chapter 1
"Isn't she beautiful greg!" I looked down at the little bundle of joy rapped in a pink blanket. I smiled at her and nodded uncovering the babies head. I remembered the first time helen had told me she was pregnant, although my best friend and love of my life, unfortunately it wasn't my baby she just had. I looked at the lil girl in wonder, her head full of soft brown hair and her milk white skin, the baby already had the facial features of helen. I looked over at helen as she smiled down at her, the only thing that was different between the two was helen had a band of freckles that stretched across the bridge of her nose and underneath her eyes. Helen wasn't much older than twenty-eight and you could barely see the wrinkles that gathered around the corners of her mouth and eyes bringing the life out in her face. "She IS beautiful helen...what are you going to name her?" Helen looked at her then out the window with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"How about jaeda?"
I looked down at her and the baby. The baby looked up at me with big round eyes the brightest and prettiest green you had ever seen. In one eye the pupil was outlined in gold.
At first helen was scared there might be something wrong with her, but the doctor said it was okay just extraordinary.
"Its perfect. jaeda for her eyes are the color of jade."
Helen laughed at my poetic words and gleamed down at jaeda, the baby that will change our lives and everyone closest to us.
Journal Entry 56
Seeing how much uncle greg loved my mother and how close he was to her was pretty painful. He was halfway across town and my mom was in the hospital due to an unknown substance that had gotten into her system. I was tempted to pick up the phone and call uncle greg but he told me and my mother pretty clearly that he didn't want to have anything else to do with us anymore. I guess in his eyes he was tired of being the best friend instead of the boyfriend, in a way it wouldn't hurt for her to give him a chance considering my father was a low life who left when he saw my eye. He was pretty superstitious and thought i was evil, who would have known that something as special as a gold band in one eye could push your father away in disgust. I placed the journal that my uncle had left back on the table, wasn't much of a journal, there was only 56 entries and it ended with my birth and started with my mother. Of course uncle greg isn't actually my uncle, but he was around my whole life and i just got into the habit. The doorbell rang and i jumped slightly bumping my elbow on the edge of the kitchen table.
"Coming!"
I ran to the door and looked through the peep hole, tilly's face was blown up to size and smiling at me from the other side. i opened the door and she leaned against the door frame.
"How is thy fair maiden jaeda?"
I smiled. "Tis well lady Tilly. I hope it is grand in you're favor as well?"
She grabbed the edges over her black tank top and twirled around me into the living room ending with a curtsey.
"Of course."
I laughed and shut the door, ever since we heard greg talk to my mother in a old fashioned-poetic-kind of medieval way, we have been talking like this when we see each other. She grabbed an apple from the big bowl in the middle of the table and took a big bite out of it.
"So found out who your gonna stay with until misses h is better?"
I shook my head as she lifted herself up and sat on the back of the big grey sectional couch.
"I might stay with you, but i pondered the thought of staying with greg."
Her long black hair fell in straight strands around her shoulders and she scrunched up her nose.
"Really? after talking to you and misses h the way he did?"
I nodded and pulled myself up to sit next to her.
"Jaeda i don't think thats a good idea."
Trying to steady myself i accidentally fell backwards and rolled off the couch and onto the cold wooden floor. I could hear the distant laughter of Tilly and groaned as i pulled myself up onto my elbows.
"You know one day your gonna be clumsy and your gonna fall and when that day comes i'm gonna laugh my ass off."
She shook her head and took another bite.
"Watch your mouth jaeda Murray claymark."
Tilly was now standing behind the couch with her hands on her hips giving me the helen forbids look.
"You know how i hate my middle name!"
I jumped over the side of the couch and she ran towards my room with me on her tail. Me and Tilly have been friends since kindergarten, most would think the way that we act around each other was childish, but it was because we never really got to hang out. The only time we every actually saw each other was at school, her dad doesn't really like me for some reason so he rarely lets her come over.
I saw something shiny catch my eye and i stopped dead in my tracks. Tilly was still running down the hallway to my room so i peeked over at my moms bedroom. She has told me for years and years that i could not, under any circumstances, go into her room, but i figured what would it hurt to be in and out. I walked into the small square room with teal painted walls and a white shag carpet, her bed sat about two feet off the ground and it was covered with a black and green polka dotted blanket and suffocated by millions of black and green pillows. Her old oak dresser sat against the wall next to the door. On the other far side of the room was a window seat i always wanted to read a book at,and her walk in closet that didn't have a ounce of clothing. I made sure to take off my converse before stepping onto the soft white floor, i looked for the glinting object. I looked everywhere, under the bed and in the dresser, and just when i was about to give up i saw it again. This time it glinted and sent a glowing blueish green color across the room, i followed it and found that it was coming from a small crack in the wall.
"What in the world?"
