Juliana sat down on the BART train and sighed, pushing up one lock of curly blond hair. Enough people laughing at her when she said she deserved a good looking man to the skinny girls at the club would get her upset, so she started a fight. That was the forty-third club she was kicked out of. At least this owner decided not to press charges. (There had been times Julianna's actions almost put her in juvenile hall, all stemming from somebody calling her a "fat bitch.") At least, going back home to Berkeley, she could be happy that this would soon be over-and she would move to Madrid, where the government banned all the too-skinny models because of health-related accidents. Someday, someday soon. That's why she changed her name from Julie to Juliana-legally. Someday, somewhere, she would find a place where she was loved and accepted. Who could predict how long that would take?
At least she was safe on the train. However, there was a man who looked like a blond, skinny version of her who made eye contact with her. Once he did, he smiled.
He eventually went and sat down on the end of the row of side seats she was in.
"Excuse me, miss, but have you seen this woman?" He showed her a picture. It was her, during her freshman year at San Francisco Community. It was also very creepy, so she tiptoed around the truth.
"Uh, what for?"
"There is a very important message and gift I have for her."
"I know her very well. I'll get it to her."
"Tell her that since she has been searching for her roots, all the answers she seeks will be in this box." He handed her a black shiny cardboard box with red velvet ribbon-like it was from a jewelry store close by her childhood apartment. She took the box and held it close to her ear.
"It's not anything harmful-just a little pendant and a note."
"Okay, I'll make sure she gets it."
As Juliana stepped off the train, she noticed the man was grinning ever wider as she left. When the doors closed and the train sped off, she walked home, pulling out her rain poncho on the steps. She felt ponchos were better than umbrellas.
Just as she arrived to the building, she opened the box. Inside was a beautiful Imperial Jade locket carved with a sweet father and daughter scene, with a note in Cyrillic cursive, and a certification that the stone came from Burma.
"You opening other people's gifts?"
At that, Juliana punched the source of the voice straight in the eye. As he fell to the ground, she could see it was a tall man, with big red waves, blue jacket, pale white twill pants and a butter yellow shirt.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's a habit."
"Guess I better be careful. I was just wondering, is that your gift?"
"Yes."
"Well, excuse me. Where did it come from?"
"It came from a man on the BART. I already made sure it was safe with him."
"Well, okay."
"By the way, what's your business with it?"
"Was he a blond guy who looked a lot like you?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, good. He was my messenger. I am a man who returns stolen properties from Soviet defectors to them and their families. I just wanted to make sure it got where it was meant to be."
"Oh, okay. Listen, if there's anything else my parents had left behind, let me know."
"Here's my card." It was a business card with the name Michael Stonehenge.
When she got up to her room, Juliana laid down on her bed, with the poster advertising Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. She always wanted to go there one day. Maybe after college-and with that she drifted off to sleep.
*****
"Did you sneak up on her like I warned you not to?" asked Jadeite.
"No."
"Liar. Here, heal your eye while I get the lines taken care of."
"Well, fine."
"Listen, we cannot get too close or involved. Metallia might find us again."
"Is that why you wrote the note in Cyrillic?"
"Yes. A translator will get her the message. By the way, I know she does not know Russian."
