Chapter 2:
Jacobs POV.
I couldn't take it. Emma and Miss P were at each other's throats, and it was driving me crazy. Miss P was too intimidating, so I felt like I was letting Emma down, to fight with Miss P herself. She was doing an excellent job. I agreed with what she was saying, and I bet the others would too if they were here, which I am glad they're not. When Miss P asked me a question, or more like yelled that I am hurting Emma, I couldn't move or speak, all that came out was um.
It bugged me a lot that Miss P kept correcting the way I talk. In my opinion the english language has gotten better, not so stuffed up.
Then something really weird started happening, Emma was floating, and her lead shoes were on.
"Emma." No response.
"Emma." I said again, still no response. They couldn't hear me over their yelling.
"Emma." I yelled this time.
"Yes Jake." She responded, finally.
"You're...you're floating."
"How is this possible!" Emma yelled. She seemed frightened.
"Emma, calm down, I know this is scary, but you need to try to calm down." I said, emphasizing on the calm down.
"How can I possibly calm down, I'm floating!" Emma was now in a panicked state. She started to hover a little higher, which only made her more panicked. I grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her down.
"You're ok, you're ok, I got you." I said reassuring her I wouldn't let her go while being as calm as I possibly could.
"Thanks." She said, a little grin emerged on her face, a grin of gratitude.
"What was that?" Emma asked, not directed at anyone.
"I don't know." I replied. Miss P still stood there with an angry look on her face, we were surely in for it.
"Do you have anything you would like to say Miss Bloom?" Asked Miss P, clearly, she was looking for an apology, but knowing Emma she wouldn't get one. When Emma felt strongly about something, she didn't back down, and she certainly didn't apologize.
"That was weird." She stated.
"Anything else?" Miss P was trying to Prompt Emma, but it wasn't working.
"I think you can let go now Jake, please." She said. I let go, and she didn't float away.
"I am prepared to make a proposition." Miss P said.
"And what is that?" Emma asked curiously.
"I care about you very much, my propitiation is I care for the child, educate it, care for it like the rest of you." I didn't agree with this, and clearly Emma didn't either. I could tell she was about to go on another rampage.
"No." She said sternly.
"We are going to take care of this child, and we are going to do a wonderful job."
"I believe you are capable, but not right now, you are still a child, with an enormous amount to still learn about the world."
"Again, with the whole child thing, I am not a child. You say you are supposed to teach us, well you are not doing a very great job, if we still have a lot to learn about the world."
"That is no way to talk to me. We either agree on this matter or we do not, believe me, agreeing with me would be the wise choice." Emma wasn't taking any of this, so she stormed out of the room.
"Mr. Portman, please understand that I am only doing what is best. Could you talk to Miss Bloom for me please?" I was a heaping ball of nervousness.
"..." I didn't know what to say, so I left the room after Emma.
I looked for her first in our temporary room, she was there. She was sitting on the bed, looking at a picture. It was a picture of a woman with strawberry blonde hair twisted into two little space buns on top of her head. She was wearing a red and white polka dot dress, red heels, and green glasses. Beside the woman was a little boy. He looked like one of those newsies from the industrial revolution, I learned about in grade nine socials class. He couldn't have been more than seven. He had light blonde hair, covered in dirt. The boy's hat covered most of his hair. His face was also covered in dirt, he seemed happy. The boy had his head tilted up at the woman.
"Hey, what you did was incredible." I said, sitting next to her putting my arm around her shoulder.
"Really?" She responded. Still staring down at the woman and child.
"Yah."
"I found this picture on the train one day, I did not know who the people were, but I felt connected to them somehow. The way she looks at him, like he is the most important thing in the world to her. The way he looks at her, makes me feel she is the only one there for him, who loves him. They are not related in any way, but I can feel the love between them. She wants to help him, and he wants to help her. She wants to give him a good home, and a loving mother. He wants to give her a child to love, and to care for, since she cannot have her own. I know it says nothing on the back about who these people are, but that is how I feel the story is. The reason I have been keeping this is because, I have met many non-peculiar in need of a loving home, I wanted to give it to them. I wanted to be the one who loves, and looks out for them, like the woman in this picture, but I couldn't. I have always felt bad for the children out there in need. I have always wanted someone to care for. I knew very early on I would not be able to have my own, so I aimed for the one who needed help.
For some reason, I can't remember my childhood before my peculiarity kicked in, but I have a feeling it wasn't good. Why else would I not remember it? Everyone else remembers their childhood before their peculiarity kicked in. That is why I want to help kids in need, because I wish someone had helped me. Sorry am I boring you?"
I couldn't find the words for what I was thinking, Emma had just poured her heart out to me, and I just sat there like a lump of coal.
"No, you are doing anything but boring me. I found that really sweet. I am so glad you decided to share that with me." Emma perched her head on my shoulder. We just sat like that for a while, just living in this sweet moment, that sadly wouldn't last forever.
Soon we fell asleep. I had this dream, it was of this little girl, she kept on trying to get her Dad's attention. She jumped; she called his name. He just wouldn't pay any attention to her. The little girl's hair was light blonde, and curly like Emma's.
Then it went to the same little girl on the beach. She was wearing a one-piece seafoam blue bathing suit. The little girl worked on a sandcastle, she went to her Dad to show him it, but he could have cared less. He was flirting with another woman, talking about how he owns his own gym. I could feel the desperation for attention boiling inside her. She went back to her sandcastle to find it had been washed away by the tide.
Out of nowhere, it felt like nowhere, a woman kneeled on the sand by the little girl and started helping her build a new sandcastle. The woman made her feel wanted, like she mattered. The woman went to talk to the girl's Dad about how his daughter needed more attention. She didn't need to, but she felt for this little girl, she knew how it felt to be neglected. The Dad wanted nothing to do with this woman who was telling him how to treat his daughter. So, he slapped her across the face, her cheek was red, and sore, but she didn't care, she kept speaking her mind to the Dad.
The Dad went over to the little girl, dragged her by her left arm, and yelled at her. The woman didn't like this one bit, so she fought back for the sake of the little girl. It wasn't just neglect the little girl was experiencing, it was pure abuse.
She punched him in the face, but he dodged it. A full out fight had broken out between the two people. The little girl got scared, and ran away, she hid in this cave on the edge of the beach. She put her arms around her knees and tried to think happy thoughts. After some time passed, the woman came to the cave, she hugged her, and tried to make her feel safe. She asked the little girl her name. The little girl said her name was...
"Breakfast, wake up!" Yelled someone.
I had so many questions about my dream. Who was the little girl? Was she real? Was it a generated dream brought on by what Emma had said? The most important question was, who was the one who disturbed my dream? I squinted my eyes open to find it was none other than Olive.