Linger
Shattered Pieces
A week had passed since the Greene family had moved into 1713 Boston Rise. They had been graciously welcomed into the area by their fellow neighbours with open arms. Many people commented on how pleased they were that the house was finally full of life again. Jayden’s mother and father, ever the social butterflies, had been to numerous dinner parties in the past seven days. They’d firmly fixed themselves within the community, and even David had made friends. Jayden, however, kept to herself.
“Jayden? Honey, are you even listening to me?”
Jayden looked at her mother slowly. It was early on a March morning, too early for her to be functioning properly. Her father had just left for work and the sounds of gunfire echoing through the house meant that David was shooting virtual zombies in the living room.
“Hun, you’re going to have to try and fit in here,” her mother smiled across the table. Jayden just sighed and nodded. She’d never been especially social, even in their old neighbourhood back in New York. It wasn’t the fact that she didn’t get along with others, it was more the fact that others didn’t get along with her. She considered herself a friendly person, a little shy maybe but nothing out of the ordinary. She had similar hobbies to other people her age, the same interests - yet something about her seemed to keep others at bay. Her one true friend Vinessa had moved to France last summer, leaving Jayden to face the majority of her senior year of high school alone.
“You’re starting school on Monday, you’ll find someone there. If not, there’s a lovely boy next door who graduated last year, Mrs Sullivan’s son. What’s his name?” Her mother closed her eyes and sighed, snapping her fingers and trying to remember. Jayden rolled her eyes. She knew about the boy next door, his name was Jimmy. She’d seen him from her bedroom window once or twice, leaving the house with other boys and not returning until the early hours of the morning.
“Ah yes, James! Maybe you could talk to him?”
Her mother’s voice brought her back to reality. Jayden simply nodded again before standing up and sighing, “I’m going to unpack the last of my things.”
As she reached the door, a sharp smash echoed around the room. Jayden turned on her heel and looked at her mother, confusion etched on both of their faces. An empty glass lay in ruins on the linoleum floor, sharp shards glinting threateningly in the morning light.
“It just flew off the table,” her mother muttered, barely audible as she stared at the floor.
Jayden raised an eyebrow and cracked a grin, “I doubt it did it alone. Maybe you knocked it?”
Her mother shook her head and sighed, frowning as she started to clear the mess.
“Perhaps it was a ghost?“ Jayden jested, walking out and heading for the stairs whilst passing the family cat, Zeus, who was lounging along the bottom step lazily. Her mother was a firm believer in spirits and the afterlife, yet Jayden thought it was all ludicrous. There was no life after death, you had one chance and that was all. Anything paranormal was silly nonsense made up by people to scare children, or to invoke a feeling of hope into the living who were ever fearful of death.
Jayden entered her room and wandered to the two boxes that were left, stacked and waiting patiently in the corner. Some of her most prized possessions lay within them, encased diligently in bubble wrap. An album of photographs depicting her family at their last summer party and snapshots of her and Vinessa at the New York state fair, various breakable heirlooms and antique ornaments, and her most treasured belonging; a small trinket box left to her by her grandmother when she passed away. The delicate box was made of ivory coloured china, patterned with intricate dragonflies that were carved into the surface, glittering amber jewels lacing their fragile wire wings.
She took care as she unwrapped the box, the last item to adorn the windowsill. Her eyes scanned it slowly, a smile tugging at her lips as she reminisced upon the past. The box found its new home far back from the edge of the sill, out of harm yet bathed in glorious light.
She peered around happily before wandering to her bed. Laying down, she thought back over the past week. Jayden had unpacked all of her possessions, and the room began to feel more like hers as the hours ebbed away. The walls were now adorned with fresh pictures and posters, the furniture had been moved around and the majority of her belongings were settled in their rightful places. She’d also bought a new handle for the door, discarding the old one that had seemingly stuck on her first day in the house.
