Searching for Love, Found Wealth

I waited for eleven. Hoping for the sky to grow dark and hoping for the clock to strike eleven. Also hoping for mom to sleep early.

But the last two hadn’t happened yet. And mom had to be asleep before eleven happened.

It was fifteen minutes to eleven and that was when my mother remembered to give her ‘daily warnings’ on closing my window in such times as these.

Now I needed that window opened.

“Kiera. Don’t say anything about needing fresh air. You know of the threat. What if you get kidnapped while in your sleep?” she debunked my last piece of excuse. It was six minutes to eleven now.

“Mom, I can’t be kidnapped like that. Do you think I’m a sleeping log?” I chuckled. She didn’t share the humor.

“Okay, I’d close the window. I’d close the door. And I’d sleep like a log. Don’t bother me. I have a busy day tomorrow” I curled myself in my bed.

“If the place gets too hot. Use your electric fan. But please keep your windows closed. So you’ll be safe from kidnap”.

She kissed my forehead and whispered a “goodnight”. As she left the door, I jumped up after her and closed it, saying a “goodnight” as well.

When I was sure she’s probably sleeping I rushed to my window to leave it open.

It took sheer self control not to scream as I saw Jacob under it already. He was sitting on the grasses. For how long now?

He jumped in, “Hey, nice room” he seemed to be searching for my bed, which I hid by the corner.

“You do not have a bed?” he concluded after seconds of search. I drew a chair out for him. If he wanted to sit so bad then he can sit on something other than a bed.

He ignored the chair and went for my posters. He acted like he was touring my room.

His eyes landed on my Power Puff girls posters.

“Who’s your favorite?” he was referring to them. His hands were folded across his chest and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

The cartoon excited me too. “Buttercup. You?” I answered.

He gave an ‘okay’ sign, “Same. She’s hot”.

I rolled my eyes. How is a barely three foot, supposed kid, hot?

We needed go leave asap. I still had to sleep to wake up tomorrow for school. I wished I had said nine but mom wouldn’t have let me get in then.

I brought out my customized buttercup mask and handed one to Jacob.

He was wearing all back so the make would look cool on him.

He was glad as he said Jasper hated the girls. What did Jasper know about coolness?

“We gotta go” I carried a small bucket for the mud. With a torchlight and a disposable bag.

If I had a chaplet, I’d have carried it.

Jumping down the window, half carried by Jacob’s surprisingly strong arms, I felt like some ninja in the dead of the night.

Jacob scaled the fence and sneaked past buildings while I tried to copy whatever he did at my own best shot.

When I began noticing few house, I gulped down saliva as realization dawned harder on me.

“Hey, Kiera. Take my hand” Jacob whispered to me when I stopped in my tracks. What if my mom threw my room door opened and didn’t see me.

“Hey, calm down” Jacob’s warm chest behind me snapped my from my thoughts. This dude was hugging me? Back hug exactly.

I wriggles myself for his hole and nodded, “Let’s go”.

There was no turning back now.

We got to some big shed that looked abandoned. It was abandoned. Who’d work in a place that had a dead body.

There was some mud at the entrance so I stooped to collect it. I may dash outta here in a hurry and forget so I should get it now.

“Wait, Kiera, let’s go deeper. I wanna show you something” Jacob’s voice sounded deeper in the dead of the night.

This kid did hate me. I left the small bucket, filled with mud at the entrance and followed him deeper into the timber house.

“Where are we gong if I may ask?” I grip his hands tighter and he held me close.

I remembered Sheena’s words on jumping on him if anything crawled around me. I’d really be doing that soon.

I huge mold of clay was inside with a small lantern atop it. How the hell is the lantern still on? For how long has it been here?

“I dropped the lantern today and look its almost dying” Jacob sighed, answering my question.

I switched on my torchlight and be gladly took it.

We walled closer to the mold and stopped.

“A grave?” I faked a shaky voice.

“Yup. Reuben said he told you if a girl named Jennie” he nodded.

“That’s got pregnant for a Martinez and was allegedly killed. How does it have to do with me?”.

“Well,” he faced me, “You are a Martinez. Not like them but you should know”. He looked away, “I visited sometimes cos I felt bad I couldn’t expose what happened. It was covered as suicide. Though not much knew of it. I had a crush on her then” he sniffed.

I patted his back, “She was in our class? How did she meet this Martinez boy?”.

“Charming? Well, she was a party girl and he was a party boy” He explained.

Charming? The Martinez did really have Barbie/Disney kinda names for their kids.

“Where’s the guy?” I asked further.

“At Spain. That’s where all Martinez study. His sister, Isabella would go there too by next year”. Oh so Charming and Isabella are related? Not surprised.

“Forgive me though, I did hear something your mom said about you being kidnapped?” Jacob turned my face to his.

It was awkward so I shoved his hands from my face. So he had been there for that long.

I gave a little expo on it. And on how I suspected the Martinez family. Jacob seemed to know them a lot so that wasn’t a surprise.

“If they have you, they’d use you to force your mother to give 30% of her father’s property. And that property is hella a lot” he shook his head.

That was a good summary there.

“Who knows if they’d keep me here?” I joked.

He smiled, “Let’s hope not. Rats own here”. My smile fell off.

We began walking back to the entrance.

“If you feel someone is watching or following you, ever. Call me. I’d be around” he returned the torchlight to me.

I shrugged, not really getting him.

“I mean it, I wouldn’t want you to experience even a quarter of what Jennie experienced” his hands was in my shoulders.

Shivers and heart pounds but I still managed to croak a “Yes, I’d call you”.

So adding Charles to the tally, I now have two handsome guys watching over me. What a princess!