AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And then your mother married me,” their father said with a chuckle. He held up his large hands. “Ever heard of two left feet? I’ve got two left hands.”
“Yeah, but you can cook like a fiend,” their mother said with a twinkle in her dark eyes. “I’ll take that any day.”
They locked eyes and smiled, lovey-dovey as always.
“Uh, is it my turn now?” Jamal asked, feeling like he might burst if he had to wait even a second longer.
His mom looked over in surprise, almost like she had forgotten he was still sitting there. “Oh, right, Jamal. Your turn. Go ahead, open your gift.”
Jamal licked his lips, feeling a rush of adrenaline. He tasted metal on his tongue. He glanced over at the trumpet, feeling even more excited. If Malik got something that cool, then he was willing to bet whatever was in his box was good.
Slowly, he cracked open the lid. A musty odor drifted out, making his nose itch. He sneezed sharply. His watering eyes fell on the gift inside. It was…
A necklace.
And not just any necklace—he realized as he lifted it out of the box—a creepy old skull necklace. He ran his fingers over the skull. Its smooth texture sent an awful shiver up his arm.
Was it carved from real bone?
The skull hung from a thick chain with feathers and beads affixed to it, giving the whole piece an even creepier appearance. Jamal felt repulsed by the gift. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t even wear jewelry, let alone something like this. It was beyond ugly. Also, if he wore it to school, he was sure to get Colton’s attention—and not in a good way.
That’s the last thing I need.
He glanced at Malik, who was still focused on his trumpet. Envy stirred in Jamal’s heart for the millionth time. It just wasn
’t fair.
Why did his brother get the perfect gift, while his grandmother left him a stupid necklace? He couldn’t win.
“Well, would you look at that,” his mom said, gazing at the necklace. Her eyes teared up. “Your grandmother left you her special necklace. You know, she never took that off. She wore it until she died.”
“Uh, yeah,” Jamal forced himself to say. “That’s so…thoughtful of her.”
He wanted to say something else. Something less nice. But he knew better than to upset his mother and held it in.
“Look, there’s a note,” Malik said, pointing at Jamal’s box.
Sure enough, a card was nestled inside the red velvet lining. Jamal lifted it out. It was printed on thick cardstock embossed with his grandmother’s initials. Her ornate cursive handwriting stained the cream-colored card.
Beware of the shadows. This will protect you.
Jamal frowned at her note. What did it mean? It didn’t make any sense. But then he remembered what his mother had said about his grandmother not being right in the head, especially near the end of her life. The skull necklace, the card…they probably didn’t mean anything.
“Weird old woman,” he muttered, careful not to let his mother hear him.
Malik started playing his trumpet, whipping out an old jazz standard. With the new instrument, his brother sounded even better than ever. His parents clapped enthusiastically, transfixed by his brother’s playing. “Play another song!” they exclaimed.
Jamal wanted to clap, too, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Envy was a powerful brew, bitter but strangely tasty. Why did Malik always have to be so good at everything and get all the attention? Any plan to show his story to his parents evaporated. They’d never even read it.
Jamal was about to throw the skull necklace back into the box, annoyed that he’d been tricked into thinking something good might actually happen to him for once, when suddenly the skull’s eye sockets flickered with red light.
Jamal jerked his hand back in shock. Had he really just seen that?
He glanced at his parents to see if they had witnessed the flash of light, but they were too busy watching his brother play his new trumpet. They weren’t even paying attention to Jamal.
His heart thumped in his chest as he stared at the skull. Had it really just…glowed? Or were his eyes playing tricks on him?
He had to find out.
