by Lan Dang
Chapter 7: The Necklace
Eric resolved to talk to Janet first thing in the morning. She was his only source now, the only person he could trust besides Jonathan. Eric figured Jonathan would think he had lost his mind if he knew his best friend was really an alien from another planet. He didn’t understand why this was all happening to him now. It must be a curse or something and it all seemed to start with this necklace. So it would be the necklace that he had to confront Janet with. He purposefully set up his alarm early in the morning so he could ride his bicycle with Janet and talk to her on their way to school.
When his alarm clock finally rang, he groaned and reluctantly got up out of bed. The bright lights in the bathroom nearly blinded him. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair and changed out of his pajamas to black jeans, a white t-shirt and his grey jacket. He went downstairs where he saw his mom already in the kitchen, frying eggs and bacon. There was a plate of toasted bread on the table and two glasses of milk and orange juice.
“Hi, Mom. It smells good.”
She turned around to face him.
“Oh, hi sweetie. I didn’t hear you wake up. You’re rather early this morning.”
“Yeah. I have some things I have to do before school.” This wasn’t a complete lie. He really did need to talk to Janet.
“Well, breakfast is almost ready. Help yourself to what’s already on the table.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Eric ate a slice of toasted bread and gulped down his glass of milk. His mom laid a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. He hungrily chewed down the food, stopping once in awhile to drink his other glass of orange juice.
His mom smiled at his appetite. She sat down next to him and slowly chewed thoughtfully on her bacon and her slice of toasted bread.
“Eric, what do you think of my seeing other people? Would you object to this?”
Eric almost choked on his mouthful of eggs. He coughed and barely managed to swallow down his food. His mom went over to him, ready to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
“I’m okay.” Eric managed to utter out before his mom could do anything.
She asked, with a concerned expression on her face, “Are you sure? You just choked on your food. I warned you about eating too fast.”
He looked at her angrily. “Mom, that’s not what caused it. I mean it’s just been a couple of months that Dad has left and you’re already going to replace him.”
Tears somehow sprang to his eyes as he looked in horror at his mom. This was the bombshell she should have delivered last night. It explained the multiple glances she had given him while they were both watching her favorite soap operas.
His mom immediately went to hug him. She looked him in the eye and said, “Eric, honey, the last thing I want to do is replace your Dad. I just feel lonely lately. What with work and taking care of you, I feel like my life has been empty. I need someone I can talk to, be friends with, a father figure for you and someone who can fill this empty hole inside. Do you understand?”
He shook his head. “No, Mom, I really don’t understand you.” His voice sounded bitter as if he had been betrayed by his own mother. This must have been how Julius Caesar felt when Brutus had stabbed him.
“Honey, I hate to tell you this. But Dad’s gone. He might not come back. Do you really want me to spend the rest of my life alone?” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Look if this really bothers you, then I’ll just cancel my date okay?”
Eric stared at his mom. She was right. Dad wasn’t going to come back. Heck, he probably went back to the planet he came from. Who knows where he is now? But it just felt so sudden. He knew his mom deserved to be happy. She needed a friend and a social life too. If there was someone to help pay the bills, Eric could see her more often and she wouldn’t have to work so hard. She did look tired. There were black ridges under her eyes from lack of sleep and she seemed to have lost weight. She didn’t smile or laugh as much either. Last night was probably one of the rare moments when they were together, smiling as they watched television. He missed those moments.
Eric sighed as he answered his mom. “It’s okay, Mom. Sorry I overreacted earlier. I just miss Dad. That’s all.”
She hugged him and tears fell from her cheeks. Eric hated to see his mom cry. He remembered how much she had cried before when Dad left and he knew Dad had really hurt her. If this was her chance at happiness, whoever her date was, then so be it. His mom deserved to be happy.
She whispered in his ear, “I miss your dad too. And if you are worried about someone replacing him, you don’t have to be. No one could ever take his place.”
Eric nodded his head in comprehension. There was a slight pause before he spoke.
“I’m just curious. Who is the guy?”
She smiled and said, “He is one of my patients. He had minor injuries from a car accident. His name is David Harper.”
Eric didn’t know who this person was but he honestly didn’t care. He was just satisfied to know that this person could make his mom happy again.
“Have fun okay? I have to go to school now.”
