The Restorers
Abby
Chapter One
Step on a crack, break your mother's back, or fall through the sidewalk. Either one works. Itʼs a long story, but currently Iʼm stuck in a hole underneath a sidewalk... so Iʼve got time. But first, let me introduce myself.
Iʼm Jenna Dérae. Iʼm in tenth grade at West Town High School in Chicago, Illinois. I am 16 years old and I have dark, long brown straight hair that goes down to my elbows. My eyes are deep blue like the depths of the ocean or the sky on a stormy night. Well, thatʼs how my dad describes them.
I live with my dad, my mom left when I was three months old. All I know is that she had misty blue eyes and dark brown wavy hair. My dad has brown hair and dark blue eyes that I think are the best feature about him. He works Monday through Friday, eight to nine, so I mostly only see him in the mornings, late at night, and on weekends. Now, my story starts on what I thought was a normal, boring Monday.
I woke up to my alarm going off at 6:15am. I slowly made my way out of bed to turn it off. It was still dark outside so I switched on my lights. I shielded my eyes from the brightness until I got used to it. I walked over to my short, gray dresser and opened the top drawer. Sitting on top of my pile of folded shirts was a note. I picked it up, full of curiosity. On it, written in beautiful cursive handwriting, it said;
I am Control.
I stared at the note for a minute. It was vague, and almost terrifying. Who was in control? I thought. “Jenna!” My dad called, interrupting my thoughts. “Are you up?”
“Yes!” I called back. I quickly got dressed and went to brush my teeth. When I went
downstairs to eat breakfast, I didnʼt tell my dad. I didnʼt want to worry him and I didnʼt trust him with a secret. I didnʼt trust him with anything. “Do you have any tests today?” My dad asked.
“No.” I replied.
“Anything exciting?” He said, asking another question.
“Nope.” At least, I thought nothing exciting was going to happen.
“I made you pancakes.” My dad set down a plate in front of me. I scooped some
berries onto my plate and drizzled syrup over my pancakes. I ate my breakfast and
gathered my things. When I made my way out the door my dad stopped me and gave me a big hug.
“Okay, bye.” I said. My dad didnʼt normally give me hugs when I left for school.
“I love you.” He said squeezing me a little bit tighter.
“Love you too, I gotta go dad.”
“Bye.”
“See ya.”
The whole way on the bus ride to school I thought about the note. Who exactly was in control? I looked at the note again and noticed something I hadnʼt noticed before. I guess I had read it so fast I didnʼt see it. The c in control was capitalized, and there was no ‘theʼ before control. Whoever wrote this note wasnʼt saying that they were in control, the were merely saying they were control. It didnʼt make much sense to me. How could someone be control? I had a headache now from thinking about so much and I gave up.
When I got to school I met my friend at the front door. She was looking at her phone waiting for me. “Hey.” she said.
“Hey, Haley.” She followed me to my locker, telling me about how annoying her brother is. I nodded to let her know I was listening, but I was more focused on the note I received earlier and wondering if I should tell Haley about it. Finally, I decided there would be no harm in showing it to her.
“I have something to show you.” I told her. I pulled the note out of my coat pocket and showed her. “What does it mean?” she asked.
“I donʼt know.”
“Where did it come from.”
“It showed up in my dresser drawer this morning.”
Haley studied the note more closely. “Thatʼs so weird.” she said. “Who wrote it?”
I shrugged my shoulders. Haley was just as confused as I was. I didnʼt want to tell anyone else about the note. Haley is the only person I trust. “I am control.” She read the note aloud. “I donʼt get it. Itʼs so vague, and strange.” She handed me the note and I put back in my locker. We made our way to math, quietly whispering about the note.
The day went by slowly, especially the classes I didnʼt have Haley in. Finally it was lunchtime, so Haley and I could talk about the note more. I sat down at my
usual spot and waited for Haley while I unpacked my lunchbox. After a few minutes, Haley didnʼt show up. I pulled out my phone and texted her; Where are you?
A minute later she responded; I went home. I had a headache and a sore throat. Looks like Iʼll be eating alone today. Haley was the only person I ate lunch with; she was the only person I trusted. She has been my best friend since kindergarten and Iʼve never had another best friend before. Of course, Iʼve had and do have other friends, but no other best friends. The rest of the day was uneventful, up until history class. Let me explain.
Can anyone tell me who founded Germany?” Mr. Emblen, my history teacher, asked. He called on Julia, the most popular girl in eighth grade. She obviously wasnʼt expecting to be called on, for her reply was “um...” She was saying um so long I thought she might be meditating. She finally answered, but I didnʼt hear it. Instead I heard something else, someone calling me to go outside. I looked around, but no one was talking but Mr. Emblen. Come outside. Said the voice. Leave class. Go outside. It was a deep, smooth, manly voice that gave me the chills. I must be going insane. We only had 45 minutes left of school, I thought, Iʼll just wait.
Finally the bell rang. That was by far the longest 45 minutes of my life. I quickly gathered my things and left. I ran to the door outside. I was about halfway there when I heard the vice principal call me.
“Jenna!”
“Yes Mrs. Morke?”
“No running in the halls!”
“Iʼm sorry Mrs. Morke” I replied through
my teeth. Couldnʼt she tell I had
somewhere to be?"
”Now go along now Mrs. Dérae. Walking.”
“Yes Mrs. Morke.”
Finally I got away from her and reached the front door. This was it. Iʼm sure it was nothing, but I couldnʼt help feeling like there really was a voice calling. I peered through the glass door. I was afraid. Who knows what was out there? My breath was fogging up the glass, but I didnʼt care. I just stared out the door. Eventually someone shoved past me. “Get out of the way!” They exclaimed. I hastily moved out of the way and stepped outside. The air was cold and bitter, I realized I left my coat in my locker. I walked about two feet, stepped on a crack, and fell through the sidewalk.