For my best friends, Lisa, & Sean.
ONE So Gone It is 1:07 A.M. midnight, the girls are at Emphany’s they decided to have a girls night. Alana wakes up from her sleep and notices something very strange, Her friend’s belongings, her phone, and her purse. But no trace of her. She proceeds to wake up the girls, they never went anywhere when they had these gatherings without letting each other know first, this is what alarmed Alana. “Guys, you guys wake up. Jasmine is not here, she left her phone.” Alana said in a low tone. “Why is the window opened? Did one of you open it? It’s a bit chilly.” Emphany mentioned. “Something feels off, I’m having this really strange gut feeling. Why would Jas leave without letting us know, and on top of that leave her phone behind? You know how that girl is about that phone.” Jade said in a worried voice. Emphany gets up to close the window, and as she gets close to it she notices a note, laying on the floor. She picks it up and reads it, “I didn’t want to leave, but I think it's best I go away, I left my things behind, incase any of you thought about tracing me. Please don’t look for me,
I am going to be okay. I am so sorry. Love you guys, Jas.” “I know she did not just pick up and leave, like that, there’s no way. This is not Jasmine.” Alana said confused. “Jasmine is smart. And she knows better than to do stupid things like this. Do she know how much stress this is going to put on her mother, that woman is in and out of hospitals due to her heart. She would not be able to handle this.” Jade frustratedly mentioned. “She cares about her too much to do this.” Emphany added. The days went by, not a single trace of Jasmine. The police had already been informed, a missing person’s report has been filed. Her mother was devastated, not knowing where her daughter was. And her friends blamed themselves for not paying attention. Where was Jasmine Reed?
TWO Vision Years later, present time. Like always, the girls are together at Emphany’s, the usual hangout spot. Today marked 3 years since Jasmine’s strange disappearance, family, friends and others all gathered at the local church to attend a memorial hosted by her
parents. Immense support was shown and many paid their condolences as she was pronounced dead. The girls though, still held on to hope. Jasmine’s body was never found, and there was no evidence to prove she was really truly dead. The girls walked into the church and sat. They paid attention to every detail about the memorial. The set But what they paid attention to the most was the people who attended the event. Alana began to feel a weird gut feeling. Like something was off. The girls always listen closely to what she has to say as everytime she begins to have some type of feeling, it always seems to mean something. And it never failed. “Guys.. want to know something crazy?” Alana asked the girls. “What's on your mind?” Emphany responded while the others paid attention. “Three years ago at our hangout, when I woke up and noticed that she was gone, I had this horrible feeling in my chest, and I am feeling the same exact feeling right now.” She then answered. It’s almost like there’s a weird presence in here, somebody capable of ruining it all for you.” The girls all looked around, trying to see if there was anybody suspicious anyway.
There was this person coming in and out, they seemed lost or confused based on their body language. They kept track of him or her all service that day until they got tired and left. Back at home, Emphany’s room has a wall setup all about Jasmine and things that they tried to understand about her and what happened to her. On this wall were pictures of people, and other things, It was all a huge puzzle piece. They were trying to solve a mystery. “One more added to the group” Jade mentioned. “You guys, I don’t know why but.. today I felt like I was close to her. In my head, I just see her screaming help and then out of nowhere she appears and she’s okay. It was a really confusing vision, but I believed every bit of it was true, she’s not dead to me.. she has to appear.” Alana quietly told the girls. “Jasmine is not dead..” They all said together.
THREE Enemies
In school Jasmine was well liked by many, with popularity came a lot of things, one of those was enemies. She wasn’t always kind to people, she was short-tempered, and at times made fun of others because she enjoyed it, this made her feel like she had some sort of power. Camille Johnson, she was a bit nerdy, she cared a lot about school and was very involved in things. She was Jasmine’s favorite person to pick on. But what she didn’t know was that the more she bullied her, she was slowly developing her worst enemy. Camille took it all in, she jotted down every single thing Jasmine did to her, every detail. To her the best revenge was changing her appearance, and taking over the “Empire” that Jasmine built. And she did just that. Glasses, Gone. Hair, loose. Wardrobe, trash. She took time creating this new version of herself. She shopped and shopped, got her hair and nails done, learned how to do her makeup. She wanted to give her bully something that she knew was going to make her sick. Days later, Camille walks into school and shocks everyone. All eyes were on her, she was the center of attention. “No way, Cam you look so good!” “What happened to you?” “I love those heels you have on, so pretty!”