Just as she began slipping into the stream of slumber, a small tinkling crash pulled her from the abyss. Sitting up quickly, she scoured the room for the source. It took her several seconds to identify where it had come from, her eyes looking in all directions. There, laying under the windowsill, shards of china and glass had scattered in a formatted tragedy. Amber crystals lay glittering in the stream of steady sunny light, hopeless and bleak. Her trinket box lay in ruins across the dark floorboards, broken and shattered with no hopes of repair.
Jayden’s eyes widened and angry tears welled, threatening to spill. She turned her head from the floor and scowled, heading for the door. The room felt constricting all of a sudden, like the air was decreasing and pressure was building. Her heart pumped rapidly in her ears as she twisted the handle and pulled irritably, ready to unleash her upsetting fury upon the first person who dared to cross her path. She growled threateningly as the door continued to stay closed, the handle not budging even an inch. Kicking the bottom of it, she turned around quickly, pacing her room and trying to calm herself with deep breaths. Her eyes snapped back to the exit as the door made a similar clicking sound to what she’d heard on her first day, and watched with raised eyebrows as it steadily creaked open.
Without a second though, she walked out and down the stairs quickly with a prominent scowl etched on her face, heading straight for the front door. She sighed and collapsed on the front lawn, flopping back and crying out angrily into the atmosphere. Nothing had gone right since she’d stepped into the house, and to Jayden, it felt as though the property didn’t want her there. The door to her room was particularly annoying, as were the sudden amount of breakages. The events of the morning twisted and rolled through her head like a raging river as a voice brought her back to reality;
“Hey, are you alright?”
Jayden squinted towards the voice, shielding her eyes from the severe Californian sunlight. Someone was craning their head over the garden fence, peering down at her curiously.
The boy was tall, his upper torso visible over the trellised barrier. Sunlight bounced off his black hair, and made his blue eyes sparkle with a degree of mischievous mystery. A smooth, handsome face with a concerned smile perched upon a long neck, thin shoulders hidden partially by a black wifebeater. She was surprised to see his slender arms were pale, untouched by the harsh rays as they leant casually on top of the fence.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, sitting up quickly. She felt the back of her shirt stick to her skin, the dewy grass damp from the crisp early hours.
The boy grinned, “I’m Jimmy.”
She knew. Her mother had told her everything the instant she’d finished talking to his own mother on their first day. His parents, Andrew and Dawn, were his adoptive guardians, taking him in at a young age after his biological parents abandoned him. It made her feel instantly sorry for him, but on the few times she’d seen them all together from her window, she knew they were a tight-knit and loving family.
“Jayden,” she uttered, looking back at the damp grass.
“Do you want some company?”
She shrugged as Jimmy’s hands gripped onto the fence and he jumped over with relative ease, landing with a soft thump on the grass. He sauntered over and collapsed on the ground next to her, a small grin ever present on his lips. Silence passed between them before he broke it, “You seem annoyed.”
She sighed and looked at him sadly, “Something just got broken in my room.”
“Was it something important?”
“My grandma’s trinket box. She gave it to me before she died.”
Jimmy smiled sympathetically, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It‘s not your fault,” she sighed, picking at a blade of grass distractedly, “It slipped off the windowsill. I thought I put it back far enough so it wouldn’t fall. The wind must‘ve pushed it to the edge.”
Jayden looked at him and frowned as she saw his face. The smile had slipped from it, his lips thin and taught, his face gloomy and a shade paler than it had been mere moments before. She saw something flash in his eyes as they looked past her, a glint of pain as he stared at the upstairs window. Seconds later it had disappeared and he had returned back to his cheery self.
“Are you okay?” she asked sceptically as he grinned. Jimmy nodded and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his folded arms on them before plunging the conversation deeply into an entirely different subject.
Seconds later, David ran out of the house, short dirty blonde curls bouncing in time with his strides. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw his older sister and the boy from next door, chatting idly on the front lawn. A wide grin split onto his face as both of them stopped and looked his way.
