James (Teumessian Trilogy Book 2) (4 page)

“Yes,” she said, as she looked away and continued down the hallway with the cart.

James turned to face his roommates, “So we are in prison or something?” he asked with a laugh.

They all chuckled.

“Hey, at least they are feeding us,” Tim laughed too.

James handed each of them a tray and sat back down on his bed. He was starting to really enjoy making friends for once. It seemed like these guys, well at least Greg and Tim, were pretty cool. They completed their meals and upon realizing that it was getting late in the evening, they decided to go to bed since they had to be up early in the morning.

James waited for his roommates to fall asleep. Once they did, he pulled his bag from under his bed and opened it up. Tim stirred in his bed and James froze. Tim rolled over toward the wall, then fell back asleep. James quietly reached into the bag and pulled out his small teddy bear. He had never gotten rid of it, he couldn’t let go of it. The bear was a security for James. It grounded him and it was the only thing that reminded him of his father. It was also a reminder of what he had lived through. James stared down at the little bear, worn out from the long nights he clung to it. James held it in his hands as he felt a tear come to his eye. The sight of it always brought it all back. That night when he lost his father and probably his mother. It also reminded him of the good times, running the halls of his father’s home and giggling with laughter when he caught him. He quickly wiped the tear away and placed the bear back into his bag and zipped it up. He placed it back under the bed and laid back, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Chapter

5

“He says he knows nothing,” Rachel reported to John and Ray.

They had gathered in Ray’s office to review the candidates while the candidates were getting settled in their rooms.

“Nothing? He remembers nothing of his life with his father?” John questioned.

“He claims to remember nothing.”

“I requested more information on him, but I was denied by the President himself,” Ray added.

“So the boy remains a mystery?” John said.

“For the time being. I will keep digging. Rachel, search his things in the morning. See if there is anything that can give us any insight,” Ray said as he waved his hand for John and Rachel to leave.

Rachel quickly made her way out of his office and out the building to her red car. She had somewhere to be and someone to report to.

Rachel drove ten minutes from the campus to a small abandoned warehouse, or at least it looked abandoned. Rachel parked and made her way into the building and through the old machinery. It was an old textile factory. She made her way to the office in the rear of the building, opened the frosted glass framed door and stepped in.

At the desk sat her real employer. “What does he know?” The voice demanded.

“He says nothing. He claims to not know anything about his father or the incident,” Rachel replied.

“Did you ask him about the incident?” the voice inquired.

“No, I only asked about memories prior to living with his uncle,” Rachel replied. “I didn’t want to spook him,” Rachel narrowed her eyes. She had never seen her employer’s face since he always sat in the shadows. She never even learned his name.

“Do you believe him?” the voice questioned.

“I am not sure. I will have to have some more sessions with him. What is your interest anyway? Why does it matter if he remembers his father being murdered or being kidnapped or any of it?” Rachel asked.

“You do not ask questions, is that clear? You are employed to find out what the boy knows, and that is all!”

“Yes, sir, I understand,” Rachel replied calmly. She had dealt with demanding men before, and they did not frighten her. She was getting what she wanted, and that was all that mattered to her.

“Return to work and find out if he is keeping any secrets,” the voice demanded.

Rachel nodded and turned to leave the room, but before she did, she turned back, “I will do my job but you better hold up your end of this deal.”

“I am a man of my word,” the voice answered.

“Good,” Rachel replied as she walked out of the office.

Chapter

6

James awoke the following morning to the sound of an alarm blaring. He instantly got up, as did the rest of his roommates.

Tim yelled, “What the hell is that?”

Greg ran to the door, threw it open and looked out and down the hallway. He saw John standing there.

“Well, what are you looking at? Get up, all of you!” John bellowed.

They all heard him yell and jumped out of bed to quickly get dressed. They filed out of the room and into the hall and formed up along the hallway. James noticed the blonde with the pixie cut again. Her room was only a few doors down. He smiled to himself as he turned his attention to John.