She did it. She took the spotlight away from Jasmine Reed. Something no one ever dared to do. But that wasn’t the only part to her revenge, the hate she had towards her made her go above and beyond to torture her and make sure she felt the same way she made her feel. “Well, well, well.. Look who we have here..” said Jasmine. “Why that look? Feel threatened?” Camille replies laughingly. “Threatened by you, love.. Please. We all know that behind that little mask you put on is the same, ugly.. weak.. nerd you’ve always been.” Jasmine adds. “E-N-V-Y is written all over your face right now, this ugly, weak, nerd as you say got to you, huh? You can’t even hide it. But irrelevant, have a good day, I have a date with Jordan soon and I really don’t want to keep him waiting.” Camille says to Jasmine laughing in her face. Jordan was Jasmine’s ex-boyfriend, they had recently broken up, but they were always on and off. Camille knew that this was going to hit her extremely hard, she was in love with that boy and now her worst enemy was about to go out with him. These were the first steps she took to get revenge on her, and it was only the beginning of everything that was to come.
FOUR If I Could Go Back in Time The day after the memorial, Jasmine’s mother was going through her things, picking stuff to give to her friends. In the mix, her diary. Yes, a diary. Even the popular kids kept diaries. On the cover, a sticky-note that read: “TO JORDAN, MY FIRST LOVE, AND MY FOREVER BEST FRIEND. (P.S. BEFORE READING SWITCH TO THIS PAGE AND THEN READ OTHERS.)” Out of respect for her daughter, she didn’t look through it. She would have felt bad. She teared up a bit, picking out her things her only daughter was gone. She experienced the greatest pain a mother could ever feel. The loss of a child.
To her it was only right she gave the diary to Jordan, she called him and he came to claim it. Later that night, he couldn’t help but read it. One of the pages read: “I still replay, that first time I met you, I can’t ever get it out of my head. That one night at the football game when I “accidentally” bumped into you, and we both hit our heads and just ended up dying of laughter. You asked for my number and we talked all night. Not one bit of that long conversation was boring, we just clicked. We built the best bond, emotionally. The physical part was never of any importance. Our first date, it was a night to remember, the simplicity of it all was what made it so memorable. You set up a projector, we ordered chinese, my favorite food. And watched one of my favorite movies. You made sure that every moment I was around you I had a smile on my face and I am grateful for all of these wonderful memories that we both made. You became my best friend first, before anything else. At this point in our lives you know me better than anybody else. But at times I just don’t know what goes on, it saddens me, you know? The thought of losing my best friend.. I hope it doesn’t ever have to end like that. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m losing you. But anywayssss, I am just going to cut it here.. Love you.”
He couldn’t process it. He had so much to say to her. But she was gone. The news of her disappearance hit him extremely hard and it was definitely the hardest pill he had to swallow. And then being pronounced dead. For years he was not himself, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to ever be himself again. They had a love for each other that nobody understood, and no matter how much they fell off, they always came right back. It was always them.
FIVE There Goes Our Peace
“Emphany! That room better be spotless when I get back.” Emphany’s mother yells. “Yes, mom. I am on it.” Emphany replies. “I love you sweetheart, take care okay.” Emphany’s mom says. “Love you too mom.” Emphany replies. Emphany felt like they were getting absolutely nowhere with the search of their friend. It was getting exhausting, and they began to lose hope no matter how hard they tried to stay hopeful. Emphany was cleaning her room, she went over to her window to open it and take a quick break and what she saw triggered her in every single way possible. Shaking she sent an S.O.S. message to her friends and they all came over. “I-I.. Oh my God..” Emphany cried. “It’s that blood? Oh God.. this is gross. Open it Jade.” Alana says nervously.” A note written in blood was laying next to Emphany’s window. It read “I AM WATCHING YOU.” “You guys..could it be…” Jade cuts herself off. “Jasmine’s blood?” Alana questions. “I hate to say but that’s a possibility.” *All their phones beep*
*New Message from Anonymous* “How far are you willing to go for your friend?” - J “She’s alive!” the three girls yell. “This is the push we needed. We were looking for her without any idea of where to start.” Jade mentioned. “Emphany, you okay.” Alana asks. “Yea. I was just a little freaked out. But hey notice how on the message it says it's from “J” could it stand for Jasmine?” Emphany asks. “I didn’t even notice. But why would she play these games with us? I think there’s definitely someone else behind this.” “Alana says. “I agree.” Jade adds. This anonymous source brought a slight bit of fear to the girls. The messages came in more and more frequently after that. They were frightened.
