Chapter 4
For the next two days, I fell into a state into a depression. I didn't come out of my room. I didn't do much of anything. I didn't come down for meals, I didn't accept phone calls, even from Jeff. Mother was getting worried.
"April, you've been acting strange lately. Is there something wrong?" Mother asked as she entered my room. I sighed.
"No Mother, I'm just very tired. Could you let me be?" I asked tiredly. Mother's eyes started to water.
"You worry me April," she cried as she fleed the room. I curled up into a ball and pulled the covers up to my chin and sighed. I pulled the letter out from inside a drawer in my nightstand, and read it over and over, imaginng the scene of where she wrote the letter. If I looked close enough, I could see tear marks on the letter from when her cold tears had dropped onto the page.
I imagined that we were sitting at the office of the child protection services. I was sitting in Mothers lap as she jotted down the short letter. I was probably occupying myself with chewing on my hands or playing with a used toy, a toy maybe the Sanders' had donated. After Mother was finished, she jammed the letter into an envelope, and addressed it to me. She would probably look down at me and whisper, "April." And then she probably burst out into tears.
The woman who was filing the papers would have come out now and handed my mother the copies of the papers. She put them in a folder, and smiled weakly at the woman. Just outside, the Sanders were probably waiting outside for everything to be settled. Mother handed her the papers, then held me in her arms.
"I love you very much April," she would whisper in my ear, then looked at the Sanders. She handed them to me, then started to cry. She looked back at me desperately, said a quick good-bye to Vivian and Daniel, then hurried out of the building and looked around nervously to see if her abusive boyfriend was around. The image brought tears to my eyes. I hoped that didn't really happen. I hope that it was something else. But overtime I read the letter, the image floated back to my mind.
After days of sulking, I decided to go and call Brandon to let him know that I would be coming over. He sounded surprised.
"What happened to you the last two days?" He inquired.
"I went off to Hawaii," I said sarcastically. He sighed.
"I'll be over by two," I said, and hung up the phone, and swung the covers off of my bed and got dressed. I didn't feel like wearing anything to provocatively over to Brandon's. I dressed in a mini skirt and a regular T shirt, just as I always would wear. I put my hair up, put on some lipstick, and headed downstairs.
"Where are you going?" Mother questioned from the den.
"I have to take care of some things," I called to her, then shut the door. I had realized that I had forgotten the folder, and ran back into the house to get it. I crawled back into my car, then drove over to the Jackson's estate.
They had one of the biggest houses on the neighborhood. It was an old plantation house, probably lived in by their ancestors. I pounded on the door, and waited. Julia answered the door.
"I told you over the phone. I don't want any girl scout cookies," she sneered.
"Brandon!" I screamed. He raced to the door. Julia scampered away.
"Sorry about that," he mumbled. "Please, come in." I stepped inside.
"My father is waiting in his office," he said. I raised my eyebrows.
"I didn't know that we were involving your father," I commented, following him upstairs.
"I told you that, didn't I?" He asked. I shrugged.
"As long as. . . ." My voice trailed off. Brandon nodded understandingly and knocked on the French doors to his fathers office.
"Come in," his father's low voice said to us. Brandon threw the doors open, and stepped inside.
Mr. Tom Jackson sat at his large oak desk, his hands folded neatly across it. He had rich brown hair, and dark brown eyes.
"Miss Sanders," he said warmly, coming from around his desk and shaking my hand. I smiled weakly.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your unfortunate tale," he said, his voice clear and professional. "Have a seat." He gestured to the chairs that sat in front of the desk. I sat down and placed the folder in my lap. Mr. Jackson sat down again.
"Did you bring the papers?" he asked, folding his hands against the desk again. I handed him the folder.
"Wonderful," he said, and looked at the papers. Brandon read over his shoulder.
"Wait, dad," Brandon said, taking one of the documents from him. He held it up to read it.
"The name of the mother and father have been . . . blocked out, erased," he announced.
"They don't want me to find them!" I cried knowingly. Brandon glanced at me worriedly.
