STORM: IT'S A CURSE TO REMEMBER

by Gurpreet Kaur Sidhu

  This wasn’t good. Not at all.

  Chapter 6

  Bruce sat at his desk, looking out of his office.The Secret Eye Agency ran a twenty-four-hour, seven-days-a-week operation. People came in and out for a hundred different reasons. One was to retrieve the special gadgets the Secret Eye Agency made available to the agents. Every gadget had special and multiple functions. The watches recorded conversations that took place within a hundred-foot radius. The navigation system in the black sedans converted into surveillance cameras. The pens recorded conversations only in confined areas. The pitch black glasses agents wore in the day had the capability to take pictures and be the eyes for agents who were positioned for backup. For every scenario, there was a gadget.

  Any work done in the field was sent back to the headquarters. Since every gadget was connected to the server, all the information was automatically downloaded. The agency was the only place where an agent could go to retrieve the information. There was no way to get rid of evidence, as long as it was on the server.

  Before Bruce could take any action, he had to figure out who ordered the investigation and why. Once he understood those two crucial pieces of information, he would have to file to nullify the assignment. Given that the grounds to nullify would pass with the board of directors, it would take a couple of days to put a stop on the investigation. That was one of the options Bruce had. The other option was to go off the record and sort it out on his own without involving a third party. But that had consequences.

  Either way, the clock was ticking and Evan’s life was on the line.

  Chapter 7

  It was a calm, sunny Monday morning. Shadow Hex stood in her bedroom wearing a sheer black lacy undergarment. Ever since she’d moved to Lake View, life felt less stressful. There were some things she simply couldn’t ignore, like the distance between she and her parents. It wasn’t the six-hour drive from Pool View. It was how she left things with her parents.

  She stared at the photo frame that sat on her nightstand. Her parents hugged her as she held her high school diploma across her chest. It was the last family picture they took. Her lips began to quiver and eyes welled up. It made her heart hurt seeing how happy her parents were back then before everything changed. What tugged at her heart the most was that she knew nothing was going to be the same again.

  They had picked their side, which made Shadow question how much of a parent’s love was really unconditional.

  Shadow moved to Lake View for one reason and that was to start over. To start her life the way she wanted to live, no control or say by anyone else. She had escaped from all of that. She wanted to leave her past behind her, but Shadow knew she would always look over her shoulder. No matter how hard she tried, or where she went, there was no escape. Shadow didn’t want to believe she couldn’t live a normal life. But for the time being, she felt she was safe. There was hope. She believed one day her past would fade away and she would finally be able to live in the present. But as long as he was out there, she would always be looking over her shoulder.

  Mr. Jingles, Shadow’s furry gray cat, pounced on top of the bed. He looked at her with his big yellow eyes, his tail swaying. He was happy too.

  “Good morning, Mr. Jingles,” Shadow said. “Had a good night’s sleep?”

  Sometimes Shadow talked to Mr. Jingles like he was a human. Mr. Jingles gave his undivided attention as his tail swayed from left to right and then right to left, like he understood the conversation.

  “I know I did. You look hungry.” She paused. “I’m sorry for pointing out the obvious.”

  She stepped into her spacious walk in closet, looking for a gray pencil skirt she recently bought. Shadow shuffled through her neatly hung clothes before coming across the skirt. She walked back out and put together her outfit. She wasn’t quite in the mood to wear blue today. Shadow rested a finger on her chin, thinking of different blouses she had that would go better with the new skirt she was excited about. After much contemplation, she slipped into her skirt and buttoned her blue blouse.

  She examined herself in the tall mirror, wondering if she’d gained weight. Her eyes traveled to Mr. Jingles who was silently sitting on her bed. Her attention went back to the image of herself. Her short wavy hair, the color of a walnut, had given her trouble the last couple of days. She figured trying out a new look for a new start wouldn’t hurt. She walked into the bathroom and as she began to straighten her hair, Mr. Jingles watched carefully.

