A Tale of Two Sisters

A three-year journey into the lives of two sisters tells a story of sight and perception. The story of Jewel and Jade Blades is eloquently told against the backdrop of true events based in the year 2020. Several events emerged from the chaos of the year 2020, and those occurrences not only contributed to the circumstances of a nation that woke up on the wrong side of the world. The narratives focused on a disease that changed many lives and the reality of racial injustice while the United States dealt with a delusional leader who became a danger to society. Although these crises were unrelated; they had intertwined in ways which were equally destructive and had the power to obliterate the basic understanding of everyone's history. Jewel and Jade Blades, identical twins, struggled with their identities their entire lives. Not knowing their Asian mother while their African American father struggled with drug addiction, they were raised by their paternal grandmother who taught them to be proud of who they were and to tell their story with pride, but different life paths dictated their stories differently. Jewel Blade-Rheaume had it all, or did she? She had a perfect life and a career as an emergency room nurse. She had a husband who adored her and a growing family. Jewel had been in tune with her gift, seeing the lighter side of life. Jewel had embarked on some challenges that could have changed the course of her life while devastating her future. Jade Blade, a single parent, struggled with her self-worth. She encountered secondary trauma as a child protective social worker. She had been enthralled in a twenty-two-year unhealthy relationship with the father of her two children, which bought on self-harming and maladaptive behavior. Jade sought comfort from drugs and alcohol to control the voices in her head and the pain in her heart. An unexpected encounter with someone who saw her struggles and the events of a blood moon changed the course of her life.