TODAY

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The woman once known as Miss Parker used to drive her children to school everyday. All the teachers and the other children’s parents knew her as Mrs Miller, pretended wife of the most adorable pediatrician of Rock Cove, Jarod Miller. They’d chosen this surname as soon as they’d decided to live in Maine, in a place that was very dear to both of them. Jarod had his own office in the centre of the town, while Parker worked at home. She had become a painter when she’d finally realized the importance of her inner sense. She loved painting, her mother had passed this passion down to her many years before.

But the most important thing in her life was her family.

First there was Jarod, then her two children, Ethan Kyle and Catherine Faith (whose names were an obvious homage to Jarod and Parker's dead relatives). Their first son was 12 and their little girl was turning 10 the following December. Parker still couldn’t believe that ten years have passed since that night.

 

In that late March of 2012, she still felt safe and happy. Nothing had come to ruin their newfound happiness, not since their last encounter with Lyle ten years before.

Parker and Jarod hadn’t really got married, but they wore wedding rings and spoke with other people as if they really were. And they’d been Mr and Mrs Miller for ten years, by now. There were very few persons who knew the truth about them. And they were all living very far, hidden in Florida and with faked identities. The only other man who knew about their former ‘personas’ was Ben Miller, who still lived in Lake Catherine. Parker and Jarod always spent their holidays to his inn and the children loved it.

 

The school they had chosen for Ethan and Catherine was close to their home, so that the parents would run in case of danger. The two children loved each other very much and always played together. There had never been jealousy between them, maybe because they were both gifted, like their parents. Ethan was the most intelligent boy in his class and Catherine had inherited her mother’s inner sense and stubborness, which made her the most fascinating girl her teachers had ever seen. Parker and Jarod were very proud of them, but also scared by their talents. They both knew that if the Centre ever found out, they might steal the children, just as they’d done with Jarod many years before. So the pretender had decided to prevent any harm to his son and daughter by putting cameras in the house, at school, at Catherine’s ballet school, at Ethan’s dressing room and field at the sports center. Every place visited by his children was always under control, nothing would escape his careful look.

Even if Parker knew that Jarod’s attitude was slightly paranoic and misplaced, she also realized that he was just a very loving and worried father. The Centre was still very much alive, they only needed to make a mistake to be found. And until now, they hadn’t.

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Whenever Parker drove Ethan and Katie to school, she always looked around to be sure that nobody was following her or the children. So it didn’t take her long to feel something different that morning.

“Mom, remind daddy that he promised to come and fetch us after school.”                     

Parker smiled at her son, “Don’t worry little monkey, daddy is home, he took the day off.”

“Mom, stop calling me that!” Ethan replied. He hated when his mother didn’t realize he wasn’t a baby anymore.

“Ok then, Old Pirate, see ya later.”

Ethan sighed and exited the car while his mother laughed along with his sister. Katie warned her mother, “He’s going to be upset with you for that. I don’t want him to spoil the party later.”

“What party?” she asked, getting out of the car and closing the door behind her, while her daughter did the same.

“You know, the very secret party you and daddy are planning for tonight. We still don’t know what we’re going to celebrate, but both Ethan and I know that it’s something very important.”

Parker stared at her daughter in desbelief. She was as smart as her brother, even more than she had been at her age.

Parker sighed, “Pumpkin, I swear you two grow up too fast.”  

Her daughter smiled and kissed her goodbye, “Well, I still love being called that. So don’t worry for my growth. And I’m not ashamed of you kissing me in public places. Not yet.”

Parker watched her daughter run towards the school and sighed again. She saw so much of Jarod and herself in them. Ethan was scorbutic and moody like her but also generous and spontaneous as Jarod. Katie was cute and compassionate like her mother, but she also had Jarod’s cunning and perspicacity. They were just amazing.

 

She looked around once more and that was the moment she noticed him. Again.

Her eye for detail was almost proverbial. She couldn’t be mistaken. She had already seen that man three times in a week.

He looked like another caring father, taking his child to school and waving his hand to say goodbye, but her inner sense told her something completely different. She dind’t like him. And she hadn’t actually ever seen his child with him.

