New commission - "The Change" - Part 4

On Fridays, Parkdale Primary School pupils get out at 12:30 PM . Rachel arrives at the 3R class exactly thirty minutes earlier.

All the teachers know her, and it doesn’t take much persuasion for Rachel to get Nicole into the hallway for a ‘quick chat’.

“Come on,” she says to Nicole. She doesn’t take her hand, just beckons her along. “We can talk in the playground.” She winks. “Give you an extra-big push on the swings if you like.”

Nicole drags her feet. “What about my bag?”

“We can come back for it,” says Rachel. “Later.” Meaning, Never-ever.

When they are in the sunshine, Rachel takes the little girl to the swings, as promised.

“I like the merry-go-round better,” says Nicole. But she sits in the swing anyway, and Rachel pushes her back and forth.

“You know I’m an agent,” says Rachel, keeping her tone light. “Like you.”

“No one’s like me,” Nicole says. “Not exactly.” Such a statement might sound boastful, precocious, but Nicole’s tone is matter of fact.

Rachel smiles. “Fair point.” She pushes the swing, watching the little girl’s pigtails fly. “We have a friend in common.” She sees the recognition on the girl’s face. “Miss Anderson has a mission for the pair of us.”

“Boy or girl?” asks Nicole.

Before Rachel answers – and she does have an answer, she has made up a mission that should appeal, that should be enough to get Nicole off school property without a host of questions – Nicole adds, “Girls are easier.” Her words fall into the rhythm of her swinging.

“Girls…all-wanna-be…princesses…with-me…I actually had-a…real lady…once!”

“This one’s a girl,” says Rachel, wondering how it would go if she added, But she started life as a boy. “And she really needs our help. She needs to be with her family.”

“So-it’s-a…happy-ending?”

“Absolutely. Disney fireworks, big dance number, the whole thing.”

“Good,” says Nicole. She pushes forward in the seat. “Higher, please…high-as-you-can.”

Rachel doesn’t push that hard. You don’t want to go that high, she thinks to herself. I’m getting you out of here before they make you do things that keep you up at night. Things you’ll wish you could forget.

She thinks of Jessie, back at the clinic. Has she managed to keep Dr Sucette docile and stupid? Surely, Jessie has the easier of the two jobs. Just point and click.

She should text Katie, send a message to the phone her friend has kept hidden in her bedroom. But that’s for emergencies. Rachel feels the beginning of a headache; if this isn’t an emergency, what is? But there’s no point contacting Katie until she’s got Nicole on board.

What about Luke? Is he safe? Or has Valerie got the upper hand? Rachel feels the weight of her phone, nestled tidily in her inside blazer pocket. He should have been in contact by now; that was the plan. She pulls out the phone and calls one-handed.

Straight to voicemail. He was on the list she found, and now he’s not answering. There are innocent reasons for someone not answering their phone, and then there are bad reasons. And then there is Parkdale. In Luke’s case, the reason may be a big-chested, curvaceous beauty who can charm the wits off any man.

“What’s the prize?” Nicole straightens her legs, aims her toes at the blue sky.

“Sorry?”

Nicole twists her hips in the seat, slowing her progress. “Miss Anderson didn’t tell me.” She waits until her saddle is stationery, and then stares at Rachel. “She always tells me personally. Because there’s always a prize. She has to tell me about the prize.”

Rachel says, “this one is so urgent, that she wanted me to tell you.” She rests a hand against the swing chain. “We have to start the mission straightaway.” She smiles at the girl. “And the prize is a secret.”

Like what Santa Claus brings you, she doesn’t say. Like finding out you have a big sister. As the little girl sits motionless on the swing, staring at her with the most perfectly clear eyes, Rachel would love to tell her right now, in this sun-soaked moment, the truth.

They stole you from me. They took you away and wouldn’t tell me where. But I looked at the records – I broke in because I don’t give a shit anymore – and as soon as I saw your origin details, it all made sense.

“Let’s go, then,” Nicole says wearily, “if it’s so urgent.” She turns in the seat and drops to the ground. And then she steps forward and puts her arms around Rachel.