I ran my finger over the crack and felt it move, i looked around and grabbed a pen from the window seat and slipped the end of it into the crack. What if its just a crack and there is just a super shiny pipe on the other side? Mom would kill me when she gets home if she found a hole in the wall. The thought went over and over in my mind, what if its something valuable? I could pay for her medical bills and they wont build up. I finally decided it was worth the risk and pushed the pen towards the wall trying to pop the wall open. As i pushed and pulled the piece of wall with my finger tips i noticed that the crack grew and went straight down then jerked to the left. I stopped for a minute then pulled some more and found that it grew into the shape of a square.
"Wow."
I breathed out slowly then popped it open, dust flew everywhere and i coughed covering my mouth and waving the dust away from my face. The glint caught my eye again and i reached in to the darkness and grabbed something soft and small. I pulled it out and found it was a small velvet pouch and from the end i saw the blue light. I dumped the contents into my hand and marveled at what had to be worth thousands. A silver necklace laid across my hand and at the end was a large oval with a blue sapphire placed tightly within, it glowed brightly and a small rainbow shined across the surface as i moved it around.
"Jaeda?"
I jumped and threw the pouch and necklace in my pocket then slammed the little square door shut.
"I'm in here!"
I hollered back trying to get the door to shut all the way. i pushed with all my might but it still shown where the door was. I hesitated before giving up and jumping to my feet, grabbing my shoes and running out the door. I slid a little as i got to the couch and propped my feet up on the small glass coffee table, Tilly walked in and gave me a questioning look.
"I got to your room and noticed you weren't behind me."
I breathed heavily and clicked the t.v on.
"I was using the restroom."
She raised one of her eyebrows and looked at the t.v, i was watching a marathon of adam sandier movies and the water-boy was playing.
"Well dang, did you take a dump or something, your sweating up a storm."
I laughed and clicked the t.v back off, i threw the remote on the table and walked towards my room.
"No i did not "take a dump" i was just in a hurry to see what was on t.v so i ran to the living room."
She followed me and laughed.
"Your such a liar! what is going on?"
She WAS my best friend and i was itching to tell someone about the mysterious necklace i found. I pulled the pouch out of my pocket and dumped the necklace back into my hand and the cool metal felt smooth to the touch. I hung it from my middle finger and it swung back and forward lingering in front of her face. She oo'd and ah'd then stood back up looking at with a light expression.
"What about it?"
I gawked at her and looked back at the necklace that radiated with beauty and then back at her who looked lamely at it.
"This could pay all the bills for my moms surgery! Thats what's so interesting about it."
She shook her head and touched it lightly.
"It looks like it ain't gonna be but a few hundred dollars."
I yanked it away from her and held it to my chest.
"Its a few hundred dollars i didn't have."
She sighed and crossed her arms looking at me.
"And where do you plan to get the money?"
I smiled down at the little money maker and back at Tilly.
"A pawn shop."
She sighed again only looking down at her feet. i don't think she was annoyed by the fact that i found this necklace and insisted on pawning it, i think she was more annoyed by the fact that i was putting so much hope into it. I was too. I was so ecstatic by the idea of getting things taken care of before my mom got back. I wanted to make sure everything was taken care of, her surgery and the bills from the hospital. I shoved the necklace back into my pocket and pulled my phone out of my other pocket.
"Oh no!"
Tilly looked at me her eyebrows knitted together then ran over and grabbed her LG slide off the kitchen counter.
"Jaed-"
Tilly was cut short by a sharp and heart pounding knock on the front door.
"I got ten calls." I whispered to her hesitantly.
She nodded and showed me her phone screen. Up in the top right hand corner there was a little red box that had a black number 14 in the middle. We both knew what that meant, her dad was here and like always drunk and mad as hell. I pointed down the hallway towards my room and then placed my finger gently over my mouth telling her to be silent. She tip toed down the hallway and once she was gone and the pounding on the door went on rapidly and got louder. I stomped over and swung the door open.
"hey mr. fertilely."
Tilly's dad stood leaning against the door frame his lanky figure draped with a dirty white t-shirt and old grease stained overalls.
"Hello jaeda. where is Tilly?"
His eyes were scarlet red and blood shot, i could smell beer on his breath and sweat and cigarette smoke from the bar down the street. I shook my head and he sighed running his hand over his balding head.
"I know she is here."
He gave me a wicked smile and i grabbed the door shifting my weight onto my right leg.
"Im sorry mr. fertilely she isn't here. in fact you just missed her, i told her she couldn't come over because i was going to my-"
He lifted his eyebrows waiting for my answer.
"To my moms friends house."
He poked his head in the doorway and looked across the small apartment, his eyes running over the living room and then the kitchen and finally the dining room and dark hallway after that.
"Oh."
