Short Stories

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It happened in a beach resort in which my friend and I were visiting. On a cool and beautiful summer day, when the love-interest of my best friend, Jennifer, had not arrived yet. We were sunbathing on the beach, and her family had arrived. Having been there the day before, we had decided to not take up any classes that were offered, but her mother, who I know as the Queen, decided against our decision and signed us up. So, as Jennifer and I stood in the midst of the crowd, a stranger, Damien Curt had been assigned as her partner. He was an ordinarily charming young man, very attracted to my friend, and very friendly with everyone. Having no partner, nor desire to take up the classes, I sat out and watched them struggle through the dance steps.

In the afternoon, Jennifer and I decided to climb the hills together, and so, fully equipped and ready, we woke up in the early hours of the morning and began our endeavor. All along the way, Jennifer talked and it was the usual talk she had talked to me about for the past three years. “I wonder what Jason is doing,” she would begin. And to my silence, she would continue, “Maybe he’s not coming and I heard wrong.” To this, I would reply, “Great, more time for us to bond.” But she would only continue with, “I wish he would come. I mean, especially if –“

“Yoooohoooo! Jennifer!” the unmistakable tone of the Queen cut through our conversation. As we turned, our eyes widened in horror and disbelief, for along the lower trails, her family was following up, which also included Jeff, Damien, and Jason.

Jennifer turns towards me and gasps, “Jason is here! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! What do I do?” she jumps behind me, as if unable to organize her thoughts.

As I look down, I notice Jeff watching Jennifer carefully, as if she were prey, Damien speeding up to be closer to Jennifer, and when my eyes catch sight of Jason, I could feel him look through me, as if knowing exactly what we had been talking about. Turning to Jennifer, I reply, “Take this chance to talk to him. I’ll find a way to keep Damien off of you,” I add and I hurry along.

Damien, who was closest, stops, seeing me, and nods, “Good morning. I thought we’d never catch up,” he adds, looking past, though his features cloud as Jason approaches Jennifer, who begins to blush. Her brothers, Cody and Rodney, climb on, smiling at me and wink at the same time.

“Damien, would you like to go off-roading with me?” I ask, though it felt weird, for I had never made such a request in my life. At that moment, the twins, Cody and Rodney turn to look at me, completely surprised by my suggestion.

Jennifer and Jason begin walking side by side, passing the group, but Damien nods, “Sure, let’s go off-roading. It should be fun in this atmosphere. Did you want to do it now?” he asks, casting another long glance towards Jennifer, who laughs heartily and smiles at Jason, walking further and further away from them.

An uneasy feeling also captures me and I nod, “Sure, let’s go now.” Turning to the twins, I call out, “Cody, we’re going off-roading!”

Rodney jumps at the opportunity, “We’re in!” And so, the four of us depart, leaving the King and Queen, Sophie, another friend we had met during our time at the resort, Jeff, and Jennifer with Jason, who seemed content with things.

Having always followed the rules with driving and cars, sitting next to Damien as he drove off into the mountains in our jeep was a completely different experience. The twins remained on our tails, or zigzagging in front of us the entire time, but I knew Damien was completely preoccupied, and so, as we stopped at the bottom of the mountain and climbed out of the jeep, I followed him to the rest point. And to my surprise, Jennifer sat between Jeff and Jason, resting after their hike.

Jason looks up as the twins, Damien, and I sit down somewhat close to them. Jason looks up at me, “Hey, it’s been a while.” I nod, quite alright with the distance between us, though Jennifer seems tired.

“I don’t want to walk back,” she complains, Jason slightly annoyed as well.

But Jeff suggests, “Why don’t we switch around? Say, let Jenn and Jason ride in the jeep and I’ll take the other with Sophie?”

Cody and Rodney smile, Cody nodding, “I’m alright with that.”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Rodney adds.

Damien shrugs, “I’ll sit in the back of either, I’m not going to walk all that way.”

“Where are the King and Queen?” I ask, noticing their absence.

