Miss Parker’s Home

“Easy with that, I want that back!” Jarod yelled after the sweeper that took Cuyler’s car.

Another sweeper was there with more keys. “Here. These are all the keys to her vehicles. Don’t get caught riding in junk again, it’s embarrassing for The Centre. Get yourself better clothes too.” He gave him some money. “Mister Raines wants you to look like you actually work for The Centre, because you do. See you in three days.”

And off they went.

Jarod held the keys to the house and twirled them. It felt interesting to actually be going in at the same time as her.

“This place is freaking ginormous,” Kath said on the outside. “Pretty. How the hell does she take care of all of this?”

“Everyone works for her,” Jarod reminded her. Such a strange thing to say. He opened the door and walked in.

Kathleen couldn’t help an expletive as she stared around the room. “Fucking hell, she was loaded!” She looked around the rooms, noticing all the strange things.

Jarod watched her curiously as she touched and looked at so many things. The heart. Remove all of the Centre education, the languages, the faux pas of right and wrong, and this was her.

The real Miss Parker, stripped down to her core. Touching the walls with fascination, opening closets, and absolutely excited about everything she saw. There wasn’t a corner she didn’t seem interested in.

Then, she dropped a home phone she’d been looking at onto the couch. “Ooh, bedroom.” She went straight to the closet and opened the door. “Wow.” She reached toward the tag. “Designer clothes. Can’t pronounce it, but definitely high.”

She moved so Jarod could see the closet. “Do you see the stuff she wears? It’s extremely, I don’t know.” She looked at more and more tags. “Nothing here is from Ross. Like, not even Macy's.”

Jarod just tried to keep a straight face. He was looking around too, but more for bugs and hidden cameras. He didn’t see anything that screamed-

“Ooh!” She reached into the closet. “Look, I know this label. It’s Gucci.”

She looked proud that she recognized a label? “Yep.” Anyhow, back to checking around. As he started to look around more, she was showing him exactly how much work he had to do though.

“Channel. Chan-el? Door? Deeor? Dieor?” She shrugged. “Die or figure out how to pronounce it.” She hung the clothes back up. “I don’t even know what this whole closet’s cost would be.”

“Her soul,” Jarod said. “She worked for The Centre. Welcome to hell on the soul.”

“It looks real nice for hell.”

“Looks aren’t everything.” Jarod sighed. “There are more important things in life than money.”

“Yeah, like a roof over your fucking head. Every time Cuyler made me wake up in a hospital, he couldn’t take care of me without revealing a connection. I’d always end up staying somewhere else. Stupid places with stupid people until I could crawl back up somehow into another place. Those were the okay times.” She kicked a small box in the closet. “Don’t fall for Cuyler’s lie about taking care of me. I’ve slept out beneath the stars for more than a fun hobby more than once.”

Right. Right, right. Jarod had to figure out a new way to handle that. Miss Parker had never gone without anything for too long at all. Kathleen didn’t have that same kind of life. “I’m sorry.”

She just ignored Jarod and moved over to another section, looking at jewelry. “It sparkles. The sparkly kind were always in the display cases in department stores. Nice to look at, but the price was ridiculous for something to just put on.” She reached for a bracelet and put it on. “It could be 100. It could be 500. I don’t know.”

Jarod looked at the bracelet. “Closer to 5,000.” His figure made her immediately take it off like it was stinging her.

“Fuck, that’s a lot for a bracelet.” She looked at the other pieces. “Is that like a special piece?”

“No, they are around the same or more expensive.” Jarod still didn’t see anything that looked like a camera.

“I’m not wearing that.” She started to move from the whole area. “I’m not wearing any of that.”

What? “Yes, you are,” Jarod said. “It’s what she wore. The Centre wants you in her clothes.” He looked toward the closet. “Lot of red and black. I’m sure there is some color in there.”

“She wears stuff that costs months of paychecks.” Kath didn’t look so good. “It feels weird.” She looked all around her. “If that’s just the jewelry, what does all this cost?” She looked at her hands. “No, no, none of this is me. I mean? Everybody wishes for this, but like nobody actually . . .”

Strange. Jarod didn’t expect he’d have to deal with this. Well, if they had cameras anyway, they would have made a move. It was highly doubtful they would have known he met Cuyler with Kath. They had even chipped them already. “A little bit of culture shock in a different way?” He approached her closer. “The first night you didn’t have a place to go home to, it felt weird. Didn’t it?”

