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Chapter 13
Peeking around the corner she saw him, no her. It was a woman, dressed in all black. It might have been mistaken for a man, the ski mask covering her hair and face, black gloves covering her hands. She had made a mistake though, in wearing tight clothes, only because she had an hourglass figure. I've never met a man with an hourglass figure.
The woman was rummaging through a box, the cabinet over the sink wide open. The flashlight hit the window glass a few times, but she was careful, for the most part. I moved over the tile, my bare feet making as little of a sound as possible.
Next my arm with the blade was around her neck, my other arm around hers, forcing her to drop the box and the light. She let out a yelp of surprise and then froze the knife cold on the skin beneath the cloth. "Don't kill me." She said.
"Why shouldn't I?" I murmured my throat scratchy. I hadn't swallowed the whole time I was searching the house; worried I might have mistaken even my own breathing as a sound.
"I didn't do anything to hurt anyone." She pleaded her hands at her side, the blade scratching her throat when she talked, making the skin raw.
"You broke in-"
"What's going on?" Jane was at the door to the kitchen, her robe trailing behind, Bob was next.
"Stay back." Cameron said and they did.
"Who is she?" Jane asked, her voice weak.
"What's your name?" I asked the girl and she lifted her hands. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to take off my mask." She said weakly.
"I don't care what you look like right now, save it for someone who does. What's your name?"
"Jackie. Jackie Kent."
"Why are you here? Lie to me and I'll slit you're throat." I said when she hesitated.
"You wouldn't." She said, but there was fear in her voice.
I leaned closer to her ear, so that Jane and Bob wouldn't hear. "You wouldn't be the first and you won't be the last."
She shivered. "I...I'm from Virgin records."
"What?" Jane asked, outraged, she came swiftly into the kitchen and around to see the masked intruder. She pulled the mask off and gasped. "Cameron put that away."
I wanted to tell her to go back to bed, but it was her house. I took the girl's arm and shoved her into a chair. "Move and you'll regret it."
I heard footsteps so I put the knife in the front of my pajama pants and pulled my shirt over it. "Kids are coming." I said softly. "You are a friend, got me?"
The girl nodded vigorously. Jane and Bob delayed in their response, but they nodded. I turned, carefully bent so I wouldn't be cut and started to pick up the various papers and things from the box. I had the lid closed when a pile of kids ran into the kitchen. I put the box back, closed the doors and picked up the flashlight, putting it on the counter.
"Who are you?" Aaron asked.
"I'm..."
"She's a friend of mine," I lied. "She's just a bit clumsy." I said when they looked at the cabinet where the box had fallen. Glasses were also kept there, thankfully.
"Oh." They seemed to mentally say.
"Why are you all in black? Are you gothic?" BJ said, her brightly colored shorts and tank top were a major contrast to the black long sleeve shirt, jeans and boots the intruder had on.
"Uh, kinda." The girl stumbled.
I looked at Jane and she seemed to understand my unspoken sentence as she sent them back to bed.
"Why are you here?" Jane asked, angry again.
"Virgin records sent me." She said again.
I turned to her and felt like I was a cop in an interrogation room. I hate cops. "Are you going to say the same things over and over again or should we start all over and I -"
"No." Jackie said quickly. "I, um, I don't know what they wanted it for, I'm just the...I don't know what I am. I just know they sent me here to get some papers and I couldn't even find them."
"What papers?"
"Um, Nick's birth certificate, Aaron's and um..." She frowned at the table, as if it would have the answer written on it. "Nick's contract with JIVE records. They said that it was all in that box." She faintly pointed to the cabinet.
"How do they know that?" I asked before Jane or Bob could.
"I don't know, I just do what I'm told."
"Well, now I'm telling you something. You're going to rot for this, but not until after I get the answers I'm looking for."
She looked small, thirteen, now and scared.
"You play with fire and you'll get burned. I'm a bonfire." I turned and picked up the phone. "Call the police. I'll be back in a little while." I turned to leave. "Oh and Jackie..." I paused for her to look up. "What's my name?"
"I uh...I can't remember."
"Good." I turned to Jane. "Neither do you two." I left through the front door then.
