Daniel Gale (1-4) working title

- 1 -

Ray Varick stepped onto the busy streets of Boston, easily avoiding the traffic as the cars waited impatiently for the light to turn green.  It was a perfect day in terms of weather, partly cloudy with warm temperatures and the occasional gentle breeze.  He was wearing his favorite short sleeve shirt that his wife had given to him for his birthday.  The shirt had a repeating brilliant blue and green floral pattern and a small pocket on his left chest, which held a pack of Newport cigarettes and a neon green fluid lighter.  On the right of his kaki pant, underneath his floral shirt was a holster which held his weapon. 

Varick was nearing his 50s and there were some white streaks in his brown hair.  He stood tall at six foot three, looking even larger due to his muscular build and square shoulders.  Varick had been a CIA operative for 22 years, leading missions in mostly Asia and Africa. 

He had two beautiful daughters.  Katherine was an ambitious sophomore at George Washington University studying political science with hopes of running for office.  His younger daughter, Julie was a senior in high school.  She wasn’t like Katherine, who knew exactly what major and what school she wanted, but Varick was ready for another college tuition. 

Varick saw Joe’s, a small but crowded newspaper stand, and walked up to get the Boston Globe.  He looked at the owner, assuming that he was Joe, a lanky and dark man.  From the soft creases in his forehead, the man appeared to be older than Varick.  Varick took the paper all the way in the back of the stand, gave the owner fifty cents, and shoved the newspaper underneath his left arm. 

He walked around the corner and went inside the closest coffee shop, which wasn’t hard to find since the country was addicted to caffine.  Varick took off his sunglasses and hung it on the pocket of his shirt.  He scanned the room and memorized the faces of both the customers and the workers behind the counter.  It was extremely vacant for 9 o’clock.  An obese man sat down on his immediate right, wearing a short-sleeve shirt, slacks, and a blue-striped tie which was much too short for him.  The loud whispering next to the obese man came from an early meeting between three women and two men. 

“Good morning.  How may I help you?”

Varick turned towards the woman behind the counter and smiled, “medium decaf,” he said.

One of the men burst in laughter, wiggling in his seat, turning red until he finally leaned back and wheezed for air.

When she came back with his coffee, he paid her and grabbed a seat in the back, facing the window and the entire store.  It was more out of habit than it was out of fear.  He had been taught to be careful ever since he started working for the CIA.  It was not something to be taken lightly in his business. 

He opened his newspaper and flipped to the 'world' section and found a manila folder.  He opened it up and looked at the file.  First, Varick scanned the sheet of papers, filled with information about the target, including numbers, addresses, family history, and medical history.  The target lost his parents, Richard and Laura Gale, at the age of five to a car accident on I-93, but he didn't believe it.  He is 15—almost 16, and a sophomore in high school.  He has short brown hair, gray eyes, and a handsome face.   

Varick looked at the next sheet.  The target took numerous AP classes and seemed to be doing very well.  He is number one in his class.  But even with his remarkable grades, he wasn’t in a single club, activity, or sport.  Varick found it odd, he expected more from the valadictorian.  He isn't the class president or a team captain.  It's mentioned that he plays basketball, tennis, and rock climbs, but there is no mention of playing for the school or any type of community team.

The target also has a 12-year-old sister, Caitlyn.  Both lived with foster parents, Marlow and Bill Damon.  Marlow is a sales associate while William or Bill “The Bull” Damon is an ex-Army Ranger. 

Varick closed up the manila folder and put it back in the newspaper and shoved it back under his arm.  He finished his coffee and threw it away in the trash barrel before he left the cool store.  On the stoop in front of the store, he stopped for several seconds to put on his sunglasses and looked around before he headed to Boston Latin School. 

         
- 2 -

Mr. Dullum started writing on the board.  He was had little hair left and probably years too.  His voice was monotonous, he spoke softly and slowly, as if it took all the strength left in his body to give the lecture.  He had white hair, which was combed over to the other side to make it look like he had more than he did.  The comb over was as thin as a sheet of paper, the bare skin underneath was still visible.  Daniel sat on his chair, tilted to his right, and leaned on his upright arm.  Daniel stared at Mr. Dullum, noticing that the man’s eyes were barely open, without noticing, Daniel’s eyes began to mimic his, blinking rapidly as he tried to fight back his sleepiness.