  Shadow sighed, knowing he was hungry and the longer Shadow kept Mr. Jingles waiting, the grumpier he would get. He was an expert at giving her the silent treatment.

  “Okay, I’m almost done. Just one more minute,” she said, pulling the straightener to the end of her hair.

  She stared at herself in the mirror and noticed how closely her blouse matched the color of her eyes. Her attention flicked back to her lips. They needed more color.

  Scattered in the bathroom were the products she wore on her face. She picked out a shade of red lipstick, softly applying it on her bottom lip, followed with the upper lip.

  She pressed her lips together, then viewed herself one more time before heading back into the bedroom closet and pulling out a black coat.

  Shadow headed downstairs, carrying the coat over her arm and placing it on the sofa as she walked into the kitchen.

  When Mr. Jingles heard the food hit his bowl, he jumped off Shadow’s bed and trotted downstairs into the kitchen. Shadow checked the time on her watch; if she didn’t head out for work in the next couple of minutes, she would definitely be late.

  Shadow sped across town, racing the clock. As soon as she arrived to work, Shadow parked her car in the nearest spot she could find. She stepped out in her heels, slammed the car door shut, and strutted across the parking lot to the entrance of Storm, Inc. When she stepped inside, Shadow noticed the receptionist, Zoe Davenport, at her desk.

  Zoe was fresh out of high school, tall and slender, and sported a bob, which she dyed ink black. Zoe preferred minimal human interaction. When applying for the job, she was only interested in the salary and not what the job entailed.

  “You’re late,” Zoe said, obnoxiously chewing her visibly pink bubblegum.

  “Yeah, I know. Twenty minutes.”

  “That’s like…so unacceptable. Denise is going to be like…super pissed with you.”

  “Wait, what?” Shadow said, catching her breath. “Denise?”

  She pointed at her computer screen, which Shadow couldn’t see. “You had like…a 9:00 with Denise.”

  Shadow’s hands rested on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed. “Seriously? No one told me about this meeting.”

  “Is that supposed to be like…my problem?” Zoe responded.

  Her eyes traveled over to the clock on her desk. Zoe stared at Shadow and blew a bubble. When it popped, Zoe smiled, which quickly faded.

  “What are you still standing here for?”

  Shadow, in a confused state, took a couple of steps forward, only to realize she didn’t know where she was supposed to go. She turned back, not wanting to face Zoe again. “Where is the meeting?” Shadow asked.

  “See that hallway?” Zoe said, pointing behind her.

  “Yeah.”

  “Her office is like…down that hallway. Take your first left and it’s the second door. I shouldn’t have to remind you that you’re already late, hunnay,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes.

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  Shadow was a little afraid of walking in the room, knowing Denise was waiting for her. On top of that, this was going to be the first time she was meeting Denise. She had no clue what Denise was like. She prayed Denise was not like the horrible bosses people talked about as they stood in line to get coffee in the mornings. When she approached the office, she took notice of the nametag on the front door. It read: Denise Storm-Smith, CEO. Her nerves began to kick in
. She had no idea she was having a meeting with the company’s CEO.

  Shadow knocked on the door and waited for Denise to respond. A moment later, Shadow was opening the door to Denise’s office.

  In the corner, she saw the woman sitting at a round table with a manila folder in hand. “I’m so sorry—” she began.

  “It’s okay. Don’t let it become a habit,” Denise said with a warm smile.

  Shadow was struck by how young Denise was. She had long brown hair pulled into a ponytail that framed her slightly pale oval face. Her almond-shaped eyes matched the color of her hair and her pink full lips made her look more of a model rather than a businesswoman.

  “Why don’t you take a seat?” Denise suggested, glancing at the vacant chair in front of her.

  Shadow smiled as she sat. She placed her purse on the floor and straightened her back, making sure she was giving the right first impression. In her mind, she knew being punctual was already counting against her.

