The Chest
      A noise came from the other room and my eyes snapped open, I threw the covers off my bed and slowly stood up, staggering from my sleepiness. As quietly as I could I opened my bedroom door and stepped into the empty room. I stopped and listened for a moment; there it was again, a soft scuttling sound. It came from my left, in the living room. Immediately, I walked. Softly and quietly to the opening of the room.
      The door was open a crack and I peeked in. He was rummaging through drawers; suddenly he stopped. I held my breath afraid he had heard me, but instead he pulled out a small chest. I recognized it as my mother’s jewelry box.
      The box was plain with a few carved runes in the side. I knew the box like an old friend. When I was little I would always pull it out of the drawer and bring it to my mother. Together we would look through her jewelry and try on the necklaces and bracelets. I knew about every drawer in that chest and there were around thirteen, a surprisingly high number for such a small chest.
      I was afraid he was going take some of the precious diamonds, pearls or rubies. I was about to try and stop him, when he flipped the chest over and whispered something under his breath. I strained to hear but couldn’t understand a word he said. Suddenly a drawer popped open and he jumped, startled by the sudden noise. I gasped and quickly realized my mistake but luckily he was too engrossed in what he was doing and he didn’t seem to notice except for a quick look around the room to reassure himself that he was alone.
      He pulled out a rusted piece of metal from the small drawer and stared at it greedily. I was very confused and pinched myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream, but rubbed my arm in response. Yep, I was awake.
      Suddenly he vanished.
      I rubbed my eyes astonished at what I had just seen, or rather what I didn’t see. The man popped back into existence a few feet to the right and I rubbed my eyes again. This time he gave the rusted metal piece an even greedier look, if that’s possible. Then he turned around and looked out the window.
      As loudly as anyone robbing a house would dare speak he said, “my name is Garth Peak and I now have the most powerful object in the world.”
      Apparently he said it just a little louder than he should have because something stirred in my parent’s room. A few seconds later my mother was in the hall next to me, looking in on the man. Suddenly her face went white as a sheet and she leaned on the doorframe.
      “Clarissa,” she said her voice shaking, “go back to bed and stay there till morning shows its face. Then hopefully everything will be solved,” she said more quietly.
      “But,” I said; she cut me off and pointed to my door.
      I obeyed and snuggled back down under my covers.
      A minute later there was a crash and some yelling. Suddenly everything was silent and a few seconds later my mom came in and kissed my forehead. I was so surprised I couldn’t find my voice.
      My mom had beaten Garth Peak, whoever he was. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who could beat a full-grown man in a wrestling match. She looked, from the outside like a cherry blossom, delicate. She had light brown wavy hair and a slender body, but her arms were very different from the rest of her. When she folded her them across her chest they bulged and the thought always went through my head that I didn’t want to get into a fight with her. As for me, I looked more like my dad; I was shorter and my shoulders were wider. Whenever I walked you could see the muscle on my body tense and relax. But I had her light brown wavy hair and her courage.
      I couldn’t go back to sleep. I kept thinking about the chest and the rusty piece of metal my mother had cared so much about that she had fought the strange man, but also how he had vanished, gone invisible for a few seconds and then reappeared. I was mostly mad at my mom, though, for not telling me about the secret drawer. She had said to me that I knew every drawer in that chest, but apparently it wasn’t true. I stared up at the ceiling of my room thinking about everything that had happened that night.
      Finally after a long time my eyes drooped and closed as quietly as a feather hitting the floor.
      When I woke up I got out of bed and trudged down the stairs in my pajamas. I sat down at the table and a carefully decorated plate of pancakes was placed in front of me. I looked up into the clear blue eyes of my father and smiled. He smiled back, although there was a hint of sadness in his smile.
      Once my dad and mom sat down I dug into my food. I felt like I had never eaten in my life. My parents just sat and watched.
      I stopped eating and asked, “what’s wrong?”
      “Clarissa,” they said at the same time, “we need to talk to you about last night.”
      “Can I finish my pancake while we talk?” I asked and they nodded in unison.
      “We have kept something secret from you. We thought it would keep you safe but now we’re not sure,” my mom said.
      My dad continued where she left off.  “The second the three of us were born, we could do magic. We have something in out blood that was passed down from generation to generation. ”He sighed and continued, “Our parents kept it secret from us until we were 14. Even though you’re only 12, we thought you should know because of the events last night.”
      This time my mom spoke, “You have to know how to control your powers. You will begin your training this afternoon.”
      I didn’t know what to say, me a witch or magician or whatever you call it? I almost choked on my pancake.
      “Ummm,” I sputtered, “ok?”
