Pearls

Chapter 18

"What is what?"

I couldn't stop staring at it. As I took it out of the box, Phoenix's eyes widened.

"Is that a necklace?"

I nodded silently. "It has a teeny tiny bottle hanging from it. It's quite cute actually." I held the bottle in my hand, inspecting its dimensions. Small and blue, the bottle was made of glass and appeared to be hollow on the inside. "I wonder who'd give this to you... Oh! It looks like you can take the top off too!"

Before I could open it, Phoenix reached across the desk and snatched it from my hand, peering closely at it. "Impossible...where....where did this come from? Maya! Was there anything else in the box?"

"I don't know. I only saw the necklace...oh wait. There are a bunch of letters inside here. Makes sense since it's such a big box." I began piling the letters onto the desk. "They're all addressed to you it seems. How many are there? You'd think the person would've sent these to you individually rather than in a box. What do you think, Nick....?"

The letters I had placed on the desk had been ripped open. They all lay in Phoenix's hands, falling to his feet once he had finished reading them. With each page he read, he shot a glance at the necklace which he still held in his right hand. I watched in silence as the mound of letters grew on the floor until he dropped the final one. He slumped in his chair and held the necklace in front of his face.

"Maya," his voice sounded tired, "do you remember Iris? From the Hazakura Temple."

"Iris? Yeah, I kind of remember her. So she's the one who sent you this parcel... Wait! How is that possible? Isn't she in prison?"

"That's what I thought too, but I guess that's why the parcel was delivered by that officer. Then again, it should've been delivered via the post."

"Maybe she asked them to personally deliver it."

"If that's the case, why did the officer come from the precinct?" He shook his head. "Whatever. I'm more concerned about why she sent me this necklace."

"Didn't she explain in her letters? One of them is bound to have said something."

I bent down, grabbing a letter and began reading. I didn't notice Phoenix's flailing arms nor his flustered face but by the time I did it was too late.

Dear Feenie,

I hope this letter finds you well. It has been a while since I last wrote to you or seen you. I can't help but write these letters to you even though I'll never send them. It's a cruel punishment for me to endure as I continue writing, watching them steadily grow in my cell. Each one is addressed to you, Feenie. I still remember your kindness that day. I hope one day that I'll be able to repay you and your friends too. I'm forever grateful for all of their efforts. Please, if you are reading this Feenie, send my greetings and thanks to them. Apart from that I want you to know that not a day goes by that I'm not thinking of you. You'll always be my hope, my light for as long as I live. Thank you for all that you've done for me, Feenie. I hope that when I'm set free that I'll be able to meet you again.

Sincerely, Iris

As soon as I finished reading it, the paper was snatched out of my hands. "Nick, I don't believe it! All this time she's been writing you these love letters and we had no clue about it because she never sent them!"

"I would't really call them love letters..."

"Oh, really?" I grabbed a bunch of letters. "So you wouldn't mind if I read these too?"

A blue blur zipped past me. I could feel all the letters in my hands disappear.

I've never seen Nick move so fast before.