Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Hayley
Four
Melanie-Anne
January 4
The Centre
SL 25
Hayley climbed up onto her desk and smiled into the camera. Then she pulled out the wire. She hopped down onto the floor and went over to the air vent. Tugging at it, she frowned when it wouldn't budge. Suddenly it opened from the other side. She stepped back, then smiled.
"Hi, Angelo."
"Come." He helped her up into the vent then turned and crawled away. She followed, straining to see in the dim light. She could just make out Angelo's figure in front of her.
They stopped in front of another vent. Hayley peered through the grate. A little boy sat in the middle of the room, playing with building blocks.
"Who's that?"
"Jason."
Hayley smiled and started to push the grate open. Angelo grabbed her hand and shook his head. Just then, the door to the room opened and a tall, dark-haired woman walked in. Hayley squeezed Angelo's hand; it was the woman from Hayley's dream. Only, it wasn't. This woman was different. Harder. Hayley peered closer, wanting to see more, and accidentally rattled the grate. She froze.
The woman looked up. "Angelo, is that you?"
The door opened and a sweeper entered, stopping when he saw the woman. "Oh. Sorry, Miss Parker. I didn't know it was you."
Angelo tugged at Hayley's hand. "Looking for you."
With one last glance at the woman called Miss Parker, Hayley turned and followed Angelo back to her room. She could come back anytime now that she knew the way.
Raines and Lyle were waiting for her when she climbed out of the air vent. Lyle looked . . . was that relief she saw on his face? Raines just looked angry.
"What?" Hayley asked.
"Where did you go?" Raines stepped towards her.
"Nowhere."
"You will never leave this room again without my approval. Is that understood?"
She nodded once, chewing on her lower lip.
"Good. Lyle, show her what happens when she disobeys me."
Raines left and Hayley allowed herself to relax. She looked up at Lyle, her smile faltering at the serious expression on his face.
"Your room has more than one camera, Hayley."
Her smile faded completely.
"I can't not do anything. Raines will be watching."
Hayley glanced at the door Raines had left open. She looked at Lyle, then darted out into the hallway. She ran as fast as she could, ducking around a corner and colliding with Parker. She could hear Lyle's footsteps behind her. She grabbed Parker's arm and looked up at her desperately.
Parker's eyes narrowed as Lyle skidded to a halt. "A little early in the day to be terrorizing people, don't you think?"
"It's never too early for that. Come, Hayley. Back to your room."
Hayley shrank away from him. What had happened to the man who had been so gentle with her the previous day?
"You're just making things worse," he said.
"Lyle, go find someone else to torture."
"Not now, Parker." He grabbed Hayley's arm and pulled her away from his sister. She allowed him to lead her back to the room, glancing back at Parker every few steps. She caught one last look at the horrified expression on Parker's face before the door slammed shut.
Lyle flung Hayley onto her bed and spoke in a very low voice. "I'm only going to do what's necessary."
Hayley scrambled back against the wall, looking up at Lyle in fear. "Please—"
"I'm sorry," he said, then hit her once. "Raines will want to see proof."
"I thought you were my friend."
He sighed. "Hayley—"
"Just leave me alone!" She curled up on her side.
*
Lyle looked at the reddening mark on her cheek and knew from experience that it would leave a bruise. He reached out but stopped short of touching her. His hand fell back to his side. "I'm sorry."
He turned and left quietly. Parker was waiting for him in the hallway. "Who was that?"
"No one." He walked past her and jabbed the button for the elevator.
"Pressing it more than once doesn't help."
"It can't hurt to try." It was a lame response and he knew it. Dealing with Parker was the last thing he felt like doing right now.
"Aww, what's got you so uptight this morning?" Parker stepped past him into the elevator. "Who's the girl?"
Lyle pressed his lips together, biting his tongue to keep from speaking. When he arrived at his floor, he strode out, not looking back at his sister.
*
Parker smiled as her brother turned a corner, then pushed the button for SL 25. Once there, she punched her code in the panel at Hayley's door. It clicked open. The girl lay on her bed, crying. Parker approached her slowly.
"Hi."
Hayley looked up and Parker shook her head; it was like looking into a mirror in time. She sat on the edge of the bed and turned Hayley's cheek to the light. It was already turning blue.
"How's your head?"
"I'm okay." Hayley sat up and studied Parker. She managed a small smile. "I'm Hayley."
"People call me Parker."
"I saw you with the little boy."
Parker smiled. "That was you in the vent?"
Hayley nodded. "Who is he?"
"My brother."
"He doesn't like it here either."
"Nobody likes it here." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Not even me."
"But you're not locked up."
"Not physically, no." Now that she was here, Parker just wanted to take Hayley and Jason, and run. If Lyle ever laid a hand on the girl again, he'd lose more than a thumb.
SL 16
Lyle's hand shook as he stared down at the piece of paper he held. Black figures jumped off the page at him. He leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the space in front of him.
Why was he so surprised? The Centre had destroyed every good part of his life; was it so much of a stretch for them to do this too?
He needed to speak to someone, but who could he trust? His sister, maybe, but she didn't trust him. Sydney? He shook his head; no, the fewer people who knew, the better.
He pulled out his gun and checked the clip. Good, it was full. He started towards the elevator but stopped when a figure stepped out in front of him.
"Don't."
"Angelo—"
The empath grabbed his arm, his grip tight. "Too much killing here."
Lyle dropped his head, his shoulders sagging. "Did you know about Hayley?"
"Angelo knows now." He grinned. "Happy. But confused."
"I hurt her."
"Not here." Angelo touched his hand to Lyle's heart, then smiled again and released Lyle's arm. He disappeared into the air vents. Lyle looked at the piece of paper again. He sighed and put his gun away. Today was not Raines' day to die.
