IZZY GREEN

I DO NOT OWN TDI OR JADE GREEN

ITS IN COURTNEY'S POINT OF VIEW

He caught my wrists and hold me there while I tried desperately with my other hand to keep the package hidden behind me.

"Aha!" he cried, his eyes were laughing, "Where is out orphan be off to?" he spinned me around I was facing him. "See? Your cheeks are very pink, you must be going to meet a boyfriend."

"I have no boyfriend," I told him. "I was going for a walk in the gardne."

Justin pulled me closer, through I bid my feet to stay.

"That wasn't a walk, Orphan, that was a run!" he said. "How eager you are! If you have no boyfriend, then why don't you give a kiss to your cousin?"

"No Justin!" I said, trying to pull away from him. "Please ..."

His grip tightened more on my hand as through to push me down, yet I gave a little cry, "No! Stop!" and swung at him lightly with the picture frame.

Footsteps were coming up the path from the alley, then Duncan's voice: "Courtney? Where are you? What's wrong?"

Automatically, Justin released my hand.

"Aha!" he cried again. "You were going to meet a boyfriend. What do you have there? My family's silver? Robbing your Uncle Trent behind his ack?"

"No!" I cried, just as Duncan came around the bushes.

Justin gave us a scornful look and straighted uo. "Good day," he said stingy to Duncan, and went quickly up the path to the house. I didn't know what he would tell my uncle.

I grabbed Duncan's hand and hurried on down to the alley that we wouldn't be overheard.

"What happen?" he asked me, "Princess, please tell me what's wrong?"

I tried to ignore it, "It was only Justin being Justin," I told him. Then, trying to put a natural face on a day that was unnatural to the extreme, I presented him the gift, "I kind of lied to you."

Puzzled, he stared at it and then at me, he looked at the present again and he slowly unwrapped the tissue. After what had taken place in my bedroom, I didn't know what he would see when he examined the freame, but there was my photograph at ten years old, just as I had wrapped it.

He stared at hard as the color rose in my cheeks. He finally asked, "Princess, what did you lie to me about and is this you?"

"I asked Owen when your birthday was and yes," I said feeling awkard. "It ...it's all I have just now. All that would fit the frame."

I stopped talking, the more words that came out of my mouth, the more ridiculous they sounded, but parting the frame itself gave me the greatest distress. I could scarely let it go. The next thing I knew I was running back towards the house. Too confused and embarrassed to decribe any of it. I turned and fled back up the path like a silly child, "I'm acting like a child again. Mother were are you when I need you?" I thought. I ran in Gwen's kitchen and my cheeks became aflame.

"Oh my, what is this?" she asked, "Have you taken a fever, child?"

To make my day even more perfect, she was pouring tea for Justin, who sat solemnly at the table, watching me as I took my seat.

"She's a slut, Gwen," he said. "Here, there ... meeting young men at the back of the garden."

Gwen looked mad at Justin, her face went to red then she said, "I knew what she was doing. Something you wouldn't have argeed to you. She was given Duncan Carely his birthday present."

"Yea, but in the back of the garden, doesn't that seem suspious?"

Gwen rollen her eyes and said, "Let's have no more meetings at the back of the garden, sweetie. Let him sit in the parlor like the way young men are supposed to do when they come asking for marriage," I raised my eyebrow at this as she continued, "To meet him in the alley will only make people talk, and" -- she paused, "we all know how reps can be ruined by talk," she said looking directly at Justin.

He had his mouth shut, I was too gloomy to take tea any longer, claiming I had a headache, went upstairs.

As I passed the doorway to Izzy Green's old bedroom, I stopped, staring hard at the attic door until I gathered my courage. I walked in the room swiftly, I jerked open the door and the glove was gone, the stairs were empty minus the bloodstain.

Back in my room, I locked the window, just in case Duncan decided to pay me a visit, I laid down on my bed and mulled over all that had happen. With Justin about, he could well have put the glove on the attic stairs for me to find, and could have easily have taken it away. That didn't explain the hand, of course -- the ghostly hand. At last I had rid the house of my mother's picture frame, adn were I to be asked now, I can truly say that there was nothing green in my processions.

As my body relaxed, I listened to the sounds around me -- Gwen's voice far off in the kitchen, the sound of a carriage out on the street, the twitterings of birds, no sound out of my closet, pebbles being thrown at my window.

"Wait, pebbles being thrown at my window?" I looked over to see a pebble hit the glass on my window. "Arg, I hate it when he does that." I went over to the window and unlocked it, I opened it for him to come in which he did without hestitation.

"Hello princess," he smirked at me.

I just rolled my eyes, not even bothering to reply.

"Princess, talk to me!" he begged.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" I asked as I raised my eyebrow.

"Well," he decided to sit on my bed, " why wouldn't I?"

I shook my head, "Must I tell you what happen ten minutes ago?"

I didn't realize how close I was to my bed becasue the next thing I knew was that I was sitting on his lap, he had a hold of my waist. Next thing we know, we heard footsteps again.

Duncan signed, "One of these days, I didn't get a chance to say thank you."

He made sure that I was sitting at the bed before he got up and left, his head popped in and said, "Don't lock your window ever again! It's a pain in the butt to throw rocks at your window."

"I had to laugh at this, "Okay."

At dinnerI felt better, and looked forward to the roasted turkey that Gwen had set before us. I was telling Trent about how dreadfully it had rained at lunchtime., and how I went without an umbrella ... again.

