Jacob’s Story

“Charity, focus. Put your hands on the table… good… concentrate, okay? Now. Will it to rise. Come on. You can do it.”
“Mom, I can’t! I can’t.”
“Yes, you can, Charity. Just concentrate.” Charity closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to make the table rise… it levitated a bit, but soon fell. She opened her eyes and exhaled. “See, I told you I couldn’t do it.”

“Charity, you made it rise a bit. You’re getting there. You just need to find the person who’s supposed to make your powers stronger, the one who loves you unconditionally. You, too, Jake,” my mom told my sister and me. “And I have a feeling that they’re brother and sister too.”
I smiled. “Cool. Mom, when are we going to fight the evil?”
“When you guys get your full powers, we all have to fight the evil. Including your Aunt Grace…” She trailed off and got a sad look on her face. Aunt Grace was—-is-—my mother’s twin sister. But my mother hasn’t heard from her in twenty years. I don’t know why she couldn’t just send a telepathic message or something to her, but then again, she told me that I can use more powers than her and Angel.

“Mom, do you want me to look for Aunt Grace?” I asked.
“No, Jake. You need to conserve your powers. You can’t just use them for your own good. If someone is doing something evil, then yes, you can use them, but you can’t just use them out of the blue. You have to be careful with your powers, until you come into your full powers. Otherwise you may actually run out.”
I nodded. “Okay, Mom.” Then I checked my watch. “Oh, look, it’s time for softball camp. Mom, I’m so glad you let me go.” I gave her a hug.
“But Jacob, please be careful,” my mother warned.
“Mom, how come you won’t let me go?” Charity whined.

“Charity, you can’t use your powers yet, and Jake can defend himself against evil. I have to be extra careful with you, because evil might possess you if I’m not there.”
Angel pouted, but then brightened and said, “Jake, I hope you have fun, okay? I’ll write you, and don’t forget to write me.”
“I won’t, Angel,” I told her. “Now I have to go get my stuff.” I went to my room and picked up my duffel bag, but not before gazing around my room one last time. There were baseball posters on the wall, a picture of my father, whom I’ve never met, a picture of Mom and Angel, which I took and put into my bag, and the drawing.

Every night since I was eight, when I first discovered I had powers and when my mother started teaching me how to use them, I’ve had the same recurring dream. In it, there’s this girl. I’ve seen her face so many times that I’ve drawn her. She’s got dark, dark, dark brown hair and deep blue-green eyes, and the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen (other than my sister’s, of course). I don’t know her name. I don’t know where she’s from. All I know is that I love her. And if I ever get to meet her, I know that she’s my soulmate, my one true love.
Okay, I’m getting sappy here, aren’t I? You wouldn’t expect this kind of talk from a fifteen year old, which is how old I am. My name is Jacob Standish, I live with my mother, Faith, and my sister Charity, who’s a year older than I am. Like you’ve seen, I’ve got powers. I’ve known about them for about seven years now, which is why I know how to use them. Charity just found out about hers, which is why she can’t use them yet, but if she finds that girl’s brother (I just know that the girl in my dreams has a brother, and that Charity is going to find love with him), her powers will increase and get stronger and maybe, she’ll be able to use them.

Anyway, back to what I was doing. I took the drawing, gazed at it for a moment, then folded it and gently packed it in my bag. I went back into the living room, where Mom was still trying to get Angel to make the table rise. “Mom? I’m ready to go,” I said. Mom looked up. “Oh, Jake, please, be careful. Here.” She gingerly took one of the angels on the mantle of our fireplace and gave it to me. “An angel to protect you.” “Thanks, Mom.” I took it from her and placed it with the soft clothes in my bag.