She nodded.

“But you got through it. You went through it, kept it up, fell down into it again, and kept getting back up.” He gestured around the place. “It’s a place you don’t know. Clothes you don’t know. A feeling of not thinking you belong. It’s not surprising. You are the heart of Miss Parker, but as Kath, you weren’t allowed to live her life.” That wasn’t a bad thing, and he should probably let her know that. “That’s not a bad thing to me.”

She didn’t seem to know how to respond. “I survived for me. This time, I have to survive for so much more. For the others like me. For those girls. For those kids.”

“In a strange new world,” Jarod agreed. “Being in a new world and a new place isn’t always just exciting. There are ups and downs. A little more nerve wracking.”

She seemed to connect to those words. “What do I start with?”

“Pick any you want. They are all yours. I have money that I have to spend to look like The Centre.” He looked at Cuyler’s clothes. “It’s at least a nice upgrade for them both.”

“Them?” That didn’t sound thankful in his voice. “A nice upgrade for them both? A nice upgrade for Kathleen and Cuyler, huh?” She crossed her arms. “Cheap and screwed up Cuyler gets to get dressed nicer, and so does cheap and screwed up Kathleen.”

“I didn’t mean.” No. Wait. There was something different in her eyes. It wasn’t blame against his words. She was thinking about herself and Cuyler. Their lives. The differences in it all.

Her finger was delicately touching a table. She was thinking. Hard. Probably about her past. Seattle. The change that she would have to create. She was probably wondering how long she’d be there. Short or long term. “Didn’t you want to look into Cuyler? She must have a computer here somewhere.”

Yeah, she would. Jarod would go do that, and give her some time to think.

————————————

With The Centre access at her house, and the actual names Kathleen Davis and Cuyler known now, he found exactly what he wanted. Security videos of Cuyler. They were dated back far.

Really far. Yeah, she knew what Jarod looked like as a kid. It was right on screen.

“My first report,” Cuyler said. “At least, on this system. Anyway, I’m taking up the duty of watching over Kathleen Davis. She’s actually already good at combat ‘cause her dad is a nut. Her mom is trying to get custody, so I keep messing things up. If she’s raised by her nutso dad, then she’ll be perfect for The Centre.” Then he chuckled. “Then I can get paid more.”

Ugh. Still, Jarod couldn’t judge. Real young. He looked through random months each year. He reported every month until Jarod actually escaped. Then, the reports changed.

“This is Cuyler,” he started. “I know you guys took Kitty Katty for some reason to hunt Jarod? You are pulling all of them together and thought, ‘hey, the heart should be her’? It wasn’t smart. She’s not doing so good, so just to let you know? You need to give her back and pick someone else for a little while. Thanks.” He winked.

Yeah, there was a stern warning in there. By watching the videos, Jarod knew which Miss Parker adventures she had been involved in, and every time Cuyler had invaded The Centre. The entries were getting harder to make.

Less playful. More serious.

“I can’t with this anymore!” Cuyler yelled. “Why do I have to keep doing this? This is getting worse. Just because I irritate her, doesn’t mean I can erase anything happening between her and Jarod. I’m not him!” He swished his hand in front of the camera. “She could have been hurt with that loan trick. I can’t anymore. I’ll keep watching her back, making reports, but I won’t interact. The less she sees me, the less she’ll think of Jarod. I guess, we can call that a new theory I’m trying?”

Intensely mad. Hatred. The Centre was instructing him to do things that he actually didn’t want to. Then, he saw another change in Cuyler.

“Something’s happening with Kathleen Davis,” he announced. “I saw her today. I teased her, like always. Um. I asked her on a date in jest, nothing serious. I’m never serious with her. As instructed.” Cuyler bit his lip. “She actually said yes?” He looked like he didn’t know how to take that. “She said that her gut felt something about me, so she’d try it.” He was quiet. “I groped her and made a bad joke to make sure she stayed away. I intensified everything.” He looked so troubled. “It’s of course a no, right? Just the watcher, the stalker, the observer for The Centre? I’m not ever supposed to be friend. Never supposed to be anything else.”

Seeing the date on that video, Jarod didn’t know how to feel. It was after Carthis, but according to reports, he wasn’t with Kathleen on Carthis. But? She was the heart. Something inside, maybe it had wanted to give Cuyler a chance because of their moment together?

