Cross My Heart Hope To Die (Intro&Chapter1)

Introduction

Radiant’s in her cramped purple room at first, until she decides to sneak out and hang with her friends, parents are out. Her grandmother has just passed away, and Ray has just been given her grandmother’s chest. No one was ever allowed to open it. Ray’s grandmother told her stories of what goes on in there. Stories of adventure and magic, and how it can take her to another world. Of course Radiant has asked to open it, but her grandmother told her that the right time to open it is when it lets her. Radiant was only a child when her grandmother told her this. But now Ray has the chest now, and no one is allowed to touch or open it except her.
Radiant Julia Bell was her full name, but went by Ray. Sixteen was her age. She had beautiful blues, and silvery blonde hair. She craved for danger and adventure. Her rebellious attitude has landed her in detention numerous times. Her whole family is serious, the only one that admired her wild and rebelliousness besides her father, was her grandmother, but with her gone, Ray doesn’t know who to be herself around. She wants to get away and meet new people, discover something, out of this world.



1

Midnight, and Ray is climbing through her bedroom window. Hair no longer silvery blonde but with red dyed underneath. She is returning from hanging with her friends, T.J, Kat, and Frank. As soon as her parents left for dinner with the Petersons, T.J.’s parents, she snuck out and met everyone at the park down the street. Ray’s not a bad kid per say. She’s doesn’t smoke, drink, or full around with anyone. She has straight A’s, but lands herself in detention once a week, because of rebellious behavior. She’s always grounded. Her parents are super strict, and serious. Just like everyone in her family. Except her Grandmother of course. Radiant expresses herself in many ways.

T.J was laughing about something down below while Ray was still trying to get through her window.

“T.J! Put a cork in it, I don’t know if my parents are back.” She whispered down to him.
“Well, you do know.” Ray heard her mother say behind her.

Ray closes her window. That’s the sign for T.J to go. He won’t get in trouble for being out because just for the fact that he’s sleeping over Frank’s house. She looks behind her and sees her mother with her arms crossed, she looks mad.

“Where have you been?” Her mother asked coldly.
“I was just-.” Ray started.
“What did you do to your hair?!”
“Kat helped me with-.”
“Tyler! Tyler, I think you should come up here and talk to your daughter.” Her mother screamed downstairs for Radiant’s father.
Ray rolled her eyes.
“What is it, Sweetheart?” Ray’s father came up.
“Look at your daughter.”

And he did, Ray had her hair cut an inch above her shoulders, and had red all underneath. She was wearing a black Aeropostale hoodie with a pink tank top underneath, black shorts, and black vans.

“What’s wrong with her?” Her dad asked her mom. Ray’s dad was the most flexible one besides her grandmother.
“Well, look at her hair! Her beautiful hair has been destroyed by the red dye.”
“Dear, relax, it will wash out eventually. She’s just kid, she’s expressing herself. Ray, please tell your mother that it will go away eventually.” Her dad said calmly.
“Mom, it will go away.”
Her mother didn’t say anything.
“Dear?” her father said to her mother.
“Who were you with?” her mother asked.
“What?” Ray said.
“Who were you hanging out with while we were gone?” her mother asked loudly almost shouting.
“My friends.”
“Who are your friends?”
“Uh. The only friends I’ve been hanging out with since kinder garden.”
“What are their names?”
“You seriously don’t know who my friends are?!”
Her dad comes in “It T.J. and them right?”
“Yes! At least dad pays attention to me!”
“Enough!” her mother shouts.

The room is quiet, and her mother continues.

“Radiant Julia, I am sick and tired of you lately. You acting out in class, you sneaking out, and you were talking back to your own mother.” Her mother says so coldly, you could feel the room get colder, even though summer is starting.

Ray didn’t say anything but glared at her mother.

“You are grounded for the entire summer.”
“Mom! That is so unfair!”
“Is it? I don’t think it is.” Her mother concluded and walked out. Her father was still standing there.
Ray gave him a begging look.
“What did you do tonight?” her Dad asks calmly.
“We just went to the park.”
“Down the street?”
“Yeah.”
“Smoking, Sex, Drugs, Drinking, getting into trouble?”
“Of course not, we all just wanted to hang out.”
“I’ll talk to your mother. But you might want to do something with Grandma’s chest.” He points at the chest on Ray’s floor.
“Thanks Dad.”

Her dad walks away. And Ray walks over to her grandmother’s chest. It was an old chest alright. No one was ever aloud to open it. Ray would ask her grandmother when she was little if she could sneak a peek. Her Grandmother told her that she will be allowed to see what’s inside when it lets her. Ray never really understood what that meant, but that meant she will see one day, and that made her happy.

Ray’s room was a small. It had purple walls. One wall was covered with bookshelves, the other had her radio and shelves full of music, most of her walls and ceilings were full of posters of bands and celebrities. Her room was never dirty, always neat and clean. Although Ray was a “troublemaker” she was head of her class. Straight A’s since she started school. She will most likely be valedictorian. At least that was one thing her parents never yelled at her about, grades.

Ray walked over to the chest and sat on it. She didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t blast her Drowning Pool c.d. it was too late at night. And she was too tired to read her books, or write in her journal. She guessed she would go to sleep. She changed, turned off the light and crawled into bed. That didn’t last long, just as she was putting her head on her pillow she saw something glow over by her closet. It caught her attention and made her sit up. She watched over at her closet. The glowing came again and Ray saw that it was coming from her grandmother’s chest.
“What the-?” Ray said to herself and got up from her bed.

She walked over to the chest. The glow was coming out of the keyhole of the chest. She put her eye up to it and looked in, all she could see was the light. Her parents started to walk down the hall way, and Ray bolted to her bed. They didn’t come into her room but Ray could hear them talking. They were talking about her of course. When she heard them go into their room Ray sat up again. She looked at the chest, the light didn’t come.

Ray thought to herself “I’ve got to find out what’s in that chest.”



Thank you for reading the Introduction and Chapter One to Cross My Heart Hope To Die.
Hang tight for Chapter Two.