Please read this short novel and tell me what you think.
This crazy world……
What happened to a boy that had been shut away from humanity.
Chapter 1
I looked around to make sure that it was safe. I saw no one in sight and so I made a run for it. I clutched the bag of fruits tightly in my hands as I ran full speed. I could see my house and was relieved, but I still knew that I wasn’t safe until I got inside the house.
I was just about to make it when something brown caught my eye. I skidded to a stop knowing that my life was in danger, but I had to find out what was behind that tree. I was too curious. I quietly made my way over and saw that a body lay sprawled behind the tree. It was a girl’s body and by the way she was breathing, I guessed she was unconscious. I had to get inside the house but how could I leave this girl?
Holding the bag of fruits in one hand, I tried to wake the girl up. Surprisingly, she wasn’t unconscious. She had been badly hurt though.
A deep moan escaped from her throat.
“Who are you?” She asked in a whisper.
I didn’t answer. It was too risky. What if some one heard me?
She said something else but I didn’t hear her.
I picked her up, abandoning my bag of fruits. Who cares about stupid fruits anyway?
The girl was heavy but I managed to get her in my house. I set her on the floor and turned to lock the doors. I sighed heavily. I was finally safe from those monsters known as Chuck and Brian, two twin brothers who lived down the street. The only things they seemed to know were how to make me miserable.
Just stays away from them were my mother’s exact words to me.
The girl who I had just brought in now sat up.
“Where am I?” She asked, more to herself than to me.
“You’re in my house.” I said matter-of-factly.
She stared at me with her chocolate brown eyes. She was pretty with her long dark brown hair and ivory colored skin. She reminded me of someone. I guessed she was around my age, sixteen or so.
“And who are you?” she asked standing up and brushing the dirt off from her clothes which was a pair of light blue jeans and a misty rose colored blouse.
“My name is Jake and you’re in my house. I saw you and thought I’d better bring you in. You have a nasty bruise on your arm,” I said pointing. “Here, let me get you a towel.” I led her to the kitchen.
She seemed to be examining the house very carefully, looking at every single corner.
. But then again, who wouldn’t. My house is a huge two story mansion with furniture that cost practically as much as the house itself.
I found a towel and soaked it in warm water.
I handed it to her and she accepted it. She started to gently rub her arm.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“What’s it to you?” she replied.
Not quite the answer I expected.
“Okay. I’m sorry I asked you your name, won’t ever happen again.” I said sarcastically.
“Why did you bring me here anyway? So you could supposedly ‘save’ me and so you could brag to all your rich friends that you saved a homeless girl and then you hooked up with her and then you kicked her to the curb and then blah, blah, blah…..” She said with pure hatred. She stared at me with her intense eyes, waiting for me to react.
“Oh! I get it, you’re one of those ‘all rich people are snobs’ person.” I said shoving my hands in my pockets. “I’ll give you a heads up; I’m not like those people. I don’t believe that I’m rich at all.”
“I don’t believe that I’m rich at all.” She said mimicking me. “You rich people are something. But, if you must know, my name’s Stacey.”
She set the towel on the counter and turned to leave.
I ran up and blocked her path.
“What are you doing?” She asked crossing her arms across her chest.
“You said you were homeless. What did you mean by that?”
“None of your bees wax.” She said flatly.
“Come on, I’m just trying to help you. Why are you being so mean? You look hungry, why don’t I make us some sandwiches.”
Stacey thought a moment and agreed.
We both made our way back to the kitchen. Stacey sat down on a wooden stool in front of the marble counter and I searched the refrigerator for stuff that I needed to make the sandwiches. I found bread, tuna, some lettuce and tomatoes.
“How do you like your sandwiches, with or without crusts?” I asked nicely.
“Without.” She said smiling and I noticed when she smiled; a dimple appeared on her left cheek.
I cut the crusts of both sandwiches and then I cut it diagonally forming two triangles. I set one plate in front of her and sat down beside her to eat my sandwich. She finished way before I even got to sit down. I guess she was starving.
“Got anything to drink?” She asked.
I nodded and took out two cans of Pepsi from the refrigerator.
She finished her Pepsi in like, two gulps.
After she finished, I decided to ask.
“Have you run away from home?”
She looked at me with those intense eyes again, “How long did it take you to figure that one out, Sherlock?”
I was kind of annoyed by her sarcasm.
“I have no idea why you’re asking me all these questions, but, since you were nice enough to make me lunch, I’ll tell you.”
I waited for her to continue.
“I ran away from home about a month ago. It wasn’t really that hard to leave. My father left us, me and my mom, when I was five. I was too little to have really cared then. My mom was so devastated that she would leave me alone in the house for days. I have no idea where she went. All of our family members lived miles away. Then when I started school, she would sometimes forget, or at least I think forget, to pick me up. Then a teacher would usually drop me off. I would come home and find my mom either drunk or trying to commit suicide. She would always try but never had the guts to actually do it.” Stacey had a far away look in her eyes like if she was reliving those terrifying moments of seeing her mom trying to kill herself. Then she brought herself back to her story.
“I was never a bad girl. I always got good grades, I always came home on time and I was the one who took care of the house. I don’t even remember what my mother’s voice was like, we never really talked. Then … one day I came home and my mom wasn’t there. She had left some money and a letter on my bed saying that it would be better if I was to just disappear somewhere and that if I ever needed anything, to go live with my Aunt Kate.”
“Why didn’t you go to your aunt?” I asked.
“How could I? She already hated my mom for torturing herself over my dad who was never going to come back. If I had gone to live with her, I would never hear the end of it. She would probably always nag me about my mother and say that I should quit school and find a job or something like that. And besides, I can take care of myself.” she said.
