Looking Through Crystal

“Jakob” Mrs Phelps barked, jerking him back to the classroom, “Pay attention and stop staring out of the window you silly boy”

He nodded, barely hearing what she said. Nothing made sense now; his brain was so clogged up with worry and despair. He hadn’t mentioned Crystal to anyone, and the enormity of the previous night’s discovery seemed to be tightening around his chest, squeezing life from his body. Nobody seemed to have noticed that he was being whisked away to unknown territory, a place where dreams and nightmares became tangled up together and invaded reality.

“Are you listening” Mrs Phelps asked, her tone tetchy.

It was common knowledge that she had divorced her husband of ten years, and her temper could be unpredictable. Joey swore that she threw him out because he kept two large rattlesnakes in their bedroom, and she was sure they were going to eat her alive. And when she asked him to choose between her and them, he chose the snakes. It wasn’t true of course, divorces are never so light-hearted, but it was fun imagining the crabby teacher being chased by poisonous reptiles. She seemed to have a particular dislike for Jakob, having had the misfortune of teaching Joey. And on this day, he could hardly think straight, let alone work.

“That’s it” she screeched, “Go down to the office. I’m fed up with your insolence, just because you’re a little celebrity, doesn’t mean you can do as you please. Miss Marks will have something to say when she hears about this”

In his normal state, Jakob would have most likely burst into tears. But constant worry, abnormal sleep patterns and shock had left him a world away from anything they said. It didn’t occur to him what might happen if the school phoned home, he just gathered up his books and slowly left the classroom.

“Hurry up” Mrs Phelps shouted

Feeling although he was wading through treacle, Jakob attempted a jog and crashed headlong into a nearby desk. Numb, he stood up slowly and fumbled for the door handle.

“We don’t want a pantomime Jakob” Mrs Phelps said smirking, “Just go”

Jakob, who was trying very hard to leave, stumbled into the chilly corridor. The cold air hit him like a punch in the face, and he reeled backwards against the wall, his head spinning. His tiny body shaking violently, he slid onto the hard surface of the linoleum. The teacher had by this point closed the door, and Jakob could have lain unnoticed until break. However, it was good fortune that Joey was making his way back to class, after being sent to the headmistress for letting off a stink bomb. Blissfully unaware that his brother was in any danger, he strolled up the corridor whispering rude words about Miss Marks under his breath. It was just as he was getting to “Stupid old cow”, that Joey noticed a familiar figure in a crumpled heap on the floor.

“Jakob” Joey said worriedly, rushing towards him, “You okay mate?”

For years Jakob had sworn that he hated Joey’s guts, but at that point he was so pleased to see him that he burst into tears. He might have been his brother, older than him by three years, who had done everything already, but just then, he looked like the most amazing person in the whole world.

“Why you out here?” he asked, “You’re not in trouble are you, a little goody-goody like you. Come on, it’s nothing to cry about, I get sent down to old Marks and Spencer every day.”

Jakob gulped the last of his tears and looked at his brother. And all at once, everything seemed to come out. He just couldn’t keep that secret; it was eating him away inside.

“There is something to cry about” he mumbled, “Joey, you know down the old planet estate?”
Joey nodded.

“There’s this girl there” he rushed on, “And she’s sort of creepy and weird. And I think she’s our sister Joey, I don’t know what to do”

Joey flopped down beside him, his heart pounding in his ears. For years their Uncle Mike had joked that their Dad must have a few secret children somewhere, but they’d ever imagined it would be true. Even less likely, was the possibility that their Mum could have kept something so colossal from them all their lives. You never expect your mother to have a deep dark secret, and you never expect to find a sister you never knew you had, alone in a wreckage.

“We’ll go and see her” Joey decided, “Today, after school. Both of us. I bet she’s not even our sister, just some batty junkie trying to freak us out.”

Feeling better, Jakob got to his feet. It was a relief to have told someone else, he didn’t have to carry the whole burden alone. And in a way, he felt closer to Joey than he had that morning. But then, that morning he’d been walking into things, clambering around in confusion.

“You better get down to the office” Joey said, dusting down his trousers, “You make out you’re not well and stay in the sick bay. I’ll pretend I’m taking you up to get Mum at the end of the day, and we’ll go to the old flats, right?”

He was quick thinking, and it wasn’t a bad plan. Jakob would have been very glad of a little rest and time to sort out his thoughts. And Joey knew that, which was probably why he’d suggested the sick bay. He could read him like a book. And it worked. It took no effort at all to convince Miss Marks that he was ill. He looked ill; he looked like the walking dead. He’d spent the whole of the night before tossing and turning miserably, wondering if it would be possible to run away, and if so, who would feed the fish. Joey never remembered.

“You have a little lie down dear” Miss Marks said kindly, “I’ll come back soon and see if you’re feeling better”

No words had ever been so welcome. Jakob collapsed onto the comfortable seats with a contented sigh. What did it matter if Crystal was his sister, really? All that mattered was sleeping; he wanted to stay in that safe little haven forever.

But good things never last, and it seemed only a few seconds later that Joey was shaking him and hissing for him to get shifted.

“Is this your big brother then Jakob?” Miss Marks asked with a disapproving glance.

She knew perfectly well who his brother was; she was just being nosey and trying to see how things were.

“Yes” Jakob groaned, rubbing his eyes, “That’s Joey”

Miss Marks nodded, her eyebrows almost disappearing over the back of her head. She had a way of rolling her eyes and raising her eyebrows that made everyone nervous, even the parents. Billie Joe had once said that he’d met some scary teachers in his time, but she was just about the only one who made him nibble his knuckles and shiver. And he only had to see her twice a year, at parent’s nights; Joey spent most of his life down in her office.

