As they were just sitting down to first hour home room, the principal called over the PA, “Attention students, attention students, will Miss Margaret Cooper please come to my office? Margaret Cooper, please come to my office.”
Ep 7, Chapter 7
“What's the big idea calling me out over the PA?!” Margaret came storming into Mr. Ellis's office, “Whoa!” she pulled back short as she saw a totally unexpected person in the room.
“You and me,” Anna said, “we both in big trouble now.” as she sat in one of the chairs before the principal's desk, not looking back.
“You?” she began, “You mean for letting me corrupt their daughter's purity?” she asked in a scoffing tone.
“Did you?” she looked back without turning her head.
“Hell no!” Marge shouted, “I'm a virgin too dammit!” then in a softer but morose tone she said, “I really love Bunny. I would die before I let anything bad happen to her. Especially from my self.”
“I got night vision cameras in all rooms that house you know...”
Margaret suddenly realized what that meant, but other than swallowing hard, she did not react the way one might have expected, instead, she said, “So then you of all people know the truth.”
“You are very solid woman Miss Cooper.” she said, “You not shaken. I like that.”
“So why are you here?” Margaret asked, and why is the principal involved.
“I think you're a basically good kid too Margaret,” Mr. Elliot replied, “I know you are rough in your style, and wild in your actions, but you have a good heart.
“I got notice that one of my best most reliable and most prized students took sick, and I knew she was a friend of yours, so I thought I would see if you might have any idea how to help.”
“I'm not a doctor – WAIT!” You mean... “BUNNY?!” she suddenly looked somewhat sick herself.
“Anna came with this letter from her parents saying she was not acting right she suddenly and mysteriously stopped eating, talking, moving or anything. They are going to have their doctor examine her.”
“Whoa...” Margaret came and reaching for the empty chair slumped into it, resting her head in the palms of her hands, “This is too much.”
Ep 7, Chapter 8
“Mr. and Mrs. Shunokoi,” the physician said, “I've seen cases like this before,” as he rose up and took the EEG wires off of Jacqueline's motionless head, “She has gone into a type of catatonic shock.”
Yui Shunokoi gasped, Yan sank to the kotatsu trembling.
“Its possible she will come out on her own,” he said, “But its impossible to know how long it will last.”
“What brought it on?” Yui asked.
“Something dreadful, terrifying, shocking,” he shrugged, “With her extremely delicate system and severely underdeveloped brain, it could be practically anything.”
“Even telling her she could not do something?” she asked timidly.
“That depends,” he replied, “Some things the mind will latch on to, others it will let slide by.” he continued to pack up his gear, “I'll have the ambulance deliver her to the company infirmary where she can be close to you two.”
Suddenly Yan, in his shrill voice began to chuckle, shaking his head looking at the floor.
“What's so funny?” Yui suddenly demanded, shocked at the reaction.
Looking up mascara streaked with tears in his eyes he said weakly, “This will be the most time we will have ever spent with our child since we've been here.”
Episode 8
“The Politics Of An Unhappy Family”
Starting that night, Anna slept on Marge's couch.
She cleaned the entire apartment from end to end and began installing surveillance equipment in every possible nook and cranny.
Despite the protests of the tenant, she assured her there would be no violations of her privacy.
“I don't want you filming me naked and shit then selling it on the internet or trying to blackmail me with it.” Margaret declared.
“I am only putting in safety measures.” she said, “Its a marvel you haven't been robbed already.”
“This is a very secure complex I'll have you know!”
“Pffffftt!” the Russian woman smirked, pulling a small chip out from under the edge of the couch, “I've been in this place eight times since you first came to the Shunokoi residence and have recorded conversations of everything you ever said here.”
Then she pulled another out of her purse, “And this was from your silly little pink car downstairs,” and flipped Margaret another chip, “I have watched every single moment you have been on this planet since that time.”
Margaret had a very sad, defeated look, laid the chips down on her computer desk, put her face in her hands and sobbed.
“Hey!” Anna barked, “Buck up you little girl you!” reaching over and shoving the top of Marge's head back, “This is no time to cry! I am on your side!” then shaking her head, “You weak Americans! Puh!” and she got up, walked to the fridge.
“You all act like big sissies.” she reached in, grabbed a bottle and threw it at Marge who barely noticed in time.