Jason replies, standing and stretching, “They decided to go on ahead, so as to visit the local museums. Apparently, there’s a classic portrait on display.” Turning to Jenn, he smiles, “I’m okay with walking, you go on and ride in the jeep.”

I watch as Jason turns around and begins to head back. Jenn gets into the jeep and Damien gets in with her, talking her through the process as Cody and Rodney begin to follow Jason. “What a weak guy,” Cody grunts as he passes.

Rodney nods, “No wonder Jenn seems to like the other guy more, he’s more assertive,” he adds.

For the first time, hearing the twins speak so easily and being disgruntled, I actually agreed with them and ran ahead to catch up with Jason, who had reached the bottom of the slope and was removing his shoes so he could walk on the beach with ease. When he saw me come, initially, he wore an easy smile, but when he blocked my hand from slapping him, he wore a shocked expression. With the slightest bit of sincerity, he asks, “What’s wrong?”

Somehow, something within me pushed me over the edge as I shouted back, “What’s wrong?! You’re what’s wrong!” I could see Rodney and Cody out of the corner of my eyes, but they respectfully slow down. “You know how long I’ve endured hearing about how much Jenn likes you and how she wishes you’d look her way some more?! It’s been three long years and you always seem to lead her on and then drop her like it’s nothing! NOTHING!!”

At that moment, Jenn shrieks in delight as the jeep races past us above us, Jeff and Sophie’s jeep behind them some. “Why should I even bother?” Jason asked me, annoyed to see Damien so close to Jennifer. “She’s obviously happy! Why do you care so much for her damn feelings?! Why can’t you care about mine too?!” he shoots back at me.

Exasperated and confused as well, I shout at him, “Because she likes you. Because for the past three years, all she talks about is you! You are the reason she smiles so brightly and continues to!” When I’m done, Jason nods, and walks away. The engine sound becomes closer as I realize how close the jeeps are. “Jason!” I shout, but he throws up his hands.

“I get it!” Jason shouts back, slightly angered, it seemed, by his tone of voice.

As he walks, I attempt to follow him, but Cody, the older of the twins, states, “You’re pushing him towards an unsteady cliff.”

Rodney nods, “Let it go a bit. It seems like he didn’t want to be so close to her, otherwise he’d try harder,” he adds.

The twins continue to walk, and I follow them, trailing them slightly. When the jeep’s engine is heard, I turn to see Jenn smiling brighter than I had ever seen her smile. Cody and Rodney cheer her on as I just watch, and, when she is about to pass Jason on the sand, he turns, flashes a bright smile and catches hold on the jeep, jumping in. Jenn, laughing with delight, begins to zigzag, sand flying up everywhere. And for a moment, I catch Jason glancing back, unsmiling, but not frowning either. It would prove to be the beginning of slightly wavering feelings for me.

***

Back at the hotel, I sit with Jenn and Sophie, Rodney and Cody splashing in the seaside pool, as Jeff tans on a chair, not too far from us. Jason rides his skateboard, weaving easily through the tables as Damien approaches, holding cool beverages in his hands. When he sits down, Jenn takes hers and they begin to talk about the dance class we had attended the day before. And when Jenn whines about not knowing how to follow the moves and directions, Damien stands and pulls her aside, walking her through them again.

Sophie sighs, “They look nice together,” she comments, watching Jenn laugh as Damien holds her close to him.

Slightly irritated, I walk over to stand directly in front of Jason, who stops and looks up at me. “Why don’t you go talk to her?” I ask, my irritation dripping from my words.

Jason shrugs, “She looks like she’s having fun.”

“She’d have more fun with you,” I retort, unwilling to relent.

Jason shakes his head, “You don’t know that.” He looks over at them and adds, “Plus, it’s not like there’s anything I can teach her.”

“Teach her how to skate board,” I insist.

Jason scoffs, “You want her to fall a million times?”

