Chapter 1
Emily – Age 13
For a thirteen-year-old, I was smart. I got straight As in all of my classes and I never caused trouble. I knew to never speak when I should not; I never made fun of the other kids and I knew how to keep the peace when there was a fight at recess. Middle school would soon end, and next year I would be starting high school.
This summer, I would be going to Camp Pendragon. I didn’t know, nor did I care, why the camp was called that, but I did know if it involved theater, acting, and writing. I was going for the latter, but I would be required to participate in all activities. I was going, that is what mattered to me most.
My parents could not afford to pay for too many extra activities, but this year was different. My dad, who worked as a security guard, received a promotion and a raise. My mother also was doing well at work. She was a naturopath and had been having more patients. Mom never liked to overcharge her patients, because she knew what it was like to not have anything to pay. Mom was hired as a personal doctor to a rich family in the higher-class neighborhood. It was so cool because she was allowed to bring me. I loved looking at the bookshelves in the family library. It was huge!
I was finishing some last-minute homework one day when I looked out my window and saw the next-door neighbor jumping out of his window. It was Jake Clemons. I dropped my notebook and ran to the window. Jake’s bedroom was right across from mine, since both of our houses were only one-story. Jake was dressed in black and green camouflage pants, and a black T-shirt that matched his hair.
Jake paused when his feet touched the ground and he looked directly at my window. He put his finger to his lips, as if he didn’t want me to tell anyone he was leaving. I nodded and pretended to lock my lips. Poor Jake. Last month, he started showing signs of depression. His parents had been taking him to therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Now he was taking some medicine. It seemed to be helping him, but now and then, he liked to sneak away. I could not blame him.
Jake smiled softly and disappeared into his backyard. There was no fence to divide our yards, so I could see the yard plainly. Yet, Jake seemed to have vanished. I sighed and returned to my bed to finish my homework. It was Friday, but my parents required that I finish any schoolwork before enjoying my free time.
My room was big, giving me enough room to have a bunk-bed with a work desk beneath it, a walk-in closet; I even had a few bookshelves. My walls were a dark peach color. Or perhaps it counted as salmon because it had more vermilion mixed in. I had pictures of my parents, my friends, and me all over the place. Frames hung on the walls, collages were taped to the back of my door. Everything in my room reflected me. As a budding teenager, my parents were trying to encourage me to find my own style, but so far, my style was simple. I liked neutral colors, but nothing too girly. I was not a tom-boy, but I loved T-shirts, pants and sneakers. My blond hair was always in a ponytail and my wrists filled with friendship bracelets I exchanged with my closest friends.
My favorite bracelet was a blue and green “XOXO” that my best friend, Jolie, had made me. Jolie was more into crafts then I was, but I loved making and exchanging bracelets with her. We each had our group of friends and we all blended well.
“Emily, sweetie.”
I looked up and saw my mom entering, followed by Jolie. I grinned and put my notebook aside before pushing up from my bed.
“If you finished your homework, you may go hang out with your friend,” Mom said, smiling.
“I just finished,” I announced, bouncing as I clapped my hands excitedly.
“Then you’re up for a trip to the mall?” Jolie asked with a mischievous grin. “My mom said she would take us.”
“Only if we can stop at the-”
“At the bookstore? Only if you promise not to get mad at me when I say we move on.”
I rolled my eyes, but nodded. Jolie did not understand my love for books, even when some only sat on my shelf. My parents gave me an allowance each week, which I constantly saved for moments like this. I went to the nightstand, and opened the top drawer. Inside was my special pouch, which I only opened slightly to pull out a ten-dollar bill. It should be enough to get one new book, or two used. Whichever I came across first.
I shoved the bill into my pocket and turned to leave. Jolie grabbed my wrist and tugged me out the door, giving me barely enough time to wave goodbye to my mom. Jolie and I laughed as we raced out the front door and towards her mother’s waiting car. I greeted Jolie’s mother as we got into the back seat. Jolie older brother, Dominick, had headphones on. He was sixteen, and extremely cute. His blond hair reminded me of sand. I had only seen his eye a few times, but they reminded me of doggie eyes. Brown with flecks of gold in them. I sighed softly; I had a crush on Dom, and Jolie always made fun of me for it. However, she knew better than to embarrass me about it in front of him.