"Maybe it's for the better," Mr. Jackson interjected. My eyes widened at him. Brandon picked up the folder and looked through all the papers. Suddenly, I remembered that the letter my mother had written me was in there.
"Wait!" I cried, but Brandon had already found it and was already reading it. I lowered my head.
"Well, this is how you came to be," he muttered, handing the letter to his father. He scanned it quickly.
"Well, we apparently can guess that your father's name is Jake," he concluded.
"Really? I thought he was a brother that I just had discovered," I snapped sarcastically. He shot a glance of disapproval at me.
"This doesn't get us much farther," he mumbled, laying the letter down gently. I snatched it from his desk quickly.
"I don't understand this," I whispered.
"I know this is hard to believe April, but things like this happen in every day lives."
"Not to me!" I shrieked.
"It happens to the best of us," he muttered, folding his hands across his chest. I turned my eyes into narrow slits.
"Please . . . leave me in peace so that I can figure this out," he said, waving us away. I stood up, shoved the letter into my purse, then stomped out of the room with Brandon following.
"I'm sorry my father was like that," he blurted. I held up my hand.
"Don't apologize for your father," I commanded. He nodded, and turned around to see Julia smiling widely.
"You say a word of any of this, you're dead," Brandon threatened. Julia blanched, and scampered away.
"Let's go up to my room," he suggested, then headed down the hall to his bedroom. He threw his door open and walked over to his desk, sitting down.
"What am I going to do?" I moaned, sitting down on his unmade bed. The whole room looked like a tornado had hit it.
"I don't know April," he sighed. I groaned.
"I know the names of my sisters, but they could be anywhere! They could be living in China!" I cried. Brandon walked over to his bed and sat down and slung his arms across my shoulders.
"One day, you'll find them," he said firmly, and brought my head to his shoulder. I sighed and closed my eyes.
"I read books about this. . . I thought it would never happen to me," I whispered. Brandon kissed the top of my head. I thought he was only being affectionate, but his lips traveled down my face until they reached my lips. I shuddered.
"April, I always thought that there was something different about you," he murmured, lowering me to the bed and kissing me. I gasped and tried to push him off of me, but he gripped the insides of my elbows and pinned me down.
"Brandon," I choked, trying to turn my head away, but he kissed me anyway. "Stop!" I whimpered.
"April, I always thought that we would be good together. Mrs. April Jackson," he started to lift my shirt up. My hands shot up and pushed him off of me, leaping off of the bed.
"April," he groaned, reaching out for me.
"No!" I shouted, then reached for my purse and my letter.
"Please April, don't go, I'm sorry," he pleaded, getting off of the bed and walking over to me.
"Don't come near me," I warned. "Thanks for the help," I snapped, and walked out of the room and slammed the door behind me. I stomped over to Mr. Jackson's office, then stormed in.
"April," he said, apparently startled. I ripped the documents from his hands and shoved them back into the folder.
"I really appreciate your help on this, Mr. Jackson," I said calmly. "But I don't think I should be dragging people into my private buisness. I think I can take care of this on my own." I walked out of the office, shutting the door softly behind me. I hurried out of the house before Julia could spot me, and drove home. Just as I walked into the house, the phone rang.
"Hello?" I asked.
"April?" Jeff questioned. I shrieked.
"Jeff!" I cried. "Oh, hold on. Let me switch phones," I said, then lay the phone down and bolted up to my room. I picked up the cordless, then went downstairs to put the phone on the hook. "OK," I announced.
"Why haven't you been accepting my phone calls?" he asked. I sighed.
"It's a long story, but I have some time to tell you," I said, and explained the story of what had happened the past few days, and I read him the letter.
"Wow," he breathed. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," I said softly.
"Well, I bring some good news for you. Tomorrow is my last test, and then, I'll be coming home," he announced.
"Jeff!" I exclamied. "You told me that it would be at least two weeks!" I cried.
"Yes, well the dean saw how urgent that I was, so he told me to finish my last test and hurry home," he explained. I sighed happily.
"Oh, thank god, I thought I was going to die if I couldn't see you in two weeks," I muttered.