      The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence. You could hear the birds frolicking in the trees and feel the heat of the sun’s kiss on your skin where it came in through the window.
      “You still never told me what was in that chest,” I blurted.
      “You will learn in time,” was the only reply.
      The training went on for weeks. Each day Danielle, my teacher, taught me two or three new things.
      Finally she said to me, “That is all I can teach you.
      My heart fell with those words. I had looked forward to it every day and now it was over.
      My eyes traveled away from her face. “Goodbye,” I said with a melancholy smile.
      “I will miss you,” Danielle said as she opened her arms for a hug.
      I wrapped my arms around her torso and a tear fell down my cheek.
      “And I will you,” I said into her shoulder.
      The days melted together and all they were filled with was sitting on my bed and thinking.
      Then one day something did happen but it wasn’t exciting, it was terrible and it happened to my Mom.
      She was attacked when she tried to open the secret drawer on the bottom of the chest. I guess Garth Peak he had put some spell on the drawer so the next person to open it would be attacked, by It.
      Everyone who knows what It is never says It’s name because there is some prophecy that says, whoever utters It’s name will be disintegrated so now no one actually remembers what It’s name is.
      If you could see my mom, you would have the image painted into your mind forever. It was so gruesome; she had burns all over her body and it looked like one of her legs and part of her right arm had gone though a paper shredder.
      My heart was crumpled. I hated Garth Peak; he was the worst person in the world. Sitting there looking at my mom, tears started to flow down my cheeks like a rushing river and I couldn’t stop them. While I was sobbing my dad called 911. He was trying not to let the hot salty liquid, rain down his cheeks.
      Someone answered the phone and my dad spoke to him or her in muffled tones. When he hung up, all he said was, “The ambulance is coming.”
      In the few minutes before the truck came to take my mom to the hospital I decided that I was going to find Garth Peak and make him pay for his actions, no matter how hard it would be.
      The ambulance pulled up next to the house and the medics hurried out of the vehicle rushing to my mom’s side. All of this happened while I was standing staring dumbfounded at the scene. Soon she was on a stretcher and being carried carefully into the big automobile.
      I think someone might have tried to ask me a question but I wasn’t sure. Finally I came to my senses and climbed in be side her. She had her eyes closed. Her breathing was heavy and her whole body shook. The eyes on the face that I loved so much fluttered open for a brief second and then shut once more.
      The doors were being closed and the rumble of the big motor being started echoed in my ears.
      The ambulance pulled up next to the hospital and my mother was rushed inside. I followed close behind, but was soon stopped and told to stay in the waiting room.
      The surgery lasted hours and I was really stressed waiting for her to come out. Even though I wasn’t supposed to go anywhere, I explored the long halls of the building.
      I was strutting cautiously making sure I knew my way back, looking at the walls and counting the lefts and rights when I ran into a young man around my age, maybe a year older.
      He turned around quickly, “What’s your problem?”
      “Sorry,” I muttered ashamed that I had bumped into him.
      I jogged on wanting to get away from the boy, when I was stopped by the words, “What’s your name?”
      I paused and looked back. He was making his way towards me.
      When he caught up the words flowed from his mouth, “Sorry I’m just a little overwhelmed; my brother’s getting his appendix removed.”
      “That’s okay I know how it feels for one of your loved ones to being going through a hard time.”
      “Yeah well he’ll be alright. You never told me what your name was,” he accused.
      “Well, whatever your name is....”
      “Nick,” he supplied.
      “Well Nick,” I started again, “my name’s Clarissa and I would really appreciate it if you would leave me alone.”
      Nick stared back, surprised at my sudden attitude. “Are you okay?”
      “I’m just fine.”
      “You don’t seem just fine.”
      I softened at his concern, but couldn’t say anything because my voice was stuck in my throat; I was so close to bursting into tears.
      “Don’t cry,” he touched my shoulder tenderly.
      “Maybe we can talk again sometime,” I said already turning back the way I came.
      “Maybe we can,” he whispered to himself.
      I got back pretty easily. My dad was sitting there with a worried look on his face but when he saw me it disappeared. “You have to tell me where you’re going before you walk off.”
      “Sorry. I had to go to the bathroom,” I lied. I didn’t want to explain that I just needed some time for myself. “Is she out of surgery?”
      “Not yet.”
      My face fell.
      It had been... I looked at the clock on the gray wall. Two and a half hours.
      When they finally finished putting the new skin on her burns and sewing up all the gashes in her arms and legs it had been three hours and I was ready to see my mom.
      The new skin was made of shark cartilage and cow tissue with a layer of silicone to help keep out diseases and viruses. The tissues would be a place where new skin would grow and then after a month or so the cells would be absorbed into her body. The skin didn’t have sweat glands so she would have to undergo intense physical therapy and be exposed to the sun. I’m not quite sure how that would create new sweat glands, but I didn’t worry about that because she looked fine.
