My Life & How It Has Changed Me Book 7

Chapter 3

Hunting

Part 1

Every plan has its problems, and this one wasn't any different as Stringham worked with Mr. Walens, it became apparent that not only would we need to make an exact copy of me, but we need to insert Shawn somehow to take my place, but the problem was how to do it. Considering Shawn and Arthur could not return to Heber, nor could they be under house arrest at Stringham estate when everyone would be either here or in Heber. Stringham and Tony took charge as they used one of the chalkboards to list our problems and goals that we needed to accomplish, while we waited for the makeup artist and some of Tony's team members to arrive. I cried imagining the cost of transportation, yet Stringham acted like it didn't bother him as if money grew on trees.

Stringham suggested that we could kill two birds with one stone, but it would take a little fancy footwork. He suggested two ideas, one I would become Shawn already in place so when I left, he would take my place, or we could bring Shawn here and enroll him and have me pretend I was a new student. The idea had its problems for one Shawn wasn't wheelchair bound, and then we would have to explain his broken fingers, not to mention his attitude was completely different than mine.

His behavior problems were nothing we could deal with because it was Mr. Walens the Headmaster and staff's job to handle it and have proven effective for students like him. When the parents were out of options there was very little they could do other than kick them out on the streets like so many others. The other option was this one if you had enough money to do it. Which Mom and Dad now had thanks to Mr. Stringham giving Dad employment with a nice salary, and providing the extra help when needed? 

Tony took point and stated that everything so far is cosmetic and little acting on my part could fix that, but the issue was what to do with Shawn. Arthur, they could hide away a little longer, but Shawn needed to be here so the rest of our members could concentrate on the occult problem here and in Heber. Not worrying about him and the problems that he will bring with him. Not to mention hunting down leads in Wasatch County, and other outlying towns and cities. With Shawn already here, it would be just a matter of trading places, not having to worry about a cover story or re-introduction to the staff or the students. Instead, we would simply trade places, having me already laying the groundwork.

Stringham stated that we can not eat the apple in one bite; listing interrogation to gather information would be crucial here and elsewhere, but only take action here, to prevent Shawn from contacting the occult members or interacting with the ones we discover here which could lead to them to discover our motives. Tony's idea was the one that seemed more plausible. Because they couldn't have two of me in case the members here informed the other members of their organization sending a complete description of me.

Shawn, they could work with, because if they ferret out all the members here and if my friend here is right there only a few, not a whole hidden cell of them or a large congregation of members considering with teachers and students and staff all combined equaled less than 300 or so, and they were all in one place, not spread out compared to a city or town. And not everyone was an occult member, just a small handful that could easily be rectified, and would help find out where they reignited from as we move across the state. With the United States government's help, we wanted to end this as quickly as possible, which proved everything we needed so Stringham and his clients wouldn't have to fit the entire bill.

People complain about government spending; they have every right to be concerned. But sometimes the common good must see that people's safety comes first; one of the reasons why we have a military and strong police force. And why people with special skills like Tony's ragtag bunch are called in to help, and people like them all over the United States. So people like us can sleep safely in our beds, walk the streets, and live our daily lives not having to worry about being kidnapped from their homes and sacrificed by a Satanic occult like this one.

Mr. Walens said he could put Shawn in a holding cell that they use for boys who needed a little more discipline than the rest. So, we could implant him here the moment the need arises, but someone from the Stringham team or Tony's would have to insert themselves as a guard dog. Due to the fact he is uncertain who we could trust, they would be willing to keep their mouths shut. After all, gossip travels quicker than the wind.

Tony said. "I think we can work that to our advantage." I cringed when he said it. Said he wanted me to become an instant bad boy, causing me to be thrown in solitary confinement. Where at that time they could switch places with me and Shawn. Then there was the problem of my wheelchair and being able to get me out and Tony's team without anyone knowing about it.

