A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter One
Two months had passed since Sarah
became a Dawson. Rose was legally Sarah’s mother, but it didn’t feel like it.
Well, it did, but she never referred to Rose as Mother. Since she and Sarah had
fatefully met, it was always just Rose.
As ironic as she found it, Sarah
often found herself thinking about Cal. That face of his that she used to love
and hate popped into her head at random times, sometimes even when she would go
surprise Rose at the cabaret she worked at. Especially during a song titled Heart
of the Ocean, which Rose had said was supposed to be about him. She never
went into much detail as to why she had named it what she did.
She found herself thinking about
Jack at random times, too. Sarah could finally say that she had met the most
influential and important man in Rose’s life. Even though it was for a brief,
one-day period, it was obvious that he was indeed unforgettable. He had left a
lasting impression that would probably last a lifetime on her.
But every spirit that Sarah had
crossed over never left her memory. True, she had only crossed over two, but
she had seen countless dead people in just her short fifteen years of life.
Sometimes she would see them when she was walking down the street, at a store,
sometimes even in the cabaret.
Rose was becoming more open and
accepting of Sarah’s gift, as Rose often referred to it. Sarah had never been
asked to do a séance for Jack, although she knew that she could do it. She
could see in Rose’s eyes that she wanted to do it, but she was too afraid to
ask. Rose often asked questions about her gift, and even two months later, she
hadn’t seemed to have run out of questions.
"Did you see one
today?" Rose asked one night while getting ready for bed in the master
bathroom.
Sarah stood by the open window.
The warm June evening air blew the curtains gently around, as long as Sarah’s
thin brown hair.
"See what?" she asked,
even though she knew what she was asking.
Rose came out of the bathroom,
her red hair held back with a clip. She patted her face with a small towel, her
skin freshly cleaned. "You know what I mean," she said. "Did you
see anyone?"
Sarah smiled. "Oh, that. No,
not today."
Rose put her towel down and
crawled into bed. "How do you even know that you’re seeing ghosts and not
people?"
Sarah thought about how to say
this. "You know when you look at a picture and you just have a feeling
about it right away, like you’ve experienced it, even though you haven’t?"
Rose nodded.
"That’s how I get when I see
ghosts. I feel what they’re feeling. They don’t have a shadow around them.
That’s one other thing. But I can see them just like I’m looking at you. That’s
what took me forever to figure out." She sighed. "I don’t even know
how to use it. This gift, I mean."
"Yes, you do," Rose
said soothingly. "You helped Jack cross over. That was a huge thing, and
you did it effortlessly."
"But I was scared that I
would do it wrong or say something wrong or...I don’t know, Rose. It’s
hard."
She nodded in understanding.
"Just know, Sarah, that I’m never going to doubt you or laugh at you or
think you’re crazy. You’re my daughter. Even though you’re adopted, it doesn’t
mean I don’t love you."
She smiled. "Thank you. And
you’re my mother. So, yes, I love you, too."
Rose smiled. "Time for you
to go, sweetheart. We’ve both had a long day."
Sarah nodded, even though she
wasn’t feeling tired. "Good night, Rose. I’ll see you tomorrow." She
closed the door behind her, headed to her bedroom, and got in her bed. Above
her, she could see the stars.
Again, Jack popped into her mind.
Sarah wished that she hadn’t crossed over Jack as fast as she had. True, he
didn’t belong here, but she wished that she could have known him just a little
longer.
Maybe she could contact Jack for
Rose’s birthday. Even though that was four months away, she made a quick mental
note to try to do that.
As soon as Sarah’s head hit the
pillow, she realized how tired she really was. Sleep sounded good. Sarah closed
her eyes, dreaming of, for once, nothing.