His mom smiled and Eric could see how truly happy she looked. He felt better now that he knew he had made a good decision.
“Sure. Have fun at school.”
He smiled back at his mom as he took his backpack and walked out of the house. He had almost forgotten about Janet. He was probably late now. She had probably left already. He knew Janet arrived early at school every day to prepare for her classes.
He grabbed his bicycle and was pedaling out onto the streets when he saw Janet a few houses in front of him. He grinned. He wasn’t too late after all. He crossed the streets and yelled out her name.
“Hey, Janet! Wait up!”
Janet slowed down to a complete stop and turned around. She saw Eric and waved back. He finally reached her but struggled to catch his breath.
She looked at him suspiciously. After what happened yesterday, he could tell she was rather wary and distant from him.
“Do you have something you want to ask me?”
Eric cleared his throat and his breathing had slowed down. “Actually Janet, you’re right. I want to ask you about this. Have you seen it before?”
Eric removed the necklace and handed it to her to examine carefully. She looked at it, turning it over in her hand.
She shook her head and replied, “Honestly, I haven’t seen anything like this before. But those markings, the ones on the scepter, they resemble the ancient markings of the Elders.”
Eric looked at her with a confused expression.
She explained. “I have been to the Guilden Kingdom before with my dad when I was little. They showed us this library which contained historical books and in one of the books, there were markings like these. My dad said those markings were the language of the Elders, a lost language that I don’t even think the royal family knew about. It’s been lost over several hundreds of years.”
“So your dad wouldn’t be able to translate even if he saw this?”
“No, my dad just recognized it because he saw one of the history books that contained the language of the Elders. It was a very rare book because not much is known about the Elders. They were believed to be a myth.”
She stared at Eric. “Where did you get this?”
“My dad…foster dad, he left it along with a good-bye letter the day he left. I’ve worn this since.”
She looked closer at the necklace. “Eric, I think this was what the burglars were looking for when they ransacked your room. You should hide this under your shirt and don’t tell anyone about it. I don’t think you can trust anyone here.”
He nodded his head in agreement. “That’s what I and Jonathan both think too. We think the burglars were after this.”
She gave him an angry look. “Jonathan? You told Jonathan about this? Why don’t you just announce it to the whole school wh
ile you’re at it? I mean here we are risking our necks to keep you alive and safe while you are out parading yourself like you’ve been deprived of attention for so long.”
Eric was afraid to look at her. He had never seen her so furious before. “Okay, I’m sorry about telling Jonathan. He was the only person I’ve told this too and he promised to keep it a secret and I trust him. He’s my best friend.”
She sighed. “What else did you tell him?”
He looked at her with honest and open eyes. “Nothing else, just the necklace and the conversation about how I have powers and you and your dad were sent to protect me. That’s it, I swear.”
She looked at him for a long time. “I believe you. It’s just that the fewer people who know about this, the better. I’m not sure how many people they sent after you and who can be trusted and who can’t so it’s just safer to trust no one.”
He grinned and joked. “Not even you?”
She smiled and said, “Ha ha. Very funny. I think we better start heading for school before we’re late.”
Both Eric and Janet pedaled to school together. It felt nice hanging out with Janet for a change. Eric slowed down a bit to talk to her.
“Hey, Janet, I’m just curious. What happened to the rest of your family back…” Eric faltered for the correct words.
“Home, you mean?” Eric nodded his head, thankful for Janet’s vocabulary.
She looked straight ahead as she answered him.
“My family was very small. It was just me, my dad, and my little sister. My mom died during childbirth and my little sister followed shortly afterwards when she was mauled by one of the dangerous creatures that lived in the forest.” Her voice cracked a bit.
“I couldn’t save her in time. I had tied her up on a tree branch, thinking she was safe up there. But some of the creatures could climb trees as I later found out. I was busy helping my dad scrounge for food. I didn’t stray too far from where she was kept and I thought I could both look for food and keep an eye on her at the same time. I never forgave myself for what happened next.”
Tears filled her eyes and her voice got weaker, more distant. “I heard her scream and when I got there, she was on the floor, lifeless and we couldn’t save her. She was only five months old.”
It grew quiet. Eric didn’t know how to comfort her. All he could think of was “It’s not your fault.”