“Whoa!” she cried out reflexively catching the alcohol laden projectile, “Watch it!”
“Hahah!” she laughed, “Suddenly you come awake when it is BEER!” she mocked in her husky voice, “You big SISSY, you care more for stupid bottle than lovely rabbit girlfriend.”
“HEY!” she stood and shouted, then sank back down, setting the bottle on the computer desk, “Maybe you're right.”
Ep 8, Chapter 2
Jacqueline lay on a bed with all the monitors hooked up to her, laying there motionless except for an occasional autonomic blink of her eyes.
All of her vitals were normal.
They had a glucose drip in her arm, and she lay there breathing steadily, but not moving in any other ways.
Somewhere inside, however, her mind was working.
Terrible, dark, black, shadowy images swirled around inside.
There were walls of dark shadowy hardness she could not see through or explain.
Sheer terror and grief fought for mastery or her being.
She would not.
She could not.
She was trapped.
She heard distant echoing voices speaking indistinctly about something in some unknown language.
Nothing made any sense.
Why wouldn't it make any sense?
What was the point?
Why be alive?
What was the purpose?
She was trapped and she could see no way out.
Crying was pointless.
Telling people you were unhappy and miserable was fruitless.
It was a big loud blurry scary dangerous world out there that hated her and controlled her, telling her all the things she could NOT do and not caring one whit what she COULD do or what she WANTED to do, or be, or see, or feel, or touch...or love...
Nothing helped.
Nothing worked.
Nothing mattered.
Why try?
Why bother?
Why even exist?
Slowly, Jacqueline Shunokoi's heart rate began to slow.
As her vitals started falling off, several alarms on the monitor went off.
People rushed in and began administering CPR and gave her an injection of adrenaline.
Still, despite their beast efforts, the doctor could tell she was plummeting towards eternal blackness.
He knew that Jacqueline WANTED to die.
Ep 8, Chapter 3
“If she dies you are fired and I will see to it you go to jail!” Yui screamed hysterically at the doctor through her mini ear phone set.
“A team of experts have been flown in from the Air Force rescue team,” he replied, “Its in their hands now.”
“They damn well better make this right and right now!” she screamed looking as if she were screaming at nobody.
The people in
the hallway wore the com links themselves so they were used to it.
“They will do the best they can ma'am,” he said.
“I SWEAR you can't protect children ENOUGH any more!” she screamed as she snapped her cell bud off.
Suddenly, even while she was angrily striding down the hallway, data pad in hand, she doubled over losing her data-pad, clutching her chest over wailing in pain.
Several techs and guards dashed to her side and they radioed for a stretcher.
Ep 8, Chapter 4
“I don't CARE what she told you!” Yan trilled frantically, “Just name your price and I'll have your next month's pay here when you arrive!” the terrified father and husband promised, “Just get that young woman here right away and stay with us from now on!” the voice came out loud and clear on the speaker.
“Will do Mr. Shunokoi,” the Russian woman acknowledged, “make sure she has security clearance as well, or there will be delays at the front gate.” then thinking it over, she added, “And give us a police escort.”
“Okay Miss Cooper,” she said, turning to the pale faced rock star, “Time to show me what that silly pink car of yours is made for.”
Ep 8, Chapter 5
The 2024 Corvette Stingray tore down the Ventura Freeway from Coldwater Canyon Avenue heading toward the 405 south, and from there, they met their police escort, four state troopers had the privilege of escorting them, two before and two after.
“Damn these cop cars are so slow!” Margaret cried in anguish, “Can't they go any faster?”
“There are practical safety considerations they must attend to.” Anna replied calmly as the wind whipped small pieces of loose hair around her face, “One hundred and forty miles per hour should suffice...” she offered, “I hope.”
“Damn!” Margaret cried as she saw the sunset Blvd ramps coming up, “I'm gonna pass these snails! They'll just have to give me a ticket when Bunny is safe!” and before Anna could say anything to object, she flipped a switch marked 'blower' and floored the car. There was an instant whining sound from under the hood as the blower clutch engaged, and with all four tires smoking she pulled out on the exit ramp just long enough to whip past the two leading police escort vehicles and jettison down the shoulder at 223 MPH.
