Secret Jewel of the Ocean

Chapter 10

Desperation.

"Jewel..." I whispered softly as the downpoor soaked my clothing, hair, and everything else in sight. I looked all around as my body shivered, not only from the cold rain but also from fear.

BOOM! 

A crack of thunder. A flashback of Jewel...

"Don't you just love thunderstorms..." Jewel asked me on a stormy summer evening. We were drenched from swimming, rapped up in pool towels and standing by my sliding glass door, watching the wind blow violently and the lightning strike harshly.

I nodded. "Love them," I said, smiling and keeping my eyes on the falling rain.

"I hate thunderstorms!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, bringing myself back to present.

A strike of lightning. A flashback of grandma's story...

My grandma took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Rain began to fall down, heaviest I've ever seen in my life. I could hear the waves grow violent as they hit the beach as though they were angry, but I couldn't see anything through the downpour and the darkness." I felt my heart beat faster, almost as if I was actually experiencing the events of that very night. "I continuously yelled for my boyfriend, felt around next to me, but I got no answer and no longer sensed his presence!" Her voice seemed desperate as she recalled the occurrence. "I ran and ran, not knowing where I was going, until suddenly..." My grandmother's voice trailed off like a dull wave as it is being pulled forcefully back into the sea. Finally, she opens her eyes but keeps them focused on the calm water. "I find myself in my warm bed the next morning."

I fell to the ground. "Jewel...please. Please come back...I need you." My voice drifted with the sea, fading and fading into the waves. "Please..." I whispered.

Thunder. Flashback of Jewel.

"April!"

I looked up at Jewel from my spot on her bedroom floor where we were playing with beads. "Yes?"

A smile spread across Jewel's face as she displayed a baby blue and light pink beaded bracelet to me. "For you. A friendship bracelet!" she squeaked with enthusiasm.

I beamed and secured the bracelet around my little wrist. "Thank you, best friend!" I exclaimed. "I'll never take it off!"

Looking down helplessly at my bare wrist, I noticed that the bracelet was gone.

Sobs and more sobs.

Lightning. Flashback of John.

I stepped in, demanding explanations. "Woah, woah, woah..." I said, shaking my head. "What is going on?" Jewel nodded slowly in agreement, looking to me for help.

"There is nothing going on, kid," the man told me simply.

"What do you mean there is 'nothing' going on? Who are you? Who is she?" I pointed to the elderly Jewel.

"My name is John. Her name is Jewel."

I stood there with nothing to say. The man and the old lady made things seem so normal, but something was off. I could sense it.



"Who are you?!" I screamed to nobody, yet craving an answer from mysterious John.

I looked up at the sky and rain poured heavily into my eyes, burning them.

Outburst of thunder. Flashback of Jewel

.

"Oasis," Jewel read off of a picture hanging on my wall above my desk. "A pleasant or peaceful area in the midst of a difficult place: calm in the city."

I stared at the picture of support, beaming. "My oasis is wherever you are," I said to her. "You're my oasis, Jewel." 

 

"Jewel!" I screamed with such anger that I swore I made the ocean settle with fear. I couldn't contain my voice nor my feelings.

Straight bolt of lightning. Flashback of Older Jewel.

"Remember." Older Jewel looked deep into my eyes. "It was bound to happen. It is bound to happen. It will happen."

"What will happen?" my Jewel piped in, full of a mix of curiosity and concern.

Older Jewel shook her head. "You'll always have your sweet escape," she told my Jewel and walked away before we could even ask one more question.

Confusion. Lifeless cries. Worthless calling.

Thunder.

"April, we're gonna be in each other's weddings some day," Jewel told me as we looked through my parents' wedding pictures on a cool autumn day. "That's how sure I am that we're going to be sisters forever."

I looked up from the pictures and into Jewel's bright blue eyes. "Promise?" I asked.

Taking my hand, Jewel said, "I promise you."

"You promised!" I felt myself scream with pure anger and desperation. So many thoughts blurred my mind and whirled throughout my head.

Lightning.

"Anyway..." Adam continued forward. "Just keep one thing in mind, April. Jewels are very rare. It's not common to come in touch with one." I gulped. What was that supposed to mean? "And also, the ocean loves Jewels."

And with that, he was gone. Adam walked off towards the ocean, disappearing more and more into the fog with each step he took.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The storm altered, the waves grew calm, my mind went blank.

And that's when I saw Adam, standing directly over my shaking body.