The Time Of Awakening - Miss Jina (jenna bush book club .txt) 📗

“You can’t be here anymore Sage, you don’t belong” the blonde woman who I once called my Mother stood on the steps of our rural home shouting at me, luckily neighbors were far and few between nobody heard. A brown suitcase landed in the white snow beside my feet. I shivered in my black long sleeved sweater and the blue and pink care bear pajama pants I wore. I looked down at the suitcase now covered in snow and picked it up it was light. My Father shoved his way out the door passed the old hag with the short dark brown hair.

“You’re Mother is right Sage, you are no longer welcomed here, you are not one of us anymore. Here take this.” he threw his hand out with a tiny white piece of paper in it. “You need to get here before your Birthday, they’ll be expecting you,” he said. I grabbed it from him and looked at it, then placed it in my pajama pocket.

This man was not my biological Father; he had a medium built with blonde hair and blue eyes, the total opposite of my Mother and me. My real Father was killed when I was born; my Mother never spoke of it. He turned back to the house where she stood allowing the wind to blow through her hair. She rubbed her arms to keep warm, as I stood out in the freezing cold. They did not say goodbye, not even a wave or a kiss on the cheek, just a slam of the door.

I turned towards the snow covered roads and hills in the distance. There was a lot of ground to cover before dark I had to walk a few miles to get to the nearest bus station in town; I also did not own a cell phone, so I could not call for a cab. This was not just a random act, it had been brought up a few days prior, I just did not believe them until now.

My body was just warming up when I finished walking down our long driveway, no plow even bothered coming through this area, it was a town with a population of only 100 people, everyone owned farms out here, there were sheep farms, winery’s, veggie farms you name it we had it. In Cherry Lake, it was our way of survival.

I finally passed the first traffic light on Main Street about an hour and 30 minutes from departing my house, the snow was starting to get heavier and instead of feeling colder, my body became warmer. I turned the corner and found myself on Conklin Street where the bus station was. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the bus station that was enclosed, still out in the cold but it had a sliding door to protect the people waiting. I crossed the street and made my way over; all of the town stores behind the glass-enclosed bus stop were closed for the day. The snowstorm had ripped through Cherry Lake and it had been the worst winter in years.

I took a seat on the wooden bench inside the bus stop. I plopped my brown suitcase on the concrete below and rested my head against the glass. I closed my eyes and thought what 15 year old gets kicked out of their own home for never getting in trouble. It wasn’t trouble that got me kicked out it was Family genes, well on my Fathers side anyway, he had a secret, one that Mom had kept from me. It’s a secret that from my knowledge when I turn 16 I’ll end up finding out the truth. I had a big calendar in my room back at home, ever since the New Year I had been keeping track of each day as it passes. Last night I crossed off the list March 10th, my birthday was on the 15th. Just another horrible birthday to add to the list.

She told me that things would change on my Birthday and I began to feel changes already. Although I was cold from the winter weather, I didn’t feel it as much as I used to, and within the past few months, I went from 4’11 to 5’5, that’s so not normal. Something bubbled inside of me and my stomach cramped. I reached down into my pocket and grabbed the piece of paper she had given me. The bus could only take me so far, it would take me to The Maple Wood Pines a community about 3 hours away. Maple Wood was a community that kept to themselves mostly, they had a population of 50. All of the homes there looked like log cabins, it was always quiet and peaceful. Behind the community were large pine trees and a forested area that spread out for miles, within that area would be the place where I had to go. She said, they were waiting for me.

So to sum up some more of my past, my Mother married my stepfather when I was 8 years old. I never really liked the guy but I tolerated him, and I had never met my Dad so I couldn’t hate him for taking his place. I never once caused trouble for anyone, and he never really caused any trouble for me.

