NaNo 2008 - Chapter Four

[hmltwin]

Please, also, check out my gallery of character art, which was linked in my previous journal entry. I've just added three more pictures.

Chapter Four - Within: In Which Shysie Gets Into A Bit of Trouble
"Don’t you dare push that button, Henry!"

Henry shot Shysie a guilty look and lowered his hand. "Sorry," he said, folding his fingers together. He eyed the button that adjusted the volume of the microphones. They were perfectly set. Altering them even a little might make it impossible, or at least difficult, for Hitoshi to hear what others on the stage were saying.

Once it was, yet again, safely tucked in his lap, Shysie turned her attention to the young person who was working the lights. "Tim," she said, a hint of warning in her tone, "you need to hold that light steady, or I'll come up there and duct tape you to it."

"Is that even legal?" Tim queried, sounding worried that Shysie might do just as she'd threatened. "I mean... wouldn't that be assault or something?"

"Yes." Hitoshi giggled. "Definitely not legal this time," he said, shaking his head. He looked over at Shysie, then. "What's wrong, Firefly?" he asked. "Why are you on the warpath?"

Shysie's brows drew down over her eyes. "I'm not on any path, except one that'll get this show on the road," she said sullenly. She sighed and shook her head, her frustration clear. Tucking a lock of ginger hair behind her ear, she said, "Your performance is tomorrow! How can you be so calm?"

"We're ready," Jake said, shrugging. He smiled and set his violin to one side. Then he stepped over to her. "Firefly," he said, softly, "we're ready. The stage crew's ready and you're ready. All that's left is for the seats to fill, the lights to go down and the curtains to open."

Shysie took a steadying breath. "Yeah," she said. She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. "I'd feel better if we didn't have this whole craziness with the Circle Society to worry about at the same time."

The others grimaced. After what had happened on the camping trip, the teachers had been forced to reveal just what was really going on. The students had always known that they were working against people who might wish to exploit their gifts. Now, though, those people had a name: the Circle Society. More than that, to some, they weren't just a faceless organization.

In fourth grade, just two years before, Professor Saunders had been Shysie's homeroom teacher. She shook her head. Part of her couldn't believe that he was now working with an organization that worked completely counter to Sanctuary, the group that ran the school. Another part of her, however, could see it so clearly.

She remembered vividly being in his class and working hard to make sure that she was never alone with him. Something about him had never set right with her. Whether it was his constant knowing smile or the fact that he was always eying the boys, finding any excuse to touch their shoulders or arms.

She shook the thoughts away and sighed. "Yeah," she said, finally giving Jake a weak smile. "Yeah, we're ready." She looked around at the members of the stage crew. "Let's call it a day, then."

"Tomorrow, at five o'clock," Hitoshi said, from the stage. He looked out at the empty seats in the auditorium. "This room will be filled with our family and friends, our teachers and classmates, members of our community."

"Right," Jake agreed. He grinned and said, "And we are going to blow them away with our performance." Then he looked at Shysie and added, "And the stage crew is what makes that possible."

"We're a team," Shysie said. She chuckled and said, "Tell Dad that I had to stop quick at the library. I'm walking home on my own."

"Will do," Jake agreed.

Shysie waved over her shoulder at her classmates and the other students. Then she grabbed her book bag and headed out through the back. "Hey, Mister Jones," she said, as she past the head janitor on her way out. "We're done, so you can lock up after the last student."

"Yes," he said, in a soft, wheezy voice. He nodded and folded his hands together. "I'll do that." For a moment, he reminded Shysie of the lab assistant in the old black and white horror movies.

She smiled and waved at him. Then, once she was outside, she chuckled softly. "If he ever starts following Professor Stanford around and calling him 'Master', we'll have to check the basement for an artificial human."

She headed down the walk. The library was several blocks away from the school. It was a nice day, so she took her time walking down the street. She paused by a fountain and watched it for a moment. The gentle spray of water shot into the air and fell down again, to tumble over the rocks and into the pool below. In a way, it was exactly what she needed to calm her down and brighten her mood.

A hint of movement caught her attention and she looked away from the sparkling pool. Her brows furrowed when she saw the boy. He was probably a couple years older than her and he was obviously watching her. She tilted her head to one side and frowned.