Tony said we could always break my leg and put my arm in a sling where I had broken my fingers, to give a reason why Shawn would need a wheelchair. I didn't like the sound of that, but he was only implying that acting would be the biggest part. Because if I was introduced as Shawn, stating that Jacob Farnsworth didn't make the grade and his parents decided this school wasn't a good fit. No one would expect that the real Shawn, once he was in place, was two different people. Stringham quickly called Landan to make sure Shawn was on the plane, before everyone we had asked to come to Texas lift off. It gave us two, possibly three hours to finish up.

Tony smiled at me said. "Let's get started." The plan started with the people that were watching from the windows. Students and staff watched as they sensed fresh meat or blood in the water as they burst with curiosity as the limo driver pulled up as we departed stating that Jacob Farnsworth wasn't attending the school. Tony stayed behind making preparations so that when his team arrived, we could get started.

Mr. Walen's responsibility was to make sure that Jacob Farnsworth was no longer a candidate, but he hired Tony for another boy, who would be returning as Shawn Rothwell to be his full-time bodyguard. The real Shawn would walk through the doors under the cover of darkness dressed as a groundskeeper. Then he was escorted by his guard dog and placed in solitary confinement, until it was time to trade places with me, knowing I had already laid the ground for him, there was no reason to hide the fact that I was going to play him as he sits down in solitary confinement thinking of all things I would be doing in his name. Again, it was pure justice not only for me but for the boys that he had raped and tortured.

I wouldn't need much cosmetic work because people are stupid when it comes to what they notice in the details of a person during a short period of time. I know that is true because I see most of my relatives only twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I only recognize the ones I have grown up with, but if I had to describe them in complete detail without some sort of photo, I couldn't do it. Even the kids I couldn't give them their names or recognize them on sight if I met them on the street. As it is, I have to use yearbooks to fashion the details of what my friends looked like way back then.

The only thing they'll really remember is seeing me in a wheelchair with a broken leg, broken fingers, and my arm in a sling and very bad attitude towards people in authority. They won't pay too close attention to my face other than my hair. Not even my voice will register in a person's memory in a short period of time. Because I would be restricting my interaction, as I play the angry boy who doesn't want to be here. That his parents dumped him on the side of the street; with no friends and nothing of his life because it had been taken away. Jacob was the sweet innocent boy; Shawn was the disruptive and mean one. Who bullies people and pushes them away, and sides with the ones that are just like him.

Stringham quickly rented a room at the hotel, even though he wasn't planning on spending the night. We just needed a quick staging area to where we could work without being detected. We only had 1 hour or so before I needed to be inserted among the student body before they closed the gates for the night not allowing anyone in or out without a pass. If you are a new student after those hours you would have to wait until morning.

Shawn would be hidden in some form or fashion. Again, it was up to Tony and Mr. Walens to make that happen, providing that Stringham couldn't get him in and Tony's team members inside before the gates closed for the night. This meant the timing was crucial and we couldn't afford any delays, so Tony's people and I could start our hunting.

I had given Tony the information regarding our man that Jeff had taken the liberty of gift wrapping, which had been stored inside a janitorial closet. I didn't ask how he got him there; other than the fact he managed it. I even showed Tony on a map that there was a hidden passageway that used to lead to an abandoned storeroom that Occult was using which also explained how the man disappeared so quickly. It was among the first things on the list for his team to take care of, in case tonight they were meeting in secret or the next night or any time after that.

It would take at least an hour or two to put my leg into a cast, cut my hair to match Shawn's, and dye it to match his, instead of his matching mine for three reasons. One was Shawn's hair had been cut to military standard to prevent him from hiding things in his hair that could help him get out of handcuffs. The second reason was once we traded places the color would fade and wash out eventually which was ok because I wouldn't be here so we only had to duplicate my color with his. The third reason was people would remember the hair that Jacob Farnsworth had the moment they saw me in a wheelchair.

We didn't want them to even make that conclusion. Hair, body, and skin color are the first things people register before the face; when they have other things that are out of place like a broken leg, an injured arm, and fingers, or if their eyes are a different color then most that don't stand out like light blue eyes or green eyes they instead will overlook them. The wheelchair, of course, will distract them, and voice patterns to will set them apart, but only if it is different from theirs. But over a short period, people will only remember the basics and store it in their short-term memory.

