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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Hayley
Nine
Melanie-Anne
January 7
The Centre
SL 20
Jarod sat on the lumpy mattress and stared at the door, waiting for it to open. He wondered why they'd thrown him in here instead of his old room. Not that he cared. They could put him in a cage and he wouldn't care. He knew—logically—that he couldn't afford to grieve for Parker yet; Lyle had Hayley and Jason and he shuddered to think what was going to happen to them. But his heart had no place for logic and he missed Parker more than he'd thought possible.
Willie stepped into the room, followed by Raines. Jarod couldn't bring himself to look at either of them, and looked at his folded hands instead.
"How does it feel to finally be home, Jarod?" Raines asked.
Home . . . Jarod thought of the house he'd bought in the Florida Keys. It was going to be a surprise for Parker, but now . . . He swallowed the lump that had developed in his throat and decided not to acknowledge Raines' question. Maybe if he pretended he wasn't there, he would go away.
"Are you ready for a sim?"
Jarod busied his mind with other things: Parker's smile first thing in the morning, her laugh, Christmas morning.
"Okay, I guess not. Time for a trip to the Renewal Wing, then."
Jarod thought about the way Parker was with Jason, how she'd looked lying dead on SL 25, what her kisses tasted like.
He was too lost in memory to hear Raines and Willie leave.
*
Tech Room
SL 5
"Broots, are you alright? I was worried. I didn't see you after the T-Board and I couldn't get hold of you last night." Sydney sat next to Broots and swiveled his chair for a bit of privacy.
"I took Debbie out for dinner. I just needed to, uh—"
"Feel normal?"
"Yeah." Broots sighed and finally looked at his friend. He lowered his voice. "They asked me if Miss Parker was seeing anybody. I told them no. She would have said something to us if she was, right?"
"I—I'm sure she would have said something." Sydney looked at the computer screen, wanting to change the subject. It was safer for Broots not to know, at least not until they knew what was going on. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out where she is. I've got a bad feeling about all of this, Syd. I mean, she disappears at the same time as Mr. Lyle, and the same time we're called to T-Boards . . . I heard there was some kind of commotion down on SL 25 but—"
"SL 25? That's where her brother is kept, right?" Sydney didn't need Broots' confirmation to know he was right. "Let's go."
*
SL 25
Angelo crept quietly through the air vents and pushed the vent open. He climbed out into the hallway and cautiously looked around. He didn't want to be here, but he did want to find out what had happened after he'd passed out. Everyone's emotions had been running so high that he'd been unable to bear it, especially when he felt Parker's pain. When he'd woken up, everything had been quiet and he'd realized he was in the infirmary.
Just outside Jason's room, Angelo knelt and raised his hand to the wall. Whoever had been responsible for cleaning up had missed a spot. Flecks of Parker's blood still dotted the wall. Angelo pulled his hand back and hissed in pain. He looked up to where Jarod had stood.
"Angelo! There you are. We thought you'd disappeared too."
Angelo blinked slowly and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He hadn't noticed Sydney and Broots arrive and scrambled to his feet.
Sydney spoke again. "What are you doing here? Do you know what happened?"
Angelo nodded. Yes, he knew what happened now. He grabbed Sydney's arm and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Where's Jason?" Sydney asked.
"Gone."
"Gone! Do you know who—"
"Lyle."
Broots and Sydney glanced at each other. Angelo shook his head; they didn't understand. He had to make them understand.
"No! Lyle and Hayley."
"Who's Hayley?" Broots asked.
Angelo led them to Hayley's room, only to find it had been completely cleared. He paced up and down, wondering how to explain it to them. It was all so clear in his head. Sometimes he got so frustrated.
"Angelo, do you know where Miss Parker is?" Sydney put a hand on Angelo's arm.
Angelo shook his head. No, but he would find out. In the meantime, his friends could help Jarod. He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and scribbled 'SL 20' on it. He pressed it into Sydney's palm and murmured, "Jarod," before climbing into the air vent.
*
Union Station
Washington, DC
Hayley had never seen so many people in her entire life. Lyle had explained that they were going shopping—Hayley still had no idea what that meant. So far, they'd done a lot of walking around and she was tired. Jason seemed to be having fun though; every time they passed what Lyle said was a toyshop, he begged to go inside.
Hayley decided that if this was shopping, she didn't like it. There were too many people and it was too loud and she was cold and hungry. She slipped her hand into Lyle's and walked a little nearer to him.
They entered a shop filled with clothes. Hayley looked around in wonder. The colors were so bright and vivid.
"Choose a couple of things you like," Lyle said.
Hayley smiled and started wandering through the racks of clothing. She picked up a crimson sweater and rubbed it against her cheek. It was softer than anything she'd ever felt.
"Can I help you?"
She guiltily dropped the sweater and turned around. A girl about her own age stood in front of her, smiling.
"Umm—" Hayley began.
"That color suits you." When Hayley didn't say anything, she tilted her head. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Hayley shook her head.
The girl shrugged. "I'm Amy. I work here. Come, let me show you what's just come in. There's a skirt that'll go great with that."
