Onyx: Stories From Midtown

Chapter 17A - family isn't everything & 17B - a day in the life of Jessica.

family isn't everything.

The day of school was as boring as the last. Onyx didn't know why she kept on going to the school, but when she looked up, she remembered it was for structure and to see her friends on a regular basis. However, something that confused her was where was ted. He wouldn't miss a day of school and she wasn't the only one to notice as Oliva noticed as well. "where's ted?" she whispered to Olivia. "I don't know. But I know where he lives. We should go there after school. "Oliva whispered back. "since when?" onyx asked "since I know where all of you live, it's a small town and I've been to everybody's house. All except Jessica but I know the reasons as to why and ted because he just didn't want me to." Olivia whispered back.

After school the two set off and they were there in 15 minutes. It was deep into the town and onyx had to put her hood up to stay safe. "I figured he was in a bad situation, but this is terrible." Onyx said, "it gets worse." Olivia responded as she knocked on the door. His mom opened the door "don't want anything." She said trying to shut the door, but Olivia put her foot in the door. "where her for ted, he wasn't in school today and we're wondering where he is." "oh, the mistakes upstairs. He was late home so where keeping him out of school for the week." This made onyx speak up. "that punishment doesn't fit the crime and that's illegal."

"look at yourself and tell me who's illegal." She said trying to shut the door. Onyx didn't let the door shut as she kept it open with her powers "I'm coming in." she said barging in. Oliva just stood at the door, confused, and just gave an awkward smile. She broke the lock on his door and found him sat on the bed doing nothing and she grabbed him by the shirt. He noticed that she was in her heightened state and he tried to calm her down. "It's not worth I and you know it." "no, you're worth trying to save." "look at what you're doing, you broke into my house and your trying to drag me out. Where do you think I'm going to stay?" "I don't know but your leaving with me." "if I could run away don't you think I would have?" he asked, and it made onyx drop her grip on her shirt. "I've tried so many times, but she always found me and since I'm still her child until I turn 18, I'm stuck here unless she willingly gives me up or she gets caught abusing me."

"she broke a law to keep you here." Ted then sighed "I know you don't have parents, and I don't want to be insensitive, but you don't know what you're talking about. After the incident I thought there would be hope, but I've been looking for a loophole and there isn't one. Just let it go." He said sitting back on the bed. "but..." he cut her off. "you're not in your element for this sort of thing, you need to let it go." He said as he let her out of the room, and he locked his door. She walked down the stairs and, on her way, out his mom said, "he knows who his family is." She turned around and punched her in the face before running off, Olivia followed.

"I can't believe he's staying there." Olivia gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll see what can be done at the adoption centre, but I can't promise anything." She said as she they walked to the centre. "besides, I've got a million Calles from Jessica and Isabella asking where I am. I need to go." And for the first time since her brother's death, she felt truly powerless to do anything.

a day in the life of Jessica.

She woke with a yawn and the sound of her alarm going off. She woke up but she didn't want to. She went to the bathroom to get herself ready. She brushed her hair after taking a shower and dryed off. She went to her room and got dressed and she went downstairs to find her mom making breakfast. Jessica's mom gave her a look over and gave a disappointed look, so Jessica went to her room to get redressed. Her mom disapproved again, and it went on for 20 minutes until her mom was happy with the result. She was running late, and her mom made it clear how disappointed she was for her running late.

She took off and started to eat her breakfast on the way. She nearly chocked a few times, but she made it to the school on time and rushed to her first lesson. In that first lesson she tried to pay attention but Olivia and onyx where whispering, so she had to focus harder to pay attention. She wrote down everything the teacher said, and she made extra notes throughout the lesson. In the next lesson she did the same and she did the same throughout all of the other lessons.

Her friends thought it was weird at first but after her and onyx's heart to heart the previous week, they understood and stopped wondering. At brake while everybody else was hanging out, she was there reading a book that was above the expected reading for a student at the school. Being a Wednesday, she and Amy went to the library to read. "what you are reading?" Amy asked, "it's college level maths." Jessica explained "isn't it boring?" Amy asked, "yes but I 'need to' read it or else." "why don't you just lie to your mom." "for the same reason as when you asked last week, she's going to test me." Jessica explained. "hay looser what you are doing?" Charlie asked walking over and spilling her dink all over the book, laughing, and walking off.

During the other lessons she did the same as the first three, and after school she walked back with Amy. "thanks, for walking with me again. With Elizabeth going on constant dates with Gwen and Brian volunteering at the adoption centre, the walks have been getting kind of lonely." "no problem." Jessica responded. As they continued to walk to the apartment complex. When they arrived, Jessica peeled off from Amy to walk to her apartment. "how was school?" her mom asked, "it was fine, I'm just tiered." "well, don't forget your going to the gym in an hour with your uncle." Her mom reminded her, and she went to her room to go and take a nap.

She woke up 45 minutes later to get ready to go to the gym. She got in her uncles car and he tried to make painfully awkward small talk. "this could be the first in a new series of us hanging out again." "uh huh." He tried something else "so how's school going?" "all right." "did you make any friends here?" "a few" "do you want to talk about them?" "I don't think so." "how about names, do you think you can do that?" he asked in a, trying to be nice without being overly nice, tone. "theirs, onyx, Gwen, ted, Elizbeth, Olivia, brain and Amy." "you got a best friend?" "if I had to pick, Amy and I have been hanging out more than usual. So, her I guess." She responded. "it's nice to hear you were able to make friends this time." He wanted to ask about any crushes she may have but he didn't want to overwhelm her with questions.

When they arrived, they looked around and for a small town it was a big gym. She also saw that Olivia was there. "what are you doing here Olivia?" she asked. "what, is a goth not allowed to work out or something?" "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." "I'm joking the one at the adoption centre's is down, so I've come here with a few friends." She said pointing over at two of the girls on the treadmill. "oh, ok." Jessica responded putting her hand on the back of her head. "who's this." Olivia asked "it's my uncle. Did you find out what happened to ted?" "his mother is a psychopath but otherwise, he's been taken out of school for the week." Olivia explained "all right, see you later." Jessica said as her and her uncle moved on.

"is that one of your friends?" "yeah that's Olivia." Jessica responded as she got onto one of the exercise bike. She tried and she struggled. Her uncle came over and showed her how to lower the difficulty on the bike. "thanks." "just try not to push yourself." Her uncle suggested and she got back to riding the exercise bike. After 20 minutes she moved onto something else. She tried the jump ropes, but she found it to easy. She tried many different things, but she couldn't find the one that she would like. Although she did try weapons." "it's my friend onyx and she think something is going to happen soon that would need us to know how to defend our self." "how does this 'onyx' know how to use so many weapons?" "because her brother thought her for the past 4 years." "I think I should talk to her parents." "you can't." Jessica responded stopping her swing

"and why's that?" "she's an orphan, and her older brother is dead. Her brother's friends, who she's staying with, won't actually listen to you." She explained going back in the house. "why an axe?" "because it's what my dad had." She responded as they walked into the apartment. She went to her room where she decided to sleep after the long day she had. her uncle leaving not to long after.