I knew when I went home to visit my mother and my grandmother they were going to freak out. Not only because my hair had been cut short, it had been dyed to the point … to them, it would look unnatural, but it was either that or not going home period. Because when I came back to the Rothwells. I would be reinserted as if nothing had changed. Even though I liked the idea of making Shawn look foolish when he tries to explain that his leg was never broken or that he wasn't the person they first met. That it was me, and I was the one who had done all those things. Stating he was a liar right off the bat, even though it was part of his nature.

The problem I was having was that I needed to be a very bad boy, not the boy Jacob Farnsworth that some of them had met earlier. In some ways, it was going to be fun. Mom and Dad quickly kissed me goodbye and said they would see me on Wednesday. I didn't cry, but it did choke me up, but it was only a couple of days at the most I would be gone. Once people saw me coming into the building the show truly began watching my parents leave me behind. Tony and I were directed to where the boys went the moment we signed in. Mr. Walens played the angry person who wasn't going to stand for my behavior. It was up to me to set the scene as the bad, boy spurned by parents and show my anger because of it. I had to be worse than bad, I had to become Shawn.

He explained that Tony was hired to be my bodyguard until a more suitable and permanent replacement could be obtained. I quickly became disruptive using my one good arm and tossing the items they had placed on my lap, onto the floor and telling them they could all go to hell. That my brethren of the true church of God would see to it that they will all die in the name of Mormo as I bathe in their blood and as I rip out their hearts and eat them. Earning a slap across the face from Mr. Walens was hard enough to leave mark knowing I had suffered worst then having my face slapped and it was all part of the act. Telling me that kind of behavior will not be tolerated. I yelled several cuss words that Shawn likes to use as I got up out of my wheelchair standing on one leg to remain balanced and flipped the wheelchair over.

Proving to everyone who was watching that Shawn only needed it because he couldn't use crutches because of his broken fingers and arm in a tight sling, requiring someone to push me around. It was just a common hospital wheelchair, unlike the other one that was normally made for those who were usually paralyzed in some form or another, it didn't have any of the James Bond high Tec gadgets. I was then rudely and manly escorted to where they could fully examine me with a full strip search as I screamed in pain the moment, they touched my shoulder which it was in a sling, and bumped my fingers.

They forced me into a handicapped stall and scrubbed me down and forced me into clothes that boys here commonly wear. Like a dress shirt, tie, tan dress pants, black dress socks and brown penny loafers, and a blazer with the school logo on it. I wasn't allowed to wear any other clothing, not even my boxers, I felt bad that they had to cut my pants so my leg with the cast on it could fit as the sides dangled around it for the time being.

All that had been taken away and placed in a box that would normally be sent home to my parents. While they issued me everything I would during my orientation, forcing me to carry most of it on my lap, having to stop as I pushed it off onto the floor until the person that was directing me to my room ended up carrying it for me. Telling me I had just earned my first strike, which was a warning.

The second strike would result in a punishment, and the third strike would send me to my room without supper and if reached the fourth strike I would be spanked with a wooden paddle and sent to solitary confinement. I knew I had to act quickly because that's where I needed to be so the makeup artist could do their work turning me into Shawn matching most of his likeness to mine considering we didn't have time to do much other than cut my hair short enough but not enough until they could measure the length and face coloring. Without being seen either by the staff or students, so neither of them would get suspicious. How they were going to pull that off I wasn't unclear, but it was the only place in the building that no one comes down without a good reason.

It would take everything I got not to panic because it was in the basement, yet I wasn't going to be in the dark nor was I ever going to be alone, but just in case Tony had everything he needed to make sure if that happened he could take care of it quickly. Shawn, on the other hand, wouldn't be so lucky because he couldn't be seen roaming the school. It was nothing new that I hadn't been through thanks to the Rothwells, I was quite used to being in a semi-dark place, and I wasn't being locked up like he was, nor would I be handcuffed and unable to move or blindfolded.