“Jayden’s got a boyfriend!” he squealed, running back through the front door. Jimmy laughed heartily as she hid her face in her hands. A cascade of loose curls tumbled from behind her shoulder, muffling her apologies as she sighed them out profusely.
“MOM! JAYDEN HAS A BOYFRIEND!”
“Jayden? Honey, are you even listening to me?”
Jayden looked at her mother slowly. It was early on a March morning, too early for her to be functioning properly. Her father had just left for work and the sounds of gunfire echoing through the house meant that David was shooting virtual zombies in the living room.
“Hun, you’re going to have to try and fit in here,” her mother smiled across the table. Jayden just sighed and nodded. She’d never been especially social, even in their old neighbourhood back in New York. It wasn’t the fact that she didn’t get along with others, it was more the fact that others didn’t get along with her. She considered herself a friendly person, a little shy maybe but nothing out of the ordinary. She had similar hobbies to other people her age, the same interests - yet something about her seemed to keep others at bay. Her one true friend Vinessa had moved to France last summer, leaving Jayden to face the majority of her senior year of high school alone.
“You’re starting school on Monday, you’ll find someone there. If not, there’s a lovely boy next door who graduated last year, Mrs Sullivan’s son. What’s his name?” Her mother closed her eyes and sighed, snapping her fingers and trying to remember. Jayden rolled her eyes. She knew about the boy next door, his name was Jimmy. She’d seen him from her bedroom window once or twice, leaving the house with other boys and not returning until the early hours of the morning.
“Ah yes, James! Maybe you could talk to him?”
Her mother’s voice brought her back to reality. Jayden simply nodded again before standing up and sighing, “I’m going to unpack the last of my things.”
As she reached the door, a sharp smash echoed around the room. Jayden turned on her heel and looked at her mother, confusion etched on both of their faces. An empty glass lay in ruins on the linoleum floor, sharp shards glinting threateningly in the morning light.
“It just flew off the table,” her mother muttered, barely audible as she stared at the floor.
Jayden raised an eyebrow and cracked a grin, “I doubt it did it alone. Maybe you knocked it?”
Her mother shook her head and sighed, frowning as she started to clear the mess.
“Perhaps it was a ghost?“ Jayden jested, walking out and heading for the stairs whilst passing the family cat, Zeus, who was lounging along the bottom step lazily. Her mother was a firm believer in spirits and the afterlife, yet Jayden thought it was all ludicrous. There was no life after death, you had one chance and that was all. Anything paranormal was silly nonsense made up by people to scare children, or to invoke a feeling of hope into the living who were ever fearful of death.
Jayden entered her room and wandered to the two boxes that were left, stacked and waiting patiently in the corner. Some of her most prized possessions lay within them, encased diligently in bubble wrap. An album of photographs depicting her family at their last summer party and snapshots of her and Vinessa at the New York state fair, various breakable heirlooms and antique ornaments, and her most treasured belonging; a small trinket box left to her by her grandmother when she passed away. The delicate box was made of ivory coloured china, patterned with intricate dragonflies that were carved into the surface, glittering amber jewels lacing their fragile wire wings.
She took care as she unwrapped the box, the last item to adorn the windowsill. Her eyes scanned it slowly, a smile tugging at her lips as she reminisced upon the past. The box found its new home far back from the edge of the sill, out of harm yet bathed in glorious light.
She peered around happily before wandering to her bed. Laying down, she thought back over the past week. Jayden had unpacked all of her possessions, and the room began to feel more like hers as the hours ebbed away. The walls were now adorned with fresh pictures and posters, the furniture had been moved around and the majority of her belongings were settled in their rightful places. She’d also bought a new handle for the door, discarding the old one that had seemingly stuck on her first day in the house.
Just as she began slipping into the stream of slumber, a small tinkling crash pulled her from the abyss. Sitting up quickly, she scoured the room for the source. It took her several seconds to identify where it had come from, her eyes looking in all directions. There, laying under the windowsill, shards of china and glass had scattered in a formatted tragedy. Amber crystals lay glittering in the stream of steady sunny light, hopeless and bleak. Her trinket box lay in ruins across the dark floorboards, broken and shattered with no hopes of repair.
