Gifted - SERIOUS EDITING, REVISION, and other writer stuff GOING ON!

Chapter Nine

The door clicked as I opened it. My room was dark and filled with shadows. Clapping the lights flicked on. I was greeted by the same old room, everything neat. Well almost everything. On the desk sat a tiny brown moving box. Walking towards it, there was a note tapped to the top. ‘The box came in while you were out. –Ashton’. I had no idea who the box was from, or who asked Ashton to bring it to my room. I mean, that must’ve been painful to take time out of his day to come to my room. Let alone the hospital care room. Everyone else showed up at one point in time.

After what I supposed to be a two hour nap, Rachel came in and told me that the nurse said “I could leave if I could walk.” Eager to escape this little hell of medicine and sterilized needles, I jumped out of bed. Not exactly the best idea I’ve ever had, and it obviously backfired. As soon as my feet collided with the tile, my knees buckled and I barely caught myself. A breathy laugh escaped me and I picked myself up.

Rachel didn’t seem too impressed with my effort and suggested I needed to get back in the bed. Ya thought? Stubborn as I was, I waved her off and continued out of the room. As I rounded the corner out, I about ran full force into Daniel. He was too busy concentrating on the floor, and I was walking to eager. Catching him before he fell I noticed a card in one hand and a waffle in another.

Laughing as I accepted the presents, it made me laugh very hard. In a good way at least. After a few exchanged ‘grunts’ and ‘yeahs’ from both of them, I needed to go back to my room.

On the way through the hallway I caught my reflection in a window. What had I become? I looked dead on the outside, and felt it too. I really had almost died. Life was funny. Never in a million years would I expect myself to become this.

Snapping back to reality, I picked up the box and crossed over to the couch. Positioning myself carefully and setting the box on the coffee table I relaxed ever so slightly. On the side of the box read TO: Amber. Curious as to who sent it, there was no name on the side. Placing Ashton’s note to the side and flipping the cardboard flaps open I found another note. This one from Jack.

‘I found some things you might like. –Jack”. A small smile curled at my lips. Of course he sent me things, just to send me things. Setting this note separate of Ashton’s I proceeded to going through the contents of the box. On top laid an old t-shirt. On the front was just a plain smiley face, and the back had a quote from some camp we had gotten sent to. It was an “orphanage tradition”. I think the camp was called ‘Camp Happiness’ or something stupid like that.

Next were a few photos of us. The first one was recognizable in an instant, 7th grade dance. My arm wrapped around his shoulder and his around my waist. Both of us had unforgettable smiles plastered on our faces. Below that was a picture from ‘Camp Whatever’. Smiles were forced. We both really thought of this camp as a real waste of time.

Last thing in the box tugged at my heart. Laying perfectly folded (obviously done by someone else, because Jack could not fold to save his life) was my dress from the dance. Its smooth green silk ran through my fingers as I picked it up. Each flower on the strap perfectly in place, each sparkle along the skirt still shining. I honestly did not pick this dress out, Ms. Higgins did. It was our agreement. The dance did not appeal to me at all. But I had to “enjoy my life as a teenager”.

Placing everything dedicatedly back in the box, something fell out of the dress. Its glittery string caught my eye. One hand on the coffee table, my eyes scanned the carpet underneath. A tiny silver pendant was laying on its underside. My mother’s tiny silver pendant. I don’t ever remember giving this to him. I remember losing it, but never finding it.

It settled delicately into my palm. The tears were welling up in my eyes; it took everything to hold them back. Opening it up I noticed that the picture had been replaced. A newer version had been put in its spot. How he found the picture- it doesn’t matter- it made everything in my body fill with happiness. Slipping it on and looking in the mirror, it settled perfectly in between my collar bones.