Using supplementary reading to teach Composition (Part 2)
At Home With The Henderson’s “I don’t get it really, why would a person take a teenager?” That was my brother, Shane asking me that question. He was always very good at “figuring” out things we didn’t know.
“Shae, if we knew we would probably tell you.” That is what I would always tell him after he asked that question. Just then Jez and Luke (my uncle) came in. He had come with information on the case. We were trying to solve the case of the missing girl and trust me it’s not easy undertaking detective work. That’s right I am a teenager and a detective for the FID (Federal Investigation Department).
“Okay, the girl’s name is Lizzie Samela and she learnt...” “...at Ridgeway High School,” Jez said finishing off Luke’s sentence. It was sort of what they did. Luke would say something then Jez would interrupt. I took a cracker and stuffed it into my mouth.
“Hmmm…This is something weird… why would the snatcher take the girl away then not try to cover it up?” Shane asked again.
“Well, I think it was a mistake. Probably the parents said it or some other person who noticed that Lizzie wasn’t coming to school. She is also probably dead or is going to die very soon,” I said.
Just then Chief came in with more news about the case. “We need to act fast, this girl may be in danger, and she could be dead or about to die. So we need someone to go undercover,” he said.
“Yes! I knew she was going to die…if she’s not dead already!” I shouted out. The people in the office looked at me like I was crazy and what I had said seemed a bit of a crazy statement itself.
“I meant that I thought it, not that I’m happy for her to die... Even though she just might,” I said trying to cover up what I had said.
“Thank you Ronnie for pointing out that she will die. Anyway, we need to act fast by sending someone undercover at Ridgeway High to see if anything else fishy happens,” Chief said. People turned their heads and looked at Shane and me. I began to object as soon as I got the hint.
“No, Jez could go as a teacher,” I suggested.
“Really, Jez would freak the children out.” Glen said walking into the room. Glen had a very valid point; Jez was not the most normal person. Shane and I finally gave in after a lot of persuasion.
We went into Kerrie’s (the girl who handles all outfits for all under cover cases) office. When we got there we saw two maroon uniforms there, one was for a girl and the other for a boy. I had a feeling they had known that we were going to say yes.
“Man! Why are we always the last to know things?” Shane said very annoyed.
“Maybe it’s because we are the only 16-year-olds in this place,” I said like it was an obvious answer and it was.
After a while in make-up we were done, we got our microphones and the uniform then we went back home. When we got home there was no one so I went into my room and sat down on my bed. We had never done this before. They always sent the other agents out undercover and it was never us. To be honest I was really freaking out. What if I totally lost it? What if I blew my cover and let the snatcher go? I became anxious and tense. That’s when Shane barged in and said, “Don’t worry Ron, you’ll be fine.” He said that like he knew exactly what I was thinking. I guess it’s some twin thing.
“Shane, I think we should tell Luke that we can’t do this. If we mess up we would have put that innocent girl’s life in jeopardy,” I said. That’s when a slap came across my face. It was from Shane and it was painful. I looked at him with a “why did you do that? face.
“Look Sharon... I have never done this and I really want to. I mean we have been home schooled our whole life and I’m tired. Don’t just think of this as work, regard it as an adventure,” he said to me.
That was the first time I had ever heard Shane call me Sharon. He always used Ron or Ronnie. I took a deep breath in and slapped him back.
“Okay, let’s do this!” I said then ran away.
He chased me around the whole house till we bumped into mum. She was really cross. It’s not every day where you get home and you are trampled by two teenagers.
“Dinner…now,” Mum said. Shane and I followed behind her to the dining room.
We sat in awkward silence...the only sound you could hear were the forks and knives clanking on the plates. This was how dinner always went in the Henderson household.
“How was work?” Dad finally asked. “Oh it was usual, same case about the missing girl.”
“Luke said that we are going un…” Shane said then I kicked his leg before he could continue. The thing is mum and dad didn’t want us to go on field missions. Apparently it was “too dangerous” for us.
“What Shane is saying is that Luke said we are going to go under the situation till we figure this out,” I said. Mum and dad were not dumb, but they had their own stress and preoccupations so they just left it like that.
I asked dad how the office was and he just nodded. Dad never talked to us much.
Whenever he was home he would have his mind somewhere else.
My dad was a doctor and he was always so occupied with saving other people’s lives he kind of forgot about his family. He once invited us to see him do a heart transplant.
The only reason we went was so that we could bond with him. Let’s just say we did not eat for an entire week. Somehow the food seemed to change into a beating heart. The whole experience was disgusting.
My mum on the other hand is a psychiatrist and she is always looking for a theory or something to answer our questions. I guess she is so into her job she comes home with it and makes us feel like lunatics.
Oh there is another thing about my parents. They fight EVERY day. There is never a point in the day where they don’t fight. Personally I think they are not getting a divorce because they love us. We have practically saved their marriage.
“You are never there so how will you ever do anything!” I heard mum say.
“Well I am always working so that I can put a roof over your bossy bottom!” dad shouted back.
“My goodness, you are acting like Amy!” mum said. I plugged in my earphones to block out their noise. I really didn’t think they noticed how much their fighting affected us but they are too busy “exchanging” strong words to notice us.
After finishing my mashed potatoes I went to my room and studied the files I had gotten.
I was now Kendra Martin and Shane was Kendal Martin. This was so exciting for me and yet so nerve racking.