The Jackal

By Nadia M, Age 9

Workshop: Elements of Fiction, Kate Reuther, Fall 2016

I was packing for Los Angeles — I couldn’t believe we were going. Tears were streaming down my face when my sister Summer came in. Her hair was in a high ponytail.

“Hey Sky! Sky are you crying?” asked Summer, concernedly. I just looked down at my suitcase.

“Oh, Summer! I am so scared and sad!” I said and we hugged and hugged. Finally, I let go. I fought away my tears. I was okay.

This was our last day in the home I had lived in my whole life.

Mom called us to come downstairs and I sprang out of my bed. I was ready to say goodbye. I put on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of ripped jeans.

I slid down the banister smelling the delicious smell of chocolate chip pancakes. We all munched down our breakfast.

We brought our suitcases out to our silver family van.

When we got to the airport, we got some snacks for the plane. I sat on the blue and plump seat and put my blanket and pillow under it.

“Hey, Summer. Look at the woman in front of you. She is really fancy,” I whispered.

The click and clacks of her rose red high heels were annoying, but then it was time for takeoff.

The airplane zoomed down the runway, and then went into the air. It felt like we were in space. I watched a movie and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, we landed with a bump. Quickly, everybody rushed off the airplane and climbed into a rented van.

Finally, we had arrived at our hotel. We went inside our room and saw that it had a massaging couch, a big-screen TV, three queen beds and a sliding door to the balcony. There were comfy chairs, a desk, a bathroom, a coffee maker and a mini fridge. To Summer and I, it was like a dream come true!

I picked my bed. It had a lacy bedsheet and cover.

“Sky, what are you doing?” Summer asked.

“I am just customizing this bed with colors,” I said, thrusting all of my cute stuffed animals around the plump white pillow that was shaped like a cloud. “Mom, can I go check out the pool?” I asked.

“Sure, you can go with Summer,” my mother shouted from the bathroom.

I slipped my sandals on and so did Summer. Then, we dashed to the elevator.

“Whoa, slow down girls. You almost ripped the veil,” a voice said. When we turned around, there stood our Uncle Jerry with the fancy woman that had been wearing the red high heels on the plane. “You two! Where has the time gone?”

“Uncle Jerry!” Summer and I threw our hands around him, we were so happy.

“Oh. Um, girls, this is Lucy, my bride,” Jerry said.

“Hello, girls. Jerry has spent hours talking about you,” she said in a cheerful voice. While she was smiling and cheerful, her eyes were looking down at her watch.

We led them to our room so they could catch up with our parents, then we raced down and found the pool. There were three pools and three hot tubs.

“Sky, did you see Lucy’s earrings and watch?” my sister asked.

“Yeah. It looked weird and cool,” I said back.

“I think I saw a flashing screen showing a man’s face,” she told me.

“Yeah, I think I recognized the face too,” I admitted.

“Who was it…? It was…it was…Jackal!” Summer and I both whispered together. We had heard on the evening news that he had escaped from jail.

“Why would Lucy have watches and earrings showing his face? Could our aunt be a spy?” Summer asked me.

We decided to confront Uncle Jerry and Aunt Lucy.

When we finally stepped onto the 9th floor we were dripping with sweat.

“Who knew these staircases were so long?” Summer panted.

We opened our door and faced Mom, Dad, Uncle Jerry and our future-Aunt Lucy.

“We have something to say to all of you, even though we think everyone knows,” I stammered. We spilled it all out. Everyone just stared at us.

“Girls, since you know our secret do not tell anyone, but you may not help Lucy fight the Jackal. This is for your own safety,” Mom said.

Our smiles changed into frowns.

“Mom we don’t have to fight. We just can help Lucy with, you know, spy stuff,” I said.

“I am sorry sweeties. It’s too dangerous.”

A few seconds passed and then I screamed, “That is not FAIR!” I stomped out of our hotel room and slammed the door and started running to the library they had.

When I got there I sank into the chair and opened a random book, then the wooden black door creaked open. There was Summer. “Lucy thinks we could help. Are you in, Sky?”

My face lit up “I am in.”

We went back to the room.

“Sit down. We would like to speak to you,” said our mom. “Lucy, Uncle Jerry, your dad and I have been talking about how you would like to help Aunt Lucy with the Jackal. Lucy has information that the Jackal is hiding out very near from this hotel. So we have decided you may help her but…please be careful. Now go with Lucy and she will show you how you can help defeat the Jackal. Go.”

I squealed. “Thank you all! You won’t regret it.”

Lucy motioned us onto the elevator and we stood there. After a few minutes, the elevator dinged and a very airy and mysterious voice said “you are now on the ninth and a half floor.”

Puzzled, we exited the elevator and, to my astonishment, there were people with suits and computers everywhere.

“This is my spy laboratory,” Lucy said. She led us to a room filled with weird fighting equipment. Summer picked the lipstick laser beam and I chose the beamer bag.

“Alright, we are ready to start practice. Remember, all you need to do is to burn the target. I will be the Jackal and you practice your moves on me,” said Lucy.

We tried and tried but Lucy was too quick. After some trial and error, both Summer and I got it down. We were so focused to beat the Jackal that we passed the test!

“Girls, you are ready for tomorrow. Go get some sleep. I will wake you up so we can go to the carnival,” she instructed.

While I was in bed, I repeatedly whispered to myself “You can do this. You can do this.”

I kept on saying that in the car the next morning while we were heading to the carnival.

We parked the car and walked into a deserted building to plan and get oriented. As we walked up the steps of the building, suddenly, a bright shadow swooped here and there. It was him.

“Well, well, well. It’s Lucy and her sidekicks!” the Jackal said.

Lucy gave the signal. We tackled the Jackal with all our might. Finally, he was pinned down to the ground and he focused in on Summer.

“If I am going down so are you!” He got a firm grip on her neck, but Lucy tapped on her watch and laser-beamed the Jackal’s hand that was holding Summer’s neck.

He fell down but quickly stood up and grabbed her again. With an evil grin on his face he said “Adios,” and then disappeared with Summer!

I shouted “Summer!”

To be continued…

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