Jewel: The Beginning

CHAPTER 2: The Worst Halloween…Ever

The next morning, we got up and ready and drove to Glenn’s house on the other side of town, about a half-hour drive. I study my ring on my thumb, being too big for any other finger, on the way. Once we arrive, dad turns off the car, grabs my bags, and we walk up to the front door and walk in. My twin cousins, Pearl and Astro, are the first to see us and attack s. We hug them back and call for my uncle and aunt. Aunt Abigail tells us that they’re in the kitchen.

We all go to the kitchen and see Glenn, Abigail, and my older cousin Irina there too. I scream, “IRINA! What are you doing here?! I thought you were at your boarding school!” Irina and I hug each other and we all sit down, ready to eat. We gave grace on the food and started dishing outtthe eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns, and bacon. As we start eating, she gives her answers to my question, “I got a request to come home for Halloween. Sometimes, the school lets people come home for holidays not normally allowed. I wanted to try their Halloween feast they have there, but oh well. I get to see you on your birthday, which who knows when that will ever be again!”

We all start talking about our lives. I showed Irina my ring I got, but I didn’t dare tell her what mom and dad told me. She’d think it’s silly and superstitious. I tried asking her about her new school. I wondered what it was like living up there where she has school. She didn’t tell much about her classes, but she told me about all the friends she’s made, that they came from all over the country. She even has a crush on this boy named Andrew. I told her that it sounded like great fun, but I don’t know if I’d be able to go. When I said that she said, “Oh but you must! It is so great! You’d love it there! I must tell Mommy and Daddy to talk to Briana and Will of you going! I think you’d do great there! I guess we’ll find out next year since you have to be eleven to go, but still!”

After that, I hear my name being said. I look up and frown. My dad is standing up already. That means they have to go. I get up and give my dad a big bear hug, and then I hug my mom, kiss them both on the cheek, and we all walk them to the front door. “Glenn, Abbey,” my mother said, “Can we talk to you outside for a moment before we leave? We have a couple of minutes before we need to go.” The parents walk outside. We all run to the window and look out to the front door to see if we can tell what they’re talking about. I see mom pull an envelope out of her jacket, which I don’t recall seeing before, and hands it to Glenn. They all look kind of sad of whatever they’re talking about. We see them start hugging, and that’s when we all dart back to the kitchen to continue eating breakfast.

All of us cousins spent the day playing, all hyped up for Halloween. We spent hours talking about our costumes, all the candy, the excitement of it being my birthday with having the delicious dinner and cake Aunt Abbey and Uncle Glenn are going to make. As we played outside, we saw some men dressed up in cloaks, Irina looked back at them many times, like something bad could happen at any moment. I just figured they were men just jumping the gun for Halloween. Tomorrow, I thought one time looking at Irina and the two men, is going to be the best birthday ever.

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It's finally Halloween, only about 4 pm, when we started dinner. Normally, dinner is around 6 pm; however, given the circumstances, it needed to be earlier so we all could go trick-or-treating and had out candy too. I already had my favorite birthday dinner with my parents, so I asked Abbey and Glenn to make my second favorite meal: meatloaf and dirty potatoes with green beans and corn. My birthday cake, in the shape of a brown witch’s hat, was brought out after dinner. There, all around the cake were the ten candles. I had to stand so I would be able to blow them all out since the candles were on every side of the hat. I wished that there was something unexpected and life-changing would happen this year.

As we were finishing up the cake, we saw that it was getting darker outside, and Abbey said, “Kids, let’s get you all in your costumes so we can get out right away. Glenn, dear, please clean up the kitchen while I get them ready.” I went into Irina’s room with her, and we both dressed up in our costumes. We were both witches for Halloween. But she wasn’t being all green and warty like I was going to be. When I asked her why, she said, “Oh, I don’t think witches look like that. I think they look like normal, or even really, really beautiful. It’s like the Wizard of Oz I guess. I’ll be Glenda and you’ll be the Wicked Witch of the West? Ha ha, just kidding Jewelie.” Well, just because she wasn’t going green doesn’t mean I don’t have to.

I got Aunt Abbey to help me put on the green stuff on my face and hands when we heard the doorbell ring. I was still putting the stuff on myself, so I didn’t go downstairs yet. I bet it’s the first trick-or-treaters. I was back in Irina’s room grabbing my hat, broom and candy bag when we heard it. Irina and I froze for two seconds as we heard a cry wail from downstairs, as well as glass breaking. Irina and I darted to the door and all of my cousins and my aunt ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. We enter the living room and we see two men standing in the doorway to the kitchen. They moved out of the way so we could get to Glenn. They looked like he same two men from yesterday that Irina was looking at, but I didn’t care right now.