“As long as she falls into your arms,” I retort, again, pushing him. But why am I pushing him to be with her? For a moment, I pause, unable to remember what I had just said. Jason also slightly pauses, but, when he catches my eye, he nods towards the railing and skates away.

When I join him, he is quiet, not saying much. It seems awkward for us sometimes, because we had been good friends growing up, when Jenn entered my life, we stopped being so close and he drifted out of my friends group for no reason that I could see. But sometimes, at a friend’s party or something, we would end up sitting away from everyone else. He’s a quite guy most of the time, and I enjoy solitude as well.

Now, he leans against the railing, overlooking the ocean and the waves. “You still wear your emotions on your sleeve,” he comments, very half-heartedly.

“And yours are still too deeply hidden,” I reply, not giving him an inch on my feelings.

Jason is quiet, as the breeze wafts us. So many times, when we were younger and had more free time, we would ride our bikes to the beach and just sit and enjoy the breeze. It seemed to be our only connection to the time around us. And at that moment, I knew he was thinking of the same thing. So, before he could continue with the sentiments evoked by the memories, I said, “I’m sorry you’re a jerk.”

Jason nods, as if clearing his head of the memories that she wanted to reminisce in for a moment, and sighs, “And I’m sorry you don’t listen very well.”

Sometimes Jason and I don’t get along quite well. And we’ve found this method to be the only way we could communicate with each other.

Jason, instead of waiting for me, turns this time and adds, “And I’m sorry for not liking Jenn as much as you hoped I would. But I treasure someone else much more than I treasure her.”

For the first time, I look into Jason’s eyes, having not anticipated his confession, and asked, quite directly, “Who?”

I stare into his blue eyes for a moment, running lists of girls through my head, but as I am about to suggest a few names, he turns away from me and chuckles to himself, “You have to apologize for almost slapping me to find that out.” Stunned and in silence, I look away, not willing to give in. “Oh? Too proud are we?” he asks, watching my blank expression as the noon tide comes in.

For a moment, I hear nothing but the sound of the ocean waves, crashing on the beach. Tranquility flows through me as I enter a space of solitude where time, itself, doesn’t seem to exist. And then I move my right hand suddenly, stopping millimeters away from Jason’s cheek, his eyes wide with surprise. In a warning tone, I reply, “I apologize for you being such a liar.”

I pull back my hand and walk away, not turning back to see his reaction. I’m not sure why I did it, I mean, everything could have slid off, as it usually did, but this time, something he said seemed to strike a chord or push a button within me. Fun and games, jokes and tricks aside, what he had implied hurt me quite a bit.

But as I sat down in my chair again, the King rushes to where we are, frustrated and tired, “Jennifer, have you seen your mother? She’s not answering her phone,” he adds.

Rodney shrugs, “You checked in the room, Dad?”

“Maybe she’s just tired from the hike,” Cody adds, floating on his back.

Jeff remains quiet as Sophie offers, “Didn’t she want to see the museum? What did you do after that?” she asks.

That’s where the King covers his eyes, “I left her at the special exhibits section and when I returned, she was gone. So I thought she went on without me, but when I finished the tour, she wasn’t at the end. Nor was she outside, in our hotel room, or anything.”

Cody and Rodney get out of the water, starting to feel slightly worried. “Maybe we should call the police,” Jenn offers, walking over to sit with her dad.

“They only respond when it has been 24 hours,” Rodney replies.

“She could be exploring on her own,” Cody suggests.

Jenn shakes her head, “Mom wouldn’t do it alone. She knows better.”

Jeff stands, “Perhaps we should all split up and search the premises.”

Cody nods, “Right then, you are! Jenn, take Dad to the room and stay with him, just in case. Cody, Jeff, and I will search out the museum, just to make sure she’s not there, and the others can check around the beach and hills in the jeeps.”

That’s when Sophie perks up a bit more, “We should bring radios, just in case.”

Damien nods, “I’ll go check out the cars.”

