The Blue Diamond

Chapter One

The prairies rolled in to view and it seemed as if you could watch your dog run away for three days because of how flat the plains were. The skies were big and blue, fluffy white clouds beginning to cover it.

"Look kids, a jack rabbit!" Albert Striker called out to his children in the back seat.

Elizabeth and her brother George looked out the front window.

"Wow! Look how big its butt is!" George giggled.

"Its ears are huge!" Elizabeth cried in excitement.

The change of scenery was quite refreshing. The Striker family was currently on the road driving to their new home in Alberta, Canada. It had been almost a full eighteen hours of driving and there was plenty of times where Elizabeth had reflected on all that had happened before the move.

Up until four days ago, Elizabeth Striker was in court to stand trial against two criminals that she had helped expose in a drug operation back in Nanaimo, British Columbia where she previously lived. It was a rough time for her especially after all that she had gone through. It was rough on every one in her family, her parents most of all. They had lost a child who had gotten involved in what Elizabeth had gotten herself in to. Victoria Striker, was seventeen years old when she sacrificed her life to save her little sister. It hurt Barbara and Albert to lose her, but it shattered Elizabeth. She blamed herself for her sisters death all of the time.

The car came to a stop.

"Alright, bathroom break," Barbara told her kids.

The two got out of the car and walked past the gas pump while their dad filled up the tank. The two walked inside the gas station with their mom and took turns using the bathroom that was in there. Elizabeth was first to go and when she came out, she looked at all of the merchandise before choosing a Coca Cola and a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips for the drive.

"More salt and vinegar chips?" Her mom asked when Elizabeth handed her over the treats.

"Yeah. I just need salt," Elizabeth shrugged.

She had been having the craving for it ever since they began driving. Barbara looked to her daughter and grew a little concerned. From all of the stress that Elizabeth had gone through, her body suffered as well. The only things that she wanted to eat were the salty chips and some chocolate bars as well.

George came out of the bathroom and grabbed a bag of gummy candy. His mom paid for the treats and they began heading back to the car when Elizabeth felt something warm begin to run down her leg. She looked down and began to panic, her PTSD kicking in.

"I'm bleeding!" She cried in panic.

Her mom turned around to see if her daughter was okay and she quickly sighed in relief. It wasn't a major disaster.

"Oh, sweetie, let's go back inside," Barbara told her daughter.

Through her panic, Elizabeth followed her mom back inside the gas station and they went in to the bathroom together. George turned to his dad in confusion.

"What was that about?" George asked his dad.

Albert held back a grin and shook his head.

"Your sister is just growing up, George. She'll be fine," He explained.

George scratched his head. He would never understand girls. Getting in to the car, George and his dad waited for Elizabeth and Barbara to come back out. When they did, Elizabeth seemed obviously embarrassed. Getting in the car, she buckled up and opened up her can of pop to take a sip.