Hayley picked up the sweater and followed Amy, starting to loosen up a little. Maybe this shopping-thing wasn't so bad after all.
*
The Centre
SL 20
Broots peered around the corner then quickly pulled his head back. He turned to face Sydney, his forehead creased in a frown.
"Well?" Sydney asked.
"There are two of Raines' sweepers standing guard. And Raines and Willie just walked out of the room looking very unhappy . . . Do you think Jarod is really here?"
Sydney shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. Everything's been upside down the past couple of days."
"You think this is related to the disappearances?"
"I don't know. Probably. There's no such thing as coincidence when it comes to the Centre."
Broots nodded in agreement and took another look around the corner. "Oh, great. There's another guard."
"We'll have to come back later. Let's go back up and see what we can find out about Hayley."
Broots didn't need to be told twice. When there was that much muscle lurking around, the further away he was, the better.
*
Union Station
Parker still wasn't answering her phone. Lyle could no longer pretend that nothing was wrong. He dialed Sydney's number.
"This is Sydney."
He took a deep breath. "It's Lyle."
"Lyle! What—"
"Where's Parker?"
Sydney was silent, and then Lyle knew. Whatever Sydney had to say, it wasn't good.
"What happened?"
"We don't know. She disappeared the same time you did. Lyle, who's Hayley?"
He looked at her, chatting to another girl across the store, and couldn't help smiling. "My daughter."
"Your—You have a daughter?!"
"Yes." There was no time for this; he cut straight to the point. "Jason said something about Parker and Jarod."
Silence, again.
"You can trust me. I want to help." He didn't blame Sydney for his hesitancy. Lyle couldn't think of a single reason why Sydney should trust him.
"Where are you?" Sydney finally asked.
It was Lyle's turn to be silent.
"Trust works both ways."
Lyle sighed. "This line might not be secure. I'll—Have Broots go to your house tonight. I'll call you there."
He hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket. As much as hated the thought of going back to Blue Cove, he knew he had to.
He could only hope that he wasn't too late.
*
The Renewal Wing
The Centre
"Are you ready to begin the treatment, doctor?"
Raines looked away from the figure on the bed and smiled, an uncommon occurrence. Hilde had been a Centre nurse for thirty-odd years and had seen many things in that time, but nothing frightened her as much as Raines' smile. She looked at the patient and couldn't help sending a quick prayer heavenward.
She hadn't had any contact with Miss Parker in years, but she was sure the poor woman didn't deserve whatever Raines had planned.
Nine
Melanie-Anne
January 7
The Centre
SL 20
Jarod sat on the lumpy mattress and stared at the door, waiting for it to open. He wondered why they'd thrown him in here instead of his old room. Not that he cared. They could put him in a cage and he wouldn't care. He knew—logically—that he couldn't afford to grieve for Parker yet; Lyle had Hayley and Jason and he shuddered to think what was going to happen to them. But his heart had no place for logic and he missed Parker more than he'd thought possible.
Willie stepped into the room, followed by Raines. Jarod couldn't bring himself to look at either of them, and looked at his folded hands instead.
"How does it feel to finally be home, Jarod?" Raines asked.
Home . . . Jarod thought of the house he'd bought in the Florida Keys. It was going to be a surprise for Parker, but now . . . He swallowed the lump that had developed in his throat and decided not to acknowledge Raines' question. Maybe if he pretended he wasn't there, he would go away.
"Are you ready for a sim?"
Jarod busied his mind with other things: Parker's smile first thing in the morning, her laugh, Christmas morning.
"Okay, I guess not. Time for a trip to the Renewal Wing, then."
Jarod thought about the way Parker was with Jason, how she'd looked lying dead on SL 25, what her kisses tasted like.
He was too lost in memory to hear Raines and Willie leave.
*
Tech Room
SL 5
"Broots, are you alright? I was worried. I didn't see you after the T-Board and I couldn't get hold of you last night." Sydney sat next to Broots and swiveled his chair for a bit of privacy.
"I took Debbie out for dinner. I just needed to, uh—"
"Feel normal?"
"Yeah." Broots sighed and finally looked at his friend. He lowered his voice. "They asked me if Miss Parker was seeing anybody. I told them no. She would have said something to us if she was, right?"
"I—I'm sure she would have said something." Sydney looked at the computer screen, wanting to change the subject. It was safer for Broots not to know, at least not until they knew what was going on. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out where she is. I've got a bad feeling about all of this, Syd. I mean, she disappears at the same time as Mr. Lyle, and the same time we're called to T-Boards . . . I heard there was some kind of commotion down on SL 25 but—"
"SL 25? That's where her brother is kept, right?" Sydney didn't need Broots' confirmation to know he was right. "Let's go."
*
SL 25
Angelo crept quietly through the air vents and pushed the vent open. He climbed out into the hallway and cautiously looked around. He didn't want to be here, but he did want to find out what had happened after he'd passed out. Everyone's emotions had been running so high that he'd been unable to bear it, especially when he felt Parker's pain. When he'd woken up, everything had been quiet and he'd realized he was in the infirmary.
