Isaac touched her dead cheek. She was a so pale and fragile, her hair so blonde, and she was only 16 barely 17. She laid there like a dead lily fading in the distance. Taylor and Zac stood beside their oldest brother. He thought he felt a pulse or a singe breath but he only imagined. Jada.
No, Jada did not die but the girl who did looked like Jada in every way. Isaac looked at her and he felt a mixture of feelings. Renee Thompson died of heart failure two days ago due to a heart murmur a week prior to her death. Isaac walked away, but then turned and kissed her cheek for she would have never got the chance to.
Jada walked into the room where Renee was being laid out in search of Isaac. She was wearing a long, black dress and black shoes. She spotted him across the room sitting next to a bouquet of Carnations, his head resting on his interlaced fingers. "What'cha thinkin of?" She asked casually taking a seat next to him. "Life, how quickly it comes, and goes," he answered still in the same position. "Oh Ike cheer up! She would have been ecstatic to know you were at her...um...well she would have been happy to see you and your brothers anywhere! I'm not sure she exactly had her funeral in mind," Jada spoke solemnly.
"C'mon Ike we have to go now," Zac urged him. He looked up at Zac and stood up to follow him out. Jada was sittin out on the curb flicking rocks into a puddle and staring at the passing cars. She closed her eyes and felt the cool breeze wisp against her cheek, blowing her strands of hair everywhere. She turned her head and noticed Zac and Isaac walk out of the funeral parlor. Jada did not move a muscle but instead watched him walk towards her. She smiled thinking he would walk over to her and sit down next to her but rather than doing that he turned and walked to his van. She looked at him walk away with a puzzled look on her face.
"Hey Jada, what's wrong?" Taylor asked as she just sat and watched the passers by. "What's wrong with Isaac? He's been acting so strange lately. I mean, sure it is a huge tragedy that one of your fans died but honestly does he have to snub me? All I do is love him but these past couple days have been really weird for both of us, me and Ike she explained. Taylor caught her off gaurd as he kissed her cheek quickly and pulled back. Stunned Jada looked at him her face without words. "I'm sure Ike wants the same," he said as he walked away. What just happened here? She asked herself. She shook her head and waltzed over to Zac who was sitting by the van. Jada walked closer and flatened out her dress. "Hey partner, what's happenin?" She asked. Zac said nothing but just let his eyes do the talking. She kept reaching behind her back like she was doing something. "Uh, Jada are you ok?" He asked. "Yeah," she paused, "but this dress gives me major wedgies." He looked at her and giggled. "Zac, has Ike been acting weird lately to you?" Jada wondered. "Yeah, but he's always weird." "No, I mean, weird, weird." "No why?" "Nevermind."
Ike sat in the van and pulled out a little velvet box from his pocket; his birthday gift to Jada. It was a diamond necklace, not to big, not to small, with a gold chain. He smiled at it and examined the necklace for a second. He was waiting for the right time to give it to her. They would only be in North Carolina for a few more days, maybe four, and Jada's birthday was in three days. It was only Thursday and her birthday was Sunday. Isaac put the box into his pocket waiting for the perfect time; it wouldn't come yet.
Jada walked over to the van and opened the door surprised to see Isaac. "Oh sorry," she mumbled and almost shut the door. "No, come in," he urged. She wasted to time and stepped inside. She sat up in the passengers' seat and he was all the way in the back. After about five minutes someone finally spoke, "Jada come sit back here with me." She turned and looked back at him and walked back to where he was stationed. Jada sat next to him as close as she could get without sitting on top of him even though she wanted to.
He put his arm around her and held her close as to never let her go. Isaac kissed her forehead and tilted his head to hers. She felt like he was putting the moves on her but he was being so romantic, and sincere. She looked up at him, looking at her, and she stretched up and kissed him, long and slowly. She put her arms around his neck and slowly kissed him passionatly. "I love you," she whispered into his face. "I love you more," he returned.
