AUTHOR'S NOTE
Wow, okay. Let's just discuss for a minute about how nervous I am about publishing this. Firstly, this is my first ever published fanfiction. I've been wanting to write something like this for a little while, and I finally got around to doing it. I hope you enjoy it. As it is my first story, I ask that you please read and review. I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism, as well as any other comments you might have for me. Anyway, it's about time I wrap this up. Enjoy my first published work, THE FALL.
The Fall
Chapter 1
A young girl is ripped from sleep by the sound of shouting. She throws her covers away from her bed and runs to her bedroom door. Down the hallway near the front door, she sees her mother cowering on the ground, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. Her father is kneeling beside her, rubbing her back and trying to keep her calm. The girl is unable to see their faces.
Above them stands a police officer who is drenched from the rain. He has a very grim expression on his face, and instantly the girl begins to make assumptions. Suddenly, her mother shouts.
"Eruca! My baby!"
The girl ran from her room toward her parents.
"Mom, what's going on? Who is this man? What happened to Eruca?" At age eleven, this was quite a lot for the girl to take in, in just one moment. Her mother's only reply is more sobs. Her father speaks up.
"Jackie, go to your room. Now," he says, beginning to shake. Jackie does not wish to disobey her parents, but she is beginning to become very frightened.
"Mom, dad, please tell me what's going on. I'm scared."
"Your room, now!" shouts her father, more forcefully this time.
She flees the hallway and returns to her room, as instructed. She sits on her bed and begins to cry. Soon, her father enters her room.
"Jackie, I'm sorry for shouting at you. But something has happened."
Jackie looks up at her father and sees that he is crying. She braces herself.
"Just a few hours ago, the police...found your sister dead in a hotel room. They received an anonymous tip from someone, and they're currently on the hunt for that person. I'm so sorry."
Jackie jumps from her bed into her father's chest and begins to sob. She has lost her sister. She has lost her best friend.
ONE WEEK LATER
Jackie is standing above her sister's coffin, staring down at her. She is crying, mostly because she is reminiscing about Eruca. She would always follow her around like a lost animal because she felt left out. They would play games such as hide and seek and hopscotch. They would eat ice cream together in secret. They would share messages between themselves at dinner. They enjoyed childhood.
She is also crying because of what her father told her the day after they had heard the news. Eruca's body showed no visible signs of abuse or injury, so that ruled out kidnapping and the lot. A toxicology report showed that her body was clear of drugs or anything of that sort. An autopsy showed her body had been functioning normally, so her death was a mystery. However, the doctors said she died of natural causes.
This upset Jackie and her family greatly because of the circumstances. But as of a few months before her death, Eruca's life became shrouded in mystery, so this was not an unexpected turn of events, however horrible it may be. Her parents were concerned because she no longer spoke to them like she used to. She also stayed out late into the night and returned in the early morning hours, if she returned at all. This was all highly bizarre and frightening for the family.
The funeral is a terrible event. Jackie knew very few of the people who attended. She greatly dislikes pity, so when people came up to her family to offer them their condolences, she would curtly nod and turn away. Her father glares at her during each occurrence, but she doesn't care. Her mind is too clouded by questions for her to be concerned with what other people think
After the services were over and everyone but Jackie's family had departed, Jackie asks for a moment alone at the gravesite. Her father nods and leaves to take Jackie's mother to their car. She was unable to control her emotions during the funeral. She sobbed for the entirety of the event.
"Hey, Eruca," Jackie says to the headstone. "I just want you to know that I'll miss you a lot." She begins to cry. "I also want to tell you that I'm going to find out what happened to you, or who did this to you. I need to know, for the sake of our family. I love you. Goodbye." Jackie turns away from the grave, and walks toward her family's car, her resolution to solve the mystery entertaining her thoughts.
THREE YEARS LATER
Jackie hadn't been able to sleep that night. She had been plagued by thoughts about the upcoming day. Three years ago today, her family had buried Eruca. Three years ago today, a part of her heart had been ripped away.
Since that day, Jackie had been searching for information on her sister's mysterious death. Sadly, there wasn't much that a young girl could do. Against her better judgement, she had gone through her sister's computer. Her e-mail and history was wiped clean. However, Jackie did find out that her sister had often spoken to a small group of people in the months leading up to her death. There weren't any messages, however, so Jackie wasn't able to find out anything.
Jackie's father had moved on from the tragedy after around a year. He still becomes upset every once in a great while, but he is doing well. Her mother, however, is a different story. She has somewhat recovered, but she still cries and is upset most every day. Any mention of Eruca sends her over the edge.
Jackie breaks away from her musings and gets out of bed. She looks at herself in the mirror. Her dark green eyes stare back at her, mysterious. Her brown hair is becoming long and unkempt. She is going to have to cut it soon. She begins to walk away, but looks back. She looks a lot like her sister did, before she died, she thinks.