He locked eyes with her and then his gaze darted away. Shysie's brows furrowed even more and she looked over in the same direction. There, in the shadow of an overhang, was a familiar face that she hadn't seen for nearly two years. "Professor Saunders?" she whispered. She adjusted her bag on her shoulders.

She looked away from both the boy and the former professor. Was that boy with Saunders or was he against him? Why was he helping her? She walked as quickly as she could without letting Professor Saunders know that she'd spotted him. However, they weren't the only two she had to worry about.

Shysie gasped when someone suddenly caught her by her wrist and pulled her forward. "No," she shouted, when she noticed the van parked a few feet away, with its door open. She leaned back, away from him in an attempt to pull free, but he continued to drag her towards the vehicle.

"Stop struggling," her captor ordered. Whoever he was, he wasn't Professor Saunders. He was tall and slender, but surprisingly strong.

"Get her in the van, Syusei," Professor Saunders said, sounding annoyed.

Syusei jerked her arms upward and she was forced in close to him. He released one hand briefly and caught her around her waist. Now, it was easy for him to drag her over to the waiting vehicle.

Shysie glanced around, searching for someone, anyone, who could help her. "No," she said again. By now, she was desperate to escape him. Whatever happened, she knew she couldn't let them get her into that van.

"Edward, hurry it up," Professor Saunders said. The boy she'd seen scurried over, cutting between Shysie and Syusei and the open door.

When Syusei paused to let Edward pass, she took the opportunity it presented. She stomped down on his foot, as hard as she could manage. When he groaned, she elbowed him as well. That was all it took. She pulled free and spun to face him.

A well-placed kick sent her would-be kidnapper to the ground, clutching his bruised member. There were others: Professor Saunders and Edward. She couldn't afford to relax. Without waiting a moment longer, Shysie turned away from him and the van. She ran for all she was worth, dodging around corners and through alleyways.

As she passed a corner diner she stopped short, but only for a moment. There, seated near the front window, was Professor Stanford. She bit her lip and looked around. She didn't see any sign of pursuit. That didn't mean they weren't back there, though.

She ducked inside the diner and took a deep, calming breath. They'd think twice before trying to abduct her from a business filled with witnesses. Without pausing to look around, she headed over to the professor's table.

"Professor," she said, in a soft voice.

He looked up from his coffee and stared at her as she sat down. "Professor?" he said. He blinked at her for a moment, as the waitress came over to the table. "Would you like... a sundae?" he said.

"Yeah," Shysie said, positioning herself, so that no one could see her face from outside. "Thanks." She watched the waitress head off, back towards the kitchen. "Professor Stanford," she said, looking over at him. She stopped short, as she noticed that he didn't have his curls tied back in a low ponytail. Instead, his hair was cut short, barely down to his shoulders. "You're not my professor," she said.

"Um, no," he said, looking rather chagrined. He leaned forward in his seat and leaned on one hand. "Patrick's my twin brother. I'm Kendrew Stanford."

Shysie hesitated. She didn't know what she should do. Did he know anything about the school or the Circle Society? Her brows furrowed and she tried to think.

"You are?" he prompted, when the waitress set sundae down in front of Shysie.

She frowned and picked up the spoon. "Shysie Travers," she said. She noticed that he started when she said her name. Why? She bit her lip and tried to figure out what to say and do. Should she just stay with him until she was sure it was safe? Should she finish her ice cream and leave? Should she have even allowed him to get her the ice cream?

"So, Miss Shysie," Mister Stanford said, in a low voice. "What's wrong? You're obviously troubled about something."

She took a bite of the sundae and then said, "You know anything about where Professor Stanford teaches? What the school is like?"

"That 'gifted youngsters' really means 'kids that have special powers'?" he said. He smirked and said, "Yeah, I knew that. My brother sees the future, I'm gifted with the ability to see... more interesting things."

Shysie nodded once. She needed to ask one more question, and it was the one she was more worried about. "You know about the Circle Society?"

"Yes," he said, nodding. His brows furrowed and he took a sip of his coffee. "Yes," he said, "and I know about Haven and Sanctuary as well. What's this got to do with you? Are they after you?"

Shysie ignored his question. He'd said something that had piqued her curiosity, distracting her from her current troubles. She was frightened. That distraction was just what she needed. Clinging to it, like a security blanket, she tilted her head to one side. "Haven?" she said.

