Jia (Chapter One)

    Chapter One

    Ten years had passed since that fateful day in Ohio. Relatives and friends of victim's families were very relieved to know that Arianna Horenso and Shawn Wilson were finally caught. This breakthrough was covered all over in local news stations and newspapers throughout. Since then, Shawn has been found guilty of selling cocaine, assault in the third degree, and being an accomplice to numerous murders on Arianna's part as well as taking a few lives on his own. To this day, he is still serving forty one years in London Correctional Facility. How did he ever get himself into this mess?' he thinks to himself.

    Arianna, however, did not have a light sentence for her plethora of murders and countless other felonies. She is now one of the handful of death row inmates in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. The only thing that rolls through her mind on her limited life span was her dear daughter, regretting ever having her grow up with her mother's hands covered in blood. All she ever wanted while alone in jail was to hold Jia in her arms.

    Whatever did happen to Jia Horenso? After the arrests made at the old house, she was originally going to be placed in foster care since nobody in Arianna's or Shawn's family ever knew about the child until their trials had began. Due to the fact that those who found out about Jia didn't want to take her in because no one in the family wanted anything to do with either of them, much less their child. It seemed as though hope was lost for Jia and her having a stable family.

    That is until Aldrick and Irma Nimitz stepped in. Feeling sympathetic for what the poor child had gone through, they welcomed her into their family with open arms. They had a son named Gunter, who was around Jia's age, so they believed that interaction between the two would do them both some good. The Nimitz clan adopted the young Jia and escorted her to their home in (Milwaukee, )Wisconsin.

    At first, Jia didn't speak to anyone. She would always keep to herself with her rabbit plush in tow, only giving out simple nods and shakes to the head in response to any questions she received. Jia never really felt at home with the Nimitz family despite their efforts to include her in whatever function or activity they had planned. Being around five years old at the time, she wasn't able to comprehend the situation involving her mother. Often times she would end up asking either Aldrick or Irma "Where's mom?"

    The couple had tried to explain to Jia that Arianna had gone far away and that she wasn't going to come back for what she did. Jia, in denial of her mother's issues, would throw wild temper tantrums that came in response. The tantrums only intensified when Irma insisted that she would be called mom instead. Jia would break and throw things at the other family members during her fits, only to eventually tire herself out and fall asleep crying. The only thing Jia wanted was to be with Arianna.

    As the years went by and Jia aged, the fits became fewer and far between. When those fits did occur, they slowly stopped being as violent. Over time, her aggressive impulses turned into somber silence. Jia was more collected when she eventually asked, "Why?"

    Jia began to realize what Arianna had done both before and after she was born. Jia understood why she had to be taken away from her and Shawn. She discovered that maybe it was for the best that she lived with the Nimitz family. With her in their presence, she could work on gaining the childhood life that was limited to her once before. Gunter would take on the role of the cool big brother, something that couldn't have possibly been filled by Shawn. Aldrick would be the protective father, and Irma the loving mother. Jia's newfound developing maturity helped her take down the previous barriers she had and renew herself. From that day onward, she labeled herself as a Nimitz.

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    Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

    I rolled over to my side and slammed the snooze button. I groaned and tried to fall back asleep despite the fact that it was a school day. School day. Hearing those two words ring together just didn't feel right. Maybe it would've been more natural if I was going to my old school. Sadly, that's not how it was going to be. "Why'd we have to come to Milwaukee?" I thought in my sleep deprived state. "Such a stupid name..."

    I randomly selected a green shirt and a pair of jeans from my closet along with a pair of converse. I didn't really feel like impressing anyone since I was just going to blend into the crowd anyway. After taking care of a few other things, I met my family downstairs for breakfast.

    "Goodmorning, Jia." Irma kissed me on the top of my head. "Breakfast is ready for you and Gunter."

    I looked over to Gunter, who was unsurprisingly still in his pajamas. I grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon before taking the seat parallel to my adoptive brother. Gunter burped loudly, causing Irma to smack him on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

    "Gunter, manners." Irma reminded him. Gunter simply shrugged and went back to chowing down.

    In the middle of breakfast, Uncle Waldo came over with a giant plate of sausage and eggs and sat next to me. "How's the rest of the Nimitz clan doing this fine morning? Excited for school?"

    "As ready as I'll ever be..." I gave a passive response.

    "Oh, I'm sure you'll love your new school." Aldrick spoke. "A nice change of scenery from Farmington. Heard the system's better too."

    "And it's not like you don't have any kind of contact with your old friends." Irma added on. "Besides, you might meet some people here you like just as much."

    "I guess..."

    Irma looked over to the clock, which read 7:25. "Oh, would you look at that. We better get going so you don't be late! And for God's sake Gunter, put some clothes on!"

    I grabbed my backpack and met up with Irma and Gunter in the car. I looked around the city and felt like it was too cramped for me. at least Farmington had a bit of breathing room. Sad to say with a well known city such as this, that wouldn't be the case. Now I was doomed to a new environment and a whole new set of drama. I could feel as though something wasn't right. But I guess I just had to wait and see.