The police cars were lost in the distance in seconds.
“Hoooo SHIT you gots the balls girl!” Anna declared brusquely while grabbing the door handle tightly.
They streaked down beside traffic every so often having to swerve to dodge cars either merging or exiting the main stream of traffic.
“My other passion is racing.” Margaret said with the calm in her voice that indicated both experience and insanity.
As the 'vette screamed along the shoulder, two times she illegally used the LADOT bus ramps but the third time had to abort because a bus suddenly pulled into it, and she rode hard over some roadside landscaping, sending small shrubs to oblivion.
“There goes the paint job,” she muttered under her breath.
The police had radioed ahead and made LADOT road trucks clear the entire right lane in anticipation of their egress.
“I wonder if a helicopter might have been a betterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!” Anna said as they barely avoided rear ending one of those same trucks which helped for a while, but were soon overtaken.
“Relax,” her driver said, “I do this shit all the time.”
Finally they slowed down and took the Slauson Avenue / Marina Parkway exit, rounding the ramp on squalling tires.
As they slowed down further, Margaret bullied her way onto the street in a right hand turn from the far left lane, where she then dodged through to make another right hand turn on two squalling tires from Slauson to Bristol Parkway.
As a red light came up on Fox Hills Drive, she barely slid past a delivery truck and slid sideways for eighty feet before righting the car to the line of the road.
“This all wheel drive something else, huh?”Anna said with a slight tremor in her voice.
“It gets me there.” Marge replied casually while down shifting to pull into the gated safety barrier of the Los Angeles branch of the Shunokoi Aerospace Corporation.
She flipped off the blower which spooled down as the gate opened, and some guards were motioning her as if they were on a flight strip.
“Like a landing crew.” she marveled at the guards.
“This fits,” Anna said, “Because you sure drive like you are in aeroplane.”
Ep 8, Chapter 6
Margaret pressed the quick release button on her five point racing harness, leapt out and ran after the guards.
There were bells and lights flashing all around, and as they went into the building everybody was either backs against the wall to let her past, or peering timidly out from lab doors and windows.
Finally they came to the medical ward where the team of doctors from the Air Force where trying to keep Jacqueline alive.
“Bunny!” Margaret cried out, the team pulling back to see if this would work, although dubious at this stage in the crisis, “Bunnybunnybunny don't leave me!” and as she fell over the motionless child who was officially not breathing, she did the only thing she could think of, and she sang softly into Jacqueline's ear as her tears fell upon Jacqueline's face.
Nearly every time I see you
I fall in love with you again
I have to keep on telling
My heart you're just a friend
Nearly every time I'm near you
I want to hold you in my arms
I tell my heart to not look
At your tender eye so warm
Nearly every body know it
Nearly every one in town
They all talk about me
And they say I am your clown
But if they ever saw how dearly
That you treat me with respect
There's no guile in your intentions
Its just that you could not suspect
That I hold these feelings for you
And I long within my heart
That I truly do adore you
And I have right, from the start
Many nights I long to tell you
Many nights I couldn't speak
Many times I tried for courage
My fears they make me weak
Nearly every time I see you
I fall in love with you again
I have to keep on telling
My heart you're just a friend
Nearly every time I'm near you
I want to hold you in my arms
I tell my heart to not look
At your tender eye so warm
Nearly every body know it
Nearly every one in town
They all talk about me
And they say I am your clown
And the days they pass too quickly
And the time goes by too fast
Time it is a trickster
And this life it can not last
Someday surely you will find love
And some day you're sure to go
Oh this will not last forever
And this pain I'll surely know
When I walk alone and empty
When I walk alone and cry
Without your warm heart near me
It just makes me want to die
Nearly every time I see you
I fall in love with you again
I have to keep on telling,
My heart you're just a friend
Nearly every time I'm near you
I want to hold you in my arms
I tell my heart to not look
At your tender eye so warm
Nearly every body knows it
Nearly every one in town
They all talk about me
And they say I am your clown
I know a girl
She's shy as she can be
I'd give to her the world
If I could set her free
She means the world
and more
To my heart and to my soul
She came to me before
I ever learned the word control
Yes I love her
I want to make her mine
I feel there is no reason
That she should wish to decline
Bunny Love ( Songs of Love Book 1) Page 7