The
Assignment
Matthew Davis looked up at the rows of teenagers taking
their pop quiz and couldn’t help thinking his past weeks with them had been the
most peaceful he’d ever experienced. He’d even gotten to know a few of them
like Amy Walker, the resident brain of the class, stereotypical glasses and loner
attitude included. The girl really was a genius and behind the cheap plastic
frames and freckles was actually really pretty; maybe college would help her
bring out some of that beauty. Then there was Bobby Lewis, a really skinny kid
with fading acne scars and a real passion for art. Yeah he could imagine where
that talent would take the kid in the years to come.
To be honest though the kid he was really interested in was
Susan Adams. Not only was she bright, she was beautiful with a full head of
long blonde hair. The kid was a natural at everything she turned her hand at
and those gifts would have taken her far if Matthew hadn’t been ordered to join
the faculty at her school. He’d watched her long enough to know they had the
right person.
“Okay people, times up! Put your pens down,” Matthew
announced standing up. He walked down the rows collecting papers as some of
them groaned and others just looked around stunned like they’d lost track of time.
“Well that’s all folks.” The bell rang while he was still
speaking and he glanced up at the clock above his desk then at his wild
students and smiled. “Get out of here,” he said. They quickly leaped to their
feet grabbing bag and pens as they competed to be the first out the door. “And
enjoy your weekend!” he shouted over their noise.
Matthew breezed through the papers after school and could
already tell who he was going to give passing marks to. He stood up and pulled
his jacket off the coat hanger in the corner and left the class.
He walked out to the parking lot and waited. A black SUV
pulled up to the curb and Matthew got in the back. FBI Assistant Director Derek
Morgan was sitting inside dressed in his usual tweed coat that always reminded
Matthew of his old college lecturer Professor Hamilton.
“Well?” Morgan queried.
“The girl’s Gifted. She’s probably a telepath or at least an
empath,” Matthew told him looking out the tinted window beside him as they
drove.
“Good, good then she’s a perfect candidate for the program.
We have two units on their way to her house now. We’ll be joining them,” Morgan
said.
Matthew remained silent thinking about how they were about
to rip a fifteen year old girl’s life apart. He was glad Morgan couldn’t read
his mind he would have locked him in a hole for questioning their mission.
They finally arrived in a quiet suburb miles from the
school. There were a couple of black SUVs like theirs parked outside one of the
houses. Tanner got out of the car and after a second Matthew pushed open his
door and joined him on the street.
Together they walked across to a house identical to all the
others in the neighborhood with a white mailbox out front and a basketball hoop
suspended over a garage door. Three men in ski masks holding sub machine guns
and wearing black clothes came outside as they approached.
“Where is she?” Morgan asked wasting no time.
“They’re gone sir. The house is empty and the car registered
to the family is not in the garage,” one of the men said.
Morgan whirled around, “What’s going on Agent Davis? Where’s
the girl?”
Matthew met his superior’s suspicious gray eyes. “I have no
idea sir.”
Morgan didn’t look convinced but he turned back to the men,
“Get on the horn and get all our people looking for them.”
“Yes sir,” the one who’d spoken replied.
Morgan studied Matthew again then made his way back to the
car. Matthew followed him taking care to keep a smile off his face.
Matthew flashbacked back to the quiz when he’d been thinking
as hard as he could about why he’d really come to Philadelphia and Susan had inquisitively
raised her head. He’d felt her presence in his mind and he’d taken care not to
resist. He’d simply stayed calm and let her read his memories. He’d felt her
shock then and had hoped the girl would take the chance and run.
Morgan could shout and rage all he liked but Matthew prayed
they’d never find Susan or her family.
No comments:
Post a Comment