My Cold Imprisonment: A Modern Jelsa Story

Epilogue

May 15th

My day began as it always does on Saturday mornings: I woke up at 9 to an empty bed in my cozy little apartment to the sound of song birds chirping and a gentle breeze giving all its might to shake those oh so heavy leaves of my tree branches. I made chocolate chip pancakes and clicked on the TV, scrolling through the movie channels to find something interesting enough to somewhat keep my attention while mostly acting as an auditory filler to further hush the silence. As you can imagine, still being in my PJs, I was not at all prepared to hear the light tapping of knuckles hitting my door. I was too lazy to get up, but as the knocking persisted, I begrudgingly went back to my room to change my clothes and headed back to the door. Logically, I asked who it was and the reply I received didn't make any sense.

"It's Jack, Jackson Overland", the voice said and a grand pause followed. "May I come in?"

Great, I thought to myself, just what I needed this morning. That boy. That name.

His sheer existence has haunted me for years. I've known this boy ever since the beginning of my high school career. The chestnut hair, unnaturally blue eyes, and a demeanor taken straight from your stereotypical Greaser from The Outsiders and you got yourself Jackson Overland in a nutshell. Remarkably, he also managed to win the heart of my lovable yet foolish sister, Elizabeth. I always hated him for that.

"What are you doing here Jack?", was all I could muster up to say in reply. What he said next changed everything.

"I found her; she's here with me."

My sister has been missing for over three years. I watched her be abducted into a dark abyss which sat on four wheels and vanished just as fast as it appeared. I went to school and carried on with my day to day life, knowing hers had completely changed forever. And here stood the boy who I found had broke her heart just hours before her entire life had just shattered telling me he had not only found her, but had brought her here to my door step with him.

"You're such a liar, Jackson; you always have been. Why should I believe you?", I retorted confidently as I was sure my sister was already long and dead.

"He may be a liar, but you know I never was Anna".

Her words gently vibrated through my door, the sound of her voice kissing me softly on my cheek. "Elizabeth?", I whispered to myself in disbelief. I didn't want to prove Jackson right, but I had to open the door; I had to see for myself. And when I opened the door, I knew I had made a mistake trusting him. Her hair, a jumbled sun bleached mess compared to her striking waves of mahogany. Her face grayed with premature age from the toxicity of stress and trauma. And her eyes, those flawless uncut sapphires, withered and eroded from those countless sleepless nights she stayed awake yearning for a release that would not come soon enough. The woman my sister was once was gone; she had perished long ago along side her hope. The very sight of her brought tears to my eyes as I knew she would never be her old self again. But I assume Elizabeth thought I was crying out of overwhelming joy because she was the one who embraced me in a tight hug.

"It's okay Anna; I'm here now. There's no need to cry", but hearing her say that only made me cry more. 

"Come on, let's get you inside. When can talk more once you've calmed down a bit", she said to me in slightly parental tone. Her voice sounded just like mom's.

After my crying fit, Elizabeth, Jackson and I went into my apartment and sat down on my couch while I headed to the bathroom to "freshen up". I never thought this day would come, but even I was surprised by how emotional I was. If anything I thought I would be happier to see her, yet all I felt was immense sadness. Her return should have meant I could finally kiss my grief good bye; it only made it harder to let it go.