Faceless Part Two

The second half and ending of the 'Faceless' story.

Her clothes were far more soaked then she thought. The moment she stood up, it felt like she was ten pounds heavier. Because she had never planned on staying the full day in school, she had not brought an umbrella with her, but she didn't plan on not going home immediately. The result was the hooded sweater she wore was thoroughly soaked through, her pants were as well but the worst were her sneakers and socks. If she had put on the clothes right after they were out of the washing machine is what they felt like right now. Every step she took was squishy and disgusting.

            Just as Mr. Christopher had said, the diner around the corner was empty and dark. The pouring rain it seemed was not only bad for business, but for employee morale as well. Mr. Christopher asked her what she would like, but she merely replied “Whatever” and went to sit down. She avoided making eye contact with the employees merely stared out the window.

            The man returned after placing the order at the counter and sat down. He placed a cup of coffee in front of Jubilee and one in front of himself.  Jubilee ignored the coffee and immediately asked “So, what do want with me?”

            “Straight to business, huh?” The man chuckled. “I don’t dislike that approach. Pointless small talk is not my thing anyway. This will go much smoother if I just show you this.”

            He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. It was red with a crocodile skin. He laid it on the table. Jubilee pulled it to her, cautiously and opened it. She saw his credit cards and his company I.D. His name really was Christopher North and it seemed he did work for Weibilt Industries.

But, that wasn't what he wanted her to see. There was something else that caught her eye.  Jubilee understood why the cop had believed the man’s obvious lie.

            There was a picture there. In it, a man who was obviously Christopher North, and a girl who, for a moment, Jubilee even mistook for herself. She had the same hairstyle right down to the long bangs and ever their faces were similar. However, there were some minor differences. The girl in the photo’s eyes was a different color and the expressed a liveliness that even Jubilee knew she didn't have.

            Of course, since my hair is so wet, it’s sticking to my face right now. That officer couldn't see my eyes so he assumed that I was the girl in the photo. It’s not me, but what an amazing coincidence.

            “It’s…a coincidence.” said Jubilee as she replaced the photo and handed the wallet back to the man. 

            “Indeed, that girl is my daughter, Melody. She disappeared some time ago and I've been looking for her ever since. Well, to be honest, I gave up actually finding her. Even though I’m part of a large corporation, the police treated her disappearance as just another runaway teenager fleeing from home and never truly bothered to investigate. I took that photo when she was 11, that was four years ago, I think.”

            Four years ago? Is it another coincidence? I was eleven four years ago. Does that mean we’re the same age?

            “Um, so…wh-what was her birthday?”

            “August 30^th is her birthday. She’d be turning sixteen this year.” Christopher North gazed wistfully out the window. “A sweet sixteen and a junior in high school too…”

            Not only the same age and face, but her birthday’s a day after mine too. If it’s like this, then you’d think we were twins separated at birth or something, but if that were true, there’d be no reason to change our birthdays, right?

            Melody closed her eyes and gripped her cup of coffee. Its warmth spread through her body. No, that makes no sense at all. This is reality, not some cliche drama on television or stupid movie. She opened her eyes and stared at the table.

            Although…I can’t say I never wished that I was actually adopted. I understand what ‘family’ is, yet this man is still looking for his daughter, huh? I don’t really get it. Unless I want something, I just want my parents to leave me alone, but I've stopped asking for things a long time ago.

            Jubilee closed her eyes again and opened. “I…am kind of envious of her, though.”

            “Huh?”

She could feel the man’s eyes turn on her again, but she didn't open hers. “Mm, well, when I was little, my parents were both workaholics. In fact, they only got married because they screwed up and got pregnant. Even when I was born, my mother went right back to work and my father continued on as usual so I didn't grow up with them around me. Fortunately, all the people they hired to watch me were nice so I was never abused or anything. But, I was born smart like them so just as they expected, I got good grades and everything. When I did something bad, they’d remember it and punish me, but when I did something good, it was always ‘to be expected’ of me. I don’t know when exactly, but I started comparing them to the ‘good’ parents I read about in books and soon I didn't really care about those people anymore. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I haven’t killed myself already. But, you know, the strangest part is that I have more sympathy for dogs than I do for people…even though I hate them.”

