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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Hayley
Two
Melanie-Anne
December 20, 2002
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Miss Parker was in a rare good mood. She stuck her head through the door of Sydney's office, smiling when she saw him still sitting at his desk. He was bent over a folder but even in the dim light, Parker could see he wasn't doing any work.
"Waiting for the lab rat's call?"
He looked up, his expression only mildly chastising. "It has been three weeks since Jarod last made contact."
Parker didn't bother correcting him; it had actually only been two weeks and five days. "Doesn't he have your home number?"
"I thought you'd already left."
"I had a couple of things to do." She stepped fully inside and brought out her arm from behind her back. She placed the gift-wrapped box on the desk. "Merry Christmas, Syd."
He smiled and reached in his drawer to pull out her gift. "And to you, Parker. You know, I'd love some company up at the lake."
"Thanks, but I have plans." She smiled mysteriously and winked at Sydney. "See you in the New Year."
Broots was hard at work in the tech lab when Parker finally managed to track him down. She leaned over his shoulder, breathing heavily into his ear. "You do get a Christmas break, you know. It's not just a rumor."
He jumped in his chair then swiveled around to face her. "I was just checking out a lead."
"He'll still be out there after Christmas. Go home. Debbie's waiting."
Broots turned off the computer and stood, facing Parker with a big smile. "You know, you're still welcome to spend Christmas Day with us."
Parker smiled. "Thanks, but I'll be with my brother. My baby brother," she clarified.
Broots shrugged and they walked to the elevator in silence.
"You're not coming up?" he asked.
"I've got one more stop to make." She handed him the gift bag containing his and Debbie's presents then, impulsively, kissed his cheek. He blushed, stuttering and stammering as the doors slid closed.
SL25
Parker nodded at the night nurse, not stopping to chat. She strode into Baby Parker's room. Her brother was sitting on his bed, paging through a book. He smiled when he saw her and jumped up to greet her.
"Parker!"
She hugged him and kissed his forehead. "You ready to go, Jason?"
He nodded.
"Okay. Come, then." She took his hand and led him out. The nurse stood, protesting.
"Mr. Raines—"
"Is away. My brother is spending Christmas with me. I'll bring him back in the New Year."
The nurse stood still, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of something to say. Eventually she just sat back down. "Okay, Miss Parker."
Parker grinned; sometimes it was too easy. She ran into Lyle in the parking lot. He stepped out of the shadows just as she reached her car.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Running away with Jason." She opened the passenger door and buckled him into the front seat.
"What?!"
"Oh, keep your panties on, Lyle." She slowly turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips. "He's just spending Christmas with me."
Lyle's face softened slightly, and he extended his right arm. "Here, then."
Parker took the packet suspiciously. "What's this?"
"It's, uh, it's a present. For Jason." He went back into the building, leaving Parker staring after him in astonishment. Since when did Lyle celebrate Christmas, let alone give gifts? Shaking her head, she walked around and climbed into the driver's seat.
On the road, she glanced over at her sleeping brother and then at the gift she'd tossed carelessly on the backseat. Maybe some tiny part of Lyle was still human after all.
Knowing she was being watched, she pulled into her driveway with a practiced ease. She hoisted Jason up into her arms and crossed to the front door. Navigating her way through the dark, she hit the light switch with her elbow and the room was filled with light. Jarod sat sprawled on her couch.
"There's a sweeper team just outside."
"I know." He grinned. "They should be falling asleep any minute now."
"Where are my handcuffs when I need them?" Parker deposited the still-sleeping child on another couch and turned to face Jarod, her hands on her hips. He walked up to her until they stood face to face.
"I think you left them in your bedroom."
Her eyes flashed fire. "I still have my gun."
"Mmm . . . but you wouldn't use it in front of Jason, would you?" He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her against him. His lips curved upwards as he stared at her mouth.
"Hand to hand combat then . . . if you're man enough." She was fixated on his tiny mole. Did he know just how sexy that mole was? She wondered.
"That's what I love about you, Parker. You're not afraid of a challenge."
"You? A challenge?" She laughed softly and brought her mouth closer to his. When their lips were only millimeters apart, she stepped backwards, breaking away. "Not in front of Jason."
Jarod pouted and dropped back on the couch. "You're evil, Parker."
She stepped out of her heels and sat next to him, stretching her legs out over his. "No more than usual."
Well-trained, Jarod started massaging the soles of her feet. "Did anyone give you trouble?" He nodded at Jason.
