Joel was really frustrated as she tried again “ this is an apple say apple”

 

The pretty woman looked at her confusion and said “Is that the English word for apple? Are you asking me if I’m hungry? I do not understand this at-pull word ”

 

“C'mon lady it’s easy app- pull just say it cuz I can’t understand so you maybe you can learn English” Joel begged . it had been 3 weeks since pretty lady as Joel called her had appeared but Joel still couldn’t figure out how she was supposed to watch out for her.

 

And the thought of the consequences of not doing her job were chilling even for a little girl who couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of it.

 

Just then one of the matrons of the foster home came in .

 

“hey JoJo what are you doing with my darn apple and on my clean counter no less? Little girl if you do not get your itty bitty off my furniture I’ll take a switch to you myself” Mrs. Green scolded as she shooed Joel off.

 

Joel squealed and giggled as she jumped off. She then proceeded to follow Mrs. Green around as she started to cook.

 

“So sugar you still didn’t have any luck with your little friend?” She asked as she deftly kneaded the bread. Joel knew that Mrs. Green thought that her talks about spirits were just Joel’s way of dealing with her tragedy but it did make her feel better to have someone listen to her even if they didn’t believe her.

 

“She still won’t talk I really don’t know what to do with her. She’s awful pretty though sorta like those dolls with glass faces that we saw at the store” Joel clearly remembered the dolls not only because she wanted one even as she couldn’t afford one but because she was curious as to why none of those dolls looked like her.

 

“Maybe she’s just waiting for the right moment” Mrs. Green said absently as she cooked. She turned, reaching over to flip on the T.V as CNN came on.

 

“In other news there have been recent bomb threats on towns in South Korea by their neighboring country North Korea. This goes against the long held treaty between the two countries. Officials on both sides along with Allies in the U.S and China are looking into the threats. Here is our reporter in Korea, Amanda Shuman speaking with some government officials on this breaking story” A reporter droned on before the screen flashed to an Asian man talking as the translator’s voice was heard over

 

Joel looked over quickly because she heard noise. She was shocked to see the Asian lady flailing and wildly pointing to the television

 

“Na” she gestured quickly as she pointed to the Korean man talking and then herself. At the usually calm woman’s crazy motions all Joel could do was just gape.

 

“Na?” Joel asked confused then it dawned on her “This is where you’re from?!?!?!”

 

“Dear what’s going on?” Mrs.Green asked worried

 

“It’s nothing but , Korean, is there any people who speak it around here ?’”

 

“ well I don’t know what this is all about but there is a Korean ran hair store and market about a couple of blocks from here-” Before she could finish Joel was running through the door

 

“ I’ll be back soon” She yelled out as she raced to the store.

 

*****

 

“Excuse me” Joel said to the Asian woman at the front who was eating a kind of red spicy looking thing along with noodles “Are you Korean?”

 

The lady looked at her in confusion but then nodded slowly “Yeah I am. Can I help you with something?”

 

“No no just curious ummm” Joel hesitated before fortifying herself. It was now or never. She had to do this now to save herself and the woman who had been given to her “ H-h-how do you say what is your name in korean?”

 

“Excuse me?” The woman asked in shock and confusion

 

“How do you say what is your name?” Joel asked more assured since she could see pretty lady waiting on baited breath as well

 

“Um it’s Ireum-eun mwo ye yo?.... why do you ask?” the woman said confused

 

“Shhh” Joel said quickly before looking at her Other and said the sentence slowly and as precisely as she could. She looked over at the noodle woman really quickly “ I said it right ,right?”

 

“yeah you actually said it close to perfect” the woman said shocked

 

“Ne ireum-eun Lee Su Ryeon” the Other said softly

 

“what does Ne ireum-eun Lee Su Ryeon mean?” Joel asked looking at the woman with her big innocent eyes

 

“It means my name is Lee Su Ryeon… wait who is that? The name is really pretty it’s like the legit word for water lily” The woman said

 

“Its someone I know. Now can you tell me how to say I don’t understand Korean so you have to be a little patient with me”

 

After the woman said it Joel looked at Lee Su Ryeon in hope that she would understand “Okay?”

 

The woman smiled in amazed at what her life had become before nodding at the little girl “Okay”

 

With that Joel walked away leaving the cashier at the town’s Panda Market so confused that for years to come she’d tell her family and friends about the strange little girl she encountered.

 

*******

3 years

 

“Hey freak who do you keep talking to?” Sammy Henri, one of the cool girls, said smirking at Joel

 

“ Joel-ah don’t you let that girl get to you” Su Ryeon said quickly in Korean

 

“She’s really angering me. I’m annoyed” Joel said back almost as fluently

 

“Ew what a freak! What did you just say?” Sammy screeched as she laughed along with her cronies “ All i heard was click click click”

 

“ No i was talking in Korean which is an Asian language and I said that I am going to smack the dimples off your face if you didn’t leave me alone” Joel growled

 

“As if you could”

 

“Señora don’t let her get to you” Marcos another one of the Others that Joel had acquired in the last 3 years said in Spanish.

 

“I’m okay” Joel said through gritted teeth even as she tried to breath through her nose. She was tired of being picked on. It didn’t matter if she was at school or at home. Someone always had to mess with her.