“Which of these compouds do not follow the octet rule?”

His stomach felt better.  He was always glad when he made it to school without meeting them, but that was wishful thinking.  Daniel liked school; it was one of the only few places where he felt safe.  He was sure that’s how his little sister, Caitlyn felt too.  He hated his foster parents; they were lousy people and didn’t even deserve to be called parents.  They took whatever money they were given to care for himself and Caitlyn and spent it on themselves.  Marlow loved to go shopping, and The Bull would come home drunk in a raging fit most nights.  His home was a nightmare and he did his best to keep Caitlyn away from home, taking her everywhere he went. 

“Daniel?” 

The dreary voice barely pulled him out of daydreaming.  “Which of these compouds do not follow the—” Daniel looked up and scanned over the notes Mr. Dullum neatly wrote on the chalkboard. 

“Sulfur hexafluoride,” Daniel said sleepily. 

“Right then.” Mr. Dullum turned around and started writing on the board again.
Daniel hated chemistry; it was his least favorite class; it was all boring to him.  “I’m going to give you your homework. It’s hard, but don’t get frustrated over it. Do the ones you can do and if you need to, come for some extra help.  There’s about ten minutes left, so I’d advise you start your homework now.”  He stood there motionlessly for several seconds with his mouth hanging loosely.  Daniel thought he was going to drop dead.  Mr. Dullun suddenly blinked his eyes a few times and then went over the instructions.  After he was done, he sat back down at his desk.  Immediately, the class exploded with chatter.  No one actually wanted to do their homework now, when they could do it later. 

When the bell finally rang, Daniel had already finished his homework.  He shoved it into his binder and went to his locker to put it away. 

“Hey, Daniel,” shouted a voice. 

He quickly turned around and saw his best friend, Matt Landen running up to him. 
“Hey, what’s up?” Daniel asked.

“Want to go practice parkour?”

“I have to find Caitlyn, so if you want to wait, sure.”

Daniel started to walk and Matt ran up along side him and they both started walking towards the swings, where Caitlyn waited everyday.

When they got there, Caitlyn was sitting gloomy on the swings, swinging her legs back and forth, and kicking the sand every time she swung close enough to.  Once she saw Daniel, her face lit up with glee, and she raced towards him. 

Afterwards, Daniel stood up and looked at Matt, “Let’s go.”  They started by running up the eight foot wall and caught the top of the roof and pulled themselves up.

From there, Daniel jumped from roof to roof, once he landed on the balls of his feet; he tucked his head in and did a summersault to help cushion his knees from the impact of the landing.  As he ran, he scanned everything.  He learned how to look ahead and think quickly about how to use each obstacle to his advantage.  He picked up the sport quite easily and did things he didn't know he could do.  He wasn't afraid, but he knew his limits.  Ever since Matt had taught him parkour two years ago, he had become much more confident. 

It was a wonderful feeling.  He was outside, enjoying the fresh air.  He had so much energy built into him after a long day at school and now was when he let it all out.  No one could catch him, even if they tried, especially the drunken Bull. 

When he jumped down onto the ground, he felt someone tug his shirt, “I’m hungry," said Caitlyn.

“All right, Cathie.  Hold on.” 

"Matt." 

"I'm gonna take Caitlyn to dinner, I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right man."

He turned back to Caitlyn, smiling when he asked, “So, what do you want to eat?” 

She thought for a minute and finally answered, “Pizza, at Boston Bowl—Dora in school says it’s really fun.  They have a lot of video games and pizza.  Can we bowl too?” 

"Let's go," he said ethusiastically. 

“Yea?”  she asked.  He nodded.  "Yes!" She jumped excitedly before running towards the T-station.  “Do we have enough money?” she asked guiltily. 

“More than enough,” he lied; she smiled and continued towards the T-station.

When he was younger, he didn’t know where to get food, at first he went into stores to steal food, but it didn’t last forever because as owners, they instinctively thought children and teenagers were thieves, lurking through the aisles of junk food.  He was eventually caught and thrown out.  When he took Caitlyn to the park one day, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that a teenage boy had pickpocket a man walking his dogs.  The boy did it very quickly but Daniel still noticed.  He went home that day and perfected it. 