“Jake, did you bring enough underwear?” my mom asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
“Did you bring stamps, postcards, and paper?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Did you bring medicine?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Then you’re all set,” Charity interrupted, before my mom could go on further. The one power she does have and can use is reading my mind, while I can read hers. I smiled gratefully at her. “Thanks,” I mouthed. Angel smiled, and then a horn could be heard. “That’s the bus,” I said, heading to the door. “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be careful. I love you guys,” I told them, giving them both a huge hug. For some reason I felt like I was saying goodbye, but I didn’t know why. I boarded the bus and waved to my mom and Charity, as they waved back. I took a seat and began to think back to when I first got my powers…

::Flashback::
There’s a big tree in our backyard. When I was eight, I climbed it all the time. One day, I was hanging from it, waving to my mom and Charity. “Look, guys! Look how high I can climb!”
“Jacob, be careful,” my mother warned.
“I’m okay, Mom! See? No hands!” I hung from just my legs and I saw Charity below me. “Hi, Angel!”

“Hey, Jake!” she waved. Just then, I lost my balance and started to fall. “Help! I’m going to fall!” I screamed. I had the urge just to stop time, so that I could stop falling. And I kept wishing for it. Right before I hit the ground, I froze. “I’m stuck!”
My mother, who was watching me from the kitchen window, ran outside and gasped. “Oh, my God… it’s happening.”
“What’s happening?” Charity asked, bewildered.
Just then, an angel appeared. “It’s time, Jacob. Time for you to know who your really are.”
I looked around. “Mom? Charity? Can you see the angel?”
They both nodded.
“What do you mean, who I really am?” I asked. “How did I get frozen?”
“It’s time, Jacob. The time has come.” And then, she disappeared.

I looked at my mother. “Mom? What was that all about?”
“Your powers, Jake. They’re finally here.”
Right about then, I unfroze and landed—-hard—-on the ground. “Ow.” I tried to get up, but I felt an intense pain through my left arm. “My arm! I think… I think it’s broken!” I held on to it, and as soon as I let go, it was fine. “What did I just do?”
“You healed your arm, Jake,” Charity said, in awe. “Mom, how come I can’t do that?”

She shook her head. “I have no idea why Jake has his powers before you do, Charity. You should have them first.”
“Mom, how did I heal my arm? What powers are you talking about?” I asked. “How come you never told me?”
“Well, it’s about time, isn’t it?” she replied. “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you everything.”
::Reality::

The bus pulled up to the camp, where I rushed into my cabin and unpacked. I put up the drawing above my head (I got top bunk) and put out my picture of Mom and Angel. I changed into my softball jersey, and then checked my reflection in the mirror. My curly, sandy blonde hair, my blue eyes, and my 5’11” figure greeted me. Then I looked at the reflection of the drawing, and I smiled. So did my mirror image.

There’s a girl in my mirror
I wonder who she is
Sometimes I think I know her
Sometimes I really wish I did
There’s a story in her eyes
A lullaby of sacrifice
When she’s looking back at me,
I can tell her heart is broken easily

~*~

A week and a half later, I got my first letter from Charity. It read:

Dear Jake,
Hey! How’s life over at camp? Fun? Well, I’ve got some news for you. There’s a carnival going on in this little town just a few miles from here, it’s called Harmony. Anyway, I met the most amazing boy today. Well, not really met him, but I bumped into him, and he is the cutest! I spilled water all over him (typical klutz), but he was SO nice to me. I hope that I’ll meet him again soon. And come to think of it, he looks like the girl in your drawing. I think I saw two girls at the carnival, and one of them looked like the girl. I’m not sure.
Mom and I miss you. It’s too quiet without you here, Jake. Mom spends all of her time looking for Aunt Grace, she says that she’s found someone who knows where she is, but she’s afraid that it just might be evil trying to trap us. Speaking of which, she didn’t like Harmony because she said there was evil there. I didn’t think so. She said that we might be moving away from Harmony, but I’m not sure yet. I have to find that boy first. I don’t even know his name! I wish you were here so that you can help us.
Well this letter’s getting a bit long, so I’ll end it here. Take care and God bless, Jake. Have fun. Can’t wait to hear back from you!

