Lost Worlds (Keeper of the Emerald Book 1)
Page 28
Throughout the past year, I probably spent more time talking to Jamie than anyone else although this rarely happened at school. In the evening we often chatted online with each other. There was never anything specific that we talked about. It was mostly about our daily lives and sometimes our observations of others. Jamie is easy to talk to, in many ways easier than Jasmin.
Jamie got contact lenses a few weeks ago. I’m not quite used to seeing him without his heavy glasses, but he seems to be pleased with his new look. In addition, he’s grown taller over the last year. Out of all of us, his appearance has changed the most. My appearance has changed the least.
The doorbell rings.
It must be Jasmin or Drew, or maybe even both of them.
Opening the door, Jasmin and Drew greet me.
Drew blushes as though he has been up to something he shouldn’t have been doing. Jasmin smirks as though she has been doing something that she always dreamed about doing.
“Come on in,” I say.
I hug Jasmin first, and then Drew.
This is the first time I have touched Drew since our journey to Tamor. He feels warm. In his arms I feel safe. I don’t want him to let me go.
I thought I was over Drew. I guess I was wrong. I’m sure I’m blushing when the hug with him ends.
“Anyone else here?” Jasmin casually asks.
“Jamie and Michael,” I reply, attempting to compose myself.
Turning away from Drew so that he can’t see me looking so flushed, I lead Jasmin and him to the stairs.
“They’re in the basement,” I say, avoiding eye contact with either of them.
As Drew and Jasmin descend the stairs, I return back to the kitchen, beating myself up for getting so emotional over a simple hug.
He’s just a friend, I say to myself. I can’t start thinking about him in any other way. Tonight I have more important things to be considering than whether Drew likes me or not. I can’t let some teenage romance get in the way of being the Keeper of the Emerald.
Opening the oven door, a blast of delicious warm air greets me. The cookies are done; at least they’re done the way I like them: soft and gooey.
I place the cookies one by one on a tray.
As I grab some plates from the cupboard and some forks from a drawer, an unexpected flash bursts through my mind. I recall the terrifying experience in a cave with the Cyclops-looking creature. I shudder at the thought.
There are times when things that happened on our expedition unexpectedly flood my brain making it hard for me to concentrate on anything else. Although I try hard to stop any memories from frightening me, sometimes it’s as though I have no control over them.
I realize that my knees are shaking as I carry a tray of cookies to the basement.
Am I really ready to use the emerald again? Wouldn’t life be easier if I continued being a normal fifteen year old girl and forgot about going on any more dangerous missions?
Descending the stairs, I notice that one of my friends has turned on my new basement TV to some mindless reality show. Probably Jasmin or Drew, I think. I can’t imagine Jamie or Michael being interested in a show like this.
During the past year, my basement has changed. All the books are now organized on shelves. There are two couches and two chairs as well. There is a new large TV. It has become my own special place in the house.
Although I want to talk to my friends about returning back to Tamor, that discussion is going to have to wait until the cookies are gone and there is a break in the show.
Michael is the first person to snatch a cookie. He has already devoured it before anyone else reaches them.
Any attempts at conversation quickly die as we munch on the warm cookies and watch the TV.
The only person who seems to be really interested in the show is Jasmin.
Suddenly, a bulletin in bold red letters scrolls across the bottom of the screen.
“For the third straight day, a mysterious man performed miracles in Rome. More details later.”
“What’s that about?” Jasmin asks.
“It’s the Miracle Man,” Michael says. “At least that’s what they call him. Looks like he’s done it again.”
“Miracle Man? Done what again?” Jasmin replies.
“A few days ago,” Jamie begins, “a man in Rome healed a blind person. After this, he healed a number of other people who suffered from a variety of diseases and disabilities.”
I’m somewhat familiar with the story about the Miracle Man, although this isn’t something that has captivated my complete attention.
“Yesterday,” Michael continues, “he healed an old woman who had lived her complete life in a wheelchair. This was a woman who had never walked. The mysterious man touched her and she was instantly cured. After this, he healed more than a dozen other people from crippling diseases.”
“How can that be?” Jasmin says. “This must be a trick. It must be a promotional gimmick for an entertainer or for some new reality TV show.”
“That may be,” Jamie says, “but as of yesterday no one even knows who the man is. It’s as though a complete stranger, with magical powers to perform miracles, has appeared out of nowhere.”
“It must be a hoax,” Jasmin says.
“Actually,” Michael says, “there are thousands of sick people from around the world already flying to Rome in the hope that they will be healed by this man.”
A pause in the show results in a newswoman appearing on the screen.
“This is Samantha Stewart live in Rome. Today, a seventy-five year old man who has been blind since birth was healed by the so-called Miracle Man. Who is this mysterious man who has now healed more than twenty-five people in the past three days? Where did he come from? What is his name?”
A picture of the man appears on the TV screen.
The TV announcer continues, “This is a picture of the mysterious man who has been healing the sick and disabled. If anyone has any information about the identity of this man, I’d love to hear from you.”
I gasp.
I know him.
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B.C. Harris
Books by B.C. Harris
LOST WORLDS
Keeper of the Emerald
Book 1
FIERY ILLUSIONS
Keeper of the Emerald
Book 2
FINAL QUEST
Keeper of the Emerald
Book 3