Caitlyn didn’t know about it, nor would he ever tell her.  It was not something he wanted her to learn, but he had done it numerous times to feed Caitlyn and himself. 

Daniel stopped suddenly and looked around.  Caitlyn didn't notice and kept running.  There were plenty of people in Boston, there always was, the sane, the insane, the rich, the poor, it was endless.  But he couldn’t help but feel as if someone was watching him, following him.  It was a gut feeling, but as he looked around, he didn’t know what to look for.  The thought of having someone follow him made him feel uneasy. Was he in danger?  He couldn’t think of why anybody would follow him. 

He searched around the sidewalk, noticing a man in a Ralph Lauren suit.  Daniel headed towards him and brushed by him, hitting his shoulder.  Immediately, Daniel apologized, the man smiled and turned around unwittingly.  It’s too easy, Daniel thought. 

Including the wait and the bus ride, it took them half an hour to get there by bus.  Caitlyn stood up on the bus, he told her to sit down, but she wouldn’t listen.  “Are we almost there?” she whispered and Daniel answered, “almost” in such a soft tone, she would have to settle down to hear him. 

When they got there, he took out the man’s wallet and handed her a ten-dollar bill and told her to spend it wisely, but she was too excited to hear, since she was already on her way in the building.

*************************************************************************************************

“I don’t think we should do this, it’s not right.” Varick said.

“I don’t care about what you think.  Carter wants this kid, so you go get him, or that’s it for you, you can start looking for your next job in the Globe,” the man shouted back.

Varick hung up the phone, frustrated.  Although he was a teenager, Daniel was a good candidate, but why did they want a kid?  This wasn’t what he joined the CIA for, it was wrong, to drag a kid to do this kind of work.  He sat in his parked black Toyota Camry and watch Daniel and Caitlyn get off the bus.  He had watched them both the whole afternoon.

Personally, he had thought Daniel and his friend, Matt was out of their mind, jumping off roofs and running up walls for fun.  The only time he would ever do that, was if he had an army of armed soldiers running after him, but even if he wanted to, well, his joints probably couldn’t handle it anymore. 

He got out of his car and went into the building.  There were little kids everywhere, running to their parents for more money.  Varick hated busy places; it meant there were more things to be aware of.  He went to the bathroom to make sure he had a way out just in case.  When he felt satisfied with the subtle scan of the building, Varick walked past the numerous lanes of bowlers, walked by Daniel, and took a seat in the corner, with his back facing the wall. 

Caitlyn was happily chomping away at her pizza.  She reminded him of his daughters, her innocence, and her smile.  He could tell she was happy.

They didn’t look alike.  Whereas Caitlyn had blond hair, Daniel had dark brown hair, almost black.  She was young, carefree, and playful.  His face was mature and serious, and maybe even angry.  It wasn’t Caitlyn Daniel was angry at.  In fact if was quite the opposite, Daniel watched Caitlyn like a hawk and everything around him.  He watched her with such intensity, it was as if he was afraid that if he took his eye off of her for even one second, she would disappear forever. 


“Do you have any more tokens?” Varick heard Caitlyn ask.

Daniel reached into the depths of his pockets and felt around.  Varick looked in amusement as Daniel started to pat his pockets for the stolen wallet.  When Daniel finally realized that the wallet was missing, he looked around, and immediately noticed Varick.  Still staring at Varick, Daniel took some change from his back pocket and gave it to Caitlyn. 

Once Caitlyn left, Daniel got off his chair and walked towards Varick. 

“Give it back,” he said.  Varick could sense some anger in his tone. 

“It’s not yours,” Varick chuckled.

“It’s my dad’s, so give it back.” Daniel said even louder.  Varick knew he was lying; it was his job.  Although he had to admit that Daniel said it with such confidence that someone could have easily believed he was telling the truth. 

“I don’t think so, Daniel.”

Daniel grabbed the seat in front of Varick and sat down.  “How the hell do you know my name?”

“That’s not the only thing I know about Caitlyn and you.”

Daniel quickly turned around and gave her the ‘hawk stare’ to make sure she was still there.  Whatever he was feeling, Daniel hid it carefully.

“Who are you?” asked Daniel.

“Ray Varick, CIA.”

