Rent-A-Kid ~~ Chapter 2
Chapter 2
No matter how many times I've been drugged, I still wake up in a slight panic. My body has no sense of how long it's been. My subconscious mind has been shut out. It's the worst part of any assignment, the waking up.
Then I saw Mary in the bed next to mine. And I took back my previous declaration. Waking up to Mary was definitely worse. The curtain had been pulled back, and she was sneering at me. "Well, look who finally woke up. Took you long enough. So, did the little princess finally get her work done? Looks like someone had some trouble. Is Higgins' pet getting lazy?"
"What do you want, Mary?" I was sick of her games, but ignoring her would only inspire her to greater taunts.
"Nothing. Just waiting on the good doctor like you."
I reluctantly slipped into her mind. It was like being stuck in the poisonous trap of a viper. "Thinks she's so great. Not that great. Not even as pretty as everyone thinks. Tits too small. And look at that black eye. Looks like she finally screwed up. Hope she gets what's coming to her. She's just a goody two-shoes. Little priss." Well, nothing new there. Did she ever have any other kind of thought? Past experience suggested no.
I raised myself on the bed cautiously, but no IVs or wires were attached to me, and I didn't feel overly dizzy, though my eyes were still pretty swollen. I took in the hospital room with fake flowers in artificially bright colors on the table by the window. A futile attempt to cheer up the dreary grey walls and fluorescently lit room.
"Ah, Sam, Mary, you're both awake. Good." Dr. Sato's voice was soft and lilting with a faded Japanese accent that became more pronounced when she was nervous. "How you feeling?"
"Fine, just a bit of a headache." Probably brought on by my roommate. Well, and the black eye. I kept these thoughts to myself as I stretched my arms and moved my neck around to get out the kinks. I could usually tell how long I'd been out by how gross the inside of my mouth felt. This time, around ten hours.
"And you, Mary?"
She crossed her long legs seductively and purred. "I feel wonderful." Who the hell was she trying to impress in here? Her power allowed her to bend men's will to hers. But only men. Women didn't usually take to her so well. Go figure.
She seriously epitomized every Class A Bitch in high school ever written. Tall, blond, beautiful and an absolute nightmare to be around. Her slinky silver gown showed off more than it covered.
Dr. Sato took my blood pressure, checked my temperature and examined my eyes and cheek. "You bruised. Bone hurts, but you be better soon. Just no jumping."
She was nervous today.
On reflex, I slipped into her mind, but once again was unable to decipher her particular Japanese dialect. I knew a lot of languages, but there are only so many hours in a day to learn everything. Japan has so many dialects that are so distinct; the people don't always understand each other.
I promised myself for the millionth time to learn her language. It was uncomfortable being around someone whose mind I couldn't read. It felt like the loss of a sense I had grown to depend on.
"You can go now. Headmaster Higgins is expecting you. If you get dizzy or have any troubles with eye, come back. And you take it easy until eye sees better."
I nodded. Time for my debriefing. I was anxious to get away from Mary's pouty lips and prying eyes but not so anxious to confront Higgins after my recent disregard for protocol.
My backpack sat on the chair by the fake flowers. I hopped off the bed, grabbed it, and walked through the long corridors to the exit, not bothering to say goodbye to Mary. I would have to be careful to curtail my tendency to jumping places, I thought wryly as I paused to sign out at the front desk.
A movement caught the corner of my eye.
A boy, about my age, tall and muscular, was unconscious on a stretcher. I only caught a glimpse through the electric doors to the surgical area, but something about him made me pause. His messy blonde hair had flecks of red in it. Dried blood. There was a gash on his head. As the doors closed his eyes flashed open and held mine for one long moment.
"Help me."
The mental message sent me staggering back in its ferocity. I experienced an urgent compulsion to respond. To do as he asked, though I had no idea how or why.
Then it faded as I felt him lose consciousness. My mind cleared and whatever had grabbed hold of me was gone.
"Are you ok?" Missy, the front desk secretary looked worried. "Should I call the doctor?"
"No, I'm fine. I just, head's still hurting, you know." She did know. Her eyes were sympathetic. I'd always liked her, though I knew nothing about her except that she was an attractive, plump woman who baked us cookies from time to time and liked to keep her blond hair in a messy bun.
