Tobagua: The Queen's Locket: Chapter 1

“You know, Alison might actually be kind of pretty if she learned how to do her hair and make-up. But she really doesn’t have a chance, I mean, who’s going to teach her? Her grandma?” Ashley said loudly as she walked by Alison’s locker, swinging her hips and flipping her perfectly curled blonde hair. She was followed by two girls with equally perfect hair that giggled obnoxiously at their friend’s cruelty.

“Real mature,” Alison Eswara mumbled. She listened to the clicking of the girls’ heels and made sure they were gone before she turned from her locker and headed to class.

Glancing out the window as she walked down the hall, Alison could see several sky scrapers in the distance. For so many people, New York City represented things like freedom, hope, and liberty. For Alison, it was the exact opposite. All Alison felt when she looked at the streets of New York was frustration, loneliness, and longing. Longing for something more. She didn’t care if it was considered to be a dream city to most; Alison hated everything about The Big Apple.

Alison had lived in New York with her grandmother Aashika for as long as she could remember. She loved Aashika more than anything in the world, but she’d always wondered how things could be different. She wondered what it might be like to have someone a little closer to her own age to talk to. Someone like a mom or dad. But she was only a baby when her parents had gotten in the car crash. She barely knew who they were.

Knowing that tomorrow was the last day of Alison’s sophomore year was somewhat of a relief to her, however. Being that the few close friends that Alison had had moved last year or graduated, this year had proven to be the worst year yet at Millennium High.
A paper was lying on Alison’s desk when she took her seat in seventh period history class. She flipped it over. It was her test from last week with a large A+ on the front. One of Ashley’s wannabes noticed this as well and gave Alison a dirty look. There was a time when Alison would have retaliated against this, but she just didn’t think it was worth it anymore.

The only reason Alison got such good grades was because it was so easy for her. She hadn’t tried in over a year, and she honestly didn’t care anymore about grades. The truth was she really didn’t care about much of anything now. If it wasn’t for her grandma, she didn’t know what or who she would have to love.

The rest of class passed agonizingly. Alison spent the entire hour staring at a single spot out the window. She was looking at a large building, but she never really saw it. She felt as if she were looking into nothingness. Alison knew she wasn’t very happy anymore, but she could barely admit it to herself. She kept hoping that she would feel better after high school and could do what she wanted with her life. She hung onto this hope with dear life.

Finally the bell rang, freeing Alison from her hell hole for the night. She hurried to her locker to put her things away and grab her keys. She was out the door in no less than two minutes after the bell rang
.
Alison took a deep breath when she stepped outside, but instead of feeling relief, she just felt more annoyance as she breathed in. Her nostrils were filled with the smells of city pollution. And not to mention the loud sounds of sirens and car horns in the distance blared in her ears. She rushed to her car and slammed the door. Finally, peace and quiet.

Alison drove an old car. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. She always felt bad for her grandma when she constantly drove her around. Alison also liked the feeling of independence that her own car gave her.

Ten minutes later, Alison was parking in the main lot of the apartment buildings her and Aashika lived in. She had been so angry that she had started to cry on the way home. She was really starting to lose it and she didn’t think she’d be able to handle it if tomorrow wasn’t the last day. But she didn’t want Aashika feeling bad for her, so she wiped the tears away, took a deep breath, and got out of the car.

Just by stepping into the apartment, Alison immediately felt a little bit better. Soft and peaceful music was coming out of a small stereo in the corner of the room. The smell of something delicious drifted from the kitchen and made Alison’s stomach rumble.

The place was slightly cluttered but not dirty. It had several unique decorations, many of them Indian artifacts like dream catchers and paintings. Light flooded in from the windows as well as from the many lamps scattered around. The couches and chairs were accessorized with beautiful quilts and blankets made by Aashika herself. It may not be large or expensive, but Aashika’s apartment always felt like home to Alison and offered a sense of peace.

As she wandered into the kitchen to find the source of the mouth-watering smell, Alison discovered Aashika pulling a sheet out of the oven laden with homemade chocolate chip cookies. Aashika turned and smiled warmly at Alison’s presence. She set the cookie sheet on the counter with a potholder and offered Alison one of the already cooled cookies. Alison accepted it and took a bite. It was fantastic; Aashika truly was an incredible cook.