“You mean the CIA—spies?”  He started laughing, the first emotion Varick had seen from him, since he came into Boston Bowl.  “Well, Mr. Secret Agent—” Daniel said sarcastically.  “—what the hell do you want from me?” 
         
Varick was reluctant to say it but he did, “You.” 

“Meaning?”

“I—well, not me in particular, but the CIA would like to employ you.”

"To do what?  I know what you guys actually do.  You get people to betray their own counry, for secrets  You don't need a kid to do that." 

“No, you're right, but that's not what you are going to be doing."

"Then why don't you get straight to the point?" Daniel said bluntly.

"Yes, that is what the CIA does, but you would be in a different division, doing different things.  That's all I'm allowed to say." 

"No," Daniel said, almost automatically.  “Absolutely not, I have things to do.”

“Yeah, like what?  I’ve been watching you all day.” 

“I said no.”  He got up, turned around, and started to walk away. 

“Daniel.” Varick said calmly.  Daniel turned around coolly.  “Sit down, just hear me out.” 

Daniel came closer and said curtly, “Give me one good reason.”

“It’s in your best interest.  I can help you.”

“I don’t need any help.  I can take care of myself.”

“Come on, what do you want?” 

“I don’t want anything, especially from you.” 

“Everybody wants something.”           

There was a long silence between them, until Daniel finally said casually, “there's nothing.” 

“Fine, just sleep on it.  I’ll come by Monday.”  Varick stood up and as he was about to leave the table, Daniel grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. 

“I want the wallet back.”

“Not a chance.  You know, you shouldn’t be stealing from people.”

“I do what I need to do to survive.  What the hell are you, my guardian angel?”

“No, just some friendly advice.”

“Fine, just give me a couple bucks to get home.” 

Varick silently agreed and reached into get his own wallet and gave the boy five dollars.  “Is that enough?” he said softly but with a hint of sacasm, the same way he said it when his daughters asked him for money.

- 3 -

In one hand, Daniel held Caitlyn’s backpack and in the other hand, he firmly held her small thin hand.  Just before they got to the door steps of their home, she thanked him.  He smiled and unlocked the door.

Marlow was watching TV and smoking on the worn-out purple chair.  She was fat, barely fitting on the small chair, parts of her buttocks hung off the fading fabric.  She stopped smoking for a few seconds, “Dinner’s on the stove,” she shouted in a raspy voice.  Daniel looked at her, her face still loaded with thick cheap make-up, bright pink and red.  Daniel turned and looked at the stove.  Little scraps of green beans and some mash potatoes sat in a small pot.  He let out a sigh and was glad he and Caitlyn had already eaten, because the small pot wasn't enough for Caitlyn alone.  “No, thanks, we’re not hungry,” he answered.  She ignored him and continued to watch Wheel of Fortune. 

Caitlyn was already in the room, with her homework spread out in front of her.  He sat on his bed and did the same.  Half an hour later, Caitlyn buried her face into her pillow, which was worn-out and tattered and seemed to belong to an elderly woman; the flower design was just old-fashion. “I don’t want to do this,” she muttered. 

“You have to,” Daniel said, still writing furiously. 

“Why, it’s pointless.  The other kids in my class don’t do theirs’.” 

“So, who cares?"

She crossed her arms and she looked at him, her eyebrows tightened, her eyes had gotten serious.  “Still, this is stupid.”

“Hey, you want to stay here forever?”

“No.” 

“Then do your homework, that’s the only way we’re can leave this place.  Do your homework, and you can get a scholarship.” 

“For what?”

“College.”

“Why would I want to go to school longer than I have to?”

“Just do it, Cathie,” he said, running out of patience. 

He was going to get out of this house.  He was dreaming of the day when he would be old enough to leave Marlow, her drunk, and the walls now stained from dripping rust, where he had numerously been pinned down when he was younger--where the Bull had used him as a human ashtray.  He was going to take Caitlyn and leave it all. 

He thought about what Varick had said.  Varick had offered him a way out.  But he would have to leave Caitlyn.  He wouldn’t do it.  He couldn’t abandon her--he was it for her. 

