not even Sydney" he told her.
"Well," Miss Parker said walking out the door, "Let’s get a move on to?" she paused and raised an eyebrow towards Broots.
"Uh, Los Angeles" was his answer.
********************
Baskin Robbins-Thirty-one Flavors
Tuesday, 1:27 p.m.
Los Angeles
"You only have thirty flavors out" Jarod told the girl behind the counter at Baskin Robbins.
"What?" the only girl working there asked.
"The sign out there says you have thirty-one flavors, but I only counted thirty" Jarod gave her a smile.
"Yeah, whatever. So what do you want?" she asked in a bored tone.
"Oh, let’s see, I’ll have the triple sundae" he told her.
"What flavors?" she asked in monotone.
"Rocky Road, Butter Pecan, and Mint Chocolate Chip, and oh yeah!" Jarod smiled again, "Extra nuts"
********************
Somewhere over Colorado
Early Wednesday morning
3:41 am
"Hopefully Jarod will still be in LA when we arrive" Miss Parker told Syd taking a drink of her vodka.
"Uh huh" he said looking out the window.
"Just pray that it’s not a dead end like last time" she said looking at him.
"Uh huh" he said again.
"Syd? What’s wrong?" Miss Parker asked him worriedly.
"Sorry Miss Parker, its just that tomorrow is the anniversary of Jacob’s death" he told her. "I didn’t mean to worry you" he said smiling a little.
"Oh Syd, I’m so sorry, I forgot all about it" She told him genuinely sorry.
"It’s all right Miss Parker" Syd told her.
"Whatever you say, Syd" she told him.
"We shall be arriving at LAX in exactly one hour" the pilots voice said over the speaker.
‘Jarod’ she thought, ‘here we come, whether your ready or not’ Miss Parker smiled to herself and went back to drinking her vodka.
********************
Palm Hilton
Los Angeles
Wednesday 7:04 am
"That place has the best food!" Broots said as they were walking through the hotel lobby.
"We aren’t here for the food Broots. We’re here to find Jarod and he could be anywhere...excuse me but have you seen this man?" Miss Parker held up a picture of Jarod to show a young man.
"Uh, no sorry" the man said looking at it then walking away.
"You intend to find Jarod by showing people a picture?" Syd asked. "This is a big city Miss Parker, like you said he could be anywhere."
"Yes I do, now if you excuse me, I’d like to go ask the manager." She walked up to him and held up the picture.
"Have you seen this man?" She asked.
"You know, I think I might have seen him walking around in here, but Iwasn’t the one who checked him in. The assistant manager might know though" he told her.
"Is the assistant manager here?" She asked surprised that Jarod might be here at her hotel.
"Yeah she is, let me get her for you" he went into another room and came out with a short, blonde haired woman.
"Do you know this man?" Miss Parker asked once again holding up the picture.
"That’s Jarod right, the really hot one? He’s been here for about a week. He went out earlier- about an hour ago when I was just coming in, he was so sweet holding the door for me and saying hi and..."
"Where is he?" Miss Parker asked cutting her off. She wondered how such a petite woman could say all that in just one breath.
"Oh, I uh, he said something about a job he had to do, ya know I wasn’t really listening, I kept getting lost in those beautiful brown eyes, and his smile was to die for, and that body, Oh-My-God! What can I say? I’d love to have a man like that." the woman told her grinning.
"Really?" Miss Parker asked sarcastically raising an eyebrow, "Well if you see him, give me a call. Here’s my number" she said giving the woman her number and putting on a fake smile.
‘God help us all’ she thought as she walked back to Sydney and Broots.
She gave them a big smile as she came up to them, "Well it just so happens, that woman over there," she nodded towards the front desk, "has seen Jarod in here, so I think he might be staying here."
"Did you ask what room he’s staying in?" Syd asked.
"Syd, I could barely get a word in edgewise, all she could talk about was how ‘hot’ he was" Miss Parker told him rolling her eyes.
"So what are we going to do all day? Just sit here and wait for him, uh, Jarod?" Broots asked.
"Exactly" Miss Parker said half smiling.
********************
Later that day
"What if Jarod isn’t staying here anymore?" Broots asked Miss Parker while sitting in one of the hotels big lounge chairs and reading a Computer Whiz magazine.
"I would think that the people at the front desk would have at least told us that" Miss Parker said rolling her eyes at him.
"What time is it?" Broots asked a few minutes later.
