Little Miss Parker

An hour later I come downstairs to bottom floor of our two story house to find my little Ella waiting for me less than patiently.

" Ready?"

"Yep!" She's very excited. I swept by and pulled her into my arms on the way out the door.

"Keys," I said. She picked them up as we passed the end table in the entryway to our house. We take my Lexus E-class, just in case we have to get away quickly. I feel safe here, but I know the Centre has eyes everywhere, even in Falls Church, Virginia. After Denny's we go to the park, where there's a children's festival going on. There are TV cameras everywhere. I'm very hesitant to be here, so is Ella I can feel it, but I also feel she really wants to experience this. Our joint inner sense is going off like crazy, but it's so confused. It doesn't know what to do. For a second I look in another direction, because something catches my eyes, but it's nothing. I turn around to ask Ella something and she's not there. I am immediately frantic. Where'd she go? Who, if anyone took her? Was it the Centre? Did they find us? My worry is short lived when the crowd parts and I see Ella talking with a reporter in front of what I'm sure is a live camera. In seconds I'm over there. She looks my way and I see that she's been crying. She runs and jumps into my arms crying.

" Daddy, I thought you were gone."

"No way, Miss Parker. You can't get rid of me that easily." I now realize, I'm crying too. We hug for a long moment before releasing one another. " You all right, Pumpkin?"

"Um hum," she replies, her head still snuggled in my shoulder. "

Have enough fun for the day, Parker?"

"Oh yeah. Daddy, let's go home."

"Okay, Darlin' ,okay." As we walk away, I stop to turn around and say," Thanks for watching Parker for me." He just shrugs, noncommittally.

"No biggie." I just smile at him anyway.

"But still, thanks." As I turn away with Ella still securely in my embrace, we feel a familiar feeling of apprehensiveness. It's from someone I know ,but she's only heard of. It's her mother. The real Miss Parker. Miss Angel Isabella Parker, Ella's mom. It's a shame she doesn't know she has a little girl, a little girl who even though she knows what she does for a living and still loves her as if she saved lives everyday. She'd be a wonderful momma to her daughter, just like her own mother was to her. I know it's only a matter of time before they see that live TV feed. Soon, they'll be all over Falls Church looking for us. Time to go back home to our primary home back in, believe it or not, Blue Cove.

Once we get to our car, I gently strap Ella into her four year old booster seat in the back seat. I gently shut the door and get into the driver seat on the other side. I softly gun the engine and slide carefully out of my parking spot. Time to pack for home. Time to pack for a trip back to Blue Cove, Delaware.

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

Miss Parker's POV

You know this has been a hell of a day. First, Lyle comes to torture me with his menial presence then, Broots spills his coffee all over me. I mean once is an accident, but twice is an act of war.

Every TV in the Centre is tuned into the Children's Festival in Falls Church, Virginia. You know how Jarod is. Allegedly he's been in the area and if he has there's no way he'd pass this up. I walk into the lobby after changing into my third out fit of the day. I look up at the screen absently as a tearful little girl tearfully cries for her Daddy.

The reporter goes," What's your name, Darlin'?"

"I'm not allowed to tell my name to strangers, but I can tell you what my Daddy and Grandma call me."

"All right. what do they call you?" I don't know why, but I feel a certain empathy with the little girl. I hope she finds her Daddy.

As I turn to head back to me office she answers," Miss Parker. They call me little Miss Parker. After my momma." I turn around at break neck speed. Did she just say what I'm almost certain I think she just said? I pray not. I pray the Centre hasn't stooped that low. They call her little Miss parker after her momma. That means she has a mom. I shake myself mentally and shift my attention to the child again. Before she can say anymore she looks the other way almost as if knowing what she'll see and takes off running, crying," Daddy, I thought you were gone." The camera shifts and I inwardly gasp. There's Jarod, cradling the little girl to his chest like he can protect her from the world.

