Summary and disclaimer in part 1. Brief Author's Notes: Like I've said earlier, this isn't the final draft of the story, so if there's something that you might have liked to see happen in the story or a part of the story that you would like to see changed, feel free to e-mail me and tell me about it. I would gladly consider your suggestions and try to incorporate them into the story if I can.

On with the show ^_^

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The sun had barely begun to rise above the nearby treetops when Ms. Parker headed out of her room. The sky was still an inky black, covering her room in darkness and causing her to run into the rattan nightstand just as she reached for the door.

"Shit," she swore, her hand running over her bruised toes to make sure she didn't get any wounds that might hinder her later on. Satisfied that it was more or less okay, she poked her head out the door and looked both ways.

Stark white walls that seemed to go on forever faced Ms. Parker. Only the soft pools of light dotting the hallway here and there made it seem inviting and safe, though she knew damn well that it was nothing more than an illusion.

She could hear the pounding of her heart clearly in the eerily silent hall. She couldn't help but take another look around as she slithered towards the elevator, a sigh of relief escaping through parted lips as her quick once-over revealed only a cart she remembered seeing a maid abandon the night before.

She looked up as the grinding noise of the elevator shuddering to a halt informed her of its arrival. She felt the hairs at the back of her neck raise as the doors slowly parted but ignored it; there was such a thing as being too careful.

"Finally," Ms. Parker muttered as she stepped in-and came face to face with the person she'd been trying to evade.

"I had a feeling you'd try to avoid me by leaving early," Jarod commented with a wry smile as the door behind her shut close, effectively trapping her in the enclosed space with him.

"How did you figure out it was me?"

"Who else would be using the elevators at 5:30 in the morning?"

Ms. Parker silently cursed at herself for being so obvious; she should have known that Wonder Boy would eschew his chance for rest just so he could annoy her. Even if she hadn't been acting like a character in a bad spy movie, she wouldn't put it past him to stand outside her door and wait for her to come out.

"So what do you plan for us to do now?" she asked him as they stepped out of the elevator and headed for the main doors.

He put on his most innocent expression as he asked, "How would I know? I figured I'd just tag along, this being your vacation and all. I wouldn't want to intrude."

Ms. Parker bit the retort at the edge of her tongue, not in the mood to get into another pointless argument so early in the morning. She found herself wishing for a cigarette and began to search her hand bag for one.

"Looking for this?" Jarod asked, dangling her pack just out of her reach.

"Whatever happened to not wanting to intrude?!"

He had the nerve to frown at her disapprovingly, like a father who've just caught his little girl sneaking in after curfew. "I wasn't looking forward to breathing in cigarette smoke for the rest of your vacation; besides, these things will kill you."

"This coming from a man whose going to die at an early age from a heart attack," she countered, staring pointedly at the pack of greasy donuts under his arm.

"At least my habit doesn't endanger anybody else's health."

"Well my habit wouldn't be endangering yours, either, if you just go away!"

Her yelling caught the attention of the police man out on patrol, and he walked up to them and asked in heavily accented English, "Is this man giving you any trouble?"

"I'm sorry for the noise, officer," Jarod answered before Ms. Parker could open her mouth. "I'm afraid my wife is just a little grumpy after being woken up so early."

She took the unexpected distraction as an opportunity for escape. She was halfway down the block before Jarod even realized that she was gone.

"Hey!" he yelled, moving away from the police officer as he begun to give chase.

Ms. Parker didn't bother to turn around. She ran towards the bus at the end of the block and got on it just as it was about to depart.

She hurriedly paid the driver and took a seat. She waited until they began to move before she looked back, pleased to see a frustrated looking Jarod standing at the curb as he was left behind in the dust.

******

Two hours passed before Ms. Parker got off the bus. Hot, humid air greeted her as she walked on the outskirts of a small village, a sharp contrast to the cool air-conditioned seat she'd recently vacated.

