Straight From A Storybook

• chapter I •

Josie always liked to wake up early. Not crazy early, like 2 in the morning; but somewhere around 5:30. Her dad usually left the house at 5 on the dot, so she didn't have to worry about trying to make awkward conversation about things neither of them cared about. This time was about an hour and a half before she needed to leave for school. It didn't take her long to get ready for school- she took showers at night so she didn't need them in the morning, she never did her hair, and she never put on makeup. Picking out clothes was a matter of reaching in her closet and pulling out a t-shirt and jeans. The only jewelry she ever wore was a necklace that used to belong to her mother. Her mother had died after birthing Josie, and that necklace was all she had left of her.

The necklace was a little terrarium jar, filled with seeds from dandelion puffs. She usually wore it tucked under her shirt, and only her Dad, Finn, and the Fitz's knew she had it. It was a kind of secret to her. And every time she put it on, she made a wish. Ever since happening upon the library, her wish was always the same- for some kind of miracle to happen that brought her to the fairytales she spent so much time reading about.

And now, waking up, the first thing she did was slide the necklace over her head and wish the very same thing. After, she rubbed her eyes and put her thick glasses on. Blinking in the darkness of her room, Josie waited for her eyes to adjust. Stepping into a pair of slippers, she shuffled downstairs and into the kitchen. Yawning, she fixed herself a cup of coffee.

Most people her age claimed they liked coffee, then filled it with tons of sugar and creamer. Josie drank it black. It was just how she liked it.

She filled her favorite mug with the dark stuff, then took a large gulp. Feeling much more awake with only one sip, she started on making her breakfast. She had enough time in the morning to make just about anything she wanted. Today, she decided on pancakes. She took out the mix and put all of her ingredients in a big bowl.

°°°

A few minutes later, Josie had a plateful of pancakes, and her whole mess was cleaned up. She ate them as sipped her coffee, just enjoying the peace and quiet of her own home. She sat in her chair, watching the ancient clock her dad kept above the fireplace and getting lost in her fantasies. She watched it until it was about a half an hour 'til she needed to leave. That's when she finished her coffee, stood up, put her plate in the sink and went up to her room to get dressed.

She put on jeans and the first t-shirt she saw, which happened to be one advertising 'Red Ridinghood the Musical'. It was one of her favorites. She ran a comb through her hair and brushed her teeth, and without even a glance in the mirror she just left the bathroom and went to her room. She grabbed her backpack, then went downstairs and grabbed her lunch. Then, she walked into the warm, lilac-scented air.

As before-mentioned, her only real friend was Finn Miller. His house was just down the street from hers, so she always stood outside and waited for him. sitting on the sidewalk in front of his house, Josie looked around at her surroundings. Not manny people were outside, and not many cars were driving by. The sun was already out and the birds were twittering back and forth to each other. She saw a squirrel scuttle up a tree, and a bunny hopped around the grass in Finn's yard. It stopped for a moment, raised it's head in alarm, then hopped off in the direction it came. A few seconds later, Finn emerged.

Finn was a few inches taller than Josie, which wasn't saying much. His hair was a dark, almost black sort of brown. His skin was almost as pale as Josie's, though not quite as much. His teeth were straighter than Josie's and his eyesight was perfect. His eyes were the bluest blue Josie had ever seen, and were always easy to read. When he smiled, his whole face seemed to light up. Likewise, him frowning seemed to darken everything around him. For these reasons, his mood was always very easy to tell. A look into his eyes would tell you everything that was going on in his brain. Not that he held much back, anyway. He liked to state his mood.