The Misfits

As soon as Cass hung up, Myra asked, “What was that all about?”

Since they had heard her side of the conversation, Cass gave them the short version of what Rudi had told her.

“When do we leave and where are we going?” Myra asked expectantly.

Easy G.I. Jane,” Gem said to her. “I’m in no rush to die or get taken prisoner again by those… people. Not to mention we have no idea if it is them or not, or where they might be even if it is them.”

A sudden bark from not too far away shifted their attention. They watched as Harley, a yellow lab that had once belonged to Lyle Clark, came over from the house and put his head down on Cass’s thigh.

She stroked the dog’s head, scratching behind his ears just the way he liked. “Hey boy,” she said.

“Come on you heathens. Dinners about ready,” Ms. Gray said to them.

Myra grabbed a towel and began drying off, while Cass closed her book and picked up her work. Since Gemma had just been sitting there, she volunteered to help set the table.

After dinner, they all helped clean up and went to Cass’s room.

They Gray family had a big house that was intended for more children than Cassidy, but she ended up an only child when her father died when she was a young girl.

For a lot of years, it had just been her and her mom – until Hugo Forrester. After that, Gemma stayed with them - she was an orphan and had disappeared, so Ms. Gray had gone through the steps to become a foster parent, and Gemma stayed.

Cass explained Myra to her mom, and not long after, the trio went to get Myra and bring her back, giving her a home as well. Now they each had a room of their own, but they still spent a lot of time in Cass’s room.

Cass and Gemma went to the local High School, where they were both Juniors, despite their age difference of Gemma being a year older at seventeen.

Although she liked to point out she was older, Cass usually also pointed out it was only by a few months.

Myra, being only fourteen, would be either in Junior High, or a freshman in High School, depending on when she was born, but no one could find out much about her. She had grown up without much schooling except for what she taught herself, but none of that was formal.

The school system tested her and found she was above average in intelligence but wasn’t sure where to place her.

Ms. Gray decided for everyone.

Because of her lack of formal education and her obvious differences, Ms. Gray knew that Myra would be both picked on, and an outcast. Her aggressiveness would be a big problem with everyone, so Ms. Gray decided to home school Myra. That way she could work on both lower, and move advanced things, as well as other social aspects that had been neglected throughout her life.

Myra went with both Ms. Gray, as well as Cass and Gem, when they went to town so she could get used to society. There were always going to be people who treated her different, but with the girls or Ms. Gray, Myra didn’t act too aggressive.

Myra was bright, and picked things up quickly, and Ms. Gray thought the girl might be able to graduate within a year or so of Cass and Gem. While there was an age difference, it wasn’t but two years or so and the shared experience of Hugo and his men brought them together.

They were more like sisters, and like any siblings, they had their share of issues and differences, but it wasn’t ever enough to drive them apart.

Gemma knew that Myra had saved Cass’s life, and respected the younger girl for that.

Although neither would admit it, their background growing up made them relate to each other and draw them closer. Their easy friendship brought them together more often than not, and usually in Cass’s room.

That night was no different.

“So, what are you going to do?” Gem asked Cass.

“Call Lyle I guess,” answered Cass. “He’s the only one we know who might have some answers. Or knows how to get them.”

She dialed the number for Lyle and Maggie, who had gotten married not long after the final showdown with Hugo. A year after that, Maggie got pregnant and had Issy, who was now two.

Maggie picked up the phone. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey, yourself,” Cass replied.

“What’s up?” Maggie asked.

Cass heard a voice in the background say, “Me! Me!” Maggie said, “It’s Cassidy.”

The voice in the background squealed, “Cass! Cass! Me talk!”

To Cass, Maggie said, “Hang on.” The phone was passed and the little voice on the other end squealed, “Cass!”

“Hey Issy, how are you?”

“Good.”

“Are you staying out of trouble?”

“Maybe,” Issy said.

“Well, if you stay good, we will come up this summer after school ends. But you have to be a good girl.”

“Myra too?”

“Myra too.”

“She swim with me?”

“I’m sure she will, but only if you’re good.”

“Okay, bye.”

Cass started to say goodbye, but Maggie was already back on the phone. “Sorry, her attention span is still kind of short.”

“That’s alright. What she lacks in length, she makes up in excitement,” Cass told her.

