Masks

It was a bright morning when she was born in 1971. The date does not matter as much because nothing special happened on that day. It was just a day where a baby was born by the name of Jessica Winters. She was born to Michael and Ruby Winters, of Mount Prospect, IL. They were very proud of their only daughter and only child, if only for the fact that she had been born healthy.

As Jessica grew, she became much more of a loner. She kept to herself and her parents, not really liking other children her own age. She began to read at an early age and found her own world to crawl into. When kindergarten rolled around, Jessica found out that she could make friends if she really wanted to. However, as time will tell, children can be cruel even at a young age. Because Jessica kept so much in her world of books, none of the children in her class knew her. So, they decided instead of learning something about a person that they barely knew, they left her alone in her world of books. Her parents still worried about her because she was so alone. Once her mother hoped that she would just grow out of it, and perhaps she did. She never asked for very much as an only child except for one big thing. When computers came out for the first time that is what Jessica wanted, and so it is what she got.

Jessica seemed to come out of her shell around the fourth grade. That year, Nancy Smith moved in and she finally had a friend. It was by sheer luck because Jessica was just asked to make sure Nancy got off at the right stop. After that, a friendship created and both became very good friends. However, neither one trusted the other very much nor that lead to the friendship being tested so many different times.

"Why won't you just tell me instead of me having to hear the information second or third handed?" An annoyed Jessica asks. It was just another argument in the spin of long arguments that she was having with Nancy. They were at Forest View high school, and it was their sophomore year being the year 1982.

"Because sometimes I just don't want to tell you! Don't you get that?! Jessica, look at yourself!" Jessica looks down at herself and shrugs. "You are a geek. Plain and simple. You spend more time on a computer trying to understand it than being out and about with your friends!" Nancy screams at her, and some people pay it no mind. The Goth group, however, watches with great interest.

Jessica blinks and looks down, calming herself down so she does not cry. 'I will not cry, I will not cry,' she chants to herself, holding onto that belief. "Nancy," she says softly after a couple minutes of complete silence. "This is what is next, what will become of us in the future. It would be better to understand this now then years later when computers will just become small cubic corners to hide in. Besides, the more people who understand it now will make the less people who think it is evil in the future." Nancy just shakes her head and leaves the table with Jessica sitting alone and small. One of the Goth girls gets up with her tray and heads over to Jessica, sitting down across from her. Jessica looks up and smiles softly at the person who sat down, and then looks down again to just move her food across her plate, not really eating.

"You should eat," the Goth girl says quietly which shocks Jessica. "You are Jessica Winters, right?" Jessica nods a yes as she begins to eat very little. "Great! I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but you are always hanging with Miss Preppy," the Goth girl says throwing a look of hate at Nancy's back.

"Why have you been wanting to meet me?" Jessica asks, a small bit of skepticism in her voice.

"Because I hear that you understand the internet, computers, and all of that. I've wanted to learn for a while, and hear that you are the person to come to with those questions. I'm Lucy, by the way," she holds out her hand for Jessica to shake and Jessica does. "Great. So, tomorrow after school?" She asks just as the bell to end lunch ends.

"Sure. Where should I meet you?" Jessica asks, turning around to pick up her backpack. When she turns back around again, Lucy is gone. "But, she was just there." Jessica says to herself as she looks around more. And then Nancy comes up to Jessica and sighs, shrugging.

"Listen, I'm sorry," Nancy says as Jessica blinks at her. "It was a mistake to do what I did and I shouldn't have yelled at you. Its just that...I don't think we should be friends anymore," and that is when Jessica's heart sinks. "We are just growing apart and you seem to be making different friends than I have and there is no reason for us to be friends anymore. So, bye," and Nancy just walks away from Jessica who sits down hard again as the warning bell sounds. A small tear starts to trail down Jessica's cheek as she just sits there, starting to cry harder but silently as Lucy comes back up to her.

"Jess, if I can call you that, class is going to start. We have to get..." And she stops in mid sentence as she sees Jessica's tears. "What happened?" And Jessica just tells her what happened, anger growing in Lucy as she mutters a soft curse against Nancy. "Jess," Lucy sits down next to her and gently hugs. "I know how it is when a best friend hurts you like that, but you have to go on. You have to get to choir and be happy and sing!" She says with a very false smile that makes Jessica laugh through her tears. "That's better, now come on," she says, getting Jessica up and moving to class. "If we be late, we suffer the wrath of Mr. Khan!" She laughs and gets Jessica to laugh softly with her as they walk to choir class, becoming quick best friends over the course of the month. They ended high school four years later at the top of their class, both going off to the University of Chicago at Chicago together and going to be roommates. Life was going good for Jessica right now.

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Jessica went off to college and decided in her first year to take a chemistry class because she loved the idea of working with chemicals and learning. However, she isn't the brightest of the bunch when it comes to a class with open fire. The professor in her class was explaining something and Jessica leaned to far over into her benison burner, her eyebrows burned off. Alexander, another student in the class, ran over to help her...actually was the only one to do so. "Are you alright, Jessica?" he asked, helping her up after also falling off of her stool.

"I should be," she answered back as the flames stopped being on her face. "Thank you...Alexander isn't it?" He nods, smiling happily that she got his name right. The class was pretty much over, so he helped her up and get back over to her dorm as it was around five thirty and getting darker by the minute. "You don't have to walk me home," she says softly being a bit shy.

"Just let me as there are a lot of monsters out there that could hurt you," he said softly, his hand brushing against her cheek. She blushes, looking down and then back up into his eyes. "You are very beautiful, you know," this only makes her blush more. "Is it okay if I come around and see you? I would like to get to know you more, Jessica...Pyre," he adds with a grin, as her eyes widen "I also hack and have heard about you. A lot of people have if you understand the business. And don't worry; I'm not with the CIA or anything. I'm just a normal college student like yourself." He adds at the end with a really big .
.

"Um...um." she says, trying to get her train of thought back. "Sure," she says after getting over some shock.

"I'll see you tomorrow then in class," he says as they reach her dorm and he softly kisses his hand. "Goodbye, my lady," And he walks off, disappearing into the night. And as Jessica watches him leave, she feels a tap on her shoulder from Lucy.

"Okay, spill. Who's the cute guy?"

Jessica blushes more and looks down again. "Alexander...I know him from Chemistry class, where I did the stupidest thing and burnt off my eyebrows." Lucy starts to chuckle softly as she sees what Jessica is referring to. "Thank you Lucy for laughing, I feel a lot better now." "Jess, come on, lets go get dinner. Maybe after food you will be more agreeable. And maybe I can talk you into finding out if Alexander has a brother for me," Lucy adds with a smirk.

"I will try to Lucy. For right now, dinner sounds great. Wait...dinner at the Commons or dinner at the diner down the street where you are paying?" Jessica asks with a small grin.

"Hrm, you have done a great feat today and done what so little people have done. Found love in a chemistry class. I think this deserves a dinner at the diner. And maybe ice cream, but don't push it." She adds with a grin. "My parents may be rich, but they aren't that rich." And they walk off arm in arm as the sun set while they were talking and something follows in the shadows as they walk.