Legacy: Version 2

V.2 Chapter 1

My life? Well, by this point I have done nothing special. But neither have I simply wasted it with buzzards. I mean up to this point in my short life I have had more ups than downs, which I'm grateful to God for. But I think I'm done with the small box of chocolates, I need more. For as I still have air in my lungs it is both my duty and responsibility to make the world a better place. And what better way to make the world a better place, then by replacing it?

Walking down the dimly lit, cold, and dead hallway I felt rather alive. One foot in front of the other until I reached Room Seventy-Seven. Of course, now this room is completely empty but beforehand this room held somebody very dear to me. My family had always had problems with our hearts. For some reason the organs were never very strong and fortified. My mother used to stay in this room, as did I and my father. And although people think hospitals as doors to death that wasn't the case for me. Not yet, anyway.

It was here in this room where some of the best times of my life were held. My Eleventh birthday, fathers' book being featured on the newspapers, my short story featured at school, but some of the best memories of all was where I would lay down beside my mom and she would read me stories. Since she felt that those simple kid books were below me she nudged me to begin to read chapter books. For an eleven-year-old, that is the equivalent of getting a nine to five job.

We began slowly as my reading skills weren't the best, I was pretty garbage at literature back then. But as we stayed together all day reading I began to improve, and eventually I began to dream bigger than a nine to five job. Besides fiction books my mother chose books that dealt with rather touchy topics. She chose books about kids who fought in wars up in the Middle East. Books about mothers being left behind by lustful fathers, then those mothers would have to raise their children all alone. Books about families being torn apart by this substance called, drugs. She also read me tragedies from the man called William Shakespeare. King Lear. Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet. Twelfth Night. Many tragedies.

Although I often fell asleep in her arms, she also read me plenty of books about business and how to handle money. But I still cherished them.

She also spent some time alone, sometimes even kicking me out the room to be alone. To this day I never know what she was working on, and I never will.

A couple days after my twelfth birthday my mother's surgery went terribly wrong. Me and my father weren't just given the news, we were there to witness it. The surgeon had no other exit so when he came out with blood splattered on his gown, gloves, and even on his face we knew something had happened.

The following days I remember trying to take my life, I had the rope ready and everything. Funny, how the knowledge my mother gave me to keep on living was about to take my life. But, my father stopped me and I'm glad he did. Because as he barged into the living room and with one thrust tore my noose from the ceiling, he had brought company: a petite little girl who at first, I thought was just a skeleton prop. As I fell to the floor and my father hugging me, I got a good look at her. She was a small girl who was all bones and no skin. Her black hair was glued together by the rain from outside, the only thing covering her from that rain was a thin coat that I recognized as my fathers. That day I meet Judas.

As days turned into months the three of us bonded. Father was reluctant to leave me alone (bills don't care about death) but with Judas with me I felt attached to the world. When father left there was still a bit of awkward silence but soon enough we both began to conversate. Our first conversation went along the lines of this.

'So...' the small petite voice squeaked, 'Why did you try to kill yourself?'

'Oh, that', I lowered my head, ashamed of what I did that day, as well as surprised at the fact she initiated the conversation, 'Well, I guess I was trying to run away'.

'Run away?' she said, tilting her skeleton like head, 'From what were you running from?'

'...That's a good question,' I thought hard before answering, 'I guess I thought suicide was going to solve all problems I had. And it was going to...but... taking away my problems like that, would also mean taking away any chance for my life to get better. What I did was based on temporary emotions that would have had a permanent change on those around me. It was selfish, but I was going through with it'.

'Would you do it, now?' her voice had gained some edge to it, 'I mean you have all the stuff at your disposal. The only one around is me and I'm used to people leaving me', she got quiet, 'And I'm also a nobody'.

My heart hurt at her comment. Me and my dad don't know the whole story but the story he's told me so far is that on the way to the convenience store he saw something in the corner of his eye. At first, he thought he had just had his first paranormal encounter, but, as he reversed his car he noticed that it wasn't something supernatural at all, it was just a normal girl. Even though the rain did distort his vision he could easily make out how neglected she looked. He walked out into the rain and questioned her, she didn't respond to anything and father soon realized why. She was freezing cold. He covered her with his jacket and waited hours for anybody to show up, but after asking to see the security cameras he realized that this girls family would never come.

On the small t.v screen he witnessed how a beat up Toyota Truck pulled up to the back of the store and carried out a small cardboard box, the top closed so nobody would peek in. He saw a couple, the screen didn't capture their faces, carry a box and throw it to into the recycling bin. They looked at each other and with a simple nod they headed back into the truck, speeding off into the night. The license plates implanted on the truck was soon discovered to have been robbed of some other random car, this same truck was also left on the side of the road a couple miles ahead. The couple was prepared for the aftermath. Which also means the couple was completely aware of what they were doing.

'No', I stated confidently, 'You are not a nobody. If you think you are a nobody then think of your life as an outlet of mine. If you ever think yourself as a nobody think of what you are now to me, you are now mine and I am now yours. You are not a nobody; your name is Judas and you are now my family. So please', I embraced her, feeling my mothers arms around me, 'You are not a nobody, you never were and you never will be'. I'm not exactly sure why those exact words came from my mouth, but, what I said wasn't a slip of the tongue.

That conversation was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

I leaned on the cold wall, looking at the numbers. Seventy-Seven. I allowed the tears slip from my shining eyes, but, the tears soon stopped as I felt a warm substance wrap itself around my neck. Without looking back, I softly held onto her thin hands. We said nothing as we looked at the polished wooden door.

For father it wasn't a hard choice. He didn't want to simply give her to foster care for some other family to take care of her, so he simply decided for us to be her foster family. It was a hassle for us to get the permission, but, seeing as there was no reason for them to say no; they said, sure. So, for the past two years Judas has been living with us. We had grown closer over the past two years and if I'm honest, our relationship is complicated.

Now being the ripe old age of fourteen I had grown to dream big, thanks to my mother, Judas, and my father. I am young, but I have big dreams. And this car I'm in has no brakes so either get in, or get out of my way.