Jubilee shut up when she noticed that a waiter had arrived to deliver their food. It wasn't anything special, just two hamburgers. They were larger than the ones her mother bought at the supermarket.

“Well,” the man waited until after the waiter had left to speak, “It seems you have lived an interesting life as well, huh? My Melody was a little like you. I wasn't always there for her due to the nature of my work so I had to leave her alone with some people a lot too. However, whenever I found the time to take her to the park, she always wanted to play with me more than join the other kids. I wonder if she resented me for that…her mother left me, but when asked who she wanted to live with she firmly said she wanted to live with me. To be quite honest, I was surprised, but incredibly happy too. She was quite willful when she wanted to be. Remembering that cute little girl she used to be…”

Their roles reversed, Jubilee watched quietly as the man spoke about his daughter. At times, he was happy, but those happy times also seemed to make him sad. Jubilee tried to imagine what it would be like to be in his shoes. What if she had a daughter that she was never quite able to spend time with, but ended up disappearing suddenly? Would not ever seeing her again be the worst thing ever?

If I put myself in their shoes, I wonder if my parents would worry about me too? They seemed fed up with me lately, but I just vanished like Melody, would they still look for me even though I bring them nothing but trouble? It’s not like they really wanted me. To begin with, they were just two co-workers screwing around and for the company to save face, they got married and had me. If I disappeared now, would they end up like this guy in a few years? If I disappeared now, would they change? Would I change? Would anything change? If I stay and go back home or runaway, would I change?

As they thought, Jubilee took a bite out of her hamburger, and another and then another one. She was really hungry!

I haven’t eaten anything today. Plus, I walked all the way out here and just sat down in the rain. In the end, I guess I still have to depend on people.

“…Now then.” Mr. Christopher cleared his throat. “As for the reason I called you out here…can you guess what it is?”

“…Probably.” Jubilee shrugged. “You either want me to help you look for your daughter or… you want me to take her place…something like that, right?”

“Mm,” The man nodded his head. “Don’t misunderstand me, however. This will only work because it’s you. Your face is nearly identical and contact lenses can change your eyes to Melody’s color. I’ll pay you, of course.”

“M-Money isn't the issue though. If my parents go to the police and they find me with you, I think you’ll go to jail, right? It’s still kidnapping, right?”

“I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't aware of that and without an idea. My daughter is gone and I’ll probably never see her again. I've accepted that fact. My interest in women has also diminished so I’m not interested in getting remarried and having another child. As it is, I have been transferred to another location so I’m moving to another city tomorrow. I assume the police will treat you as another runaway; at best you’ll get a spot in the local news.  So long as it doesn't go national, there won’t be anything to worry about. Where I’ll be going is a small town so there’s not going to be anyone who knows either of us. You can pose as my daughter, Melody North. That is, if you truly plan on running away.”

In other words, it was a chance to start completely anew. All she had to do was pretend to be Melody North. There was a possibility that she could live that life and maybe change in the process.

Jubilee glanced towards the window in uncertainty and it then dawned on her what her major problem. Even now, she couldn't bear to look at her reflection. That ‘faceless’ person who always looked back was the thing she hated the most in the world.

As much as she didn't like her family, she hated herself a whole lot more.  Her parents rarely praised her, but were quick to reprimand her. Contrariwise, her teachers at school were quick to praise her and never criticized her. Dr. Schneider was the first teacher she had who betrayed that ‘conclusion’ and that was why she had been so disturbed by it.

-Strange, once I look at it from that perspective, everything becomes so much simpler to understand.

Jubilee sat up straight and smiled meekly. For the first time, she looked the old man directly in the eye.

“I like you.” She said clearly. The old man’s right eyebrow rose slightly. “To be honest, if you had said something like ‘I’m helping you because you look like my daughter’ I’d probably…despise you as just enough stupid old man. To me, people are useless unless they have a purpose. If I have no use for them, then they’re better off not existing at all. I’d believe someone who said ‘I want to help you because it makes me feel a little better about myself’ over someone who says ‘I’m doing this for you.’”

