Lyrics: 'Acoustic No. 2' by The Goo Goo Dolls
Nothing's Changing
By Miss Bit
Another long day at the Centre had just ended. A soft groan escaped Miss
Parker's lips. Not that she had ever liked working for the Centre, but the last
weeks had been a living hell.
Her father had vanished again in an attempt to protect himself, Brigitte and
that little brat that by all means was more likely to be Lyle's child rather
than his. Raines seemed to have turned into a religious fanatic, but she wasn't
buying his little act for one second.
And to top it all she had not only Mutumbo breathing down her neck but also the
grim reaper himself. The thought of the latest addition to the Centre's freak
show made her frown. Mr. Cox wasn't exactly scaring her. He merely made her feel
slightly uneasy which was more than she was actually willing to accept.
Miss Parker sighed softly. There was something else that was bothering her. A
detail, really. But still...
She shook her head in bewilderment as she thought back to that awkward moment in
front of the lift a few days ago. What had Broots been thinking? She liked him,
yes. Actually, she liked him a lot. And she liked Debbie, too, what with the kid
regarding her as some kind of replacement for her mother. But that didn't mean
that she actually wanted to become Debbie's mom. Jesus Christ, the mere thought
of Broots and her having...
Miss Parker shook her head again, more forcefully this time. Definitely not the
right kind of thought. She reached out her hand to switch the car radio on. A
deep, resonant voice came out of the speakers.
"... past eleven. So for all of you out there on your way home right now or
still at work, here is a nice little song to help you relax. It's got some
rather sad lyrics but I'm sure you'll find yourselves drawn to it. A lonely soul
somewhere out here in Delaware wants me to dedicate this song to a very special
woman who used to be his best friend. He'll never give up on you, girl. And now,
here you go."
Miss Parker made a face. Not another one of those desperate, kitschy
dedications. Really, some people didn't have any taste at all.
The song started to play. There was a single guitar and some strings in the
background. Then a slightly rough, somewhat unsettling voice began to sing.
They painted up your secrets
with the lies they told to you
and the least they ever gave you
was the most you ever knew
And I wonder where these dreams go
when the world gets in your way
what's the point in all this screaming
no one's listening anyway
Your voice is small and fading
and you hide in here unknown
and your mother loves your father
'cause she's got nowhere to go
And she wonders where these dreams go
'cause the world got in her way
what's the point in ever trying
nothing's changing anyway
Unshed tears were burning in Miss Parker's eyes as she pulled her car over,
coming to a stop at the side of the road. And the song went on, with Miss Parker
listening closely.
They press their lips against you
and you love the lies they say
and I tried so hard to reach you
but you're falling anyway
And you know I see right through you
'cause the world gets in your way
what's the point in all this screaming
you're not listening anyway
As silent tears streamed down her face, a memory emerged from somewhere deep
inside of her.
*******
(25 years earlier)
It was cold in the air vent, so cold. But not as cold as it was back home.
Miss Parker sat on the floor, a crouched little figure, her arms hugged tightly
around her knees. When Daddy had asked her this morning if she wanted to come
with him to the Centre she had just nodded, in spite of her loathing this place.
Right now everything was better than her home.
Tears started to fall from her eyes as she thought back to the fight her parents
had had the last evening. They had both thought that she couldn't hear them but
she had been able to understand every word. Well, maybe understand wasn't quite
the right word. Some of the accusations her mother had screamed at her father
hadn't made any sense to her. But she had understood that Mom had been angry -
very angry. And that had made Daddy angry, too, and then...
She pressed her hands against her temples, trying to stop herself from
remembering. It was no use, though. The words and sounds welled up in her mind,
bringing back both the terrible fear and the pain she had felt. Miss Parker
sobbed softly. Would it ever stop? Would they ever stop hurting each other?
A faint noise made her look up. Someone had just entered the air vent and was
now slowly crawling towards her. The sound made her heart beat faster. She
wasn't supposed to be here; she was hiding from the rest of the world. But then,
no one knew about this secret hiding place, except for two other people. It had
to be Angelo then, who had probably somehow sensed her grief. Miss Parker
relaxed considerably and buried her face in her hands. Though she had nothing to
hide from Angelo she still didn't want him to see her tears.
It wasn't long until the sounds indicated that the other person had reached her.
Above the soft humming of the air in the vent Miss Parker could hear someone
taking deep, steady breaths, and strangely enough this sound had a soothing
quality to it. It made her feel less lonely. Her tears had stopped, but still
she couldn't bring herself to look up.
Suddenly she felt a hand touching her, tentatively at first, then more
confidently. As soon as he touched her she knew that it wasn't Angelo, that it
was Jarod who was sitting beside her. Puzzled, she lifted her head. He looked at
her and frowned at the tears on her cheeks, then he eased a strand of her hair
from her forehead and gently tucked it behind her ear.
"I thought you were down in the Simlab, working on a simulation. Sydney
told me..."
"I know." Jarod nodded. "But Sydney let me go as soon as we were
finished. Somehow I knew that something was... wrong."
Miss Parker felt new tears well up in her eyes and angrily tried to blink them
away. Jarod took one of her hands in his.
"It's okay." He said soothingly. "What has happened?"
She sighed heavily.
"It's Mom and Dad." She whispered almost inaudibly, her pain forming a
tight lump in her throat. Part of her was afraid that Jarod wouldn't understand
her, because he had no parents. But up to now he had always understood her,
hadn't he?
"They were fighting again. I could hear them shouting and yelling for hours
even though I was in my room." She didn't mention that she had still been
able to hear them after she had covered her ears with her hands and pressed her
head in the pillow.
"What were they fighting about?" Jarod wanted to know.
"I dunno." Miss Parker said in a small voice. Fear and a slight hint
of guilt were holding her heart in a firm grip. She couldn't tell him about her
worst suspicions, no matter how much she wanted to. It was too terrible.
"Yes, you do." Jarod replied, his dark gaze drilling deep into her
eyes. How could he know her so well? He wasn't even pretending right now, she
knew that for a fact. There was a completely different expression in his eyes
when he used this special talent of his.
"I... I think they were fighting about me", she whispered, horrified
at the mere thought.
...
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© 2001 by Miss Bit