Miss Parker looked up at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. It was only 4 o’ clock.
They had been sitting there for hours. Well, at least she and Broots have. Sydney was out doing who knew what. Miss Parker had felt sorry for him because of Jacob so she didn’t want to make him wait with her and Broots.
"Miss Parker? I uh asked what time it was." Broots told her. Right after he said that he immediately regretted it.
"The clock’s right there, check for yourself" She replied giving him a nasty look. She was sick of waiting and wished Jarod would just hurry up and come to the hotel.
"Yoo-hoo! Miss Parker right?" someone called walking over.
Miss Parker looked up and put on a fake smile. "Yes.." she looked at the woman’s name tag- Marcie, Assistant Manager-it read, "Marcie?" Miss Parker asked.
"I just wanted to see if you needed anything" Marcie smiled at her.
"No thanks" Miss Parker told her trying to be polite. This was the fifth time Marcie had come in the last hour and Miss Parker’s mood was just worsening.
"Okay, call me if you need anything!" Marcie said as she walked away.
"If Jarod isn’t here in two hours we’re leaving" Miss Parker told Broots.
"But Miss Parker what about.."
Miss Parker interrupted him, "Then we’ll just have to get him next time okay? I would like to take him back to the Centre this week but I am getting sick and tired of that woman." she jerked her head towards Marcie as she said that. "I think I’ll go up to my room and "freshen up"." Miss Parker told him getting up, "call me if Jarod comes in but don’t let him see you" With that she turned on her heel and walked to the elevator.
"Great," Broots said to himself, "First Sydney, now Miss Parker"
********************
Susie’s Bar
Los Angeles
8:36 p.m. that night
"Why do they call Baskin Robbins 31 flavors when they usually only have 30 flavors?" Jarod asked Susie, the bar owner.
"Sweetie, I have no idea and frankly I don’t care" she told him wiping the counters. "Ice cream makes you fat and I should know, spent three years tryin’’ to work off the fat from it" she pulled at her stomach, " and I am still tryin’"
Jarod smiled at her and continued to wipe off the tables. There were only a few men sitting at the bar and Jarod was surprised that there weren’t more.
"Anyways," Susie continued, "What brought all this ice cream talk up?"
"I was at a Baskin Robbins and I was counting if there really were thirty-one flavors but I counted only thirty" he told her picking a napkin off a table.
"Whatever Jarod, whatever" the old woman turned around laughing.
"Oh, and another thing, why does everyone around here say ‘whatever’ all the time?" he asked her curious.
Susie just looked at him and laughed.
********************
Palm Hilton
9:02 p.m. that night
"God, what the hell is he doing out this late?" Miss Parker asked no one imparticular.
"Miss Parker it’s only nine" Sydney told her calmly.
"I don’t really care Syd I just want him here so we can bring him back to the Centre and I can finally..." she stopped mid-sentence and was staring towards the front. Syd turned around to see what she was looking at.
"Jarod" Miss Parker said almost in a whisper.
********************
Jarod had just come through the hotel’s front door when a short woman came up to him.
"So Jarod, I was thinking, me...you...candlelight dinner...what do ya think?" Marcie asked him, batting her eyelashes.
"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I’m kinda busy right now, and a candlelight dinner just does not fit into my schedule" Jarod told her with a plastered-on-Crest-kid smile, while walking towards the elevator.
"Well, we could always order Chinese and go up to your room" Marcie said innocently.
"I’m afraid not" Jarod told her pushing the elevator button.
"Why not? It’s not like I bite, well not that hard" she said as the elevator came up and dinged.
"Excuse me" someone said as they pushed Marcie aside and Jarod into the empty elevator.
"Hey!" Marcie’s voice said.
"Miss Parker?" Jarod’s eyes widened as he looked at her. He turned to exit the elevator but the doors had already shut.
"In the flesh" was her reply.
He turned to exit the elevator but the doors had already shut.
"Can’t escape this time, Wonder boy" Miss Parker stepped next to Jarod and put her gun up to his back. "Push the button to your floor" She told him putting more pressure onto the gun. Jarod did as he was told. When they reached their destination, Miss Parker half pulled, half pushed Jarod out of the elevator.
"Ugh" Jarod grunted as he almost tripped.
"Just shut up and walk to your room" Miss Parker told him keeping her eyes on him.
"Okay, Okay" Jarod said trying to lighten Miss Parker up as if he had a chance.