She decided to follow the large group of smiling people walking on the dirt road, looking on with heightened interest at the group of teenage girls walking ahead of her. Each one wore a colorful dress, perfectly complemented by the garland of red and yellow flowers on her hair. Their hips swung in unison to the soft strains of music coming from the end of the road.

Ms. Parker felt like she'd landed on another planet instead of another country as she stepped inside the village; Primitive houses no larger than her hotel room lined both side of the road, their thatched roofs swaying slightly from the breeze.

The main street was even more surreal. Booths selling woven hats and baskets stood right next to ones selling cheap electronics.

Ms. Parker walked farther down the dirt road and ended up in front of the heavily decorated Catholic church at the center of town. Crepe paper hung beneath the stained glass windows, but unlike the hotel's sedate choice of colors, these were a festive shade of red and yellow.

She looked up and read the crude banner above the heavy wooden doors informing her that the town was celebrating its patron saint's birthday. She vaguely remembered reading about them in college and smiled at her luck.

There was bound to be a lot of people in town today, making Jarod's task comparable to looking for a needle in a haystack. She didn't have to worry too much with blending in when she was going to be surrounded by hundreds of tourists.

For the first time since she'd bumped into Jarod, Ms. Parker felt herself beginning to relax again. There really was nothing like being surrounded by good food, good music, and good looking men that held the promise of being neither taken nor gay to raise one's spirit.

She bought some pastilitos from a nearby booth and took out her cell phone to give the Centre another try.

"I'm sorry. The number you have dialed is not in service. Please."

Ms. Parker hung up, but this time with less force than before. She really wasn't worried about reaching the Centre at the moment. After all, she had all day.

******

Ms. Parker was buying more pastilitos when her phone rang. She picked it up, praying it was her father. "What?"

"Nice to hear from you again, Ms. Parker."

"What happened, Jarod?" she asked smugly. "Having trouble finding me?"

"Nothing of the sort," he answered, voice equally smug. "I know exactly where you are."

Ms. Parker craned her neck but caught no sight of the errant pretender. "That's impossible."

His voice sounded even smugger than before as he said, "Anything is possible with a good tracking device."

Ms. Parker stared at her phone in disbelief. She turned it off, ending Jarod's prattling in mid-sentence. She tried pulling the black, plastic casing apart, and when that proved too difficult, she placed it on the ground and smashed it violently with her heel.

She found the tracking device near the ear piece. It was the size of a dime, with wires going this way and that. It's red light blinked up at her and she dropped it again and stepped on it. So much for that.

Ms. Parker felt Jarod's presence before she saw him. She turned around and found herself face to face with him for the second time that day. "You know, I'm really getting sick of seeing your face."

He followed her as she began walking in the opposite direction, easily matching her step for step. "Well now you know how I feel."

"Is that what this is about?" she asked, looking back up at him again. "You're following me around to show me what it's like to be you? I hate to tell you this, but you're not winning my sympathy."

"No. As fun as it is to become the predator in our little game for once, that's not why I'm doing this."

"Then why?"

Jarod shrugged and looked away. "Maybe I just like being around you."

"If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

He grabbed her arm, effectively bringing her to a halt. She tried to wrench it away, but he just tightened his grip. "Why do you find it so hard to believe that someone might actually like you for who you are?"

"I don't find it hard to believe. Just not from you."

"I don't understand."

"You're the genius; figure it out." With that, Ms. Parker again took advantage of his distracted state and pried her arm from his vice-like grip.

"But we were friends!" he yelled out at her retreating form.

Ms. Parker turned around, hands clenched into fists as she glowered up at him. "Get this through your thick skull. We. Were. Not. Friends. Friends don't leave each other without a word. They don't keep their friends up to worry if they're all right or if they're out lying on some ditch.." Her voice trailed off as the lump in her throat grew with each word. It was just as well; she'd already said too much. She turned back and began to walk towards the less crowded beach.

"Ms. Parker, wait!"

She began to run at the sound of his voice. Anywhere had to be better than here with him.

End Part 2