Everyday Miss Parker parked the car in front of the school and turned off the engine. She was methodical and precise, she never changed her habits, to make sure her children were always safe and sound. She was never late, nor early. And that man was always there at the very same time. This could be no coincidence. No other parent could be so anxious for his child’s safety.

And then, as soon as she left, the man disappeared too. She also caught him looking at her, once. But she might as well have imagined it because it had been just for a second.

Parker didn’t want to upset Jarod, but she couldn’t help it anymore. She was feeling nervous and she needed to tell her husband about that man. She wanted to be sure he wasn’t a danger for them and the only way was to ask Jarod to investigate.

---

 

When she arrived home, she found Jarod in the kitchen. He was drinking a cup of cofee and reading the newspaper. In front of him, on the table, a laptop was showing the videos of the hidden surveillance cameras he’d secretly installed at school. The two videos were showing both Ethan and Katie’s classrooms.

“Looking for the little guy in need of help, Boy Genius?”

Jarod almost chocked with his coffee. He moved the newspaper to look carefully at Parker and realized at once how much her mood had changed since two hours before.

“What’s going on? The last time you called me one of your stupid nicknames we were still on the run from the Centre.”

Parker sighed, “I’m sorry, Jarod…Ethan asked me to remind you that you promised to fetch them after school.”

“I’m fully aware of my personal daily duties towards my children, but now I want to know what’s bothering you.”

“It’s just a bad feeling I’ve been having…”

“A bad feeling?! Since when?” he inquired.

“A few days.”

 Jarod stood up and approached her, “Tell me about it.”

“Well, there’s a man…I’ve never seen him before, but he always shows up at school just at the same time I arrive there with Ethan and Katie”

Jarod felt his heart beating again. “That’s all?”

Parker didn’t like his reply, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Parker, come on, he’s just a man taking his child to school…Did he ever approach you?”

“No.”

“Did he…annoy you in any way?”

“No.” 

“Did he ever talk to you?”

“No, but…”

“Parker, listen to me. I know that today is not easy to deal with, but I thought we’d already talked about it.”

“That has nothing to do with it! I don’t like that man, Jarod…And you’ve always been the one to ask me to trust my inner sense!”

Jarod shrugged, “This might not be you inner sense, maybe you are just feeling neglected because for the first time in your life a man didn’t notice your amazing legs.”

Parker smiled when Jarod’s malicious grin appeared on his face, “You’re far from it, Jarod. Believe me, I had a…gut feeling…”

“Parker, don’t you think you’re just a bit paranoic? I mean, we already have cameras to control our children, what do you want more?”

“Do you need me to remind you that the Centre is still working? That your brother Kyle and our brother Ethan’s killer, my evil twin Lyle, is still there?” she yelled.

“I know that.” He replied, annoyed.

“Our perfect life can be destroyed in just one second if Lyle decides to put an end to it. Do you need me to remind you that?”

Jarod was looking angry, now. Parker didn’t like fighting with him. Actually they hadn’t been quarreling since their escape from Dover. It had been ten years.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Jar. I didn’t mean to yell at you like that.”

Jarod’s eyes went from her eyes to her mouth and back. He decided it wasn’t worth it to fight with Parker in such a lovely day. After all, it was like an anniversary, to them.

“I’m sorry, too. It’s not that I don’t believe you, Miss Parker.” Parker rolled her eyes at the sound of the title, but Jarod ignored her, “I just don’t want you to imagine things.”

“But you called me Miss like you used to ten years ago.”

Jarod sighed. She was right.

“It’s not my imagination, Jar. It’s my inner sense warning me about something very dangerous. Please, promise me you’re going to check.”

He stared at her in total wonder. “How come you always make me do whatever you want?”

Parker chuckled and leaned in to speak to his ear, “You’re my little slave, Jar.”

Jarod felt a shiver all down his back and suddenly felt the urge of kissing Parker, but she stopped him just as his lips were crushing to hers.

“Do your homework, first. If you are a good boy, I might consider kissing you then.”

She left him alone in their kitchen and Jarod felt a useless arousal reminding him of the amazing night of sex they shared the night before…