I never told Mom but I had found a picture of her and my real Father in her bottom drawer, she had held onto it for 10 years, it was way before I was born. They looked happy, Dad was tall with bushy eyebrows, and dark brown hair. He was a very hairy man, his facial hair hid his lips, but in this picture, you could see them, they were lifted upward into a smile. I ripped her out of the picture and only kept the one of my Father. She claims he died in a hunting accident right after I was born. I made sure the picture was kept safely in my pockets.


When I opened my eyes up again the big greyhound bus roared outside the bus station. I stood up grabbing the suitcase along with me and pushed through the glass doors. The doors to the blue and white greyhound opened and the driver looked down at me. I walked up the steep steps and showed him my ticket to Maple Wood Pines. He was an older gentleman at least in his 60’s, with white hair and a white beard. He took the ticket from me and welcomed me aboard. I grabbed a seat that was a few rows in and sat against the window. There were still plenty of hours left with daylight for me to enjoy the scenery. The busload was small, maybe about 10 or 15 people. I was able to place my suitcase next to me without worrying about making room. I lay my head back on the black and blue seat and looked towards the window. The bus made a hissing noise and the doors closed. I felt us moving a few seconds later. In my own way I waved goodbye to Cherry Lake unsure of weather, I’d see it again. I would never be back to see my parents because they didn’t want me anymore. If I were any normal girl I’d hate my real Father for doing this to me, it’s all because of him, my Mother would say.

I barely realized I had drifted off, but when the bus hit a bump, my eyes fluttered open. I looked down and notice a blue blanket covered my body. I looked around, there was no one sitting in the row beside me or in front of me. A scent wafted from the blanket it was a woodsy smell of pine and wood chips. I suddenly felt comforted by the scent of the mysterious blanket and pretty much didn’t care who had put it there. I didn’t even realize it, maybe I had been shivering, someone noticed, and were kind enough to give me his or her blanket. I watched outside to see where we were, a few cows roamed around looking for food. We passed some horses too behind a white picket fence. A big green highway sign wizzed by me. Maple Wood Pines 3 miles. I could not believe I had been asleep for almost the entire bus ride, I felt a little stiff from the position I had been in and sat up to adjust myself.

The skies were gray and miserable, kind of, like how I had felt at this moment. I was being forced to go somewhere away from what I knew. If only I was dreaming. Looking through the window, I could see my reflection it wasn’t me. My usual straightened dark brown hair was tangled in knots, and my dark eyes were blood shot. I rubbed my crinkled forehead and that’s when we passed another sign signifying that in less than a mile we’d be at our destination. I’d have to get off there and walk the rest of the way, straight into the path behind the community.

I knew the pines were close I could see the trees, they reminded me of giant Christmas trees. Imagine, how big the presents would have to be to go under those trees? There would definitely be some happy kids in the world. I watched as the snow plopped off the big green branches. The forest looked huge, and I was beginning to wonder how on earth I would find this place. I could see only a few feet away. There was a huge archway, a sign with black lettering was underneath. It read “Welcome to The Pine Region” below it said est. 1850. The bus turned right and went under the huge arch into the small town. We pulled in and only a few cars lined up along the street. A long strip of stores ran along both sides of the road. There was one bank, a bakery, a salvation army, and a small food mart on the right side in the middle. The bus station was right in front of the food mart. It consisted of a small blue sign that said bus, and a wooden bench for people to sit. I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, it would keep me warm for a short while.

When I stepped off the bus, I felt a cold chill run through me. I looked around to see if maybe there was a diner I could stop at, I was a bit hungry and hadn’t eaten since last night. When the bus pulled away, I noticed a small 50’s looking diner on the opposite side of the street. It was only a two-lane road and without a lot of traffic, it was easy to cross. I could see in the glass windows that lined along the front of the diner. Inside was red and black, the tiles, the seats and tables, as well as the walls. I stepped in and a young man with his hair slicked back and a white suite on welcomed me.

“Welcome to Mimi’s Dinner, just one today?” he questioned. His blue eyes met mine and I smiled.

“Um, yeah just one” I said. He nodded and pulled out a menu from the basket that hung on the back of one of the booths. He walked me to a booth