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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Hayley
Eleven
Melanie-Anne
January 8
Silver Springs, Maryland
Anna had insisted that the kids help out with whatever chores came up. Jason had refused point blank to help with the dishes, insisting that he wanted to watch cartoons. Hayley, intrigued by what "doing the dishes" could possibly be, had offered to help Anna. Now, in the kitchen, she decided washing dishes wasn't so bad. It was nice to have a break from Jason's constant chatter and it gave her a chance to get to know Anna.
Hayley silently took the plate Anna handed her and toweled it dry. Anna was fascinating. Hayley decided she wanted long blonde hair just like hers. She took another plate and was distracted by Jason's yell of excitement from the living room. The plate slipped from her grasp. Without thinking, she focused her concentration and stopped it just inches from the floor. Then she realized what she'd done and raised her eyes to Anna's face.
And let out a relieved sigh. Anna wasn't looking at her.
"Jason?" Anna called.
Hayley quickly picked up the plate and resumed drying it.
"They're here!" Jason came skipping into the kitchen just as there was a knock at the front door.
"Stay here!" Anna's voice was sharper than usual as she went to answer the door. Hayley and Jason shared a glance, then followed.
Hayley saw the gun in Anna's hand and grabbed Jason's arm. Maybe they should have listened. She pulled him back into the kitchen, staying near the door so they could listen.
"Can I help you?" Anna asked in her new, cold voice.
"Miss Campbell?"
"Can I help you?" Anna asked again. Hayley pulled Jason closer to her.
"Uh, yeah." The speaker sounded nervous. "Lyle said we should come here."
"Who are you?" Anna sounded slightly less hostile, but still suspicious.
"Broots—"
"Who's in the car?"
"My daughter, Debbie. And Angelo. And Miss Parker."
Hayley and Jason smiled at each other. Both were too excited about the newcomers to notice the worry in Broots' voice.
"Were you followed?"
"No. Please can we—"
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
Anna opened the door fully and stepped aside. Instead of coming in, Broots turned back to the car. Anna followed him. Hayley was intrigued; something was definitely going on. She hurried to see what was happening.
Her smile faded when she saw Broots carrying Parker towards the house. Something was wrong. Hayley stepped aside to let them enter, too concerned for Parker to pay attention to the strange girl who followed Anna and Angelo inside.
"Anna, what's wrong?"
Anna ignored her and directed Broots to an empty bedroom. When he put Parker down, Hayley could see the red patch on Parker's side. She gasped. Anna ushered the children out of the room and closed the door.
"I'm sure she'll be okay," the strange girl offered. "My dad says Jarod will help her when he gets here. My name's Debbie."
"I'm Hayley. That's Jason."
Debbie smiled. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. So, do you guys live here?"
Hayley shook her head and didn't offer any more information. Debbie seemed nice enough, but right now all Hayley was interested in was Parker.
*
Jason knew when he wasn't wanted. The girls were watching some dumb movie about a guy and a boat. Debbie said the boat was going to crash anyway, so he didn't see the point in watching. The grownups were in the kitchen. He knew where he needed to be, and quietly sneaked into Parker's room. Angelo was in a chair next to the bed, holding her hand. Jason climbed up behind Parker and lay pressed against her back, his arm draped across her stomach. He'd missed her.
Hopefully no one would find him here. They'd say he couldn't stay. But then, what did grownups know anyway?
*
Rest Easy Motel
Dover, Delaware
Lyle glanced at his watch again. He was worried; Broots hadn't called yet. What if something had gone wrong? He wished they hadn't had to stop. The sooner he got to Anna's place, the sooner he would know.
They'd found Jarod unconscious in his cell and had managed to get him out by dragging him through the air vents. Sydney had wanted to wait for him to wake up before they completed their journey. Lyle had reluctantly agreed.
Lyle idly flicked through the TV channels and willed Jarod to wake up soon.
There was movement from the bed. Jarod thrashed and turned in his sleep. "No, Parker . . . NO!"
Just as suddenly, he stilled and his breathing returned to normal. Lyle looked at Sydney and saw the unspoken worry in his eyes. He sighed and turned back to the TV. Nothing was going as planned.
*
January 9
Silver Springs, Maryland
Parker woke to the sound of laughter. She opened her eyes and slowly got out of bed. Her shirt was stiff and hard with dried blood. Worried it was hers, she lifted the hem but could find no wound, although there was a slight ache in her side.