Just outside Jason's room, Angelo knelt and raised his hand to the wall. Whoever had been responsible for cleaning up had missed a spot. Flecks of Parker's blood still dotted the wall. Angelo pulled his hand back and hissed in pain. He looked up to where Jarod had stood.
"Angelo! There you are. We thought you'd disappeared too."
Angelo blinked slowly and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He hadn't noticed Sydney and Broots arrive and scrambled to his feet.
Sydney spoke again. "What are you doing here? Do you know what happened?"
Angelo nodded. Yes, he knew what happened now. He grabbed Sydney's arm and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Where's Jason?" Sydney asked.
"Gone."
"Gone! Do you know who—"
"Lyle."
Broots and Sydney glanced at each other. Angelo shook his head; they didn't understand. He had to make them understand.
"No! Lyle and Hayley."
"Who's Hayley?" Broots asked.
Angelo led them to Hayley's room, only to find it had been completely cleared. He paced up and down, wondering how to explain it to them. It was all so clear in his head. Sometimes he got so frustrated.
"Angelo, do you know where Miss Parker is?" Sydney put a hand on Angelo's arm.
Angelo shook his head. No, but he would find out. In the meantime, his friends could help Jarod. He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and scribbled 'SL 20' on it. He pressed it into Sydney's palm and murmured, "Jarod," before climbing into the air vent.
*
Union Station
Washington, DC
Hayley had never seen so many people in her entire life. Lyle had explained that they were going shopping—Hayley still had no idea what that meant. So far, they'd done a lot of walking around and she was tired. Jason seemed to be having fun though; every time they passed what Lyle said was a toyshop, he begged to go inside.
Hayley decided that if this was shopping, she didn't like it. There were too many people and it was too loud and she was cold and hungry. She slipped her hand into Lyle's and walked a little nearer to him.
They entered a shop filled with clothes. Hayley looked around in wonder. The colors were so bright and vivid.
"Choose a couple of things you like," Lyle said.
Hayley smiled and started wandering through the racks of clothing. She picked up a crimson sweater and rubbed it against her cheek. It was softer than anything she'd ever felt.
"Can I help you?"
She guiltily dropped the sweater and turned around. A girl about her own age stood in front of her, smiling.
"Umm—" Hayley began.
"That color suits you." When Hayley didn't say anything, she tilted her head. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Hayley shook her head.
The girl shrugged. "I'm Amy. I work here. Come, let me show you what's just come in. There's a skirt that'll go great with that."
Hayley picked up the sweater and followed Amy, starting to loosen up a little. Maybe this shopping-thing wasn't so bad after all.
*
The Centre
SL 20
Broots peered around the corner then quickly pulled his head back. He turned to face Sydney, his forehead creased in a frown.
"Well?" Sydney asked.
"There are two of Raines' sweepers standing guard. And Raines and Willie just walked out of the room looking very unhappy . . . Do you think Jarod is really here?"
Sydney shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. Everything's been upside down the past couple of days."
"You think this is related to the disappearances?"
"I don't know. Probably. There's no such thing as coincidence when it comes to the Centre."
Broots nodded in agreement and took another look around the corner. "Oh, great. There's another guard."
"We'll have to come back later. Let's go back up and see what we can find out about Hayley."
Broots didn't need to be told twice. When there was that much muscle lurking around, the further away he was, the better.
*
Union Station
Parker still wasn't answering her phone. Lyle could no longer pretend that nothing was wrong. He dialed Sydney's number.
"This is Sydney."
He took a deep breath. "It's Lyle."
"Lyle! What—"
"Where's Parker?"
Sydney was silent, and then Lyle knew. Whatever Sydney had to say, it wasn't good.
"What happened?"
"We don't know. She disappeared the same time you did. Lyle, who's Hayley?"
He looked at her, chatting to another girl across the store, and couldn't help smiling. "My daughter."
"Your—You have a daughter?!"
"Yes." There was no time for this; he cut straight to the point. "Jason said something about Parker and Jarod."
Silence, again.
"You can trust me. I want to help." He didn't blame Sydney for his hesitancy. Lyle couldn't think of a single reason why Sydney should trust him.
"Where are you?" Sydney finally asked.
It was Lyle's turn to be silent.
"Trust works both ways."
Lyle sighed. "This line might not be secure. I'll—Have Broots go to your house tonight. I'll call you there."
He hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket. As much as hated the thought of going back to Blue Cove, he knew he had to.
He could only hope that he wasn't too late.
*
The Renewal Wing
The Centre
"Are you ready to begin the treatment, doctor?"
Raines looked away from the figure on the bed and smiled, an uncommon occurrence. Hilde had been a Centre nurse for thirty-odd years and had seen many things in that time, but nothing frightened her as much as Raines' smile. She looked at the patient and couldn't help sending a quick prayer heavenward.
She hadn't had any contact with Miss Parker in years, but she was sure the poor woman didn't deserve whatever Raines had planned.
