"I'll see you a week before school starts back up. I promise."
Those were the words Jacob Hunt said right before he drove away a few days after he turned 12. It was the beginning of June. Just like Jade had found a way to remember her sister, Elise, her brothers, Alex and Ren, and her dad, Marc, she found a way to remember her best friend, Jacob. It was probably the image of seeing him everyday that kept him fresh in her mind. It also could've been the undeniable love Jade had for Jacob, keeping him always on her mind. She just couldn't seem to forget him. But Jacob went away for the summer, where she wasn't able to see him. He left his small town New Jersey home, to spend the summer at some camp in Long Island for "special" kids. He never told Jade what special meant though. It was his secret.
"I'll be back."
That was his promise. His only promise. Yet he broke it. When Jade started her 5th grade year, Jacob his 7th, he was no where to he found. His mother was reported to have killed herself over Labor Day Weekend.
That made both Jade and Jacob motherless. Jade's mother left her and her brother's on her dad's doorstep when they were three days old, leaving without a trace. Jade's siblings never talked about their mother, even though they obviously had questions. Sometimes her father would bring her up, but Elise would scold him and the subject was quickly dropped.
"I promise."
That was what Jacob Hunt said. When Jacob didn't come back, his face slowly started to leave Jade's memory until it was gone all together. By the next summer, Jacob Hunt was just a name she could never put with a face. Jade even forgot that she gave him her bracelet; a very special one that is. The chain was made of a leaf green, one of a kind fabric. Along the fabric a golden plate had been beaded onto it. Engraved into the gold plating had been Jade's name, birthday, and an intricate leaf design around the edge. It had been given to Jade by her mother. It was the only thing Jade had of hers. Jade had expected to get it back when summer ended, but he never came back.
He lied. Though Jade had forgotten, Elise, Ren, Alex, and Marc were sure her sister would never see her love again.
JADE'S POV
"Psst," the brunette boy"whispers" to me, attempting to get my attention, "Psst!"
"What now Chris?" I mumble to the brown haired boy, putting my books into my backpack. It was the last day of school, meaning when the next school year came around, I wouldn't remember anyone that I didn't consistently see over the summer. I even forgot names of my classmates over the weekend!
"Well, I was wondering...well actually I've been wondering for a while, with us having 6 classes together and knowing each other pretty well-" Chris rambles on before I cut him off.
"Just spit it out," I moan.
He chuckles to himself at the usage of the inside joke we've had going all year, his hazel eyes averting to the floor. I don't remember exactly how the joke began, but I've had Chris tell me the story so many times I can remember bits and pieces of how. It had been the first day of school and we were introducing ourselves. I couldn't remember my last name, and just stood there thinking, until he yelled out, "Just spit it out!" Some how, I still remember those four words. And now, here we are on the last day of school of 6th grade.
"Will you go out with me?" Chris asks, almost too fast too fast for me to understand. The question caught me off guard. A guy...wanting to go out with me? Ha. And I always thought of us as friends...did Chris want to be more?
"Are you serious?" I question in disbelief. Chris was the most popular guy in the 6th grade...and half the time I couldn't remember my own name! Chris just nods, a kind smile creeping onto his face. Tears start to form at the corner of my eyes, and Chris immediately panics.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked. I'm so stupid to think you like me too! God, I'm so sor-" I interrupt Chris's rambling by planting a soft kiss on his blood drained face.
"Yes," is all I say before skipping off to find Rosemary to walk me home.
ALEX'S POV
Nothing. Silence. Empty. Those are the words that describe what I hear.
Crazy. Jumbled. Messed up. That's how I would describe my ability to read.
Since day one of my life, I have been deaf and severely dyslexic, and Chris Barker made sure I didn't forget it. I can never hear his taunts, but I can read his lips and feel him shoving me into lockers. Yet he is best friends with my sister...
"Hey, wassup?" Jared signs in American Sign Language to me, noticing my quietness. Jared is what most people would call a jokester. His curly brown hair framed his face so well, his blue eyes read trouble. Jared transferred to my small school at the beginning of the year to be my translator. It was some program his school on Long Island was trying.
"Not much," I signed back, refusing to tell him what was really going on in my mind. Though all the guys picked on me for being deaf, I was still what some girls would call "cute." Another one asked me out today. I'm pretty sure her name was Charlotte. I kindly rejected her, even though she was definitely a looker. The problem was, I wasn't attracted to her in any way; or any girl, for that matter. But I do have a crush on someone...