Brian
When I heard that the Carter's house had been broken into I worried about Cameron. Where there was a break in, there were cops. I called on my cell phone while Nick called on his. Nick got the private line, talked to Bob and I got Jane.
"Brian why does she have a knife? In my house with my kids?"
"Jane she save you and you're family."
"No, that woman was spineless, she wouldn't have hurt us."
"You didn't know that at the time though. She didn't either. She protected you."
"Why does she have a knife in my house?" Jane was frayed, rattled.
"Because, she's always had to look over her shoulder. She keeps it for security; she would never pull it on you, or the kids, or Bob. I swear it."
"I don't like knives or guns."
"She doesn't like guns." I said, hoping to help the situation. "She keeps a knife to protect herself and in this case, to protect you guys."
"Why does she have to protect herself? Why did she leave before the cops came and why wouldn't she let us tell them her name?"
Brian sighed, she was beyond frayed. "Jane, take a deep breath for me, please."
She did. "Now answer my questions."
"Jane, I don't know how to explain this. I hardly understand myself. She's...people are out to get her, to hurt her. "
"Why?"
"She's...different. She reads people and.she's no phycic but people think she is."
"So what? There are tons of psychic and palm readers and whatever. So what?"
"She's not like them. She can prevent people's deaths. She causes them sometimes, but she doesn't want to. I can't explain it. She'd probably kill me for telling you this much."
"I don't like this many blanks in my life Brian, you know it."
"I know, I'm sorry I can't tell you more. Don't tell Bob any of this, please."
She hesitated. "I won't."
"Thank you. Is she home yet?"
"No."
Cameron
I walked around a park they had near by, fingering the blade in my hand.
"No doubt you were a part of this," I murmured, thinking of the only evil person she ever knew. "Was that entertaining enough?" But I got no answer. He was amused no doubt.
"Next time you won't make a story will you? You'll make me kill who ever it is." I stopped and slowly my head rose to the black sky above. "I bet you'll make me kill in front of those kids, won't you?" I shook my head as I looked back down at the shiny dagger in my hand. I could see my reflection.
I was putting so many people in danger here. My head lifted as three cop cars wized past, a girl sat in the back of one. I turned and started to head back. I was far enough away that most of the excitement would ware down before I returned.
Or so I had thought.
When I walked in the door, Jane almost literally pounced on me. "I want answers and I want them now."
"I can't give them to you." I said solemnly. "Is Angel still in my room? I'd like to pack."
"Why?" Jane stopped her angered pace and stared at me in shock.
"I'm leaving."
"Why?"
"Because we are different people." That was diplomatic enough.
"So what? Everyone in this house is different and yet we all live here."
"You've told me all you can and nothing's helped. I shouldn't stay. Only more bad will come." I turned and headed towards the stairs.
"Would you have killed her?"
I paused. "If it came to it."
"In cold blood, right in your hands?"
I turned and looked at Jane. "You're innocent. I may be younger than you may, but I've seen more. I couldn't even begin to describe the blood loss. Most of it I shed."
"Were you in the army? Is that where you-"
I cut off her hopeful chatter with a shake of my head. "I'm a murder in most senses. Only I didn't do it out of want. I did it to protect myself. I'm leaving because I don't want your kids to wake up some other night or even later tonight with me actually killing someone." I watched her and she didn't move. "She'll talk, Jackie will, they'll know it was me. I can't be here when they come back. They'll act like they're taking me to a ward or to jail, but they'll kill me."
"Why do they want to kill you? You see things in the future-"
"Who told you that?" I asked, but I already knew. I took a step closer to her, my tattered nerves on their last edge.
"Brian, don't be mad at him. I was hysterical, I needed answers."
I took a deep breath, my fingers flexing around the dagger handle and then I saw the fear in Jane's eyes, they were focused on my hand. "I wouldn't hurt you or the kids. I don't hurt anyone unless I have no other choice. It's that fear you have of me now that is the final straw. I have to leave."
"Yes." Jane said. "But not until in the morning." She stepped forward and rubbed my arm in a soothing way. "After breakfast."
I sighed. "Fine. No later."
Jane nodded. "Goodnight." She turned and when she went into her bedroom she locked the door. If not from me then from the fear of fear itself.
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