Emily Harper and The Twelfth Wish ( Coming Soon)

- Prologue -

It was ten to midnight , you could almost hear the eerie silence and the sound of your own heartbeat. There was something about tonight that didn't seem normal. The streets were too quiet, which seldom happens.

This part of town is always chaotic because it is near the business district. Nevertheless , Emily was excited for tomorrow, which happened to be her twelfth birthday. She was lying awake , restless , waiting for tomorrow to come. Its not everyday that a girl turns twelve. She had heard stories like , The Twelve dancing princesses and Cinderella, where something happens at midnight , and she hoped that her wish would also come true.

Last year, she had wished when she saw a shooting star and her wish came true. Ever since then , she had started believing in these things.

She was thinking about how she would celebrate tomorrow. Will she call her best friend Tina , or celebrate with her family. At first she didn't hear anything , as she was too busy with her thoughts , but then she heard a loud whooshing of wind and suddenly the window opened with a bang . The next thing she saw was a woman , who jumped from a broom into her room through the window.

The woman fixed her clothes and brushed off imaginary dirt , then she muttered something along the lines of," cursed pixie dust , troublesome gate keepers , watches...." she stopped midway , when she noticed Emily , watching her with curiosity and unanswered questions burning in her eyes.

Emily watched as the woman closed the window and turned to face her from the window. Moonlight flooded into the room. In that light , she observed the woman with keen interest. The woman wore an emerald robe that covered her body. Her grey hair was arranged in a bun. She had delicate features and the striking feature that distinguished her from others were her sparkling blue eyes , that seemed to hold some kind of secret.

She wanted to scream , but then she thought better and decided to stay silent . For some reason she felt that she was safe , she was not in danger.

With the little courage she could muster, she asked ," Who are you ?"

The woman seemed to be taken aback by the question , as if she could easily be recognized by anyone.

"Who am I ?", She asked herself. " That's a silly question to ask. Surely you are not playing games with me".

The woman looked at Emily waiting for any sign of recognition. Emily shook her head signaling a no.

The woman , seeing the confused look in Emily's eyes , answered in a slow , deep voice. " I am your grandmother Elise Rosero , this is my cat Sapphire and I love your pajamas , they are m favorite shade of blue."

At first Emily didn't notice the cat , but when she looked closely she found a ball of fur in cream and black color , almost hidden underneath the robe.

"Grandmother". Emily exclaimed , hearing the words for the first time in her life.
Elise stared at her granddaughter , the truth finally dawning on her and she muttered to herself , " Emma is as secretive as ever ".

Faraway , in the distance , the clock chimed twelve o'clock , indicating midnight. The door of Emily's room opened and her parents , Emma Harper and Robert Harper entered. Instead of surprising her , they got surprised themselves. They switched on the lights and the conversation began.

" Mother , what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?", Emma asked.

Elise composed herself and replied ," I came to wish Emily . You very well know the real reason why I am here Emma. When a child turns twelve , its mandatory for them to go to Rosewood Academy unless that child doesn't have magical powers."

Emma and Robert shared nervous glances . They didn't want Emily to go through what they had faced , but the arrival of Elise changed everything.

" She is going nowhere Elise. You know why we left that place. In all these years they have not taken any notice of our absence so why now?" Robert stated firmly and pleaded with his eyes so that Elise would understand their concern.

Emily looked to and fro , from her parents to her grandmother , none of them were willing to back down from their argument. Elise sighed , she never knew it would be so difficult to persuade them to return with her , but this time it was from the council.

Elise hardened her heart . She needed to think like a senior council woman , not a family member. This was her responsibility and she needed to do it. " I am sorry to disturb your peaceful life like this." She began ," I have no choice , the council has heard about Emily turning twelve and they insisted that I should shoulder the responsibility of bringing you all back."

There was a tensed atmosphere in the room and Emily wondered how the cat was sleeping through all this. Her attention then turned to her parents , who were silently discussing things among themselves . Her grandmother had settled herself at the edge of the bed.

After twenty minutes of conversation , Emma and Robert decided to tell Emily everything , as it was for the best. "Emily we have to tell you something important. This may change your life for the better or for the worse ".  Emma said gently.