He shook his head.  He was going to forget the whole thing.  He had worked hard in school, and he wasn’t going to throw it away for his country, for people who didn’t care about him or knew he even existed.  Where were they when Caitlyn needed help?  When he needed help?  No, soon he would be able to become Caitlyn’s legal guardian and he was going to keep getting good grades and then he was going to get into Princeton and let thing go from there.

By the time Daniel had finished her homework, Caitlyn was fast asleep in her bed.  He changed his clothes and brushed his teeth and threw himself under his blankets. 

*************************************************************************************************

There was a loud clatter and uneven movement and breathing close by.  Then a shriek broke the room’s silence.  “Daniel!” a voice screamed, fading away. 


He woke up suddenly, and threw his blankets off of his sweating body.  He peered at Caitlyn’s bed, only to realize that she was gone.  He ran out of the room, searching frantically for his sister.  In the corner of the living room, he noticed a hunched-over man dressed in jeans and a green t-shirt, kicking, punching, and shouting.  Caitlyn, he thought. 

“Get the hell away from her,” Daniel bellowed, angrily.  He rushed over to The Bull and tried to pull him away from her.  The man was too strong; Daniel took a nearby wooden stick and hit The Bull’s side.  The man stopped immediately, and Daniel was able to have a glimpse of his crying sister, bloody and bruised. 

The man straightened his drunken body, which probably had taken quite a bit of concentration and grabbed hold of the stick.  Daniel’s breathing became hard and shaky as he stared at The Bull’s feral eyes.  He was a massive six foot four.  His shoulders were broad, like a boxer’s.  His hair was cropped.  For several seconds, the two of them struggled, both pulling on the stick.  Daniel knew that if he were to have any chance of surviving, he couldn’t let go.  “Run Cathie,” he shouted.  Hearing his voice, Caitlyn immediately stopped crying and did as she was told. 

For several years, Daniel and Caitlyn had devised a secret location, the Lighthouse, in which they would both meet up in times like this.  Daniel had taken some of the old blankets and towels from the house and laid them in the Lighthouse for a bed.  In a corner, under a trap door was a small stash of food, although they never eaten it.  Daniel wanted to save it for times when Caitlyn was alone, since he could always get his own food.  The Lighthouse was an unfinished tree house on a large oak tree, close to a junkyard.  He and his father started building the Lighthouse just before his fifth birthday, at that time, there was no junkyard, just a long stretch of trees.  He must have chosen a lucky tree.

He paid more attention to Caitlyn than he did to the raging Bull.  He knew he couldn’t hold him off, he was an ex-Army Ranger, and Daniel was just no match, even if the man was drunk.  But he knew that all he had to do was struggle with The Bull long enough so Caitlyn would make it to the safe house.  Once he heard the loud slam of the door, he let out a breath of relief.

The rough, thick hand of the Bull shot out suddenly at Daniel’s neck.  Daniel’s first instinct was to let go of the stick, but he didn’t want to, knowing what The Bull would do.  The Bull hinted a smirk, his deranged eyes twitching.  In seconds, Daniel let one hand go of the stick and grasp The Bull’s hand, trying to tear it away.  Seeing Daniel struggle, he grinned, showing his yellow crooked teeth, “You’re just like your father, weak and stupid.” 

“Shut up, you drunk!”  Daniel’s grip loosened.

“You don’t remember do you?  Your old man got drunk, and drove your whore of mother home and drove right off the highway”

“Shut up!” Daniel was furious and that was all he could say. He didn’t know what to believe, he didn’t know the truth, so he couldn’t even deny it.  The anger was lodged deep in the pit of his stomach. 

The Bull tightened his grip and pushed down, slowly forcing Daniel to his knees.  He twisted the stick out of Daniel’s hand, forcing him to finally let go.  In one swift movement, Daniel heard the whish of the stick as it cut through the air before hitting the side of his face.  Daniel dropped to the ground, bleeding onto the callous, cold floor. 

*************************************************************************************************

Varick sat in his parked car listening to the Beatles.  His seat leaned back looking out of the open skylight.  It was a little chilly but was still a relaxing environment nevertheless, until he heard a bloodcurdling scream and shouting from the Gale house.  He immediately jerked his body upright and put his hand on the handle of the car door.  He stopped moving, his breathing became heavy.  After moments of silence, he loosened his grip on the handle, slowly relaxing his body.  “Run Cathie,” a voice shouted from the house. Varick immediately opened the car door and stepped out.  Before he could take a step forward, a little girl came running out, the front door slammed behind her.  He immediately turned around and bent down, pretending to fix the front tire of his car. 

