Parsons

Chapter One

Jeremy Parsons was a spoiled brat, and he knew it very well. He rather enjoyed it, but in a guilty sort of way, similar to how you enjoy the last bite of the chocolate bar you know your sister wanted.

Besides being a spoiled brat, he was also under surveillance most of the time, both from favorable and non-favorable sources. Being the smartest boy in the 8th grade, exceptionally handsome (he thought), and the son of a famous politician, Jeremy Parsons' life was perpetually in danger. In fact, he'd already had three attempted kidnappings/assassinations this year.

Granted, one was from rolly polly Suzy Keeson who had been so fascinated by Jeremy's hair that she almost crushed him by accident. Suzy was very remorseful, however, and blabbered on about a story where she had a similar bout of fascination and love for a small butterfly, and that butterfly had met a much more morbid end than Jeremy.

The second kidnapping attempt was when football player Joe Simmons hid in the backseat of Jeremy's luxury car and waited until he came out to try and jump him. Unfortunately, Joe, being a football player, had recently received a crushing blow to the head. As a result, he forgot that Jeremy was also in the 8th grade and could not drive. He was then discovered by Jeremy's personal chauffeur.

It was the third attempt, however, that kept Jeremy awake at nights. It was this attempt that had prompted his parents to hire him a bodyguard from the top agency in America, the most wanted and sought after. It was also this attempt that got Jeremy a puppy to snuggle with at night. He figured he had outgrown his blankie, so he needed a watchdog. He named him Beans, because he smelled like that's all he ate. He loved Beans. The dog, not the plant.

"Mother, when will the bodyguard be arriving?" Jeremy whined. He always seemed to whine; even when he wasn't trying to get something he wanted. It was like his voice was stuck on "whine" mode.

"Soon, darling. I'll call and see if they can speed it up a bit," Mrs. Parsons was not one to be underestimated. She wasn't a limp fish sort of person, but when it came to Jeremy she was all but a lost cause. Anything he asked for, she personally saw he received. She punched a few buttons on her phone and put it up to her ear.

"Where are you? Put the pedal to the metal. Jeremy has been waiting for several minutes now. Run that red light if you must! I'm married to a politician, I have strings I can pull." She punched the 'end call' button on her phone and walked to the window.

"They're here, dear!" She sang out to Jeremy.

Jeremy raised his head from his phone, where he had been attentively editing a video he'd just made of Beans. It was a fast-motion video of Beans licking his nose three times in a row. Suddenly, he didn't know if he wanted to meet this bodyguard. He didn't know what to expect, and Jeremy Parsons always knew what to expect, because he asked for something and got that something. There's not much room for unpredictability when you rule your corner of the world.

He heard the door open from down the long foyer hallway.

"Hello. Do I need to make a phone call to the police for you?" His mother asked, presumably about the potential red-light run.

"No, ma'am, we made it here both on time and legally." Came the rather wry voice of a man. It was also a deep voice. Like the man speaking was very big and strong.

Jeremy took a deep breath and sank back onto the couch. Beans jumped up beside him and licked his cheek. Finally, he could actually live normally without fear of assassination attempts.

"And here he is, my son, Jeremy!" His mother always ended sentences about Jeremy by proclaiming his name loudly, with an exclamation mark. Sentences like "He's just the sweetest little boy I know, my Jeremy!" and "You know who gets the best grades in his class? My son, Jeremy!" and "We don't even campaign for his father anymore, we just send our son door to door. Who could resist that little face? You're such a handsome fellow, Jeremy!" He rather tired of hearing his name over and over, but he hadn't yet tired of the attention. When he had, his mother had promised him another puppy.

Jeremy Parsons flicked his gaze noncommittally to the three - three? - people who had just entered the room. His mother stood, tall, graceful, and politically correct in the center, arms on the backs of the people on either side. On her left stood the owner of the deep voice. He was indeed a very tall, very strong man; bald, still wearing sunglasses, dressed in black. Ah, he must be the bodyguard. But who was the one on his mother's right? A small - very small - girl. Spiky ponytail, dirty sneakers. T-shirt with a cat on it. Looked to be about his same age. She looked straight back at him and smiled.

"Jeremy, dear," his mother said, smiling uncertainly. His mother never smiled uncertainly. "This is May Jenkins. She's your new bodyguard!"

Jeremy was silent.

He looked from his mother, back to this May Jenkins, back to his mother.

This was his bodyguard?

He was going to die.