“Okay, file out, your physical training starts now!” John barked, pointing to the door for them to go.

They all quickly filed out the door. As the last of them left, John followed. As John was closing the door, he slid a rock in the doorway propping it open. Every time a person went in or out with their key card, it registered. This was not to be on record. John moved away from the dorms to join the recruits already lined up on the field.

The door sat propped open for about five minutes before it slowly opened. Rachel stepped in and glanced around, looking to see if anyone was still there. She made her way down the hallway to James’s room. Once inside the room, she quickly went through James’s bag and belongings. As she reached the bottom of the bag, she found it, the teddy bear. She lifted it up and looked at it more closely. “We love you,” she read out loud. “Interesting thing to keep for a guy who doesn’t remember his mother,” she thought to herself. Rachel placed all of James’s possessions back into the bag and put it back under his bed, but she kept the bear in her hand. Rachel quietly left the building, the bear safe in her possession.

John ran the recruits through the obstacle course, timing them as they went. James completed the course the fastest. John was impressed with James’s time, as were several of his peers.

“Not bad dude,” Tim yelled, running up to James as he crossed the finish line.

James was out of breath, but smiling.

“Best time, you smoked everyone,” Tim patted James on the back.

James stood up straight, placing his hands on his hips, “Well, I tried,” he said as he caught his breath.

“Tried my butt! You are a master,” Tim laughed.

James looked around.

“What are you looking for, man?” Tim questioned.

James found her, the blonde with the pixie cut. She was sitting on the hill and watching. “What are the chances she saw?” James smiled.

Tim looked over to her, “You know she has a name, right?”

“Yes, I know she has a name, just haven’t asked her for it yet,” James replied.

Tim stood still, smiling at James.

“Oh come on, just tell me so I don’t have to ask.”

“Franchesca, but good luck. I don’t think you can get that.” Tim pointed to Franchesca. “But I hear her friends calling her Chessy.”

“Nice, thanks for the heads up,” James grinned, looking over to Chessy.

“James!” John yelled.

James was pulled out of his daze from staring at Chessy. “Yes sir,” James turned and ran toward John who was standing at the obstacle course.

“Nice time, keep it up. You and your group can all go,” John ordered, looking up from his clipboard.

“Thank you, sir.” James turned and moved back to Tim who was now standing with Greg.

“Okay, guys, let's go relax. We have boring classroom stuff this afternoon,” Tim said as James joined them.

The three of them moved back to the dorms; on their way, they were joined by Elliot.

“Okay young-in, you got some skills,” Elliot said, wrapping his arm around James’s shoulder.

James shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, “Thanks.”

As they all filed back into the dorm room, James looked around.

“What are you looking for, dude?” Greg asked.

“My stuff. It looks different.” James pulled his bag out from under his bed and went through his things. As he got to the bottom his bag he noticed that the bear was gone. James felt his heart drop.

“Dude, you don’t look too good, what’s wrong?” Greg questioned.

James just looked up, “Something of mine is gone.”

“What’s gone?” Elliot chimed in.

James was losing his breath. “Why would anyone take it?” he thought to himself. “I…I got to get it back.”

“What is gone? We can help you look for it if we know what it is.” Tim sat up on his bed.

James couldn’t tell them what was taken, they would tease him for keeping a teddy bear. “It’s personal, nobody would have any reason to take it.”

“Just relax, nobody would take anything from you,” Elliot added in.

James could feel his blood boiling, “It was you wasn’t it! You went through my things! Do you think this is funny or something?” James grabbed Elliot and pulled him from his bunk.

“I never touched your stuff, let go of me!” Elliot yelled back.

Tim and Greg were now up from their beds.

“Let go of him, James,” Greg said, reaching between the two of them trying to pull them apart, but James had a strong grip on Elliot.

“Tell me where it is!” James yelled at Elliot.

“I don’t have whatever you are talking about!” Elliot yelled back.

