The Recruit(3)

‘What happened?’ asked Taylor as he watched Minka’s taxi pull away.

‘Two guys were taking her down the alley for a good time. No matter how mean she is no one deserves that,’ she said with a shrug.

Taylor’s eyes shot open in surprise and then he smiled. Jaz felt like melting in awe.

‘I would ask if you’re okay, but I know better. I’m sure the other guys ended up worse.’ Taylor reached for her hand, inspecting the redness appearing on her knuckles. ‘Looks like you gave them a few?’

‘Yeah, they didn’t want to walk away. I had to convince them.’

Taylor sighed. ‘I know you can take care of yourself, Jaz, but I still worry. You should’ve got help. Don’t go off on your own, please?’ He shot her a concerned warning.

‘I know. I didn’t think, I just acted. Next time I’ll get help, okay?’ Although Jaz doubted she would. She never stopped long enough to think about the danger factor.

‘No, let’s just hope there’s no next time.’ Taylor shook his head, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with her. ‘Do you want to go back inside?’ He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled before sniffing the air and wriggling his nose.

‘Um, no. Minka was sick and there seems to be a lingering smell. I wanna go home and shower for a long, long time.’

‘Hmm, good plan. Come on, let’s share a taxi,’ said Taylor, shooting her a sympathetic smile.

Jaz stopped the taxi just down the road from Anna’s house and got out.

‘I’ll see you at school,’ she said to Taylor.

‘Take it easy, Jaz. Say hi to Anna for me.’ He waved as she shut the door and watched the taxi leave.

With a sigh, Jaz turned and walked close to the tree line keeping to the shadows. She didn’t want neighbours dobbing her in. She was staying the night with Anna, her alibi, so she could go out clubbing with Tay.

When she came to Anna’s huge house, she took her shoes off and hung them off her arm. Climbing up the nearby tree, she worked her way out across the large lilac branch to reach the roof of the house and towards Anna’s window.

When she climbed in, Anna was up playing a game on her computer as usual.

‘Hey, you’re home earlier than expected?’ said Anna swivelling in her large chair. Her room was huge with a queen-size bed and a flat screen TV on the wall. But it was her computer set-up that looked like it belonged in a video gamer’s den.

Anna had her strawberry blonde hair piled up on top of her head in a loose bun, two pencils stuck through it. She’d obviously been studying. One of her favourite pastimes.

‘Yep, kinda fizzed out. I swear trouble just follows me,’ said Jaz sitting down on the end of the bed. She felt tired and just wanted to put on her pjs and crawl into Anna’s bed.

Anna turned off her screen and walked over to the bed. ‘Oh no. What happened? What did you do?’

‘Hey, what makes you think I did anything?’

Anna smiled. ‘Years of experience being your best friend.’ She jumped onto the bed beside her. ‘Okay, dish.’

‘Well, firstly I need a shower and then I’ll tell you everything.’

‘I’ll be here waiting.’

Jaz got up and headed to the massive en suite, the large tiles cool on her feet and easing the pain from wearing heels.

She glanced in the wide mirror at her long black hair, her olive skin, and wondered if Taylor would ever see her as anything other than his friend. She would have pondered this further if the lingering smell of Minka hadn’t crawled up her nose and choked her. Minka had better be nicer at school now. But in the back of her mind Jaz knew she was expecting the impossible. Things in her life were never easy.





Chapter 2


‘Where the hell is it?’ Jasmine mumbled, lifting up black folders, chucking aside magazines and pens as she searched her desk. ‘I’m sure I left it here!’

Her dark-painted nails scratched through her silky black hair as if searching for a clue. She paced to her large bed, kicking a pile of black sheets and a dark purple doona out of the way before bending down to search the black cavernous space underneath. Odd socks and shoes lay undisturbed. Three old school books were collecting grey fluff and a rag doll, minus its eye, long ago left abandoned, but still no sign of the necklace.

With a heavy sigh, she sat back on her heels, and examined her room. The dark grey carpets and deep purple curtains made it hard to see anything in the spacious but messy room. Not that she’d ever admit that to her mother, she’d had a pink fit when Jaz picked out her colour scheme. Her mum had refused to help her paint her walls, still trying to convince her that maybe a light blue or yellow would be better than a grey. But it was her room and she felt comfortable in the darkness…except when she couldn’t find stuff…but that could be due to the fact her room needed a clean.