Anna Blackwell was buried on the rainy morning of April 27. Her whole family stood around her casket with bleary eyes and weathered faces. Arthur stood in front of his dad, with John's protective hand on his shoulder. Roger stood to her father's right, and Joanna stood to the left, a distance away from the rest of her family. She wore a high cut black dress to cover the gash on her chest, and in her bandaged hand, she held a single red rose. As the casket was lowered into the ground, with the numourous guest blowing their noses and uttering phrases like "What a shame." and "Oh, that poor family.", Joanna threw the red rose, and it landed on the top. That was the last time Joanna would see her mother, before the dirt was thrown on top, and reality was set to sink in.
Anna's car had stalled midturn on the road on her way back from the grocery store. This was nothing knew, and her car had been giving her problems for days now. She tried pumping the gas, putting the car in neutral, all the usual. From down the road, a truck doing 40 miles above the speed limit came up the road. Anna heard the honks, saw the lights, and turned and saw the speeding automobile. She froze; the car hit and slammed the Blackwell family vehicle into a nearby tree. Anna was killed instantly.
=================
[1 month later]
"I appreciate you meeting with me this late in the year, Professor. I realize how far behind Joanna might be in the fall, so I thought getting her here earlier for your some of your summer clases might be her best bet. I think this will be the best place for her right now-" John had a horrible habit of talking constant nonsense and wringing his hands when he was nervous. He sat in the leather chairs in front of the desk of Prof. Charles Xavier, founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Students. Prof. Xavier had been used to the nervous chatter of parents bringing in their children for the first time. John Blackwell's reaction to his facility was no different, even though most of the parents, including John did not know the full truth about the school or the students in attendance.
"We're always happy to welcome new students, no matter what the circumstances." Charles had stopped John somewhere mid-sentance. Charles looked through a small pile of paper work on his desk. "Jo-hanna Blackwell."
"Jo-anna." John corrected.
"Oh, of course." Charles scanned through the few papers, picking up information about his student as he went down. He stopped suddenly and paused. "I see here Joanna's mother, Anna is deceased."
John felt his blood froze. This was a tough subject for him to talk about to other people, especially complete strangers, even though every detail he knew about Anna's accident played over in his head, every second of every day, and it concluded with the picture of his daughter right before they heard the news. "Umm..." He bit his lower lip to keep it from shaking. "Yes, my wife, she died...about a month ago...in a car accident." Tears were starting to form in the corner of John's eyes. Charles lightly tapped a box of tissues on his desk and John graciously took one.
"I'm sorry to hear for you and Joanna's loss, as well as the rest of your family." John waved his hand in gratitude, not being able to get a word out. "Well," Charles continued as he backed his wheelchair from his desk and headed towards the door. "I believe Joanna will find this school very homey and very fitting to her needs for now. She seems to be a bright girl." John nodded. "Now, if you will follow me down the hall. We can discuss any other matters with my collegue, Prof. Gray." Before he left the office, John looked out the window to see his two sons and daughter out on Xavier Greens. Roger and Joanna were sitting on a bench talking, while Arthur was pointing out random objects on the grounds and talking and playing with any kid who would stop and pay him some attention.
"This place is really nice." Roger said. Joanna didn't respond. "I mean, it's got everything you would need." Still nothing. "Dad even got you your own room." He looked over and saw Joanna's eyes just staring at the grass at her feet. "There's horses too. You always said you wanted to learn how to ride -"
"Don't bother, Rog." She finally spoke. "You're not doing any good." Her voice had sounded so sullen and monotone lately.
"GUYS! HEY GUYS!" Arthur had run around a corner and back again. "Guys, there's a pool. A huge swimming pool!" He took off again and disappeared around the same corner.
"What's not doing any good?"
"Your attempt to make me happy. It's not happening." She kicked some of the grass at her feet. "I know why I'm here. You don't have to cover it up."
Roger shifted his weight to face his sister, who continued to find more interest in dirt than in her brother. "Really? And enlighten me why don't you?"
Joanna stopped kicking dirt, but didn't look up. "It's because of Mom." She paused and pursed her lips together. "Dad can't even look at me anymore since it all happened." She paused again, this time looking straight in front of her, letting her vision blur out on a tall boy with blonde hair and a girl with dark brown hair walking by. "He thinks I caused it." She could see the pair staring at her, but she didn't care.