      She hadn’t yet woken up from the anesthesia but she looked peaceful.
      I couldn’t wait until we could go home, the three of us, but she had to stay here for a few more nights until she had recovered enough that the nurses would let her go home.
      I stayed up with her as late as I could, when the daylight began to fade, but finally my eyelids dropped and they were much to heavy too open again.
      It was five days before my mom could go home and five days before I remembered Nick and the vow I made to myself, that I would find Garth Peak and make him pay.
      The days were long and the nights felt even longer. But one day I got a phone call from Nick, the boy from the hospital, and for some reason it changed all of that. Maybe it was because I had someone to talk to when there was nothing to do or maybe it was just because he knew what I was feeling and could relate to that.
      The first thing we talked about was magic. I knew I wasn’t supposed to tell random people about it, but I trusted Nick and it turned out that he was a wizard too!
      My revenge went next, and he agreed to help me but didn’t know how. So we planned to meet in the park by the school a little ways from my house, the next day.
      The sun shone brightly on the grass and the dew was like crystals in the early morning light. He was there sitting on a bench waiting, looking at the sky, and his brown hair stirring with the slight breeze. He turned his head when he saw me and smiled, “So how do you want to start?”
      “Clues?” I asked.
      “Sounds like a good plan. Let’s go over to my house and look him up on the Internet, maybe there will be something there.”
      “Well I don’t know what to do but it sounds like a good place to start.”
      We searched “Garth Peak,” and it came up with “Peak lawn service,” “Garth’s vacuuming” and lots of other junk. No help, so we decided to go look at the room where Garth Peak had broken in and see if there was anything there.
      The air still smelled like burnt flesh and we held our breath for as long as we could, but within 20 seconds we were gasping for air. A chair was still tipped over; the whole room was the way we left it. A grim reminder of what had happened.
      Suddenly we heard a noise and froze. The closet door was open and a foot was sticking out. Our noses poked around the side of the door and a face stared up at our startled faces staring down.
      “What are you doing?!” I exclaimed even though I didn’t know who it was.
      “Ahh,” she sputtered, “It’s for Garth Peak, don’t tell him I said that.”
      “What does he need that’s so important that he has to send someone to break into our house, again?!”
      “It’s a secret.”
      You’ll tell me or I’ll call the police on you.”
      “I can’t.”
      “But you will.”
      “Well… he wants that box, the whole thing.”
      “And you’re supposed to find it in a closet?”
      “He said look everywhere.”
      “Garth Peak is not getting it! And you’re going to tell me where he is.”
      “That’s top secret,” she replied. I glared at her and she looked away, hurt showing on her face. “He’s in a house on Grumble St., 13372.”
      The door was open to 13372, Grumble St. and I stormed inside, Nick at my side.
      We started the search of the whole house and we failed, no one was there. My mood was fiery and I turned around going back to the house and making that girl tell me where he was, his real hiding place.
      As I stormed up the stairs to the room once more I heard a faint voice calling my name, it was my mom.
      As I stepped across the threshold I saw him. The little rascal, Garth Peak was beside her bed and they were deep in conversation. I stared my mouth hanging open like a door that wouldn’t close. Then my reflexes kicked in, and I floated silently through the air. My hand was at his neck, scissors clenched tightly in my fist.
      I was triumphant, this was so much easier than I thought. My next words pierced the air like a needle. “You lost.” A grin spread across my features. When he looked up there was an expression of horror played across his face.
      “I never thought I would die like this,” he said to my mother, “by your daughter.”
      “Clarissa!” My mom’s voice was filled with panic. “What are you doing?!”
      “Killing the man who caused you pain.”
      “No!” she screamed and struggled to get out of bed. “Don’t do this.”
      “Why? Isn’t this what you want?” My hand sagged and fell to his shoulder.
      “No, you should never kill an innocent man.”
      “But he’s not innocent!”
      “Yes he is, it was your father. He framed Garth for the robbery to his own house. He wanted me to be mad at Garth. We were best friends and he was jealous.  You see he was in love with me, same as him.” She looked up at Garth Peak and continued. “He wanted me for himself. I was in love with him as he was me, but I had feelings for my friend and he could see that. After we got married I started to talk to Garth more and more and he knew I was in love, but not with him so he framed Garth and burned me so I would have a hatred for my companion and he could have me again.”
      “Why?” A tear slipped down my cheek as I walked out of the room to go confront my dad.
      “I’m so sorry,” came the whispered reply.
The Chest, 6-8, p.1