Jada Chamberlyn paced her room, every part of her body, every nerve, on end. She'd woken this morning to a panicked, frantic phone call from her parents. Lisa had been found dead. Vivian had been found not far from the hospital, collapsed and unconscious. Some strange girl with a cat had seen what happened. Naturally, as Jada had been known to be with them, people were searching for her. It was covered. Somehow. There was a shopkeeper corroborating her story that she had left them behind at the bookstore cafe, and no one had seen her come in past curfew, so that meant she had to have been back at the school already.
She wanted to scream that it was all a lie. Wanted to rant and wail like a maniac about magical cat and starseeds and oh my god she'd summoned tentacles from the ground. It was like a bad horror novel. And god, Vivi and Lisa were...
The ride to the hospital had passed in stony silence, her inner screams silenced by outer serenity. The only signs of her inner emotion were the helpless twitching of her fingers. “Don't do that,” was the first thing her mother said. “It's not ladylike.”
“Don't do that,” her father said, taking apart her wringing hands and patting one of them comfortably. “You're a Chamberlyn, and you have nothing to be worried about.”
“Don't do that!” her sisters had chided, Kayley patting at her pale cheeks. “Jayjay, you're worrying mother!”
Why did no one see her confusion? They were all taking it as shock. Even the police officers who had spoken to her had taken one look at her perfect curls and starched clothing, a look at the lost, hopeless look in her eyes and concluded it was shock.
And wasn't it?
Lisa looked peaceful. Nothing showed that her very life essence had been taken from her forcibly. Vivi's face was still tense, but they had smoothed it out. The peace of that face was broken by the fact that she was on life support and comatose. No one could be truly peaceful with a breathing tube. No one knew if or when she would even wake up. Her head had been cracked open by the fall she'd taken when a giant stuffed bunny dropped her. Her leg was broken, a rib was cracked; they thought she'd been hit by a car.
No shrieking, no crying. Their mothers were doing enough of that. Lisa had been an only child, Vivian had three older brothers. Jada just had to stand there in silence while angry families wailed and wept and screamed at her for leaving their little girls behind early. If she'd stayed! If she'd stayed!
If only they knew. Her gut twisted and screamed, bubbles of hysteria in her gut. If only they could know!
It was only later, safe at home, that she let her little brother close to her, holding him to her tightly and burying her face in his dark hair. “I love you.” he whispered. “I'm glad you went home early. The car might have broke you too.” It was then that her shoulders began to shake. The first tears that dripped down her pale cheeks were hot. Her cheeks were bloodless, and everything was warm. Especially small arms holding her, tiny hands patting her back as she wept. “I'm glad you weren't broken.”
“I am too.” she whispered back to him. Pulled away from Lucas, raised her handkerchief to her eyes to blot. His little face brightened and he giggled.
“Your cheeks are all black.” he told her, held up a mirror. It was a stranger within it, a girl she didn't recognize with clear, aching eyes. A face too pale, a knowledge too dear.
“Why yes they are.” she agreed. “I guess they are.” The white handkerchief stroked over the lines of her face, the high cheekbones, traveling in an outline against the large, almond-shaped eyes. Setting the little boy down, she moved over to the ornate mirrored vanity and sat down at it. Behind her she could see her two sisters peeking into her room. “Zora. Kayley. Come on in.”
She watched the twelve year olds skip in, felt them sit attentively at her side. “Will you make us up for dinner, Jayjay?” Zora asked, resting her blonde curls against Jada's left arm. “Once you've fixed yourself back up.”
“Of course.” Jada could feel her lower lip start to tremble. These beautiful little girls could one day be in the same danger she had been in. These beautiful sisters of her could be in the same situation as Lisa, or Vivian.
She would want someone else to protect them if she could not, and Ophelia had said she could. That she had the responsibility to.
She had the duty to protect someone else's little brothers and sisters and loved ones.
“You know I would do anything for you three.” she whispered, and pulled Lucas closer to the bench so she could enclose her siblings in her arms.