"How can you say something like that? Why would you ever think that?"
She looked at him straight on, and Roger could see dark circles laying beneath her eyes. "Because it's true." Joanna whispered.
As she finished, Arthur came bursting around the corner. "Joanna! You have to come here! You will not believe what I saw in the pool!" He started to jog, but turned around and started tugging on his sister's arm. "Come on!" Joanna grudginly lifted her self from her seat and allowed herself to be dragged across the lawn by her little brother.
Roger relaxed on the bench. He spread out his arms, closed his eyes and titled his head back towards the sky. In his mind, he couldn't help but replay the conversation. He couldn't even imagine where Joanna would get ideas like that.
"Hey champ." John startled his son as he came behind and took Joanna's old seat on the bench. "Where's Arty?"
Roger pointed in the general direction of the pool. "He dragged Jo off to see something by the pool or something. I think he's more excited about her coming to this place than she is." John only grunted. The two sat in silence for a minute or two as Roger wrestled with whether or not he should talk to his father, but in that few moments, he found it best.
"So, Jo said something really strange just now." John didn't answer, he still sat in spot as before. "She said, uh, that she thinks you're sending her away because you can't stand to be around her...that she did something to Mom." John was unresponsive to Roger's attempts to get answers. "Is that true?"
John bit his lower lip again. His voice became professional and monotone. "I believe at this time sending Joanna to a school away from home would serve in her best interest and of this family, and also -"
"Oh, cut the shit, Dad. That's the same line you've been feeding us for weeks." Roger's voice came out louder than he had originally intended. "I need to know. Why now? We probably need Jo here more than we ever have."
"You weren't there Rog." John's voice came out shaky and broken. "You didn't see what I saw. I was there, and I saw her." Even biting his lip could stop the quivering and there was no tissue this time to stop the blots. "You didn't see what she did to my wife. You have no idea."
Roger couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dad," he tried to gain some level of composure and maturity. "c'mon. You really think Jo would -"
"I know what I saw!" John screamed so loud his voice echoed through the trees. "I saw..what she did to my Anna. And I cannot have THAT living in my house." He pointed with a hard finger in the direction of the pool. "She needs to go." Roger was shocked, beyond anything. To hear his father speak such hateful words about his own flesh and blood; for him to think that his daughter played an instrumental part in the death of his wife; to know that his father was driving further wedges into this already broken family was dumbfounding.
"Dad! Dad!" Arty came running around the corner, with Joanna still in tow. "Dad, you would not believe this! There was a giant ice sculpture, IN THE POOL, IN THE SHAPE OF A SLIDE!" Arty stretched his arms out to demonstrate the size of this ice creation. "Jo saw it too." A smile, which had slightly returned to John's face at his son's excitement disappeared at his daughter's name. He didn't even bother to use it any more, and when someone else did, he couldn't help but shutter.
"Well, kiddo." John spoke in a low voice. "We should be getting on the road." He turned on his heel and headed at a face pace to the parking lot. Arty held Jo's hand the whole way over to the car.
Roger walked on the other side of his sister, putting his arms around her as they walked. "Say goodbye, Arty." John called from the open driver's side door to the car.
Arty threw his arms around Joanna and squeezed tight. "I'll miss you, Jo. I'll see you soon, right?" Joanna didn't bother to answer, almost any answer she coudl give to comfort Arty would have been a lie.
"Take care, Arthur. I love you." She tapped his baseball cap and gave him another quick squeeze before he climbed into the car.
Roger took his sister and held in a tight hug, and he could feel her crying. "I love you, Jo. Be good, okay?" He let go from the hug and held her shoulders square to his. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were starting to get red. "I WILL call you. You got that?" She nodded. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Everything...will get better. I promise." Roger drew her in again for another tight hug. John honked the horn impatiently, and stood half outside the car. Roger finally let go, and walked backwards to the car, never taking his eyes off his sister. As he opened the passenger door, and lifted his hand and waved goodbye. Joanna did the same. As Roger climbed in and shut the door, Joanna turned towards the direction of her father. The two stood there, one with eyes swollen and dark and sad, and the other with eyes of cold glass. John's face was emotionless as he climbed into the car. He shut the door, and backed away, breathing a sigh of relief as they drove out of the ground of Xavier's school. This was the most relieved he had felt since the whole ordeal.