I was shocked that Stacey didn’t have a single tear in her eyes. I would never admit it, but if my mom left me, I would constantly be crying.
“Anyways, it’s time for me to go.” She said standing up.
“Go where?” I asked also standing up.
She smiled. “I don’t know.” Once again she turned to leave.
“Wait!” I nearly yelled, “Why don’t you live here? Well, at least for a couple of days, I guess, until you find another place to stay.” My offer surprised Stacey as well as myself.
She looked at me straight in the eye. “What about your mom?” she asked suspiciously.
“Well, I could hide you. Um, what I mean is, my mom’s never home, she leaves for work at seven in the morning and comes back at ten at night. I don’t go to school and so…”
“Wait, you don’t go to school?” Stacey asked interrupting me. “Why?”
“Well, I, I was kicked out.” I was ashamed to confess it, but it was true.
For a minute we were both quiet.
“Okay. So where’s my room?” she asked, at last breaking the silence.
I grinned.
It felt good to help someone.
Chapter 2
Stacey's eyes grew wide as she peered into my room.
It was a king size bedroom with a queen size bed. I had a large plasma screen TV with a DVD player in one corner and a mini refrigerator in another corner.
The door to my walk in closet (which was bursting from clothes) was open and there was even a window at the end.
“Wow,” was the word that came out of Stacey’s mouth.
“Pretty neat, huh?”
Stacey was speechless.
“Okay, so here’s the plan, my mom can not find out that you’re here. So what I was thinking was that you stay in my closet.”
Stacey raised an eye brow at me.
“It won’t be that hard. My mom’s practically never in the house and I’m the only one here. Besides, there’s a window in there and it’ll never get stuffy or anything.”
Stacey walked into the closet and examined the clothes.
“You have great taste in fashion.” She said as she pulled out an onyx t-shirt with the words “Where is the love?” printed on it in dark red.
I hope she didn’t notice, but I flushed with embarrassment. My mom sometimes says that I choose clothes like a blind person.
She placed the shirt back and turned to face me.
“Okay, I’ll stay. I mean it is better then sleeping in the park.”
I was kind of curious about how someone could sleep in the park, especially on rainy days, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.
It was the least I could do since she only accepted this offer because of me.
Then again, it was for her betterment.
The next morning went by smoothly. I had given Stacey some sheets and a pillow. She had slept without any problems. My mom didn’t even know she was there.
After she left, I decided to see if she was awake. I knocked on the door of my closet.
I heard her stir inside and a few moments later the door opened.
“Good morning.” I said cheerfully.
Stacey rubbed her eyes and muttered a reply.
“Where’s the bathroom?” she asked sleepily.
“Down the hall,” I answered.
Twenty minutes passed and Stacey finally returned. Her hair was wet, so I supposed she took a shower. She was wearing the same clothes. I made a mental note to buy her some new clothes.
“What took you so long?” I asked while Stacey started to towel dry her hair.
“I like taking long showers. I barely get to anyway. I have to go to that community pool down at Wets Bridge Road to take a shower. And then there’s always a mob scene over there. So, you know.” She shrugged.
I nodded my head. Stacey did not have it easy.
“Want some breakfast?” I asked.
“No thanks. It’s too early in the morning.”
“It’s only seven o’clock!” I protested.
“What do you mean only seven o’clock? You’re the first person that I know of that actually likes to get up in the morning.” She said.
“Well, you know what they say; the early bird catches the worm.”
Two Days after having a lot of Fun Together
The sound of Stacey's laughter filled my bedroom that afternoon. I just came back from the shopping mall with my Aunt Kelly, who had decided that I needed some new clothes, and a help in choice. At the mall, I decided that it was my chance to buy Stacey some clothes. But I had to be careful with my Aunt Kelly around. Luckily, she had handed me some money and said that she had just been called up on a business emergency. She said that she would pick me up from the mall in two and a half hours. That gave me enough time to buy clothes for myself and Stacey.
I was back from the mall. Mom had to pick me up. Aunt Kelly couldn’t make it. Mom was really furious at Aunt Kelly.
I had just told Stacey about what my mom says of my choice of clothes and then I showed her a plain white t-shirt with the words: MY MOM SAYS I SHOP LIKE A BLIND PERSON printed in green on it.
She started to laugh and then I started to laugh and then we were both rolling around with watery eyes. When we settled down, I showed her some more clothes I bought. They were just plain shirts with nothing funny written on them or anything.
Then I picked up the last bag and showed her the clothes I bought for her. This included of a white t-shirt, a pair of white tennis shorts, a pair of black jeans, a lilac blouse, a light brown shirt, an ivory colored miniskirt with a dark brown belt and a pair of light pink pajamas.
“Thank you so much.” She said and hugged me. It caught me by surprise and before I could react, she pulled away.
“How did you pay for all of this?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “You needed some clothes, so I got them for you. That’s all.”
“This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” She said and hugged me again. This time I hugged her back.
“I’m going to go try on these clothes,” she said breaking from the hug and left.
I watched her go. I heaved a heavy sigh.
I was beginning to understand how I felt about Stacey. I hope she understood how I was starting to feel about her, too. And I hoped she felt the same way about me.
I hoped with all my heart.
Chapter 3
Six Very Short Months Later
“I do not!”
“Do to!”
“Do not!”
“To!”
“Not!”
“To!”
“I do not snore.” Stacey said flatly.
“Whatever you say,” I said just as flatly.
Stacey sighed. I couldn’t help but smile a little. She doesn’t really snore when she sleeps; I just say that to bug her.
