Today is a very special day. Last year, on July 22rd 2012, I received a review from AmandaKK1524 for Tale As Old As Time, saying, "Oh. My. Gosh. That was beautiful! I loved it SO much! :)"
So, on the next day, July 23rd, I sent a thank you PM, saying "Thanks SO much for reviewing and favoriting! :D"
My response—"It was SO sweet! I'm gonna be belle for Halloween. Lol. Looking up costumes for the past hour!..."
And so, it began.
Today marks the anniversary of when I met Jessica, a sweet, kind, talented, beautiful girl. We've talked almost every day since, sending maybe an average of three PMs per day, on one thread that now contains almost 2000 PMs. I would rant to her about life, and how hard and wonderful it is, and she'd always answer, responding to every one of my questions. I've shared first drafts, final drafts, things that'll never go up on here to here, and she's always encouraged me to continue, to keep on moving on. And those are words that are invaluable to me, especially in my time of most discouragement, when she picks me back up again.
This is for you, my Fairlie sistah, Jessie. Love you forever. If there's only spot available for Clopin, though, I'm taking it.
This is an instance in which roles are reversed, where I'm Jess, and she's Amanda, Keeper wise. AND NOW AFTER READING HER WONDERFUL ONESHOT, "SISTERS BY HEART", GO CHECK IT OUT BTW, I FEEL PRETTY STUPID FOR DOING THIS, BECAUSE MINE'LL NEVER COMPARE TO HER AWESOMENESS, BUT #SOCKS.
Somehow
The bus bounces up and down each speed bump, bobbing heads and interrupting thought. The blue-eyed girl sits on the window seat, gazing out to the various trees she's never seen before. Trees she has seen before, but years, lifetimes ago. Heat waves rise from the blacktop. Teenage boys ride bicycles, something she's only seen in pictures.
She sighs. Such a big world, beyond the white walls that surrounded her all this time. Sunlight. Something new and beautiful.
Her gray-eyed sister sits beside her, her head tilted on the back of the seat, her eyes off into space. Ipod earbuds are in her ears. Some song blasts, loud enough for Amanda to her, but not enough to decipher words.
Amanda looks away from the bright sight, turning to Jessica and stealing an earbud. The gray-eyed girl abruptly straightens, eyeing Amanda for interrupting her song. Amanda disregards the look and sticks it in her ear, grimacing at the sudden volume. "Under the sea, under the sea…"
"Such a happy song for such a sad face," she says, looking at Jess's frowning eyes and frowning back. She's never heard the song before, but it sounds upbeat. She hasn't heard much music in her life, anyway. "Cheer up," she says, taking a stray black strand from Jess's hair and straightening it. "It's not so bad."
"Are you sure?" Jess says, finally looking Amanda in the eye. "Are you sure, Mandy? Because we just left home in the middle of summer, and the whole Fairlie population is probably fuming right now, because nobody leaves the barracks, ever, and we're on our way to a place completely new, counting on some instinct and some email to guide us."
"You'd rather be back in that prison."
"No. But I'd be there before I'd be in some unknown Orlando."
Amanda shifts positions. "Oh. We're twenty miles away from our new home. So we're gonna turn back?"
"I never said anything about turning back."
"Then there's nothing to do about it."
Jess gives up and turns back to the front, plugging the earbud back in. Amanda sighs, wondering how they got into this mess.
But it's the only thing they could've done. Staying in the barracks was out of the question. A couple more years, and they'd be stuck there forever, with absolutely no options. It's easier to get out young. But this is pushing it...they're 13. Getting bigger by the minute. Once they leave the bus, they better move swiftly and get into a pretty convincing disguise and name. Life won't be easy, hiding the past they lived for their whole lives. It's not a matter of throwing it away. Every day has been ingrained in their minds. And that can't be erased.
But there's a sole reason Amanda left instead of ignoring the constant signs. She knew they could make it, not without difficulty, but somehow. The happy ending will find them, in a dark and mysterious way, through people and words and places. And castles.
"And what's with this Disney thing, anyway?" Jess spits out, staring with contempt in front of her, not changing the direction of her gaze. "We're gonna fight invisible creatures? Great, that'll work."
"You know their real. You know how it is to be not believed in."
Jess doesn't respond.
"And besides, we're not gonna fight. We're gonna help. The opportunity to fight probably won't present itself."
Amanda takes her sister's hand and holds on. "And even if it does, we can do it together."
Jess pivots her head, a look of newfound realization on her face. Content creeps along her lips. She sighs, leaning her shoulder on Amanda's. "Yeah, I guess."
Amanda grins at her success. Jess closes her eyes now, taking Amanda's other hand, snuggling closer. Amanda agrees with her sister—it's been too tiring, too long of a struggle. But now they're here, far, far away from anyone like them. And it's good to have that change.
They can make it through together. Amanda will never let her sister leave her side.