Jade Awakening

Metamorphosis

Everything was finally falling into place. I started opting for the darker clothes from my closet to compliment the makeup and hair extensions that Cat had given me. At first, there wasn't much to find that wasn't some shade of blue, beige, or white thanks to my mother's taste; but I did find a couple black tank tops, a black v-neck shirt, and a single pair of dark jeans. Even with the limited options, I felt more powerful – more myself – with the streaks of color intertwining my hair, smokey eyeshadow making my steel eyes pop, and dark clothing nicely contrasting my pale skin. At school, some people gave me looks of abhorrence or occasionally fear as I passed them in the halls. It was as if I had finally started to channel my inner Black Swan like Nina or metamorphose into an ethereal darkling like Tawny Walkerblack.

I had convinced Mom to go clothes shopping for more items that suited the look I wanted to achieve after we went to Wacy's for bedroom furnishings. Naturally, I had to lie that the dark or red materials I chose were to look more sophisticated, or modern, in order to convince her to buy them for me. She would often ask if I was sure about this thing or that, but I would insist every time that that was what I wanted. I wasn't so sure that she believed me, but caved in anyway. We ended up leaving the department stores with dozens of items that caught my eye before going to a store that Jasper wanted to go to – he wound up with several things for himself, as well.

This was always the West way. Whenever my parents felt like they had to do something for us, or to show their love, they would pacify us with gifts; those gifts would always be grand either in quality or quantity. Just five months ago, after my parents' fights went from vexing to explosive, rather than simply having a conversation with me and Jasper, I got entry to the school of my dreams and he got the gaming console of his dreams. Of course, we're over the moon when we get the things we want, but it doesn't ever fully satisfy.

When we arrived back home, I was still too eager to put my new things into my room and try on my new clothes to think about the areas in my life that were still lacking. As soon as we pulled up to the house, I grabbed as many bags as I could and made haste. Like my mother, I wasted no time changing everything about my living space. She had been able to get people to hang wallpaper in the den and my bedroom just the day before. I hadn't expected it to be finished already, so when I came from school I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the most beautiful pattern I had ever seen.

I quickly adorned parts of my new walls with movie and botanical posters. On my bed, I threw on some new pillows – some red, some black – along with a throw blanket to match. Coming up the stairs, I had heard Mom carrying a few of the new furniture pieces; we placed a set of cherry-red side tables on either side of my plum chair and a mini, black coffee table in front.

After most items were set into place, I scattered miscellaneous bottles and jars on shelves and empty surfaces. I hadn't decided what to fill them with yet. Mom probably assumed that they would be for flowers, but my mind was on preserved internal organs or insect carcasses. And then finally, to set the tone, I placed pillar candles and lamps on several surfaces as a more moody alternative to overhead lighting. Slowly as I worked, the space was beginning to scream, "Jade."

Moving on to my wardrobe, I frantically pulled clothes that I was willing to donate off their hangers or out of their drawers. I spent nearly two hours taking tags off of heaps of new clothes and organizing them into my closet and dresser. I wasn't exactly sure how much my new belongings cost for Mom, but considering that both of my parents have six-figure paying jobs, she could certainly afford it.

After an exhausting afternoon, I fell back onto my bed and simply took in my new surroundings. I admired every square inch, feeling proud that I finally had a space that was mine. Perhaps I wouldn't dread coming home every day now.