This is a really short chapter. Enjoy.
SnapShot
By Ryuu no Taiyo
Chapter Eight
The snow-less winter ebbed away rather quickly and the beginning of a warm and foggy spring started. Jade was finishing her first year of Primary School, and was happy to say that she was in the top three of her class.
She had grown only half a foot taller, and was starting to reach her short Uncle's height, which, needless to say, earned a proud and bittersweet chuckle from Pey'j. His little girl (although, officially, she was his niece) was growing up.
There were no noticeable happenings, no DomZ attack, no important parties…nothing. It was an odd stillness, blended with the joy of a returning summer. Jade, personally, was almost ready to give up her camera for the beginning of spring and the end of school.
Finally, it came.
The last day was a fun one. A fair was organized in the Primary school's recreational center, which was a large room that was used for Physical Education or recess, and it opened with large, see-through double doors to an outside courtyard.
It was there that she finally learned the name of the black haired boy that had caught her spying on her uncle months ago. His name was Li.
"Li?" Jade repeated. That was an odd name. She had never heard a name like that before.
"Yeah." He answered. His hair was covering his eyes. "You're Jade."
"How'd you know?"
"You live at the lighthouse with the pig. Ming-Tsu told me. He's my grandfather."
"What?" Jade stuttered, forgetting that he had called Pey'j a pig. She eyed Li with her bright green eyes. He was human in all appearances. Yet Ming-Tsu was not human…She was confused, and Li could read the curious confusion on her face.
"He adopted my dad." He said simply.
"Oh." Jade said quietly, her voice apologetic. She felt bad for prying.
"Don't worry about it." He said. This wasn't a big deal for him apparently.
Jade nodded, uncertain of what to say or feel. She decided to remain silent for now, waiting for the boy to speak.
"Where…where are your parents?"
"My mom lives outside the District. I live with Ming-Tsu on school days 'cause it's closer to school." He said simply.
Now that Jade had actually met him and talked to him, he seemed…a lot less annoying. A lot more human. He was approachable.
She had often looked back on that picture of him by his friends, in front of the large television not too far from the newsstand she had taken that day last summer. She'd wondered who he was. But she'd never asked any one about him. She liked having…a secret? She shrugged inwardly. She didn't know what to call it.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"I'm ten…you?" she replied.
He smirked.
"I'm thirteen. Next year's gunna be my last year in this hell hole."
Jade winced at the language.
Her uncle often used ruddy, harsh language, but there were limits. And she was forbidden to talk the way he talked. She often wondered why, and he answered that the more sophisticated you acted, the bigger chance you had at being a good reporter. She had frowned, replying that that was going to be no fun, but he had been firm about this. It was only later that she had realized that being sophisticated didn't stop you from having an 'attitude', or being sassy and sarcastic. She had grinned rather evilly to herself, and Pey'j not having understood the sudden change in her pensive expression, had raised one eyebrow, but he had let it be.
When Jade came back to Hyllis from her thoughts, Li had left her standing there, and was no where in sight.
All remotely kind thoughts about him were once again terminated as she put on her infamous Jade-is-not-happy look and stomped off, angry for him just leaving her there.
Pey'j found her soon after, and offered to go home. She agreed, found Nouri and Seven (Francis was no where in sight, he had probably left earlier or something), said goodbye, and left the School. They walked on the School's dock where the hovercraft was directly docked, jumped in and left.
The hovercraft was starting to act up again, much to Pey'j's annoyance.
"Darn thing!" he swore, and Jade found herself thinking once more about Li.
"Pey'j," she asked, as they were leaving the Main Canal, "Do you know a kid called Li?"
"He's Ming-Tsu's grandson, no?"
"Yeah." She nodded.
"I've never met him, although I've seen him before. He was very little though." he said.
"I met. He goes to school with me and he's thirteen years old. He's the kid that stopped me when I went in looking for you in Ming-Tsu's shop."
"You mean that was Li? He's older than I thought. Last time I saw him, which was ten years ago, he was three." Jade nodded, taking in the new information.
Somehow, her brain figured, everything was linked. She had to find that link. She had to!
Before she knew it, they had arrived at the lighthouse.
"Can I stay up late, Uncle Pey'j?" she asked as they docked the hovercraft.
Her uncle sighed.
"Alright, if you insist."
She jumped up happily and walked up the ramp, rushing outside the garage.
Pey'j sighed, closing the engine and turning off the hovercraft's power. He walked up the stairs slowly, staring at the stone wall…
You'd be proud, Alec, you'd be proud.