She walks down the hallway and into the kitchen. Her father is sitting at the family computer typing away, and her mother is sitting at the kitchen table with coffee in her hands. She is staring blankly at the center of the table, as though seeing something invisible to all others.
Jackie walks over and hugs her father, saying a quick good morning. She walks over to her mother, hugs her, and kisses her forehead.
"Hey dad, would it be okay if I go visit Eruca after school, before I come home?" she says to her father while reaching for cereal. Her mother visibly winces.
"Sure, we can all go together. I'll take off work early," dad says, still tip-tapping away.
"I'm not going," Jackie's mother says, finally breaking her silence. Jackie is about to make a comment, but her father silences her with a glare.
"Jackie, you should go get ready for school. I have to talk to your mother," he says while shooing her away. She casts a glance back at her mother and rushes to her bedroom. When she finishes readying herself for school, she runs back into the kitchen. Her parents are nowhere to be found, which means they probably fought. She sees a note from her father on the fridge.
Jackie-
Have a good day! I'll meet you at Eruca's grave after you get out of school. See you then.
(P.S.- Your mother is in our room. Don't disturb her.)
After reading the note and tucking it in her pocket so she won't forget, Jackie begins to make toast. After it's finished, she eats it as quickly as she can. She looks at the clock. 8:23. She rushes out of her house and runs toward the school. When she arrives, she sees that not many people are in the courtyard, which means that classes are about to begin. She runs up the steps and into the building. When she enters the lobby, she crashes into someone. Papers fly into the air. Jackie falls to the ground and lands on top of a rather large book.
"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" says a rather flustered voice. Jackie looks up and sees that a girl with orange hair and glasses is offering her hand to help Jackie up. She notices that the girl is wearing a beautiful ring adorned with a small orange pearl. She takes the girl's hand.
"No, it was my fault. I was in a rush," says Jackie, rising from the floor. "Let me help you with these," she says while gathering up the scattered papers. She sees a few strange runes doodled on one of them. She looks over at the large book and sees similar symbols on the side. Jackie's curiosity gets the better of her.
"Here are your papers," she says, handing back the jumbled mess. She grabs the book from the ground and examines the cover. "This seems like an interesting book. I'm sure it makes for pretty decent light reading." She opens the book to a random page and gasps. "Why is it empty?"
The girl takes the book from Jackie with a kind smile.
"It's a large journal I bought online. I enjoy studying ancient languages, so I had it decorated with runes," said the girl. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Ginger. And you are?"
"I'm Jackie," she says.
"Well it was a pleasure to meet you Jackie," says Ginger, "but class is about to begin and I don't want to be late. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Goodbye!"
Jackie stares at Ginger as she runs toward the stairs, and begins to run as well, realizing how late she is. She gets to her classroom in record time and enters. Almost everyone is there. She rushes toward her seat in the back of the classroom and sits down. She sighs in relief and is startled by the bell.
As the teacher begins his daily toil, Jackie looks out the window to her left. All the vegetation around the school is healthy and full of life, despite the rainy season and its constant battering of the city. The clouds in the distance are gray and swelled, indicating an approaching storm. She will have to hurry home after she visits the gravesite, so that she isn't caught in the rain.
She looks back at the teacher and sees that he has begun to write down mathematical equations on the whiteboard, so she takes out her notebook and begins to copy down notes. This is the second time this morning that she was forced to leave her thoughts behind. Once in bed and now once in the classroom. She begins to wonder if today is going to be one of those days.
ELSEWHERE
A young girl is on top of a large skyscraper. She is sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs hanging over the side. She is humming a slow tune, with a grin on her face. Her hair is snow white and drapes toward her waist. She is wearing a beautiful white dress with a knee-length skirt and flats. Her eyes are covered by long bangs. She wears on her middle finger a beautiful ring, adorned with a white pearl.
The girl suddenly stops humming. Her smile disappears. She sniffs the air. Her smile returns, then develops into a wide grin. She jumps up and stands on the ledge. She removes her ring and tosses it into the air. A flash of white light is seen. She catches in her hand not the ring, but a beautiful, white, egg-shaped gem with a golden holder. Wind blows her bangs away from her face.
Her eyes are without of life. They are empty, and desolate, like a void which draws in all.
She looks up at the sky.
Maria, It looks like it's time for the little one to awaken! Let's see how her soul shapes itself! Of course, it might need a bit of persuasion first… Well, I'm off! Wish me luck!
And with that, the girl in white dives off the building, grin still wide.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Oh man. Super nervous. Thanks for reading! Once again, I would appreciate any comments you might have, especially constructive criticism. Whether I post a chapter two or not depends on how well this turns out. Anyway, thanks again! R&R~
