Jo-Jo's Wishing Star Part 6

The week went by fast for Jo-Jo. Every day he would sit in class with Alyssa right beside him and every day he would have lunch with her and Mandy. The only thing that bothered him was how Alyssa seemed reluctant to say a word. She was always completely silent no matter what the circumstances and had started to wear clothes that cover the majority of her body instead of her summery dresses. What did she have to hide?
As the weekend drew close, Jo-Jo’s dad decided just how he was going to spend his time off. “Hey Jo-Jo! Why don’t you invite Alyssa over for the weekend? You know kinda like a sleep over!” Jo-Jo gave his dad another one of his looks and sighed, but the Mayor refused to take no for an answer. He was going to win his son over even if it killed him.
“I already called Greg and he’s sending her over right after dinner.”
Right on cue, the doorbell rang. Jo-Jo made no move to answer it as he slouched back in his chair and stared at the floor. He didn’t invite her over so why should he have to answer the door? His father, sensing his son’s obvious displeasure, rose from his seat at the table and disappeared into the front hall.
Jo-Jo heard the click of the doorknob and listened as his dad invited her in. They walked into the dining room and all but Jo-Jo greeted her in a friendly manner. The Mayor reached out toward her. “Here, let me take you coat,” he stated but Alyssa pulled away before he could touch her. They all looked at her in surprise and Alyssa stammered to explain herself.
“I’d rather not take my jacket off….I’m kinda…cold,” she stated quietly. No one questioned her as they welcomed her to eat. Despite how she acted at school, Alyssa chattered away with his sisters in a pleasant manner; smiling and laughing as if everything was as perfect as it could be. Jo-Jo didn’t understand why she would hide how miserable she was. Then again, perhaps she wasn’t miserable at all and it was all in his head.
After dinner, the Mayor decided it would be “fun” to play some games before everyone headed off to bed. While Jo-Jo’s sisters didn’t mind, Jo-Jo himself was less than happy. He sat on the couch while everyone else sat cross-legged on the floor playing various board games and having a grand ole’ time. But every now and then, Jo-Jo would catch Alyssa staring out the window with a forlorn look across her face.
What was she looking at? “Come on Jo-Jo. Alyssa needs a dance partner!” Both Alyssa and Jo-Jo looked stunned. Them? Dance? The Mayor really was losing it. But with a few minutes of argument, he had them both on their feet learning the steps to a very strange waltz. As Jo-Jo spun Alyssa into the final step, he saw just what she was hiding with her jacket.
Her arm slipped out of the sleeve to reveal the bandage that was wrapped up to her elbow; lighting soaked a crimson color. Before anyone else could see, Alyssa grabbed her jacket and tugged it back on.

The fun and games ended late into the night and everyone was well ready for bed. Alyssa slept in the only other bedroom the family had which was on the top floor at the end of the hall while everyone else slept in their usual beds. As the night wore on, Jo-Jo was awakened to the sound of footsteps on the roof. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and stretching his arms a bit, Jo-Jo decided to check out whatever it was that had woken him up. The floor was cold under his feet as Jo-Jo made his way down the hall and up the many flights of stairs. The sound got louder as he approached the top floor and that was when his imagination started to run away with him. Maybe Greg had come to get Alyssa. Or what if it was some other murderer come to satisfy his taste for blood?
Jo-Jo quickened his pace until he reached the end of the hall where Alyssa’s door was shut tight and the sound echoed from. Very slowly, he opened the door and gazed into the room.