by Beth Hoyer
which he added “You should add some coverage for your legs along with coverage for your chest then you’ll be fine for the dance.”
He saw her dart out as he stood with arms folded eyes aimed at the doorway as she came back wearing colored tights underneath her dress ending at her ankles which he figured were leggings while wearing some sneaker like shoe including a tank top underneath the dress covering her cleavage and a long sleeve opened sweater with buttons. Jinks nodded his head forming approval in his face.
Victoria spoke “I have to attend to my hair and make up.”
He quickly followed her to her room speaking her name halting her progress as she turned around to face him.
He spoke “you better show me how you decorated your face with make up for my approval.”
He saw Victoria frown as he gave her a serious expression on his face as he followed her to her room which he stood in the hallway waiting for his daughter to come out. His patience was rewarded when Victoria came out with her face having makes up on it which he saw was too much to his standards.
Jinks spoke “It’s too much for your face just wear something for your eyes.”
He saw her face fell which he gave her a glare while adding “You’re not going looking like that period.”
He glared at Victoria who walked into her bedroom gently closing the door behind her. Jinks waited as Victoria came out with her face no longer having make up on but noticed some of it on her eyelashes.
He spoke “I approve. I like to know how your plan to fix your hair.”
He frowned as she spoke “I plan to fix it up in braids which I better get started on doing it for it’ll take awhile to fix my hair in that style.”
He watched her walk into her room gently closing the door behind her. Jinks wandered to the dining room to sit with arms folded leaning against the chair lost in thought.
He heard “Excuse me!”
Jinks broke his reverie to look up at Gustav standing on his left who spoke “It’s dinnertime and I’ll inform Victoria.”
He nodded his head and sat as the butler walked out of sight. He eyed the kitchen doors seeing them open as Jacqueline arrived with a tray smelling of food which she placed on the table in front of an empty chair and took an extra cup appearing to be filled with strawberry milkshake from it to set in front of him before stepping back to give him her familiar look. He felt confusion hitting him wondering why he was fed more food than normal. His thoughts were interrupted by Victoria entering the room wearing her hair pulled back in double braids starting on the sides of her head.
Jinks spoke as she reached the table to sit down “You look fine for the dance.”
He saw her nod her head as she sat down and began eating the food in front of her as he drank his nourishment drink.
He once finished spoke noticing the butler in his eyes sight “What time I’m expected at the school?”
Gustav spoke “It’ll be best for you to arrive early so the other chaperones can talk to you on who and what to look out for in keeping the peace among the other students. I suggest you leave now just to make time for traffic due to the time of the night it happens.”
Jinks spoke to Victoria “I’ll see you at the school dance.”
He heard her speak as he got up putting the empty cup on the table “See you later Dad.”
He walked out of the dining room taking a route to the garage room to spot a driver standing in front of a sedan which he got in and was driven to the school. He arrived to the familiar office to find a security guy there who looked shocked seeing him.
Jinks spoke “Where’s the location to the gym room? I’ve been asked to help chaperone the dance.”
He heard the guy’s shocked tone as the man spoke “I’ll lead you there.”
He wordlessly followed the man to the gym room which the guy left him. Once inside he saw Lisa and another woman both dressed in jeans with sweater like tops who seeing him looked shocked.
He frowned wondering to himself “What’s with the people’s shocked reactions?”
He reached the women to speak “I’m here to be briefed on who and what to look out for when keeping the peace.”
He saw Lisa shake her head speaking “this is Jinks Montreal, Victoria’s father.”
He frowned seeing the woman’s eyes become bugged as Lisa added “This is Susanna Israel.”