Jason follows, shaking to catch up with Damien. Jenn and the King enter the resort as the others continue to plan. Jeff, at this point, speaks up, “I’ll arrange for a car to take us to the museum,” and he hurries off as well.

Cody watches the sun, “It’s just after noon about now, let’s meet up in the lobby at five. And if you find her, just call the phones, alright?”

When we all separate, Sophie quietly stops me. “Let me ride with Damien, alright?” she asks, her tone light.

Frowning, I nod, though realizing moments later that I would be riding with Jason. But our thoughts on finding the Queen, a couple hours pass before Jason smiles at me, “What a strange turn of events.”

“Let’s just find her and bring her back,” I say, unwilling to discuss anything more with him. But he doesn’t mind. In fact, he turns on the radio and listens to the music that is filled with static and silence spots. Every now and again, he would turn a corner and I would grab a hold of the seat, but aside than that, we found no one, and nothing. Eventually, we radioed in and stopped at a local rest stop, but Damien and Sophie continued, insisting on making the direct trip.

When Jason peered over to me, he asked, “What happened?” To his question, I gave him the blankest expression I could manage. And so he elaborated, “When did you scratch me off your good list?”

Taking a sip of my water, I reply, “It’s not that I scratched you off my good list, it’s just that, I’ve created a new list, and I may not have transferred you over, just yet.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Jason shakes his head, waving his hand in my face. Leaning close, he smiles, “Remember when we used to pray together in Sunday school?”

Standing, he looks up at me and I reply, rather coldly, “The Queen is missing and all we’re doing is sitting around? That’s unacceptable. We should be searching for her,” I add, turning and heading towards the jeep.

As he starts the engine again, he shakes his head, “Fine, we’ll find her, and then we’ll talk about all this. Deal?” he adds, looking over to me.

Half-heartedly, I reply, “Fine.”

***

Returning from all our different locations, Rodney and Cody sadly comfort Jenn as we all file in, sitting on the couches. A lady near the check-in counter also sits down, waiting for her room to be processed.

“We looked everywhere in that museum, and we still couldn’t find her,” Cody complained.

Jenn sighs, “Maybe she was kidnapped. People do that a lot,” she adds, trying to hold back her tears.

Damien shakes his head, “It’s unlikely, there would be nowhere to run or hide. Aside from the rocks and beach, there’s nothing around here for miles.” Sophie sits quietly, staring at her hands as Damien adds, “We asked the local police cars and rangers and no one has seen any sign of the Queen.”

The lady speaks up, interrupting our conversation, “Excuse me, but are you missing someone?”

Rodney nods, “My mother went missing this afternoon.”

“Where was she last seen?” the lady asked, more persistent.

I could feel Jason growing more aware, as if alert, but I reply for the others, “At the local museum on the other side of the rocky hills.”

“Do you have any information you could share?” Jason asks, somewhat bitingly.

The lady nods, “My name is Carrie and my younger sister is missing. The last time she was seen, she was at a local museum where I come from, and she was looking at a portrait on display as a special exhibit.”

Jeff seemingly perks up, but no one notices much, for Carrie now has everyone’s attention. Rodney nods, “Dad mentioned something about a special display.”

Jenn shakes her head, “This doesn’t make any sense. What’s a portrait got to do with –“

“Maybe everything,” Carrie puts in.

Jeff now stands, scoffing, “That’s ridiculous. It means you’re accusing the painting of coming to life and sucking people in. You know how ridiculous that sounds?”

I look over to Jeff, and for a moment, I fear him. Something about the way he stands, the way his eyes watch everyone and yet, how little we truly know him, and something inside tells me, ‘He’s the one.’

Carrie, at this point, asks, “Has anyone else seen this portrait?”

The rest of the group shrugs, but Jeff nods, “I have and I’m still here.”

Carrie’s next statement makes my blood run cold. She looks him in the eyes and nods, “Yes, well, you’re a guy. Only women go missing after seeing the portrait.”

