Chapter One: Sneaking Out
It had taken Will a long time to get used to having a sister. Jess had only been living with her for an hour when they had had their first sister spat. Now, a week later, Jess was officially moved in, and Will found herself happy at the idea of having a permanent slumber party with her best, and first after moving to Heatherfield, friend. Jess came from a troubled background, having lived in nine foster homes after being abandoned by her mother when she was three. Jess's last foster parents had been very abusive, and Will suspected that that wasn't the first time she had been brutalized.
Will glanced at the walls that had been repainted. Jess's half of the room was painted dark blue, though you couldn't see the paint through the posters and pictures. Her posters were mostly of heavy metal and punk rock bands, such as Evanescence, her favorite, kidneythieves, Slipknot, Avril Lavigne, and Marilyn Manson. She also had Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks, Big and Rich, Tim McGraw, and Toby Keith decorating her side of the room. Along with them, she also had horse posters spread out over the wall and several pictures of her favorite anime characters, like Inu Yasha, Cowboy Bebop, Fruits Basket, and Full Metal Alchemist. Will found that this clash of interests suited Jess's personality well. The room was also a clash of the girl's personalities as well. Will's side was a testament to innocence, painted green and dotted with frog posters and pictures of actors, like the beautiful Vance Michael Justin and Orlando Bloom. Jess said that actors made her gag.
Another thing Jess hadn't expected was that her ideal sister slumber party wasn't going to happen. Jess hated everything that any normal girl would worship, such as make up, scented shampoo, and cute little mini skirts and short shorts. Jess wore mostly baggy jeans and tank tops covered with a gray sweatshirt. Instead of staying up all night gossiping and giggling, Jess preferred to sit silently listening to her CD player or reading a book. She called it "mellowing down." Will called it depression. And that's what the lightning guardian was doing now; reclining on her back with Gwen Stefani in her CD player and her cocker spaniel puppy, Sunny, sleeping on her chest. Will huffed with annoyance. Jess opened one eye and fixed it on Will with indignation.
"What?" Will hastily made up an excuse.
"Have you seen my jacket?" Jess pointed to the desk and Will blushed sheepishly. She tried once again to entice Jess to talk, but the girl just answered her questions in short, one word answers. Will huffed, trying to find a neutral topic to discus. She knew that Jess only went to Boyzilla concerts because she and their other friends went, and she really didn't watch TV much. Will was suddenly aware of how different they actually were. Honestly, the only thing keeping Jess from being a boy was breasts and P.M.S., and Will was…well…a girl. She, once again felt afraid that this living arrangement wasn't going to work. She didn't think Jess could stand leaving another home. Suddenly Jess was looking at her, her amber eyes narrowed in a characteristic glare before breaking into a smile.
"You want to go rent a movie or something? We've got nothing better to do." Will laughed.
"Sure. Gory horror movie or sappy love story?"
"How about both? We can rent two movies so we can swoon over Johnny Depp and then not sleep tonight because every little noise makes us think that the Amityville ghosts are coming to get us." Will smiled.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
As Jess had predicted, Will couldn't sleep that night after watching Amityville Horror. Jess was fast asleep. Scary movies never bothered her. Will turned over and snuggled Mister Huggels close to her chest, ignoring his squirming. She heard a click and she nearly leaped out of her bed. "Shhhhh! Go back to sleep." Jess said. She was standing, fully dressed, at the window, which was opened. Will nodded and the girl climbed out of the window and into the tree that grew alongside the apartment building. That was another thing that bothered her. Almost every night, Jess snuck out. She never said where she was going, but she was always back in bed by breakfast. Will tried to think up a way to ask her were she was going, but she was asleep again within seconds.