“He was talking to some girl on the phone,” Jolie whispered into my ear as we buckled our seatbelts. “Said she was his baby. Why do boys call girls ‘baby’ anyway?”
“That sounds so weird,” I whispered back and we both giggled.
We continued to laugh until we arrived at the mall. To my surprise, Jolie’s mother forced Dom to watch us as we wandered the mall. She had a hair appointment, but did not want to leave us alone. Dom grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. I sighed; if only he knew how nice it was for him to be nearby.
“Bookstore first,” I said, tugging on Jolie’s arm. “I promise to be quick.”
“Fine,” Jolie rolled her eyes and led the way to my favorite bookstore.
Bookworm’s Haven was a family-run bookstore and they always had the best deals. My mom took me there a few years ago, back when I had just begun to enjoy books. I was reading big books. They had so many pages, but I loved giving myself a challenge. The moment we stepped into my paradise, I ran to the middle grade section to see if I could find a Rick Riordan book. Jolie went to the café section and sat at a table. I did not see where Dom disappeared to, but I didn’t need to worry about that. I would see him afterwards, right?
I scoured the bookshelves, carrying a few possible choices when I ran into someone. Literally. My books went flying, I was falling, and whomever I had bumped into was on top of me. I blink a few times to get rid of the stars. When my vision cleared, I realized Jake was the one on top of me.
“H-hi,” I said, offering a gentle smile.
“S-sorry,” Jake stuttered, jumping off me. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Neither was I,” he offered me his hand, which I accepted.
Jake immediately fell to his knees to pick up the books I dropped. He handed them to me and backed away, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling. “What are you doing here?”
“I was looking for this book about art,” he replied, clearing his throat. “Um . . . no one knows I’m here, so um . . .”
“I won’t tell,” I shook my head, pretending to zip my lips and throw away the key. “If you tell me what the book is called, I might be able to help find it.”
“No . . . that’s okay. I was headed to the art store anyway. See you around.”
“Okay,” I said, puzzled as Jake quickly walked passed me. I watched him leave and sighed. This was the second time I had seen him today. I wonder why he doesn’t want anyone to know where he is. I turned my attention back to the books in my hands, and went to a sitting area to decide which book, or books, I would get.
“That’s a lot of books.”
I looked up from my stack and saw Dom leaning over my shoulder. I sighed inwardly; he’s talking to me.
“I like to read,” I said, hoping my voice would not reveal my excitement.
“I’ve noticed,” Dom replied, nodding as he flipped through one of the books. “You like fantasy, huh?”
“Yes, but only sometimes because I might not be in the mood.”
I moved to sit in one of the chairs, clearing my throat as I picked up a book to read the blurb on the back. I peeked up at Dom, but was disappointed when I saw he had turned his attention to his phone. Those stinking phones! Almost every single high school student I saw had one now. If my parents were ever to get me a phone, I would have only used it when necessary. Emergencies only.
I made my decision on which book I would get and start to head for the check out. To my surprise, Dom followed behind, carrying one of the books I had left at the table. I smiled to myself. Maybe Dom was curious about my reading preferences and was going to get it for himself. After making my purchase, I went to go find Jolie. Dom was still in line, so we would have to wait for him. Hopefully, my friend did not plan to do anything that would make Dom bored.
Exchanging those few words with him made my heart flutter in my chest. Maybe he would want to hang out more. I could just see it. Me visiting Jolie as an excuse to see Dom. I shook my head as I joined Jolie’s table. I was not that kind of friend. I would not use Jolie to get her brother. He would be long gone by the time my parents said I could date anyway. I did not need boy troubles so early in my teen years.
Dom joined us a few minutes later and Jolie jumped up to leave. I could feel her desperation for normality dripping from her chatter. Jolie loved clothes and shopping. She was getting into makeup, but she was sneaking it to school because her mom did not want her growing up yet. Jolie and I were complete opposites. The crazy part was that her hair was auburn and I was blonde. She was tall and I was short. Her eyes were lavender and mine were blue. Yet, we clicked, and she was my best friend. I would do anything for her, even if it meant ignoring my crush.
