Jane looked over at the young woman walking beside her. She was absolutely sure it was Tim Brant, her son's friend. But it was still hard to imagine that a boy could become a woman. Wouldn't she be surprised to know that both her sons shared the same fate?
She quickened her pace and so did Tim. But not because she was in a hurry to find Jon (although that was one of the reasons). She wanted to get out of these clothes and into something normal. Because as it was, she looked like a hooker. And so did Tim.
As they approached the house, however, they slowed. Across the street, they saw a black car with two people sitting inside. Jane wasn't sure, but she thought she saw one of them holding up binoculars ... towards her house.
Were they watching her house? Why?
Jane and Tim stopped where they were and watched as a woman, a girl, and a boy in a black dress walked down to the car from behind a cluster of bushes.
At first there was talking, but eventually there was yelling.
"What are you looking at?" a girl's voice suddenly asked, from behind them.
Jane and Tim turned around and saw a teenage girl with a dark complexion and black curly hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She was also wearing a cheerleader outfit, although a dirty and mud-stained one.
"Who are you?" Tim asked. "Wait. Aren't you Janelle Carter?"
"I know this might be hard to believe, but I'm actually a boy. My name is Mikey Madison and live right over there," the girl said, pointing at Jane's house.
"Mikey?" Jane asked, both shocked that her son was in this girl's body and relieved that she had been reunited with him.
"Do I know you?" the cheerleader girl asked.
"It's me. Your mom."
"Mom?" the girl asked. "Who ... who did you switch with?"
Jane was about to answer, when suddenly there was a loud gunshot. All three of them turned and saw the two people in the car struggling with the conservatively-dressed woman. The back window of the car was splintered. The bullet didn't seem to hit anyone. But why was there a gun in the first place? Who were those people?
Agent Folmer put the case back in the backseat, then relaxed. He had another hour of protection. He turned to Agent Willis to say something, but before he could, his cellphone rang.
"Who is it?" Willis asked.
Folmer looked down at the ID. "It's Kendall." He brought the phone up to his ear and answered it.
"This is Kendall," the voice said on the phone. "She's not here. Make sure you keep an eye on the house." Then he hung up. The man was definitely not for long conversations.
"What does he want?" Willis asked.
"He says the target isn't at the club. He wants us to stay here and watch the house. Maybe the mother will come back."
Willis brought the binoculars back up to his eyes and took another look at the house. "Ever think we could be doing something more important right now than watching an empty house?"
"Don't let Kendall hear you talk like that. The guy runs like a well-oiled machine, but only when people like us are doing what he tells us to do."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the window. Folmer turned and saw a conservatively-dressed woman looking into the car.
Willis put down the binoculars. "What does she want?"
"I don't know," Folmer said. He rolled down the window and turned towards her. "Miss, we're on police business. I'm asking you ..." He noticed two more people nearby, standing behind her. "... and your friends ... to leave this place immediately."
"You're not the police," the woman said.
"Excuse me?" Folmer asked.
"You're watching the Madison house. Why?"
"Lady, are you going to get out of here or what?"
"I'm not moving from this spot until you tell me why you're looking for Jane Madison."
Folmer and Willis exchanged glances, then Folmer turned back to the woman. "Do you know Jane Madison?"
"Yes, actually. Or rather, I know her daughter."
"Is that so?" Folmer said, in a humoring tone of voice.
"Yes," she snapped, apparently getting fed up. "Now why are you watching her house?! And who is this Kendall person?!"
Folmer and Willis exchanged glances again, but this time their expressions were different. This woman was definitely more trouble than she appeared to be. If she knew about Kendall, then she was going to be a problem they couldn't afford to let go. Folmer reached for his gun, as Willis did the same.
"Well?" the woman asked.
Folmer and Willis exchanged glances just one more time, then pulled their weapons. Apparently, the woman knew what they were doing and reached into the car to stop them. Willis was so surprised by the actions of the woman that his gun went off early, shattering the back window.
"Get your fucking hands off of me!" Folmer yelled, trying to struggle free from the woman's grasp.
Agent Willis was about to shoot the woman, when suddenly he became so sleepy. He turned to his right and saw a conservatively-dressed teenage girl standing right outside his door. She was mumbling something incomprehensible. Then he lost consciousness.
And then shortly later, the same happened to Agent Folmer.
