Glass House, Amberlynn

Chapter 1

        My stare came off as a challenge and under different circumstances, Jonah would have slapped me, but he accepted the challenge with a sneer. Without breaking our eye contact, he slipped his hand into his front left pocket. The scowl that found its way to his face made me take a step back as he removed his watch from the said pocket.

"I believe you're getting old, father" Cindy said from behind me, the faint sound of controlled laugher filling my ears. Why did she have to be so close?

"Well, yes" He replied, glancing at the watch in his hands "Perhaps I should retire for the night."

"That sounds like a good idea, Jonah. Can I suggest that you do it at your own house?" That is what I thought of saying, but I kept my mouth shut and nodded my head once before leaving down the hall.

        Deciding that going to my room was better than staying up and listen to Cindy chatter away; I opened my bedroom door and walked inside. My room was neat and organized. My bed sat against the wall on the right of my window while my dresser was on its left. The rocking chair my mother used to put me to sleep was in the corner. On my bed was a box with a pale green ribbon.

        As I closed the door, my eyes stayed glued to the box. Never before had I seen it so I was overcome with both curiosity and suspicion. At first I wondered if perhaps it was a gift from Jonah or Cindy, but that wasn't exactly likely. Jonah hated me and Cindy feared me. Neither of them would have bought me a thing, much less a box with a ribbon.

        With slow steps I made my way over to the box, but stopped short. As I stood mere inches away from the item, I thought about several other things that had to done and I did them. I tidied my room, had a snack, took a bath, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, dressed for bed, drank some warm milk, and then finally faced the box head on. I stood at the foot of my bed where the box sat. Why was it that I was so hesitant to open the damn thing?

        I had to shake my hesitation off. When the clock turned ten I finally mustered up enough courage to remove the ribbon and lift the lid. What I found inside was a small bottle and inside that was a small bead. I thought that it was some type of joke. I placed the vile back into the box and spotted a piece of parchment folded neatly against the inside. I couldn't belive that the joke came with paper. I assumed it said something stupid, but opened it anyway.

Dear Madam,

        This gift is sent to you as a path to freedom and hapiness. Take care of it well and it will in turn do the same. This is no joke. The bead within the bottle needs to be submerged in water for two days. When it comes to you make sure to have its clothes waiting and a meal prepared. It will be your family as long as you care.

Sincerely,

Glass House

        I looked at the note countless times before finally setting it down and picking the bottle back up once more. What exactly was I supposed to dress a bead in or feed it? Perhaps I had finally lost it after all those years.

        With the bottle in my hand, I walked over to the window and opened it. The warm, April breeze blew in as I climbed out said window and landed with my feet on the grass. I was glad that I had moved the flowerbed I got from Joel onto the other side of the house the day before. I would have been heartbroken if I ended up landing on it.

Water...

        Flattening out my night gown, I thought of where I could place the bead for two days without something happening to it. In the house, would have caused commotion and the pond had fish swimming around in it. A half smile formed on my face as I realized the perfect spot for the bead. I wasn't sure if it was a real smile and in all honesty I didn't care.