"Government organization," he said. "Patrick used to be a member of Haven, but Sanctuary recruited him." He frowned and said, "It was rather a forceful recruitment, but since they let him be a teacher, he settled in rather nicely."

Shysie choked back a laugh. Forceful recruitment? Just what had they done to him? She shook the thought away. "All right," she said. She glanced out the window and then looked back at Mister Stanford again. "There was someone from the Circle Society followin' me," she said. "I saw you and I thought you were Professor Stanford, so I ducked in, figuring you could protect me, or at least get me someplace safe from them."

"That," he said, "I can do." He drank the rest of his coffee and set a ten dollar bill down on the table. "You trust me?"

For a moment, they stared at each other. She wasn't sure why, but she did trust him. Maybe it was his resemblance to Professor Stanford. Maybe it was something about the man himself. Either way, the fact remained that she felt safe with him.

She nodded once and finished her sundae in few bites. She was surprised. She hadn't even realized that she'd been eating it. Soon, they were heading out through the back and hopping into a small, shiny sports car.

"So... um, where are we going?" Shysie said, as she fastened her seatbelt. She leaned back in her seat, so that it was harder for anyone to see her. Cautiously, she looked around. She spotted Edward on the walk outside the diner and sunk lower in her seat.

Mister Stanford's brows furrowed and he pulled the car away from the curb. "I suppose I'll take you back to my office," he said. He gave her a sidelong glance and added, "You can call whomever you need to from there."

"Thank you," she said in a quiet voice. She closed her eyes and tried to think. The boy she'd seen watching her. If he hadn't looked over at Professor Saunders, she wouldn't have realized that he was there. She would have been captured for sure, then - or worse.

The truth was, other than their desire to exploit their powers, Shysie still knew very little about the Circle Society. She glanced over at Kendrew, Professor Stanford's brother. Twins, he'd said. Were they identical twins or where they just very similar in appearance?

"How old are you, Miss Shysie?"

She was caught off-guard by the question, although she shouldn't have. "I - I'm eleven," she said, looking over at him. She looked away and scanned the area for any sign of the van. When she didn't see it, she relaxed in her seat. "I'm in the sixth grade," she added. "Professor Lawton's my homeroom teacher."

"You're gift?"

"Psychokinesis," she said. She gave him a weak smile. "I can control how things fall, but... it gives me a bad headache if I do it too much."

Mister Stanford nodded. "That'll happen less the more you work with it," he said. He gave her a faint smile and said, "My powers used to give me horrific headaches, now the worst I get is a twinge of pain."

Shysie nodded and smiled. She looked away, as the vehicle began to slow. Relief flooded into her as he pulled up to a small office building. The doors were painted with the words, "Upstate Paranormal Investigations".

She could help but smile a bit. "You work here?" she said, as he turned off the car and slipped out. He nodded and grinned at her. She followed him away from the car, towards the building.

"Yes," he said. He arched an eyebrow at her and said, "Remember how I said that I see more interesting things than my brother?" He looked up at the building and said, "I put my power to use with this organization."

Did he see spirits then? Hitoshi and Hanako could as well, but she couldn't imagine either of them doing something like this. She adjusted her school bag again and looked up at him once again. "Phone line secure here?" she asked.

"As secure as any other," he said, shrugging his shoulders. In a softer voice, he added, "We're a division if Haven, so think of it as such."

She nodded once. Finally, she was beginning to feel secure. He held the door for her and she slipped inside ahead of him.

"Jack," he said, nodding at a young man seated behind a desk. "Miss Shysie needs to use the telephone."

Jack looked uncertain for a moment. Then he nodded and slid it over closer to her. "Local call?" he asked, as she lifted the handset.

Her only answer was a smirk. Her fingers danced over the keys, dialing the familiar number from memory. She waited for the almost comforting routine that went with calling this extension of the school.

"Codename," a dull-sounding computerized voice said.

Shysie shot a glance at Jack and grinned. "Kitten," she said. She fought urge to chuckle at the confused look on his face. The emergency response number was one the students seldom used, but it was meant for circumstances exactly like this one.

There was a soft beep and the same voice continued. "Codename acknowledged. Voice print positive match for Shysie Travers - fox-panda twelve-beta."

