Bleep, bleep, smack. My alarm clock goes off. I wake up. And make my way out the door to pink streamers on my door. I sigh, should’ve figured. It’s my thirteenth birthday. My dad and sister always like to decorate for it. I walk down the stairs to the kitchen. Where there’s a cake with flutter shy on top. My sister and dad jump out “surprise!!!!!” Crack confetti flies everywhere. My sister looking down at her confetti popper puzzled. She jumps when she finally gets it. I chuckle a little “Dad, sis, this is unnecessary I’m just 13!” I say sitting down on a stool. They look at each other. And back at me upset “But we got you bawoons!” My sister June says. She’s frowning at me. I frown back “Stop that. I don’t wanna see a frowny face.” My dad looks at me. “Lucy come on just be happy!” Dad says. He puts his hand on my shoulder. His tired old face looking into my monotone expression. I feel so bad for him, mom left him after I was born and he’s had trouble raising me. Luckily he remarried to a very nice woman. And she’s helped him take care of me and sis. She’s gotta work a lot though because dad is too tired to go to work. His gnarled fingers are skinny and dry. His hair is going white, and he’s only in his 40’s. I touch his hand, it’s cold and unsteady. “Dad you should go back to bed. I can get June ready and on her bus. Don’t worry I’ll get to school too.” He slowly walks back to his bedroom. “What do you want for breakfast Junebug?” She giggles and we both are ready for school in our uniforms. I tuck her shirt in her skirt. “How mean, they don’t let you wear something cute or comfy!” I say to June while dusting off her skirt. She smiles “You have to weaw dos tight weggings.” She says to me. I stand up “ They are very tight!” I say grabbing her hand. I open the door and we go to our bus stop. She skips down the sidewalk and I swing my arm with her. We get to the bus stop and June starts talking to the other little kids there. A girl my age walks up,” Happy birthday Lucy!” She says smiling awkwardly. She has a ribbon holding her ponytail. Thick gold hoop earrings match with her gold and blue heart necklace. Her braces have blue white and yellow rubber bands. And she has mascara on per usual. “Erm thanks…” I say without any conviction in my voice. She steps back a little and laughs airily. “So do you have like a party or something?” She asks playing with her hair. I look at her with confusion. “No…” I tell her in an awkward why are you asking tone. “Oh she says looking down at her polished shoes. She put her hand down and now has them behing her back. She doesn’t say anything else. I look down at June who is sitting on the ground talking with a boy and girl her age. “Did you guys see Wish?” June asked them. “Oh yeah I really liked it Juney!” the boy says snot dripping out his nose. I look back at the street. The bus pulls up. “Come on Junebug the bus is here.” She stands up and takes my hand. We sit down together and she’s looking out the window. While I pull out Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. I’ve read the whole series twice but I can’t get enough of it. June would occasionally point at an animal out the window. And I would keep reading. The bus comes to a stop, I look up thinking it’s too early and we’re just on a regular road. I look out the front window, an old lady is walking across a crosswalk. I lean back in my seat and roll my eyes. I open my book again and read. By the time we actually get to school I’ve read a chapter and am on a new one, about 3 pages in. I put my Ravenclaw bookmark in the book. June tugs on my sleeve. “Sissy wook at the fwowers.” I look to the flowers she’s pointing at. They’re pink and plentiful. I smile and close my book. “Those kinda look like cherry blossoms!” I tell her. She gasps in delight. As I stuff the book into my backpack someone bumps into me while getting out. “Hey watch it nerd!” They say angrily. I scowl at them. I zip up my backpack and me and June walk into our school. Immediately I’m hit by the smell of the school’s syrup. I walk to the auditorium with my sister. We sit down in the chairs and wait to get called to class. The girls in front of us talk about the cute little girl behind them. Then they mention me the rude nerdy sister. I roll my eyes and fix June’s hair. “You gotta stop getting food in your hair June.” I say she blushes “I know…” she whispers. I put the pin in her hair back. It has a butterfly on it. I get called to my first class after June does, carrying my textbooks and supplies. I sit down in my chair. The teacher is at the whiteboard and is ready to start class. I mostly look out the window because I already know what she’s teaching. While looking out the window I see two kids getting in a fight. I squint to try and see who it is. One of them combines their two eyes and grows a lot taller and fatter. I blink and the horrifying figure is gone. A teacher comes and breaks it up. I realize I was sweating. I look back at my teacher
she was looking at me angrily. “Strales is something wrong?” She asks me. I blink a bit and decided to say that nothing was wrong. “Uh huh.” My teacher says I look back out the window and all three of them were gone. I decide to pay attention to class from now on.
