Jungle Princess ✔

Chapter 20: Art Club

"How are you going with your assignment, Amarissa?" Ms. Carter asked, stooping over Amarissa's shoulder in order to peek at her notes.

Amarissa subtly shifted her right arm so that it covered her history book and replied, "Not bad."

Ms. Carter gave a curt nod before moving on to the next victim. Amarissa sighed. So far she had photos and pages of notes from all her parents' stories, but she knew that wasn't enough. Her history wasn't all that glamorous, except for that amazing trip on that cruise she couldn't remember. She wished her parents had taken her on cruises when she was old enough to recall everything that happened, but it was a cruise they had won in a competition. Amarissa knew her parents would never pass a chance like that up. But the most exciting place Amarissa had ever visited was the Empire State Building, which really wasn't that exciting. Everything from that view she could easily see on google earth, and besides, it was just New York. Yeah, sure, lots of people would love to live there, but Amarissa felt she needed to escape the hustle and bustle of the city lights and subway rides. And so far her only escape was Deandre's eyes, which she missed. Where was he?

"What are you drawing?" Collie asked, peering over at Amarissa's notebook. Amarissa hadn't even realized she had been sketching two green eyes fringed with thick dark lashes. It was a minor exaggeration of Deandre's eyes, and Collie approved.

"You're pretty talented," Collie commented. "Do you do art?"

Amarissa shook her head and smiled modestly. "No, but do you count boredom in classes as art?" she joked.

Collie regarded her with steady blue eyes almost obscured by her bright red bangs. "You should join art club. We'd love to have someone like you," she suggested.

Amarissa cocked her head, pressing her pen to her chin. "Someone like me?" she echoed.

Collie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. Someone who has a hidden talent for sketching, you know? Like, you don't realise it, but you could be, like, FAMOUS!"

Amarissa marvelled at Collie's passion for the arts. She really needed a hobby in her life, so she shrugged and said, "Ok, why not? Sign me up."

As soon as she said those three words, a memory clicked inside her. She was instantly transported to Sunday, while having the blood test, just before she passed out, she said the same thing. But why?

The bell yanked her from her reverie and Collie was saying something about meeting her at lunch, which was when the club was held. Amarissa nodded absently as she gathered her books, heading to biology class.

She slid next to Blair, who was a mix of cool and geek, a rare package. They had been assigned seats in order to "concentrate more" but nothing could force Amarissa to concentrate these days. Until Ms Dawson began talking about DNA and genetics.

"So class, what can blood tell us about who we are?" Ms Dawson proposed the question openly, and it was not long before Blair stuck his hand up, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes as he did so.

"Yes, Blair?"

"Well, a blood test can tell you which vital organs are working properly, such as your kidneys and your liver..."

Ms Dawson nodded impatiently. "Yes, yes, we now that. But genetically speaking, what can a blood sample tell us about our hereditary?"

"Are you talking about genetic testing?" Amarissa asked.

Ms Dawson pointed to her with a wide grin, as if to say, "Finally someone is paying attention!"

"Exactly, Amarissa! In genetic testing, you can discover any genetic disorders you have inherited from your parents, and the probability of developing these disorders," Ms Dawson told the class with her back to the whiteboard where she wrote in green cursive handwriting "Genetic Testing" and then, under it, "Genealogical DNA Testing."