The sun shone through the thin curtains, waking Jessalin. She sat up slowly, adjusting to the sudden brightness. Standing up, she walked over to the 7' tree. Fingering each of the ornaments caused many memories to surface.
Growing up, Jessalin knew no mother. According to her father, Jessa's mother could not handle the stress the little girl caused, so she ran away. But Jessalin knew better. Her mother had died during childbirth. Either way, her father blamed Larissa's death on Jessalin. Father, as Jessa called him, was her only family and therefore only source of comfort. Yet he was frequently gone. He worked as a computer technician, so he had to travel to offices all over the country. Often times, he left little Jessalin alone for up to a month. By age 16, Jessa was a very mature teenager, wise beyond her years. Yet she still had the problems most teens face.
She looked over her ornaments, each bringing a special time to her. The ballet ornaments, wether they were toe shoes or dancers, all reminded her of the phase she had gone through when she was 10. Her favorite cartoon characters, Snoopy, Woodstock, and Tigger, all had special places on the tree. Smiling, she picked up a little ornament of a Panda Bear. Panda bears were one of her passions- she had stuffed pandas from her childhood, Beanie Baby pandas, statues of Pandas, and many ornaments. She took her favorite ornament off the tree. It was a white Pegasus (flying horse). She had gotten this ornament herself, with her own money, three years ago. Pegasus was another love of hers. Finally, the emotional wieght of all the memories overwhelmed her, and she stepped back from the tree.
Today, she decided to attempt to leave the house. Father had pulled Jessalin out of high school as soon as she became a junior so she could help around the house. So Jessa spent her days at home, writing. She claimed she had no talent, but her best friend, Lindsay, knew otherwise. Lindsay printed out many of Jess's stories to show to her English teacher, who loved them. But today Jessalin had no urge to write, so she planned to get out of the house.
Quickly she got dressed, made herself breakfast, and went to the garage to see which car her father had left. Smiling, Jessa slid into the white BMW convertable.