" No way, Miss Parker. You can't get rid of me that easily." He's crying too. The Pretender is crying, crying over his little girl. A little girl he thought he had lost. I know I should tell someone to ready the Centre jet and prepare to bring Jarod home. I can't. Not after seeing that he's finally done what he's wanted so much to do. Make a family for himself. I listen to the rest of their conversation in a daze. I know they're all waiting for me to do something, but I can tell the Little Miss Parker thing threw them for a loop too. Jarod has a daughter. a young daughter, whom he obviously loves unconditionally. I want that so much. I want that little girl to be my daughter. My daughter to love and dress and cook for and take to preschool.

Out of nowhere Lyle come out of the woodworks and starts barking orders to get the jet ready. And making some inane comment about one and a half for the price of just one. I want so much to be able to belay each of his orders and tell him to leave the girl alone. My presence doesn't hold nearly as much weight as it once held. Just more evidence that I won't be at the Centre much longer. I simply remain silent and head for my office to get my purse for the trip. 'Please,' I beg to any God unafraid of the Centre, ' Save Jarod and little Parker. Please.' If I never escape the Centre's grasp I want that little girl as far away from it as possible.'

I entered the room and immediately summoned Broots.

" Broots I want you to find every lead you can on Jarod. I know where he just was. . . say," I looked to my watch. " ten minutes ago. Find him. Preferably before the Centre does. As of now he and Parker are in so much trouble."

"Parker? Parker who," asked Sydney from behind me. I turned to him hesitantly. 'Should I tell him or should I wait for either Jarod to tell him or wait until they bring little Parker in? I can't do that to him.' I sigh. "Sydney, there's something you should know."

"What? What's wrong? Is it Jarod?" I nodded. "Is he…"he trailed off. I shook my head vigorously.

"No, no. It's not that. It seems that we have our most serious lead on Jarod's whereabouts."

"How serious?"

"We just saw him on TV. And he wasn't alone."

"Not alone? Who was with him?"

"It seems that Jarod has a daughter. A very young daughter, who got lost earlier. He calls her little Miss Parker after her mother, whoever that might be." Sydney sat down faintly.

" A daughter, and a young one at that. A little Miss Parker. Humph! This is going to become extremely interesting. A little girl. What did she look like?"

"Oh, she was very cute. She looked like someone who smiled regularly, even though she was crying. She looked like Jarod, mostly, but there was something else familiar about her, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. You should have seen them together Syd, they were both crying. Jarod looked like he'd lost and gained his best friend in a matter of seconds. He looked like a frantic parent. He looked like any father would after losing their child in a crowded place. When he thanked the reporter who'd been watching the little one, there was complete, pure, untainted gratitude on his face and in his eyes."

"Miss Parker, I have the broadcast on video." Said Broots.

"Show it."

"Broots pushed it into the VCR and pushed play. The scene played out in front of them, emotions and all. Once it was over Broots pushed stop.

"You're right Miss Parker, she does look like Jarod. She looks like her mother as well. What did she mean about her Daddy AND GRANDMA called her? Her grandma. Who would that be? I wonder."

"What do you mean she looks like her mother? You know who her mother is?"

"I have a very serious inkling. I think I should investigate further before getting into this though. When the mother finds out, boy is she to be furious."

"But who is her mother?"

"I'd really rather not talk about her now. Not until I'm sure and not until I ask Jarod. Now, don't we need to catch up with Lyle before he catches up with Jarod and Parker?" I snapped out of my reverie.

"Yeah, we do. Broots, let's go."

Once on the plane, Sydney chose a seat secluded from the others, seeing as he was anticipating a call from Jarod. As if by magic the phone rang just as they leveled off at 50,000 feet. He picked up the phone before anyone else did.

"Hello," he said in a low voice.

"Sydney, I'm going to guess you've seen the broadcast. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but I didn't know how to tell you."

"You could have easily just said," Hey, I've got a kid." It would have been surprising, but it would have been done. Look, no matter. My only question is… Who is her mother? If it's who it seems to be then, she looks more like you than her. "

"I'm going to guess you got that from little Miss Parker, ay?"

