She stopped running only when she reached the fire escape. Flinging open its blue doors, she stepped out onto it. Hands on her knees she gasped for air, and lowering herself onto the metal platform she began to cry. Slowly at first, but steadily, until her face was a waterfall and her eyes lakes. In her head she could picture the small silver J. Hanging loosely around the girl's thin neck.
"Here you go Jackie, look what mummy got you!" It was an icy Friday and the day before Jackie and her mother had been to her Grandfather's house. They only ever went there for money, which was normally spent on gifts for the two, holidays, clothes and presents. But today while Jackie was enduring school, Paula had gone for a little shopping spree of her own. Collecting Jackie from the school gates, her arms were laced with bags of clothes. Placing her hand in one of the smallest bags Paula excitedly fished out a small black box. "Mummy's got one too, see!" Paula lent down to show Jackie the silver P that hung around her neck. "We're gonna be twins! Now everyone can see how much I love my Jackie!"
Paula's exact words were still embedding heavily in Jac's head. When she was younger she had loved it when her mother was like this, in one of her good moods.
Taking the silver J out of its box Paula lent over Jackie to tie it round her neck. Standing still Jackie let the winter wind whip her hair around her face, and her mother's favourite perfume leave enrich her too with its scent. "This will bring you luck Jackie, lots of luck!" Solemnly the young girl nodded, her seven year old face looking intently at the necklace. "Just rub it like this, whenever you need some luck!" Paula smiled showing rubbing the J carefully with her finger and thumb. "Like Aladdin's lamp?" "Yes, just like his lamp!"
Remembering her remark Jac let herself smile, just for a second. That necklace, she considered, had got her all the way through her exams. It that been her lucky charm, something she couldn't bear to throw away even once her mother had left her. Not that it had brought her much luck, Jac thought, not that there is luck. She had pasted those exams with her own intelligence. But the necklace still held importance for her. Otherwise why, why would she have given it away?
Jac sighed she should really be getting back, people would be wondering where she had gone. But if she went back Chrissie would want to talk to her about Jessica, or even worse her to talk to Jessica. Jac let another tear slide down her cheek as she remembered Jessica...
It was New Years Eve 1994 and Jac was walking back from a rare party. She was slightly drunk, and as she staggered around the street she threw up the contents of her stomach in the gutter. "Jackie?" Jac looked up to see a car draw up beside her. It was Norman, a close friend of her foster family. "You look like you could do with a lift!" Jac nodded gratefully, her foster family might not be too annoyed if Norman appeared at the house too. Nice respectable Norman.
It was only few months later when she came aware of what had happened. What he'd done to her. At first she'd tried to cover it up, wearing baggy clothes, but soon her foster family realised. She had broken down telling them what had taken place. They'd offered to let her stay, with them, just as long as she kept the baby, however she could give it up for adoption when she'd had it. Being only 17, she had nowhere to go, she was a bright girl; all her teachers said that. But having a baby would automatically mean she would miss out school, she'd be a statistic, another mother pushed around by social services, she wouldn't have a life, or moreover she wouldn't have the life she wanted. Even though she was only 17 Jac had her life planned out in front of her to every last detail. She knew she was going to be a doctor, a really successful one. She knew exactly where she wanted to study, and the A* grades she wanted to achieve. Having this baby would change everything.
Ok I hope you think this chapter is ok, the italics mean the past just to let you know. I think now you might have realised who Jessica is... please R&R