Later that evening, Jenn insists on being alone, watching the sunset. And I, not trusting her alone, sit next to her, quiet and thinking. I try to figure out what Jeff may have to do with the portrait and why it makes me cold thinking of the possibility of the relation having to do with Carrie and what she had said.

“I’m going for a walk,” Jenn states and leaves. I watch her walk away, and as she does, I turn to see Jeff join her, a sympathetic look on his face.

At that moment, Carrie joins me, “Can I sit with you?” she asks, kindly standing until I reply.

“Sure,” and so she does.

There is silence for a few moments, but then I ask, “How old was your sister?”

With a firm voice, Carrie replies, “My sister is 16. She’s turning 17 in two months.”

And without another thought, I state, “I think the portrait kidnapped the Queen and your sister. I think something happened and the portrait is real. And, I think Jeff has something to do with the portrait.”

Carrie nods, “True, as do I.” Surprised to see her take it so well, she turns to me and nods, “You’re the only person who seemed to listen to me earlier, so I thought it best to approach you.”

I nod, but turn suddenly to where Jenn had disappeared, “Jenn just walked off, with Jeff.”

Carrie shakes her head, “You best find your boys, I’ll wait in the front,” she adds, jumping to her feet. And as I jump to mine, we split ways.

I find Sophie first, still thinking in the lobby, and when I tell her what was going on, she agrees to help me and runs to the front, where Carrie waits.

Next, I bump into Rodney and Cody, who listen. After a moment’s talk, they both agree to go along, and make for the entrance. Damien, who had slightly heard, follows them, not knowing fully what’s going on, and last, I find Jason in the weight room.

Looking up at me, he asks, “What is it?”

Replying shortly, I drag him from the room, “Carrie and I have a hunch that Jenn may be the portrait’s next victim.”

Jason slows down, but continues to walk, “Whao, isn’t Carrie that woman spouting that nonsense about the portrait being alive.”

Nodding, I add, “Well, let’s go see this portrait for ourselves and make sure it’s not alive, yeah?”

Jason, who had always loved adventures, shrugs, and when we are all assembled, we jump into two jeeps, Carrie driving with Sophie and Damien with her, and Jason drives the second, me in the passenger and the twins in the back.

By the time we reach the museum, it’s already closed and no one is in sight. For a moment, the guys seem skeptical that Jenn and Jeff were there, but as they are ready to turn and leave, Jeff steps from the front doors, a strange smile on his face.

Cody riles on him, “Yo, where’s my sister?”

Jeff, surprised to see everyone, shrugs, “How should I know? I just came to look at the portrait. Didn’t seem dangerous to me,” he adds, walking past Cody.

I frown, “Jenn took a walk and you joined her. I saw you join her,” I add, a bit more forceful this time.

Jeff shrugs, shaking his head, “Yo, don’t accuse me of kidnapping. Is she with me?” he looks around, and states, “Obviously not.” With a careless tone that I sense amusement in, he adds, “Feel free to search the museum.”

I turn to the group, “Each girl with a guy. I don’t trust him,” I add.

The twins nod, “Alright.”

But Jason and Damien seem very skeptical. “I’m out, this is way too weird for me,” Damien states, walking towards a jeep. “I’m waiting right here,” he adds, jumping into the seat.

Jason nods, “Sorry, me too. Go on your goose hunt, but I’m staying here,” he adds.

Carrie nods, “Alright so, let’s go.”

***

Inside, it is quiet as the receptionist watches the five of us. With ease, Cody smiles at her, asking, “Where is the special exhibition being displayed?”

The receptionist replies, coldly, “It closed about five minutes ago. Feel free to come again tomorrow.”

Rodney nods, “But we were hoping to see it today. You see, our mother and sister –“

The receptionist replies, again, “I’m sorry, sir, but the special exhibition is closed to viewers. You can come again tomorrow morning, when it opens again,” she adds.

Exiting, I look to see Carrie deep in thought. Cody shakes his head, “Best to follow the rules.”