She ventured cautiously out of the room and came face to face with a smiling teenager.
"Miss Parker! You're awake!" The girl threw her arms around Parker's waist. Parker was too surprised to do anything except tentatively return the hug.
"Uh, who are you?" she asked. "And who's the little boy in my bed?"
The girl stepped back, her blue eyes clouding over. "I'm Hayley. And that's Jason. Your brother."
Oh, yes, she'd been in the Renewal Wing, Parker remembered. Just how many memories had they stolen?
"Anna!" Hayley called. "Something's wrong with Parker!"
A blonde woman appeared from another room. "What are you doing out of bed?"
She steered Parker back into the bedroom and lifted Parker's shirt, looking at her side. "That's strange."
"What?" Parker was thoroughly confused.
"Yesterday you were half-dead. And today your wound has completely disappeared. That's very . . . It's remarkable. I've never seen anything like it."
"Am I supposed to know you?"
Anna smiled. "No. But your question doesn't surprise me. Broots said Angelo found you in the Renewal Wing. He explained what happens there. Hmm . . . I wonder if that would account for your speedy recovery. Anyway, it looks like you've got a lot of catching up to do."
"So, enlighten me." Parker sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms. "And start with who you are and what I'm doing here."
Anna took a seat next to Parker. "My name is Anna. I'm a friend of your brother's."
"I wasn't aware Lyle had any friends."
"I knew him as Bobby Bowman. We were best friends. He always looked out for me." Anna started fiddling with the edge of her shirt, a faraway expression on her face. "My dad was an alcoholic and sometimes he got a little carried away. Bobby could stand his own beatings but he wouldn't let it happen to me."
Parker remembered a reunion of some kind. A crazy old woman talking about "her Bobby" and a man in jail. She couldn't place it.
"The last time I saw Bobby was the day his so-called best friend died," Anna continued. "But they weren't friends—Bobby didn't even like him. And I don't care what you've heard, Bobby didn't kill him."
Parker had no idea what Anna was talking about. "So, what happened?"
"Bobby and I were walking in the woods and we found him. He'd shot himself in the head and left a note saying he didn't want to live anymore. Bobby was always talking about running away so I talked him into pretending he was dead. I got a letter from him every now and then, but then they stopped coming. The next time I saw him was a couple of days ago when he pitched up and said he needed my help."
"And you said yes, just like that. To a guy you hadn't seen in years." Parker couldn't help being paranoid; it was her nature. From what she remembered of Lyle, she wasn't sure how trustworthy Anna was.
"I don't expect you to understand. What we had was special. He wouldn't hesitate to help me if I needed it."
Parker was silent for a long moment as she stared at the woman next to her. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"
Anna opened her mouth to protest but Parker continued.
"Don't deny it. I know the feeling. He's the one guy you'll never forget. The one you think about every day even though you don't see him any more."
Anna smiled. "Is that how you feel about this Jarod I keep hearing about?"
"Jarod?" Parker didn't know how she felt about Jarod. She'd woken up in the Renewal Wing furious that he'd shot her, but she kept remembering other tender moments. She wasn't sure which feelings were real. "How do you know about Jarod?"
"Broots said Bobby would be bringing him here. And Jason talks non-stop about him." Anna chuckled. "I think the girls are sick of hearing about him actually. He seems to have acquired super-hero status in Jason's eyes."
"He's coming here?" She wasn't ready to face him yet, not until she sorted everything out. Not until she figured out exactly who she was.
"Assuming everything went well," Anna said. "Bobby said they were going to rescue him from the Centre. They should actually be here by now."
Parker tugged at the bloody shirt. "Oh . . . So, uh, where's the shower?"
*
Rest Easy Motel
Jarod reluctantly returned to consciousness. He closed his eyes and rolled over, then realized there was too much light for him to still be at the Centre. He sat up and took stock of his surroundings. The room was like any of the countless others he'd been in over the years, except for one distinct feature.
Lyle was sprawled out on the twin bed, fast asleep.
Instantly alert, Jarod sprang to his feet. He looked around for a weapon. Lyle's gun lay on the table between the two beds. He picked it up.
"Jarod! Put that away!"
The voice came from behind him. He turned, his hand falling to his side. "Syd?"