"The nurse was too frightened to put up a fight and Lyle . . . well, Lyle gave him a Christmas present." She still couldn't quite believe it.
"Yeah, sure." He chuckled softly.
"I'm not lying. It's still in the car. Anyway, what's the plan? Are we leaving tonight, or what?"
Jarod sighed and turned to face her. "Something's come up. I got an email from Angelo that Raines was bringing someone back from Africa—"
"Which is why now is the perfect time for us to disappear." They'd been planning for months: Jarod had new identities set up, new lives away from the shadow of the Centre. What was so important that he'd risk their escape?
"She's just a kid, Parker. You and Jason can still leave now. I'll get her out, then join you."
Parker swung her legs away and sat up straight. "If she's from Africa, then it's likely she was created by the Centre. She won't have a family you can return her to."
Jarod picked up a folder and handed it to Parker. "Angelo sent me that photo. Who does she remind you of?"
Parker gazed at the black and white image. The girl was dressed in standard Centre clothing, her dark hair pulled away from her face. She seemed to be throwing a ball up in the air, unaware of the camera. Parker closed the folder and handed it back to Jarod. She couldn't think of a single thing to say; every time she thought she knew who she was, another family member popped up out of the woodwork. As if her life wasn't complicated enough.
"They did create her," he said. "But she does have a family."
Parker nodded, her eyes closed. "I have a sister."
"Or . . . or a daughter."
She looked up sharply, her mouth agape. Jarod pulled her towards him, unresisting, and held her.
Same time
Somewhere over the Atlantic
Hayley closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She had a window seat but there was nothing to see except darkness. Her wrists were bruised from where she'd been restrained. She'd fought hard, but in the end was no match for four grown men. They'd held her down and Raines had injected her with something. She hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye to Mpho or Michael. Now she was on her way to a strange place, far away from everything she'd ever known. Would she find a friend there? Or would she be as alone as she knew they wanted her to be?
Hush, the voices said. Just sleep. She conjured up an image of the nurse she'd almost forgotten: a large, black woman who'd looked after Hayley until she was three. In her mind's eye, she could see the woman's smile - Naledi! Her name was Naledi! – as she sang to her. Thula thu, thula baba, thula sana . . .
When she finally fell asleep, she dreamed of two dark-haired, blue-eyed children and a woman with the face of an angel.
Two
Melanie-Anne
December 20, 2002
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Miss Parker was in a rare good mood. She stuck her head through the door of Sydney's office, smiling when she saw him still sitting at his desk. He was bent over a folder but even in the dim light, Parker could see he wasn't doing any work.
"Waiting for the lab rat's call?"
He looked up, his expression only mildly chastising. "It has been three weeks since Jarod last made contact."
Parker didn't bother correcting him; it had actually only been two weeks and five days. "Doesn't he have your home number?"
"I thought you'd already left."
"I had a couple of things to do." She stepped fully inside and brought out her arm from behind her back. She placed the gift-wrapped box on the desk. "Merry Christmas, Syd."
He smiled and reached in his drawer to pull out her gift. "And to you, Parker. You know, I'd love some company up at the lake."
"Thanks, but I have plans." She smiled mysteriously and winked at Sydney. "See you in the New Year."
Broots was hard at work in the tech lab when Parker finally managed to track him down. She leaned over his shoulder, breathing heavily into his ear. "You do get a Christmas break, you know. It's not just a rumor."
He jumped in his chair then swiveled around to face her. "I was just checking out a lead."
"He'll still be out there after Christmas. Go home. Debbie's waiting."
Broots turned off the computer and stood, facing Parker with a big smile. "You know, you're still welcome to spend Christmas Day with us."
Parker smiled. "Thanks, but I'll be with my brother. My baby brother," she clarified.
Broots shrugged and they walked to the elevator in silence.
"You're not coming up?" he asked.
"I've got one more stop to make." She handed him the gift bag containing his and Debbie's presents then, impulsively, kissed his cheek. He blushed, stuttering and stammering as the doors slid closed.
SL25
Parker nodded at the night nurse, not stopping to chat. She strode into Baby Parker's room. Her brother was sitting on his bed, paging through a book. He smiled when he saw her and jumped up to greet her.
"Parker!"
She hugged him and kissed his forehead. "You ready to go, Jason?"
He nodded.
"Okay. Come, then." She took his hand and led him out. The nurse stood, protesting.
"Mr. Raines—"
"Is away. My brother is spending Christmas with me. I'll bring him back in the New Year."
The nurse stood still, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of something to say. Eventually she just sat back down. "Okay, Miss Parker."