"Something's got to be bugging you," Jared continues, being surprisingly persistent. He has really bad ADHD, just like myself, so our conversations usually skip from one thing to another pretty quickly.
"The same stuff; I don't know how to talk, I'm deaf, dyslexic, ADHD," and gay, I thought.
"It gets easier," Jared assures me, chuckling. How did he know that? Jared wasn't deaf! HE didn't get bullied! Sometimes I wish I could just run away from this small town.
Then the end of the day commotion begins, signaling the bell has rung. Since today is the last day of school, the movement is twice as bad.
"Wanna have some fun?" Jared signs, changing the subject (there's the Jared I know!)
"I guess," I shrug, signing back.
Two hours later we are hiding behind a car, laughing our heads off (yes, deaf people can laugh, it's instinct). We had just completed our tradition, combining our two hobbies together. I have always had a thing for gardening, and Jared likes pulling pranks, so on the first of the month, we combine the two to pull off a prank. This time, we bought a bag of soil and a packet of ryegrass seeds. Our principle, Principle Dearmond, left yesterday for her summer vacation and won't be back for 4 weeks (don't ask how I know). We spread the soil on her roof, and then sprinkled the seeds in it in a design that spells out "aliens" (our principal has a HUGE fear of aliens). If all goes well, she'll have grass all along her roof in a few days.
"In a week, this will be the best prank ever!" I sign, continuing to laugh.
"Yep!" Jared signs, then mutter something under his breath. I'm no expert in reading lips, but I could swear he said "too bad there won't be a next week." What does he mean by that? I decide to just push the thought aside.
"Hey, I got to go home." I sign, waving, and the running home.
JADE'S POV
"So what happened?" Rosemary asks in disbelief, walking with her usual limp. I told her about my encounter with Chris no more than 30 seconds after it happened to make sure she wouldn't let me forget. I tell her the story once more, not only because she wanted to hear it, but to keep it fresh in my mind. I wish I had caught that moment on tape so I could remember it forever.
"And you said yes?" Rosemary asks for the 30th time. I nod, causing her to squeal yet again. Then she starts to mumble something about "not being alone at camp." Whatever that means...
"So what are your summer plans?" I ask, trying to keep conversation going.
"You'll see," she giggles to herself, flattening her long sweat pants against her skin. Why she's wearing sweatpants at the beginning of summer? I'll never know...
I walk in silence until I start to hear someone following me. I debate whether I should just keep walking, or see who it is. I go with option two. Quickly glancing backwards, I see Rosemary on my heels.
"Are you following me?!" I yell, shocked to see her here.
"No Jade, I walk you home everyday, remember?" Rosemary assures me, putting her hands up in a surrendering motion. Then I hear an unforgettably loud roar.
REN'S POV
The loud roar echoes through the streets all the way to my house. While Alex sits unphased, I can hear it clear as day. My thoughts immediately go to Jade and the dream I had last night.
Jade was cornered in an alley along side Rosemary, who had been paralyzed from fear. Cornering them was a hideous beast, at least 13 feet tall, with only one eye; I guess you could call it a cyclops. In his hand was a giant club. Jade looked on the verge of tears, and I felt like I would cry myself, not being there to help her. I've always been protective of Jade. The tears started to fall down her face as she brought her arms up. With the flick of her wrists, vines started to wrap around the beast's legs, eventually bringing him to the ground, him yelling out in pain.
This morning when I woke up, I couldn't make sense of the dream. I tried, but my thoughts kept wondering back to Jacob. Just like how Jade had done something strange in the dream, Jacob always did strange things when he was around. Sometimes when he was in a good mood, I swore his feet weren't on the ground. Another time, when I was 8, Alex, Jacob, Jade, and I were playing out in the rain. Lightning flashed, striking Jacob with a blinding light. I swore he was dead, but he looked perfectly fine, if not better than before. He was just a strange boy.
A load roar yet again rings through my ears. One of similar sound to when Jade took down the beast in my dream. And though it was just a dream, something in my mind seemed to click.
"Alex!" I yelled, knowing very well he couldn't hear me. I go over and shake his shoulders hard, disturbing him from his video game. Alex gives me a questioning look. I've known sign language forever, so the signs come easy to me as I show them to Alex.
"I think Jade's in trouble."
MWAHAHA! Tensions rising. Any guesses on who is Jades mummy? Or Jacobs father? I probably made it really obviouse...oh well!
Any ideas? Anything y'all wanna see? Tell me! I'm open to ideas! Like, I have a story line, but not any little ideas...
ANYWHO...vote, comment, tell ppl about le story please!
