Chapter 7

Jason watched the car drive away, disturbed. He still couldn't put his finger on it ... no, that wasn't right. He could. He just didn't want to. And he didn't have any proof.

Not yet, anyway.

But the way her father talked, the way she reacted to him, the fact that he hadn't wanted her to dress ... Jason's mind shied away from the thought, but he couldn't escape it.

He decided to go to the dojo; maybe his sensei would be there, and he could talk to him. Carefully, of course, making no accusations, but...

His old sensei had been big on not misusing the skills gained from practicing jujitsu, and he suspected that his new one was even more strict. But he was pretty sure that he wouldn't object if Jason 'accidentally' broke a few bones, if what he suspected was correct.

Unfortunately, when he got to the dojo his sensei wasn't there. To his surprise, however, Kylie's chemistry teacher was, going through solo katas. Jason watched him as he began his own katas, using perhaps a bit more force than strictly necessary.

The older man's movements were smooth and fast, but unpracticed and a bit unorthodox, as if he were trying to pick up a new form. He finished his workout and watched Jason for a minute, nodding approvingly.

"Good style," he said. "I'm trying to learn this one. Want a sparring partner for a bit?"

Jason nodded. "Sure."

They sparred in rather companionable silence for a few minutes, and Jason was kept on his toes; the older man was not as good at jujitsu as Jason, but his responses were unpredictable and incorporated moves Jason had never seen before.

After a fairly hard throw, he crouched down beside Jason on the mat. "Worked out enough of that aggression yet, or should we toss each other around some more?" he asked.

Jason rolled onto his back. "I think I'm okay now. Thanks."

"So. Want to talk about it?"

Jason hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't -- there's nothing I can prove. Just a bad feeling."

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Science can't explain everything. Human intuition is a particularly inexplicable thing, but no one would dare say it doesn't exist."

Jason nodded. "You know Kylie well?"

"One of the best students this school has ever seen. Brilliant girl, has an instinctive grasp of mathematics I would have killed for back in college." There was a touch of defensiveness to his tone.

Jason nodded again. "I can believe it. So what's she so scared of?"

Dr. Rourk frowned thoughtfully. "I went to school with her mother, you know."

"Really?"

He nodded slowly. "Really. Dohna was a beautiful woman. Amazingly talented artist, too. A touch reserved, but not afraid of anyone or anything."

"Kylie's certainly scared of something," Jason said.

"She hooked up with Jeb while we were all in college. I don't know the details, but a year after they were married, Kylie was born, and three months later, Dohna and the baby were on a plane to Tibet to live with Dohna's grandparents. Tibet is a different place. Quieter. Calmer than here. It's easy to forget that Kylie wasn't raised here. Her English is impeccable."

Jason nodded. "She said they refused to put her in Honors English because it's not her first language. That's bullshit." He blushed a bit. "Um, sorry."

"No, don't be," Rourk said. "It is bullshit. My wife agrees completely. I think they're just too intimidated to admit that this little slip of a girl speaks not only English fluently, but also Tibetan and Chinese. They can't speak three languages, so obviously she can't be that good at it."

"Would it help if my dad pushed for them to put her where she belongs?" Jason asked.

"Probably not," Rourk said. "Mandy's giving her the same course work she'd have in Honors, though, and the same tests and some other extra attention. When she is placed in the proper class next semester, she intends to show them the test grades and insist Kylie be credited with having taken the Honors course."

He looked at Jason oddly. "I wouldn't think you'd be all that concerned about it. My wife is under the impression that your opinion of Literature is as a nice sedative for your afternoon nap."

Jason shrugged. "She's a nice girl. And..." He hesitated, visibly struggling. "I think there's something wrong."

Dr. Rourk's face went blank. "Yes, I think it's obvious that something is wrong. But the question of what is wrong should be treated carefully."

Jason nodded. "Like I said, there's nothing I can prove. But..." He relaxed, deciding to go for broke. "I met her father this afternoon."

The man's face became even more unreadable. "I imagine he liked you. Jeb was always a big football fan. Went to college on an athletic scholarship."

"I think he did," Jason said. "At least, he liked me enough to let me put her clothes back on her so that I could write that report for your wife's class. He was in a hurry."

Rourk frowned ever so slightly. "He always was. Very impatient sort of man."

"He seemed awfully concerned about Kylie needing to 'loosen up'. Blamed her fear on her mother."

Dr. Rourk snorted, then looked slightly embarrassed before recovering. "Divorcees are often hostile to the other, particularly if it was a traumatic break. Dohna was never afraid of anyone or anything, and had no need whatsoever to 'loosen up'."

"I know that Kylie seems to be scared of certain people, mostly guys," Jason said.

Rourk nodded slowly. "Yes. That's obvious, too. It could just be her size. She is little enough to be intimidated by most guys. She didn't have any problems with her lab partner today." He frowned again. "Though by god I'm getting her a real cover-up for Wednesday. A hole in someone's clothes because something splashed outside the apron is one thing, a hole in their skin is another. If the Program managers don't like it they can take it up with me."