Ace of Hearts

The Encounter

One encounter can change your life forever. One choice can make it either better or worse.

It all started the day of my eighteenth birthday, when a series of strange things kept happening without me realizing what the universe was trying to tell me. I was sitting at a table with my best friend Simon at our favorite café.

"Well played, well played" Simon congratulated me about getting accepted in Brooklyn Academy of Art, my dream school. No matter how happy I was about that, I had this feeling of uneasiness about how it all happened.

"Thank you" I say with a big smile before confessing the source of my discomfort "You know, it's weird, they didn't like my assigned work but they flipped out about the drawings of our graphic novel" I gestured to the sketch book filled with gothic symbols and sci-fi characters we invented.

Simon smiles proudly "You're welcome"

"This will stay in the history of the greatest eighteenth birthday I've ever had" I state jokingly. I mean let's face it, my life as an eighteen year old has started the best it can, hopefully good news will keep coming my way.

The waitress arrives with our orders which she sets on the table

"This is why we're celebrating tonight, with Maureen after our show" he refers to the beautiful girl that plays in his band.

"Absolutely" I agree "So, what's the deal with you and Maureen" I know she's got a crush on him, but Simon seems oblivious to it and won't take the initiative. That's too bad, because she really sounds like a good match for him.

"What deal! There's no deal" he lifts his cup back to his lips and takes a sip before continuing "We sing together"

"It seems you don't know she's been crushing on you this whole time"

Simon looks at me like I've just grown two heads "What? No...no" he adjusts his glasses to concentrate on something else, clearly uncomfortable with the turn the conversation is taking

"Simon, how can someone as smart and as perceptive as you not realize that the person sitting right there is in love with you?" Poor Maureen, I feel sorry for her. This whole time she's been sending him all the right signals and he hasn't noticed her.

My best friend stares at me for few seconds looking almost hurt by my words, then finally he speaks "Getting to you, I'm not the only smart and perceptive person to make that mistake"

I'm not sure who or what he's referring to, but the anger I see in his eyes is almost palpable. I decide to drop the subject and drink my latté instead, but once I go for my biscuit, all I see is a drawing of a similar biscotti on the table but mine is nowhere to be seen, Simon teases me about having eaten it, but I could swear I didn't.

Little did I know, that was only the beginning

Later on, when I got home my mom took me to the living room and gave me a rectangular box, saying that the content was my birthday gift. As I opened it, I discovered a long slender twig with inscriptions on it, it seemed to be made of metal but I wasn't sure, weirdly, I felt overwhelmed as I held it...it was probably because it was a gift from my mom...

"It's called a stele" my mom said

I twirled in my hands, wondering what this beautiful object could possibly be "What is it? like a paper whip?"

My mom shakes her head with a smile "No, it's more than that, it's very ancient, I want you to have it...it's a family heirloom"

Her choice of wording makes me laugh "The Frays have heirlooms?"

She hesitates a moment before answering, a glimmer in her eyes "A few"

As I checked the symbols on the Stele, I noticed that some of them looked really familiar; it's really strange because I don't recall having seen them elsewhere, but who knows...

"You know it's weird, but I doodled something like this, this morning" I point one of the symbols. My mom looks at me in utter shock "Must have seen that somewhere" I add

"Honey, I need to..." my mom starts but my phone interrupts our discussion.

It's Simon

"We need to talk" my mom insists as I get up from the couch

"I can't right now, I need to change, I'm going out with my friends tonight" but as I start to head to my bedroom, my mom grabs my arm

"Honey, it's your eighteenth birthday now, everything is going to change for you now" She really seems worried and for good reason. Sadly, I'm not paying enough attention to her words

"We already had this talk, mom, I'm good" I try to leave again but in vain

My mom's serious face tells me it's something important, but I'm really in a hurry, it can probably wait "We need to have a much different and more important talk"

"We will" I say reassuringly "But can it be over breakfast? Alright?" I give her a quick kiss on the forehead and run to my bedroom "Thank you for the heirloom, I love you" I shout from the hallway, too excited about tonight

After rummaging through my closet, I finally opt for the sexy black top Dorothea, my mom's assistant in the Antiques shop, offered me, with a pair of jeans and my green hoodie to cover the see-through shirt. I let my long auburn hair fall to my back and wear black eyeliner that makes my green eyes stand out.

As I go back to the living room, I find my mom's best friend Luke checking my drawings "Hey Luke, what's up?"

"Hey" he greets me back "Incredible drawings" he gives me a pack of spray paints "Here you go, if I find any of these on city walls I'll arrest you" he adds jokingly...or so I'd like to believe, the guy is a badass cop.

"I'm going to use them on Simon's Van" he wants me to draw on it to make his van more artistic. As Luke starts to mention my being eighteen changing everything, Simon barges in, interrupting a conversation that's becoming annoying and repetitive. When I start to leave though, my mom hugs me tighter than usual and makes me promise to be careful and talk to her the next day during breakfast.

A very bad feeling is nagging at me, but I decide to ignore it. It's probably due to my mom overacting. I read somewhere that it's very scary for parents to see their teenage kids growing into new adults; it must be my mother's case as well. I mean, what would possibly have her worry this much, right? I spend all my days in art studios, my life couldn't be more...mundane and other than my mom, I have no other relatives.

That night, right before Simon's band gig, Maureen said something very weird as I proceeded to tell her that it was just me and my mom against the world "You guys don't think this is suspicious? You don't know anything about your family" she pauses for more effect "Your mom might be hiding some big dark secret"

I fight the urge to laugh. My mom? Hiding something from me? "Maureen, that's impossible, my mother isn't capable of hiding anything from me"

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Lots of love,

Sarah Jasmine