Another thing I wasn't allowed to wear was my glasses because Shawn didn't need them. I would be fine without it unless I needed to read the small print, but I have been told that during the time I was in class, I would be sitting in the front of the class, and seldom called on unless I wanted to participate. For now, my glasses were placed inside Tony's stuff so when we were alone, I could be myself and give myself a chance to catch up on the current assignments as I navigated the classes that were assigned to me but wouldn't be attending until the following morning. Until then I was escorted to the cafeteria and introduced to the students and staff as Jeff hovered around me indicating the people we needed to be concerned about, finding only two staff members that needed to be interrogated and discreetly removed from the school.

Yet at the moment, it was only a fact-finding mission. It would be up to Tony and his team to do the heavy lifting. The moment I was ushered in front of the lunchroom so that Mr. Walens the headmaster could introduce me. I changed my attitude, stating that my behavior earlier was dealt with, for now. I needed friends; I needed to make some sort of contact to ferret out the boys and staff that are part of the occult we are taking down brick by brick. The Shawn I know would be disruptive in class and where he would find friends that are just like him, and in the schoolyard. The Shawn I knew would play both sides of the coin, the demon child and the angel so he could manipulate people.

I stood up out of my wheelchair so people could see that the wheelchair wasn't attached to me and let Mr. Walens tell them where I was from and all that jazz leaving me to explain my injuries in a small setting. I stood there until he was done, having him ask if there is anything I would like the say. I smiled a twisted grin said. "Yes, there is you fucking bastard, you can all go straight hell!"

Talking back or being a smart ass was far different than what I had done when I arrived as the bad boy that nobody wanted, in turn; it caused a disruption where a small group of students stated they agreed with that statement, just what we wanted. Knowing those were the students I really needed to meet besides the list of names of school troublemakers. Mr. Walens growled angrily said. "That counts as one strike, two more results in a severe punishment. Now either sit down and behave, or I will have no choice but to have you escorted out of here and you'll spend the rest of the day in your room."

Tony forced me into my wheelchair smiling as he faced me with his back to the students then wheeled me to where the teaching staff sat until I could make "friends," but mostly because they were waiting for his team and the makeup artist to finish turning me into Shawn. I did, however, clear the air stating that it was a second strike, not my first one. I waited to see if I caught the staff and some of the students off guard who could hear me, knowing how fast gossip would travel and using that to direct it where it needed to go.

Mr. Walens said. "The first strike was a freebie because you are new here … but it is the only one I will give you; unless you prefer to spend the rest of the day in your room. Act out again and I personally will administer your punishment. I do not care if you are injured, because you should have thought of that the moment you walked through my doors. After I have and your parents have explained the rules here stating I will not tolerate your behavior nor will my teachers. Now if I were you, I would take the time to think about your behavior. Or I will."

I was starving and so was Tony considering we had missed lunch and was certainly glad that we had a second breakfast. I wondered how Jared was making out finding me gone when he woke up this morning and had been told that I would be back sometime tonight then re-informed that I wasn't coming back until Wednesday. Seeing Mom and Dad had a longer return than having a family meeting telling everyone that an impostor would be playing me, and then there was Shawn as he was told about his new school as they put him on a plane.

I could only imagine his reaction when he told the news to where he was going. Even more so when he arrives and puts himself into solitary confinement, as they prepare him to take my place, having to clean up the mess that I am leaving for him; in some ways it's pure simple justice that is well deserved. I had to say playing the bad boy was harder than it looked because I had to think about what to do next or what Shawn would do. Yet it was also fun.

When I had finished my meal, I added another strike by taking my empty tray and throwing it onto the floor. And was escorted out of the lunchroom, with a mad infuriated Tony as Mr. Walens ordered me to his office, stating I had earned another strike and the punishment that went with it. At that moment we were clear of the lunchroom. Mr. Walens cracked a smile on his face telling me that it was excellent acting that he wasn't looking forward to meeting the real Shawn. But didn't like the idea of punishing me, but it if he let it go it would state it was an only act put on for my adoring new fans.