"Missy, who was that boy they were wheeling in? He looked hurt, but I don't recognize him." Rent-A-Kid was a big estate, but there weren't that many of us kids. We all knew each other, at least by sight. This boy was not a regular.
Missy looked nervous and avoided my eyes—something a lot of people did unintentionally, likely thinking that it would keep me from reading their minds.
"She shouldn't have seen that. Hope she doesn't say anything. I could get in trouble. Don't want her to get in trouble either, sweet girl."
"Oh, don't worry about him love. Now you'd better be going, Headmaster Higgins doesn't like to be kept waiting."
"Of course. Have a good day, Missy."
She looked relieved that I didn't pester her with anymore questions. "You too, Sam."
It was a bright day, and the sun blinded me when I stepped outside the double glass doors. I pulled my sunglasses out of my backpack and enjoyed the warmth on my skin as I walked the winding trails through campus.
As I neared the main offices, a group of kids ran by me in gym uniforms. One petite girl fell out of line to throw herself into a hug.
"Lucy!" I laughed and hugged her back just as fiercely.
"Where have you been, chica? And what the hell happened to your face?!"
Lucy was stunning, even in gym clothes, with her long, dark, Spanish hair pulled back in a tight pony and her smooth brown skin glowing in the sunlight.
"Lucy, let's go!" Luke, her twin brother, waved at me as he called his sister. He was taller than Lucy, but similar in many ways. The dark eyes and hair. Spanish features that made them so distinctive. They were falling behind their class. "Hey Sam, meet us tonight, 'k?"
"Sure thing" I called and pushed Lucy away. "Go, I'll see you later. I have to get to the office."
"Ok fine, but I want details."
She ran off, her pony swinging down her back. Technically, we weren't supposed to share the details of our assignments with anyone, not even other paranormals. But Luke, Lucy and I had been best friends since we could remember, and we found ways around the rules from time to time.
There was a lot to love about my life. I lived on a beautiful estate, green and well maintained with rich buildings full of personality and character. It was like living on the set of the movie "X-Men". We were like those kids, living in that place. Only it wasn't some nice millionaire who trained us to do good that kept us here. We didn't really know who was behind this organization. We didn't even know what the real name was. Rent-A-Kid was our name for it. But we assumed it had some name, after all "that place where paranormal kids are rented out to the highest bidder" was a bit of a mouth full.
The headmaster was leaning over papers when his secretary ushered me to his office.
She closed the door, and I settled into one of the chairs in front of his desk, taking off my sunglasses reluctantly. I knew my face would further condemn my actions. After a moment he finally looked up.
"Ah Sam. You look wretched. How are you feeling?"
Not the opening I was expecting. "Bit of a headache. I'll be ok." I placed my report on his desk. He already had the oral briefing, but this was standard procedure.
He flipped through it quickly, then shuffled the papers he was working on and placed them neatly in his filing drawer.
Everything in his plush office was meticulous, from the always clean and empty trash can to the perfectly placed pens and pencils. The entire office was bathed in deep mahoganies and browns that matched the dark man with the expensive suit who sat looking at me from behind the oversized desk. Higgins was an imposing man. Tall, well-built, and in his 50s, with graying temples that added to his image. I didn't love the man, but we got along well enough.
"You know that stunt you pulled could have gotten this entire organization in trouble," he said.
"I know. And I wish I could say I'm sorry, but you don't know what he was thinking. What Beaumont was going to do to that girl. And other girls. Honestly, this is the biggest creep I've ever met. I had to make sure he didn't get away."
"Look Sam, you've always been one of our best. Never making trouble. This is your first problem, so I'm going to let it slide. But this is a once in a lifetime freebie. Any more trouble and I won't be so nice."
"I know."
"Good. Well, I have some exciting news for you."
I perked up.
"You been accepted into Sarah Lawrence College." He pulled out an official looking letter and handed it to me.
"What last name did I get? How did you create an identity for me?"
I checked the letter. "Dear Sam Smith, It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted to the undergraduate visual art program at Sarah Lawrence College…"
"Smith? That was the best you could do?" I laughed, clutching the letter that represented my future. We didn't come with last names, those were given on assignment. But we were promised, once we turned eighteen, that we could go anywhere and do anything, fully funded by Rent-A-Kid. This letter was a dream come true.