Love always,
Charity (aka Angel)

 I smiled as I read the letter. Maybe that boy is the one who’s going to love Charity unconditionally. And his sister… his sister is the girl I’m destined to be with… Anyway, when I got free time, I started writing my letter to Charity. But I never finished it… I don’t know, maybe because I was too busy or something. Two days later, I was called into the main office. What I didn’t notice when I rushed out the door was the angel, shattered, on the floor of the cabin.

“Jacob, look,” Mr. Sullivan, the camp director, told me. He motioned to the television in his cabin.

Our top story this morning is the fire last night in Castleton. Police are finally releasing the identities of the residents of the house: sixteen-year-old Charity Standish is in the hospital; she’s doing fine, but it is reported that she has amnesia; but her mother, Faith Standish, has not been found. The firefighters that combed the area have said that this is the worst fire they’d ever seen in their many years of firefighting, and Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, the boy that saved Charity from the fire, also said so.

I sat in shock. “You mean… my mother’s dead, and my sister doesn’t remember me?”
“I’m afraid so, Jacob. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay, it’s not your fault.” I looked closely at the TV, where Miguel—-I bet that’s the guy that Charity was talking about—-was talking to reporters. Beside him was the girl. The girl in my drawing. She looked exactly like the girl in my dreams. It had to be her! She was even more beautiful in person. I know her last name is Lopez-Fitzgerald. What’s her first name?

“Jacob?” Mr. Sullivan shocked me out of my thoughts.
“Yes?”
“You can leave early if you want. I know how hard this is going to be on you.”
“Where am I supposed to go?” I wondered, for the first time. “My mother’s dead, my sister doesn’t remember me, my house is a pile of ashes… I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

“Don’t worry. You can stay if you want, or you can leave. It’s your decision.”
“Thanks, Mr. Sullivan.”

So I decided to leave and find my sister. Where did she say the boy—-Miguel--was from? Harmony? Yes, it was Harmony. I decided to head there right away, but not before visiting the remains of my house. When I got there, there was nothing but debris. Discouraged, I was about to walk away, but something reflected in the setting sun caught my eye. It was a picture. The picture of my father. Somehow it wasn’t harmed in the fire, and I took it and put it in my bag, along with everything else… the only belongings I had now. I took out my picture of Mom and Charity and I felt a tear run down my cheek. Why did this happen to us? Was it because the evil forces knew that Charity had found the one she was destined to be with? I vowed then to destroy whoever destroyed my family.

I put everything back into my bag and checked the area one last time. I found the silver chain I had forgotten; I always wear it, but I guess I forgot to pack it. With one last look at what used to be my home, I turned and headed for Harmony.
Somehow, I got lost. I wandered for a year, but God watched over me, I guess, because I always found a place to stay, even if it was just for a night. For a while, I decided to take a break and stay with my new foster family for a little bit. I was determined to find Charity, and Miguel, and his sister, but I needed a break. Then I received a premonition…

::Premonition::
I saw Angel, lying in her bed in a purple room, tossing and turning. “Miguel! Miguel!” she would yell, clutching her covers. “Save me! The fire’s going to kill me! Miguel! Find Jacob! He’ll save my mother and me! Hurry!”
::Reality::

Oh, my God.
She’s supposed to have amnesia, but yet, in her dreams, she calls out for me. I knew exactly what I had to do then. I packed up all of my stuff, left a note with my foster family, thanking them, and headed towards Harmony. They told me that they lived very near Harmony, so I found my way. When I got there, it was dark, and cold. I wandered around for a bit, taking in the park, and found myself in front of a place called the Book Café. I tentatively walked in, not knowing what to expect.

“Hey, bro, what’s up?” a young black guy asked… Miguel. It was him. The boy that saved Charity from the fire.
“Nothing much, Chad. What about you?”
“Oh, I’m cool. How’s Charity?” Chad asked as he cleaned the counter off.
“She’s okay. But she keeps telling me that she’s had these dreams and she remembers calling out for a boy named Jacob. Do you think that Charity might have had a boyfriend before me?” Miguel wondered. I sat down at a table and tried hard not to laugh.