So, the punishment began the moment students filled the hallway, leaving the door open enough so they could gather and watch. I cringed when he had taken a large paddle off the wall. He didn't apologize because I had truly been a very bad boy and we both had to play our parts, as I was forced to bend over the arm of the couch. In front of my enduring fans standing in the doorway as he spanked me, letting my fake or real screams and cries state, he was truly keeping his word as he spanked me.

Closing the door with his foot just enough so they couldn't see much as he beat the arm of the couch instead of me once the door created a barrier to prevent the students from seeing Mr. Walens inflict my much-deserved punishment on said couch. While Tony stood out in the hallway telling students to move on nothing to see here as they listened to me scream.

After a nice timely spanking, I was wheeled into a classroom of students and told to write on the blackboard until I had filled it I had taken some eye drops and let them represent my tears racing down my cheeks as I wrote. 'I will behave, I will not use bad language, and I will do what I am told.' Again demonstrated I only needed the wheelchair to get around, nothing more. During that time Jeff and Tony were reading the room and the students, classifying them into categories: bad, good, and needed to be watched. Clearing this batch of students and the teacher, noting only three students that needed to be watched noting the tattoo on their wrists; the teacher too showed no signs of being taken in by the occult which was a good sign.

With 25 teachers leaving, as well as 15 to 20 staff members from various departments such as janitorial, office, medical, and kitchen personnel, there remains the daunting task of managing the needs of approximately 300 students. Now, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a challenge, especially when it feels like finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, Tony and his team, along with Jeff's invaluable assistance, were there to support us. However, considering the sheer magnitude of the job and the limited timeframe, it truly seemed like a miracle was needed.

The only thing that made the search go quickly as we hunted down our occult members was the information Stringham and his people had gathered. Like what to look for. Like markings on their wrists, pentagrams, and occult items in the bedrooms, surveillance using hidden cameras and microphones; the feeling I would get by shaking the person's hands, and when we had exhausted those, it was Jeff's job to ferret out those we missed.

Once we had made absolutely sure they were occult members, they were dealt with depending on their crimes, using a form of truth serum. No one liked the idea of kids like Shawn and Arthur being used in such a way. Yet we couldn't just kill them, instead, they would go under some form of treatment, death was always the last resort, the prison was reserved for those that were beyond help rather than killing children, and even adults was treated under the same conditions, but the adults that were found here were quickly removed.

It was the children like Shawn we were mostly concerned about, that needed to be handled with kid gloves. Praying that their parents and family weren't also involved, again requiring information, and that was where special teams were equipped to handle that problem. Tony and his team were the first responders, who could only act when permission had been granted.

Troublemakers were common, but if mixed in with the wrong people they could become targets. I was then taken to my room as Tony, and I discussed what we had learned today and used our data and Jeff's data as we waited for our team members. I wasn't allowed to leave the room unless I needed a bathroom break and Tony would have to clear the room, giving me the presidential treatment.

Once cleared I was able to do my business alone and unwatched while Tony guarded the door; telling students that this one was closed. One of the things Shawn isn't going to like as part of his arrangement. That he won't be able to ever be alone inside a place where he could rape another boy. Letting the students and staff get accustomed to this arrangement. I didn't ask how much that was going to cost or the cost of him going to school here, which was astounding knowing from the packet that the usual cost started at 6,500 dollars per month. Not including the special arrangements that Shawn would need here at Crest Ridge Academy.

I just knew it started in that range depending on what the student was going to need like medication, therapy of some sort as well as discipline fitting the crime. Until the student either demonstrated they weren't progressing after exhausting efforts or decided that he or she was willing to turn over a new leaf. Let's just say I was skeptical in regard to Shawn because so far nothing has seemed to work; which made my job here harder, but fun in the sense that I was playing the role of the bad boy or good boy listening to the devil or angel on my shoulder.