I went to shut the door but he blocked it with his foot.
"Well if you see her will you tell her i said i want her butt home immediately."
I nodded and he took one more look before letting me shut the door and stalking off down the hallway mumbling under his breath. I locked the door and went to my bedroom where Tilly sat biting her nails and staring at my lava lamp that glowed purple from my small white nightstand and onto my blue furry comforter.
"Is he gone?"
I nodded and she breathed a sigh of relief as i sat down next to her.
"He was pretty drunk, I'm surprised he didn't act the way he usually does."
She looked at me and then the floor.
"Violence?"
I nodded and she abruptly stood up in shock.
"He knows I'm here."
I shook my head and gave her a alarmed look.
"Don't be ridiculous. i told him you were gone and he said ok."
She shook her head and walked into the living room quietly and scared.
"I just know he has something up his sleeve."
I grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards me.
"What are you talking about?"
She stared at the door with tears welling up in her eyes.
"When he doesn't use violent actions right when he see's you, then you better be extra careful because he will do some crazy shit."
I looked back at the door and heard another sharp knock only this time i heard the click of a revolver as he prepared himself for me to answer the door for a gun. She started to silently cry and walk towards the door.
"Tilly!"
I whispered but she wasn't listening to me.
"I have to go home, besides he has done this plenty of times."
I jogged forward and grabbed her arm throwing her in the large sofa chair that was placed on the left of the couch before she could open the door.
Pow! pow! pow!
I stopped in my tracks frozen with my hand outstretched ready to open the door.
"Jaeda!"
I heard Tilly scream and run for me. i felt my body collapse as a wet sticky substance ran down my stomach and on to my leg, i pulled my hand away from my stomach and saw the thick red blood covering my hand completely. My best friends dad had shot me three times, all were in my stomach, and he hadn't even opened the door to see who he shot. I groaned and moaned rolling over the floor clutching my stomach and crying brutally. Tilly was trying to figure out what to do when all of a sudden a large white hand reached out from the doorway and grabbed her pulling her away from me. I heard her kick and scream and yell how much she hated him, but none of that mattered at the moment. I was dying, slipping into the abyss and no one would know unless Tilly told someone.
"H-help."
I croaked, but no one came.
"P-please he-elp me."
I said breathing heavily and crying harder. i heard no footsteps and i felt all alone, someone should have heard the gun shots right? I relied on the the sound of gunshots but gave up when no one came after 2 minutes. My eyes started to roll into the back of my head and the pain soon became numb and nonexistent. I rolled over onto my stomach and pulled myself up into a crawling position, i crawled to the phone. I pulled myself up on the counter and reached for the phone on the wall, i finally collapsed and accepted the thought of death. Just as i started to slip, someone ran into the room and yelled my name hesitantly then started to turn my face this way and that. He slapped me a few times then placed one arm behind my back and underneath my legs.
"She is hurt pretty badly."
Another man walked into the room but i couldn't make out their faces, my vision was blurred by the tears i had been crying.
"Hurry! we have to get her to the academy."
And just like that i slipped under, darkness surrounding me and everything turning to a muffled sound.
chapter 2
I smelled dirt and roses in the air, a tinkling sensation went down the length of my arm then stopped.
"She will be up soon."
I wanted to open my eyes and tell them i already was, but my eyelids felt like there were glued down and my mouth felt full of cotton. i heard footsteps and i felt a presence standing over me.
"The poor girl. she needs to be changed and cleaned up."
I felt blood rush to my face with embarrassment. Did i stink? The women's voice was soft and gentle, instead of feeling like i was a science experiment, i felt like i was in a hospital or maybe even accompanied by my mom.
"Check her one more time greg. She may be worse than we think."
Greg? I finally got my eyes to open as soon as big hands that felt like leather circled around my foot.
"Jaeda!"
I sat up looking around the small blue room and then at greg who was touching my face and talking super fast. There was a ringing in my ears and i was starting to get dizzy, i looked down at the soaked clothes and then at the bed that i had been laying on.
"Jaeda can you hear me?"
I groaned grabbing my head as pain ran through it then down my spine.
"Stop yelling."
He smiled with relief and i was tempted to smile back. It was the same greg that me and my mom talked to three months ago. His hair was black fading to grey and his eyes were small compared to his huge white smile, he even seemed to have more wrinkles around his eyes and forehead. He helped me up and was asking me something, i couldn't quite understand what he was saying so i just ignored him and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"Do you need anything? A glass of water?"
I shook my head and looked around once more. There really wasn't anything in here except the bed, a desk with a swivel chair and some stacks of books on it. He followed my eyes as i scanned the room.
"I brought you books and i made sure to buy you some clothes before you woke up."
I heard footsteps coming down the hallway and i panicked.
"Where are we? Where is my mother?"