“I know but I can’t help it. So when the Elders confronted us with a request, we thought it would increase our chance of survival as well as be a fresh start for us. I couldn’t bear living there anymore. Dad felt the same way.”
“When we arrived here, my dad grew very lonely and I knew he missed my mom so when he met Susie, my stepmother, I was very happy for him. They fell in love and got married. She still doesn’t know about our past lives and Dad wanted to keep it that way. We’ve been living a lie since and although I feel guilty every time I look at her, I know it is all for the best. She probably wouldn’t believe us either way.”
Janet stopped and looked at Eric with furrowed eyebrows. “It’s just Jerry that we’re worried about. He’s half-human and half-like us so we’re not sure if he has inherited our special abilities too. He hasn’t shown it so far, much to our relief, but I’m worried still.”
Eric smiled comfortingly and said, “I honestly think you worry too much. I mean your dad taught you how to control your special abilities and I’m sure you can do the same with Jerry if he really did inherit it. And personally, I wouldn’t mind having powers like that either, if I had a choice.”
She flashed him a grin. “Thanks.”
“So Janet, are you worried that someday, someone else besides me, will discover your special abilities also?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I never use my special abilities unless I have to and I make sure no one sees me. I mean as long as I’m careful, I should be fine.” She looked at Eric, thoughtfully.
“It is just that I guess I am luckier than you in the sense that I still have my dad to look after me. I couldn’t imagine what it is like to lose both my parents and be stuck with powers I don’t even know about, much less how to use it or how to control it, either.” She looked rather sympathetic.
It was one of the strange qualities about Janet. Here, he was feeling sorry for her losing her mom and sister and being displaced on an entirely different planet and then she goes and turns the table on him saying that he lost both his parents and he was in a worse plight than her. True, Janet still had her dad while Eric’s foster dad had left months ago and was on the verge of being replaced, but still, their situations were not much different. Eric shook his head. He had forgotten about the enemies who were after his necklace so maybe Janet was right, her life wasn’t in danger but his life was.
He hesitated before asking, “Janet, do you know how my parents died?”
Her eyes met his and she quietly said, “I honestly don’t know. My dad and I arrived after they had passed away and we were informed by the Elders that we would be sent to this planet to protect their child. We didn’t even know of your existence up to that point. I am very sorry that you had to find out this way. I truly am.”
He believed her. Janet was not a liar by nature. She hated being forced to lie.
“Do you know who is after me then? Who are you supposed to protect me from?”
She shook her head.
“Sorry but I’m afraid I won’t be of much help to you. The Elders don’t trust us so they tell us as little as possible about you. I am guessing though that those people we are supposed to protect you from probably don’t want you to return back to your kingdom to reclaim the throne. In other words, that necklace may be more special than you think it is.”
There was a brief moment of silence as he thought about what Janet had just informed him.
Her loud voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Eric, I think we might be late. We have to hurry. I know, let’s race each other. See who arrives first.”
Before he could agree to the racing contest, Janet had sped forwards at an incredible speed. Eric tried hard as he could to keep up with her but he lost in the end. They arrived before the bell rang.
As they were heading past the front gate, they both ran into Jonathan and Porky. Porky looked at Eric and then at Janet with his mouth open and was about to make a joke when Jonathan instinctively poked him in the ribs. Porky screamed out in pain and Janet seeing that this was her cue to leave, waved good-bye to Eric.
Porky yelled angrily at Jonathan. “What was that for!? I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Yes, you were. You need to learn to keep your mouth shut before I do that again.”
Porky glared at Jonathan and smiled at Eric in an eager manner.
He grinned and asked, “So Eric, what are you doing hanging out with that weird chick? I mean I guess she’s kind of pretty but you can do way better than that. I mean if I had your looks, I would go for the cheerleaders instead.”
Eric walked by, glaring at Porky.
He replied, “Cut it out. I’m not in the mood today. I have a lot on my mind. So just leave me alone and mind your own business.”
Porky stared at him in disbelief as Eric slung his backpack carelessly over his shoulder and ran to class because the school bell had rung, signaling that classes were going to start soon. Jonathan, aware of Eric’s secret, looked with concern at his friend’s rapid departure and followed him to class. Porky also followed behind them both, since they all shared the same class, but his look was that of confusion. Normally, both his friends were amused at his jokes but today seemed different.