"Here we are" he said then looked at Miss Parker sideways as he put the key into the lock.
Miss Parker pushed him in and locked the door. "Well rat boy, here we are" she mimicked him. She took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed one of his wrists to her own. She caught him looking at her, "To make sure you don’t escape" she explained.
"Why, Miss Parker, why would I ever think such a thing?" he asked smiling playfully at her.
"You know what?" she asked, "I don’t chose to be here, I would much rather have a "normal" job, with "normal" hours and not have to chase lab rats all around the country like I have to. So the sooner I get you to the Centre, the sooner I can leave and get away from that hell-hole" she finished with a sneer.
"Not enough sleep, huh?" Jarod asked her smiling wickedly.
"You wish" she told him walking towards the door pulling him with her "Just keep yourmouth shut"
"Jeez, I was just playing around" he told her.
"Should I rephrase that in words ‘you’-a genius-would understand" she said more than asked "Shut-the-fuck-up! I’m not in the best mood, but now that I’ve finally caught you, my mood may be changing" she practically yelled pushing the elevator button.
"That’s not really what this is all about is it Miss Parker?" he said.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
********************
"Where can they be Syd?" Broots asked looking at his partner, "Jarod couldn’t have escaped without us seeing him"
"We just have to be patient, you know how Miss Parker is with him" Sydney replied glancing at his watch and then towards the elevator "Miss Parker wanted us to stay here so we wouldn’t ‘scare’ Jarod away and lose him once again"
********************
"What the hell do you mean?" Miss Parker asked him.
"You know what I mean, Miss Parker" he told her smiling.
"No, I don’t know what you mean, why don’t you tell me" she pulled him into the elevator.
"This isn’t really about me getting to the Centre and you starting a new ‘Centre-less’ life, is it?" he asked her raising his eyebrows.
"What’s this all about Jarod?" she asked not answering his question.
"You know very well what this is about Miss Parker, very well" Jarod told her as the elevator beeped signaling the end of their ride. Miss Parker pushed the close button and they descended up, again.
"What the..." Jarod started.
"Tell me more" Miss Parker told him."
"Not in an elevator Miss Parker" he told her.
"Fine we’ll go to my room" she said and pushed the 14 button.
"I always wondered why they never have a 13 floor" Jarod told her.
"It has to do with superstition you know like Friday the thirteenth and stuff" Miss Parker explained staring at the doors. Once the elevator dinged Miss Parker pulled Jarod along to her room.
Once inside Jarod was surprised to find the room messy; the bed was unmade, clothes were strewn on the floor and chairs, and the bathroom had make-up containers all over the counter. He had always known Miss Parker to be neat and tidy but this proved that there was another side to her.
"I was in a rush" Miss Parker caught him looking around the room. I didn’t want Broots down there by himself when you came in" she told him. She took the key out of her purse and unlocked the cuff from her wrist, she saw Jarod looking at her.
"Okay, I’m going to make a deal with you, I’ll take the handcuffs off if you stay here." Miss Parker told him. "And that means no funny business."
"Funny business Miss Parker?" Jarod asked.
"Is it a deal or not?" she asked him .
He sighed, "Deal"
"So tell me, what were you talking about earlier?" she asked sitting in one of the chairs by the window.
"Miss Parker, I’m ashamed. What makes you think I would just tell you?" Jarod asked.
"Damn you Jarod, you finally have something worth listening to and you play one of your fucking games that I want nothing to do with! I knew I should have just taken you straight to the Centre when I found you, which reminds me, I should call Daddy and tell him that I caught you" Miss Parker told him, reaching for her cell phone.
"That you caught me? What am I? Some kind of fish?" Jarod asked her getting mad.
"Not a fish Jarod, a prize, a prize to get me out of the Centre" she smirked at him.
"Up until today I used to wonder what happened to the sweet little girl that was my best friend all those years at the Centre," Jarod began.
Miss Parker jumped up, "Well I have news for you Jarod, I’m not a little girl anymore, I’ve grown up"
Jarod stood up in front of her "I’ll tell you what happened to her, she became her father"
"You leave my father out of this!" Miss Parker yelled.
"You know damn well what I’m talking about Miss Parker. If you really wanted to leave the Centre, you know you could, you could just walk out and never see that place again" Jarod told her lowering his voice a little.
"They’d find me still dammit!" she yelled at him.
"Then move, the Centre doesn’t own you!" Jarod said.
