My Sister's Keeper: Chapter Twenty Five [NaNoWriMo]

naquoya (67)in #nano • 8 years ago

Part Nineteen: total words uploaded to date = 36000. Total words written to date = 38200.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Jelena took the child she had never known into her arms and held him like her life depended on it. She had so much she wanted to say, but nothing would come out. Eventually the tears stopped flowing, and she sat Alexander on the desk in front of her, so she could look at him eye to eye. She studied his facial features, the way he smiled, and how his eyes lit up. He's got his father's eyes, she thought. She marveled at the sight of the beautiful little child. She turned to Emerald, “How is this possible?” she asked.

“It's the age of miracles,” Emerald replied.

“Why now though?”

“Because it has to be, we will all be doomed otherwise.”

“I'm looking into the eyes of a miracle,” Jelena said, as she continued to study the child in front of her.

“You need to help Ruby, Mommy,” Alexander told her.

Jelena turned to Emerald, “You have a quite a way of getting your point across, don't you?” She turned back to Alexander and smiled at him, stroking his hair as she nodded gently to his request. “It seems I do,” she replied to her son.

Ruby turned to Anastasia excitedly as she witnessed the events starting to unfold as Emerald said they would. But then she was struck with the realisation – what about Anastasia? Who is going to look after her?

“What will Anastasia do?” she asked Emerald.

“Don't worry about me, Ruby,” Anastasia replied. “Our mission was always to get you to safety.”

“But now that we've done that, what will you do? Will you come to Mars with us?” Ruby asked.

“No, Mars is not for me. There are a lot of people here I can still help. Just not back in Talias.”

“Perhaps you could work here, at the camps,” Jelena said, not knowing Anastasia's history but quickly picking up just what role she played in assisting the girls to safety. “Did you work with the refugees before?”

“I was stationed at one of the charity supply centres in Talias. When Ruby's mother was killed I agreed to accompany them to the camps. With Emma's help we made it. But from what I hear now, Talias is completely destroyed, so there is nothing for me to go back to there.”

“I can get you work here, that wont be any problem,” Jelena told her. Anastasia thanked her, and allowed the conversation to return to how they could assist Ruby on her journey to Mars.

“So how do I get Ruby on to flight to Mars?” Jelena asked Emerald.

“You adopt her,” she replied matter-of-factly. “You wouldn't be able to officially start the procedure until you arrive in Mars, but that's where you are going, and they make the procedure easy for people in your situation. Until then you are her guardian. She can stay with you, therefore no other child needs to miss out.”

Jelena processed Emerald's request. She seemed to have it all mapped out. And all the pieces fit together, she thought. This may actually be the best outcome for all. “That may very well work,” she responded.

Jelena, Emerald and Anastasia continued to discuss how to arrange the coming events, whilst Ruby and Alexander sat with each other. “How long have you known Emma?” Ruby asked him. “Emma? Oh, you mean Emerald,” he replied. “Not for long, maybe a few weeks. She came and helped me out when I was lost. Told me not to worry, that she could help me. Is that what she did for you?”

“She's helped me many times. She's my sister. I've always just called her Emma, like a nick name. But yes she is Emerald, like the gemstone.”

“And you're Ruby, like the gemstone,” he replied.

“Yes we both are, aren't we?”

“She's like an angel. I didn't know angels had sisters. Do you think you could be my sister too?”

“I don't see why not,” Ruby replied, as she realised that she had started the day with one sister, and now had a mother and a brother to add to the collection. “We can be a family.”

“But not like other families,” Alexander said, smiling.

“No, we're a bit different, aren't we?” Ruby agreed.

The party of five returned to Jelena's apartment for the evening. It had been such a long day and they were all starting to feel it's effects. Ruby noticed the view as she entered the living room. “Is that the ocean?” she asked.

“It is, yes. Past the old city there in front. We're not that far from it here.” Jelena replied.

“Ruby got to see the ocean for the first time today,” Anastasia told Jelena. “And this will make it twice in one day,” she added.

“Have you never seen the ocean before today?” Jelena asked Ruby.

“No, not before today.”

