Authors: Bella Jewel
Life After Taylah
Life After Taylah
Life After Series, Volume 1
Bella Jewel
Published by Bella Jewel, 2014.
LIFE AFTER TAYLAH | Copyright © 2014 Bella Jewel
CHAPTER 8 | AVERY | Three weeks later.
CHAPTER 16 | AVERY | One month later.
CHAPTER 27 | AVERY | Two weeks later.
CHAPTER 36 | NATE | Another month later.
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Copyright © 2014 Bella Jewel
Life After Taylah is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Please do not take offence to the content, as it is FICTION.
This book took me on a long and painful journey, mostly because any time an author touches an emotional subject such as this, it’s a risk. I chose to tell this story for more than one reason. The first is that I wanted to bring the emotional turmoil experienced within a family after a loved one is lost or a life is taken. See, a very close family member of mine went missing a long time ago, and was never found again. To this day there are no answers. The damage done to those close is devastating. This subject is very real and very destructive to those around.
The affair in this book was blended in out of life experience also, while this story isn’t my own, it’s very close to me. It’s an emotion I’ve experienced very closely and I’ve felt the devastating affects of. If only love were always easy, if only we always thought about others before ourselves, if only we favored logic, instead of our hearts. But if we did such a thing, we would never have real, beautiful stories and life wouldn’t be what it is.
As always, my darlings, thanks for supporting me. And remember to join me on Facebook for more of my releases!
Bella xo
Spring 2004
“G
ood morning, good morning, to you!” My momma sings, dancing into the room. “Wake up, Avie!”
I blink my eyes open and stare at my mom. She’s smiling down at me, her blue eyes wide and responsive. She’s always smiling. She swoops down and presses a kiss to my head and then she spins in a delicate circle, finding my cupboard where she pulls out my school uniform. Her fingers run over the material, smoothing it out. Her nose crinkling as she realizes it’s not ironed to her standards.
“I don’t want to go to school today,” I moan, sliding out of bed.
“Baby-cakes, you know what your momma always says?”
I sigh, but it’s with a big smile. “School makes you smart and bein’ smart means you go a long way in life.”
She grins at me, holding up my dress now she’s content that it’s wrinkle-free. “I taught my baby girl well.”
“Fine,” I huff, taking the dress from her. “Where’s Papa?”
Her face tightens just a touch and I know it’s because my dad is always working. He works so much we hardly see him. If it weren’t for my momma, my life wouldn’t be so exultant. She keeps the sunshine in our lives.
“He had to work early this morning,” she says.
I frown. “But I thought he was going to come and watch me dance?”
She smiles, but behind it there is so much sadness. I can tell this, because her smile never truly reaches her eyes. “Momma will come and watch you dance, and then we’ll go and get some ice cream.”
I nod in resignation. “Okay.”
She kisses my head and walks out of the room, calling to my brother, Liam. He’s four years older than me and is in his senior year of high school. I’m just starting out. Even though he’s older than me, Liam and I are very close.
I adore him.
I hear him grumble as she skips into his room and I laugh, pulling my nightgown off and pulling on my dress. He never wakes up well.
I finish getting ready for school and I make my way out into the kitchen. Momma is staring down at her cell phone and smiling.
“Who is it?” I ask, sitting on a stool and sliding the freshly baked pancakes towards me.
“It’s just your dad, honey.” She smiles, tucking the phone away.
I like when dad makes her smile; it makes me happy to know he still loves her so dearly. How could you not love her? She’s so beautiful, so radiant, like light; like sunshine.
“These are good,” I say, pointing to my pancakes while chewing.
“Don’t talk with your mouthful, Avie,” she chastises, and then turns to Liam who is lifting himself onto the stool beside me. “Eat up, or you’ll be late.”
He grumbles something, but flashes me a smile. He’s got blue eyes just like Momma, and his hair is as light as hers. I have the same honey-colored blond hair, only my eyes are as green as Papa’s. Liam is blessed with olive skin, while mine is lighter. I frown at the thought and continue eating.
“Quickly now,” Momma says, checking her wristwatch. “You’re going to be late.”
