The Immortal Stone

Chapter 1

It all started with a punch. Fruit punch, of course. "Okay," I sighed as I stepped up to the small booth and began lifting cups off of the red plastic tray in my hands. "Here is your fruit punch, your diet coke, and your sprite. Your food will be ready in a minute." I handed the small family their drinks and began to turn around.

"They thanked me before bginning the conversation they had been in the middle of before I rudely interrupted them. As I turned away, I caught a glimpse outside of the window and saw that it was getting darker outside than it had been only minutes before.

"Amber!" Amy, my boss, calld over to me from across the counter. "I need your help!" She held up the two trays piled with food and drinks. I walked over and took them from her. "These belong to table six. Tell them we're sorry it took so long. We're quite busy today." She pushed me toward the table before I could do anything else.

Amy thankfully wasn't a mean boss, but an overly kind one. She inherited Rex's Diner from her father, who received it from his father, who received it from his father, and so on. She had five kids (all grown up ) and she was like a mother to me, too. My real mother died when I was only one year old. Someone found her car on the side of the road in flames. The cops could never figure out what had caused the fire-- even my father was stumped. The fact that it was his wife who had been in the fire added onto the pressure of solving the case. But, it just never happened.

I brought the trays to table six like Amy had asked me to when I saw Jake Walsh walking up into the filled parking lot of the diner. His hood was up, protecting him from any rain that may very well soon fall upon that soft blonde hair of his. I hurried to the door and as he entered I stopped him right in his tracks. "What are you doing here?" My brows were knitted together in confusion and I was trying to figure out what my father could be up to this time.

Jake only shrugged as he pulled his hood down to reveal more of his face. "My dad said you were staying another night. Apparently your dad is having trouble with this case. But, don't ask me about it becuase all my dad said to do was pick you up."

"Aren't you sick of me by now? I've had to stay at your house for the last three days." I smiled as I turned and went back to my job. When I reached the counter, Jake following close behind, I stole another tray from Amy.

"No one could ever get sick of you." Amy grinned as she began wiping down the counter.

"She's got a point you know." Jake flashed his dazzling smile that hypnotized every girl he ever met, except me (sort of). Then he put his hands in his pockets and leaned his lean body against the wall. "Is she done here?" Jake looked to Amy, and she nodded.

"Come on, then. We have homework to do." I nudged Jake in the arm and grabbed my oversized jacket from behind the counter. "See you soon, Amy!" I waved goodbye to her as Jake and I walked out of the ringing door of the diner and into the cloudy evening.

We lived in Norfolk, Virginia. I lived on Dunbar St.-- first house on the left-- and Jake lived on Denhart St. So we didn't live too far away. Our dads worked together my dad being the Commissioner and Jake's dad, Henry, working as the Deputy Commissioner. Considering the fact that both of us lived without mothers and had fathers who worked together, we grew up pretty close. Jakes mom, unlike mine, had left when Jake was only seven after a fight. He never did tell me what the fight was about, though. Even some topics can't be discussed between the closest of friends.

"So," Jake spoke up a minute or so after we left the diner. He looked at me with his deep brown eyes, sweet but mischievious at the same time.

"So... are you excited?" He knew what I was referring to, so I didn't bother to clarify.