Jayden’s eyes widened and angry tears welled, threatening to spill. She turned her head from the floor and scowled, heading for the door. The room felt constricting all of a sudden, like the air was decreasing and pressure was building. Her heart pumped rapidly in her ears as she twisted the handle and pulled irritably, ready to unleash her upsetting fury upon the first person who dared to cross her path. She growled threateningly as the door continued to stay closed, the handle not budging even an inch. Kicking the bottom of it, she turned around quickly, pacing her room and trying to calm herself with deep breaths. Her eyes snapped back to the exit as the door made a similar clicking sound to what she’d heard on her first day, and watched with raised eyebrows as it steadily creaked open.
Without a second though, she walked out and down the stairs quickly with a prominent scowl etched on her face, heading straight for the front door. She sighed and collapsed on the front lawn, flopping back and crying out angrily into the atmosphere. Nothing had gone right since she’d stepped into the house, and to Jayden, it felt as though the property didn’t want her there. The door to her room was particularly annoying, as were the sudden amount of breakages. The events of the morning twisted and rolled through her head like a raging river as a voice brought her back to reality;
“Hey, are you alright?”
Jayden squinted towards the voice, shielding her eyes from the severe Californian sunlight. Someone was craning their head over the garden fence, peering down at her curiously.
The boy was tall, his upper torso visible over the trellised barrier. Sunlight bounced off his black hair, and made his blue eyes sparkle with a degree of mischievous mystery. A smooth, handsome face with a concerned smile perched upon a long neck, thin shoulders hidden partially by a black wifebeater. She was surprised to see his slender arms were pale, untouched by the harsh rays as they leant casually on top of the fence.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, sitting up quickly. She felt the back of her shirt stick to her skin, the dewy grass damp from the crisp early hours.
The boy grinned, “I’m Jimmy.”
She knew. Her mother had told her everything the instant she’d finished talking to his own mother on their first day. His parents, Andrew and Dawn, were his adoptive guardians, taking him in at a young age after his biological parents abandoned him. It made her feel instantly sorry for him, but on the few times she’d seen them all together from her window, she knew they were a tight-knit and loving family.
“Jayden,” she uttered, looking back at the damp grass.
“Do you want some company?”
She shrugged as Jimmy’s hands gripped onto the fence and he jumped over with relative ease, landing with a soft thump on the grass. He sauntered over and collapsed on the ground next to her, a small grin ever present on his lips. Silence passed between them before he broke it, “You seem annoyed.”
She sighed and looked at him sadly, “Something just got broken in my room.”
“Was it something important?”
“My grandma’s trinket box. She gave it to me before she died.”
Jimmy smiled sympathetically, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It‘s not your fault,” she sighed, picking at a blade of grass distractedly, “It slipped off the windowsill. I thought I put it back far enough so it wouldn’t fall. The wind must‘ve pushed it to the edge.”
Jayden looked at him and frowned as she saw his face. The smile had slipped from it, his lips thin and taught, his face gloomy and a shade paler than it had been mere moments before. She saw something flash in his eyes as they looked past her, a glint of pain as he stared at the upstairs window. Seconds later it had disappeared and he had returned back to his cheery self.
“Are you okay?” she asked sceptically as he grinned. Jimmy nodded and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his folded arms on them before plunging the conversation deeply into an entirely different subject.
Seconds later, David ran out of the house, short dirty blonde curls bouncing in time with his strides. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw his older sister and the boy from next door, chatting idly on the front lawn. A wide grin split onto his face as both of them stopped and looked his way.
“Jayden’s got a boyfriend!” he squealed, running back through the front door. Jimmy laughed heartily as she hid her face in her hands. A cascade of loose curls tumbled from behind her shoulder, muffling her apologies as she sighed them out profusely.
“MOM! JAYDEN HAS A BOYFRIEND!”
