A String of Hope

Chapter three

"She's gone! You know where she went. I know it!" Christopher yelled at Jacob.

"No, I don't!" Jacob lied, matching his stepfather's volume.

"Christopher, Jacob, calm down," his mom cooed. "I don't want my boys fighting."

"Tanya, my daughter is missing and this one knows where she is! I heard him get out of bed last night," Christopher turned to Jacob. "Where is she?!"

"I. Don't. Know!" Jacob said. Time to break out the argument. "But I do know she ran away because she felt like you wouldn't care if she's missing. But she was wrong. You don't want people to know that your own daughter ran from you, because she knew you are just a cheap man who hands out fake love in a plastic gift bag! So you stop it now. She's somewhere better while I'm stuck with you! I never had a good feeling about you. Now I know why! It's because you're just a jerk!"

Christopher stared daggers at Jacob, his mom standing in the background, on her husband's side, like usual. Jacob scoffed.

"I might as well leave, too."

Then he turned to go pack his things. He'd be free of this house soon enough.

As soon as he was done, he walked to the door. As he grabbed the handle, he turned to face his mom and Christopher, who, Jacob noticed, didn't look like they would stop him.

"I'm going to live with Aunt Marge. Bye."

He walked out, and the sky cracked open. Jacob snapped before the water reached him, and it froze. Everything froze. The few people walking on the sidewalk, the worm about to meet an untimely death, the bird about to eat that worm, the drops of water falling from the sky.

Jacob liked to think of this as his super ability. He was about to run through the streets to the trains, but he realised he had no money. A wicked grin spread across his face, and he turned around, back into the house, and grabbed Christopher's secret money stash. And the whipped cream.

When Christpher were to wake up (the next time that Jacob snapped his fingers), he would have a great surprise.

He took off down the sidewalk, and was panting slightly when he got to the train station. He stepped out of view of the public (if anyone saw him appear out of the air, they would freak out) and snapped.

Once he was on the train, he just laid his head back, put on his headphones, and pulled up his hood.

The rain went pitter patter on the window, and Jacob slowly rocked him into a dream.

Avery was there. But... She kept on changing into animals. It was a little weird, but that wasn't all. There were twins, a boy who was super strong, and a girl who could talk to animals. And a boy in red who could make illusions. Another boy with dark skin and wide eyes who could control a person with his mind. And a girl with a little bit of pink in her hair who could control plants. And a girl with red-ish hair who knew everything. But that wasn't what stood out the most.

There was a little girl. She was holding a gray tabby cat in her arms. And she was flying.

"Are you Jacob Bryne?"

Jacob jolted awake, and sitting next to him was the little girl from his dream. He was sure of it. She was really pale, probably five years old, dark brown eyes. She was even wearing the same short overalls (they were probably from Target) and a white-shirt. But it wasn't the girl who had talked. It was the tabby cat she had in her arms.

***

There was a new girl at school. Avery, right? She was cool. Sean had a few classes with her. But it was obvious that Dylan Whale liked her.