“My throat’s all dried out from arguing with you. I’m going to go get a glass of water and when I come back up stairs, I don’t want to hear another word about my snoring, do I make myself clear?”
“So you admit you do snore at night!”
Stacey let out an exasperated groan and left to get a drink.
I leaned back on my comfy bed. Stacey is an amazing girl, I thought.
She’s nice, pretty, and funny and loves to talk. She plays basketball, tennis and other sports. She writes poetry and songs. She likes trying different types of food.
Whenever Stacey was around, I felt so much at ease. It was like I was leaving all my troubles and worries on earth to go up on a cloud to be with Stacey.
I never thought it was possible, but I was in love.
Not the kind of love where you want to kiss some one but the kind of love when you want to be with someone for the rest of your life. If someone knew how I felt about her, then he or she would presumably say that I’m too young to fall in love. But I say a person can fall in love at any age. You just have to know how to handle it.
“Jake, sweetie, I’m home!”
I sat and looked at the clock that was on the wall. It was only two in the afternoon. Mom wasn’t supposed to be home until ten tonight. She must have been sent home early toady.
I ran down stairs as fast as my legs could take me.
“Jake, there you are! Didn’t you hear me when I called you?”
“Mom, what are you doing here, you’re not supposed be here.” I said.
“Jake! What’s the matter with you? You’re always begging me to come home early and spend some time with you and now that I’m here you’re asking me to leave! Honey, that’s ludicrous.” My mom said accusingly. She always uses big words when she scolds me. I just hate it.
I had to think of something, and I had to think of it now.
“I’m just going to the kitchen to eat a quick snack then we…”
“No! I mean, uh, why don’t you go to the bathroom upstairs and freshen up a bit while I fix you something to eat?”
My mom eyed me suspiciously, “You mean the guest bathroom?”
I nodded.
“Is there…is there something in the kitchen you don‘t want me to see?” my mom said weighing her words carefully.
“Pfft! Mom, what do you think I am, a….” I didn’t even finish my sentence because my mom was already half way to the kitchen.
“Mom, wait, why don’t we go out for ice-cream or something?”
My mom stopped in mid run and turned to face me.
“Ice-cream, you want ice-cream? You haven’t eaten ice-cream since you were eight. Now I know there’s definitely something you’re hiding.” With that she sped off.
Hurriedly I followed behind.
I made it just in time to see my mom make it to the kitchen doorway and gasp.
She looked at me with her blue eyes wide and her mouth, which had a little smudge of red lipstick in one corner, open.
“Mom, before you say anything, I’d like to explain that I only….”
My mom came over and hugged me.
“Jake, it’s times like these that make me feel closer to you more than ever. I am so grateful to have a son that’s so thoughtful enough to clean the whole kitchen to make it literally shine! Thank you Jake.”
I hesitated. What was she talking about? Didn’t she see Stacey?
“Yeah, well, it was no problem mom. Just being the best son I can be.” I said casually and gave a nervous laugh.
“I’ll get ready and you make plans of where you want me to take you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Mom left and I scanned the kitchen for Stacey.
“Stacey, where are you?” I said a little too loud and quickly lowered my voice. “Stacey,”
“Jake.”
“Oh thank God you’re…” I turned to see that it was Mom, not Stacey.
“Jake, who are you talking to?”
“Uh, no one. I was just….singing this song. Yeah, that’s it, a song. I was singing a song.” I gave an ear to ear smile hoping that mom would buy my excuse.
“Oh really. What song would that be exactly?”
“Oh! You wouldn’t know about it.”
“Try me.”
I thought fast. “You know that one song. Stacey come back to me, Stacey come back to me, my Stacey…”
“Jake, it’s not Stacey come back to me, its baby come back to me. I never knew you listened to Vanessa Hudgens. Anyways, let’s go.”
Early the next Morning
Birds were chirping some where in the distance. The laughter of children echoed in the streets. And here I was, sleeping in a quiet room. That was it! It was quiet. It’s not supposed to be quiet, at least when Stacey was around. I jumped out of my bed and ran down stairs with surprising energy. I entered the kitchen to found her drinking a glass of milk.
“Hey.” I said sheepishly.
“Hey,” she said just as sheepishly. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you up? I just didn’t feel like sleeping.”
“It’s okay.” I took a seat beside her. “I couldn’t sleep any way. I mean, it was all quiet and the room was snore-free.”
Stacey sighed loudly, but I could tell she was just trying to hide a smile.
“Jake, who are you talking to.” Said my mom’s voice.
I jumped out of my seat. What was my mom doing here? Umm, mom, I’d like you to meet my friend, Stacey.” I said in a shaky voice.
“Jake, there’s no one there.”
What was mom talking about? I turned around and to my bewilderment; there was no one there except a glass of milk on the table. Stacey had disappeared. There was no other way out of the kitchen except for the doorway and if she had gone through there, either my mom or me would have seen her leave.
“But mom, she was right here, just a second ago!” I said all in one breathe.
“What are you talking about Jake?”
“Mom, for the last few months, I’ve hid this girl in my bedroom closet. She’s an orphan and she had no place to sleep so I invited her here. I never told you because I knew you would never allow it.” I sighed lightly. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Don’t you worry about a thing. Just listen to the sound of my voice, Jake”
“Huh?”
Mom slowly walked to a drawer and pulled something out and hid it behind her back.
“Jake, you’re going to go to sleep for awhile. Okay. It’s no big deal. Just work with me here.”
“Mom, what are you…”
“This won’t hurt a bit.”