I shove the last mouthful in and take my backpack off the seat. Mom shoves a lunch pack towards me and gives me a kiss on the cheek. Liam joins me seconds later and we stand by the door, waiting, as Mom rushes over to kiss us again.
“My angels,” she breathes, admiring us. “Have a wonderful day. Remember I love you.”
We both smile at her.
“Love you too, Mom!”
~*~*~*~
T
oday is boring; I rest my chin on my crossed arms and stare at the teacher. I’m not really listening, so when she speaks to me, it takes me a moment to click. I lift my head. “Pardon?”
“I said,” she says, her face grim. “You need to go to the office.”
I stare at her, confused. Why do I need to go to the office? I get out of my chair and I can feel all the other students’ eyes on me as I rush out of the classroom and down the large halls, past the lockers and into the stuffy office that belongs to a very crabby principal.
“What’s going on?” I ask when I enter, slinking my pack over my shoulder.
“You need to wait here for your brother,” the principal says. “Your dad called and said it’s urgent that you come home.”
I shake my head, confused. “Why?”
“He didn’t say, but he needs you at home as he won’t have the time to pick you up later. He said it’s important.”
I frown and take a seat, waiting for Liam. When he comes in, he looks as confused as me as he sits to my left.
“What’s going on?”
I shrug. “Dad needs us home.”
“Maybe Momma is sick?”
I shake my head. “She was fine this morning.”
He purses his lips and looks away. We wait in silence for our father. When he arrives he looks flustered and disorientated. His usually well-styled hair is ruffled and his suit is crumbled.
“Dad?” I ask, standing.
“We have to go, come on,” he murmurs, putting his hands to our backs and pushing us forward.
“What’s going on?” Liam asks.
“I’ll explain in the car, let’s go.”
We hurry out, not questioning him any further. When we reach his little red sports car that he loves so dearly, we quickly climb in and buckle up. He turns to us as soon as he’s in.
“I can’t find your mother,” he says quickly, looking frazzled.
My heart plummets deep into my belly. “What?” I squeak.
“I called her this morning, over and over, and she didn’t answer. I got worried and went home; she wasn’t there. I searched and I searched, but she’s not answering my calls. Let’s not become alarmed, it could be as simple as her visiting a friend and her cell battery has gotten flat. I need you guys at home because I’ve got to get out and look, and between looking for your mother and work, I won’t be able to take you to your sports, as planned. I’m very worried as you can imagine.”
Liam is staring out the window, his face red. “She wouldn’t just let her phone go flat, Papa,” he murmurs. “This is Mom we’re talking about.”
“That’s why I’m going to look. I’ll take you home where I know you’re safe and we’ll go from there.”
Something just doesn’t feel right. My stomach is turning and my heart aches. I hope she’s okay.
~*~*~*~
“I
t’s been ten days,” I sob into Liam’s chest. “Why hasn’t she come home?”
“I don’t know, Avie, I don’t know.”
“You two need to get to school,” Papa says, storming in. He’s disheveled, his suit is crinkled and he’s flustered. He hasn’t slept much for the past ten days and I know he’s suffering, too.
“I don’t want to go,” I say in a shaky voice, holding onto Liam.
“There isn’t a choice, Avery. I can’t have you here; I’ve got enough going on.”
“So do we,” Liam says, narrowing his eyes at our father.
“Don’t start with me, boy, get her to school and make sure she’s safe.”
I get to my feet, still sobbing. I don’t want to go to school but I don’t want to make things harder for Papa either, so I do as he asks and I go and get dressed. I’m numb as I pull my shoes on. Waking up isn’t easy when Momma isn’t here. She just disappeared and no one can figure out where she’s gone. There have been policemen and questions, but there’s been no Momma.
I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again.
AVERY - 2014
“A
llegro,
Avery. You seem stiff.”
I swoop my body to the ground, extending my hands and twisting in a graceful yet quick movement. I lift my eyes to my teacher, Lyn, and see she’s got her arms crossed over her heavy bosom. I’m not moving stylishly enough; she’s making that very clear. She’s got me doing a routine to a slower tempo, and it’s not my forte.
I lower my head as my body swoops towards the floor, and I gracefully spin again, lifting up onto my toes before extending my leg out the back and then stretching my arms out wide and bringing my body back down so my fingers lightly graze the floor.