Miss Parker forced herself to calm down, "It’s not that easy, I made a promise to my father, a promise that I meant to keep."
"Well break that promise! Wake up Parker, how many promises has he made to you that he’s always broke? Think about some promises that you told me that you broke" Jarod told her.
Miss Parker laughed. Jarod looked at her in surprise. "I was thinking about the one day when we were kids, you had just finished one of your sims with Sydney and we were talking about castles and I promised you that..." she started
"You would get me out of the Centre and we would run away to some castle and have lots of servants and guests from far away places" Jarod finished for her and caught himself smiling too.
"God Jarod, sometimes I miss days like that, where everything was so easy and carefree" Parker told him.
"Well maybe for you, but I’m glad to be out of the Centre" Jarod told her gently poking her side with his index finger. Miss Parker let out what sounded like a small giggle.
"You still remember where my ticklish spot is huh?" she asked. "Well, I still remember yours" she leaned over to poke him, when he grabbed her and gave her a passionate kiss like the one they shared many years ago. Miss Parker wanted to push him away but felt herself giving in to him. The sound of her cell phone startled them and they broke away.
"What?" she asked sharply.
"Miss Parker, are you alright?" Sydney’s worried voice filtered through the phone.
"I’m just dandy" she told him.
"Where’s Jarod?" he asked her.
Miss Parker looked up at Jarod "He got away Syd" she replied then motioned for Jarod to leave.
"He got away? How?" he asked.
"I don’t know, Syd, through a back door or something" Miss Parker said as Jarod closed the door "And I doubt he’s coming back. Call a Centre jet, we’re going home."
Miss Parker snapped her phone shut, "It’s gonna be a long way home" she said out loud.
The End
PS-Sequel coming soon!
Amanda
AKA Missy Parker
Miss Parker’s office
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Tuesday, 9:12 am
"Broots! Get in here! Now!" Miss Parker yelled as she sifted through the piles of papers on her desk.
"Uh, Miss Parker?" Broots asked as he came into my office.
"Has anyone, namely my brother or a ditzy blonde who’s been not only fucking my father, but my sweet brother as well, come into my office this morning?" She asked him sweetly.
"I, uh, don’t think so, uh Miss Parker" he stammered. "Why?" He looked up at her as though she would turn into a three-headed monster of some sort.
"Well, it just so happens that a paper that I laid right here last night," She banged her fist on the spot on the desk for emphasis, "Isn’t here anymore, and I was wondering where it might have gone" Miss Parker walked around to the front of the desk to where Broots was standing.
" I ,um, have no idea, and, oh yeah!" he exclaimed getting excited, "I have a lead on Jarod"
"Does anyone else know?" Miss Parker asked, getting excited herself. She just hoped Lyle and Raines hadn’t found out yet.
"No one, not even Sydney" he told her.
"Well," Miss Parker said walking out the door, "Let’s get a move on to?" she paused and raised an eyebrow towards Broots.
"Uh, Los Angeles" was his answer.
********************
Baskin Robbins-Thirty-one Flavors
Tuesday, 1:27 p.m.
Los Angeles
"You only have thirty flavors out" Jarod told the girl behind the counter at Baskin Robbins.
"What?" the only girl working there asked.
"The sign out there says you have thirty-one flavors, but I only counted thirty" Jarod gave her a smile.
"Yeah, whatever. So what do you want?" she asked in a bored tone.
"Oh, let’s see, I’ll have the triple sundae" he told her.
"What flavors?" she asked in monotone.
"Rocky Road, Butter Pecan, and Mint Chocolate Chip, and oh yeah!" Jarod smiled again, "Extra nuts"
********************
Somewhere over Colorado
Early Wednesday morning
3:41 am
"Hopefully Jarod will still be in LA when we arrive" Miss Parker told Syd taking a drink of her vodka.
"Uh huh" he said looking out the window.
"Just pray that it’s not a dead end like last time" she said looking at him.
"Uh huh" he said again.
"Syd? What’s wrong?" Miss Parker asked him worriedly.
"Sorry Miss Parker, its just that tomorrow is the anniversary of Jacob’s death" he told her. "I didn’t mean to worry you" he said smiling a little.
"Oh Syd, I’m so sorry, I forgot all about it" She told him genuinely sorry.
"It’s all right Miss Parker" Syd told her.
"Whatever you say, Syd" she told him.
"We shall be arriving at LAX in exactly one hour" the pilots voice said over the speaker.
