Fire & Ice

ch. 3

JAMIE

After dinner I decided to do another practice exam for the written examination coming up next week. 

"If there is an emergency in HQ, which of the following do you do? Find the nearest exit, make sure you're armed, panic, or listen to your trainer for further instructions...but wouldn't it be three of these?" 

I groaned, throwing my pencil down. There were 100 questions in this practice packet and I was already stuck on question 15. 

Ugh. I was going to have to ask for help. There was no way I was asking my big-headed brother though, so I got up from my desk and walked down the hall to my parents' room.

Right before I entered, I heard them talking.

"--don't see how he can be a real threat though," my mom was saying. "Jordan Keel may be Vice President, but he's not in control."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," my dad responded. "He wants control. And I don't blame him. Stanley just isn't doing his job."  

Stanley Keel, Jordan's father and the President of the Board, had always been a "questionable" President according to my father. From what I'd seen of President Keel, and it wasn't much since he never really left his penthouse office in HQ, he wasn't as respectable as his son. 

"You don't think he'll try and take the Presidency from him, do you?" Mom muttered, sounding fearful. 

I could picture Dad frowning in my head as he replied. "Yes. I told you that Jordan has wanted ELITE to replace the city police, and he can't make that change as Vice President. I've been hearing that he's been looking for the chance to take Stanley out...and for the chance to take total control of the city."

Wait. Jordan...taking out his own father? That couldn't be right. 

"They're only rumors, though...right? Or should we anticipate something serious happening? If so, you know what we have to do with the kids."

"I've already gotten the rings out of the safe at the office so they can't be discovered if anything does happen. I brought them home today. But I think they're still too young, especially Jamie."

I frowned. What rings were they talking about? 

"They'll figure it out themselves, Eric. There's no time for any proper training..."

Dad's voice rose, and I knew a fight was coming. "Kourtney, they don't know how to handle this kind of power! We can't just let them have the rings without--" 

I knocked on the door, and both of them fell silent. 

"Jamie." Both of them were frozen as I opened the door. 

"Dad, please help me. This question is confusing," I said, acting as if I hadn't heard a thing. They both relaxed. Dad sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him. "Come here," he responded, taking the packet from me, and we worked it out together while Mom began to get ready for bed. 

"See, answer B is assuming that you'll try and use the weapon you might have on you in case of emergency," he explained. "And I'm sure you know that you shouldn't just open fire on anyone. So answer choice D would be best."

"Okay. That makes sense." I nodded, turning to leave. "Thank you."

"Wait, Jamie."

Mom stood at her vanity, pulling out a small brown chest. The chest had our family crest on top, a white panther with golden fangs and two different colored eyes, one orange and one blue. Since our family was one of the original founding families of the ELITE corporation, the Morgan name was honored with a crest as our symbol.