"It's good to see you, Jarod."
"Where are the kids?"
"Maryland. They're safe."
Jarod let out a deep, sad sigh and sank down onto the bed. "Good . . . good."
Sydney sat next to him. "Jarod, what's wrong?"
Jarod just looked at Sydney in despair. "Par—"
The door to the room burst open and Willie aimed his gun at Jarod, a nasty smirk on his face.
"Well, well, well . . . what do we have here?"
Jarod thought about Parker lying bleeding on the floor, raised his gun and fired.
One.
Two.
Three.
Lyle and Sydney looked at him in shock. He dropped the gun on the bed and watched Willie slide to the floor.
"That's for Parker," he said.
Lyle was the first to recover. He grabbed his gun and went to see if there were other sweepers. Jarod closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. He felt Sydney's touch on his shoulder but couldn't summon the energy to look at him.
"Jarod, we have to leave."
He shook his head; he was so tired.
"Jarod." Sydney pulled him to his feet and led him out. He lay on the back seat of Sydney's rental and prayed for sleep to claim him.
"Jarod, we need to talk," Sydney said.
Talking was the last thing Jarod wanted to do, but he knew he owed Sydney answers. He sat up slowly, ignoring the nausea building in the pit of his stomach.
Lyle climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "There was another one. A new guy. He won't follow us."
More death. "Stop the car," Jarod ordered. He opened the door and leaned out, gagging as the bile rose in his throat. When he had finished throwing up, he curled up on the back seat.
"We can go now," he said.
"Why did you kill Willie?" Sydney asked.
Jarod was confused. Didn't they know? Hadn't anyone told them?
"He killed Parker."
"What?!" Sydney turned around in his seat to face him.
Lyle glanced at Jarod in the rearview mirror. "Parker's not dead."
Jarod closed his eyes on the vision of Parker covered in blood. "I was there. I saw her."
"They would have told us. They would have said something. Angelo would have known," Sydney said.
He was wrong, Jarod thought. Not even Angelo knew everything.
"You know, Broots hasn't contacted us," Sydney continued. "Do you think he's okay?"
"We'll know soon enough," Lyle said grimly, pushing his foot down on the accelerator.
Eleven
Melanie-Anne
January 8
Silver Springs, Maryland
Anna had insisted that the kids help out with whatever chores came up. Jason had refused point blank to help with the dishes, insisting that he wanted to watch cartoons. Hayley, intrigued by what "doing the dishes" could possibly be, had offered to help Anna. Now, in the kitchen, she decided washing dishes wasn't so bad. It was nice to have a break from Jason's constant chatter and it gave her a chance to get to know Anna.
Hayley silently took the plate Anna handed her and toweled it dry. Anna was fascinating. Hayley decided she wanted long blonde hair just like hers. She took another plate and was distracted by Jason's yell of excitement from the living room. The plate slipped from her grasp. Without thinking, she focused her concentration and stopped it just inches from the floor. Then she realized what she'd done and raised her eyes to Anna's face.
And let out a relieved sigh. Anna wasn't looking at her.
"Jason?" Anna called.
Hayley quickly picked up the plate and resumed drying it.
"They're here!" Jason came skipping into the kitchen just as there was a knock at the front door.
"Stay here!" Anna's voice was sharper than usual as she went to answer the door. Hayley and Jason shared a glance, then followed.
Hayley saw the gun in Anna's hand and grabbed Jason's arm. Maybe they should have listened. She pulled him back into the kitchen, staying near the door so they could listen.
"Can I help you?" Anna asked in her new, cold voice.
"Miss Campbell?"
"Can I help you?" Anna asked again. Hayley pulled Jason closer to her.
"Uh, yeah." The speaker sounded nervous. "Lyle said we should come here."
"Who are you?" Anna sounded slightly less hostile, but still suspicious.
"Broots—"
"Who's in the car?"
"My daughter, Debbie. And Angelo. And Miss Parker."
Hayley and Jason smiled at each other. Both were too excited about the newcomers to notice the worry in Broots' voice.
"Were you followed?"
"No. Please can we—"
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
Anna opened the door fully and stepped aside. Instead of coming in, Broots turned back to the car. Anna followed him. Hayley was intrigued; something was definitely going on. She hurried to see what was happening.