“Hi, honey. How was school?” Aashika asked. She knew that Alison hated school, but she still asked every day, hoping that it would eventually get better.

“Eh, it was school,” Alison replied grimly. Then, so as not to worry her grandmother, she added: “I got my history test back today, and I received an A+.”

Aashika smiled. “I’m not surprised, that’s my girl.”

“How was your day, Grandma? These cookies are amazing, thank you.”

“Oh, it was just another day. Nothing too exciting of course,” Aashika said. “No more cookies until after dinner though! Why don’t you go put your things away, it will be ready soon,” she added, a little quickly, as if she was trying to change the subject. Alison had the strange notion that her grandma was hiding something from her. She didn’t press it, however, she knew Aashika was stubborn and would tell Alison only when she wanted to. She followed orders and retreated to her room to await what would no doubt be a Food Network worthy meal.

As soon as Alison entered her room, the familiar feeling of negativity washed over her again. Aashika knew Alison wasn’t happy at school, but she didn’t know the extent to which Alison’s depression had entered because Alison put on a happy face for her. Alison sat down on her bed, and began thinking. Overthinking always got the best of her.

Alison didn’t understand why they hated her at school, and why she had had to grow up without her parents. What had she done wrong to deserve this? She didn’t think she’d ever fit in, and she really had no idea what she would do after high school. She was getting to the place where she hardly saw a point in life anymore. Aashika wasn’t young, she was eighty three years old, and she wouldn’t live much longer. When Aashika was gone, who or what did Alison have left? Aashika was the only thing keeping her going, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to do it without her.

Worst of all, Alison didn’t know why she felt this way. She had no reason to feel this badly about life; she hadn’t suffered any tremendous tragedies compared to a lot of people. Sure, she had grown up with no parents, but she had been raised well, and by the best person she’d ever met in her entire life. Maybe no one liked her at school, but it could be worse. Why did she feel so unhappy and so negative all the time? She had come to the conclusion that there was obviously something wrong with her, and it was her fault in
some way.

Alison’s eyes began to fill with tears as she continued thinking. She tried choking them back, but she couldn’t stop it. They fell down her face silently. Alison sat there for a few minutes, letting herself cry. It offered a small relief after bottling up her feelings all day. But she soon wiped her tears and stood up to put her things away and change into sweatpants for the night. She wouldn’t let Aashika see she had been crying, no matter what.

Alison swept her hair back into a ponytail, and looked in the mirror momentarily. She remembered briefly what Ashley had said about her having the possibility to be pretty. In reality, Alison was very pretty. She was tall and slender with long, wavy, dark hair. She had unusually bright green eyes, and long dark eyelashes. But Alison didn’t think she was pretty at all. It was true that she never wore makeup or did anything with her hair or clothes because she didn’t see the point.

Attempting to busy herself so as not to get caught up in thinking again, Alison picked up her room a little bit. This wasn’t really necessary, however, as Alison’s room was already nearly spotless. It was a simple and small room containing just a neatly made bed, a desk, a bookshelf, a small chair, and a dresser with a mirror. Her walls were covered in drawings and artwork that Alison had created over the years. She really was a talented artist, and drawing was the one thing that seemed to stop her brain’s troubled thoughts. Alison decided tonight was one of those nights that it would be helpful to lose herself in a drawing.

The desk was laden with drawing paper, charcoal, drawing pencils, and more artsy supplies. Alison sat down and began sketching on a piece of paper when Aashika called her for dinner. She set down her pencil and sighed, she would have to finish this later.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, Alison’s favorite, and it was delicious as always. She helped her grandma clear the kitchen, and sat with her in the living room as Aashika watched her favorite television show: an old family sitcom. Alison laughed a long with Aashika. Although it was a little forced, Aashika didn’t seem to notice too much.

When Aashika went to bed, Alison went back to her room to work on her drawing. She found herself sketching a forest and mountain landscape. This was the sort of place Alison longed to be. Away from the city and the ugly buildings. When she finished, she lied down in her bed and attempted to sleep. It took a while for her to shut off her brain, as it always did, but she eventually fell into an uneasy rest.

Strangely, Alison had dreams of an island that night. It wasn’t just any island though, it was an unusual island, filled with mysterious people and creatures that Alison had never heard of. It was like something out of a fairytale book. When she awoke the next day, however, she didn’t remember a thing.