Jezzabel by By Misha Kroon (red scrolls of magic .txt) 📖

she saw me she stood up and wrapped an arm around me.

“What’s so urgent?” I asked her as she guided me to her office. She went and sat behind her desk. She seemed to struggle for words,

“You know when you were younger and you’d ask us why you didn't have a mum and dad?” I nodded, “We’d always tell you we didn't know.” I nodded again, and began chewing my thumb, “Well that was never strictly true.” I leant against the wall, “The night you were left there was a letter that was put in with your blanket. The letter was we assume from your mother.” I slid down the wall and sat on my bottom. “The letter said that your mother was in some sort of danger and she was leaving you with us to protect you. It said that we were not to tell you that she was still alive, because she didn't want to ever give you false hope.” I leant my head on my knees, “She said we had to call you Poppy-Sue Ream, because if you knew your real name you would be in some sort of danger. So we followed her instructions, and told you we didn't know who your mum and dad were and whether they were still alive, we didn't know ourselves.”

I rested my chin on the top of my knees, “Why are you telling me now? My mum must have thought it was important that I never knew who I was, so why do you see the need to tell me?” Paula stood up and went to the filing cabinet. She dug through the overflowing mass of files and pulled out mine. It was one of the thickest. She brought it back to the desk and started talking whilst racking through the loose bits of paper,

“That woman who came this morning, she wanted something. She wanted you. Ah!” she found what ever she was looking for.

“But Paula, she was looking for a girl called Jezza-” I stopped talking as she thrust me a thick page of aged ivory card. I looked down; it was written in prefect elegant script.
“Read it.” Paula urged. I looked down,

Dear who takes my baby,
I know that it was irresponsible of me to leave my daughter on your doorstep at this hour in this weather, but I had no other choice.
Please, call her Poppy-Sue Ream. Her real name is Jezzabel Jeckson, but she must never know.
In entrusting you with Jez I may be putting you in danger but I had no other option, I wish no harm to befall to her.
Do not tell her I am still alive, I don’t want to bring her false hope that one day I may come back for her, because I do not know, and because if she were to know she would be in worse peril than she would’ve been had I kept her with me.
Once she adopts her new name she will be protected, but if she ever finds out who she really is, there will be people after her, bad people.
I wish I could be there to see her grow up, but alas I cannot.
Look after my baby.
Please.

font>

My eyes were leaking; I wiped them hastily with the sleeve of my hoodie.

“So that woman this morning was looking for me. I’m Jezzabel?” I was trying to believe it, but all I felt was numb. “What did that woman want?” I asked Paula. She shook her head twice,

“I don’t know. She asked where you were. I said you’d gone. She asked where, I didn't say. I asked her who she was; she told me she was your mother, so I asked her what she left you with when she left you. She couldn’t tell me so, I told her to leave.” I stared at her.

“Then why call me out of school and tell me all this, my mum said don’t tell me.” Paula looked down at her desk, like I was scolding her.

“She’d seen you in your uniform. I didn't want to risk her working out where you went and coming after you.” I stood up and prepared to leave the room, “Where are you going?” Paula asked,

“You’re being stupid. I’m going back to school.” I opened the door and was going to step out when I heard her voice from behind me,

“Please just stay in just this once.” I turned back to her. Her face looked scared, “Please.” She was just being overprotective; I nodded at her and ran upstairs.

The only kids that would be in were the really small kids who were new, and had only been here for less than six months. They’d soon get used to me; I went into my room and switched on my stereo and turned up to maximum and let The Black Parade sort out my blaring head. I flopped down on my bed.

My phone vibrated while I was laying with me head under my pillow. There was a text from Rayner,
Found out what was so urgent yet?x
I thought about what to say before I replied,
Think you can get out ICT to ring me?x

He didn't reply. I curled up again under my pillow, crying. It felt like my whole life had been some sort of lying freak show. I listed all the things I had found out in the past 20 minutes.