“Will your mother be waiting for you?” she said, “Maybe I ought to come to the gate and make sure you’re alright Jakob, you still look a bit dodgy”

Jakob look at Joey in panic. Everything would be ruined now, they wouldn’t get to Crystal. She would probably starve to death and it would be all his fault.

“No thank you miss” Joey said smoothly, “I need to talk to Jakob just now anyway, we’re planning a little surprise for while our Dad’s home”

This was news to Jakob, but he nodded eagerly.

“In fact” Joey continued, “We’re sort of in a hurry, we have to get to the shops and buy…something…for the surprise”

She still looked suspicious, but she waved them on. Joey was very good at lying; he’d had plenty of practice, he sneaked off with his mates almost every night of the week, claiming he was going to the library. Everyone but Adrienne knew where he really went, down the old estate. How was it possible that he had never seen Crystal, when he was going there almost daily?

“Joey” Jakob said, once they had escaped, “Did you ever see her when you went to the flats with your mates?”

Joey shifted awkwardly, not looking him in the eye. He’d never looked like that in his life, sort of unsure about what to say next.

“Tell you the truth Jakob” he said, “I’ve never even been inside. I didn’t have the guts. Maxi’s done it, he said there was nothing to worry about, but they just look all dark and creepy. And I don’t actually like the dark very much”

Suddenly things started to make sense. Joey had slept with the light on since Jakob to remember, claiming it was so that he could see if anyone, presumably Jakob, was nicking his stuff. And all the time he’s just been a scardy cat. Jakob felt an overwhelming urge to tease him, like he had been teased for years. But then he remembered Crystal, and how she had lost her brother.

“Oh” was all Jakob said

His face burning, Joey turned away from his brother. He was supposed to be the tough one, the one who taunted Jakob for not watching horror films. And now the tables had turned. Jakob had discovered something which, while frightening, was the most exciting thing ever to happen to them. Even things which are so scary they make your skin curl, add flavour to the monotonous days of school life. And since he could remember, Joey had been the one who livened up any event. He’d been the one who found the ghost in the attic, the tarantula in the bedroom, and the mysterious lumpy packages in Miss Mark’s office. And now Jakob would steal his glory. It wasn’t a pleasant situation to find yourself in, but it was even worse to have your younger brother the centre of the whole thing.

“Look, are we going to see this nutter or what?” Joey asked, trying to take the focus off his phobias.

Of course, Jakob knew what he really meant was that he wanted to get there before it got dark. He didn’t say anything though, he just nodded.

“What are we gonna say when we get home” he asked anxiously, “Mum’ll wonder why we weren’t at the gates, she’s gonna go mad”

Joey sighed, transforming back into the big brother. He didn’t care about getting into trouble, he never had. Right from when he was a toddler he’d been raiding the biscuit tin and drawing on the walls. But Jakob was different; he didn’t want to ruin their Dad’s time at home. But then, Crystal needed him more, didn’t she?

“We’ll tell mum we were round at Sydney’s house” Joey invented, “You just keep your mouth shut and nod along, right”

Tempted to remind him who was really in control, and who could spill the beans about Joey’s little problem to his tough friends, Jakob just smiled.

“Right then” Joey snapped, obviously sussing his brother’s chain of thought, “Let’s get moving”

Almost the moment they entered the site where the flats had once stood, Joey and Jakob sensed something was wrong. There was an odd heaviness to the air, although some colossal dragon was breathing on them, watching their every move. The part of the building still standing seemed bleaker, and more rubbish whirled around their ankles.

“You sure this is a good idea?” Joey asked nervously, “I mean, you’re probably just imagining things, there’s nobody in there”

“There is” Jakob insisted, “I’ve seen her. And what if she is our sister, we need to help her”

He was a tiny, insignificant figure against a backdrop of misery and gloom, and yet he was enough to persuade Joey to enter the Planet Estate for the first time in his life.

At least things were a little better inside, the majority of the newspapers had been cleared away, some of the glass had been swept up, and the wrappers from the sweets they’d shared at Halloween had disappeared. Crystal herself sat on an upturned wooden box, smiling sadly down at a bouquet of flowers. They looked fresh, unlike everything else lying around, and even from a distance the handwriting on the card looked horrible familiar.

“Hi Crystal” Jakob said to break the ice

She glanced up at him, and Jakob felt every hair on his body stand straight up.

“It’s my birthday today” she told them

Both boys wanted to wish her a happy birthday, but couldn’t quite manage to get the words out. Someone obviously knew that today was a special day, which was why they had left the flowers. And Jakob had an unsettling feeling he knew who. Taking a deep breath, he reached forward and turned over the strip of cardboard, revealing the message attached to the offering.

I always think of you on this day. I’m so sorry Crystal. I’ll always love you.

It was in the same handwriting in his own birthday cards. Crystal couldn’t possibly have forged it, she didn’t even know about his suspicions. Which only left one option, Crystal was his sister. Adrienne had been here earlier that day to leave the flowers, no wonder she’d been snappy. And Billie Joe hadn’t seemed distracted in the least, which meant that he knew nothing about her secret. Frightened, Jakob looked at Joey, willing him to know the answer. He was fed up being the one in control; he wouldn’t even have minded Joey giving him a little shove.

“Look, Crystal” Joey said, finding his voice, “The woman who left them… there has to be a mistake…that’s our Mum”

Crystal hunched up, her chin on her knees, and began to rock although in great pain. ‘She knew’ Jakob realised, ‘she knew the whole time’