❝ believe something and the universe is on its way to being changed. because you've changed, by believing. once you've changed, other things start to follow. isn't that the way it works? ❞
⸻ diane dune, so you want to be a wizard...
There was always something beautiful about the early hours of the morning. The way the sun shone through the sheer curtains and the soft sounds of rain pattering against the window. The warm enticement of Esther's duvet made her snuggle in further as she reached toward her bedside table for her bible. She silently read its well-worn pages, wishing for the dawn to never break as she enjoyed the hidden stories. The loud ringing of her alarm broke her quiet routine, and she set the book down to see if she would be late again.
"Esther Marie Rose, get your butt downstairs and out the door, or you'll be late!"
"Coming, Mom!"
Esther groaned as she realized her mother was right; she was late again. Caught in her world, she hadn't heard the first three alarms she had set, making her actions swift to try and make up for the lost time. The teen stood from her cocoon, feeling the comforting warmth disappear as she began to prepare for the day. Esther picked up a pair of discarded jeans and an old hoodie, sniffing them for good measure before deeming them barely wearable. Once she was dressed, she glanced over at her mirror, trying to rearrange the mess that was her tangled blonde curls.
At first, she tried putting them up into cute space buns, but they made her look younger than she was. Esther finally settled for a dutch braid down her back with little wisps of hair framing her freckled face. Her hands settled into a rhythm as she twisted her locks, her blue eyes moving to scrutinize her outfit. The blonde tried switching her stained hoodie for a cute sweater to look stylish but quickly reverted to her first choice. Although she would have put more effort into her outfit, high school wasn't worth it.
Once her hair was safely secured, she moved to her vanity to pick up her only accessory, an antique locket. She gingerly lifted the necklace from its sea shell-shaped holder, admiring the dainty piece. The oval locket was beautifully aged sterling silver with engraved roses decorating both sides. Upon opening the delicate clasp, two pictures were nestled inside, one of her friends and the other of her family. Esther had yet to learn the secrets of the piece that her father had found, but it seemed to shine with an untold story.
Closing the locket, Esther tucked the piece underneath her hoodie, taking one last look in the mirror. In the reflection, she saw the state of her room and winced internally. In addition to an unmade bed, dirty clothes, and shoes littered the floor, along with the occasional college pamphlet. Esther knew her room was due for a major cleanup and made a mental note to keep her door closed to avoid her mother's wrath.
The teenager threw together what she needed for her school day, which consisted almost entirely of heavy textbooks and one beat-up old three-ring binder. She swung the bag over her shoulder, her muscles protesting at the weight, and went downstairs. She rushed to the kitchen to pick up her packed lunch and a piece of buttered toast that her mother had prepared. With a chaste kiss on her mother's cheek, she ruffled her brother's hair and flew out the door to meet up with her friends. As she shut the door behind her, she let out a small giggle, hearing Joseph's protest at being treated like a kid.