‘Jarod’ she thought, ‘here we come, whether your ready or not’ Miss Parker smiled to herself and went back to drinking her vodka.
********************
Palm Hilton
Los Angeles
Wednesday 7:04 am
"That place has the best food!" Broots said as they were walking through the hotel lobby.
"We aren’t here for the food Broots. We’re here to find Jarod and he could be anywhere...excuse me but have you seen this man?" Miss Parker held up a picture of Jarod to show a young man.
"Uh, no sorry" the man said looking at it then walking away.
"You intend to find Jarod by showing people a picture?" Syd asked. "This is a big city Miss Parker, like you said he could be anywhere."
"Yes I do, now if you excuse me, I’d like to go ask the manager." She walked up to him and held up the picture.
"Have you seen this man?" She asked.
"You know, I think I might have seen him walking around in here, but Iwasn’t the one who checked him in. The assistant manager might know though" he told her.
"Is the assistant manager here?" She asked surprised that Jarod might be here at her hotel.
"Yeah she is, let me get her for you" he went into another room and came out with a short, blonde haired woman.
"Do you know this man?" Miss Parker asked once again holding up the picture.
"That’s Jarod right, the really hot one? He’s been here for about a week. He went out earlier- about an hour ago when I was just coming in, he was so sweet holding the door for me and saying hi and..."
"Where is he?" Miss Parker asked cutting her off. She wondered how such a petite woman could say all that in just one breath.
"Oh, I uh, he said something about a job he had to do, ya know I wasn’t really listening, I kept getting lost in those beautiful brown eyes, and his smile was to die for, and that body, Oh-My-God! What can I say? I’d love to have a man like that." the woman told her grinning.
"Really?" Miss Parker asked sarcastically raising an eyebrow, "Well if you see him, give me a call. Here’s my number" she said giving the woman her number and putting on a fake smile.
‘God help us all’ she thought as she walked back to Sydney and Broots.
She gave them a big smile as she came up to them, "Well it just so happens, that woman over there," she nodded towards the front desk, "has seen Jarod in here, so I think he might be staying here."
"Did you ask what room he’s staying in?" Syd asked.
"Syd, I could barely get a word in edgewise, all she could talk about was how ‘hot’ he was" Miss Parker told him rolling her eyes.
"So what are we going to do all day? Just sit here and wait for him, uh, Jarod?" Broots asked.
"Exactly" Miss Parker said half smiling.
********************
Later that day
"What if Jarod isn’t staying here anymore?" Broots asked Miss Parker while sitting in one of the hotels big lounge chairs and reading a Computer Whiz magazine.
"I would think that the people at the front desk would have at least told us that" Miss Parker said rolling her eyes at him.
"What time is it?" Broots asked a few minutes later.
Miss Parker looked up at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. It was only 4 o’ clock.
They had been sitting there for hours. Well, at least she and Broots have. Sydney was out doing who knew what. Miss Parker had felt sorry for him because of Jacob so she didn’t want to make him wait with her and Broots.
"Miss Parker? I uh asked what time it was." Broots told her. Right after he said that he immediately regretted it.
"The clock’s right there, check for yourself" She replied giving him a nasty look. She was sick of waiting and wished Jarod would just hurry up and come to the hotel.
"Yoo-hoo! Miss Parker right?" someone called walking over.
Miss Parker looked up and put on a fake smile. "Yes.." she looked at the woman’s name tag- Marcie, Assistant Manager-it read, "Marcie?" Miss Parker asked.
"I just wanted to see if you needed anything" Marcie smiled at her.
"No thanks" Miss Parker told her trying to be polite. This was the fifth time Marcie had come in the last hour and Miss Parker’s mood was just worsening.
"Okay, call me if you need anything!" Marcie said as she walked away.
"If Jarod isn’t here in two hours we’re leaving" Miss Parker told Broots.
"But Miss Parker what about.."
Miss Parker interrupted him, "Then we’ll just have to get him next time okay? I would like to take him back to the Centre this week but I am getting sick and tired of that woman." she jerked her head towards Marcie as she said that. "I think I’ll go up to my room and "freshen up"." Miss Parker told him getting up, "call me if Jarod comes in but don’t let him see you" With that she turned on her heel and walked to the elevator.
"Great," Broots said to himself, "First Sydney, now Miss Parker"
********************
Susie’s Bar
Los Angeles
8:36 p.m. that night
"Why do they call Baskin Robbins 31 flavors when they usually only have 30 flavors?" Jarod asked Susie, the bar owner.