Finally, the telephone on the other end rang. Shysie knew that meant she was about to speak with a live person. That person picked up on the third ring. "Hello," a familiar voice said. She knew immediately who it was: the assistant headmaster. Even though she'd never seen him, she had heard his voice on the morning announcements every day.

"Hello, Professor Clayton," she said. She sighed and tears suddenly welled in her eyes. "I - I was going to the library and I saw this boy and then I saw Professor Saunders and this guy - I don't know who - tried to grab me and I - I ran away and ducked into a shop, where I saw a person I thought was Professor Stanford, only he wasn't-"

"Whoa, whoa," Professor Clayton said, cutting her off. "Shysie, are you in a safe place right now? Are you all right?" The worry he felt was unmistakable in his tone.

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her eyes.

Professor Clayton sighed lightly. "Where are you right now?" he asked. "I need to know where to send your ride."

"I'm at the Upstate Paranormal Investigation building," she said. She glanced over at Mister Stanford and said, "What's your address here?"

"89 West Hill Street," he said. When she repeated the address to Professor Clayton, he said, "If it's easier, I can take you wherever?"

She shook her head once and then concentrated on what the professor was saying. "Aidan is right near there," he said. "I'll have him and his father meet you there and bring you home. You can meet with Professor Lawton in the morning and debrief then, all right?"

"Yes, sir," she said. She smiled faintly and said, "I'll just wait here then?"

"Yes." Then Professor Clayton hung up, presumably to call Aidan and his father. It didn't matter. In a little while she'd be heading home. The library would just have to wait until another day.

Shysie heaved a sigh of relief and turned around. Looking up at Mister Stanford, she said, "This place is with Haven, then?"

"How's she know about Haven, Drew?" a soft, irritated voice said. "That's classified and you know it. To anyone who asks, we're just a bunch of people who are interested in the paranormal."

Mister Stanford grinned and said, "The young lady is one of my brother's pupils, Robert," he said. "That means that she's with Sanctuary, the same organization as Patrick."

Robert looked at her and his brows furrowed. Shysie felt her cheeks warm as he stared at her. After a moment more, he bit his lip. "Have you seen Patrick Stanford recently?" he asked, "Is he all right?"

"I see him just about every day," she said, blinking. "He's my foster sister's homeroom teacher." She looked over at Mister Stanford, as she suddenly realized something. "You don't know where your brother teaches? You haven't seen him in... how long's it been?"

"Sanctuary hasn't allowed us to have contact with each other for about a year," he said. He shrugged and said, "It was pure coincidence that I was in that diner when you came by. Or... maybe not."

His eyes brightened and he looked at her intently. It was an expression she'd seen several times on Professor Stanford's face when he figured out a puzzle. "The school... it's near there, isn't it?" he said. It was a question, but she suspected he already knew what her answer would be.

Shysie nodded. "Saint Sebastian's Academy for Gifted Youngsters," she said. "You... I thought you knew. You said..." she trailed off, as he shook his head.

"My brother called and told me that he was teaching again at a 'school for gifted youngsters' and he implied that it meant the young people had gifts like ours, but he never actually told me the school's name." He shrugged and added, in a soft voice, "That was the last time we spoke."

Sighing, Shysie said, "I hope I don' get in trouble for tellin' you this stuff." She looked at Robert and then at Mister Stanford. "He's been doing all right, from what I can tell. He gets a bit squirrelly if we step on cracks in the tiles or the sidewalks near the school and he's got issues with the time, but that sort of goes with the territory."

"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder," Mister Stanford said, nodding. "If he's projecting onto others, though, he's gotten a little worse." He bit his lip. He really wanted to see Patrick for himself. Just how much worse had his problem gotten? Was it stress because of their prolonged separation or was it something else?

"So, Mark and Rachel finally finished going through the footage from that farmhouse out west of here," a new man was saying, as he stepped into the room. "They got some pretty interesting things."

Shysie looked over at him and her brows furrowed. He had long, dark hair and round, dark eyes. He looked familiar and it only took Shysie a moment to know why that was. She bit her lip and reached into her jacket pocket. She pulled out her wallet and flipped to an old, worn photograph. It was her mother and her father. Her mother had been dead for quite a while now, but her father was another matter.