"It's a good name. Doesn't draw too much attention. Very common. All the things you want when you finally enter that life."
"It's fine, I'll take it. Thank you Headmaster Higgins."
"You're welcome Sam. You deserve it. You've been one of our best and brightest students. We will be sad to see you go. That reminds me," he pulled out another file, "this job just came in, and I think you'd be perfect for it."
He handed me the brief. I flipped through it. Infiltrate a prep school clique of famous rich kids and get dirt on their parents. Oh God. I so did not want this job.
"But I just got back! And you promised that was my last assignment before I left. I have to pack and complete my studies. I want to spend time with my friends."
"You have a few weeks before you need to leave. It shouldn't take you long, and it will give you some extra cash for your new life. I'm throwing in a $10,000 bonus if you complete this assignment without any problems."
That sold me. Mostly. Not that I could turn down a job, but Higgins always tried to make sure we were willing participants.
"Ok, I'll do it."
He smiled, but didn't look in the least bit surprised.
It wasn't that I didn't like assignments, but they were exhausting and using my mind reading that much gave me headaches. My last one just cleared. Fortunately Lucy and Luke turned eighteen a few months after me and would be joining me in New York. We had our whole lives planned, starting with an apartment and college.
He took out an envelope and handed it to me. Cash for my last job.
"There's $500. Don't spend it all in one place. The rest has been deposited into your bank account."
Right. Almost all my money went into a savings I would get access to when I left. I was a very wealthy teenager, when you considered that each job brought in five to ten thousand dollars and I had gone on a few assignments every month since I was twelve.
"Go ahead and take today off. You can start getting caught up tomorrow."
I nodded gratefully and shoved the money and folder with my next assignment into my backpack. I paused, trying to decide if I should ask Higgins about the boy I saw. But Missy's thoughts stopped me. I didn't know why he was such a secret, but I didn't want to get her in trouble.
On my way out, I slipped into Higgins' mind to see if anything relevant popped up.
"Must keep her busy. Time is running out. So much to do. Hope this works. Boy very useful. Good genes. Best yet."
Hmmm…what did he mean? Keep me busy? Sure, time was running out for me here, but what did he hope would work? And what about the boy's genes? Was he talking about my boy?
I shoved those thoughts aside. Mystery boy was not my boy, and I had no intention of getting into any trouble my last few months here. Higgins was right. I needed to play it straight and do my job. I thought about the Sarah Lawrence acceptance letter. So much was nearly in my grasp. I wasn't going to blow it all worrying about some strange boy.
So I put my sunglasses back on and focused my thoughts on more pressing concerns. Like food.
It was a beautiful day out, and while I was looking forward to relaxing in my room, my stomach had other plans. I headed to The Hub, the local name for the center of our little town on campus, and picked a seat outside my favorite cafe.
I already had my sketch pad and charcoal pencils out when the waitress came to take my order.
Tina was one of the regulars who worked here. An older woman with a slight shuffle to her walk, she always smelled of peppermint and cigarettes. She had a short pixie cut with her hair dyed black.
"Hey Sam, you want the regular?"
I nodded and went back to my sketchpad. I had been drawing for as long as I could remember. I could reproduce nearly anything in great detail.
When Tina brought me my Chai Latte and chocolate crepe, I was already immersed in a detailed charcoal sketch of The Hub. Students I knew in passing were represented in stark lines, while I filled in the buildings and shrubbery that framed the main sidewalk through the center.
There were charged fences around the perimeter and guards to make sure we didn't leave. But we had everything we needed on the property. A cafeteria, little shops, clothing stores, fast food joints and even a movie theater. Our whole lives were here, so they created an entire town for us.
No one had cars. We all learned to drive, and had chances to practice in a special section of school, but we walked or biked everywhere on campus. There were beautiful bike paths spread throughout the grounds and the sidewalks were guided to their destinations with well placed bushes, flowers and trees.
It was perfect. Too perfect. Like living in a magazine. I tried to capture that manicured perfection in my work, often using lacquer later to give it a high gloss look.
When the smell of the crepe became too much, I set aside my art and enjoyed the burst of sweet chocolate filling and the delicious blend of spices as I sipped my tea. My fuzzy mouth finally felt normal by the time I was done with my treat. I paid for my order and walked back to my room, ready to unpack, shower and find my friends.