SIX Shine a Little Light Nobody had it easy, each and every person in Jasmine’s life had a story. Good or bad. They had to deal with many things. “Run guys Run!” Jade yells. “I told you trying to sneak into a facility like that was not going to be easy! Alana run faster we’re almost there!” Emphany says. “Guys.. guys...I can’t …” Alana says. The girls stop running, Alana with her hand on her chest, unable to speak. Collapses to the ground. “Oh my God! What’s wrong?! What’s happening? Alana talk! Jade dial 911!” Emphany nervously says. “911 What is your Emergency”
“My.. my friend .. she can’t breath! She collapsed to the floor and we don't know what to do.” Jade says. A few minutes went by and an ambulance finally showed up. The girls both accompanied their friend to the hospital. There Alana’s family and boyfriend joined her. After being treated by doctors she was stable. Dr. James comes towards them. “Family of Alana Willus.” Dr. James said. “Us.” Alana’s father says. “What I am about to say, it is difficult to hear. She’s stable now. But these news are better of being said to her from you, her loved ones as it is no easy pill to swallow. We’ve found a tumor, it is a strange tumor in her Trachea, and it could spread to her lungs. This is cancer and she will need chemotherapy.” The family took a couple moments of silence trying to let these news sink in. They were heartbroken. Her boyfriend Eli went in to see her. He was torn. “Hey..you” Alana said with a smile. “Hey beautiful, how ya feeling..?” Eli says. “I don’t look pretty right now.. but better, that was so scary.” Alana replies. “I can only imagine.” Elie says.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Alana asks. “Like what?” he answers. “With those sad eyes..” She tells him. “Oh baby.. Promise you’ll be strong when I tell you what I am about to tell you.” Elie says. “Promise.” She says. “The doctors.. They um.. They found a tumor in your trachea.. You have cancer.” He tells her. Her world stopped. She didn’t want to believe it. How could she? Eli held her in his arms as she cried. “Why me? Why do these things happen…” Alana cried. “I have your back, I’m not letting you deal with this on your own.” Eli tells her. “Are you sure about that Eli? What happens when I start getting weaker, lose my hair, spend my days sick unable to properly function? I am going to look horrible, I will look ugly to you.” Alana says to him devastated. “Stop. Stop it. I will be here, and I’m going to care for you. And I don’t care about how you look or how you are going to look. You’re beautiful either way. And I love you.” Elie replies to her. “You.. you promise?” She cries.
“Promise.” he tells her. Alana’s situation held back the search for Jasmine. The girls were almost traumatized. Although trying to find their missing friend was important, making sure that the one that was with them was okay was even more important.
SEVEN J’s Plan
Gathered at Emphany’s were Jade and Jordan. A couple weeks since Alana’s accident had passed and they were back on Jasmine mode. While also balancing keeping an eye on Alana. The girls were not the only ones getting messages and surprises from “J”. There were a couple J’s in the group but everyone was able to establish it was not them. Who could this anonymous person be? *ding, dong* The doorbell rings. “Who’s getting that?” Emphany asks. “I’ll go.” Jordan offers. At the front door, a small package. From “J”. Jordan brings it inside. “Oh God, I don’t want to open it..” Jade says. “Since you’re the guy, I guess you should Jordan. You know incase something jumps out at us.” Emphany says. “Very funny Emphany. But whatever, I'll do it.” Jordan says. Jordan grabs a knife and opens up the box. A letter, a map, and a bracelet were in the box. “Jasmine’s bracelet.” Jordan tells the girls. “What else is in there.” Emphany asks. “She loves that bracelet. That’s the one you gave her for your anniversary.” Jade adds.
