JULY 7, 1861

Jewel was heading out of her room and down the stairs when she heard voices coming from Jimmy's room. At first she thought it was Jimmy and Jacy, but then she realized that it didn't sound like her sister, so she froze in the hallway listening to the voices.

She soon realized that it was Lee who was talking with Jimmy. Jewel's mouth gaped open when she finally realized what they were discussing. She couldn't believe it. She thought Jimmy liked her sister. What a dirty rotten scoundrel he is for cheating on Jacy. Jewel sometimes didn't like her sister, but she didn't deserve being treated this way by him. She would ponder on this situation and think about what she should do. But right now she had to escape this place without being seen again.

Jewel made it to the barn and saddled a horse. She led him through the woods and then out on to the road when she thought the close was clear. Riding into the clearing near the river, she saw Cody and waved. Cody walked over and held up his hands, and Jewel pulled her horse to a stop. She climbed down and said, "Hello."

"Good evening, I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to think that I would have to come up to the house and steal you away." Jewel laughed. She loved how Cody was always saying amusing things. She got down off her horse and as she did, Cody noticed that she was frowning.

"Is something wrong?"

"I was thinking about the celebration. People don't know about me. I might have said yes to go with you too quickly. They'll think that I'm Jacy."

"True, but would that be so bad?" Realizing what he was suggesting, he mentally kicked himself. "If you want to, we can stay here. We can talk, and we should be able to see the fireworks from here."

"I'd like that better . . . as long as we don't fish." Jewel replied.

Cody chuckled. "No fishing tonight." Cody walked over to his spot and Jewel followed. They sat down where they had been sitting the other night. They talked mostly about Jewel. Jewel told Cody all the things that Jedidiah had been telling her about her past. Cody felt sorry for her. He would hate it if he didn't know who he was. Maybe it was just as bad for Jimmy. NO, he wouldn't be sorry for him. He had taken his girl. There was no excuse for that, not even amnesia.

'BOOM'

They heard it before they saw the fireworks. They both quickly turned around and looked into the sky. The fireworks were beautiful, Jewel thought. Cody watched as Jewel's face lit up when she saw the fireworks. He was beginning to fall for her, but was it really her or was it because she looked just like Jacy? What had happened between him and Jacy? He just didn't know. Was it to be? Could he be meant for Jewel instead of Jacy?

It was getting close to the end of the fireworks display when Cody and Jewel were very close together. Cody couldn't resist any longer. He leaned in even closer and when Jewel turned to look at him, he dipped his head and kissed her.

Jewel closed her eyes as Cody's lips touched hers. She opened her mouth a little and his tongue gently prodded forward. Her body went limp and she melted into him. It felt so good, but after a minute she quickly withdrew from him and walked off.

Cody was surprised from the sudden withdrawal. What was wrong? He got up and followed her. She stopped a few feet away with her back to him. "What's wrong?" He placed his hands on her shoulders.

Jewel didn't know how to answer his question. She didn't want to make him angry, but she didn't want to play second fiddle to her sister. He had been or was still in love with Jacy. So why did he kiss her? Did he wish that she were Jacy?

"I'm sorry. If kissing you was way out of line than I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. I don't know why I did." Cody was confused. He had liked the kiss, but was it because she reminded him of Jacy or was it because he genuinely liked her.

That hurt Jewel even worse than the kiss. "Then why? Why did you? Do you want to hurt me to get even with my sister? Is that it?" Tears filled her eyes and she took off, not waiting for Cody's reply. Her tears blurred her vision and she was running in a zigzag. Her foot stepped on a rock, her leg twisted and she fell hitting her head on a big rock. It happened so quickly that Cody couldn't do anything but watch.

Seeing her lying lifeless made his feet move. He ran over and knelt down beside her. He cradled her head in his lap and that's when he felt something sticky on his hand. He pulled his hand up to his face and by the light of the full moon he saw the blood. He shook his head. "NO!" He screamed. "Please God don't let her die." He knew that some head wounds could kill, and he was afraid that Jewel would die. He pulled his bandana off from around his neck and he applied pressure to her wound. He started talking to her, begging her to wake up. Tears from his face even fell from his onto hers. He rubbed his free hand on her face, hoping to wake her, all the while silently praying to God not to take her.

A few minutes passed by, but it seemed like an eternity to Cody, before Jewel started moaning and moving her head. "Be still, you've hurt your head." Jewel opened her eyes to the soothing voice and recognized Cody.

"What happened?" She looked to the side noticing the river where Cody had taken her fishing.

"You were running and you fell. You hit your head on a rock and it's bleeding." Cody replied as Jewel moved to a sitting position.

"OH!" She moaned as pain shot through her head. Images started flashing through her mind, and she started remembering things that she had forgot -- things, people, places and best of all who she really was.

"We should get you to a doctor. Can you stand?" Cody started getting up, but he still held on to Jewel and assisted her to her feet.

"I'm fine. I don't need a doctor." She shakily got to her feet, leaning against Cody for support.

"Let me be the judge of that." Cody took the bandana away from Jewel's head and inspected her wound. "It's not as bad as I thought, but you may need a few stitches. I'm taking you to see Doc Thomson," Seeing her expression he added, "and you can argue all you want, but it won't do you no good."

She knew it would be hard to get him to back down, so she reluctantly nodded her head. "But isn't Meg closer? Lets go there instead, ok?"

"Alright." Cody helped Jewel to her horse and then he mounted. He took her horse's reins and led her to Meg's home. Meg thought she was Jacy, and they didn't state otherwise. Meg fixed her up, and then Cody saw Jewel most of the way home. They didn't say anything all the way, for neither one knew what to say.

After Cody left her, she entered the house unnoticed and went to her room. She didn't get a wink of sleep all night. Ideas, plots and plans kept running through her head. Finally, after figuring out what she thought was the perfect plan and deciding that she would have to draft two other people into the scheme, she drifted off to sleep. This was about midmorning, so she hadn't got much sleep when she heard her sister banging on her door wanting her to get up and start breakfast.