"Well, can you wait, like 4 days?" He asked.
"Oh, of course," I said.
"Good. Well, I have to study and pass this test. I'll see you soon. I love you."
"I love you too," I said and hung up. I sighed and snuggled under my covers. Mother knocked on my door.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Get into the shower and get dressed. We are having guests for dinner tonight," she announced.
"Who?"
"The Jacksons," she replied. I gasped.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"No, no, I'll be down in half an hour," I said, and leaped out of bed and paced the room angrily. How could you do this! I wanted to scream at her, but I swallowed my tongue and walked into my bathroom and showered. I rummaged through my closet and found a formal evening gown that I knew Mother wouldn't like. It was a halter style, blood red dress that went down to my feet. It showed a little cleavage, which I liked. I was going to tease Brandon tonight, I thought.
I waited for him to appear until I decided to make my grand entrance. I guess watching all of those old movies paid off, I thought. Mother pounded on my door.
"April, are you ready?" Mother snapped.
"Yes," I hissed, then waited for her to go downstairs. I opened the door, and sauntered downstairs into the dining room. Julia's eyes nearly buldged at the sight at the sight of my dress. Brandon smiled with satisfaction. I sat down at the table, and used all of my manners, for once in my life. I sat across from Brandon, who had his eyes practically glued to my every move. The entree tonight was spaghetti, which I thought was even better. Father looked at me with pride eyes for ones, and Mother weakly smiled. As the parents conversed, I looked around the room innocently, knowing that Brandon was watching me. I dropped my fork purposely, and leaned over to grab it, which I knew that made it worse for him.
After dinner, Mother dismissed us. "Why don't you children go outside and. . . talk or something?" I glared at her, then sauntered outside on the patio. Julia grunted.
"Was that the only decent dress that you own? It trashy, and so out of style," she sneered.
"Shut up Julia," Brandon snapped. "She looks great." I smiled. Julia's eyes widened as a creepy smile formed across her face.
"Oh, my gosh. You're cheating on Jeff, aren't you?" Julia demanded, stepping up to me and poiting her inex finger at me.
"Do you really think that I would do that? Brandon was only paying me a compliment," I said, placing my hand at the base of my throat. "I'm offended Julia. I really am. I thought we were really good friends, and then you accuse me of cheating on Jeffery! I'm so hurt!" I pretended to sob as Brandon walked over to me and embraced me kindly.
"Julia, how could you say such a thing to you good friend?" He chastised. Julia's eyes bulged.
"Good friend! She's nothing but a tramp!" I sobbed harder.
"Get out of my sight Julia," Brandon snapped, and Julia trailed off, shaking her head. When I was sure that she was gone, I lifted my head and giggled.
"Thanks for going along with it," I whispered.
"I like to see Julia pissed off," he replied. "Quite a performance," he added. I smiled. "And I want to apologize about earlier today."
"It's OK," I said softly. "Just as long as Julia doesn't spread any nasty rumors."
"Oh, I'll make sure that she wont," he said with confidence.
"Brandon! Julia!" Mrs. Jackson cried. "Hurry now! We have to go!" Brandon sighed.
"I'll see you soon?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Bye," I said, and watched him crawl into the backseat of his Rolls Royce. I waved, then walked back into the house.
"Well, April, you surprised me by actually using your manners, and wearing something appropriate. There must be something in the water," she muttered. I smiled.
"Goodnight," I said to them, then headed upstairs. I slithered out of my dress and into my pajamas. I turned out the light, and closed my eyes, but someone opened my door.
"What is it?" I groaned, sitting up. It was Daddy.
"I wanted to talk to you for a minute," he said. I sighed.
"I wanted to tell you that you behaved quite appropriately tonight. I think that since you found out about . . . " I nodded. "That you have changed very much. You entered reality quickly."
"Thank you Daddy," I said, smiling. He kissed my forehead and hugged me.
"Goodnight," he said, then stepped out of the room.
"I love you Daddy, goodnight," I said. He turned around, smiled, and closed the door behind him. I snuggled back into the covers and closed my eyes.
I guess I have changed, I thought.