Jada was sleeping in the van. She woke up after a long nap and the Hanson's still weren't in the van yet. Isaac wasn't with her and she became confused. She walked around outside and saw none of the Hanson's and no clues leading to where they were. She walked around the parlor to see Diana and Taylor sitting on the steps. "Taylor, Mrs. Hanson, where's Isaac?" "What do you mean where's Isaac? I thought he was with you?" Diana said. "No Mrs. Hanson, I was sleeping and he was with me and the next thing I know is that he isn't there any more," she explained. "Oh my God," Taylor whispered under his breath. "I saw a brunette running from the parlor, and she looked exactly like Amanda Elliot, I think she was," Taylor whispered. "Oh man!" Jada mumbled. "Sorry, but I have to go," Jada said as she ran from the parking lot. "Jada wait!" Taylor yelled; it was too late.
It started to rain as Jada was running through bushes, and trees her dress snagging on twigs. She kept running until she came to the spot where she thought Isaac was; the same spot Gwen held them both. Jada crept slowly around the building but her shoes kept clicking on the ground. She took them off and walked quietly to the door and looked in the window. Inside it was pitch black, with not one single living thing. "Great," she mumbled. She walked back over to her shoes and sat on a rock. Jada started crying and she couldn't tell her tears from the rain. She kept sniffling and choking herself all up. "Isaac!" She hollered loud and long into the woods. Not a sound came back.
Isaac lay motionless in the back of a pick up truck. He saw a brown haired girl driving and a boy next to her. "Joe, now that we got that kid what are we going to do? Put him out of his misery and just kill him? Or torture him?" Kalie asked her brother Joseph. Joseph and Gwen were boyfriend/girlfriend. Kalie was his eighteen year old sister. He was sixteen and he wanted to get Isaac and Jada back for putting his girlfriend in jail and nearly killing her.
"I don't know Kalie, why don't we just have fun with him?" He suggested. He turned around and looked Isaac directly in the eye. Isaac tried to move but his hands were tied to and metal pole in the back of the truck. The rain was pouring on him and he looked like a wet dog. The blood on Isaac's head was dried but the rain was washing it off. His suit was torn, and tattered and his teeth were chattering.
Ten minutes passed and Kalie stopped the truck and Joseph got out. He untied Isaac and opened the door to a shack and threw Isaac inside, his head hitting the cement. Joseph shut the door leaving Isaac in the dark. It was a dark, cold room with absolutely no lights or anything. He shut his eyes and thought about Jada and how he had missed her and it had only been fifteen minutes. "Why God, why? Why do you put me to the test! What have I done to deserve this! All I do is love Jada and this is what love costs? If this is what it is how come so many people are in love?! Just bring me back to her! I need to know she's there! I need to touch her hair and feel her breath! I need to smell her perfume and taste her lip gloss! I need her light to fill a dark room, and her love to comfort me! All I want is Jada! All I want is Jada," he prayed loud. He sat back down on the ground and cried. He didn't cry often but when he did it was hard.
Jada made her way back to the funeral parlor in twenty minutes and she wasn't at all surprised to find that the Hanson's van wasn't there. She jsut sighed and made her way back to the hotel and in ten minutes she was there. She walked up three flights of stairs, her hair dripping onto the ground. People walked by in their posh outfits to go to dinner or whatever, and then there was Green Jello, the girls who followed Hanson everywhere. There was this one girl, around twelve years old who noticed Jada with puffy eyes, and a ruined dress. "Hello, are you Jada Collins?" She asked. "Why do you want me to go to hell?" Jada sniffled. "No, not at all. In fact I look up to you for all you've done. You put up with all of the fans grief, tabloids, screaming girls, everything. And you still manage to look nice every time," she smiled. "Thanks a lot. It's nice to know I'm not hated by every Hanson fan. Look, I have a lot of things to do so I'd beter be going," Jada said. "Okay, I understand," the girl replied. Jada was ready to walk back to the room but the girl gave her a hug before she left. "Thank you," Jada whispered, and walked back to her room.
Jada knocked on the door a couple times but no one responded. "Taylor! Zac!" She called. No response. "C'mon Zac this isn't funny," she pleaded. She didn't have a key so she ran down to front desk and had them send someone up to open her room. Someone did and she walked in. Both, Taylor and Zac were on the balcony thinking and talking, occasionally. Jada opened the sliding door and sat down next to Zac. "Hey guys," she let out a small smile. "Hey," they both mumbled. "This has been one hell of a trip," Taylor said. "You can say that again," Jada let out. They sat and watched the few trees sway back and forth, and the cars go north and south. No matter what Jada thought of it somehow connected with Isaac. No matter if she started talking about wild pigs in East Africa it strangely connected to Isaac.