Four
Melanie-Anne
January 4
The Centre
SL 25
Hayley climbed up onto her desk and smiled into the camera. Then she pulled out the wire. She hopped down onto the floor and went over to the air vent. Tugging at it, she frowned when it wouldn't budge. Suddenly it opened from the other side. She stepped back, then smiled.
"Hi, Angelo."
"Come." He helped her up into the vent then turned and crawled away. She followed, straining to see in the dim light. She could just make out Angelo's figure in front of her.
They stopped in front of another vent. Hayley peered through the grate. A little boy sat in the middle of the room, playing with building blocks.
"Who's that?"
"Jason."
Hayley smiled and started to push the grate open. Angelo grabbed her hand and shook his head. Just then, the door to the room opened and a tall, dark-haired woman walked in. Hayley squeezed Angelo's hand; it was the woman from Hayley's dream. Only, it wasn't. This woman was different. Harder. Hayley peered closer, wanting to see more, and accidentally rattled the grate. She froze.
The woman looked up. "Angelo, is that you?"
The door opened and a sweeper entered, stopping when he saw the woman. "Oh. Sorry, Miss Parker. I didn't know it was you."
Angelo tugged at Hayley's hand. "Looking for you."
With one last glance at the woman called Miss Parker, Hayley turned and followed Angelo back to her room. She could come back anytime now that she knew the way.
Raines and Lyle were waiting for her when she climbed out of the air vent. Lyle looked . . . was that relief she saw on his face? Raines just looked angry.
"What?" Hayley asked.
"Where did you go?" Raines stepped towards her.
"Nowhere."
"You will never leave this room again without my approval. Is that understood?"
She nodded once, chewing on her lower lip.
"Good. Lyle, show her what happens when she disobeys me."
Raines left and Hayley allowed herself to relax. She looked up at Lyle, her smile faltering at the serious expression on his face.
"Your room has more than one camera, Hayley."
Her smile faded completely.
"I can't not do anything. Raines will be watching."
Hayley glanced at the door Raines had left open. She looked at Lyle, then darted out into the hallway. She ran as fast as she could, ducking around a corner and colliding with Parker. She could hear Lyle's footsteps behind her. She grabbed Parker's arm and looked up at her desperately.
Parker's eyes narrowed as Lyle skidded to a halt. "A little early in the day to be terrorizing people, don't you think?"
"It's never too early for that. Come, Hayley. Back to your room."
Hayley shrank away from him. What had happened to the man who had been so gentle with her the previous day?
"You're just making things worse," he said.
"Lyle, go find someone else to torture."
"Not now, Parker." He grabbed Hayley's arm and pulled her away from his sister. She allowed him to lead her back to the room, glancing back at Parker every few steps. She caught one last look at the horrified expression on Parker's face before the door slammed shut.
Lyle flung Hayley onto her bed and spoke in a very low voice. "I'm only going to do what's necessary."
Hayley scrambled back against the wall, looking up at Lyle in fear. "Please—"
"I'm sorry," he said, then hit her once. "Raines will want to see proof."
"I thought you were my friend."
He sighed. "Hayley—"
"Just leave me alone!" She curled up on her side.
*
Lyle looked at the reddening mark on her cheek and knew from experience that it would leave a bruise. He reached out but stopped short of touching her. His hand fell back to his side. "I'm sorry."
He turned and left quietly. Parker was waiting for him in the hallway. "Who was that?"
"No one." He walked past her and jabbed the button for the elevator.
"Pressing it more than once doesn't help."
"It can't hurt to try." It was a lame response and he knew it. Dealing with Parker was the last thing he felt like doing right now.
"Aww, what's got you so uptight this morning?" Parker stepped past him into the elevator. "Who's the girl?"
Lyle pressed his lips together, biting his tongue to keep from speaking. When he arrived at his floor, he strode out, not looking back at his sister.
*
Parker smiled as her brother turned a corner, then pushed the button for SL 25. Once there, she punched her code in the panel at Hayley's door. It clicked open. The girl lay on her bed, crying. Parker approached her slowly.
"Hi."
Hayley looked up and Parker shook her head; it was like looking into a mirror in time. She sat on the edge of the bed and turned Hayley's cheek to the light. It was already turning blue.
"How's your head?"
"I'm okay." Hayley sat up and studied Parker. She managed a small smile. "I'm Hayley."
"People call me Parker."
"I saw you with the little boy."
Parker smiled. "That was you in the vent?"
Hayley nodded. "Who is he?"
"My brother."
"He doesn't like it here either."
"Nobody likes it here." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Not even me."
"But you're not locked up."
"Not physically, no." Now that she was here, Parker just wanted to take Hayley and Jason, and run. If Lyle ever laid a hand on the girl again, he'd lose more than a thumb.
SL 16
Lyle's hand shook as he stared down at the piece of paper he held. Black figures jumped off the page at him. He leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the space in front of him.
Why was he so surprised? The Centre had destroyed every good part of his life; was it so much of a stretch for them to do this too?
He needed to speak to someone, but who could he trust? His sister, maybe, but she didn't trust him. Sydney? He shook his head; no, the fewer people who knew, the better.
He pulled out his gun and checked the clip. Good, it was full. He started towards the elevator but stopped when a figure stepped out in front of him.
"Don't."
"Angelo—"
The empath grabbed his arm, his grip tight. "Too much killing here."
Lyle dropped his head, his shoulders sagging. "Did you know about Hayley?"
"Angelo knows now." He grinned. "Happy. But confused."
"I hurt her."
"Not here." Angelo touched his hand to Lyle's heart, then smiled again and released Lyle's arm. He disappeared into the air vents. Lyle looked at the piece of paper again. He sighed and put his gun away. Today was not Raines' day to die.