Something poked my arm and I could feel myself being slowly sucked into a field of darkness. It was like I was leaving the world as every second passed by. Slowly, slowly, slowly leaving my body and entering a new world. A world of peace and safety, a world of people, normal people. No mentally ill people. No lunatics. No psychos. No retards. No loonies. No locos. No wackos. No cuckoos.
A world, of normal human beings.
A world, of a mother’s dream.
Chapter 4
“Mmm.” Dr. Chang took off her stethoscope and turned to Jake’s mom. “Tell me, what’s been going on in the last six or seven months?”
“Like I’ve told you before Dr. Chang, Jake’s been acting really strange. He thinks I’m not home and walks around like he doesn’t see me. He’s always talking to some one, or maybe himself? I don’t know. But, anyways, one day, I fell asleep and when I woke up, I saw that he wasn’t home. It was a good thing that I located him with the tracking device you gave me. I found him at the mall. He had actually purchased stuff!”
“Yeah, he’s a normal kid, just with a few….disabilities. Go on.”
Jake’s mom cleared her throat and went on with her story. “He wouldn’t let me see anything he bought. When we got home he went straight to his room and closed the door. I could hear him laughing like… like a maniac.” Her voice broke.
“I know this is hard for you, but you have to tell me what’s been going on, for Jake.” Dr. Chang urged.
Jake’s mom nodded. “After he fell asleep, I went into his room and found girl’s clothes. It was horrifying. I know for a fact Jake has no contact with other people when I’m not around. I’ve been giving him his medicine and doing the exercises you taught me to do with him, so I just don’t understand why…..” Jake’s mom broke into sobs and she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Where am I?” Jake asked as he woke up. “What’s wrong mom? Why are you crying?”
As if on cue, a girl walked into the room.
“Sorry I’m late Dr. Chang, I had a hard time getting here. With all the traffic, it seems almost impossible to get anywhere on time.”
Jake sat up straight in his bed, “Stacey, what are you doing here?”
The girl’s mouth feel open, “How do you know my name?”
“Stacey, it’s me, remember? You’ve been living in my house for the past couple of months. I let you sleep in my closet. I bought you some clothes. You said it was the best gift anybody gave you. Remember?”
“Um, Dr. Chang this patient is freaking me out, do you mind if I skip this one?” Stacey asked turning to Dr. Chang.
Dr. Chang walked over to Jake’s bed and sat down, “Jake, would you mind if I asked you to tell me how you know Stacey?”
Jake stared into outer space for two minutes. During these two minutes, no one said anything, waiting to see what would happen next.
Then Jake shook his head and told Dr. Chang everything.
Jake’s mom stood up. “Doctor, how does Jake know this girl Stacey if he’s never met her before?”
Dr. Chang looked and Stacey and then at Jake’s mom. “Why don’t we all let Jake rest and go into my office to talk?”
The three left Jake alone, thinking about what was happening.
Dr. Chang sat behind her organized desk and the other two sat in the chairs in front if her.
She took out a book from a drawer in her desk and started to search for something.
“Here,” she said showing the book to Jake’s mom and Stacey. “There have been numerous cases in which a mentally ill patients can somehow tell the future, see the past or know the unknown. Or, at least something that’s unknown to them. Jake may be sick in our eyes, but in God’s eye, he’s special. Jake might have been feeling lonely and in need of a female companion. He is, after all almost seventeen. To fulfill this…need, he had to think of some person and actually make that person come to life. He made that person someone who is perfect to him, someone that he can relate to and share everything with. The eccentric part is that Jake’s imaginary companion turned out to be someone that actually exists.”
For a moment, the three were quiet.
“So that means,” Stacey thought out loud, “that he probably did it with me! Ew! Major ew! That is just to gross to think about.”
The other two laughed nervously.
Meanwhile, in the Psycho Ward
I wonder what they’re talking about in there, thought Jake.
“Jake.”
“What? Who said that?” said Jake to an empty room.
Then someone opened the door and entered. It was a man. He wore a white polo shirt and white jeans. He was almost six feet tall. He was well-built, had dark brown eyes and jet black hair. His facial features resembled Jake’s.
Jake recognized him immediately.
“Dad!” Jake yelled. He started to get out of bed, but his father signaled him to stay where he was.
“Dad, it’s so great to see you! Mom, she’s okay, she said that you wouldn’t be back for a long time and that I’d be the one that has to visit you but when it’s the right time. I know, mom never makes any sense. So, where have you been?” Jake said all in one breathe.
Jake’s dad chuckled.
“We’ll have a lot of time to catch up.” He said. “But, first, we have to go. It’s getting late.”
“Go where?” Jake asked his dad.
“You’ll see.” Was his reply.
Jake felt a little nervous. He wasn’t so sure if he should leave with out telling his mom first, even if he was going with his dad. “Maybe I should tell mom first.” Jake said, repeating what he was thinking.
“That’s okay. Your mom will join us real soon. Now come on. It’s time.”
The way he invited Jake, made it sound irresistible. So, Jake and his long lost father left. They took small, steady steps. Toward the light; the warm and bright light.
To live in peace.
For all eternity.
Chapter 5
October twenty-seventh, Four-thirty six pm was the exact time everyone in National Hospital stopped in their tracks. They stopped what they were doing. It was like for three seconds, someone had made time stand still. That person was Jake’s mother. She screamed so loudly and so miserably that she actually made time stop.
She held her only son, the only memory of her husband, David, tightly in her hands. She knew this day would come, but she had hoped she would never have to face it.
But here she was, holding the dead body of Jake. Crying. Screaming. Begging God to take her to her son.
Jake’s mother made time stop, but, alas, she couldn’t make time turn back.
