Ch. 1
"Julia!" Susan called from the foot of a long, wooden staircase that twisted around as it led up to the second story of the same house the Hessen family had lived in for about a year now.
"Julia! Come down here, please!" Susan called again, a little more urgent this time. "Coming Mom!" the sound of Julia's voice trailed downward from the lavender and white colored bedroom of Julia Hessen.
About a minute later, Julia came running down the staircase wearing blue jeans, white socks, and a green T- shirt the displayed the neatly designed name of a local band, "The Car Demons", her long, straight brown hair flying everywhere.
She walked into the kitchen passed the front door to her mom drinking a glass of decaf. Coffee. "Yeah mom?" Julia spat out, struggling to catch a breath. "Julia, we need to talk. Sit down." Susan Hessen, lawyer and hardworking single mother or two children, was about to explain to her anxious daughter the truth about her mysterious past.
"I know that you're not a big fan of things out of the ordinary, but, please, just try to understand what I'm about to tell you. Okay? And, don't say anything until I'm done. Got it?" her mother's voice was childish and scared.
Julia stared at her mother with great curiosity. What was going on? She thought to herself. Why did her mother, brave lawyer and independent single mother, sound so scared and inferior? "Sure, Mom." Julia answered shakily, not sure what kind of answer her mom expected. Her mom closed her eyes, and a soft tear trickled down her fair cheek.
"Honey, when I was about your age, my mother sat me down, like I'm doing you and told me that her mother did the same with her, and her mother before that." She then explained that in every generation, there was a chosen child that would soon be required to take on several responsibilities, ones that no one, child or adult, should have to uphold. "Follow me so far?" her mother stopped at the strangely intense look of concentration Julia was giving her.
"Yeah. Sounds really strange," she replied, and made a hand motion that beckoned her mom to continue.
"Well, I was that child in my generation, and now I fear that you will follow in my footsteps, as I followed in my mother's." Susan stood up and walked over to the sink and blew her nose into a paper napkin, then put her hands on the counter and stared out into the neighborhood through the curtained kitchen window.
Julia folded her hands on the table. "What kind of responsibilities are required?" she asked nervously. Her mom shook her head. "I can't say for sure. It's different each time. I'm mainly worried about the test." Julia looked over at her, Susan's back still turned to her.
"Test? What kind of test? Or, is that different each time, too?" she asked curiously, hoping to get more information than her previous question, but Susan only shook her head.
There was an awkward silence, and they both jumped a minute later when the phone rang. It was then Susan turned around and began walking to the phone on the wall. She hesitated to pick it up, but before she knew it she was saying. "Hello?" Julia stood up and pushed her chair in, moving her shoulder length hair out of her face. She moved over next to her mother, dressed in beige, long flowery skirt with a beige business jacket to match. She had white summer sandals and her long, sandy blonde hair was pulled up into a clip, her face stained from where the tears had smeared her eyeliner and mascara.
"Hold on just one second." Her mother breathed a sigh of relief and handed the phone to Julia. "It's Sarah."
"Julia!" Susan called from the foot of a long, wooden staircase that twisted around as it led up to the second story of the same house the Hessen family had lived in for about a year now.
"Julia! Come down here, please!" Susan called again, a little more urgent this time. "Coming Mom!" the sound of Julia's voice trailed downward from the lavender and white colored bedroom of Julia Hessen.
About a minute later, Julia came running down the staircase wearing blue jeans, white socks, and a green T- shirt the displayed the neatly designed name of a local band, "The Car Demons", her long, straight brown hair flying everywhere.
She walked into the kitchen passed the front door to her mom drinking a glass of decaf. Coffee. "Yeah mom?" Julia spat out, struggling to catch a breath. "Julia, we need to talk. Sit down." Susan Hessen, lawyer and hardworking single mother or two children, was about to explain to her anxious daughter the truth about her mysterious past.
"I know that you're not a big fan of things out of the ordinary, but, please, just try to understand what I'm about to tell you. Okay? And, don't say anything until I'm done. Got it?" her mother's voice was childish and scared.
Julia stared at her mother with great curiosity. What was going on? She thought to herself. Why did her mother, brave lawyer and independent single mother, sound so scared and inferior? "Sure, Mom." Julia answered shakily, not sure what kind of answer her mom expected. Her mom closed her eyes, and a soft tear trickled down her fair cheek.
"Honey, when I was about your age, my mother sat me down, like I'm doing you and told me that her mother did the same with her, and her mother before that." She then explained that in every generation, there was a chosen child that would soon be required to take on several responsibilities, ones that no one, child or adult, should have to uphold. "Follow me so far?" her mother stopped at the strangely intense look of concentration Julia was giving her.
"Yeah. Sounds really strange," she replied, and made a hand motion that beckoned her mom to continue.
"Well, I was that child in my generation, and now I fear that you will follow in my footsteps, as I followed in my mother's." Susan stood up and walked over to the sink and blew her nose into a paper napkin, then put her hands on the counter and stared out into the neighborhood through the curtained kitchen window.
Julia folded her hands on the table. "What kind of responsibilities are required?" she asked nervously. Her mom shook her head. "I can't say for sure. It's different each time. I'm mainly worried about the test." Julia looked over at her, Susan's back still turned to her.
"Test? What kind of test? Or, is that different each time, too?" she asked curiously, hoping to get more information than her previous question, but Susan only shook her head.
There was an awkward silence, and they both jumped a minute later when the phone rang. It was then Susan turned around and began walking to the phone on the wall. She hesitated to pick it up, but before she knew it she was saying. "Hello?" Julia stood up and pushed her chair in, moving her shoulder length hair out of her face. She moved over next to her mother, dressed in beige, long flowery skirt with a beige business jacket to match. She had white summer sandals and her long, sandy blonde hair was pulled up into a clip, her face stained from where the tears had smeared her eyeliner and mascara.
"Hold on just one second." Her mother breathed a sigh of relief and handed the phone to Julia. "It's Sarah."