Dance Till We Die

Chapter Three (Jade)

JADE

The doctors said that I was fine, but I had to get stitches on my cheek and a bandage on my neck. I was driven home by my mum, and when we got home all of her concerned questions came.

"How could you have been so irresponsible to leave the window wide open!?" Mum chastised me. I wasn't in the mood to respond, so I just sat upright on my bed and listened as she paced around my room. "Whatever bloke that did this to you could strike again, Jade! And why would you let that girl into my home? Do you know she's a suspect? How could this happen?" Mum wouldn't stop if I didn't make her.

"Mum, would you just shut your mouth please? It's annoying how you blame this on me. I got hit with an arrow twice. How do you think that makes me feel? Don't you know I'm scared? And if it wasn't for the girl, the person would've had the chance to hit me again, but she closed the window. I'm tired, and I  just want to be alone, mum. Let me have my peace." I lay down and turned my back to mum, staring at the dresser. I heard her sigh, and then she turned off my lights and left.

I woke up that morning to the sweet smell of mum's special pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. I ran to the kitchen to find mum sitting at the table, reading the paper and sipping tea. "Would you like some tea, love?" she offered. I nodded.

Mum put the water on and I turned the volume up on the telly. There was a news report on, and it was about me.

"Detectives don't know yet who shot the arrows, but they believe that they'll find out soon." said a news reporter who looked like she was trying to refrain from sneezing. "Jade Harrison was hospitalized last night because of minor injuries due to the arrows. Everybody is saying the same thing: how safe will London be if the 'Arrowman' is still on the loose?"

I turned the telly off. All the talk about what happened was making me frustrated. I got up to turn off the whistling kettle and poured my tea. Mum had already gone upstairs to her room, so I was alone in the kitchen, staring at the ugly green tiles on the counter.

Nicole phoned me. At first, I didn't want to answer, but I got up and answered it. "Hi, Nick."

"Cheers, Jade. How're the bandages going?" she asked. I sighed. "They're fine, but I have to bathe from the waist down because they can't get wet." I explained. "I phoned because I have some great news, Jade." Nick announced, excitement in her voice.

"Anything to lift my spirits." I said. "Do you remember the girl, Tessa? The one that came in and closed the window?" Nick asked. I nodded, then realized she couldn't see me. "Yes, I remember her. I'm thankful that she came." I said.

"Well you now have a chance to show her your gratitude. It turns out that she lives in the same building as the Arrowman. Josh and I are going to meet her for brunch later on. I want to ask her to help us find out who did it, even if they left her building already. You coming or what?" Nick asked enthusiastically.

"Of course I'm coming!"

I looked forward to meeting Tessa again. I hadn't really met her, I just saw her. I was upset when I heard that the policemen took her into the precinct for questioning. How could she be a suspect if she's the one that helped? It's not fair. I also looked forward to meeting her because she's from the States. Unlike most of my friends (besides Josh and Nick), I get to interact with people from the States because of the YSDA. There's a variety of people that are members of the YSDA. People from all over the world moved to London to be trained my Isaac, our instructor, and dance in a vacated lot, street-style.

I had left the house an hour after Nick phoned me, and it was exactly 12:00 noon when I got to the cafe. I saw Josh and Nick at a table in the back, so I went to it.