“Never thought I’d hear that from you,” I retort.

Cody sighs, “Look, I know you really believed it, but let’s just come back tomorrow.”

Sophie’s soft voice could have been mistaken for the wind, as she stated, “I think we should go see it now.” Everyone turns to look at her, as she adds, “I think they’re hiding something.”

Rodney and Cody nod to each other, and Rodney sighs, “We’ll be the decoy. You girls try the roof access from the neighboring building.” They both turn to look around, as Rodney adds, “Come get us when you finish. And be careful,” Rodney adds as he and Cody re-enter the building.

Carrie smiles, “They’re good brothers, but they’ve left us with girls again. It won’t be that safe,” she adds.

I nod, “We’ll be fine. We can borrow some things from the store next door.”

Looking to where the roofs join, Carrie smiles, “Oh, I see, a jewelry store. How much you want to bet they have other weapons there?”

Nodding, we slip through the jewelry store with ease and when we make it to the roof, we three carry weapons that could kill anyone. Little did we know who our opponent would be.

From the room, Carrie noticed a window that had been left open or knocked out. The joining pipes didn’t seem so sturdy, but we climbed across them until we reached the brick exterior of the museum. With carefulness, we clung to the side of the building until we couldn’t climb any lower.

Carrie looks around and calls up to Sophie and me, “There’s nothing but a window. We have to be careful, no turning back once we’re in.”

I nod follow Carrie. As I enter, the wall gives away from rotting wood and falls. Sophie, who now had nothing to stop her from falling to her death, and so, I reach out my hand and grab a hold of the pipe that still connected the two walls together. But as Sophie slowly falls, Carrie grabs hold of my body and swings us into the darkness.

***

I land on the ground, to my left is Carrie, and Sophie to Carrie’s left. We slowly stand, and there, staring back at us is the portrait of a large woman in dark blue, with a bluish tint on her skin. Wearing a long gown, her features are hard and her hands, evilly curled around a fan she holds, covering her nose and mouth. Sophie gasps, “There are two more ladies in the portrait!”

I stare and, sure enough, from the picture in the pamphlet, there are two new ladies staring out of the portrait. One the exact replica of the Queen, and the other, Jenn. Carrie, runs at the portrait, as if about to cut it up, but at that moment, a dark flash splurges from the portrait and Carrie’s screams are silenced as she is pulled into the portrait. Sophie gasps as we watch Carrie forced into a position, next to the Queen. And in a moment, all is still, as if things were the way they had always been.

I turn to Sophie as she pulls a gun from her belt, her hands shaking. I pull mine as well, slightly terrified, though my grip a lot sturdier. “Count of three, we shoot,” I state and she nods in agreement. But, the eyes on the portrait that belong to the woman in front blinks, and, in a flash, she is no longer holding a fan but a gun, pointing out of the picture. “Dive!” I shout and we both fall to the ground, shielding ourselves from the bullets that shoot from within the portrait, out. Sophie falls to the right of the portrait and I fall to the left, taking cover by using the stand as a shield. And after a round is fired, I peek up to see Sophie gasping, for she had been shot at the side of her neck and was bleeding.

As I stand, holding the gun out, the large woman smiles at me, her lips a poisonous shade of red. And, to my horror, she begins to pull herself out of the portrait. Each moment, she pulls, I feel my heart running colder, my eyes widening, and my hands shaking more. But aiming the gun, I shoot twice, only to see the bullets pass through her, as if she were ink, and hit the wall behind her at an angle.

She looks at me, now standing before me, her body smelling like oil and disgustingly dirty. “I’ll kill you with my own two hands,” she states and punches me. It is a punch unlike anything I had ever felt before. Unlike a human hand, hers were like rocks, and as I shielded my head from her attacks, she eventually picked me up and threw me to the ground, walking over, giving me time to sit up, before punching and kicking me more. I could feel the pain, and yet, only one thought registered in my mind.

