Scorpion's New EQ

Chapter 6

Paige didn't get back to the apartment until the sun was starting to go down over the horizon, and she wasn't alone. Who else would be there besides Walter O'Brien.

"Uh. . . We having a pow wow of sorts? Cause if so I didn't pack the correct clothing for the occasion," I said as soon as they both entered the apartment. Ralph and I had been sitting on the couch and I was showing him a few of the minor coding things I could do.

"Hilarious. If you could please muster enough maturity for the next ten minutes, I would be very grateful," Walter said and I put my hands up in surrender.

I was silent as Walter and Paige sat in the two chairs that were on the right side of the couch. I could feel the awkward feeling coming off of Ralph. Then again, I could feel it off myself too.

"Taylor, we didn't realize that you didn't have a last name," Paige said. I was shocked by the sudden statement and I went through my head trying to figure out how they could possibly know that.

That's when it hit me. "You guys were at the-?"

"Yes we were. Why don't you have a last name?" Walter asked quickly. Paige snapped her head around and glared at him. Walter took a breath and said, "We were at the orphanage and it came to our attention that you didn't have a last name. Why is that?"

I didn't say anything for several seconds but finally I answered, "I was never like my parents and that came to my attention almost immediately. After they died, I just. . . Wanted to distance myself from everyone else. What better way to do that then by getting rid of your family name?" Walter opened his mouth to continue talking but I cut him off, "Why were you there?"

"Like I said yesterday, you do what I do in half the time. Scorpion needs someone who is as quick and agile as you. You also have an exceptional IQ and your EQ is remarkably like Paige's. I've never seen someone who has a brain function like yours. Scorpion needs you," Walter said. My breath caught in my throat.

"The only issue was, your 17. Still not technically an adult. So," Paige said and took some papers out of her jacket and put then on the coffee table, "we had to adopt you."

I sat stunned. I wasn't sure what to say or what to do. I could hardly move. Paige nodded towards the papers in a gesture to look at them.

I picked them up with a shaky hand and flipped past the policy and signatures. On the fourth page, was the thing I had been hoping to see for six years.

"Taylor O'Brien?" I asked. I could feel tears start to well in my eyes and I blinked furiously to keep them back.

"You have to have a last name, don't you?" Walter asked. I thought I could detect a hint of laughter in his voice.

Looking at the papers I saw that both Paige and Walter had signed as legal guardians. Finally overcome with emotion, I put down the papers and hugged Paige and then turned to Walter. It seemed like he was going to protest against a hug but before he could say anything I wrapped my arms around him.

"I have a sister?" Ralph asked quietly and I let go of Walter and turned to him. He had a full on smile on his face and I heard Paige cover her mouth.

"Yeah buddy," was all Paige said. That was all Ralph needed for I felt his arms wrap around me an instant later.

"Looks like I'm putting this in the books as the best day ever."

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"So, even though you actually know all of this crap, you still have to be in school?" Toby asked. He was the one that had offered to take Ralph and I to school the next day. The seniors had had two extra days off for studying and other stuff. Senior prep is what the school called it. It gave us a four day weekend that hardly anyone used for studying. Then again, it was getting into the last month of school.

"Yeah, it's stupid. I could have graduated as a freshman but nobody would go for it. As an orphan, nobody would sign for me. That just meant more years of sitting around and doing nothing," I said and laid my head back on the seat. We had just dropped off Ralph at his school.

"Yeah, Happy had to go through that too," Toby said and I lifted my head up immediately.

"What?" I asked. It sounded like Toby was implying that Happy was an orphan.

"What, she didn't tell you?" Toby asked, stealing a quick look at me.

I shook my head and pursed my lips. I didn't blame Happy for not bringing it up. Those years aren't the happiest of your life.

"So," Toby started, suspending the silence, "how is being an O'Brien treating you?"

"Haven't really gotten to test it yet. I guess today I will find out."

"How in the world did they put you into the school system? Or how did they let you into it? Not having a last name is unheard of," Toby said and I grinned a little.

"I am extremely stubborn. I am the only one that actually knows my real last name. That's what they get for moving an 11 year old girl all the way across California and not actually caring until three months later. The records of me and everything are gone. No birth certificate, no name, no social security number, no nothing," I said.

"How the hell did your records and everything just disappear?" Toby asked. I could feel the pure confusion.

I just shrugged and before he could say anything I turned and glared at him, "And no, I didn't hack into it!" Toby laughed and I turned forward again. "If I had wanted to, I could have disappeared. I could have ran away and created a whole new life for myself."

"So why didn't you?"

"At the time I had. . . One restraint. It's gone now though and I wish more than anything that I could have just left."

Toby pulled up to my school and looked at me, "Aren't you glad you didn't though?"