He was assuming the girl was Caitlyn, she looked like, Caitlyn, but it wasn’t the carefree girl he saw in the afternoon.  This one was scared; it was the way she ran: tripping, running, and looking back the whole time.  Although she was terrified, he could tell she knew exactly where she was heading. 

He carefully followed her through an alley.  She took many lefts and rights before she came near a junkyard.  His hand hovered over his weapon.  His body became tense, ready for any movement, with the exception of Caitlyn’s hurried steps.  She stopped at a large oak tree and climbed up.  High in the oak tree rested an unfinished tree house.  She turned on a lamp.  Even from yards away, the dim lamp in the tree house shone through the little cracked windows near the top of the tree house.  From the rotting wood and fading color of the tree house, someone must have given up on it a long time ago.

Caitlyn was waiting for someone.  She sat alone clutched by the night’s silence, softly weeping.  He wanted to climb up there to comfort her, as a father of two, but decided against it.

He could hear the little creaks caused by Caitlyn’s slight movements.  After 20 minutes, she came down.  Varick had thought she was waiting for someone, the way she moved, agitated yet scared at the same time, she did a sort of “waiting room” pace. But maybe he had been wrong, maybe she hadn’t been waiting for anyone at all.  She rushed back the way she came, back to her house.  By then, the house was dark and silent again, and it stayed that way long after Caitlyn crept into the veined-brick house.

- 4 -

Daniel felt a cold sensation.  He blinked a few times before he could make out where he was and then sat up.  He was still in the dark cold kitchen and The Bull was no where to be seen.  Caitlyn was kneeling beside him with a cold cloth, dabbing the side of his bloody face.

“What are you doing here?” Daniel whispered, afraid The Bull would stagger out.  “You’re supposed to stay in the Lighthouse until I come for you or else you defeat the purpose of the Lighthouse.”  She didn’t say anything as she started to clean the pool of blood by his hand.  He didn’t say anything back.  He let out a big sigh and helped her clean up.  After they were done, they cleaned themselves up in the bathroom and lay in their beds. 

“Happy Birthday, Daniel,” she whispered from her bed. 

There was a long silence before he answered, “thanks.”

There were times when he was beaten badly enough, he thought he was going die.  But every single one of those times, he wouldn’t let himself.  He wasn’t going to die at the hand of The Bull. 

His parents died in a car accident when he was five.  Well, that’s what Marlow and The Bull had told him.  In some ways, he considered himself luckier than Caitlyn, although their parents went away on a lot of business trips, he had had the better part of five years with their parents, but Caitlyn was only a year old when they died.

He rolled over on his side and grabbed a framed picture of his family.  He tilted the frame into the moonlight, in such a way that he could see everybody’s faces.  His mom was beautiful; she had long silky brown hair.  Her face was smooth and a healthy white.  By her feet was Caitlyn, her tufts of short blond hair stuck out from underneath her little sunhat.  Her blue eyes were like her mother’s, a playful, joyful blue.  Her smile was big but her mouth empty; she had only a few teeth in the front.  Caitlyn couldn’t walk yet, although she looked to be enjoying herself, she also seemed to be concentrating on holding onto the bench they were all sitting on. 

His dad sat next to his mom.  His dark features made him look serious, dark brown hair, a crisp tan, but his eyes were gentle and loving.  Daniel remembered his father as more of a silent man, but a man of action.  His arms wrapped around his mother’s shoulder lovingly, his face leaned in towards her, as if he was telling her a secret. 

Then he saw himself, a scrawny kid when he was younger, with a very bad haircut too he noticed.  He looked like his father, with the exception of his father’s dark skin.  His eyes were unlike any of his parents, a cool gray.  And that was it, his family.  The only people he wanted to be with at the moment.  He wished they were on a very long business trip, so they would be able to come back to see him, to see how much he and Caitlyn had grown.  He wanted to see them one last time, even if it was for just a minute.

Daniel Gale (5-7)  [13+] #1304915 Genres: Action/Adventure - Young Adult - Thriller/Suspense by bauer35