Never Spring

Safe

Auntie's calls woke me up on a Saturday morning.

"I have no school today, I did my homework yesterday, whyyyy auntie..." I whined.

"We'll maybe it's better I send Jack on his way then."

"Jack is here?" I peeked out from under my pillow.

"He says it's important."

"Give me two minutes."

I was out of the door in no time. It has been a week since found the curious safe in the ruins.

School went well, and in school girls didn't dare bother me once I started to  walk with Jack again.

"How do you make everyone part ways for you?" I had asked.

"Each of them wishes they could do something I've gone and done before.", he shrugged, "Or something like that."

I didn't understand, but I knew Ann was particularly nice to me... Maybe she liked Jack.

I watched him as he walked little ahead of me. His messanger bag took up all the space by his side.

Was that something I should think of too? He was my friend, I didn't understand what this special kind of 'like' girls would whisper about.
I liked how his presence would change how other kids looked at me. Like I belonged. Are they missing a place too?

"I tried with everything..." Jack said, tapping his bag, "But it won't budge. Just our luck. There is a trick I wanted to try though..."

We arrived at the ruined asylum and we hid from the wind in my favorite alcove.

"This should do it." Jack placed the safe in front of us. "You were here when it was running." he motioned around us. "Give me your hand and think of the nurses."

I hesitated, last time I felt like this Jack was writing on the blackboard. And mom...

Jack took my hand, inpatient, but I tried to relax.

Mom, I need you. I don't understand so many things...

"Wrong person, Joan." Jack grumbled.

"You feel her?"

"She's always on the top floor watching us walk past from school." he said matter-of-factly.

I slapped him on the shoulder.
"Why don't you tell me this things."

"You stop to talk with her, I thought you knew." he put up his hands, protecting his face.

I stopped, however.
"I can't see her, or hear her... Last time you could only write."

"Halloween is close, I can see them, I might hear them if I listen late into the night." Jack mused.

As we were talking, Jack's hand on the safe moved the dial.

It clicked. We both froze.

The wind found us however we hid and our teeth chattered.
"You said it's the wrong person..." I ran my hands up and down my arms, trying to warm myself.

"Well she knew the code." Jack turned  the now useless dial left and right. "I didn't expect that..."

"There..." I stopped, my eyes caught something familiar.

A tread of silver around my mother's neck. It swings as I run to hug her, my father laughs, holding Noah in his arms.

My hands move on their own holding up the pendant hanging by that tread.
It opens in my palm.

My family looks at me, tiny faces held within a small heart frozen in time.

"Joan... Joan?" Jack managed to bring me back to the present.

"Are you alright?"

I just now realized I was crying.

"You always see me crying..." I hastily whipped my tears away. "Thank you for finding and opening the safe... This..." I pressed the pendant to my heart "it means more than I can say."