"Do you love Isaac?" Zac asked her. "Yes, Zac I love him with every thing I have. It was your music that kept me breathing but Isaac that kept me going. Yeah, you and Taylor are sweet and all but there's something about Isaac that makes my head spin. I just want to spend every minute with him, you know?" "No, I don't," Zac said. "I do," Taylor spoke up. "I know exactly how you feel," Taylor said again.
Isaac had enough. For the past ten minutes he had been beaten with a baseball bat, kicked and punched. He had absolutely no energy, no metabolism, nothing to keep him going. So he sang.
Tears streaked down his cheeks as he sang. The tears hurt as the ran down his bruised face. He took off his jacket and threw it across the room. He touched his cheek but winced at the pain it caused. He couldn't take it anymore; so he just decided to sit and cry.
The clouds started clearing up and the sun barely shone through. "Jada, your dress is all ruined," Zac noticed. "Zac don't worry about it. It's an old dress," she covered. "Taylor how come you don't have a girlfriend?" Jada asked. "I haven't met the right person yet, I guess. I don't think I'm ready to love someone. I know it's so beautiful, and it gives so much, but when the time comes, I guess, I'll find the right girl," he explained. He started to blush. "How can I do this?" Jada moaned. "Do what?" Zac asked. "Do this! Sit here and look at the sun when my boyfriend is stuck with somebody who is probably beating the crap out of him! I should be out there looking for him! I should be walking through swamps, and woods or whatever trying to find him! It's all my fault!" She whined as her eyes filled up with tears. Taylor held her close and gave her a strong hug, "It's not your fault. Nothings your fault." She held his shoulders and cried. Zac went aroud her back and joined in the emotion-fest.
Her eyes fixated on something in the room. It was a picture. She moved away
from Taylor and Zac and walked over to this picture. It was the very first
picture her and Isaac took together. It was a Polaroid of them at the concert.
She smiled at the picture and placed it back by the television. She decided to
call her mother to see how things were going.
"Hi mom?"
"Jada? Hey! How are things going?"
"Not so good."
"Why?"
"Well, at first me and Ike were kidnapped, then we got out and the girl is in
jail. Then, we found out this girls sister died, but this other girl, Amanda
was the girl that kidnapped us's cousin. The kidnappers name was Gwen and her
sister Tania died but Amanda was her cousin. Then just today Isaac was
kidnapped but we don't know by who. Not to mention I am being hated by all of
the fans."
"Oh my God. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine I just miss Isaac so much."
"Well hang in there. Look, I have to go to work in ten so I have to go."
"Fine, bye mom."
"Bye."
Yes, Jada could always go to her mother for moral support. Jada wanted to see Isaac so badly it hurt her side. She didn't know where he was. She could hear the sounds of police workers next door in Walker and Diana's room. Soon they would be over in Jada's room pestering her, and racking her brain to try to see what she knew about the mystery.
She couldn't take it anymore; she went out and searched high and low for Isaac. After four hours of searching she couldn't find him so she gave up. It took her nearly two hours for her to navigate herself out of the woods and a half an hour to get back to the hotel. By this time it was 9:00pm and she was beat. Jada got a shower and went to bed. She had the whole bed to herself and she was so lonely. No Isaac next to her to tell her his goofy jokes; to tell her he loved her or to kiss her forehead; nothing.
Isaac laid on his back staring at the ceiling just hoping it would fall right on him. He had lost a tooth in the back of his mouth and it was across the room. Joseph and Kalie didn't show up since his last brutal attack. He was sure he had a broken bone or a concussion or something. His whole body hurt so badly that he could hardly breathe. Everythime he coughed or sneezed he winced at the pain the little reaction had caused.
He thought about everything. The show for tonight that had been cancelled, his family, food, his fans, his guitar, and Jada. He shook his head and tried to erase her from his mind. She could never be erased and he knew it