Joanna was left standing there, never saying goodbye to her father, quietly and sadly, twirling the birthday present around her neck.
Anna's car had stalled midturn on the road on her way back from the grocery store. This was nothing knew, and her car had been giving her problems for days now. She tried pumping the gas, putting the car in neutral, all the usual. From down the road, a truck doing 40 miles above the speed limit came up the road. Anna heard the honks, saw the lights, and turned and saw the speeding automobile. She froze; the car hit and slammed the Blackwell family vehicle into a nearby tree. Anna was killed instantly.
=================
[1 month later]
"I appreciate you meeting with me this late in the year, Professor. I realize how far behind Joanna might be in the fall, so I thought getting her here earlier for your some of your summer clases might be her best bet. I think this will be the best place for her right now-" John had a horrible habit of talking constant nonsense and wringing his hands when he was nervous. He sat in the leather chairs in front of the desk of Prof. Charles Xavier, founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Students. Prof. Xavier had been used to the nervous chatter of parents bringing in their children for the first time. John Blackwell's reaction to his facility was no different, even though most of the parents, including John did not know the full truth about the school or the students in attendance.
"We're always happy to welcome new students, no matter what the circumstances." Charles had stopped John somewhere mid-sentance. Charles looked through a small pile of paper work on his desk. "Jo-hanna Blackwell."
"Jo-anna." John corrected.
"Oh, of course." Charles scanned through the few papers, picking up information about his student as he went down. He stopped suddenly and paused. "I see here Joanna's mother, Anna is deceased."
John felt his blood froze. This was a tough subject for him to talk about to other people, especially complete strangers, even though every detail he knew about Anna's accident played over in his head, every second of every day, and it concluded with the picture of his daughter right before they heard the news. "Umm..." He bit his lower lip to keep it from shaking. "Yes, my wife, she died...about a month ago...in a car accident." Tears were starting to form in the corner of John's eyes. Charles lightly tapped a box of tissues on his desk and John graciously took one.
"I'm sorry to hear for you and Joanna's loss, as well as the rest of your family." John waved his hand in gratitude, not being able to get a word out. "Well," Charles continued as he backed his wheelchair from his desk and headed towards the door. "I believe Joanna will find this school very homey and very fitting to her needs for now. She seems to be a bright girl." John nodded. "Now, if you will follow me down the hall. We can discuss any other matters with my collegue, Prof. Gray." Before he left the office, John looked out the window to see his two sons and daughter out on Xavier Greens. Roger and Joanna were sitting on a bench talking, while Arthur was pointing out random objects on the grounds and talking and playing with any kid who would stop and pay him some attention.
"This place is really nice." Roger said. Joanna didn't respond. "I mean, it's got everything you would need." Still nothing. "Dad even got you your own room." He looked over and saw Joanna's eyes just staring at the grass at her feet. "There's horses too. You always said you wanted to learn how to ride -"
"Don't bother, Rog." She finally spoke. "You're not doing any good." Her voice had sounded so sullen and monotone lately.
"GUYS! HEY GUYS!" Arthur had run around a corner and back again. "Guys, there's a pool. A huge swimming pool!" He took off again and disappeared around the same corner.
"What's not doing any good?"
"Your attempt to make me happy. It's not happening." She kicked some of the grass at her feet. "I know why I'm here. You don't have to cover it up."
Roger shifted his weight to face his sister, who continued to find more interest in dirt than in her brother. "Really? And enlighten me why don't you?"
Joanna stopped kicking dirt, but didn't look up. "It's because of Mom." She paused and pursed her lips together. "Dad can't even look at me anymore since it all happened." She paused again, this time looking straight in front of her, letting her vision blur out on a tall boy with blonde hair and a girl with dark brown hair walking by. "He thinks I caused it." She could see the pair staring at her, but she didn't care.
"How can you say something like that? Why would you ever think that?"
She looked at him straight on, and Roger could see dark circles laying beneath her eyes. "Because it's true." Joanna whispered.
