Spring was almost drawing to an end. The students of Burgess were really looking forward to the summer, despite the heat. However, a new fear had formed in Jamie and Sophie as they watched their mother pore over ideas for a summer vacation, wondering where she was going to ship them off to that summer.
"Perhaps she might take us to deserts!" Sophie said.
"Yeah, where we'll die in the heat in two seconds flat," Jamie deadpanned. "Or all the way up north or down south, where we'll get frostbitten and freeze to death."
"Or someplace where it's currently winter and overrun with kangaroos," added a voice.
Jamie and Sophie turned and spotted Jack perched on a tree outside the window, peering in. The winter spirit leaped off the branch and landed lightly in Sophie's bedroom.
"How rude. You didn't even knock," Sophie complained. The winter spirit looked surprised for a moment before that look morphed into one of mischief. "Pardon me, your highness," he said, bowing low, before flying backwards and landing on the windowsill. He rapped hard on the window.
"I didn't say you could come in," Sophie said, just as Jack was about to enter once more. There was the hint of a smile on her lips as she turned back to Jamie.
"Get a picture of him, Jamie. He looks cute like that, perched on a windowsill," said Sophie, grinning, tossing a camera at her brother, whmi barely caught it.
"Stop messing with him, Soph," he said, before holding up the camera. "Smile, Jack!"
"Hey!" Jack was about to fly upwards, but Jamie had already taken a shot. Sophie looked over his shoulder to see it.
"But... there's nothing," she said. "Jamie, did you..."
"Yeah, I did," Jamie responded. He held the camera out towards Jack, who was back on the windowsill. "Have a look for yourself, Jack. The window and walls and tree are in the picture, but you aren't."
Jack glanced at it, without coming too close, in case he froze the electronic gadget. "Perhaps I had already flown up," he said.
"No, you didn't. You only flew up after it was taken."
"Ooh, looks like the camera doesn't believe in you."
"I guess it's because he's a spirit," Jamie deduced, with a small smile. "Too bad. We could've added it to the book's illustrations."
"How are you planning to get that thing out into the world, anyway?" Jack asked.
Jamie and Sophie exchanged glances. "Let's just say... we're going to find out," Sophie responded, with a small smile. "Do you happen to know anything about publishing a book?"
Before Jack could answer, there was a loud knock on the door and Mrs. Bennett poked her head in. "Jamie? Sophie? There's someone from school here to see you."
Someone from school? As far as the siblings knew, they hadn't invited any of their friends over that day and there was currently no urgent project demanding to be finished, so the latter would have no plans of coming over anyway. A thought struck Jamie. Was it Caleb, whom Jamie owed 50 cents from the previous week?
"Who is it?" Sophie asked. Jamie glanced at Jack and Mrs. Bennett, but the latter didn't seem to notice the former. Well, that was pretty normal.
"Not one of your classmates, I suppose," Mrs. Bennett answered. "I've never seen her around before. Why don't you just take a break from writing stories and come down?"
One backward glance at the window told Jamie that Jack had gone. Where to, he didn't really know. Downstairs, perhaps, to see who the visitor was. He wouldn't fly off just like that.
It had been some time since Jamie and Sophie actually hung out in the living room. Every day, they would return from school, pass right through it without really noticing anything, grab lunch in the kitchen, or having done so earlier, before heading upstairs to complete homework and pursue their hobbies or work on the book, which didn't seem to be turning out well. Jamie still had insecurities, and tried to spend as much time with his sister as possible, lest the bond between them should break. He didn't want to go back to that era when it seemed he was all alone, with a sister who thought he was a lunatic, a broken mother and a womaniser of a father.
The living room had changed a lot, having been refurnished and redecorated. The absence of a layer of dust which covered several pieces of furniture most of the time showed that the place was dusted and cleaned regularly. Almost like they were expecting guests. At that moment, one unexpected one sat on the couch, gazing around inquisitively before turning sharply as they entered.