What happened to a boy that had been shut away from humanity.
Chapter 1
I looked around to make sure that it was safe. I saw no one in sight and so I made a run for it. I clutched the bag of fruits tightly in my hands as I ran full speed. I could see my house and was relieved, but I still knew that I wasn’t safe until I got inside the house.
I was just about to make it when something brown caught my eye. I skidded to a stop knowing that my life was in danger, but I had to find out what was behind that tree. I was too curious. I quietly made my way over and saw that a body lay sprawled behind the tree. It was a girl’s body and by the way she was breathing, I guessed she was unconscious. I had to get inside the house but how could I leave this girl?
Holding the bag of fruits in one hand, I tried to wake the girl up. Surprisingly, she wasn’t unconscious. She had been badly hurt though.
A deep moan escaped from her throat.
“Who are you?” She asked in a whisper.
I didn’t answer. It was too risky. What if some one heard me?
She said something else but I didn’t hear her.
I picked her up, abandoning my bag of fruits. Who cares about stupid fruits anyway?
The girl was heavy but I managed to get her in my house. I set her on the floor and turned to lock the doors. I sighed heavily. I was finally safe from those monsters known as Chuck and Brian, two twin brothers who lived down the street. The only things they seemed to know were how to make me miserable.
Just stays away from them were my mother’s exact words to me.
The girl who I had just brought in now sat up.
“Where am I?” She asked, more to herself than to me.
“You’re in my house.” I said matter-of-factly.
She stared at me with her chocolate brown eyes. She was pretty with her long dark brown hair and ivory colored skin. She reminded me of someone. I guessed she was around my age, sixteen or so.
“And who are you?” she asked standing up and brushing the dirt off from her clothes which was a pair of light blue jeans and a misty rose colored blouse.
“My name is Jake and you’re in my house. I saw you and thought I’d better bring you in. You have a nasty bruise on your arm,” I said pointing. “Here, let me get you a towel.” I led her to the kitchen.
She seemed to be examining the house very carefully, looking at every single corner.
. But then again, who wouldn’t. My house is a huge two story mansion with furniture that cost practically as much as the house itself.
I found a towel and soaked it in warm water.
I handed it to her and she accepted it. She started to gently rub her arm.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“What’s it to you?” she replied.
Not quite the answer I expected.
“Okay. I’m sorry I asked you your name, won’t ever happen again.” I said sarcastically.
“Why did you bring me here anyway? So you could supposedly ‘save’ me and so you could brag to all your rich friends that you saved a homeless girl and then you hooked up with her and then you kicked her to the curb and then blah, blah, blah…..” She said with pure hatred. She stared at me with her intense eyes, waiting for me to react.
“Oh! I get it, you’re one of those ‘all rich people are snobs’ person.” I said shoving my hands in my pockets. “I’ll give you a heads up; I’m not like those people. I don’t believe that I’m rich at all.”
“I don’t believe that I’m rich at all.” She said mimicking me. “You rich people are something. But, if you must know, my name’s Stacey.”
She set the towel on the counter and turned to leave.
I ran up and blocked her path.
“What are you doing?” She asked crossing her arms across her chest.
“You said you were homeless. What did you mean by that?”
“None of your bees wax.” She said flatly.
“Come on, I’m just trying to help you. Why are you being so mean? You look hungry, why don’t I make us some sandwiches.”
Stacey thought a moment and agreed.
We both made our way back to the kitchen. Stacey sat down on a wooden stool in front of the marble counter and I searched the refrigerator for stuff that I needed to make the sandwiches. I found bread, tuna, some lettuce and tomatoes.
“How do you like your sandwiches, with or without crusts?” I asked nicely.
“Without.” She said smiling and I noticed when she smiled; a dimple appeared on her left cheek.
I cut the crusts of both sandwiches and then I cut it diagonally forming two triangles. I set one plate in front of her and sat down beside her to eat my sandwich. She finished way before I even got to sit down. I guess she was starving.
“Got anything to drink?” She asked.
I nodded and took out two cans of Pepsi from the refrigerator.
She finished her Pepsi in like, two gulps.
After she finished, I decided to ask.
“Have you run away from home?”
She looked at me with those intense eyes again, “How long did it take you to figure that one out, Sherlock?”
I was kind of annoyed by her sarcasm.
“I have no idea why you’re asking me all these questions, but, since you were nice enough to make me lunch, I’ll tell you.”
I waited for her to continue.
“I ran away from home about a month ago. It wasn’t really that hard to leave. My father left us, me and my mom, when I was five. I was too little to have really cared then. My mom was so devastated that she would leave me alone in the house for days. I have no idea where she went. All of our family members lived miles away. Then when I started school, she would sometimes forget, or at least I think forget, to pick me up. Then a teacher would usually drop me off. I would come home and find my mom either drunk or trying to commit suicide. She would always try but never had the guts to actually do it.” Stacey had a far away look in her eyes like if she was reliving those terrifying moments of seeing her mom trying to kill herself. Then she brought herself back to her story.
“I was never a bad girl. I always got good grades, I always came home on time and I was the one who took care of the house. I don’t even remember what my mother’s voice was like, we never really talked. Then … one day I came home and my mom wasn’t there. She had left some money and a letter on my bed saying that it would be better if I was to just disappear somewhere and that if I ever needed anything, to go live with my Aunt Kate.”
“Why didn’t you go to your aunt?” I asked.
“How could I? She already hated my mom for torturing herself over my dad who was never going to come back. If I had gone to live with her, I would never hear the end of it. She would probably always nag me about my mother and say that I should quit school and find a job or something like that. And besides, I can take care of myself.” she said.