"Uh huh."

"Yes, Miss Parker is her mother. Her name is Ella and that's all I'll say for the time being. Wait, she's four years old. Sydney, I'm trusting you not to abuse this information. Do what you must with it, but please, she's almost the only family I have. Don't take her from me. Tell Parker if you feel she should know, but know this, Ella is only the first of two survivors from three children made from Miss Parker. The first is Ella, the second is Christopher Thomas, and the third was Dorothy Sasha. Unfortunately little Dorothy was unable to survive the experiments with her 'Inner Sense'. She used the Pretender in her to let go of life, so they couldn't use her. She died at three years old, a few months ago. I managed to recover her body before they could do the tests on it. Dorothy's buried in Falls Church, Virginia, in Silva Garden Cemetery. She's Ella older sister, though Ella is older now. Her birthday was the month after her death, Ella just turned four three weeks ago. You'll not find anything this time I'll e-mail you from now on. Whether you tell her the rest are hers or not, tell her about Dorothy and where she's buried. Bye, Syd."

"Bye, Jarod." That was the first time they'd actually finished a conversation, the normal way. Syd hung up the phone and made his way back to another seat at the front of the plane.

"Did you talk to Jarod," whispered Miss Parker to Sydney.

"Yes. He told me something very interesting."

"How interesting?"

"Too interesting to talk about in mixed company. "

"Did he tell you who her mother was?" "

Yes, and that she's a product of the Centre. She has two siblings, though one died recently. She has a younger brother, Christopher Thomas. She's four. Her birthday was three weeks ago. Her sister died when she was three. Jarod is really, biologically her father. Her late, older sister, Dorothy Sasha had an 'Inner Sense'. They tried to exploit it and it cost her her life. Jarod has both of the children. They are safe and not on the run any longer. Parker there's something you need to know about the little girl with the 'Inner Sense' "

"What, Sydney?" She wasn't sure she really wanted to know, but she felt she needed to know. "Dorothy was your daughter, Parker. She had inherited your 'Inner Sense'. They tried to use it to control her, but she wouldn't let them. She fought them to the end. She said she'd die before letting them use her to hurt people. She used her 'Pretender' gene to die. She was only three herself. She's buried in Falls Church, Virginia, at Silva Garden Cemetery. Jarod recovered her body before any tests could be performed. He tried to get her back before she died, but he was unsuccessful. He says he's truly sorry he didn't find out sooner and that he couldn't save her in time, but he says he has some pictures of her and some of her few possessions, which he'll send to you when we get back."

Miss Parker was upset. She didn't know whether to yell or to cry, but she knew the Centre had crossed the line. They had created and pushed her daughter to the point of suicide before she'd even known about her. All of this had happened without her slightest knowledge of it. She responded to Sydney's gentle prodding, grimly.

"They've crossed the line this time, Sydney. All this time the Centre has played games with my family. Before now it was just family I could easily dismiss, bar my mother, but now they played with the only thing I had. They played with my future, Sydney. And by playing with my future, they doomed that of an innocent. My daughter didn't ask to be brought here, Syd. What could she possibly think of the mother she'd never met , the mother who didn't even give birth to her? They killed a little girl's soul, but not just any little girl this time, they killed MY little girl and that's tearing the line, not just crossing it. They have to pay this time, Syd. I can't sit here after finding out that I had a three year-old daughter I never knew about and that my current place of employment was responsible for her death. I've seen the Centre do low things, but this is too low, even for them. " Sydney, you said that Dorothy was Jarod's daughter's sister right?"

"Yes, Miss Parker, I did. Why?"

"Well, you said Dorothy was one of the girl's two siblings. Am I correct, Sydney?"

"Yes, Miss Parker, you are, but again why?"

"How are they connected, Sydney? Are they connected by me or by Jarod. You've already said that Jarod was Parker's father and my Dorothy was her older sister and Christopher is her younger sibling, I'd presume. My question is… How are they related?"

Next Part

Last Part