I was surprised to hear Cousin Justin interrupt me to say, "You need to watch her, Father. She'll go out of this house with more than an umbrella. It wouldn't surprised me a bit if she was taking away my silver."

"Justin!" Gwen yelled.

I was stunned to reply.

Trent put down his wineglass, "On what do you base that accusation Justin? And, when did my silver became yours?"

"When I was born and I caught her running through the garden toward the alley this afternoon, Father. She was looking very guilty, very flushed, and she had a parcel hidden in her skirt. I tried to question her, but she broke away and ran to meet Duncan Carely. When she returned, she came empty-handed."

I was close to tears, yet I was so mad. All I could say was: "Are you accusing me of stealing sir? Am I the one who has already claim to the family silver while my Uncle Trent is very much alive? I want my uncle to be alive. I think you want him dead. Do you plan on murdering him?" I said directly looking at Justin, my voice was shaking.

He glared at me while Trent and Gwen's mouths were wide open at my comment. Justin spoke, "I didn't say you was Cousin. I said you bear watching, that's all. Why would I want to kill my father?"

Gwen looked at him sternly, "Becasue you just said that she was stealing 'your sliver' when Mr. Sparrow is still alive. Courtney what you gave to Duncan is your business, especially since it's his birthday but--"

"It was a picture," I blurted out, "A picture of me. Nothing more."

"You gave him, your picture, Courtney?" inquired Gwen more surprised then angry," Well now!" she smiled and the next thing I knew she was hugging me, "Courtney is falling in love! Happy Day!"

Trent's voice took over the table, "You spoke correctly Gwen," she blushed at that statement, "It is Courtney's business, not ours, and they do bring a point up about the silver. I don't want to hear any more about your suspions Justin. Justin, since you, yourself, profess to ignore gossip, I trust you will not supply us with any more more at the table in the future."

Justin's expressed no emotion, but I was most surprised and grateful to hear Trent take me part. I had been noticing lately a small change in him -- a smile that brighted his face whenever I entered the room. Little inquires about now and them, my health, my comfort, and my likes and my dislikes. I could tell that he looked forward to the parlor after dinner when I played for him and some of his favorite songs, the setting sun coming through the stained-glass panel above the side window, making a rainbow of color on the wall.

"Courtney, can I request something," Trent asked as soon as Justin had left that evening.

"Of course," I replied.

"Can you play the piano and sing the lyrics to a son on page ten?"

I went to page ten to find the song that he had made to Gwen. I smiled at this.

"This song is for our cook, Mrs. Gwen Hasting." I started.

Gwen's eyes went open as I started playing and singing,

Ooh
It's something about
Just something about
The way she moved
I can't figure it out
There's something
About her
(About her)
Say ooh
There's something
About kinda women
That want you
But don't need you
Hey
I can't figure it out
There's something
About her
Cuz she walk like a boss
Talk like a boss
Manicured nalis
Just sent
The pedicure off
She's fly effortlessly
Cuz she move like a boss
Do what a boss
Do
She got me thinking
About getting involved
That's the kinda girl
I need

She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Won't you come
And spend a little time
She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Ooh
The way you shine
Miss independent

Hey, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeahhh, mmm
Ooh
There's something
About kinda woman
That can do
It for herself
I look at her
And it makes me proud
There's something
About her
There something
Ooh
So sexy
About the kinda women
That don't even
Need my help
She says she got it
She got it
No doubt
There's something
About her
Cuz she work
Like the boss
Play like the boss
Car and a crib
She about
To pay em both off
And her bills
Are paid on time
She made for a boss
Soley a boss
Anything less
She's telling em
To get lost
That's the girl
That on my mind

She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Won't you come
And spend
A little time
She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Ooh
The way you shine
Miss independent

Yeah, yeahhh

Her favourite thing
Is to say
Don't worry I got it
And everything she got
Best believe
She bought it
She gon steal my heart
Ain't no doubt about it
Girl
Your everything I need
Said your everything
I need

She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Wont you come
And spend a little time
She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Ooh the way you shine
Miss independent
That's why I love her

I then said, "This song was from Trent Sparrow."

Gwen was breaking down in tears as I excused myself to go to bed.

The air was warm --too warm, almost for a sheet -- and I lay in my gown with my feet being the only lightly covered. Just like this afternoon, I listened for any sound at all in my room --scratching, scurrying, rustles, or creaks.

There was nothing at all, and I thought what a mercy it would be, in ridding the Sparrow house of green, I was ridding of Izzy Green. What a surprise it would be, if Gwen and Trent got together.

I tried not to think of Justin and how I had angered him this afternoon by refusing his kiss. How he, in turn, made such terrible accustations about me in front of his father and Gwen. It seemed we should always be enemies.

I soon found myself going to sleep, unfortuntly, I was half-awake once or twice, the sleep, the bed, the pillow all felt so comfortable that I gave myself up.

Some time in the night, once or twice, I was waken by the sound of music.

Could I be dreaming? I wondered, where there revelers outside my window, coming home from a party? Or was it morning already, with Gwen singing as she made biscuits, she has a beautiful singing voice.

As I became more awka, I realized that it wasn't a voice at all but rather a simple melody, and the words to the tune ran through my head:

Too roo de nay, too roo de noo.

Too roo de nat, too roo de noo.

I need a Canada Christmas food dish I can make for school, any ideas? I will try and update The Island Dance soon. Read and Review I do not own Miss Indepent.

~Snowleopardlover~