Kate
Rain pulsates from the blooming black storm clouds that tower high above the mountain. Silence stretches between Jillian and I as she weaves slowly through traffic. Healing crystals and gemstones swing back and forth on the leather thong hanging from the rearview mirror, reminding me of a pendulum. The clock is ticking.
"I need a cigarette," Jillian announces with an unexpected, exasperated boom.
My eyebrows shoot up to my widow's peak as my jaw drops to my feet. Jillian has always been a health nut hippie. Then again, my grandmother probably had a wild side before I was born. Guilt wells in my stomach, because my condition has shaken a sacred belief out of her. Maybe she doesn't believe in anything anymore.
She pulls over at the gas station and barely makes it out of the door before lighting up a long cigarette under roof. Giant clouds blow hastily from her as she down the cancer stick. It only takes her a few minutes to finish it.
She looks sheepish as she climbs into the car.
"For the love of all things magic, don't you ever start smoking," She orders, throwing me a dead serious glance before pulling out of the parking lot.
We're finally almost home. I breathe a sigh of relief thinking about retiring to my bedroom so I can sleep without having to think. How the hell am I going to tell Jarrod?
As we climb the mountain road leading to home, an inexplicable sense of dread overcomes me. It has nothing to do with the bad news. Something's wrong. And it has to do with Jarrod. I just know it. Soulmate's intuition. As soon as the feeling hits, the cattle truck comes into view. It's lying sideways in a gravel ditch that's at least six feet deep. A lifeless arm lies slack over the driver's side window with blood falling slowly over the top of a badly bruised hand. A silver ring stands out starkly. I'd know that ring from anywhere. It's a promise ring and as I jump out of Jillian's car, I know it's a broken promise.
Jarrod
Woods. Tall and elegant redwoods that stretch majestically into the sky. I'm running hard, fast, and free. Nothing can stop me. And then out of nowhere, a beautiful girl with porcelain like skin joins me, keeping up with every stride perferctly. Her light blue eyes pierce right into my heart. Her long hair as shiny and black as the finest, fresh ink shimmers effortlessly in the rising sun. Who is this beautiful creature as agile and graceful as a gazelle with upturned cat eyes, gentle as a butterfly. I wish I knew her name. We seem to gallop together forever, maybe even days and yet, we never tire, never slow. Suddenly, the woods release us into a large valley. The grass is brown with death. The old and twisted trees look starved of water and sunlight, their branches bare and menacing. A sinister castle surrounded by dirty stone walls and a giant mote sits in the middle of these hills.
An evil aura seems to cover this spooky land. We stop just at the edge of the woods, too afraid to go into this valley of death. The angelic creature grabs my hand, turning me roughly towards her worried face. I'm surprised at how strong she is and yet, perfectly fragile as tears well in her perfect eyes.
"Please, wake up. I can't go in there alone," She says as she gestures towards the dead and putrid valley past the shadows and thorns towards the eerie castle.
Kate
I've been stuck in the waiting room for hours with no sign of a doctor or nurse that's supposed to update me on Jarrod's wellbeing. Or lack thereof, I think regretfully. I can barely concentrate on the outdated magazines that promise clear skin, great sex, and make-up tricks that will forever change you. Garbage. I have more important things to worry about.
Jillian comes into the waiting room with two large canvas bags under her thin arms. A small smile flickers across her face. She's trying to be brave for me.
"I brought goodies," She says a bit too cheerily as she plops down in the hard, plastic chair and pulls out Cheetos, apples, protein drinks, word searches, chapter books, witch and new age magazines, and finally a giant spell book. She taps on the book with her bony pointer finger.
"We've got some work to do," She whispers with serious eyes before she flips through the dog eared pages that have grown brown with age.
An hour later, my journal I always keep in my purse is filled with scrawls and scribbles of various spells. Jillian and I have poured over the book, checking every possible cure that will somehow help Jarrod recover and potentially, make the unwanted child within me disappear. I'm not entirely sure where I stand on abortion. I don't judge those who have sought them. I definitely agree that there are cases where abortion may be necessary… especially considering my own predicament. But for some unknown reason, I don't think I could go through it. But if we don't think of an alternative soon, I may have no choice.