“Hey,” Rachel protests, “better if you don’t.”

Nicole giggles. “Better if I do, silly.” And her arms are wrapped tightly around Rachel’s waist, even as Rachel pulls at them, the teenager pushing strongly, grunting, and then sighing, her hands hanging limply at her side.

Nicole maintains the hug and looks up at Rachel. “See? Much better.”

Rachel swallows. “We shouldn’t.”

“Because I’m magic,” says Nicole. “Because I make people all soppy and sweet.”

Rachel nods. “Pretty…pretty much.” But she has a smile on her face, and she can feel the muscles in her jaw and neck relaxing. She can feel everything inside of her relaxing. She’ll wet her knickers if she doesn’t watch out. She’ll fall on her bum if she’s not very, very careful.

“You smell nice,” she says to Nicole. Because that’s completely true.

“What do I smell like?” Nicole asks.

It’s a funny question. Surely the child knows what scent she carries. But no, Rachel understands the nature of the PPA’s technology even as her own mind is swept away by it. The scent depends on the target. The smell is something utterly comforting, completely captivating. It is impossible to resist, and therefore it must be unique for each person.

“What do I smell like?” Nicole asks.

“Oh,” says Rachel. “Please…” She can feel tears in her eyes. Happy tears. Everyone is happy after a hug from Nicole. But this isn’t the plan, this isn’t how this is supposed to go.

“Stroke my hair,” says Nicole. “Everyone says I have the softest hair.”

Rachel follows the command with trembling fingers. And she sighs, under the spell. “You smell of bubble bath,” she whispers. “The one Mum…ah, the one Mum likes.” She giggles, breathing in the scent from Nicole’s hair, gulping it in and feeling her mind open up, with no space for anything but peace and giddy innocence. Because Nicole is Parkdale’s secret weapon, and no one can resist her, not even teen agents.

“What bubble bath does Mummy like?” asks Nicole, smiling at her conquest, leaning against Rachel’s chest as she’s stroked and petted.

“Radox,” Rachel whispers. “It’s the green one. You know, Mum loves it. Except, you were just a baby, maybe you don’t remember.” The teenager frowns. “Probably, you don’t remember.” She twists her lips. “Mum misses you so much.”

Nicole frowns. “What are you talking about, soppy girl?”

Rachel breathes in Nicole’s scent again, feels her mind go to a place of serene bliss. “You’re my baby brother,” she says. “You came here from abroad and I tricked you, I regressed you, and it was messy, but I got you there, and then we kept you, because you were perfect.” She sighs. “And then Sucette took you away, and we didn’t know why. But now I do.”

She strokes the little girl’s hair and whispers, “Sucette saw that you were made of magic. She did what she’d always wanted to do, she turned you from a boy into a girl and she put the device inside of you. But she broke up our family doing it.” She squeezes the girl, which just intensifies the feelings in her head. And that’s okay; she could cuddle like this forever. “I got you back, and we’re getting out of here.”

She smiles down at Nicole’s face. “You want to know your real name? The one you came here with?” Rachel giggles. “You pretty much look like a Nicole right now, of course.”

Nicole pushes away, which she would never do in the middle of this process. It’s here that the cub agent would normally begin to remind the target of childish dreams and fancies. But this isn’t normal. This is something impossible. She keeps hold of Rachel’s hand and says calmly, “I don’t believe you,” Nicole says. Her tone isn’t severe. “You’re lying.”

Rachel shakes her head with a beatific smile. “I’ve fed you. I’ve changed your nappy. You were the sweetest little baby. I would go on missions and come back and hold you, and I could believe it was all worthwhile. No matter what they had me do, I could do it, as long as I had my family.” Her smile falters, and she whispers, “But then they took you away. Sucette stole you.”

There are noises around them. Not enough to break the spell, but Rachel is aware of the primary school pupils being let out. Cheers and laughter, so many pairs of little charging feet, a blur of school uniforms, as the children spill out into the playground and toward the school gates.