For the next two days, I fell into a state into a depression. I didn't come out of my room. I didn't do much of anything. I didn't come down for meals, I didn't accept phone calls, even from Jeff. Mother was getting worried.
"April, you've been acting strange lately. Is there something wrong?" Mother asked as she entered my room. I sighed.
"No Mother, I'm just very tired. Could you let me be?" I asked tiredly. Mother's eyes started to water.
"You worry me April," she cried as she fleed the room. I curled up into a ball and pulled the covers up to my chin and sighed. I pulled the letter out from inside a drawer in my nightstand, and read it over and over, imaginng the scene of where she wrote the letter. If I looked close enough, I could see tear marks on the letter from when her cold tears had dropped onto the page.
I imagined that we were sitting at the office of the child protection services. I was sitting in Mothers lap as she jotted down the short letter. I was probably occupying myself with chewing on my hands or playing with a used toy, a toy maybe the Sanders' had donated. After Mother was finished, she jammed the letter into an envelope, and addressed it to me. She would probably look down at me and whisper, "April." And then she probably burst out into tears.
The woman who was filing the papers would have come out now and handed my mother the copies of the papers. She put them in a folder, and smiled weakly at the woman. Just outside, the Sanders were probably waiting outside for everything to be settled. Mother handed her the papers, then held me in her arms.
"I love you very much April," she would whisper in my ear, then looked at the Sanders. She handed them to me, then started to cry. She looked back at me desperately, said a quick good-bye to Vivian and Daniel, then hurried out of the building and looked around nervously to see if her abusive boyfriend was around. The image brought tears to my eyes. I hoped that didn't really happen. I hope that it was something else. But overtime I read the letter, the image floated back to my mind.
After days of sulking, I decided to go and call Brandon to let him know that I would be coming over. He sounded surprised.
"What happened to you the last two days?" He inquired.
"I went off to Hawaii," I said sarcastically. He sighed.
"I'll be over by two," I said, and hung up the phone, and swung the covers off of my bed and got dressed. I didn't feel like wearing anything to provocatively over to Brandon's. I dressed in a mini skirt and a regular T shirt, just as I always would wear. I put my hair up, put on some lipstick, and headed downstairs.
"Where are you going?" Mother questioned from the den.
"I have to take care of some things," I called to her, then shut the door. I had realized that I had forgotten the folder, and ran back into the house to get it. I crawled back into my car, then drove over to the Jackson's estate.
They had one of the biggest houses on the neighborhood. It was an old plantation house, probably lived in by their ancestors. I pounded on the door, and waited. Julia answered the door.
"I told you over the phone. I don't want any girl scout cookies," she sneered.
"Brandon!" I screamed. He raced to the door. Julia scampered away.
"Sorry about that," he mumbled. "Please, come in." I stepped inside.
"My father is waiting in his office," he said. I raised my eyebrows.
"I didn't know that we were involving your father," I commented, following him upstairs.
"I told you that, didn't I?" He asked. I shrugged.
"As long as. . . ." My voice trailed off. Brandon nodded understandingly and knocked on the French doors to his fathers office.
"Come in," his father's low voice said to us. Brandon threw the doors open, and stepped inside.
Mr. Tom Jackson sat at his large oak desk, his hands folded neatly across it. He had rich brown hair, and dark brown eyes.
"Miss Sanders," he said warmly, coming from around his desk and shaking my hand. I smiled weakly.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your unfortunate tale," he said, his voice clear and professional. "Have a seat." He gestured to the chairs that sat in front of the desk. I sat down and placed the folder in my lap. Mr. Jackson sat down again.
"Did you bring the papers?" he asked, folding his hands against the desk again. I handed him the folder.
"Wonderful," he said, and looked at the papers. Brandon read over his shoulder.
"Wait, dad," Brandon said, taking one of the documents from him. He held it up to read it.
"The name of the mother and father have been . . . blocked out, erased," he announced.
"They don't want me to find them!" I cried knowingly. Brandon glanced at me worriedly.