I was shocked that Stacey didn’t have a single tear in her eyes. I would never admit it, but if my mom left me, I would constantly be crying.
“Anyways, it’s time for me to go.” She said standing up.
“Go where?” I asked also standing up.
She smiled. “I don’t know.” Once again she turned to leave.
“Wait!” I nearly yelled, “Why don’t you live here? Well, at least for a couple of days, I guess, until you find another place to stay.” My offer surprised Stacey as well as myself.
She looked at me straight in the eye. “What about your mom?” she asked suspiciously.
“Well, I could hide you. Um, what I mean is, my mom’s never home, she leaves for work at seven in the morning and comes back at ten at night. I don’t go to school and so…”
“Wait, you don’t go to school?” Stacey asked interrupting me. “Why?”
“Well, I, I was kicked out.” I was ashamed to confess it, but it was true.
For a minute we were both quiet.
“Okay. So where’s my room?” she asked, at last breaking the silence.
I grinned.
It felt good to help someone.
Chapter 2
Stacey's eyes grew wide as she peered into my room.
It was a king size bedroom with a queen size bed. I had a large plasma screen TV with a DVD player in one corner and a mini refrigerator in another corner.
The door to my walk in closet (which was bursting from clothes) was open and there was even a window at the end.
“Wow,” was the word that came out of Stacey’s mouth.
“Pretty neat, huh?”
Stacey was speechless.
“Okay, so here’s the plan, my mom can not find out that you’re here. So what I was thinking was that you stay in my closet.”
Stacey raised an eye brow at me.
“It won’t be that hard. My mom’s practically never in the house and I’m the only one here. Besides, there’s a window in there and it’ll never get stuffy or anything.”
Stacey walked into the closet and examined the clothes.
“You have great taste in fashion.” She said as she pulled out an onyx t-shirt with the words “Where is the love?” printed on it in dark red.
I hope she didn’t notice, but I flushed with embarrassment. My mom sometimes says that I choose clothes like a blind person.
She placed the shirt back and turned to face me.
“Okay, I’ll stay. I mean it is better then sleeping in the park.”
I was kind of curious about how someone could sleep in the park, especially on rainy days, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.
It was the least I could do since she only accepted this offer because of me.
Then again, it was for her betterment.
The next morning went by smoothly. I had given Stacey some sheets and a pillow. She had slept without any problems. My mom didn’t even know she was there.
After she left, I decided to see if she was awake. I knocked on the door of my closet.
I heard her stir inside and a few moments later the door opened.
“Good morning.” I said cheerfully.
Stacey rubbed her eyes and muttered a reply.
“Where’s the bathroom?” she asked sleepily.
“Down the hall,” I answered.
Twenty minutes passed and Stacey finally returned. Her hair was wet, so I supposed she took a shower. She was wearing the same clothes. I made a mental note to buy her some new clothes.
“What took you so long?” I asked while Stacey started to towel dry her hair.
“I like taking long showers. I barely get to anyway. I have to go to that community pool down at Wets Bridge Road to take a shower. And then there’s always a mob scene over there. So, you know.” She shrugged.
I nodded my head. Stacey did not have it easy.
“Want some breakfast?” I asked.
“No thanks. It’s too early in the morning.”
“It’s only seven o’clock!” I protested.
“What do you mean only seven o’clock? You’re the first person that I know of that actually likes to get up in the morning.” She said.
“Well, you know what they say; the early bird catches the worm.”
Two Days after having a lot of Fun Together
The sound of Stacey's laughter filled my bedroom that afternoon. I just came back from the shopping mall with my Aunt Kelly, who had decided that I needed some new clothes, and a help in choice. At the mall, I decided that it was my chance to buy Stacey some clothes. But I had to be careful with my Aunt Kelly around. Luckily, she had handed me some money and said that she had just been called up on a business emergency. She said that she would pick me up from the mall in two and a half hours. That gave me enough time to buy clothes for myself and Stacey.
I was back from the mall. Mom had to pick me up. Aunt Kelly couldn’t make it. Mom was really furious at Aunt Kelly.
I had just told Stacey about what my mom says of my choice of clothes and then I showed her a plain white t-shirt with the words: MY MOM SAYS I SHOP LIKE A BLIND PERSON printed in green on it.
She started to laugh and then I started to laugh and then we were both rolling around with watery eyes. When we settled down, I showed her some more clothes I bought. They were just plain shirts with nothing funny written on them or anything.
Then I picked up the last bag and showed her the clothes I bought for her. This included of a white t-shirt, a pair of white tennis shorts, a pair of black jeans, a lilac blouse, a light brown shirt, an ivory colored miniskirt with a dark brown belt and a pair of light pink pajamas.
“Thank you so much.” She said and hugged me. It caught me by surprise and before I could react, she pulled away.
“How did you pay for all of this?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “You needed some clothes, so I got them for you. That’s all.”
“This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” She said and hugged me again. This time I hugged her back.
“I’m going to go try on these clothes,” she said breaking from the hug and left.
I watched her go. I heaved a heavy sigh.
I was beginning to understand how I felt about Stacey. I hope she understood how I was starting to feel about her, too. And I hoped she felt the same way about me.
I hoped with all my heart.
Chapter 3
Six Very Short Months Later
“I do not!”
“Do to!”
“Do not!”
“To!”
“Not!”
“To!”
“I do not snore.” Stacey said flatly.
“Whatever you say,” I said just as flatly.
Stacey sighed. I couldn’t help but smile a little. She doesn’t really snore when she sleeps; I just say that to bug her.