  “How do you like Lake View so far?” Denise asked Shadow.

  Shadow was taken aback by Denise’s kindness. CEOs back in Pool View were never this kind from what she’d heard.

  “It’s…nice—it’s different. I’m still getting settled in, but it’s good.” Shadow crossed her legs, becoming a little more comfortable.

  “Oh, it’s very different compared to Pool View,” Denise said, propping up her elbow and resting her chin on her fist.

  Denise very well knew the difference between the people of Lake View and Pool View. Quite a few of Denise’s clients were in fact from Pool View, where the houses and lawns were much bigger than homes in Lake View. No woman cooked or cleaned because everyone hired help to do all that work. Every client she worked with believed they were better than everyone in Lake View. Living in Pool View was like living like a royal. Appearances were everything and being judged by material things was a hobby. It wasn’t about who you were, but what you had.

  “I believe it’s…either a hit or miss, if you’re going to live in Pool View,” Shadow said. “Either you fit in with the rest of the crowd, or you’re an outcast. I grew up in Pool View, but…” she said, pausing and raising her eyebrows. “As I grew up, I realized I didn’t fit in. I wouldn’t survive in that kind of environment.”

  Denise let out a burst of stifled laughter. “I’m glad we agree on something.” After clearing her throat, Denise didn’t waste any time getting down to business.

  Denise opened the folder and handed Shadow a sheet of paper, which was an overview of the new client Shadow would be working for.

  “All right,” she said, folding her hands together in front of her and getting ready to give Shadow the rundown. “You’ll be working with Mr. and Mrs. Pence for their nursery. They’re expecting their first child together. They’ve been married for two years. They decided that they were going to keep the sex of the baby a mystery. They took a look at your portfolio and wanted to work with you on their nursery. How do you feel about that?”

  Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach but she didn’t let that stop her feeling excited for her new client. Shadow raised her eyebrows in excitement. “I love it.”

  Denise nodded and continued with her rundown while Shadow gave her undivided attention.

  “The colors they chose are gold and pearl white. And those are the only colors they’re going to work with. They want everything—large moldings, curtains, blinds, a chandelier—everything that’s going to make the room look elegant and classy. Currently it’s an empty room so I think it’ll make it easier on you to visualize where the furniture will go along with all the other stuff.” Denise closed her eyes for a moment. She was forgetting something that was vital for this assignment. Denise pressed her fingers against her temples, as if she had a migraine.

  A minute later she brought the most important aspect of this nursery to Shadow’s attention.

  “I can’t believe I forgot about this. The closet is a walk-in. They’re getting the doors removed and want to install shelves and cabinets. They want the walk-in closet to be efficient. Anything and everything is accessible, easy to find…no shuffling around. The closet is their biggest concern, so I advise you to be creative, really creative. They are expecting a talented interior designer today at 1:00. So you have until then to come up with sketches of your vision for their nursery. Don’t let me down.” She grinned.

  “When do they want to start on the project?” Shadow asked, referring to the paper Denise handed out earlier, since Denise hadn’t mentioned it during the rundown. Starting the project was just as important as knowing when the clients wanted the job to be done.

  “Darn it. I forgot to ask them that question.” Denise rubbed her forehead and scrunched her eyes.

  Shadow sensed Denise wasn’t herself. Even though it was only an assumption, it was apparent Denise had other things on her mind that were distracting her. “It’s okay. I’ll ask them when they want to start.” She pulled out a pen from her purse and took note.

  “I usually don’t forget to ask my clients important questions like that,” Denise stated, thinking back to the day when she met with the Pences. It was the day after Ryan’s accident. Denise worked half a day just to keep herself calm and then the Pences walked in, ready for a consultation.

  “We all forget sometimes. Don’t worry about it,” Shadow replied, breaking into a soft, sympathetic smile.

  “It’s not a good sign when a person in their prime starts to forget things,” Denise said, chuckling. “I’m getting old.”