"Maybe it's for the better," Mr. Jackson interjected. My eyes widened at him. Brandon picked up the folder and looked through all the papers. Suddenly, I remembered that the letter my mother had written me was in there.
"Wait!" I cried, but Brandon had already found it and was already reading it. I lowered my head.
"Well, this is how you came to be," he muttered, handing the letter to his father. He scanned it quickly.
"Well, we apparently can guess that your father's name is Jake," he concluded.
"Really? I thought he was a brother that I just had discovered," I snapped sarcastically. He shot a glance of disapproval at me.
"This doesn't get us much farther," he mumbled, laying the letter down gently. I snatched it from his desk quickly.
"I don't understand this," I whispered.
"I know this is hard to believe April, but things like this happen in every day lives."
"Not to me!" I shrieked.
"It happens to the best of us," he muttered, folding his hands across his chest. I turned my eyes into narrow slits.
"Please . . . leave me in peace so that I can figure this out," he said, waving us away. I stood up, shoved the letter into my purse, then stomped out of the room with Brandon following.
"I'm sorry my father was like that," he blurted. I held up my hand.
"Don't apologize for your father," I commanded. He nodded, and turned around to see Julia smiling widely.
"You say a word of any of this, you're dead," Brandon threatened. Julia blanched, and scampered away.
"Let's go up to my room," he suggested, then headed down the hall to his bedroom. He threw his door open and walked over to his desk, sitting down.
"What am I going to do?" I moaned, sitting down on his unmade bed. The whole room looked like a tornado had hit it.
"I don't know April," he sighed. I groaned.
"I know the names of my sisters, but they could be anywhere! They could be living in China!" I cried. Brandon walked over to his bed and sat down and slung his arms across my shoulders.
"One day, you'll find them," he said firmly, and brought my head to his shoulder. I sighed and closed my eyes.
"I read books about this. . . I thought it would never happen to me," I whispered. Brandon kissed the top of my head. I thought he was only being affectionate, but his lips traveled down my face until they reached my lips. I shuddered.
"April, I always thought that there was something different about you," he murmured, lowering me to the bed and kissing me. I gasped and tried to push him off of me, but he gripped the insides of my elbows and pinned me down.
"Brandon," I choked, trying to turn my head away, but he kissed me anyway. "Stop!" I whimpered.
"April, I always thought that we would be good together. Mrs. April Jackson," he started to lift my shirt up. My hands shot up and pushed him off of me, leaping off of the bed.
"April," he groaned, reaching out for me.
"No!" I shouted, then reached for my purse and my letter.
"Please April, don't go, I'm sorry," he pleaded, getting off of the bed and walking over to me.
"Don't come near me," I warned. "Thanks for the help," I snapped, and walked out of the room and slammed the door behind me. I stomped over to Mr. Jackson's office, then stormed in.
"April," he said, apparently startled. I ripped the documents from his hands and shoved them back into the folder.
"I really appreciate your help on this, Mr. Jackson," I said calmly. "But I don't think I should be dragging people into my private buisness. I think I can take care of this on my own." I walked out of the office, shutting the door softly behind me. I hurried out of the house before Julia could spot me, and drove home. Just as I walked into the house, the phone rang.
"Hello?" I asked.
"April?" Jeff questioned. I shrieked.
"Jeff!" I cried. "Oh, hold on. Let me switch phones," I said, then lay the phone down and bolted up to my room. I picked up the cordless, then went downstairs to put the phone on the hook. "OK," I announced.
"Why haven't you been accepting my phone calls?" he asked. I sighed.
"It's a long story, but I have some time to tell you," I said, and explained the story of what had happened the past few days, and I read him the letter.
"Wow," he breathed. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," I said softly.
"Well, I bring some good news for you. Tomorrow is my last test, and then, I'll be coming home," he announced.
"Jeff!" I exclamied. "You told me that it would be at least two weeks!" I cried.
"Yes, well the dean saw how urgent that I was, so he told me to finish my last test and hurry home," he explained. I sighed happily.
"Oh, thank god, I thought I was going to die if I couldn't see you in two weeks," I muttered.