My real name is Jezzabel Jeckson, my real mum and dad could be alive and out there somewhere and when they left me they were in danger. I thought about it, if they hadn’t come back for me it must mean they wee still in danger. I sat up as my phone began to ring,

# Now I know. That I can’t make you stay, but where’s you heart? But where’s your heart? But where’s your- # I checked the Caller ID, it was Rayner.

“Hey.” I said

“Hi. Listen I haven’t got long Miss J thinks I'm only going for I pee. What’s happening?” I heard his voice echo around the bathroom he was standing in. I sniffed. “Are you crying?” he asked,

“Been crying yeah,” I said surprised at how croaky my voice was.

“Shit it must be bad. I’m coming over now.” The door of the bathroom he was standing in creaked. I laughed at him. Not believing that he was actually going to bunk.

“Go back into your cubical and I’ll tell you why, dummy.” I smiled through my haze of tears, and bounded across my bed to turn my music down a bit. “So Paula called me just before the bell this morning. You know that, you were there. She said to me that I had to come home, and that I had to wear my Bullet hoodie, you know that one you brought my for my birthday last year. And I had to put the hood up and go straight home.” My voice went jumpy. And I sniffed.

“God this sounds bad.” Rayners voice was barley audioable on the other side of the phone.

“So when I got in she took me into her office and told me that every time I asked who my mum and dad were, they would tell me they didn't know. They were lying to me. She gave me a letter and told me that when I was left on the step of the Home that letter was there with me. It said, Dear who takes my baby, I know that it was irresponsible of me to leave my daughter on your doorstep at this hour in this weather, but I had no other choice. Please, call her Poppy- Sue Ream." I paused and took a breath, "Her real name is Jezzabel Jeckson, but she must never know. In entrusting you with Jez I may be putting you in danger but I had no other option, I wish no harm to befall to her. Do not tell her I am still alive, I don’t want to bring her false hope that one day I may come back for her, because I do not know, and because if she were to know she would be in worse peril than she would’ve been had I kept her with me. Once she adopts her new name she will be protected, but if she ever finds out who she really is, there will be people after her, bad people. I wish I could be there to see her grow up, but alas I cannot. Look after my baby. Please.” I stopped talking at the end of the letter. My voice cracked a few times while I was reading,

“Well that weird.” Rayner said, “Shit, you must be feeling like crap. You want me to bunk to come look after you?” he sounded genuinely concerned. I laughed a bit,

“No. I’m fine.” I said.

“Are you sure?” he said, “I swear there has been less than half hour of ICT and I am dying! I don’t give a shit if I come to yours for you to soak my shirt in tears, just let me get out of school!” I laughed again,

“Well if you’re gonna beg, then sure. Paula wont let me come back to school, so its gonna be a pretty crappy day without anyone decent to talk to.” I smiled at him down the phone, even though he couldn’t see it. He laughed. I liked his laugh it was deep and sounded evil,

"Okay, leaving now.” He said,

“How you getting out?” I asked him. In the four years I’d been at the school I’d never bunked off, or ‘truanted’ as the teachers called it.

“Have you never ever bunked Pop- Jezzabel?” he stumbled not sure of what to call me now. “There's a huge gap in the fence behind the dance studio, it comes out near the reception gate.” I ‘uh-hu-ed’ “God, what do I call you now?” he asked,

“I guess its Jezzabel.” The name now felt weird on my tongue.

“Right Jezzabel, I’ll see you in 10.” he cut off the call. I sighed and dropped my phone on the bed. I crawled over my duvet and turned the sound up a bit more on my stereo, just enough that it make my head hurt, but I could still probably heard the door.

In my head I was accumulating a plan.

Computer Hacking

Date: 24th January 2011
Place: Canterbury, Kent
Weather: Sunny, Cold

The doorbell rang; I bolted from my room tripping over my laces and landing over the balustrade, winded. Paula’s office door opened,

“It’s alright I’m getting it Paula.” I yelled down the stairs. She shut the door again, I was surprised, she normally either argued or ignored me, she must think this shit is bad.