The yelling had drawn everyone’s attention; their doorway was filling up with their fellow candidates. James had pinned Elliot against the wall, “Tell me!”

The commotion had also drawn John’s attention. John burst through the candidates, “Let go of him now!” he ordered.

James could hear John’s voice but was so angry he couldn’t release his grasp on Elliot’s shirt.

John moved to James and calmly placed his hand on James’s shoulder, “Son, let go. We can figure this out.”

His gentle touch instantly calmed James. He relaxed his hands and released Elliot’s shirt.

“You’re fucked up in the head, you know that?” Elliot said, straightening his shirt as he stormed out of the room.

“Okay, everyone back to your rooms. Each of you need to be ready for class in thirty minutes,” John ordered the rest of the candidates.

“You are with me, James.” John walked James out of the room and to the administration building. “Please talk with her,” he said, pointing at Rachel’s office.

James was silent. He was still trying to keep a grip on himself. Struggling to hold his head up, he was staring at the floor. He had lost the last thing he had of his childhood. James slowly opened the door. As he stepped through the door, he saw Rachel sitting there with his teddy bear in her hands, “Looking for this?”

“You took it?” James questioned, clenching his fists.

“An interesting thing to hold onto for a man who claims to remember nothing of his mother and very little of his father. More attached than you are letting on? ‘We love you,’” she read aloud.

“Give it back.” James clenched his teeth. His body tensed with anger.

“I want answers from you. You are hiding something. You remember a lot more than you are saying. Your secrets could jeopardize everyone here.” Rachel stood up, shaking the bear.

“How is my childhood any of your fucking business? My possessions are mine.”

“Tell me what you remember,” Rachel crossed her arms.

“If I do, will you give it back?” James reached his arm out for Rachel to hand the bear back.

“You can keep your bear, but I want to know everything.” Rachel said, sitting back into her chair.

James released his clenched fists and walked to the couch to take a seat.

“Okay, let’s start with the basics. Who gave you the bear?” Rachel held the bear up again.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me. Who gave you the bear?”

“I’m telling you I don’t know. I have always had it. I can’t remember a time I didn’t.”

“Do you remember your mother?”

James took a deep breath, “I don’t know,” he breathed.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Rachel was intrigued.

“I am not sure if I have met her or not.”

“Do you mean your memories are fuzzy or what?”

James could feel his heart racing; he had told no one what he was about to tell her. He was terrified, but he wanted his teddy bear back. It was all he had left and if this could get it, he had to do it. “I met a woman who told me she was my mother, but I don’t know.” James’s breathing was heavy, and his eyes were downcast.

“Describe her.” Rachel leaned forward in her chair.

“Brunette with blue eyes. She was dressed in leather,” James whispered.

“Do you remember anything else?”

James shook his head.

“James, you need to tell me everything.”

“She killed a man.” James’s voice was trembling. “She killed him in front of me.” He could feel tears coming to his eyes.

“Who did she kill?”

“The man who took me from my father.”

Rachel could see the pain in James’s eyes. “James, tell me the rest. I know there is more, I can see it in your eyes. You need to get it out.” Her tone was soft and gentle.

James wiped a tear from his eye. He looked up, his green eyes locked on Rachel. “And then she killed herself.”

Rachel felt her heart drop. She had not thought the situation was this severe. Rachel was in shock. “How old were you?”

James’s eyes never lost contact, “Four.”

She took a deep breath, “Do you think she was really your mother?”

James averted his eyes to the floor. “I don’t know.”

Rachel stretched out her hand with the teddy bear toward James, “You're keeping this because you don’t know if it was from her, aren't you?”

James looked up to see her outstretched hand. He reached out and took the bear. He shrugged his shoulders as he stared at the bear in his hands.

Rachel knew she would get nothing more out of James. “Okay, you can go,” she said, standing up and moving to the door.

James slowly stood up and made eye contact with Rachel. He was furious she had taken it and forced him to tell her his past to get it back. He quickly moved past Rachel, out of her office and out of the building.