Parker grinned; sometimes it was too easy. She ran into Lyle in the parking lot. He stepped out of the shadows just as she reached her car.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Running away with Jason." She opened the passenger door and buckled him into the front seat.
"What?!"
"Oh, keep your panties on, Lyle." She slowly turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips. "He's just spending Christmas with me."
Lyle's face softened slightly, and he extended his right arm. "Here, then."
Parker took the packet suspiciously. "What's this?"
"It's, uh, it's a present. For Jason." He went back into the building, leaving Parker staring after him in astonishment. Since when did Lyle celebrate Christmas, let alone give gifts? Shaking her head, she walked around and climbed into the driver's seat.
On the road, she glanced over at her sleeping brother and then at the gift she'd tossed carelessly on the backseat. Maybe some tiny part of Lyle was still human after all.
Knowing she was being watched, she pulled into her driveway with a practiced ease. She hoisted Jason up into her arms and crossed to the front door. Navigating her way through the dark, she hit the light switch with her elbow and the room was filled with light. Jarod sat sprawled on her couch.
"There's a sweeper team just outside."
"I know." He grinned. "They should be falling asleep any minute now."
"Where are my handcuffs when I need them?" Parker deposited the still-sleeping child on another couch and turned to face Jarod, her hands on her hips. He walked up to her until they stood face to face.
"I think you left them in your bedroom."
Her eyes flashed fire. "I still have my gun."
"Mmm . . . but you wouldn't use it in front of Jason, would you?" He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her against him. His lips curved upwards as he stared at her mouth.
"Hand to hand combat then . . . if you're man enough." She was fixated on his tiny mole. Did he know just how sexy that mole was? She wondered.
"That's what I love about you, Parker. You're not afraid of a challenge."
"You? A challenge?" She laughed softly and brought her mouth closer to his. When their lips were only millimeters apart, she stepped backwards, breaking away. "Not in front of Jason."
Jarod pouted and dropped back on the couch. "You're evil, Parker."
She stepped out of her heels and sat next to him, stretching her legs out over his. "No more than usual."
Well-trained, Jarod started massaging the soles of her feet. "Did anyone give you trouble?" He nodded at Jason.
"The nurse was too frightened to put up a fight and Lyle . . . well, Lyle gave him a Christmas present." She still couldn't quite believe it.
"Yeah, sure." He chuckled softly.
"I'm not lying. It's still in the car. Anyway, what's the plan? Are we leaving tonight, or what?"
Jarod sighed and turned to face her. "Something's come up. I got an email from Angelo that Raines was bringing someone back from Africa—"
"Which is why now is the perfect time for us to disappear." They'd been planning for months: Jarod had new identities set up, new lives away from the shadow of the Centre. What was so important that he'd risk their escape?
"She's just a kid, Parker. You and Jason can still leave now. I'll get her out, then join you."
Parker swung her legs away and sat up straight. "If she's from Africa, then it's likely she was created by the Centre. She won't have a family you can return her to."
Jarod picked up a folder and handed it to Parker. "Angelo sent me that photo. Who does she remind you of?"
Parker gazed at the black and white image. The girl was dressed in standard Centre clothing, her dark hair pulled away from her face. She seemed to be throwing a ball up in the air, unaware of the camera. Parker closed the folder and handed it back to Jarod. She couldn't think of a single thing to say; every time she thought she knew who she was, another family member popped up out of the woodwork. As if her life wasn't complicated enough.
"They did create her," he said. "But she does have a family."
Parker nodded, her eyes closed. "I have a sister."
"Or . . . or a daughter."
She looked up sharply, her mouth agape. Jarod pulled her towards him, unresisting, and held her.
Same time
Somewhere over the Atlantic
Hayley closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She had a window seat but there was nothing to see except darkness. Her wrists were bruised from where she'd been restrained. She'd fought hard, but in the end was no match for four grown men. They'd held her down and Raines had injected her with something. She hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye to Mpho or Michael. Now she was on her way to a strange place, far away from everything she'd ever known. Would she find a friend there? Or would she be as alone as she knew they wanted her to be?
Hush, the voices said. Just sleep. She conjured up an image of the nurse she'd almost forgotten: a large, black woman who'd looked after Hayley until she was three. In her mind's eye, she could see the woman's smile - Naledi! Her name was Naledi! – as she sang to her. Thula thu, thula baba, thula sana . . .
When she finally fell asleep, she dreamed of two dark-haired, blue-eyed children and a woman with the face of an angel.