“Oh, naw,” Chad replied. “Because I can tell that this is your first real love, both of you.” He smiled.
“But who could this Jacob guy be?”
“Maybe he was her best friend before the fire or something.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Miguel said. “Anyway, Chad. I’m going to bring some food over to the Bennetts’ place, maybe it’ll help cheer Charity up. She’s been so down lately.”
“Tell her I said hi,” Chad told Miguel.
“I will. Later.” Miguel walked past my table and opened the door, and in walked… her. The girl! The girl in the drawing! It was her!
“Hey, Ellie!” she exclaimed.
Miguel smiled. “Hi, Prima. I’m heading over to the Bennett house, do you want to come?”
“Actually, I just came from there. Charity’s still really depressed.”
“Why?”
“She remembers who the Jacob person is. Well, not really. She said that she knew that Jacob was close to her, but she didn’t know how. We really need to find him, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Maybe tomorrow though. It’s getting pretty late, and as soon as I drop this stuff off at the Bennett place, I’m going home. (*gasp*) So I’ll see you later?”
“Later, Ellie.” The girl smiled, and so did I. Things are finally coming together… Charity’s here in Harmony, she’s starting to remember me, and the girl of my dreams is standing right in front of me.
She ordered a cappuchino and looked around for a place to sit, and our eyes locked. She headed over to the table I was sitting at by myself, and said, “Hi, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here in Harmony before. Can I sit here?”
“Sure,” I told her. “And you’re right, this is my first night here. What’s your name?”
“Paloma. Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald.” Finally! I know her name. Paloma… what a pretty name… I smiled again. “It’s nice to meet you, Paloma.”

“You too, um… I didn’t catch your name.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s Jake. Jacob Standish.”
Paloma’s eyes widened and she gasped. “You’re Jacob! Oh, my God!”
“Yeah, I’m Charity’s brother.”
“So that’s how Charity knows you! Come on, we’ve got to get you over to the Bennett house!”
“But… what about your cappuchino?”
Paloma looked down. “Oh, who cares? I’ll just get it to go.” As she did that, I took out my drawing and compared it to Paloma. It looked exactly like her, right down to the deep blue-green eyes. I smiled and put it back right as she said, “Come on, Jake, you’re going to meet your cousins.”

Paloma dragged me over to a nice looking house, and rang the doorbell. A girl with reddish-brown shoulder length hair opened it. “Poe! Hey! Um… who’s that?” she asked, about me.
“Jess, you are not going to believe who this is. You know about Charity’s dreams, right?”
“Yeah, about that guy named Jacob?”
Paloma nodded. “Jessica, this is Jacob Standish, Charity’s brother, your cousin.”
“What? Oh, my God! Come in, Jacob!” Jessica ushered Paloma and me into the foyer.
“Is Charity awake?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but Miguel is upstairs,” Jessica said. “Let’s go see.” So we headed upstairs, into Charity’s room. “Charity, it’s going to be okay. I’m going to find Jacob, and he’ll help you,” we heard Miguel say.

“Actually, Miguel, we beat you to it,” Jessica spoke up. Miguel and Charity looked toward the door. Charity gasped. “Jake!”
“Angel!” I rushed to her bedside. “Angel, I’ve been looking for you since the fire!”
“You have?” she asked. “Jake, I’ve been worried about you. I knew that you were out there somewhere, but the fire wiped out my memory of you, until now. I missed you,” Charity said, giving me a hug.
“Who are you?” Miguel asked.
“Jacob Standish. Charity’s brother.”
“So that’s how you’re related to Charity. Nice to meet you. I’m—“
“You’re Miguel. Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald,” I completed for him.
“How… how did you know?” Miguel asked.

“Oh, I saw you on the news when I learned about the fire. And Charity wrote to me about you, just before the fire. I’m glad you’re treating my sister right. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, Jacob. Charity means the world to me.” They exchanged a smile. Charity’s happy with Miguel, I’m happy because of my sister, and I have a feeling that things will be getting better really soon. And that’s my story.

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