“So, what’s up? You don’t usually call during the week.”

Cass explained Rudi’s call, knowing that Lyle would tell her anyway, before asking to talk to him.

“He’s here but you be careful and don’t get involved in something that could end badly. You know how these people are. It’s been four years now, and they’ve left you alone. Do you really want to go poking the hornet’s nest?” Maggie asked.

“No, but if they have started taking kids again, then someone has to do something,” Cass told her, knowing that she couldn’t disagree.

“Just be careful. You know we aren’t there this time. Here’s Lyle,” she said handing the phone to her husband.

Cass explained Rudi’s call again, this time to Lyle. As an ex-police officer, Cass knew he would know more about what could be done. When she finished, she asked, “So, is there anything you can do to look into it?”

Lyle was silent for a few second, thinking. “I’ll see what I can do to look into it,” he finally said. “I still have some contacts and if you get anything more from Rudi, let me know and I’ll pass it on. I’ll let you know what I find out, but I don’t want you going off like some female Don Quixote. If it is the Facility, you know they will be happy to either capture, or kill you. It would probably be whichever is easier at this point. I don’t think your mom would be too happy if either happened. No one would.”

Cassidy sighed. “Fine. You made your point. No running off to chase the boogieman. I get it.”

“And Issy will be highly disappointed if you don’t show up to swim with her. Not that she knows how to swim but try telling her that.”

Cass giggled, then said, “I think Myra will have no problem teaching her how to swim.”

Myra nodded in the background as Gemma groaned.

“Okay, promise me you won’t go running off, and I’ll see what I can find out and get back to you when I hear something,” Lyle told her.

“I said I won’t,” Cass said, conflicted. She didn’t want to be with him, but there was no way she was going to let more kids go through what she and her friends had gone through. There was no telling how many kids there were before them, or even how many were left behind when they escaped.

The local police and FBI had raided the Facility after the events unfolded, years ago, but when they got there, the place was empty. It was as if no one had ever been there.

They were so thorough that the FBI didn’t find a single fingerprint. It was as if the whole place had been vacuumed and washed down with bleach. All the doors were closed and locked, so each had to be broken through as they searched, but everything of any value – monetary or forensic – was gone.

The building, of course, ended up being owned by a fictitious company that, after six months of trying to sort through all the shell companies and records, led the FBI to a 92-year-old woman living in a retirement home in Miami, Florida. They tried to question her, but she had Alzheimer’s.

She obviously wasn’t the true owner, or if she was, she was being used.

Cass knew these people had no morals and had to be stopped. But was Lyle right? She was one person – a teenager no less. Although she had abilities, she wasn’t immortal. She had the scars to prove it.

So after saying goodbye to Lyle, she told Gem and Myra what Lyle had said.

Myra was, of course, gung-ho to set out to kick some butt as soon as possible, and Gemma didn’t really want to go looking for trouble.

“Right now we don’t know anything and have no where to even start, so it’s moot. We wait and finish school,” Cass said to both of them.

Gemma yawned and said she was headed for bed.

Myra stretched out on Cass’s bed. She had showered and changed after dinner and was now dressed in a nighty and shorts.

Cass was sitting at her desk with Harley at her feet.

Myra propped her head up, looking at her friend. “I know that look Cass,” she said. “If there’s anything we can do, you know I’m with you.” She bit her bottom lip, adding, “Even if Gem isn’t.”

Cass knew that Myra really did like Gemma, even if she did torment the girl. That was just her nature. She also knew that Myra was fearless, but not reckless and she was serious that she would follow Cass into danger if Cass needed her.

Although Cass was an only child, she had two sisters who she could count on.

She turned off her computer monitor, got up and flipped off the light. A nightlight dimly lit the room since Myra frequently had nightmares and crawled into bed with Cass.

Cass laid down next to Myra, who put her head on Cass’s shoulder. Cass wrapped her arm around the girl, kissing her head. “I’m lucky to have you guys.”

Myra looked up and her and said, “Want me to go?”

Cass squeezed her and said, “Not tonight little sister, unless you want to.”

Myra spent too many years alone to say no, so she put an arm around Cass and snuggled closer, mumbling, “Not if I don’t have to.”

They fell asleep together and Myra had peaceful dreams.