This is probably the fastest I've ever updated a story, but if I didn't do it today, it probably wouldn't have been written since it wouldn't have been fresh on my mind. Keep in mind I've been awake for 36 hours by now, so again, I apologize for any errors! Thanks to SkyHighFan for the idea for this added chapter!
Disclaimer! My lawyers are still working on it...
Jamie held his head in one hand, the other hand spinning a mechanical pencil idly as another student presented their family history project. He really did not understand what feathers had to do with her project, and he was trying to pay attention to find out just that, but staring at the monstrosity of the poster, Jamie had to wonder if the Tooth Fairy was feeling okay if she molted that many feathers over this poor girl's poster.
A dull, automated clapping pierced his thoughts as the class mechanically applauded their classmate's report. The girl smiled, unclipped her poster from the board, and waltzed back to her seat, two stray feathers falling in her wake.
"Jamie Bennett, you're up," his teacher called.
Jamie grinned and picked up his poster board, expertly decorated the night before. His body blocked the class's view from the poster as he pinned it to the wall. Once he was satisfied that the poster would stay, he grinned again at his work before moving out of the way and turning to face the class.
Jamie had sketched his family tree in the form of vines, starting with himself and a small photo of Sophie near the base of the board, and snaking up fifteen levels before reaching the top of the board, where Nathaniel Overland's name and picture stood prominent, the third largest photo on the board. Throughout the gaps in the tree, Jamie had added newspaper clippings, certificates, and pictures, each member of the tree having at least one extra addition. The rest of the space was colored by Jamie's hand, displaying his growing skills in art.
"As you guys know, my name's Jamie Bennett, and this is my family tree," he said gesturing to the project behind him, beginning his semi-rehearsed presentation. "When I first started this project, I would have been able to show you a tree of myself, my little sister, my mom and aunt, and my grandparents, and I would be able to claim that I'm related to one of the founding families of Burgess. Of course, I wouldn't have had any proof of it and that would have been it. But with the help of my family and a little digging," – 'and a massive binder!''– "I managed to string the pieces together and connect the dots to the Overland family."
Jamie continued his presentation, working from his grandparents' generation highlights, mentioning important moments in history of the town, and pointing out interesting fun facts, such as his great-great-great grandfather had had fourteen siblings, a criminal scandal involved his great-great-great-great grand aunt, and his great-great-great-great-great grandfather had six toes on one foot.
As his allotted time began to near its end, Jamie finally reached the Overland family. "Robert Tupper was the only child of Samuel Tupper, and his wife, Emmaline Overland Tupper. At this point of the project, it's obvious how my family connects to the founding roots of Nathaniel Overland, but that's not really what I want to talk about anymore. While my goal for this project had been to prove my relationship to Nathaniel, I ended up being more invested in his son, Jackson."
Jamie took a deep breath, glancing at the clock quickly to see how much time he had left. As his eyes roamed, his gaze caught on to a figure perched on the ledge outside the classroom window. Grinning slightly and wondering how long his white-haired friend had been there, Jamie focused on presenting the last part of his project.
"Jackson Overland was Emma's older brother, and easily the most important person on this board," Jamie stated, subtly explaining why Jack's picture took up more space on the board than Jamie's own picture. "Though the life expectancy of the early 1700s was admittedly not the best, no one will argue that Jackson died years before his time. His death records claim that he drowned shortly after his 17th birthday, but the only body of water in the Burgess area is the pond in the woods. I wondered how he had died, and with the help of a good friend of mine, I learned what really happened."
Jamie took a deep breath before plunging into the story. "Jack and his sister decided to celebrate the first day of winter by going to the pond in the woods. Jack had promised to teach Emma how to ice skate, and the weather had been cool enough recently for the ice to freeze over. They got to the lake, and after testing the ice a bit, they ventured farther onto the frozen surface. Unknown to the pair, they had started to drift towards thinner ice, and they didn't notice until they heard the distinct crack of ice under Emma's skates. As Jack noticed her plight, he took off his own skates and discarded them to the side, even as the ice beneath him began to crack as well. Keeping his sister calm, he helped to direct her onto thicker ice, showing her how to move by taking his own dangerous steps towards his abandoned shepherd's staff. As Emma began to follow his lead, the cracks began to spread, even with his direction. The moment Emma was close enough, Jack lunged forward, hooked the staff around her waist, and flung her onto thicker ice. Unfortunately, the momentum pulled Jack back onto the thin ice, and moments after seeing his little sister to safety, he fell through the ice."
Jamie looked around the classroom and noticed that several of the girls had tears in their eyes, while the subject of the story kept a calm smile on his face, tears streaming down his own cheeks. Jamie flashed him a quick smile before wrapping up his project.
"At first, all I cared about for this project was linking my family to the founding of this town, but I discovered something so much better," Jamie smiled. "I found out that I'm the direct descendant of a hero, someone who is willing to put their family above everything else, even their own life, and that is the coolest thing ever."
"You're not his direct descendant if you're related through his sister," a student in the front interjected, not unkindly.
Jamie's smile faltered for a moment, but then he grinned. "He gave up his life for his sister, and she would have died if it weren't for him," Jamie explained. "He's the direct reason that my family exists today, and I think that's close enough. He was a hero then, and he's a hero now." Jamie finished, discreetly sharing a grin with the sheepish looking spirit in the window.
And that's it! Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to drop a review if you have any questions (or, you know, just to be nice :D).
Peace out!
-Sadie