That was how their mother found them, fifteen minutes later, still holding each other. “Jada, what happened to your face? Fix yourself immediately. Zora, Kayley, go get ready for dinner. Lucas, darling, come along.” Reluctantly, the four Chamberlyn children let go of each other.
She wanted to scream that it was all a lie. Wanted to rant and wail like a maniac about magical cat and starseeds and oh my god she'd summoned tentacles from the ground. It was like a bad horror novel. And god, Vivi and Lisa were...
The ride to the hospital had passed in stony silence, her inner screams silenced by outer serenity. The only signs of her inner emotion were the helpless twitching of her fingers. “Don't do that,” was the first thing her mother said. “It's not ladylike.”
“Don't do that,” her father said, taking apart her wringing hands and patting one of them comfortably. “You're a Chamberlyn, and you have nothing to be worried about.”
“Don't do that!” her sisters had chided, Kayley patting at her pale cheeks. “Jayjay, you're worrying mother!”
Why did no one see her confusion? They were all taking it as shock. Even the police officers who had spoken to her had taken one look at her perfect curls and starched clothing, a look at the lost, hopeless look in her eyes and concluded it was shock.
And wasn't it?
Lisa looked peaceful. Nothing showed that her very life essence had been taken from her forcibly. Vivi's face was still tense, but they had smoothed it out. The peace of that face was broken by the fact that she was on life support and comatose. No one could be truly peaceful with a breathing tube. No one knew if or when she would even wake up. Her head had been cracked open by the fall she'd taken when a giant stuffed bunny dropped her. Her leg was broken, a rib was cracked; they thought she'd been hit by a car.
No shrieking, no crying. Their mothers were doing enough of that. Lisa had been an only child, Vivian had three older brothers. Jada just had to stand there in silence while angry families wailed and wept and screamed at her for leaving their little girls behind early. If she'd stayed! If she'd stayed!
If only they knew. Her gut twisted and screamed, bubbles of hysteria in her gut. If only they could know!
It was only later, safe at home, that she let her little brother close to her, holding him to her tightly and burying her face in his dark hair. “I love you.” he whispered. “I'm glad you went home early. The car might have broke you too.” It was then that her shoulders began to shake. The first tears that dripped down her pale cheeks were hot. Her cheeks were bloodless, and everything was warm. Especially small arms holding her, tiny hands patting her back as she wept. “I'm glad you weren't broken.”
“I am too.” she whispered back to him. Pulled away from Lucas, raised her handkerchief to her eyes to blot. His little face brightened and he giggled.
“Your cheeks are all black.” he told her, held up a mirror. It was a stranger within it, a girl she didn't recognize with clear, aching eyes. A face too pale, a knowledge too dear.
“Why yes they are.” she agreed. “I guess they are.” The white handkerchief stroked over the lines of her face, the high cheekbones, traveling in an outline against the large, almond-shaped eyes. Setting the little boy down, she moved over to the ornate mirrored vanity and sat down at it. Behind her she could see her two sisters peeking into her room. “Zora. Kayley. Come on in.”
She watched the twelve year olds skip in, felt them sit attentively at her side. “Will you make us up for dinner, Jayjay?” Zora asked, resting her blonde curls against Jada's left arm. “Once you've fixed yourself back up.”
“Of course.” Jada could feel her lower lip start to tremble. These beautiful little girls could one day be in the same danger she had been in. These beautiful sisters of her could be in the same situation as Lisa, or Vivian.
She would want someone else to protect them if she could not, and Ophelia had said she could. That she had the responsibility to.
She had the duty to protect someone else's little brothers and sisters and loved ones.
“You know I would do anything for you three.” she whispered, and pulled Lucas closer to the bench so she could enclose her siblings in her arms.
That was how their mother found them, fifteen minutes later, still holding each other. “Jada, what happened to your face? Fix yourself immediately. Zora, Kayley, go get ready for dinner. Lucas, darling, come along.” Reluctantly, the four Chamberlyn children let go of each other.
