The Wish

☆Chapter 1: The Tardy loser

First, there was light.

Then slowly, came the voice of a sweet little angel, that managed to pierce through that luminosity, growing increasingly louder, until...

"FREYA, WAKE UP, SIS!"

I groan, tossing on myself, as my sister jerks me back and forth, as though I were some ragdoll.

"Ava, I'm tired, leave me alone..." I mumble, pressing one of the pillows against my ear, as to shield myself from her loud pestering.

"But sis, mommy wants you to come and make breakfast for us. She's already mad and I'm scared she's going to yell at me again if you don't listen."

I pause for a second.

"Is that so?"

I shut my eyes and let out a loud sigh in protest.

For a second, I'm tempted to just hide myself in the comfort of my covers and escape reality, altogether.

But I know my stepmother isn't one for pleasantries and wouldn't mind taking her frustrations out on Ava.

So, with all the willpower in me, I force myself awake and open my eyes again.

A huge smile is plastered on my sister's face this time and it stirs something within me, something warm and fuzzy that I can't quite put into words.

In the light, her dark messy locks appear almost golden brown, and rays of light are reflected in each of her strands, allowing her to radiate, as though she was the literal sun itself.

It's something precious, all the while beautiful, I think to myself while sitting up on the bed.

It creaks a little at my sudden change of posture, gently rocking us back and forth, before steadying again.

All of a sudden, Ava stretches out her arms towards me, ready to initiate a tickle fight, but I'm quicker and grab the pillow that slid off my face, tossing it in her direction. She nearly falls off the bed, earning me my first point.

I smirk, admiring the way each of her locks float in the air momentarily, almost like feathers, before gently falling back into place, the magic of the moment ceasing with it.

Without hesitation, she throws the pillow aside and jumps on top of me, her small fingers attacking me in all directions as I'm left a laughing mess beneath her.

I try aiming at her sides, but her swift agility allows her to dodge all attempts at a retaliation I could muster in my tired state.

Slowly, we lose track of time, our laughter filling the entire room, enveloping the space with light, even brighter than what the sun's emitting through the blinds of our window.

We're so lost in the moment that we fail to hear the door opening and the heels of my stepmom approaching in all her fury. She harshly grabs hold of my sister's arm, dragging her off of me in an instant.

She falls to the ground and I could see tears welling up in the pith of her eyes, but she tries holding them back as best as she can, biting down her quivering lips with all her might.

"AVA! DID I NOT TELL YOU TO CALL FREYA DOWNSTAIRS TO MAKE BREAKFAST?"

We're both paralyzed in fear, the room immediately going quiet as the light dims outside, the sun hidden behind the clouds.

"Y-yes" she barely manages to say in a low voice.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU BOTH UP HERE, FIDDLING AROUND LIKE A BUNCH OF HOOLIGANS?"

"DAMMIT, DON'T I WASTE ENOUGH MONEY AND TIME ON BOTH OF YOU ALREADY?"

"CAN'T YOU BOTH JUST FOLLOW A FEW SIMPLE DIRECTIONS AND MAKE MY LIFE EASIER FOR ONCE?"