“My throat’s all dried out from arguing with you. I’m going to go get a glass of water and when I come back up stairs, I don’t want to hear another word about my snoring, do I make myself clear?”
“So you admit you do snore at night!”
Stacey let out an exasperated groan and left to get a drink.
I leaned back on my comfy bed. Stacey is an amazing girl, I thought.
She’s nice, pretty, and funny and loves to talk. She plays basketball, tennis and other sports. She writes poetry and songs. She likes trying different types of food.
Whenever Stacey was around, I felt so much at ease. It was like I was leaving all my troubles and worries on earth to go up on a cloud to be with Stacey.
I never thought it was possible, but I was in love.
Not the kind of love where you want to kiss some one but the kind of love when you want to be with someone for the rest of your life. If someone knew how I felt about her, then he or she would presumably say that I’m too young to fall in love. But I say a person can fall in love at any age. You just have to know how to handle it.
“Jake, sweetie, I’m home!”
I sat and looked at the clock that was on the wall. It was only two in the afternoon. Mom wasn’t supposed to be home until ten tonight. She must have been sent home early toady.
I ran down stairs as fast as my legs could take me.
“Jake, there you are! Didn’t you hear me when I called you?”
“Mom, what are you doing here, you’re not supposed be here.” I said.
“Jake! What’s the matter with you? You’re always begging me to come home early and spend some time with you and now that I’m here you’re asking me to leave! Honey, that’s ludicrous.” My mom said accusingly. She always uses big words when she scolds me. I just hate it.
I had to think of something, and I had to think of it now.
“I’m just going to the kitchen to eat a quick snack then we…”
“No! I mean, uh, why don’t you go to the bathroom upstairs and freshen up a bit while I fix you something to eat?”
My mom eyed me suspiciously, “You mean the guest bathroom?”
I nodded.
“Is there…is there something in the kitchen you don‘t want me to see?” my mom said weighing her words carefully.
“Pfft! Mom, what do you think I am, a….” I didn’t even finish my sentence because my mom was already half way to the kitchen.
“Mom, wait, why don’t we go out for ice-cream or something?”
My mom stopped in mid run and turned to face me.
“Ice-cream, you want ice-cream? You haven’t eaten ice-cream since you were eight. Now I know there’s definitely something you’re hiding.” With that she sped off.
Hurriedly I followed behind.
I made it just in time to see my mom make it to the kitchen doorway and gasp.
She looked at me with her blue eyes wide and her mouth, which had a little smudge of red lipstick in one corner, open.
“Mom, before you say anything, I’d like to explain that I only….”
My mom came over and hugged me.
“Jake, it’s times like these that make me feel closer to you more than ever. I am so grateful to have a son that’s so thoughtful enough to clean the whole kitchen to make it literally shine! Thank you Jake.”
I hesitated. What was she talking about? Didn’t she see Stacey?
“Yeah, well, it was no problem mom. Just being the best son I can be.” I said casually and gave a nervous laugh.
“I’ll get ready and you make plans of where you want me to take you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Mom left and I scanned the kitchen for Stacey.
“Stacey, where are you?” I said a little too loud and quickly lowered my voice. “Stacey,”
“Jake.”
“Oh thank God you’re…” I turned to see that it was Mom, not Stacey.
“Jake, who are you talking to?”
“Uh, no one. I was just….singing this song. Yeah, that’s it, a song. I was singing a song.” I gave an ear to ear smile hoping that mom would buy my excuse.
“Oh really. What song would that be exactly?”
“Oh! You wouldn’t know about it.”
“Try me.”
I thought fast. “You know that one song. Stacey come back to me, Stacey come back to me, my Stacey…”
“Jake, it’s not Stacey come back to me, its baby come back to me. I never knew you listened to Vanessa Hudgens. Anyways, let’s go.”
Early the next Morning
Birds were chirping some where in the distance. The laughter of children echoed in the streets. And here I was, sleeping in a quiet room. That was it! It was quiet. It’s not supposed to be quiet, at least when Stacey was around. I jumped out of my bed and ran down stairs with surprising energy. I entered the kitchen to found her drinking a glass of milk.
“Hey.” I said sheepishly.
“Hey,” she said just as sheepishly. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you up? I just didn’t feel like sleeping.”
“It’s okay.” I took a seat beside her. “I couldn’t sleep any way. I mean, it was all quiet and the room was snore-free.”
Stacey sighed loudly, but I could tell she was just trying to hide a smile.
“Jake, who are you talking to.” Said my mom’s voice.
I jumped out of my seat. What was my mom doing here? Umm, mom, I’d like you to meet my friend, Stacey.” I said in a shaky voice.
“Jake, there’s no one there.”
What was mom talking about? I turned around and to my bewilderment; there was no one there except a glass of milk on the table. Stacey had disappeared. There was no other way out of the kitchen except for the doorway and if she had gone through there, either my mom or me would have seen her leave.
“But mom, she was right here, just a second ago!” I said all in one breathe.
“What are you talking about Jake?”
“Mom, for the last few months, I’ve hid this girl in my bedroom closet. She’s an orphan and she had no place to sleep so I invited her here. I never told you because I knew you would never allow it.” I sighed lightly. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Don’t you worry about a thing. Just listen to the sound of my voice, Jake”
“Huh?”
Mom slowly walked to a drawer and pulled something out and hid it behind her back.
“Jake, you’re going to go to sleep for awhile. Okay. It’s no big deal. Just work with me here.”
“Mom, what are you…”
“This won’t hurt a bit.”
