The Amulet

Zara POV I'm Zara Henry, just your average girl living in a pretty average world. My parents were originally Guyanese, but they fled Guyana about 19 years ago, before having me. I'm around 5ft 5, average build with some curves, I have long brown hair and big brown eyes and plump pink lips, mixed with my slightly tanned olive coloured skin. We've lived in New York for a little over 3 years, we've moved from place to place alot. We've finally settled in a small townhouse up in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey. It was beautiful town, everyone knew everyone and the school system was more than average. I graduated with honours in most of my classes History being one of those classes, I adored history, learning how the past shaped our future. I was looking at colleges to go to but none of them stuck out to me, so I decided I would travel for a while and then choose a college next semester.  I have 2 of the most best friends who will tell me like it is, they aren't afraid to tell me if I'm doing something stupid but they will soon cheer me on if I was. My first best friend is a girl called Samantha but I call her Sammy for short. She has long dirty blonde hair and beautiful jade green eyes, she's around my height, but she definitely has curves they are much more obvious than mine! My other best friend is called Nicole but we call her Nic, she's got shoulder length black hair which could be passed off as a blacky bluey colour, and icy blue eyes, she's much more athletic than myself and Sammy. NIC used to do most of the sports and played many games for the school, she even got them through to the local semi finals in Basketball, she had the height as well as the build to do all the sports she did. We all met on our first day of high school, lucky for us we was all in the same classes as each other and helped eachother out when it came down to studying for our finals.  Sammy and Nic know of my plans to travel for the first semester, they wasn't happy about it when I told them, we was all suppose to go off to college together just like we started high school together. I couldn't see myself majoring in anything but History as I just adored it, like I do my friend's. My parents are loving people and welcomed both my friends with open arms and an open door, they were pretty much like sisters to me and my parents treated them like they was family. My parents names were Carlos my dad, he was a big manly man, he had abit of a belly now than when we first moved but I blame that on my mum Sandra she was a feeder, always offering food and shoving it under people's noses and not taking no for an answer. I loved them. My parents rarely talk about our family back in Guyana, maybe they feel bad for leaving so abruptly, or maybe there was unfinished business still over there, they really didn't talk much about it all. Hell, I don't even know if there's any of them left! They didn't really talk to many people other than the usual people, delivery guys, people in supermarkets, work colleagues and my friends. They didn't bring anyone other or attended any events that was going on in their workplaces either, but that might be why I like to either be by myself or with my 2 best friends. I'm slowly starting to get stuff together for my trip, I am going to Guyana, and I'm going to see if I can find any of my family members, my parents know where I'm going and have given me rough ideas of where some aunties and uncles may live but it's whether there still alive or living there is the matter. I've got myself a special hammock tent that I can tie to trees within the dense forest and keep off the ground full of creepy crawlies. I'm trying to pack as light as I can, I have a mini portable generator that will help charge my phone, flashlights, and camera. I also have my big hiking boots and I'm taking plenty of thick socks as I know I'll be wearing these boots constantly, and will need to change my socks often. I only plan on a few shorts, and a few vest tops and a couple of shirts and a cap and of course the obvious underwear. I bought myself some toothpaste that I just put on my finger and rub around my teeth and it cleans them! Takes 2 seconds rather than the long 2 minutes making sure you've got every nook and cranny, it's a game changer!  My parents have told me of the dangers of the jungle, snakes, scorpions, piranhas, big cats and of course mosquitos. There's also risk of catching Dengue fever, and other major illnesses, but I made sure I got all my shots before planning this trip.  My phone buzzed in my hand, it was from Sammy - Hey babes! What are you doing tonight? Can we come over for one last sleepover before you go? - Hey yeah of course, I'll let my parents know to set up the extra beds for us! - Ooooh tell your mom to make those amazing cakes! I've been dying to have one in like forever! - Of course! She'll be happy to make them for us! Sammy loved my mom's famous Guyanese cake's, they were soft and fluffy inside and just melted in your mouth, she liked to put some blueberries, and strawberries in some and they were lush! My mum loved to bake and cook in general that might be why she took a job as a chef in a local restaurant. My mom would always bake these cakes whenever my friends came over, and they would go back to there parents asking to bake the same cakes as my mom but they didn't taste the same. "Knock, knock!" Said Sammy and Nic creeping there way through the front door, "Hey guys!" I embraced them both in a big bear hug, "Hey mom!" They both said to my mom who was just getting the cakes out the oven, the air filled with freshly baked cakes laced in blueberries and strawberries. "Now girls you know you can't eat these straight away, they need to cool down before eating them." My mother looked at all of us drooling over the cakes and flicked the oven mit to stop us from grabbing one and giving us a big smile. We all looked at her and smiled back, we headed up to my room, my big double bed in the centre of the room and blow up beds surrounded it with lots of blankets and pillows. My room was a pale gray, with hints of rose gold accents, I loved it. It suited with my white wooden furniture that gave my room a very modern look compared to the rest of the house. We all sat on my bed and grabbed a pillow, I put on my TV and turned it to Netflix. "What do you guys wanna watch?" I said. "Let's watch 17 again?" Nic said as she eyed up Zac Efron on the picture. "Okay then" I laughed. I pressed play and we watched 17 again starring Zac Efron, I must admit he is very yummy, but not my type.  My mom came in the room, "Girls the cakes are ready when you are!" She brought in the tray of cakes she made and set them down on my chest of drawers, we all flew off the bed to grab the biggest one. Obviously Nic got there first but she was closest to the drawers. My mom just stood there and laughed at at us,  "Girls I'll order us all a pizza for dinner tonight is that okay?" We all nodded while we moaned over how good these cakes were. Nic and Sammy looked at me, with a hint of sadness in there eyes, I could tell that they were going to miss me while I go on my trip. We all cuddled up under the covers, the girls didn't bother using the blow up beds that were set around my room we all crammed ourselves in my big bed.