After that, Cuyler kept the videos more standard. He wasn’t even getting too close to her, unless he had to. Overall?

Yeah. Jarod would get in touch with Sydney. Cuyler was not only smart enough to take care of those kids. He was more than trustworthy.

——————————

Jarod went back to the bedroom. Kath listened and jumped into the culture shock. She put on a couple of bangles and a black and red outfit. She even tried to put on the stilettos. “I’m glad to see you jumped in.”

Still, her eyes were glistening. She didn’t quite get it, but Jarod did. Nerves were probably shooting through her, like the first time she had to walk up to a shelter looking for help.

She patted the clothes down. She tried to walk. “I remember . . . this walk with echoes.” Her feet were uncertain. “I remember . . . but I can’t do it.”

Jarod watched her feet. “They have been in them before several times. You can do it.”

Kath was a little shaky as she moved. “There’s another pair, Pretender, why not try yourself?” She almost lost her balance, but caught herself. “She doesn’t own one pair of sneakers. These hurt, she really hated herself.”

“Miss Parker was unique,” Jarod settled on. “Try slow walking. I’ve been on stilts before. Take it slow and you’ll get there.” He watched Kath practice in the stilettos.

She didn’t take too long to start making significant progress. The connection to ‘Parker’ was still there, just quieted down. Jarod watched her explore the other room again.

“I remember that.” She reached for Miss Parker’s favorite drink. “I know she liked that. I never saw it.” She took off the cap and smelled it. “Strong.”

“Her favorite drink, especially toward the end of the day,” Jarod said as he watched her. It was like her senses were having a battle between how strong it had been, verses how familiar it felt. “Broots will expect to see you drink that. Unless you are averse to alcohol, you should probably see how it is.”

Kath gave him a half intrigued look. She searched around, almost unconsciously, for the same glass that Miss Parker would use. She popped the top open and poured about the same amount Miss Parker did.

Then she smelled it, swirled it, and tasted it. The way she did all of that, it looked more like how Kath probably enjoyed her own alcohol.

“Ooh, it’s a nice burn,” Kath complimented it. “Why did she like this?”

“I think because it was her daddy’s favorite drink,” Jarod said. “Her daddy is dead. Her biological father is still alive though. He’s Raines.”

“Nightmare man?” Kath looked disgusted. “Him?”

Jarod nodded. “Yeah. You better bring your drink and join me on the couch. We need to go over a ton of secrets.”

——————————

Oh, look at that. All gone. It was strong what she drank, but what Jarod shared was so much greater. “So.” She cleared her throat. “One of the Catherine’s had a child, it was cloned and created us. I knew that. Everything else seems harder to believe.”

Jarod just smiled at her. “Well, Miss Parker lived in that kind of life. Hid deep inside of it, and tried to be normal.”

“Like with that Tommy guy?” Okay. “Let me try this then. You escaped, and when that happened? The Centre took our channeling and made one of us Miss Parker at a time. During that time, she learned that she had two brothers. One that is a serial cannibal?”

“Maybe serial cannibal?” Jarod offered. “He did kill. He killed my brother, Kyle.”

“Right. Twisted family.” Kath thought her family was weird. “Another Catherine had a second child named Ethan, that Miss Parker felt was a brother?”

“Close,” Jarod agreed. “You saw him. He helped quiet your mind.”

“Right. Ethan.” Okay. “Am I good now?”

“Close enough for now,” Jarod said. “Miss Parker was trapped in a hurricane with me. That one, was you. Cuyler pulled you shortly after that.”

“Hm. So, her mom was going to take her away to Paris before she died. She was obsessed with pleasing her father who she called daddy. He died, taking out some dead sea scrolls?”

Jarod just nodded like everything she said was perfectly normal.

She rubbed her hand over her hair. She noticed a look he gave her. “What?”

“Your hair. We are going to have to tuck it in like hers,” Jarod said. “She never changed her hairstyle.”

Kath sucked her lip slightly. “I don’t know anything about hair.”

“Pretty sure she didn’t either. She should have a hair stylist,” Jarod remarked.

“How long is this going to take?” She had to ask. “You’re a really smart guy, so what’s your guess?”

Jarod didn’t seem to want to get into it. He touched his eyebrow softly. “I try not to think about how long something takes, just the end goal.”

Kath closed her eyes. “Am I going to be here months as her?”