Something poked my arm and I could feel myself being slowly sucked into a field of darkness. It was like I was leaving the world as every second passed by. Slowly, slowly, slowly leaving my body and entering a new world. A world of peace and safety, a world of people, normal people. No mentally ill people. No lunatics. No psychos. No retards. No loonies. No locos. No wackos. No cuckoos.
A world, of normal human beings.
A world, of a mother’s dream.
Chapter 4
“Mmm.” Dr. Chang took off her stethoscope and turned to Jake’s mom. “Tell me, what’s been going on in the last six or seven months?”
“Like I’ve told you before Dr. Chang, Jake’s been acting really strange. He thinks I’m not home and walks around like he doesn’t see me. He’s always talking to some one, or maybe himself? I don’t know. But, anyways, one day, I fell asleep and when I woke up, I saw that he wasn’t home. It was a good thing that I located him with the tracking device you gave me. I found him at the mall. He had actually purchased stuff!”
“Yeah, he’s a normal kid, just with a few….disabilities. Go on.”
Jake’s mom cleared her throat and went on with her story. “He wouldn’t let me see anything he bought. When we got home he went straight to his room and closed the door. I could hear him laughing like… like a maniac.” Her voice broke.
“I know this is hard for you, but you have to tell me what’s been going on, for Jake.” Dr. Chang urged.
Jake’s mom nodded. “After he fell asleep, I went into his room and found girl’s clothes. It was horrifying. I know for a fact Jake has no contact with other people when I’m not around. I’ve been giving him his medicine and doing the exercises you taught me to do with him, so I just don’t understand why…..” Jake’s mom broke into sobs and she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Where am I?” Jake asked as he woke up. “What’s wrong mom? Why are you crying?”
As if on cue, a girl walked into the room.
“Sorry I’m late Dr. Chang, I had a hard time getting here. With all the traffic, it seems almost impossible to get anywhere on time.”
Jake sat up straight in his bed, “Stacey, what are you doing here?”
The girl’s mouth feel open, “How do you know my name?”
“Stacey, it’s me, remember? You’ve been living in my house for the past couple of months. I let you sleep in my closet. I bought you some clothes. You said it was the best gift anybody gave you. Remember?”
“Um, Dr. Chang this patient is freaking me out, do you mind if I skip this one?” Stacey asked turning to Dr. Chang.
Dr. Chang walked over to Jake’s bed and sat down, “Jake, would you mind if I asked you to tell me how you know Stacey?”
Jake stared into outer space for two minutes. During these two minutes, no one said anything, waiting to see what would happen next.
Then Jake shook his head and told Dr. Chang everything.
Jake’s mom stood up. “Doctor, how does Jake know this girl Stacey if he’s never met her before?”
Dr. Chang looked and Stacey and then at Jake’s mom. “Why don’t we all let Jake rest and go into my office to talk?”
The three left Jake alone, thinking about what was happening.
Dr. Chang sat behind her organized desk and the other two sat in the chairs in front if her.
She took out a book from a drawer in her desk and started to search for something.
“Here,” she said showing the book to Jake’s mom and Stacey. “There have been numerous cases in which a mentally ill patients can somehow tell the future, see the past or know the unknown. Or, at least something that’s unknown to them. Jake may be sick in our eyes, but in God’s eye, he’s special. Jake might have been feeling lonely and in need of a female companion. He is, after all almost seventeen. To fulfill this…need, he had to think of some person and actually make that person come to life. He made that person someone who is perfect to him, someone that he can relate to and share everything with. The eccentric part is that Jake’s imaginary companion turned out to be someone that actually exists.”
For a moment, the three were quiet.
“So that means,” Stacey thought out loud, “that he probably did it with me! Ew! Major ew! That is just to gross to think about.”
The other two laughed nervously.
Meanwhile, in the Psycho Ward
I wonder what they’re talking about in there, thought Jake.
“Jake.”
“What? Who said that?” said Jake to an empty room.
Then someone opened the door and entered. It was a man. He wore a white polo shirt and white jeans. He was almost six feet tall. He was well-built, had dark brown eyes and jet black hair. His facial features resembled Jake’s.
Jake recognized him immediately.
“Dad!” Jake yelled. He started to get out of bed, but his father signaled him to stay where he was.
“Dad, it’s so great to see you! Mom, she’s okay, she said that you wouldn’t be back for a long time and that I’d be the one that has to visit you but when it’s the right time. I know, mom never makes any sense. So, where have you been?” Jake said all in one breathe.
Jake’s dad chuckled.
“We’ll have a lot of time to catch up.” He said. “But, first, we have to go. It’s getting late.”
“Go where?” Jake asked his dad.
“You’ll see.” Was his reply.
Jake felt a little nervous. He wasn’t so sure if he should leave with out telling his mom first, even if he was going with his dad. “Maybe I should tell mom first.” Jake said, repeating what he was thinking.
“That’s okay. Your mom will join us real soon. Now come on. It’s time.”
The way he invited Jake, made it sound irresistible. So, Jake and his long lost father left. They took small, steady steps. Toward the light; the warm and bright light.
To live in peace.
For all eternity.
Chapter 5
October twenty-seventh, Four-thirty six pm was the exact time everyone in National Hospital stopped in their tracks. They stopped what they were doing. It was like for three seconds, someone had made time stand still. That person was Jake’s mother. She screamed so loudly and so miserably that she actually made time stop.
She held her only son, the only memory of her husband, David, tightly in her hands. She knew this day would come, but she had hoped she would never have to face it.
But here she was, holding the dead body of Jake. Crying. Screaming. Begging God to take her to her son.
Jake’s mother made time stop, but, alas, she couldn’t make time turn back.
