* * *
It was the first day of school. In fact, it was Ms. Something’s ninth “first day of school”. Ms. Something had started teaching at Something High nine years ago, two years after she moved to the city of Something. She had two children who also attended Something High. The eldest was in his senior year, and the youngest was in her sophomore year. Although money was a little short in the household, they lived a happy life. Teaching children brought her joy, and of course so did her children, David and Mary.
Today was Jacob’s first day at Something High. His family had just moved to Something a few weeks before. Jacob, who was smart and athletic, was raised well in a comfortable lifestyle. His father was a well-known lawyer and his mother a doctor. He was told by his parents that when he was a child, his memory was lost during an accident. The only thing that he saved from the past was his lucky locket. The lucky locket, which he believed, saved his life.
“Good morning class! I’m Ms. Something and I will be your homeroom teacher this year. I see a lot familiar faces…Hmm…but some I’ll have to get to know better! A few of you may have me as your English teacher in period 8, so I’ll see you guys then. Right now, I’ll take the attendance.” She takes finds the class list and starts reading the names.
“Simon Aldwell?”
”Here!”
”Patricia Conner?”
”Here~”
As she goes down the list, she comes down to Jacob’s name.
”Jacob Yonge?”
”Here.”
Ms. Something looks up and says, “Hmm..Are you new to Something High?”
“Yah” Jacob says eagerly.
”You look quite familiar for some reason. Where are you from?”
”I just moved from…”
RINGGGG!!!
”Well class! Time to go to your first class! Have a nice day!” Ms. Something takes her belongings and leaves the class with the rest of the students. Ms. Something and Jacob didn’t have the slightest clue that Jacob Yonge was not really Jacob Yonge. He was John. Little John from the orphanage.
Jacob became popular among the students. He was an honor student, the captain of the basketball team, and the class President. All the girls admired him and all the boys wanted to be friends with him. The teachers thought he was a perfect example of a good student. Even Jacob knew all this, but he tried not to show off his pride too much.
One day, as Jacob was walking to the bus stop, he saw a group of guys from school crowded around someone. He couldn’t make out who it that person was, but as he came closer, he could see a boy and a girl standing in the center. It was David, the blind boy that took special classes at school. Beside him was a girl from Jacob’s math class, Mary. She was one of those quiet students that always did her homework. Mary was also beautiful in a subtle way, which was a quality that Jacob liked. Mary was holding David’s arm with a scared look on her face. The guys around David and Mary were bullying and mocking them, throwing their lunch leftovers at David. They were all from Jacob’s basketball team, so he ran up to them and said, “Hey! Knock it off, you guys! You guys should have better things to do…like practicing your dribbling!” One of the members of the basketball team turns to Jacob, nods, and tells the others to leave.
David asks Mary, “Who is it? Who told them to leave?”
”It’s Jacob. He’s from my math class.” She turns to Jacob and says, “Thanks for doing that for
us, Jacob. David and I really appreciate what you did, right David?”
David tries to face Jacob and says, “Yah, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t
saved us from them.” He gives Jacob a big smile and brings out his hand.
Jacob quickly accepts the handshake and says, “No problem. When people are in trouble, I have to help them…Right?” He laughs and then says, “See you guys around!”
After that day, Jacob and David kept bumping into each other at school. Jacob would often walk with David and Mary to the bus stop. Jacob got to know David more and more. David was an optimistic person, always bright and cheerful about life. His blindness did not affect him at all. Jacob always thought to himself; curse whatever made him blind, he doesn’t deserve to be like this. Soon, Jacob and David became close friends. Sometimes, he went to David’s house to help him with homework. He later found out that David and Mary’s mother was Ms. Soemthing, his homeroom teacher. All of them became close, especially Jacob and Mary. They began dating after a short while, and now, Jacob would come to their house almost every day. Like at the orphanage, they were all together once again.
On one afternoon, Jacob went to David’s house to help him with a project. However, David was at the hospital for an examination. Jacob was told by Ms. Something that she was looking for an eye donor for David. That was why David was at the hospital; he was getting a preparation exam for receiving an eye donation. Instead of going back home, David talked with Mary and watched a movie. Ms. Something invited David to stay for supper, so Mary went out to buy a cake for desert. While Ms. Something was preparing supper, David walked around the living room, looking at the pictures on the walls and shelves. When he reached for a picture, he accidentally knocked one over and it shattered on the ground. Hearing the commotion, Ms. Soemthing ran to the living room and asked, “What happened? Are you alright?”
“Yah, I’m so sorry about this mess! I don’t know what I was doing…”
Both Jacob and Ms. Something bend down to pick up the glass, when Jacob sees something strange. Behind the original picture was another picture, which looked very familiar. He took out his necklace from under his shirt and held the locket in his hand. When Ms. Something saw the locket on Jacob, her face turned white. Slowly, she asks, “Jacob, w-where did you get that…That locket?”
“Oh, this? I had it since I was little. My parents said I lost my memory when I was really young, and that I had this around my neck all the time. They don’t know how I got it, and they don’t know who the people are in the picture…”
“Picture? What picture?” Ms. Something was starting to turn white.
”It’s exactly the same as this one!” Jacob takes the picture from the frame and the picture in his
locket and shows Ms. Something. “Why do we have the same pictures? Who are these children?”
“I…Don’t know where this picture came from.”
“Tell me the truth Ms. Something! Why do we have the same pictures? Why did you keep yours hidden?” Jacob gets anxious and keeps begging her to tell him the truth. Ms. Something finally breaks down and spills the truth about the past; how Jacob was an orphan, how his real name was John, how he had blinded David, and that she had adopted David and Mary. She told Jacob the children in the picture were him, David, and Mary when they used to live in the orphanage. During all this, Mary was already home with the cake. She had heard everything. Upset and shocked, Jacob couldn’t believe what Ms. Something had told him. Ms. Something kept calling him John when she was speaking to him, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed his bag and headed to the door. He stopped in front of Mary for a second, and then pushed her aside and left. Everything was revealed to Jacob, but he had to make sure it was all true. He had to ask his parents.
As soon as Jacob got home, he started questioning his parents. When his parents heard him asking these questions, they pretended not to hear. Jacob became furious ordered them to speak. His parents hesitantly told him the truth. Jacob had been adopted from an orphanage, and his real name was John, just like Ms. Something had called him. The past that Jacob had always wanted to know was now haunting him. He was not his parents’ son. He had blinded David. The locket was not lucky at all. It was because of the locket that has brought him this horror.
For the next few days, Jacob did not attend school. Ms. Something had found out Mary knew the truth about Jacob, herself and David, so she told Mary not to tell David anything. David kept asking where Jacob was, and said that Jacob still had to help him finish the project. All three of them were upset, but most of all, it was Ms. Something who was truly heartbroken.
Last night, she had received an apology letter from Jacob, and with that, a document saying that when he dies he will donate his eyes to David. The next morning, the principle told the teaching staff that a student named Jacob Yonge died in a car accident the night before. It was said by the police that Jacob had committed suicide by speeding his car into a light post. “An eye for an eye” – those were his last words in the letter.