Jade Edwards stared out the front window at the wintry, February night. There was no snow on the ground, but wind was whipping viciously across her front yard, raising dead leaves and dust into mini tornados. She folded her arms and held herself, shivering. The heat wasn’t on in her house, and even though she was wearing three sweatshirts, the chill still wrapped itself around her spine.
She turned and headed into the dimly lit, spacious kitchen and sat down at the table. Papers were strewn across the surface, the word ‘Notice’ stamped across the top of paper in bold, blood red letters. She picked one up and then immediately set it back down again. Dear Mrs. Worthington - it was to her grandmother, her dead grandmother, who didn’t live in the house anymore but still had debts and bills to pay.
Jade sighed and rubbed her temples. Abigail, her little sister, was asleep upstairs, in one of the many bedrooms. The house may be huge, she thought bitterly, but it takes a hell of a lot of money to heat it. She picked up another paper - this one addressed to her - and groaned softly. It was a letter from her old high school, asking her to rejoin them and their ‘family.’ She crumpled it and tossed it in the wastebasket.
“Jade?” asked a soft voice, over the wailing gale outside.
She looked up and saw Abigail, dressed in three nightgowns, two pairs of socks and a sweatshirt. “Yeah, sweetheart?” she said. She looked at her baby sister gently, taking her in. Abigail was six, close to seven, with light, Hershey’s chocolate colored hair and sky blue eyes. She was small, coming to Jade’s waist.
“Are you okay?” Abigail continued. “You’re up really late.”
“I’m fine, Abby. Really.” Jade stood up and walked over to her. She placed a hand on the little girl’s shoulder and smiled softly at her. “Go back to bed. Are you cold or something? Do you need another blanket?” She started walking her back to her room, keeping a steady hand on her shoulder. They climbed the stairs and went down the hallway, the sound of the creaking floorboards drowned out by the wind.
Jade pushed open Abby’s bedroom door and gently ushered the girl inside. The room was freezing. Their breath came out in clouds. “Abby, get tucked in,” she said, opening the closet door. She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed another blanket, unfurling it like a queen’s robe. She walked over to Abby’s bed, where she had snuggled in, and dropped the blanket on top.
“There,” she said, gazing down at her sister. “Better?”
Abby nodded with a trembling smile and turned on her side. “G’night, sissy.”
Jade sighed softly and kissed her hair. “Good night, Abby,” she said quietly, “and make sure you go to sleep this time.” She smiled a little when Abby giggled, and then retreated from the room.
She quietly went back downstairs, going to the kitchen again. She sat down at the table and stared at all the bills. Water bills, heating bills, phone bills, credit card bills, bills, bills, bills! She hid her face in her hands, suddenly very close to tears. How could she make this better? How could she fix this and make sure that Abby had a life and a sister to be proud of? Why did God turn His back on her? She was only eighteen; a high school dropout with no one to turn to; no parents, no aunts, no uncles - she was alone.
She laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes, praying. God, oh, God. I need some kind of miracle. Anything, God. Please don’t leave me hanging.
She must’ve fallen asleep because she was jerked awake by the sound of squealing tires and a crash.
If I Fell
[Joint by Katie and Jay]
One.