Her smile faded when she saw Broots carrying Parker towards the house. Something was wrong. Hayley stepped aside to let them enter, too concerned for Parker to pay attention to the strange girl who followed Anna and Angelo inside.
"Anna, what's wrong?"
Anna ignored her and directed Broots to an empty bedroom. When he put Parker down, Hayley could see the red patch on Parker's side. She gasped. Anna ushered the children out of the room and closed the door.
"I'm sure she'll be okay," the strange girl offered. "My dad says Jarod will help her when he gets here. My name's Debbie."
"I'm Hayley. That's Jason."
Debbie smiled. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. So, do you guys live here?"
Hayley shook her head and didn't offer any more information. Debbie seemed nice enough, but right now all Hayley was interested in was Parker.
*
Jason knew when he wasn't wanted. The girls were watching some dumb movie about a guy and a boat. Debbie said the boat was going to crash anyway, so he didn't see the point in watching. The grownups were in the kitchen. He knew where he needed to be, and quietly sneaked into Parker's room. Angelo was in a chair next to the bed, holding her hand. Jason climbed up behind Parker and lay pressed against her back, his arm draped across her stomach. He'd missed her.
Hopefully no one would find him here. They'd say he couldn't stay. But then, what did grownups know anyway?
*
Rest Easy Motel
Dover, Delaware
Lyle glanced at his watch again. He was worried; Broots hadn't called yet. What if something had gone wrong? He wished they hadn't had to stop. The sooner he got to Anna's place, the sooner he would know.
They'd found Jarod unconscious in his cell and had managed to get him out by dragging him through the air vents. Sydney had wanted to wait for him to wake up before they completed their journey. Lyle had reluctantly agreed.
Lyle idly flicked through the TV channels and willed Jarod to wake up soon.
There was movement from the bed. Jarod thrashed and turned in his sleep. "No, Parker . . . NO!"
Just as suddenly, he stilled and his breathing returned to normal. Lyle looked at Sydney and saw the unspoken worry in his eyes. He sighed and turned back to the TV. Nothing was going as planned.
*
January 9
Silver Springs, Maryland
Parker woke to the sound of laughter. She opened her eyes and slowly got out of bed. Her shirt was stiff and hard with dried blood. Worried it was hers, she lifted the hem but could find no wound, although there was a slight ache in her side.
She ventured cautiously out of the room and came face to face with a smiling teenager.
"Miss Parker! You're awake!" The girl threw her arms around Parker's waist. Parker was too surprised to do anything except tentatively return the hug.
"Uh, who are you?" she asked. "And who's the little boy in my bed?"
The girl stepped back, her blue eyes clouding over. "I'm Hayley. And that's Jason. Your brother."
Oh, yes, she'd been in the Renewal Wing, Parker remembered. Just how many memories had they stolen?
"Anna!" Hayley called. "Something's wrong with Parker!"
A blonde woman appeared from another room. "What are you doing out of bed?"
She steered Parker back into the bedroom and lifted Parker's shirt, looking at her side. "That's strange."
"What?" Parker was thoroughly confused.
"Yesterday you were half-dead. And today your wound has completely disappeared. That's very . . . It's remarkable. I've never seen anything like it."
"Am I supposed to know you?"
Anna smiled. "No. But your question doesn't surprise me. Broots said Angelo found you in the Renewal Wing. He explained what happens there. Hmm . . . I wonder if that would account for your speedy recovery. Anyway, it looks like you've got a lot of catching up to do."
"So, enlighten me." Parker sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms. "And start with who you are and what I'm doing here."
Anna took a seat next to Parker. "My name is Anna. I'm a friend of your brother's."
"I wasn't aware Lyle had any friends."
"I knew him as Bobby Bowman. We were best friends. He always looked out for me." Anna started fiddling with the edge of her shirt, a faraway expression on her face. "My dad was an alcoholic and sometimes he got a little carried away. Bobby could stand his own beatings but he wouldn't let it happen to me."
Parker remembered a reunion of some kind. A crazy old woman talking about "her Bobby" and a man in jail. She couldn't place it.
"The last time I saw Bobby was the day his so-called best friend died," Anna continued. "But they weren't friends—Bobby didn't even like him. And I don't care what you've heard, Bobby didn't kill him."
Parker had no idea what Anna was talking about. "So, what happened?"
