Miracles and Magic

Miracles? Faiytales..

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon - the sky was a light shade if periwinkle, spotted here and there with the occasional cloud. It was crisp but enjoyable even with the constant breeze every few minutes or so.

There were four girls walking down the street and talking amongst themselves. On any normal circumstance, a few of them wouldn't really be seen hanging around the other too often. It wasn't as if they didn't like each other too badly, they just didn't have much in common. However, the four were starting to get along well. In this day particular, it was right after school let out. They had decided to get together and have lunch at a little cafe down the street; and thus, the story begins.

The tallest girl had to shorten her long stride for the smallest female, who was beside her, so that she didn't get left behind. She had long hair that reached to the small of her back. It was straight and a pretty, silvery blonde color. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of violet and seemed to hold a facade, much like her expression - seemingly cheerful, but overdoing it to the point that it was almost creepy and unsettling. She didn't partake much in the conversation. Her name was Anya Braginsky.

The shortest girl to her left had a nervous smile on. She was almost painfully shy, and moving here to a big city from the snowy middle of nowhere in Canada didn't help much. Therefore, she was very grateful to her three new friends. She had only been living here for a little less than a week in a large apartment with her grandmother. Anyways, this girl had a delicate build. Her golden wheat-colored hair would have reached to nearly where Anya's would, but was put up in a long ponytail, which bounced in time with her quick step. Her eyes were a dark, bluish-purple and would remind you of a timid doe staring wide-eyed into a pair of rapidly approaching headlights. Her name was Madeline Williams.

The girl to Madeline's left was talking very quickly and obnoxiously loud in her heavy accent - German, it sounded like. Her hair would have been quite long, like Anya and Madeline's, but she had cut it almost all off at the beginning of last semester to be more like her sister, Monika, although she would never admit it. The two odd things that set her apart from the other students was that her hair was strikingly white, and her eyes were a violent shade of crimson. She also had a scar under her right eye, more on her cheek, claiming that it was from a bear or wolverine (the story changed every time). This girl's name was Maria Beilschmidt.

The last girl on the left end of the group was close to Anya's height, and nearly as intimidating as well. She was captain of the school's soccer team. Although it consisted mainly of boys, she was probably the best player out there. She had sandy-blonde hair that reached just past her shoulders, but was in a small ponytail today. Her eyes were a dark, forest green and normally set into a look that made her look annoyed or even apathetic, most of the time. Her lips were pursed into a tight line at something Maria said and it quickly turned to a scowl when the milky-haired girl slung her arm around Maddie's shoulder and pulled her close to give her a peck on the cheek, which turned the poor transfer student's face pink. She reached out with her right hand and smacked Maria in the back of her head. The girl's name was Alene DeVries.

"Hey, hey! Couldn't help it, Alene!" The albino replied with a laugh, rubbing the back of her head where Alene had hit her. The sandy-haired girl only shrugged.

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Nearly ten minutes later, the four girls had arrived at their destination and found a booth in the corner next to a large window. Anya and Maria sat on one side, Maria looking fairly unhappy about this. Madeline had taken the opposite window seat and Alene had sat next to her before Maria or Anya could.

The waiter came and took their orders; Anya, a bowl of tomato soup, which she requested be cold (as it was a dish in her mother country), Maria, a plate of hot wings, Madeline, a plate of French toast, and Alene a grilled chicken sandwich.

"So how are you liking it in Brooktown, Matvie?" Anya asked with a curious look, sipping at her drink idly. 'Matvie' was a nickname that had stuck while Madeline was introducing herself - Anya had mispronounced 'Maddie', an it had just stuck ever since.

"It's really nice.. I'm enjoying it very much." Madeline answered with a sweet smile. Her hands were cupped around a steaming cup of hot chocolate. She reached over to the condiment basket and picked up the small pot of maple syrup, tipping a bit into the hot beverage and gave it a stir. Alene smirked, chuckling as she remembered the Canadian had a fondness for sweet things. Maddie looked over sheepishly and took a sip.

"That's good, I'm glad, da." Anya nodded with her smile. Madeline looked at her black, quart-faced watch and widened her eyes.

"I-I forgot, I need to go.. my grandmother wanted me to visit her at three, and it's already five 'till.. I'll see you guys later!" She said quietly, leaving the money for her order on the table and scooting out of the booth when Alene got up to let her out since she had the window seat. She brushed herself off before waving goodbye and hurrying out of the store, picking up her pace to a jog as she now headed to the hospital.

Her grandmother, Eloise Williams, was a patient at the Brookwood Hospital after she had gotten hit by a car. The impact had broken most of her ribs, along with her leg and several other things. It was a hit and run, so nobody saw who did it. Madeline constantly worried for her, although Eloise did have a fiery spirit and promised to pull through and heal well.

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"Grandmother Ellie?' Madeline called softly upon entering her hospital room. The window was open and the curtains were fluttering slightly in the occasional breeze. There was a bed beside the window, and tucked under its sheets was a thin woman, possibly in her sixties. Her hair was a striking silver, streaked with white, and pulled back into two braids. The old woman looked over and smiled warmly, gesturing for her to come over. Madeline quickly obliged, walking over to her bedside with an empathetic smile.

"How are you feeling today?" The golden haired girl asked softly. Eloise chuckled, but it broke off in a series of coughs which she quickly muffled with the crook of her arm. Madeline's eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip worriedly. The older woman shook her head after she was done and dismissively waved a hand.

"Fine, I'm fine. The doctors said that I'm getting better." She said. Madeline didn't look so convinced, but managed to regain her fragile smile.

"Ugh.. if only miracles were real.." Eloise muttered under her breath, but Maddie still heard it, and this caused her worry to grow even more.

"Well.. I suppose I should go.. you really look like you could use some rest.." Madeline said, leaning down to kiss her grandmother's cheek. Eloise looked tired indeed, so didn't protest.

"Madeline." She spoke once more as Maddie was turning to leave. The indigo-eyed girl turned quickly. A smile crossed the woman's lips. "Je t'aime. Be safe."

"Oui, I will. Je t'aime, grandmother." Madeline nodded. However, before she turned back around, she saw a strange silhouette .. cat-shaped? - in the curtains, as if it was sitting on the windowsill. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, and then it was gone.