He offered his hand which Mrs. Israel gripped with nervousness coming from her. He listened as both women tell him on what to do to keep the peace as the DJ arrived with men hauling in equipment setting it up. He listened to the DJ testing his music as the women finished talking. He went to a bleacher bench watching the room as students started arriving who appeared to not notice him even when the gym room became full of students appearing to be dancing to the music and chatting among each other. Jinks felt a compulsion to look at the entrance to spot Victoria enter the room with a male he stiffened recognizing him as the teenage boy Builder that tried to shoot him with a gun. He watched his daughter as if drawn join the crowd to dance. He followed her movements till she went out of sight as if sensing him staring at her. He saw the student abruptly form a circle in the middle during a break from the music not playing and heard a gunshot like sound followed by multiple gasps sounds. Jinks darted up running towards the circle to break through which he found Victoria lying on the floor on her stomach eyes open with a stain on her back appearing to be on her right side and a male a student from the looks of him was standing over her holding a handgun with a smirking look on his face. He felt rage composed himself to remain calm while staring at the boy who looked at him which he allowed the Master through to fist his hands with a glare on his face. Jinks saw the boy’s smirking look go away with fear in his face that drop the gun and dart away as he found himself rooted to the spot. He saw the teenage boy escorting Victoria tackle the shooter boy on the back knocking him to the floor and quickly get on the shooter boy’s back holding him down.
He heard the teenage boy yell “Burke you’re an idiot for throwing your life away! You’ll pay dearly for shooting Victoria for her father is a billionaire will use his money to make sure you suffer hell for shooting his daughter!”
He turned his attention towards Victoria to sense she’s still alive but fighting to keep her will to live active. He stood staring at her as paramedics arrive examining her and lifting her up onto a stretcher and take her out of the room with him following as in a trance. He followed them out to the ambulance parked in the street which he stood on the sidewalk watching them load Victoria into it and the ambulance drive away. He stood staring at the cars driving by that appear to not notice him and felt his senses blare a warning ignored the feeling till a hand touched him on the arm breaking him of the trance. Jinks willed the Master away unclenching his hands to look on his left to see the hand’s owner was the teenage boy who stared at him with recognition in his eyes.
He frowned as the teenage boy spoke “My name is Mavis Petersen. I left Victoria to go get a drink of water from the water fountain and heard the gun shot sound and went to investigate. I saw Burke Billbug holding the gun and looking at you with a fear look and saw why which the idiot took off. I ran after Burke to hold him till the cops arrived to arrest him. I recognized you from you staring at Victoria during the dance and figured out that you were her father from her mentioning you to me.”
Jinks kept his mouth shut as Mavis removed his hand while continuing to speak “I heard nothing said in school about there being a shooting happening and don’t know why Burke targeted Victoria but I suspect it was gang related. There’s a rumor said in school that some gang have members initiated by shooting people which I heard Burke was being recruited by the gang from eavesdropping on students’ talk.”
He again kept his mouth shut as Mavis paused to frown before speaking “You better get going to the hospital to hear news on how Victoria is doing and let them know that you’re aware of what happened to her.”
He nodded his head
giving off a short bob before walking away into the school followed by Mavis through hallways while seeing groups of students gathered there that became silent seeing him as he walked by them. Jinks went out to the parking lot to see a police cruiser there with the shooter boy Burke Billbug he assumed inside looking freaked out by the look on his face seeing him as the cops are standing nearby talking to students while writing notes in notebooks. He raised a fist toward Burke while forming a glare on his face and saw the boy appear to flinch from the gesture. He walked away towards his sedan where the driver was standing in front of it. As he traveled towards the sedan he felt himself filmed and heard his name called sounding from a female voice. He looked at his left to see a news reporter with a cameraman heading towards him by their jogging. Jinks quickly speeded up his walking to reach the car as the news crew reached him.
He frowned as the news reporter began saying “I’m asking him questions about being not Human despite looking like one along with what special abilities he has to make him like that.”
He in response ignored the news crew to dart inside the car and sensed the driver dart into the car by the door slamming noises followed by the car starting and peeling fast out of the parking lot. Jinks looked out the window as an image of Victoria lying shot flashed in his mind. He fell asleep leaning back