Part I: Parting

Part II: Conditional Love

Part III: The Reckoning

Part IV: The Third Event

  It was a clear and beautiful sunset. The sky streaked with pinks and pale blues darkening around the mountain peaks in the far distance. Behind Jessie was a thin country one-lane road. She had been here before. Jessie’s eyes scanned the pull out. There wasn’t much there. She shifted her feet kicking up a small dusty devil of loose rock and clay dirt. Against the shale wall that edged the precariously dangerous slope below was a lonely white metal barrel that had been backed into by a car that served as a trash can. 
  Behind her, Jessie heard the crunch of gravel. As her heart quickened, she turned to follow the sound only to jerk herself out of the dream. Jessie pulled a lock of hair that had plastered itself against her forehead. 
  The dream never changes. Nothing happens to me. I’m all right.  She told herself over and over. There was nothing reassuring about the dream.  She sat up hugging her knees to her chest, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of being drenched in sweat and shivering more out of nervousness than cold. 
  “Jessica?” there was a soft knock. “Time to get up for school.” The cheerful morning call stopped her racing heart and robbed Jessie of the time she really needed to put the dream behind her.
  “Be there in a minute.” Jessie dragged herself out of the bed and changed her t-shirt tossing the soaked shirt in a laundry pile behind the closet door. 
  The dream was hardly an echo in her mind as she got ready for school over and over, the threat of someone coming up behind her scratched at her sanity.
  “Hurry up, I have breakfast waiting!” Mrs. Caudill seemed to have nothing else better to do than to follow Jessie around this morning.
  Jessie got dressed quickly and then tumbled down stairs where she was greeted by Mrs. Caudill’s attempt at oatmeal. With a bit of rye humor Jessie lifted the blackened goop on a spoon that Mrs. Caudill considered a healthful breakfast. 
  Did the oats know this would be their fate? She wondered with a bit of humor trying to figure out how to dispose of the bowl without Mrs. Caudill noticing.
  A sigh came from Mrs. Caudill clearly impatient for Jessie to get around to finishing. Jessie raised a questioning eyebrow, clearly not ready to talk about anything this morning.
  “Paul and I have been discussing what Dr. Boston has suggested for you last night.” Jessie pushed the glob in the bowl around finding that it had adhered to itself unwilling to part from the rest of the oats that had suffered the same fate. “And since Dr. Boston had pointed out that your education is best left decided to your teachers and you, Paul and I signed your class slip allowing you to take the senior classes you want to take.” The two-page request slip was handed to Jessie, but Mrs. Caudill held onto it for a second longer allowing Jessie to verify that it had been signed.
  “But we want a few things from you Jessica.” Jessie sat back away from the bowl wondering if she could get away with not eating it as she listened. She set her jaw on edge, not trusting herself to speak particularly knowing that it might end in an unresolved argument. 
  “First we are taking you shopping this weekend. You are not to wear those horrible shoes anymore. It looks as if they’ve been chewed on every dog in the county.”  Jessie looked down at the worn sneakers on her feet. 
  Well, that last foster home had just about every dog in the county. Jessie mused.
  “And you’re going to join us at Paul’s annual partner dinner next week. We want your behavior to be exemplary. One toe out of line, and you’ll be spending the rest of your life in high school.” Jessie shrugged.
  “So what do you say Jessica?” Mrs. Caudill braced for a moment, unsure of what might Jessica’s response would include.
  “Anything else?” Mrs. Caudill shook her response. “Fine.”
  “And we have to meet Dr. Boston today after school. I’ll pick you up after school.”
  “I’ve got to get going. I’ll be late.” Jessie picked up her backpack sliding the academic paperwork into a notebook and then slipped out the door. It was then that Mrs. Caudill realized Jessie hadn’t eaten a thing. 
  “Come back Jessie you haven’t finished your breakfast!” Mrs. Caudill called after Jessie, but Jessie had managed to make it down to the corner and rounding it, allowing herself to faithfully ignore Mrs. Caudill’s distress.

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