“Um there’s also this map and this letter.” Jordan says. “Well let’s ready the letter.” Emphany tells him. The open up the letter and it reads. “NOT A SINGLE WORD ABOUT THIS TO ANYONE. DON’T TRY TO OUTSMART ME EITHER. I HAVE EYES EVERYWHERE, DON’T REPORT TO THE POLICE> USE THE MAP IT IS MARKED UP TO LEAD YOU TO CLUES ABOUT YOUR FRIEND.” They stopped and thought about what the note said. They knew not to trust “J”. The motives were clear and he or she wanted them at a specific place at a specific time. This is why they needed to watch their backs. “I don’t like this.” Jade says. “We need to be prepared if we’re going to do this.” Jordan says. “No person like this would make this so easy. We need to be cautious.” “You know I am in. But yes, extremely cautious.” Emphany says. That night, they start preparing themselves. Packing bookbags, food and water. They were going to go through with this as soon as they were able to.
EIGHT Daze
The next morning everyone went about their lives as usual. They needed to continue going to school. Graduation was soon approaching and they needed to meet the requirements. Later that evening Emphany stops by the local cafe to get some work done. Before the hectic couple of days that awaited her and the others. “Can I get a..um.. Caramel Latte. For here.” Emphany asks. “Coming right up miss.” the worker says. “Great book.” an anonymous voice says. “Huh?” Emphany asks. “That book in your hand, it’s really great. One of my favorites.” they say. “Ohhh, haha. It is quite fascinating. Greek Mythology really sparks my interest.” Emphany says. “My fault for just speaking out of nowhere. My name’s Armani. Armani East.” he continues. “Oh it’s fine. I’m Emphany. Nice to meet you.” she tells him. “Care if I join you? Beautiful Miss Emphany.” Armani asks her. “I could actually use the company. Please do.” Emphany replies.
The conversation went on for a long time. There was an instant bond between the two. It was great but also under the circumstances, dealing with boys and having all of the other extra things to do was not easy at all. *TV volume goes up* “Tomorrow will mark one year since pronouncing Jasmine Reed as dead. The teenage girl who strangely disappeared on the night of August 23rd about almost four years ago. The family still holds on to hope that their girl will appear.” “Oh Jas.. please give us a sign.” Emphany says quietly. “You know her?” Armani asks. “She’s one of my best friends actually. We grew up together.” Emphany answers. “Oh wow.. I’m sorry.” Armani says. “It’s fine, thank you though. We will actually be holding a memorial for her, you should stop by and show support.” Emphany tells him. “Give me your number and let me know the details then.” he tells her. “Absolutely.” She says.
NINE Dream a Little Dream Jordan continued to read her diary, hoping he would find some type of clues that could be helpful. Reading it really softened his heart more and more each time. Although he could never be the same without her. Reading these words made him find peace within himself. Which he needed badly. DEAR DIARY, “I have so many dreams. Like so, so, so many dreams. I want to be successful in my life. I want to have a great career, get married, have kids. I think I have had my future planned out since like 8 years of age, but hey, these are my dreams.
I want to travel around the world, explore new places, strange places, with Jordan by my side of course. Italy, France, Greece. I can’t wait to be able to check these off my bucket list. I want to go to college, get my masters, continue these friendships which I cherish. Okay, now here’s the corny part. I love this boy very much, call me cheesy, I want to marry him someday. I am young but there’s nobody that I see myself with and it is crazy to say that. CORNYYYY! Besides the point. I am not an easy person. I am completely aware that I’ve acted very nasty towards some people and I haven’t been good to many. And that’s not me, I am working on that everyday…”
Deep into his reading suddenly Emphany calls him. *phone rings* “Hey Jordan” Emphany says. “What’s up.” Jordan says. “What ya doing?” Emphany asks. “I was reading her diary… it kills me man..” Jordan responds.
“Listen I know..but let’s not let go of that hope okay. You ready for tomorrow?” She asks. “Ready.” He responds.
About the Author: Jailene Diaz is a gifted actress, #1 New York times best selling author, and 4x grammy winner. She is best known for her musical talent, and her
books — Rising: The Ccall of the Warriors, Fallen, and Wake Up Call. — All her books are available in 20+ languages, and Fallen: The Movie is to be released 2021.