It was her. The girl from his dream. The one Estella had said he would meet. Someone who would obviously play an important role in his life. How important? He was about to find out. Jamie took a tentative step towards her. "And you are...?"
"Emily. And I think that's all you really need to know," the girl responded. She was sitting with her legs together, back slightly bent forwards, arms resting on her thighs, hands clasped together.
"Er... nice to meet you. But we don't really know you," Sophie said. Emily merely smiled.
"I've just heard rumours that you're penning something," she spoke. "A book or something similar." Seeing that Sophie was about to object, she hurriedly gushed out her next line. "I think I can help you."
Jamie raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jack appearing at the window, unseen by Emily, who had her back to him.
"Well... my father used to work with publishing companies before he... um, disappeared, and I thought perhaps I could help you out a little, with what I know."
"Why do you want to help us so much? We barely know you," Sophie said, bluntly, receiving Jamie's elbow in her ribs. "Ow!"
"I... My..." the girl seemed to struggle as she tried to get the right words out. "I... um, think you have good prospects."
Sophie sniggered. "Oh, I see you're also a seer or a fortune-teller. Well, we're not really interested in your services. Ow!"
Jamie gazed at the girl, taking her in. That familiar look in her eyes. There was something behind all of it. There was also a hint of desperation, though he couldn't figure out why. Finally, he took a few steps forward and nodded. "We'll show it to you."
#
"Black and white? Are you sure about that?" Sophie asked for the millionth time. Emily merely nodded, a look of boredom and exasperation slowly creeping onto her face, but that odd look in her eyes stayed unfazed. She flipped through the pages of illustrations Sophie had taken painstaking measures with and suggesting she redo them in black and white.
"They don't seem alive." was Emily's next comment. Sophie exchanged glances with her brother.
"What do you mean they're not alive?"
Emily looked up at them from over the top of a sheet of paper. "You pay too much attention to detail. To making it flawless. But little to what it really means." Her gaze moved down to the corresponding page in the written manuscript. "And it doesn't really capture the full focus of the chapter."
Sophie understood that last part, making her reach out and snatch back the papers from an appalled Emily, whose emotions seem to surface before being suppressed and then resurfacing, and yet again, suppressed. "Look, I don't know who you are, I know you're just the daughter of some lost guy formerly from a publishing company, but I don't really think you should be sitting here commenting on our work. We didn't even invite you."
"What is it that you really want?" Jamie asked, peering at the girl's face. She hurriedly shook her head.
"It's nothing," she said. "Sophie has a point. You should write it without the influence of others' comments and feedback, until you're almost done with it." She got to her feet. "I should be going."
"Hey, just ignore Sophie. She's... probably in one of her mood swings," Jamie spoke, earning himself a glare from his sister. Well, at least he didn't blurt out that she was always like that.
"It's okay. It's getting late anyway." She was on her way out before stopping in the doorway and digging through a satchel she had brought along. She pulled out a book and flung it at Jamie, who caught it deftly. "I think you would find whatever you need in there." With that, she walked out.
"Weirdo," Sophie muttered before crossing over to Jamie and peering at the book. It was rather thick, almost like a novel. Printed across the front page was its title.
"Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. This year's edition," Jamie read out before flipping through. His eyes lit up as he spotted something. "Sophie, check this out!"
The two of them pored over the book for the next couple of hours before Mrs. Bennett came in and announced dinnertime.
"Who was that girl?" Mrs. Bennett inquired, as they ate.
"Jamie's new girlfriend."
"Hey!"
Mrs. Bennett raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen her around before. She seemed pretty friendly. Did you find out her name?"
"Emily," Jamie replied shortly. "New student. My guess is she just transferred here, which is why you haven't seen her around before. Oh yes, mom. One request. Can I stay back in school tomorrow? I won't be long, just probably for half-an hour or so."
Sorry for the late update. There was a test, and I just caught a reading bug after that. And the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is awesome. Just sayin'. Sorry if you don't agree. And this OC... please don't be mad IF I kill her off in the end.
Thanks for reading and please review! The next chapter will be up by probably tomorrow.