The Naked Pretender Challenge 500 words about one
(or more) of the Pretender's characters, a story that reveals something new
about that character.
***
Pain.
Red hot pain shot through her.
Electricity dancing on her skin, her nerves set on fire.
Towers of ice surrounding her, suffocating every emotion, every cry for
help.
Each day another challenge, a struggle to go on.
No way out.
Demons haunting her, increasing her pain, reminding her of everything she
had lost.
Everyone she'd loved was dead - or didn't care about her.
Revenge was all she had left to live for.
***
I guess I'll try Mr. Parker for starters... *g*
He watched in silence, stared at the framed picture in his hands. Usually he
kept it in one of the drawers, hidden from the rest of the world. But every now
and then he'd take it out, just to look at it and think of what might have been.
His son. Mr. Parker smiled, something he hadn't done very often lately. But
there had been few reasons to do so. If only he hadn't been forced to marry
that... His tired mind failed to find an appropriate description for his new
wife. But in the end it wouldn't matter; for him there'd always be only one -
Catherine.
He forced his thoughts away from her, shying away from the pain the memory of
her still inflicted in him. Instead he concentrated on the picture of his son,
his only child. Oh, how proud he was of him! Though he had left him, deserted
him, he still couldn't help but love him. His son would never know that he was
his father. Mr. Parker had buried the truth, so that no one would ever be able
to use it against him - or his son. Of course Raines knew about it, but Parker
knew that the old bastard hadn't too much time left. A few more months, a year
maybe...
Parker blinked. There were so many things he wanted to tell his son, and the
knowledge that he never could weighed heavily on his heart. He took one of the
other pictures that sat on his desk. His daughter. A sharp pain stabbed his
heart. No, not really. He was the only father she'd ever known, but that didn't
make him her father. They both were his children, so far from him and so close
to each other.
Carefully, he put the picture of his daughter back to its place, still holding
the other in his hands. He knew that he'd lost them both, a long time ago. And
no matter what he'd do, he could never get them back.
Mr. Parker closed his eyes. Weariness clouded his mind, made him feel old and
tired. Never in his whole life had he ever felt so alone - so lonely. He forced
his eyes open again, returned his attention to the framed photograph. If only it
didn't hurt so much, than maybe he would be able to help him, to finally let him
go. But he couldn't.
After a long last look, Parker returned the picture of Jarod to its hiding-
place. It was time to get his son back to where he belonged.
***
And here's another try... This time I thought I'd make up a little story
about... Lyle! ;D It's an idea I got at two in the night, so don't blame *me*.
He sat in silence, his eyes closed, thinking. Another day was over, another
piece of his existence irrevocably gone. Life was so short, and here he was,
free and yet trapped.
His eyes snapped open as he heard the sound of someone taking short, wheezing
breaths. A slight feeling of panic made his heart beat faster, as he scanned the
room for other persons. Only seconds later he realized that the sound hadn't
been real; the continuous stress during the last weeks took its toll.
With a sigh he reached for one of the pictures sitting on the desk before him,
taking it in his hand.
His mother. A beautiful woman, with those incredible eyes and a gentle smile
full of warmth. Though she'd never actually smiled at him, of course. But in his
fantasy she did, showing him all the love he'd never experienced. Because the
Centre had taken him away from her, before he'd even got a chance to get to know
her.
Raines had been the one responsible for their separation. He knew that for sure;
it was one of the few facts he really knew about his life. That knowledge didn't
help him. In fact, it made everything worse. Raines probably didn't even know
just how much he hated him.
Very carefully he put the picture of his mother back to its place, still looking
at it. Strangely enough he missed her, though he'd never even known her. But his
father had told him about her.
His father. Getting to know him had been a difficult moment for him and he still
felt that strange mixture of happiness and disappointment. It had been
interesting to see how much like his father he was - and sobering to learn
things from his past from him.
He sighed, his thoughts inevitably turning to the next member of his family - a
family he'd never actually had. His sister. She probably was the person he knew
the least. Of course he knew some facts, but he hardly had an idea of who she
really was. That was one of the things he regretted most concerning his past.
They had been denied the chance to grow up together, to develop that special
bond that only siblings could share. But his sister was a complete stranger to
him, no matter how hard he wished to change that.
With a disgusted groan he got up, pacing the room. Sometimes there was so much
hatred inside of him. He hated the Centre, especially Raines, he hated the
people who had raised him instead of his parents and he hated the person he'd
become. Most of the time he put up an act, building a facade concealing his
thoughts and emotions. If only he hadn't grown up at the Centre. Then he'd be a
different man today. It hurt him not to know who he might have become if only he
had been raised by his family. He...
The ringing of his phone startled him out of his thoughts.
"Mr. Lyle? We've got a lead on Jarod."
Lyle hang up and left his office at the Centre, returning to the only life he'd
ever known.
...
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© 2001 by Miss Bit