"Bobby and I were walking in the woods and we found him. He'd shot himself in the head and left a note saying he didn't want to live anymore. Bobby was always talking about running away so I talked him into pretending he was dead. I got a letter from him every now and then, but then they stopped coming. The next time I saw him was a couple of days ago when he pitched up and said he needed my help."
"And you said yes, just like that. To a guy you hadn't seen in years." Parker couldn't help being paranoid; it was her nature. From what she remembered of Lyle, she wasn't sure how trustworthy Anna was.
"I don't expect you to understand. What we had was special. He wouldn't hesitate to help me if I needed it."
Parker was silent for a long moment as she stared at the woman next to her. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"
Anna opened her mouth to protest but Parker continued.
"Don't deny it. I know the feeling. He's the one guy you'll never forget. The one you think about every day even though you don't see him any more."
Anna smiled. "Is that how you feel about this Jarod I keep hearing about?"
"Jarod?" Parker didn't know how she felt about Jarod. She'd woken up in the Renewal Wing furious that he'd shot her, but she kept remembering other tender moments. She wasn't sure which feelings were real. "How do you know about Jarod?"
"Broots said Bobby would be bringing him here. And Jason talks non-stop about him." Anna chuckled. "I think the girls are sick of hearing about him actually. He seems to have acquired super-hero status in Jason's eyes."
"He's coming here?" She wasn't ready to face him yet, not until she sorted everything out. Not until she figured out exactly who she was.
"Assuming everything went well," Anna said. "Bobby said they were going to rescue him from the Centre. They should actually be here by now."
Parker tugged at the bloody shirt. "Oh . . . So, uh, where's the shower?"
*
Rest Easy Motel
Jarod reluctantly returned to consciousness. He closed his eyes and rolled over, then realized there was too much light for him to still be at the Centre. He sat up and took stock of his surroundings. The room was like any of the countless others he'd been in over the years, except for one distinct feature.
Lyle was sprawled out on the twin bed, fast asleep.
Instantly alert, Jarod sprang to his feet. He looked around for a weapon. Lyle's gun lay on the table between the two beds. He picked it up.
"Jarod! Put that away!"
The voice came from behind him. He turned, his hand falling to his side. "Syd?"
"It's good to see you, Jarod."
"Where are the kids?"
"Maryland. They're safe."
Jarod let out a deep, sad sigh and sank down onto the bed. "Good . . . good."
Sydney sat next to him. "Jarod, what's wrong?"
Jarod just looked at Sydney in despair. "Par—"
The door to the room burst open and Willie aimed his gun at Jarod, a nasty smirk on his face.
"Well, well, well . . . what do we have here?"
Jarod thought about Parker lying bleeding on the floor, raised his gun and fired.
One.
Two.
Three.
Lyle and Sydney looked at him in shock. He dropped the gun on the bed and watched Willie slide to the floor.
"That's for Parker," he said.
Lyle was the first to recover. He grabbed his gun and went to see if there were other sweepers. Jarod closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. He felt Sydney's touch on his shoulder but couldn't summon the energy to look at him.
"Jarod, we have to leave."
He shook his head; he was so tired.
"Jarod." Sydney pulled him to his feet and led him out. He lay on the back seat of Sydney's rental and prayed for sleep to claim him.
"Jarod, we need to talk," Sydney said.
Talking was the last thing Jarod wanted to do, but he knew he owed Sydney answers. He sat up slowly, ignoring the nausea building in the pit of his stomach.
Lyle climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "There was another one. A new guy. He won't follow us."
More death. "Stop the car," Jarod ordered. He opened the door and leaned out, gagging as the bile rose in his throat. When he had finished throwing up, he curled up on the back seat.
"We can go now," he said.
"Why did you kill Willie?" Sydney asked.
Jarod was confused. Didn't they know? Hadn't anyone told them?
"He killed Parker."
"What?!" Sydney turned around in his seat to face him.
Lyle glanced at Jarod in the rearview mirror. "Parker's not dead."
Jarod closed his eyes on the vision of Parker covered in blood. "I was there. I saw her."
"They would have told us. They would have said something. Angelo would have known," Sydney said.
He was wrong, Jarod thought. Not even Angelo knew everything.
"You know, Broots hasn't contacted us," Sydney continued. "Do you think he's okay?"
"We'll know soon enough," Lyle said grimly, pushing his foot down on the accelerator.
