Disclaimer- I do not own Savvy. Though, I would like to have a savvy.
June 6. 7:32 pm.
The cold room made everything worse. Shivering and desperate, we huddled in the hallway, grateful for each other's presence. The white walls, narrow corridors, iron doorknobs, and the multitude of beings in white coats made it feel like an asylum.
"I'm cold." remarked my sister, Gwen. She clutched at her thin coat like it was the end of the world. I rolled my eyes.
"Don't be mean, Violet." My dad scolded. "We're all cold." When Gwyneth smirked at me, he added, "That goes for you too."
We had been waiting for at least two hours. I glanced at my watch. Two hours and thirty seven minutes to be exact. Suddenly the door opened and the doctor stepped outside. He carried a clipboard and sighed.
"I'm sorry."
July 27. 9:02 am.
I still remember that accursed day. The day my mother had died. The day I lost a part of my soul. The day my father….changed.
My father is a lawyer, but we live on a farm. The house is on top of a smallish hill and overlooks the fields and fenced areas. We have sheep and horses on our farm. It's mostly just a hobby my mom picked up, but we do shear our sheep and enter our race horses in competitions. Our horses aren't good enough for Keeneland or the Kentucky Derby though. People think we are strange, and we are different….but not they way people think we are.
We have things called savvies; powers that come when you hit thirteen. My dad's savvy is to influence the opinions of others; that's why he's a lawyer. He says he would never alter the court's mind, but I think he sometimes does it on accident. I just turned thirteen today, along with my twin sister. I really couldn't wish for a certain savvy since I'm pretty okay with myself. My sister, on the other hand, wanted to either talk to animals or have the power to control darkness. Gwen is the weirdest blend of goth and an animal rights activist. She's the reason we have like five dogs running around the place.
"Happy birthday!" I greeted to my sister, now with her bleach white bangs and purple highlights she got to "contrast her black hair."
She rolled her eyes. "Unhappy birthday to you too."
"C'mon Gwen, be nice for a change. It's supposed to be a happy day." I remarked. "I wonder what Dad's got for us today!"
Gwen smiled. "Okay, for today." Her smile suddenly darkened to a frown when she added. "But tomorrow shall and will be the same."
I gave a fake expression of fear and performed a bow. "Whatever you say, Your Majesty."
Gwen scoffed at my poor English accent and we proceeded to run down the stairs; partly because we couldn't wait...and partly because I wanted to beat my sister down the stairs and vice versa. The mouth-watering aromas of bacon, eggs, french toast, and smoothies greeted us when we entered the kitchen. Our house-keeper, who acted more like a mother than a cook, was busily stirring and tossing and frying.
"Good morning, Miss Anderton." I said politely. She swiveled around; her flowery apron stained and splattered.
Gwen and I each received a gigantic bear hug that nearly crushed my slender frame. "You know not to call me that! It's always Miss Jane for you!" Miss Jane patted me on the head and continued with her work. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you." I replied, smiling.
My sister and I left Miss Jane and hurried into the dining room where Dad sat calmly, with his reading glasses on and newspaper in hand. A cup of steaming decaf coffee sat on the table, freshly brewed. There was some half eaten toast on a small plate. He looked up at us and smiled.
"Happy Birthday, guys. Finally a teenager. Huh."
"Thanks, Dad." I said. I gave him a hug and Gwen did too, which is saying something.
"Now I have to deal with teens. Everyone says you're moody, mean, rebellious, and you…..DATE!" he grinned, pretending he was upset.
"Woah!" I put my hands up in remark to the "date" part.
"No way," Gwen shook her head. "I will never date, even if I get paid a million dollars.
"Even if he's goth and weird and creepy like you are?" I asked.
"Shut up. Goths don't date. It's unnatural."
"You're unnatural."
"Break it up, girls. Don't fight." my dad interrupted. "Jane made you guys a cake."
"Really?" My eyes grew wide. Miss Jane rarely baked a whole cake, maybe cupcakes or cookies, but hardly a cake. Yet when she did….they were like heaven. Not to sweet, not to bland. A bit moist and fluffy with the right amount of frosting. And all pieces tasted like corner pieces even when they weren't.
"Uh-huh" Miss Jane suddenly appeared in the doorway. She set out some breakfast, and left the room. She returned with a massive cake. "And here it is."
The cake was a rectangle with a soft blue frosting. The frosting depicted a sunset over the ocean horizon, and represented scuba diving, which was something Gwen and I both loved to do. Above the sun in thin purple frosting, was writing: 'Happy Birthday! Gwen and Violet!'
I broke out into a wide smile. "Thanks Miss Jane. I can never imagine life without you."
"It'd be disastrous." Gwen remarked as well.
"Thanks, girls. But I'd better be going, because my nephew's sick in the hospital." Miss Jane pulled on her sunhat.
"You never told me this!"Dad exclaimed. "I would have given you the day off!"
"You didn't have to bake us this epic cake." I replied.
"Just because I didn't have to, doesn't mean I wouldn't. I'll do anything for you guys, especially after your help in court." And with that, Miss Jane pulled on her shoes, waved goodbye, and left.
"Ok, Miss Jane left a gift." my dad picked up a rainbow colored bag from under the table and placed it on the table.
Gwen and I carefully pulled out the green tissue paper and Gwen drew out a card. It had a lamp on the front with a dark background.
"'Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path' (Psalm 119:105)." was on the inside and we started to read Miss Jane's curly handwriting.
Dear Gwen and Violet,
You are the sweetest pair of girls I've met. You're rough around the edges, that's for sure, but you're way better than some of those teenager girls I've seen on TV. I guess your upbringing has really shaped your character and personality. Your father has done an amazing job, shaping you into the lovely ladies you have become. When your mother died, I nearly drowned in my own tears. Your mother was an angel to everyone around her and to passerby strangers on the street. Can you believe that?! In this age, she was kind to everyone and a discouraging word never reached her ears. Your thirteen now, and you have a long way to go. I don't expect you to follow in you mother's footsteps…I expect you to change the world. Stick together and never abandon each other. It's easy to let a friend go, but it's hard to go back and find them. Imagine letting a balloon go up into a sky, and then trying to find it a couple of years later. Life isn't easy and your own life can tell you that. But most lives are harder than yours. Don't pity yourself, because there's a whole bunch of starving children in Africa who desperately want your place. Always ask for advice from the right people. They can guide you down the right paths in life. And remember, every cloud has a silver lining.
May God bless you,
Miss Jane
I wiped tears from my eyes. I had a feeling Miss Jane was telling us this stuff because she didn't know it and went through some pretty bad stuff. My dad would never tell me Miss Jane's background story or the court case he helped her in.
"Wow. That's certainly moving." Dad had been reading over Gwen's shoulder.
"Yeah I know." I agreed. I looked at Gwen. "Are you crying?"
"No. I am not crying. I have allergies." Gwen turned her head. She was definitely crying.
"I have a present for you." Dad smiled.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's intangible." he waved his hands in the air to prove his point.
"That tells me nothing." I frowned.
"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise me not to die of excitement." he sounded very excited and nervous at the same time.
"Promise." Gwen and I said at once. He sighed and took a deep breath.
"I'm getting remarried."