2
Jo was still reeling from what had happened as her parent's van drove down their long driveway and out onto the road. But she wasn't stunned enough not to take one last look at her beloved house as they drove down until it was just a speck in the distance.
Jo had hid the book from her family. She didn't want to cause any more anxiety than what there already was. She tucked it away safe in her large duffel bag before she had gone. And the duffel bag was now going to remain at her side at all times. She felt that what she had found was too special to her, and the only part of her house with her that had been there before she had. Jo was sitting in the very back of the family's large van, squished between the twins in their car seats. Only when she was sure that they were fast asleep did she dare take the book out. That's a very straightforward title, The Useful Book, I wonder who wrote it she thought. She turned the book over to see its stem, but there was nothing on it but the title again, embossed in gold leaf. She then tried to open it, but it wouldn't open. Well great. She thought, annoyed. That's not really very useful, is it? Then she got very angry that this mysterious and supposedly "useful" book couldn't even open when she wanted it to. She kept trying for what seemed like ages, trying to use her keys to pry it open. She gave up after a while and examined the book. It hand no lock, just like any regular book, but it still wouldn't open. It didn't even show signs that she had tried to open it, just the normal wear she had seen when she found it. She decided to give up and put it back in her bag. She then sat back in her seat and looked out the window. Yet she couldn't get that book out of her mind. She kept thinking about it until the sky became dark and the hum of the van's motor lulled her to sleep.
"WAKE UP JOJO!" shouted the twins in unison. Jo woke with a start only to discover the twins had used markers to draw lines all over her arms while she was asleep.
"Minnie! Mark! Hey!" Jo looked at her arms with irritation.
"It wasn't me!" lied Mark, "Minnie made me!"
"Did not! It was your idea" Minnie cried back.
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was NOT!" They continued to argue until they were both on the verge of tears and their mom yelled at them from the front.
"Both of you stop! We're here." They had pulled up into a large driveway that led to the biggest house Jo had ever seen.
"Well? What do you think?" asked her dad, grinning ear to ear.
"Harry, its fantastic." Said her mother, staring at the house incredulously. The family climbed out of the car, stretching their sore muscles.
"I call first pick of rooms!" shouted Angela, and ran into the house.
"Uh, no way," yelled Jake, playfully pushing her aside. They both sprinted upstairs. The twins squirmed in their car seats, itching to get out and see their house. Jo slowly walked up to the front door. She could still hear Jake and Angela fighting over the biggest room. Jo had to admit, the house was amazing. It had a large, spacious foyer, which opened up into the high-ceilinged living room. On the other side it opened into a hallway that led to a spacious kitchen. And just opposite the front door was a staircase that led up to the second floor. Jo walked up the stairs, with her duffel bag safely hung over her shoulder. On the second floor was a long hallway, and at the end, was a huge window that showed the entire backyard. Jo walked up to it and stared out. Their backyard was truly amazing. In the light of the sunset, it stretched for what seemed like forever. Just beyond the trees that showed the border of their property, was the shore of a sparkling lake.
"Wow," said Jo, unable to come up with another adjective to describe it.
"I know, right?" said her mother, who had come upstairs to claim the master bedroom before the twins could get to it. "You'd better go find a good room. It looks like your brother and sister have already chosen theirs."
"Right." Jo looked back at the hallway. There were six doors that ran along the hallway. Jo chose the one closest to her on the right.
"Too late!" came her brother's voice from inside the closet. Then he ran out and shut the door in Jo's face. She pounded once on the door with her fist. Then she tried the door to her left. Luckily, it was unoccupied. Jo looked around the room. It was square and plain, but it had a huge floor-to ceiling window on its far left wall with the same view as the one in the hall.
"Perfect." Jo then went back to work on trying to open The Useful Book. But when she tried again, it still wouldn't open. This time she got frustrated, and threw it against the wall. It bounced off and hit the floor with a thud much too big for a book that small. Whoa, she thought, and went to pick the book up to see if it was any heavier. But it was still the same small book that weighed about as much as you would expect a book like that to weigh. She turned it over in her hands. Apparently her frustrated outburst had not damaged the book at all.
She put the book back in her duffel and started to unpack. The moving men wouldn't be getting there until tomorrow, so Jo's parent's had told everyone to pack anything they would need for an overnight trip. Jo continued to unpack her things and set up her sleeping bag for the night when her mother walked in.
"Well, I see you found your room."
"Uh huh."
"So, as you know, the moving men come tomorrow to set everything up, so try to plan out where you want all your stuff. Oh, and I know you're going to hate me for this, but… you're starting school on Monday."
"What? But it's Thursday right now! You're barely giving me enough time to breathe in this house!" Jo exclaimed.
"I know, I know. Your brother and sister gave me the same reaction, but the school here starts earlier than the one back in Georgia. We're in Vermont now, we have to get used to it."
"Yeah." Said Jo, dejected, and went back to her unpacking. Then she thought, screw it, and stood up, picked up her bag, and dumped out the rest of its contents on the floor. A toothbrush, a few books, and her flip-flops fell out, however the air mattress seemed determined to stay in its new home. So she put the bag on the floor and tugged on the mattress. After a few moments, it was free and she proceeded to blow it up. Once everything was done, she glanced back at The Useful Book and decided to go pick it up again and try to get it open. She kept trying and trying, but still it proved futile. She then decided to just give up and try to get through the next few days.