“I see…so you trust me, do you?”

“No, I don’t trust you at all; I just trust your reasoning for doing this. A moment ago, if you had offered me a pill and said to take it, I would have taken it. If that policeman had taken me in and arrested for me, if someone had beaten me or worse, I would have accepted that as punishment. So long as someone else is doing it, I don’t have to take responsibility for myself. But, if I go with you, I’d be betraying the one thing that I really want in my life.”

“And what would that be?” asked the man. He was earnestly looking at her now.

“I want to change.” Jubilee answered without wavering. She was absolutely certain of it now. “If I go with you, I’d just be putting the responsibility on you and running away again. You love your daughter and I don’t want to ruin the image of her in your heart. Also, my parents are my parents. Maybe, I can change them too if I try hard enough.”

“And what if you can’t change? You are still young; I wouldn’t put much stock in a person’s true nature.” The man argued, no, he challenged that naïve opinion.

“Then so be it.” Jubilee shrugged her shoulders. “If, by the time I turn thirty, I haven’t changed or done anything at all…then I’ll kill myself. I can’t swim so I’ll find a nice bridge and jump off. That’s my resolution.”

“Humph, so it’s a wager against yourself with your life on the line, huh? I sincerely doubt you’d do it though.”

“Then, shall I leave it in your hands? My name is Jubilee John.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her student I.D. card. She laid it on the table. “In fifteen years, come find me again. If I haven’t changed by then…then do as you wish with me. If you want me to be your daughter, fine. If you want to push me off a bridge, fine. Even if you want to marry me, I don’t care; I’ll probably do as you say. Even a double suicide, I don’t care so…

            The old man took her I.D. and closed his eyes with a smile. “Is that your answer, Jubilee?”

            Jubilee nodded her head. “Yes, but there is something I want from you now, though.”

            “And what’s that?”

            “I want you to…keep looking for your daughter.”

            Christopher North looked surprised again. “Why?” he asked.

            “…Because she’s your daughter. Even if you might not ever see her again, a certain monkey once said “He lives in you.” I’m sure that the ‘Melody’ in your heart wants you to be happy…or something. What am I saying? I’m not good at talking normally…”

            “Heh,” the old man chuckled and pulled out his wallet. He placed the student I.D. into his wallet, the pouch which contained his daughter’s picture. “You know, a certain lion once said ‘the past can hurt’ and ‘change isn’t easy.’”

            “Yeah, but you can either learn from it or run from it, right? Do you know what lion ultimately did?”

            “I guess so…” Christopher North nodded his head with a smile. “I suppose you’re right about that.

            Their discussion ended there so they left after Jubilee finished eating. The rain was still pouring heavily outside, but Jubilee’s clothes had dried some. Her socks, however, were still soggy. Under the umbrella, they walked to a curb where they would go their separate ways, perhaps for just the next fifteen years or perhaps for the rest of eternity.

            “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you back home?” Christopher asked again.

            “I’m fine, I’m fine. Um, I guess this goodbye so, uh, thanks I guess…” She turned away, but before she could step from beneath the umbrella, the man grabbed her arm and thrust his umbrella into her hand.

            “We might not be seeing each other for…well, forever. If that’s the case, then…I believe that our meeting here, now, was no mere coincidence. I’m not a man who believes in ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ but…”

            She accepted it surprisingly normally. The man’s hand was large, but his grip was surprisingly gentle around hers. They shook hands firmly, sealing their ‘contract’ with each other.

            The man’s car disappeared around a corner and Jubilee began walking back home.  In her mind, she was already at rock bottom of a pit that seemed impossible to climb out of. There was a shovel next to her feet and there was also an unreliable looking rope there as well. A way out, but she wouldn't take it, it was too easy.

            “No, I’ll just have to climb up on my on this time. I got myself in this hole, after all. Change won’t be easy…but the ‘me’ of today, will never survive ‘tomorrow.’”

            She resolutely made her decision and steeled her heart. The first thing she’d have to do is make her parents understand her. After that was when she’d truly have to struggle.

Author's Note

I didn't struggle too much with the ending on this one, but it's a departure from the original ending I had planned. Perhaps it's too idealistic?