 

“Oh mi gosh it's almost like she’s talking in Spanish now! She’s crazy !!!!” Sammy’s lacky , Grace, yelled

 

“Shut up you gapped tooth troll” Joel snapped as she tried to listen to both sides of her world.

 

“How rude” Sammy said she started to huff and walk away going around Joel just to yank her hair really hard

 

before Joel could even think she was kicking scratching and clawing at the girl as she heard the five Others that she was in charge of so far tell her not to in about four languages.

 

***

“ Young lady if you could only understand how upset I am with you right now heaven would be up in storm” Mrs. Green scolded as she cleaned Joel up

 

Joel hissed in pain since that little troll had gotten some decent hits in

 

‘she may have given me some scratches’ Joel thought smugly ‘but at least I have all my teeth’

 

“YOUNG LADY ARE YOU SMILING RIGHT NOW?!?!?!” Mrs. Green bellowed as she gave Joel a firm swat on her rear. ‘“ I’ll have none of that foolishness and if you keep it up I won’t tell you the good news that we found out”

 

Joel squealed as she thought of what it could be “ What is it?”

 

“You have a family” Mrs. Green sang as she gave Joel a huge grin

 

Joel just looked dumbfounded then shook her head “ I don’t want to go to anymore people’s houses to be their kid “

 

“No I mean we found your blood family. Apparently this is your Great Aunt and she wants you back. She didn’t know that your mama had put you off for adoption and apparently she had just found out and took your mother to court and got rights over you”

 

“Why’d she do such a dumb thing like that? I’m perfectly fine here” Joel pouted

 

Mrs. Green swatted at her again “ You finally get someone who really wants to be there for you and you don’t want it? Girl these kids are always messing with you maybe this aunt can help you ,after all, she’s coming here in 3 hours”

 

“ Aww man but-”

 

“No buts I want you clean and presentable in 2 and a half hours. Run along sweetcheeks”

 

***

Joel scowled as the doorbell rang

 

“ AHHHH she’s here Joel you better get your sweet behind down here now” Mrs. Green screamed up the stairs

 

Mumbling under her breath Joel stomped down then halted as she saw a plump woman who was only about half a foot taller than herself at the age of ten ,with about fifteen Others glowing around. This woman looked so old yet so young as if she had all the powers in the world in her hands

 

“Hello little one i know you see them because i can see them on you too” The woman said with a thick African accent “ I am your grandma. You can call me Iya (Mother/ Grandmother) and I think I can help you with your gift”

 

 

Joel just stood there shocked out of her mind and could barely get out her words “ R-r-really?”

 

“I really can” she said while smiling and Joel couldn’t help smile back since Iya smiled just like she did

 

“Come on little one it’s time to go home” The woman then glided into the living room where Jodi was “ i’ll wait while you get your things i have so much to teach you”

 

“Joel what was that about?” Mrs. Green said shocked by the transaction

 

“ I wanna go with her now” Joel said excitedly as she rushed upstairs.

 

“But -But” Mrs. Green Stammered following behind

 

“ No I wanna leave now” Joel said as she rushed downstairs with her few belongs in her medium sized suitcase. “ thanks for everything I love you mama g” calling her by her nickname

 

“A-a-are you sure dear?” Mrs. Green asked in worry. Before she’d been all for this meet up but after seeing that interaction she was slightly scared and thrown off balance.

 

“I totally am”

 

“Come along dear it's time to go. This building has too much history for an old bat like me” Iya said gently as she seemed to float towards the door leaving a shaken and upset looking Jodi.

 

Joel happily followed, leaving behind her past

 

“My first lesson to you ,my dear, is that things aren’t always what they seem” Iya said softly

 

“ What do you mean?” Joel asked confused

 

“You see, since you are so young you can only see spirits not the other supernatural beings around you but there are many around you . Really look little one” she said softly

 

She looked and she saw it; a blue blob that looked so unappealing to the eye that it horrified her. Looking at it sent a shiver of fear and trepidation down her young spine... and it was right next to Jodi who was looking at Joel through the window and glaring.

 

“I see this thing!!!! What is it?!?!?” Joel asked frightened

 

“That sweetheart, is the spirit that is feeding on that little girl’s loneliness and sadness.While you were upstairs I tried to rid her of it but she knew as only humans know it was there. But little one. she didn’t want to be saved” the old woman sigh sadly as she turned away and walked towards the car “ Remember little one not everyone wants to be saved”

 

“I’ll remember Iya”

 

“No little one not everyone wants to be saved but it’s our job to save” the old woman said softly then said a few word and whipped around and shot a little ball of fire at the blob and Joel watched as it burst into flames.

 

Even from outside Jodi’s screams could be heard as she felt something that had oppressed her but also been there for her die .

 

“but she didn’t want to be saved” Joel said frantically

 

“I know and you can’t save everyone because not everyone wants to be saved but there are some who need to be saved” the woman say as she got into the car “ If I hadn’t helped her she would have killed herself soon and possibly taken your Mrs. Green with her”

 

“ Oh dear God and we’re just gonna leave?!?!?!?” Joel asked furiously as she stood next to her door

 

“We can’t do anymore all we can do is fight the problem but she alone has to fix the problem” Joel nodded as she understood and entered the car “ little one there is something special waiting for you but we need to train you to get it”

 

****

 

Okay guys I hope you’re enjoying this story. I really don’t know why I abandoned it for more than 2 years smh.

Thanks so much for reading.