As she finished, Arthur came bursting around the corner. "Joanna! You have to come here! You will not believe what I saw in the pool!" He started to jog, but turned around and started tugging on his sister's arm. "Come on!" Joanna grudginly lifted her self from her seat and allowed herself to be dragged across the lawn by her little brother.
Roger relaxed on the bench. He spread out his arms, closed his eyes and titled his head back towards the sky. In his mind, he couldn't help but replay the conversation. He couldn't even imagine where Joanna would get ideas like that.
"Hey champ." John startled his son as he came behind and took Joanna's old seat on the bench. "Where's Arty?"
Roger pointed in the general direction of the pool. "He dragged Jo off to see something by the pool or something. I think he's more excited about her coming to this place than she is." John only grunted. The two sat in silence for a minute or two as Roger wrestled with whether or not he should talk to his father, but in that few moments, he found it best.
"So, Jo said something really strange just now." John didn't answer, he still sat in spot as before. "She said, uh, that she thinks you're sending her away because you can't stand to be around her...that she did something to Mom." John was unresponsive to Roger's attempts to get answers. "Is that true?"
John bit his lower lip again. His voice became professional and monotone. "I believe at this time sending Joanna to a school away from home would serve in her best interest and of this family, and also -"
"Oh, cut the shit, Dad. That's the same line you've been feeding us for weeks." Roger's voice came out louder than he had originally intended. "I need to know. Why now? We probably need Jo here more than we ever have."
"You weren't there Rog." John's voice came out shaky and broken. "You didn't see what I saw. I was there, and I saw her." Even biting his lip could stop the quivering and there was no tissue this time to stop the blots. "You didn't see what she did to my wife. You have no idea."
Roger couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dad," he tried to gain some level of composure and maturity. "c'mon. You really think Jo would -"
"I know what I saw!" John screamed so loud his voice echoed through the trees. "I saw..what she did to my Anna. And I cannot have THAT living in my house." He pointed with a hard finger in the direction of the pool. "She needs to go." Roger was shocked, beyond anything. To hear his father speak such hateful words about his own flesh and blood; for him to think that his daughter played an instrumental part in the death of his wife; to know that his father was driving further wedges into this already broken family was dumbfounding.
"Dad! Dad!" Arty came running around the corner, with Joanna still in tow. "Dad, you would not believe this! There was a giant ice sculpture, IN THE POOL, IN THE SHAPE OF A SLIDE!" Arty stretched his arms out to demonstrate the size of this ice creation. "Jo saw it too." A smile, which had slightly returned to John's face at his son's excitement disappeared at his daughter's name. He didn't even bother to use it any more, and when someone else did, he couldn't help but shutter.
"Well, kiddo." John spoke in a low voice. "We should be getting on the road." He turned on his heel and headed at a face pace to the parking lot. Arty held Jo's hand the whole way over to the car.
Roger walked on the other side of his sister, putting his arms around her as they walked. "Say goodbye, Arty." John called from the open driver's side door to the car.
Arty threw his arms around Joanna and squeezed tight. "I'll miss you, Jo. I'll see you soon, right?" Joanna didn't bother to answer, almost any answer she coudl give to comfort Arty would have been a lie.
"Take care, Arthur. I love you." She tapped his baseball cap and gave him another quick squeeze before he climbed into the car.
Roger took his sister and held in a tight hug, and he could feel her crying. "I love you, Jo. Be good, okay?" He let go from the hug and held her shoulders square to his. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were starting to get red. "I WILL call you. You got that?" She nodded. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Everything...will get better. I promise." Roger drew her in again for another tight hug. John honked the horn impatiently, and stood half outside the car. Roger finally let go, and walked backwards to the car, never taking his eyes off his sister. As he opened the passenger door, and lifted his hand and waved goodbye. Joanna did the same. As Roger climbed in and shut the door, Joanna turned towards the direction of her father. The two stood there, one with eyes swollen and dark and sad, and the other with eyes of cold glass. John's face was emotionless as he climbed into the car. He shut the door, and backed away, breathing a sigh of relief as they drove out of the ground of Xavier's school. This was the most relieved he had felt since the whole ordeal.
Joanna was left standing there, never saying goodbye to her father, quietly and sadly, twirling the birthday present around her neck.