Rachel can be cognizant of this, even as she remains spellbound by Nicole, a little girl holding her hand.

“You’re lying,” says Nicole softly. “I’ve always been…who I am.” Her button nose wrinkles. “I’ve never, ever been a boy. That’s yucky.”

“It’s true,” Rachel insists, even as she understands, if Nicole tells her to stop believing the facts, Rachel will do as she’s told. And for a moment, she wonders at the child’s power, as if the pigtailed girl can almost change reality itself.

“I can help,” says Rachel, glad she’s just holding hands, even as she wants to beg for another one of those heavenly, resistance-melting cuddles. “I can get you out of here, take us to a place where you don’t have to trick people anymore. Where we’ll be free. And you can be your real age again. Maybe even make you-”

“Don’t say it,” Nicole says, and she puts a perfect finger to Rachel’s lips. “Don’t say another word.” She looks intently at Rachel. “I’m in charge here, and I don’t need your help.” She shakes her head, pigtails jiggling. “You’re the one who needs help.”

“Please,” whispers Rachel. “We can go to the clinic; we can fix you.”

The words come out with the greatest of efforts. Nothing has ever felt this difficult. And Rachel is able to say it, probably because she is a teen agent, she must have some kind of resistance to Nicole’s-

“Hush,” Nicole says, and she puts her arms back around Rachel’s waist. “Stroke my hair, silly.” She giggles lightly. “Smell the bubble bath. What kind is it?”

“Please…”

“What kind are the bubbles, Rachel? Mummy’s bubbles?”

Rachel inhales, the softness of Nicole’s hair against her face. “Green one,” she says, her voice barely audible. “It’s got rose…merry.”

“Mmm,” says Nicole, as if she can smell the Radox as well. She giggles. “What a silly girl you are, making up stories.” She runs her hands up and down Rachel’s sides. “You’re just a silly girl! You need me to look after you, because you’re so silly and sweet.”

Rachel finds herself nodding. She finds herself believing. And the plan fades away, and she forgets about saving her baby brother. She forgets about Jessie, aiming the black box at Dr Sucette. She forgets about Luke, who hasn’t answered his phone. She forgets about Katie.

“No more silly stories about baby boys, Rachel. We’re going to go on a lovely walk to the clinic, and then we can talk to Dr Sucette about what you’ve been up to. The doctor will help you will all those silly thoughts, and Miss Anderson will probably want to give me a special prize.”

Rachel is allowed a moment of near clarity, when she understands where Nicole’s decision is leading them, before the logic dissolves in the rosemary and eucalyptus scent of her mother’s bath oils, and she sighs happily as her understanding changes to that of the silliest and sweetest children.

Nicole takes Rachel’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “There,” she says with a satisfied nod, “you were hard work, but I’ve got you now.” She swings Rachel’s hand back and forth. “Let’s take the shortcut through the park.”

They walk out of the playground, and Rachel may be head and shoulders above the young children, it doesn’t bother her. She belongs in this crowd, with the silly little boys and girls. She almost expects to see her mother waiting by the gates, but then she remembers. She’s going with Nicole, the prettiest and best-smelling girl, through the park and then onto the clinic, so they can see Dr Sucette, who is going to help Rachel with her silly ideas. All thanks to Nicole, who has superpowers, who is utterly irresistible.

If Nicole hadn’t mentioned it, if she hadn’t gasped and pointed as they passed the ice-cream van at the park entrance, Rachel probably wouldn’t have noticed the handsome teenage boy, dressed in an Elmo T-shirt, ice-cream dripping down his chin.

“There’s Luke,” says Nicole with a surprised tone. “He looks all silly.” She smiles indulgently at Rachel and give her hand a squeeze. “He must be all silly and sweet, just like you.”

Rachel nods, taking in the sight of the fifteen-year-old boy dressed like a toddler, his puffy shorts indicating the thickest of nappies. As they pass the van, Rachel sees Luke sucking on his sticky fingers with an innocent expression. As if he didn’t have a care in the world.