"Sweetie, I have no idea and frankly I don’t care" she told him wiping the counters. "Ice cream makes you fat and I should know, spent three years tryin’’ to work off the fat from it" she pulled at her stomach, " and I am still tryin’"
Jarod smiled at her and continued to wipe off the tables. There were only a few men sitting at the bar and Jarod was surprised that there weren’t more.
"Anyways," Susie continued, "What brought all this ice cream talk up?"
"I was at a Baskin Robbins and I was counting if there really were thirty-one flavors but I counted only thirty" he told her picking a napkin off a table.
"Whatever Jarod, whatever" the old woman turned around laughing.
"Oh, and another thing, why does everyone around here say ‘whatever’ all the time?" he asked her curious.
Susie just looked at him and laughed.
********************
Palm Hilton
9:02 p.m. that night
"God, what the hell is he doing out this late?" Miss Parker asked no one imparticular.
"Miss Parker it’s only nine" Sydney told her calmly.
"I don’t really care Syd I just want him here so we can bring him back to the Centre and I can finally..." she stopped mid-sentence and was staring towards the front. Syd turned around to see what she was looking at.
"Jarod" Miss Parker said almost in a whisper.
********************
Jarod had just come through the hotel’s front door when a short woman came up to him.
"So Jarod, I was thinking, me...you...candlelight dinner...what do ya think?" Marcie asked him, batting her eyelashes.
"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I’m kinda busy right now, and a candlelight dinner just does not fit into my schedule" Jarod told her with a plastered-on-Crest-kid smile, while walking towards the elevator.
"Well, we could always order Chinese and go up to your room" Marcie said innocently.
"I’m afraid not" Jarod told her pushing the elevator button.
"Why not? It’s not like I bite, well not that hard" she said as the elevator came up and dinged.
"Excuse me" someone said as they pushed Marcie aside and Jarod into the empty elevator.
"Hey!" Marcie’s voice said.
"Miss Parker?" Jarod’s eyes widened as he looked at her. He turned to exit the elevator but the doors had already shut.
"In the flesh" was her reply.
He turned to exit the elevator but the doors had already shut.
"Can’t escape this time, Wonder boy" Miss Parker stepped next to Jarod and put her gun up to his back. "Push the button to your floor" She told him putting more pressure onto the gun. Jarod did as he was told. When they reached their destination, Miss Parker half pulled, half pushed Jarod out of the elevator.
"Ugh" Jarod grunted as he almost tripped.
"Just shut up and walk to your room" Miss Parker told him keeping her eyes on him.
"Okay, Okay" Jarod said trying to lighten Miss Parker up as if he had a chance.
"Here we are" he said then looked at Miss Parker sideways as he put the key into the lock.
Miss Parker pushed him in and locked the door. "Well rat boy, here we are" she mimicked him. She took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed one of his wrists to her own. She caught him looking at her, "To make sure you don’t escape" she explained.
"Why, Miss Parker, why would I ever think such a thing?" he asked smiling playfully at her.
"You know what?" she asked, "I don’t chose to be here, I would much rather have a "normal" job, with "normal" hours and not have to chase lab rats all around the country like I have to. So the sooner I get you to the Centre, the sooner I can leave and get away from that hell-hole" she finished with a sneer.
"Not enough sleep, huh?" Jarod asked her smiling wickedly.
"You wish" she told him walking towards the door pulling him with her "Just keep yourmouth shut"
"Jeez, I was just playing around" he told her.
"Should I rephrase that in words ‘you’-a genius-would understand" she said more than asked "Shut-the-fuck-up! I’m not in the best mood, but now that I’ve finally caught you, my mood may be changing" she practically yelled pushing the elevator button.
"That’s not really what this is all about is it Miss Parker?" he said.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
********************
"Where can they be Syd?" Broots asked looking at his partner, "Jarod couldn’t have escaped without us seeing him"
"We just have to be patient, you know how Miss Parker is with him" Sydney replied glancing at his watch and then towards the elevator "Miss Parker wanted us to stay here so we wouldn’t ‘scare’ Jarod away and lose him once again"
********************
"What the hell do you mean?" Miss Parker asked him.
"You know what I mean, Miss Parker" he told her smiling.
"No, I don’t know what you mean, why don’t you tell me" she pulled him into the elevator.