"Well, can you wait, like 4 days?" He asked.
"Oh, of course," I said.
"Good. Well, I have to study and pass this test. I'll see you soon. I love you."
"I love you too," I said and hung up. I sighed and snuggled under my covers. Mother knocked on my door.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Get into the shower and get dressed. We are having guests for dinner tonight," she announced.
"Who?"
"The Jacksons," she replied. I gasped.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"No, no, I'll be down in half an hour," I said, and leaped out of bed and paced the room angrily. How could you do this! I wanted to scream at her, but I swallowed my tongue and walked into my bathroom and showered. I rummaged through my closet and found a formal evening gown that I knew Mother wouldn't like. It was a halter style, blood red dress that went down to my feet. It showed a little cleavage, which I liked. I was going to tease Brandon tonight, I thought.
I waited for him to appear until I decided to make my grand entrance. I guess watching all of those old movies paid off, I thought. Mother pounded on my door.
"April, are you ready?" Mother snapped.
"Yes," I hissed, then waited for her to go downstairs. I opened the door, and sauntered downstairs into the dining room. Julia's eyes nearly buldged at the sight at the sight of my dress. Brandon smiled with satisfaction. I sat down at the table, and used all of my manners, for once in my life. I sat across from Brandon, who had his eyes practically glued to my every move. The entree tonight was spaghetti, which I thought was even better. Father looked at me with pride eyes for ones, and Mother weakly smiled. As the parents conversed, I looked around the room innocently, knowing that Brandon was watching me. I dropped my fork purposely, and leaned over to grab it, which I knew that made it worse for him.
After dinner, Mother dismissed us. "Why don't you children go outside and. . . talk or something?" I glared at her, then sauntered outside on the patio. Julia grunted.
"Was that the only decent dress that you own? It trashy, and so out of style," she sneered.
"Shut up Julia," Brandon snapped. "She looks great." I smiled. Julia's eyes widened as a creepy smile formed across her face.
"Oh, my gosh. You're cheating on Jeff, aren't you?" Julia demanded, stepping up to me and poiting her inex finger at me.
"Do you really think that I would do that? Brandon was only paying me a compliment," I said, placing my hand at the base of my throat. "I'm offended Julia. I really am. I thought we were really good friends, and then you accuse me of cheating on Jeffery! I'm so hurt!" I pretended to sob as Brandon walked over to me and embraced me kindly.
"Julia, how could you say such a thing to you good friend?" He chastised. Julia's eyes bulged.
"Good friend! She's nothing but a tramp!" I sobbed harder.
"Get out of my sight Julia," Brandon snapped, and Julia trailed off, shaking her head. When I was sure that she was gone, I lifted my head and giggled.
"Thanks for going along with it," I whispered.
"I like to see Julia pissed off," he replied. "Quite a performance," he added. I smiled. "And I want to apologize about earlier today."
"It's OK," I said softly. "Just as long as Julia doesn't spread any nasty rumors."
"Oh, I'll make sure that she wont," he said with confidence.
"Brandon! Julia!" Mrs. Jackson cried. "Hurry now! We have to go!" Brandon sighed.
"I'll see you soon?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Bye," I said, and watched him crawl into the backseat of his Rolls Royce. I waved, then walked back into the house.
"Well, April, you surprised me by actually using your manners, and wearing something appropriate. There must be something in the water," she muttered. I smiled.
"Goodnight," I said to them, then headed upstairs. I slithered out of my dress and into my pajamas. I turned out the light, and closed my eyes, but someone opened my door.
"What is it?" I groaned, sitting up. It was Daddy.
"I wanted to talk to you for a minute," he said. I sighed.
"I wanted to tell you that you behaved quite appropriately tonight. I think that since you found out about . . . " I nodded. "That you have changed very much. You entered reality quickly."
"Thank you Daddy," I said, smiling. He kissed my forehead and hugged me.
"Goodnight," he said, then stepped out of the room.
"I love you Daddy, goodnight," I said. He turned around, smiled, and closed the door behind him. I snuggled back into the covers and closed my eyes.
I guess I have changed, I thought.