“So you've never been into the ocean either?” she asked rhetorically. Ruby shook her head to indicate no, with a matching look of sadness.

“Well we will have to try to rectify that tomorrow, even if just for five minutes.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, starting to perk up.

She looked at Anastasia, as if some psychic scheming were taking place. “I think we should see the ocean tomorrow, as it will be our last chance before leaving for Mars. And they have no oceans there. You agree, don't you Anastasia?”

“Naturally,” she responded. “I think it's a wonderful idea. And I would love to be there to witness it.”

Jelena had just finished one of her most hectic days. She had been determined to organise all that she needed to, and do so early so as to take Ruby on her trip to see the beach. She had left the other back at the apartment, everyone having stayed the night at her place. But now everything was done, everything that could be anyway.

Jelena waited for the taxi to pick her up from the office entrance. It was a short ride to the coast from where she worked, but she still needed to go via her apartment and pick up the others. It would be a short trip, but it would be one for the memories, and every child deserved such a thing. She was determined to give Ruby this opportunity whilst she still had it.

She entered the taxi and gave the driver her address, and explained that they were then traveling further from there. When they reached Jelena's apartment, Anastasia and Ruby came down and joined them. “Where to now?” the taxi driver asked.

“We're going to the beach,” Ruby replied. “To see the ocean,” she added.

“Is that right?” the driver asked.

“I've never seen the ocean.”

“You've never seen the ocean? Well then let's get you there, pronto,” he said to her with a big grin on his face. Jelena gave him the location they were heading to and he proceeded to get them there. The drive took them through an old city. But an unscathed one, Ruby noticed. It didn't look too dissimilar to the way her home town had looked before the war. Lots of apartments buildings overlooked the tree lined streets. There were many people around, walking, driving, traveling where they needed to go. Not running and hiding from the bombs. I hope it stays this way, she told herself, as she continued to marvel at the newness of the experience.

The taxi reached the main boulevard that traveled beside the beach. Ruby looked out at all the Palm trees as far as she could see, and then turned her gaze out into the blue ocean. She sat there mesmerised at the beauty of it. The taxi stopped to let them out and Ruby started running as fast as she could. Anastasia and Jelena looked at each other and laughed. No point stopping her, they both thought. She's half way to Mars already. Jelena thanked the taxi driver and paid him his fare. “Look at her go,” he said, watching Ruby run with excitement.

“It's beautiful to watch, isn't it?” Jelena asked.

“It touches my heart,” he said, “that such wonder and joy still exists in this world.” He left Jelena to catch up with Ruby as he made his way to find another fare.

Jelena and Anastasia started walking over the sand towards where Ruby had run. They watched her enter the water and start jumping around in the shallows. Emerald and Alexander joined them in witnessing the experience. “Can you bring the ocean to Mars?” Jelena asked Emerald.

“Anything is possible,' she replied, meaning every word of it.

“Like you said, it's the age of miracles.”

“And here is one more for us all right here,” Anastasia added, pointing to Ruby frolicking in the water.

They eventually caught up to where she was, but made no effort to stop her playing. Let the waters wash away the bad memories, Emerald thought, as she watched her sister experience childhood for the first time in many years. Let the healing waters wash away the years of pain, in time for the coming years of renewal. In time for the new life about to start.

Chapters One and Two (Part One)
Chapters Three and Four (Part Two)
Chapters Five and Six (Part Three)
Chapter Seven (Part Four)
Chapter Eight (Part Five)
Chapter Nine (Part Six)
Chapter Ten (Part Seven)
Chapter Eleven (Part Eight)
Chapter Twelve (Part Nine)
Chapter Thirteen (Part Ten)
Chapter Fourteen (Part Eleven)
Chapter Fifteen (Part Twelve)
Chapter Sixteen and Seventeen (Part Thirteen)
Chapter Eighteen (Part Fourteen)
Chapter Nineteen (Part Fifteen)
Chapter Twenty (Part Sixteen)
Chapter Twenty One and Twenty Two (Part Seventeen)
Chapter Twenty Three and Twenty Four (Part Eighteen)