"This isn’t really about me getting to the Centre and you starting a new ‘Centre-less’ life, is it?" he asked her raising his eyebrows.
"What’s this all about Jarod?" she asked not answering his question.
"You know very well what this is about Miss Parker, very well" Jarod told her as the elevator beeped signaling the end of their ride. Miss Parker pushed the close button and they descended up, again.
"What the..." Jarod started.
"Tell me more" Miss Parker told him."
"Not in an elevator Miss Parker" he told her.
"Fine we’ll go to my room" she said and pushed the 14 button.
"I always wondered why they never have a 13 floor" Jarod told her.
"It has to do with superstition you know like Friday the thirteenth and stuff" Miss Parker explained staring at the doors. Once the elevator dinged Miss Parker pulled Jarod along to her room.
Once inside Jarod was surprised to find the room messy; the bed was unmade, clothes were strewn on the floor and chairs, and the bathroom had make-up containers all over the counter. He had always known Miss Parker to be neat and tidy but this proved that there was another side to her.
"I was in a rush" Miss Parker caught him looking around the room. I didn’t want Broots down there by himself when you came in" she told him. She took the key out of her purse and unlocked the cuff from her wrist, she saw Jarod looking at her.
"Okay, I’m going to make a deal with you, I’ll take the handcuffs off if you stay here." Miss Parker told him. "And that means no funny business."
"Funny business Miss Parker?" Jarod asked.
"Is it a deal or not?" she asked him .
He sighed, "Deal"
"So tell me, what were you talking about earlier?" she asked sitting in one of the chairs by the window.
"Miss Parker, I’m ashamed. What makes you think I would just tell you?" Jarod asked.
"Damn you Jarod, you finally have something worth listening to and you play one of your fucking games that I want nothing to do with! I knew I should have just taken you straight to the Centre when I found you, which reminds me, I should call Daddy and tell him that I caught you" Miss Parker told him, reaching for her cell phone.
"That you caught me? What am I? Some kind of fish?" Jarod asked her getting mad.
"Not a fish Jarod, a prize, a prize to get me out of the Centre" she smirked at him.
"Up until today I used to wonder what happened to the sweet little girl that was my best friend all those years at the Centre," Jarod began.
Miss Parker jumped up, "Well I have news for you Jarod, I’m not a little girl anymore, I’ve grown up"
Jarod stood up in front of her "I’ll tell you what happened to her, she became her father"
"You leave my father out of this!" Miss Parker yelled.
"You know damn well what I’m talking about Miss Parker. If you really wanted to leave the Centre, you know you could, you could just walk out and never see that place again" Jarod told her lowering his voice a little.
"They’d find me still dammit!" she yelled at him.
"Then move, the Centre doesn’t own you!" Jarod said.
Miss Parker forced herself to calm down, "It’s not that easy, I made a promise to my father, a promise that I meant to keep."
"Well break that promise! Wake up Parker, how many promises has he made to you that he’s always broke? Think about some promises that you told me that you broke" Jarod told her.
Miss Parker laughed. Jarod looked at her in surprise. "I was thinking about the one day when we were kids, you had just finished one of your sims with Sydney and we were talking about castles and I promised you that..." she started
"You would get me out of the Centre and we would run away to some castle and have lots of servants and guests from far away places" Jarod finished for her and caught himself smiling too.
"God Jarod, sometimes I miss days like that, where everything was so easy and carefree" Parker told him.
"Well maybe for you, but I’m glad to be out of the Centre" Jarod told her gently poking her side with his index finger. Miss Parker let out what sounded like a small giggle.
"You still remember where my ticklish spot is huh?" she asked. "Well, I still remember yours" she leaned over to poke him, when he grabbed her and gave her a passionate kiss like the one they shared many years ago. Miss Parker wanted to push him away but felt herself giving in to him. The sound of her cell phone startled them and they broke away.
"What?" she asked sharply.
"Miss Parker, are you alright?" Sydney’s worried voice filtered through the phone.
"I’m just dandy" she told him.
"Where’s Jarod?" he asked her.
Miss Parker looked up at Jarod "He got away Syd" she replied then motioned for Jarod to leave.
"He got away? How?" he asked.
"I don’t know, Syd, through a back door or something" Miss Parker said as Jarod closed the door "And I doubt he’s coming back. Call a Centre jet, we’re going home."
Miss Parker snapped her phone shut, "It’s gonna be a long way home" she said out loud.
The End
PS-Sequel coming soon!