And, so, I folded my hands and began to pray, “God, please don’t let anyone else get hurt.” Over and over again, this prayer continued, until I could feel strength and power tingle through my body. At this point, she had backed away slightly, for I was glowing.

“No, you should pray to save yourself! What are you doing?” she cries out, but I continue to pray until I can stand before her, confident and powerfully.

Pointing at her, I scream, “In Jesus’ Name, I rebuke you! You have no power here!”

A stream of gold and a flash of light penetrates her being and she, like the ink that painted her, falls to the ground, a mere pile of dry paint. And in that moment, several people tumble out of the portrait, all of which, laid unconscious.

The Queen, the first to stand, walks over and places a hand on me, and as I look at her, I follow her around the room, praying for each of the victims, including Jenn. And when I am done, I fall to the ground, unconscious, not glowing, though my arms seemingly burned. I close my eyes, and feel myself slip from my conscious state of mind, as if pulling a giant blanket over me. And the last words I hear, as I fall, is the Queen singing, “Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen…”

***
I wake up to find Carrie sitting on the bed, next to my head. She flips through a magazine, but when she sees me open my eyes, she smiles, “Well done. You managed to exorcise the demon from the portrait.”

I close my eyes, shaking my head, “Those people,” I murmur, slowly waking up.

Carrie nods, “Those people were sent back to their homes. Apparently, this portrait had snatched quite a few women, and would have had you not destroyed it.”

“I… destroyed it?” I ask, remembering the severe beating I had took when the large woman pulled herself from the frame.

Carrie nods, “Yes, the original painting was cursed when the large woman was painted on, over the original.”

“Original?” I ask, slowly able to open my eyes and stare at her.

Carrie nods, “The original was a 1781 self portrait of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun. It was in a series and this one was currently displayed, though no one knows when the portrait of the large woman appeared, though, it wasn’t always the large woman. It’s strange and mysterious, but the point is, it’s over and done with and your friends are safe.”

Jenn opens the door and smiles, seeing Carrie stand, “Thank you for watching after her,” Jenn nods.

Carrie smiles, “It has been a long and exhausting road, but I’m glad it’s finally over and I get to go home and not worry about this portrait.”

As Carrie makes to leave, I sit up and ask, “Why did you care so much?”

Carrie turns, smiling at me, “Because it took my sister, and now, I have her back. So thank you, for bringing her back to me,” she adds and leaves.

Jenn sits on her bed, staring at her toes for a long time, before she states, “I’m dating Damien now.”

I ignore her statement, “How is Sophie?”

Jenn nods, “She’s alright, got to the hospital in time and is recovering nicely. You know she’s actually Damien’s cousin?” Jenn adds.

I shake my head, “And you and your mom?”

“We’re fine. We don’t remember much, but it’s alright.” Jenn hesitates, before adding, “When the portrait was burned, Jeff left and hasn’t returned.”

“Good riddance to bad company,” I comment.

Jenn shakes her head, “I still can’t believe he painted that on purpose. I mean, I doubt anyone could –“

“Anyone can,” I reply, standing and walking over to the balcony, “that’s why we have to be careful.” I smile, seeing the twins throw a football around with Damien. My eyes travel around to find the King and Queen having tea on the veranda. But someone is missing from the scene, and as I open the French windows and step out, onto the balcony, a familiar voice drifts to my ear.

Turning to my right and looking up, slightly, I notice Jason on the balcony of his suite, looking down at me, as if waiting for me to come out. Turning to him, he rests his head in his arms, still looking at me, “Are you better?”

Turning to stare out at sea, I nod, “Yes, I am.”

Jason continues, “Do you need anything?”

Shaking my head, I reply, “No, I don’t.”

Jenn steps out onto the balcony and smiles, “Jason has been worried sick about you. But he called your family for you and everything.”

“Oh,” I pause, and then turn to see Jason, still watching me, “thank you. How did they take it?” I ask.

“Well enough,” he replies.