  “Maybe you should take a couple of days off,” Shadow suggested, peering over as she put her pen back in its designated pocket.

  Denise leaned back in her chair, her arms stretched out beside her. She looked up at the ceiling, looking for some sort of sign to Shadow’s suggestion.

  “I could use some time off.” Denise chuckled. “But clients come first and some of them are very demanding.”

  Shadow nodded, understanding there was more to the story than Denise was providing. After all, she was from Pool View. There was always a story.

  Denise got up from her seat and walked to her desk. “You should get started on those sketches and I’ll send you an email with the address.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” Shadow said, rising from her chair. “I won’t let you down.” She flashed her straight white teeth.

  “I’ll hold you to that. Please don’t be late,” Denise said, pulling out her big brown leather chair.

  Shadow left with more confidence than she did when she entered. She liked Denise. It came as a surprise how friendly she was, but then again, this was Lake View. Majority of the people who lived in Lake View were nice and kind.

  Winter had been sweet. People of Lake View were enjoying this particular winter since it hardly rained. The gust of winds that would usually whip off the hats of the elders during this time of year were calmer, but a long coat and a scarf was still needed.

  Snow was never an issue because Lake View didn’t have the climate for such weather. Pool View, on the other hand, would be covered in three inches of snow this time.

  ***

  Marvin Stone stood outside of the forest overlooking the lake, looking very dapper in a dark gray pantsuit. He took out his red handkerchief and wiped his nose. He was more sensitive to the cold than the average person. If Marvin didn’t have business to attend to, he would be in his home with the heat cranked up at eighty-five degrees in a tank top and shorts.

  Marvin slipped his handkerchief back into his pocket as he admired the lake that extended beyond view. The aroma of the towering pine trees behind him reminded him of his home back in Pool View. His parents had planted a couple of pine trees in the backyard when Marvin was just a child. As the pine trees reached their peak, it had become a great hiding place for him. For years, it had been his safe spot. His parents had become verbally abusive as Marvin got old
er and the only place that made him feel safe was between the trees.

  His childhood made him grow up into a controlling, spiteful, and deceiving man. Only those close to him would come to find out underneath the sea blue eyes and short brown hair combed over, there was the other side to Marvin Stone. A side no one could escape.

  Marvin turned and faced the trees. The dirt beneath his feet left a little dust on the tip of his shiny black shoes as he walked into the woods. He kept his hands inside his pockets for warmth. Marvin could see the trail of his breath as he exhaled. During these days, there were no signs of birds or any other creatures. It was quite peaceful. He grinned.

  Marvin stopped as he came to an intercom that stood in the middle of a circle of pine trees. It was the size of a football field. The sky was rarely visible from where Marvin stood. Other than minor cracks from the branches of the trees, here, there was only darkness.

  He pressed the button and waited for an answer. Marvin stood looking up, outlining what was created here decades ago. A regular person would not be able to see what Marvin knew existed before his eyes. However, a few steps past the intercom was a brick wall. The only thing visible to the naked eye was the trunk of the pine tree yards away from where he stood.

  “Please give me your full name, your birthdate, your agent number, and your ID please,” answered a woman’s voice.

  “The name is Marvin Stone. Birthdate is 12/6/1981. Agent number is 212 and my ID is 212-412-061-980.”

  “Please hold.”

  Marvin waited patiently as the woman on the other end confirmed his authentication. Moments later the woman thanked Marvin as the door opened. Marvin walked inside the building, locking the door behind him.

  This was the Secret Eye Agency known as the SEA.

  The SEA was a five-story building. Every floor had agents with a certain amount of experience. The first floor only consisted of the newly hired agents who answered calls by potential clients and drafted up paperwork that was requested by other agents from upper levels. The responsibilities, experience, and security clearance increased on each level. Once becoming a fourth floor agent, which would take years of experience, agents had the opportunity to apply for vacant positions on the fifth floor.