Split Love

CHAPTER 39

THURSDAY, July 4, 2019

5:40am and Jasmine's eyes opened as if the alarm clock had gone off. But it didn't, it was a national holiday. 4th of July. Jasmine liked Independence Day, the blue and red fireworks, the party that the city hall organized, the games, and the music show. Jamie liked the 4th of July, she just didn't love it like Christmas.

In any other year, Jasmine would wake up with a big smile on her face. But that day, she felt nothing.

Her eyes darted across the ceiling for a quick second before she stood up. She pulled back the fabric curtain and raised the window glass, allowing the freezing morning air to enter her room. With her eyes closed, she felt the cold make her skin crawl, but not enough to cause the discomfort she wanted. She needed to feel something, something uncomfortable enough to make her wake up from the anesthesia she was in. She needed to do something and she knew it.

In the bathroom at the end of the hall, Jamie turned on the shower and without hesitation, stuck her head under the cold water. Her white skin stood on goosebumps, as did her hair follicles. But she didn't care.

Her eyes stared at the white tile as she remained motionless beneath the water that felt more like needles penetrating her skin. After a few minutes, she couldn't even feel her skin or her body. That was something interesting about life. When you can't get rid of an uncomfortable situation, you end up getting used to it faster than you think. It must be some sick condition of our brain to keep us comfortable even without wanting to. It's easier that way, right?

The mirror wasn't fogged up as usual when she wrapped the fluffy blue towel around her body and looked at herself through the reflection - well, the natural reaction would have been to get scared, but that didn't happen. Her skin was pale, almost transparent, her lips were purple, and there was a deep dark circle beneath her dull blue eyes. An image of her mother appeared in her mind. They looked similar and had the same hair and eye color.

Was she that pale after death? Her lifeless eyes, her heavy body. Where had Micah's father shot? Maybe in the heart, or in the head to be quicker? Or maybe he wanted to see her suffer in front of her father.

That's sick.

She turned her back on her reflection and went back to her room. Her cellphone on top of the nightstand caught her attention. The damn bracelet was right next to it. She made a mental note to take it to the park and throw it into the river or the bottom of the lake. No, it wasn't that deep. The river was better, so the current would take it away.

When Jamie turned her phone back on, there were 2 missed calls from Micah and 3 text messages, 2 from him and 1 from Irina. But she just ignored it. Jasmine only had 2 goals in mind, and one of them would be perfect for that holiday.

~~~**~~~

The wait was the worst. Or the fake smile that Jasmine had to give, one minute or another, while her grandmother was telling her something about someone. She didn't remember, she wasn't paying attention. Debra's mouth opened and closed over and over, but no sound came out. Jamie's thoughts were so loud that if she remained silent for 1 second, she would hear them too.

Questions ran through her mind non-stop, in a frenzy: how did she manage to lie to me all these years? Would she ever tell me that I ain't who I think I am? Why didn't I die that day? Where the hell was I? What's my name?

Logan West wouldn't be able to give any more information, as he said, to read her file he would have to face Richard Keller. And Richard obviously wouldn't permit him to tell his "niece" everything, much less put her undercover in a case to catch the Russian mafia. The same case where her father failed, even though he was a federal agent, and dragged the whole family into that endless damn hole.

The thought made a stupid smile appear on Jamie's face. "Willow Creek librarian helps FBI arrest Russian Mafia members," she imagined the news on the newspaper front cover, as well as a photo of her. She could even read the news in her mind, creating each paragraph. People would laugh, thinking it was some kind of prank. And she would die. End of Jasmine's story - real name: unknown.

- See you soon at the party? - Debra asked, standing in the archway of the living room.

- Yes, in an hour or so. - Jamie replied with a grin before curling up on the couch again pretending to be watching some Marvel movie.

- Bye, honey. I love you.

- Love you too.

The front door closed and Jamie remained still for almost a minute before getting up and peering through the living room window. Davina was talking to Debra and then they started walking towards the main square. Turning off the TV and checking that the door was locked, Jamie took a deep breath before heading up the stairs.

A few years earlier this had already happened. And like deja vu, Jamie entered her grandmother's room, looked out the window once more, and then began her search. The previous time she had searched her grandmother's room for some information, she had Jordan's help. This time she was alone, but at least she knew what to look for.

Hudson. That was her real family name according to Agent West.

Without worrying about the time - after all, she had no intention of attending the 4th of July party, Jasmine started with the dresser drawers and then searched the closet. She carefully lifted the folded piles of clothes and even looked through them. But it was when she moved away one by one of the coats that were hanging, and looked in their pockets, that she noticed something strange. Even though they were thick winter coats, one of them was too heavy and stiff. At first glance, it was just a black coat, but when she squeezed it, she realized that there was something inside.

Placing it on the bed, Jamie ran her fingers along the seams and found an invisible zipper on the inside side seam. Her heart was racing as she pulled the little black zipper, and her hand reached for the contents. It was a black leather briefcase.

Debra had always loved sewing, but this was unexpected. How many things could be hidden inside seemingly harmless clothes or cushions?

Jamie held her breath before releasing the metal button and opening the folder. There were only papers inside. She held up the first document: the deed to the house in the names of Debra and Jonathan Hudson. So it was true. Not that Jasmine had doubted Agent West, after all, everything fell into place, but that made everything real. Not Davenport, but Hudson.

As she examined the next documents, however, the room began to spin. Slowly at first, but faster and faster later. Her eyes ran over the information.

Death Certificate - City: Philadelphia
Full name: Aaron Hudson     Sex: Male
Married Occupation: Federal Agent
Date of Bith: April 21, 1957    Age: 35  
Date of death: July 17, 1992

The doctor's almost ineligible handwriting stated the cause of death as a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Just below, an already worn stamp: Homicide.

The cause of death, date, and stamp were identical on the other two death certificates.

Full name: Samantha Jean Hudson     
Date of Bith: December 1, 1962    Age: 29

Full name: Grace Rose Hudson               
Date of birth: September 20, 1985    Age:7

As Jasmine studied the dates on the documents, the room spun with such force that Jasmine put her hand to her temple. She shook her head feeling her vision blur as she saw the name signed on Grace's certificate and then turned back to the other two.

Richard Keller had signed all three documents as the officer at the scene.

As soon as she set the documents aside, her eyes fell on the last paper in the folder: a birth certificate.

Name: Bethany Rose Hudson
Birthdate: July 17, 1992