We reached the doorway to the kitchen when we saw him. Glenn was sobbing, and in his hands was a shattered wineglass from dinner. His hands were bleeding, with shards embedded in his tight-fisted hands. Abbey races to him, asking what was wrong. Glenn either would not or could not respond. She looked at the two men behind the rest of us. I was shocked; I bet all of us held a face of shock and fear. Pearl, Astro, and Irina ran to him and were calling out “dad” to him, asking the same questions as Abbey. I was frozen for just a few more seconds before I stuttered, “Uncle?”

That’s when his head finally started to look up slowly. He looked at me, as if he were searching for something in my face. He barely managed to whisper my name. As I walked over to him, he struggled to release the wineglass glass. When I got to him, the glass finally fell, and pulled me into a tight hug. This was not any normal hug. He was choking out tears and holding onto me as if I were his life-line. I could hardly breathe from this hug, but I knew there was a purpose to it. Why else did he only respond to my single word? Why did he call for me to come to him? Then I realized it; I could barely breathe out, “Uncle, what’s going on?” He loosened his grip on me finally and pointed to the men. We all faced them.

I finally cared about the other men and got to take a better look at them. Yes, they were the same men as yesterday. There was a tall, muscular, dark man with dark eyes, black hair and a goatee; the other man was short and plump, with glasses, blue eyes and vibrant red hair. They looked at each other, as if not knowing how to say what they needed to say. They kept on looking at me, which helped me realize that this was definitely about me. But I never saw either of them until yesterday, so what would they have to say to or about me?

The tall man nodded his head to the shorter one and started to speak. “I am Elias James, and this is Carlson May. We are from the MPA, and we bring grave news.” Shocked, Abbey was the only one who managed to speak before the man could continue, “Grave news? What?! What happened?” The short Carlson May replied, “Ma’am, we received news from our associates that your husband’s sister, Briana, and her husband William Rowena were found dead in London. And we were told to immediately tell your husband and Jewel.”

That’s when everyone else but me started to cry; Uncle Glenn was sobbing louder now. It took a few seconds to comprehend the words they just spoke. Then questions darted through my head; what? How? Why? “MPA?” I asked aloud.

Wait a minute. How come this is the question I manage to speak? Those letters have nothing to do with….my parents. Carlson replies in a guttery tone, “Oh Miss Rowena, you little jokester. You know that stands for Magical Protection Agency, right?”

I blink very widely and reply, “No.” How could he assume that? I never have even heard those three words in a sentence, let alone strung together. I look at them, and then I hear a small sound of Aunt Abbey clearing her throat. The adults are all exchanging glances at each other, as if something wrong was said.

Somehow, after a few minutes, Abbey managed to recover enough to get out of her crouch and walk to Mr. James and May. They see them through the doorway and get to the front door. I can’t hear what they were saying, but I swear that before the men left, Mr. James pulls out a stick and a piece of paper shoot out of the stick into Abbey’s hands. Abbey walks back to all of us, with everyone else crying. I am still in shock, not knowing how to react. There is something I am missing, something everyone else knows. Were they serious? Magical? I have never been surrounded by magic at all, just the movies and books of fantasy; never the real deal.

After a time, Glenn says, sounding very husky, “Abbey, why don’t you get the kids in bed. Jewels, once you're all ready for bed, come into your aunt’s and mine room. We need to talk to you. Irina, help me out here real quick before you get ready for bed.” So Abbey, the twins and I slowly march up the stairs, them from being worn out from crying, I from still being in shock. Abbey gets the twins dressed real quickly and then comes into the bathroom to help me get the green makeup off my hands and face. Once I am cleaned up, I go to Irina’s room to get in my pajamas. As soon as I close the door, I turn around and Irina comes and pulls me into a hug; not as strong as Glenn, but it was meant for comfort. “I’m so sorry Jewelie,” she whispers. She holds onto me for a few more seconds before we both get in our pajamas. I grab the witch’s hat, wanting to still wear it, whisper a good night, look at the clock and see it’s just 6:30, and leave the room to go across the hall. I knock on the door, and hear my uncle say, “Come in Jewels.”

I enter the bedroom, walk over to one of the couches next to the fireplace, and sit next on Glenn’s lap. Abbey hands both of us a mug of caramel apple cider, and sits across from us on the other couch. I take a sip, and then it finally hits me. I barely managed to get the mug on the coffee table before I started sobbing, curling into a ball in my uncle’s lap, clutching onto his clothing as if he were my life saver now.