Jarod sighed. “I have to find the information to get the children out, and end them being able to clone any more of them. It will take some time. As for you here? That . . .”

He didn’t want to say it, but she could see it. “I’m pretty much fired from Dimple’s Diner, aren’t I?” She tried to hold back her emotions.

“We need to save the children first,” Jarod said, “and then we can see what we can do for the others.”

“If a genius can only give the answer ‘and then we can see’?” She shook her head.

Jarod was quiet for a time. “Okay. Even if we can save the others, and you, eventually everyone will have to move on to another kind of life. Another state. Another . . . way to stay out of the way of The Centre. Towards a possible end, you could go with Cuyler. He’ll be able to move around and avoid The-”

“Just.” She put her hand up. “Don’t.” She touched her forehead and leaned against the couch. “So in like a year, I need to decide to travel with Cuyler or just stay as Miss Parker? Just say it, it’s written on your face!”

Jarod still couldn’t say it. “I cannot predict how long it will take, but you should get used to the name Miss Parker for-”

Kath looked away. So this is it? Kathleen Davis is gone, I’m going to live this weird life as a figure that I once channeled? That was quieted down in my mind? That I was kidnapped to so many times?

She saw Jarod’s hand on her knee. “I don’t know you, but I don’t mind that?” She hit her limit and started to cry.

“You do know me, it’s just been quieted down to a whisper,” Jarod said. “It had to be.”

“Yeah because seeing others that looked like me as kids in my brain was just a little on the insane side.” Yeah, that wasn’t easy on the head. She wiped her eyes. “No, no.” Kathleen wiped her nose. Kath, you are not weak. You were never raised to be a pansy. “I can survive an apocalypse, I can survive in these clothes.”

Jarod just had a wayward smile on his face. “I’m going to take the guest bedroom. Take your room. It’s yours now.”

She watched him get up and leave. She left the room and headed over to the Maker’s Mark again. Should she get another drink?

While she was thinking about that, she gazed back out the window and saw a familiar balding man. “Broots?”

“Miss Parker!” His eyes were delighted to see her. “Oh, good! See, I told Sydney with everything happening we should probably just check your house. Lo and behold, hello!” He said cornishly. “Are you okay? I’m sorry about your clones.”

Kath shrinked back. I haven’t had any lessons! “Broots, you ass, use a damn door!”

“Well, I didn’t know you were actually back.” He waved behind her awkwardly. “Um? Hi, Jarod?”

Kath looked behind her at Jarod.

“Not Jarod,” Jarod said. “Cuyler. I’ve been assigned to watch over Miss Parker. You’ll see her again in three days, when we all meet in the office. So, toodles?” He waved goodbye and closed the curtain. “Mister Broots has always been a curious one.”

Kath heard the knocking on the door.

“Parker, go answer the door, and treat him like Cuyler to make him go away,” Jarod instructed.

Parker?

“You need to get used to the name. You’ll have it for awhile,” Jarod reminded her.

Miss Parker. Right. “Just get the egghead to move along quickly.” She approached the door as he started to knock again. Like Cuyler. She swung the door open. “What do you want now?!”

“Uh?” The balding man squirmed. “I was just worried? Jarod has a clone watching over you?”

“Yes, The Centre has him here.” she told him. “The Centre knows he is here, he’ll be joining us, and you’ll meet him in three days. Now? I have a lot of things to do and I don’t have time for you right now. Go away.”

“But Miss Parker?”

“Are you deaf, Broots? I said go away! Leave me alone!”

Broots held his hands up. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I was just worried. I’m glad you are home and okay. And, I’m sorry, about the clones thing.”

“Just, go, you are giving me a migraine.” She touched her head. “Three days. You’ll know more. Go.”

“Okay. Sorry,” he apologized once again. “Good to see you Miss Parker. I’ll see you in three days.”

She sighed in relief that he left. She had no training yet at all.

“Perfect, Miss Parker,” Jarod congratulated her. “Broots should stay away now that you’ve yelled at him.”

She shut the door again. “No more surprises. Just.” She went ahead and took more Maker’s Mark after all. She deserved it for that impromptu test.

“I’ll leave you to your business for the night, Miss Parker,” Jarod told her as he headed back to the guest room.

“Alright, Cuyler.” She had to practice too. Tonight, she tricked one man. In three days, she had to be able to trick the entire Centre. “Sweet Dreams?”

“One can hope,” Jarod answered her unexpectedly as he closed his door.