Jenn nods, “Right then, I’ll join the others on the green. I’ll see you guys later,” she adds, turning to leave.

But I ask, “You really like Damien?”

Jason doesn’t look away, and I could feel his eyes, but I watch Jenn closely. Turning to me, she nods, “I really, really, like Damien.” She hugs me, and whispers in my ear, “Almost as much as Jason cares about you.” Pulling away, she leaves, leaving me with Jason.

Looking up, Jason doesn’t move, but I sigh, and pull a chair over, taking a seat, still not willing to look directly at him. But he doesn’t mind, but continues to talk, “You going to tell me what happened, or do I have to beat it out of you?”

I shrug, “I was beaten once. You should wait until I heal up before you beat anything out of me.”

Jason is quiet, and I feel something strange come over me. Unsure of what it is, I look up and freeze, shocked to see tears flowing down Jason’s cheeks as he continues to stare at me. “Stupid, I could never hit you, much less do anything that could hurt you.”

Like a doll, unable to think or comprehend human emotions, I ask, monotonously, “Why not?”

Jason replies, louder and much more assertive, “Because I love you.” I sit dumfound and quiet as Jason continues, “Because it kills me when you try to push me onto someone else. Because you’re so proud, you won’t look around it to see me for who I really am and what I’m really saying. Because you… you are my best friend. I’ve only ever loved you,” he adds, still looking at me.

For a moment, I remain shocked, but as I look into his eyes, I slowly figure everything out. Then I nod, “You carried me, didn’t you? You carried me to the hospital down the street. It was you, wasn’t it?”

Jason nods, “When I got there, the Queen told me you were alright, and just needed to rest. But I wasn’t sure because you were bleeding in so many areas, so I did what I could.”

Nodding, I remember hearing someone panting hard, and listening to their heart beat, though in my coma state, “What happened after that?”

“The doctor examined you and mentioned several bruises, but nothing was broken. He mentioned bed rest would help you gain consciousness and went on to examine the other patients. So I carried you to the jeep and then up to your room. Jenn was with her family for the first few days, so I slept next to you, to keep an eye on you. But Carrie insisted it was inappropriate, so she watched over you, and I waited.” Jason smiles slightly, “I had a dream that you would walk out like you just did, so I waited here.”

“What about the portrait?” I ask, swallowing my other comments.

Jason sighs, “The portrait is still in tact, but we removed the layer that had been placed over the original and burned it with paint chippings on the ground. Jeff tried to steal it, but Cody and Rodney guarded it because the Queen asked them too. Jeff has since been seen, but the Queen mentioned how he was the painter, and that reminded me of what you tried to tell me.” Staring at the ocean, he adds, “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“Jason,” he turns and I catch his eyes, “thank you.” He waits, but I look away, adding, “I can’t really decide how I feel about you right now, but I do feel quite strongly about you. It’s just,” I pause as he leans back, “a lot has happened and I need some time to process it all.”

Jason nods, “I’ll wait.”

Turning, I walk back into the room and lay down on the bed. Closing my eyes, I pray for peace and it comes to me, I forget the feelings of confusion, and fall into the reassuring arms of my Savior. Where time doesn’t exist and the things of the past fade away, where I can feel free to let myself go and not worry about all of my tomorrows.

Hours later, I open my eyes to find myself being held, in a very familiar way. Strong arms that tightly, embraced me. A warm and steady breath tickled my neck, and a steadily rising and falling chest walled me. I turned, still in those sturdy arms, to find myself staring into the sleeping face of Jason. Ah yes, Jason. But, too tired and the ache dulled by painkillers still irked at me, and so, I fell asleep, tucking my face under his neck, where it was warmest.

We won’t speak about it for days to come, but in a few weeks, we may get around to hanging out again, on a normal basis. Then, maybe we will eventually let the months fly by and decide to define our relationship for the better of our understanding. And, perhaps, in a few years, we may fall in love, as adults, and get married. But for now, I knew God had me in His hands and the was no way I was letting go of Him.

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