"We can go over that right after Miss Shysie leaves, Kevin," Mister Stanford said.

"Kevin?" Shysie said, looking up at the man again.

He nodded and smirked. "Yeah, Kevin Travers," he said. "Robert and I are in charge of Upstate Paranormal Investigations."

Shysie bit her lip and flipped the photo over. The name was the same and the resemblance was unmistakable. She looked at Kevin and said, "You know a woman named Rose Bendon?"

Kevin's cheeks flushed. "I knew someone by that name, yeah," he said. "It was years ago. We hooked up right out of school and... then she went away to college. I didn't see her again for another couple years after that. We've lost touch since then."

Shysie nodded and held out the photograph. "This'd be you, then," she said. She was looking at him intently now.

He took the picture from her and a faint smile touched his lips. "Yeah," he said, nodding. "I remember the day this picture was taken." His brows furrowed and he looked up. "How'd you get it, though?"

"My mom gave it to me," Shysie said, her voice soft. Truthfully, her mother hadn't so much given it to her, as it had been among her belongings. After her death, the court had given them to her both Shysie and Darian. "It was in her diary," she said, "The entry said... it said the man in that picture was my dad."

Kevin's eyes widened at the word. "Your dad?" he repeated. He shook his head and then he seemed to think over his earlier words.

"The timeline would work," Robert said.

"I got a brother," Shysie said. "He's about a year younger than me." She shook her head and said, "I've read Mom's diary. She never told you about me and then, when she found out she was pregnant with Darian, she didn't know how to contact you. Second time, she did try."

"Oh dear lord," Kevin said. He looked over at Shysie, now much more closely than the first time. He nodded once and said, "You... you couldn't more like my own ma if ya tried. I don't know how I didn't see it."

"You weren't looking for it," she said, shaking her head.

Kevin bit his lip and nodded. Then he looked over at Robert. "I - I've got a daughter and - and a son," he said. Shysie couldn't tell if he was just shocked or horrified by the idea of having children.

He looked back at her and shook his head. "I had no idea," he said, sounding contrite. He sighed and shook his head again. Then he smiled weakly. "How is Rosie?"

Shysie bit her lip and shook her head. "Mom... she took sick about six years ago," she said. She wasn't quite sure how to exactly tell him, but she knew she had to say it gently. For her, it was a fact she'd lived with for the last six years. For him, it was news.

She looked at him and shook her head. "I was only five and Darian was four, so we didn't really understand it," she said. "There was lots of doctors and hospitals, but... she was really sick, so... it didn't do much good."

"She... died," Kevin said. Tears welled in his eyes and he shook his head. "I shoulda come back sooner, maybe..." he trailed off.

"There wasn't anything anyone could have done," Shysie said, shaking her head. She shrugged and added, "We were adopted by a nice couple and they take good care of us."

Kevin nodded and his brows furrowed. "I - you've been living with them since Rosie died?" At Shysie's nod, she shook his head. "I won't... I don't want to break up your home. You've been through too much already," he said.

Shysie bit her lip and nodded. She loved living with the Larabees. As far as she was concerned, they were as much her parents as the man standing in front of her was. Jake and Rafi, so far as she was concerned, were her brothers and Marisol was her little sister. However, this man was her father too. "Yeah," she said, looking down at her fingers.

Kevin caught her chin and lifted it gently, so that she was looking at him once more. "I would like to get to know you," he said softly. "Your brother, too. I... I want to be part of your life. Think that'd be all right with your... father?"

"Dad - He... he asked the court to let us use your name," she said, grinning. "Said it was important to remember where we'd come from." She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "I expect he'd like to meet you. Mom, too."

"You could always follow us to their home," a new, lightly accented voice said. Shysie looked back over her shoulder and saw Aidan and his father, standing in the doorway. Aidan's father smiled lightly and said, "Malcolm McPhie. Professor Clayton called and asked us if we'd stop by and bring Shysie home."

"It's late in the day for visiting," Kevin said, grimacing. He looked at Shysie and grinned. "Can you give me your home phone number, so I can set up something with - with your parents?"

"Yeah," Shysie said, grinning. She could hardly wait to tell Darian. After all these years of wondering where their father was and hoping that he was safe, they'd found him. He was safe and well and lived in the same town as them!