Chapter One: Popularity

I opened my sleepy eyes slowly as I heard my sister and mother, Caroline and Stephanie, return from their jog around a couple of blocks. They had made a pact to start this form of exercise when we were still in school, just as they had for the last four years, but at least this time they seemed serious about completing it. Then again it is only the first day of summer vacation.

I got up slowly and went to my window and peered outside. I looked around at the neighbor hood, particularily at the humongous house at the end of the street.

The sale sign that had been put up over three years ago had finally had a sold sign slapped on it. I guess a gullible family had decided to buy it. Their moving van was already parked right outside the house. The house had taken so long to sell because it was too expensive for any ordinary citizen, but also situated in an area of average income people and no rich family would want to move here. It was basically a no win situation. They would probably leave once they found out that we had absolutely no extravagances.

I closed my curtains and went into my bathroom. My parents had finally given in and built it as an attachment on to the house for my twelfth birthday. After finishing brushing my teeth, taking a shower, and washing my hair and went into my room and pulled on a pair of comfortable jeans and a band t-shirt. Finishing up my casual look I put on a thin layer of blush. I personally don’t like make up, but my skin is so pale and colorless I need it or I look dead. I guess I don’t like the feeling of having all this fake stuff caked over the way I truly look. Before going downstairs I pulled my hair up, and grabbed my sketch book and one of my favorite charcoal pencil.

In the living room I was met by my sister and mother, both sweaty from their jog. Unlike the average female, though, they seemed to only look better all sweaty and gross.

“Remy,” said my mother, Stephanie, as I entered the room, “you should join us next time. It really is a lot of fun. I mean once you get past the part where you get so tired you feel like you’re about to die.”

I gave a small laugh and sat on an uninhabited couch. “Yeah I think I might pass on that.”

“She doesn’t even need it; anorexia seems to be working for her.” Caroline gave me a disgusted stare.

Suddenly, self conscience, I put my hands around my body to hide it from their four eyes. It was not my fault I could not gain weight. I mean I ate like a pig and didn’t exercise. My body just seemed to burn off everything I consumed.

“Caroline,” said our mother sternly. “Your sister doesn’t have an eating disorder. You shouldn’t say things like that; people are already concerned about her eating patterns.”

“Whatever… I’m going to go take a shower.” She got up and headed to the bathroom. Her long blonde hair swayed behind her as she left.

“Don’t listen to her she’s just bitter and jealous.” Stephanie laughed at herself as if she had said that in a jokingly matter. As if she meant ‘what does she have to be jealous about?’. After that she got up and kissed me on the forehead before heading upstairs.

Sadly I opened up my sketch book. I tried from memory to put my mothers face on paper. Eventually I gave up because there was no possibe way I could capture her perfection on a plain, white sheet of paper with a simple, charcoal pencil.

--

I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to put what I saw on paper. Long wavy, almost pitch black hair, unnatural, violet eyes, small, pointy nose, braces, and freckles under my cheeks and across my nose. I was having a hard time because for some reason the image of myself kept changing in my mind, so my picture had to change with it.

As I concentrated and looked at myself in my mirror, willing myself to get my face down pact, I heard several loud knocks on my door. Without even letting me call them in the person walked into my bedroom.

“Hmmm… a bit vain,” said my best friend Ashlee as she sat down on my bed, and looked over at me, staring at my reflection.

“You know I could have been naked… and anyway I’m drawing myself; all great artists draw a self portrait at some point in their life.”

“Let me see it,” she said suddenly interested.

I got up and walked to her handing her the sketch book, then sitting beside her on the bed. “I’m not done yet... and I don’t know it doesn’t seem to want to come out right. It is definitely not one of my best.”

“Are you kidding me Remy? It’s perfection! You are way too hard on yourself… It looks just like you. This is really great! The only thing missing is the color in your violet eyes.”

“It’s a black and white, Ash…” I groaned at her suggestion. I sm not very good at color. Actually I pretty much suck at it.

“Yeah I know, but your eyes are your best feature because of their color. They make you special. Plus I think it would make the portrait even better with a splash of color. Then again I’m not an artist and I have no idea how to even draw a proper stick person.”

“I’ll think about it, okay.” I closed my sketch book and put it back on my desk, before returning to the bed. It really was a good suggestion, but I really didn’t feel up to the task of messing with color. Primarily in an area as complicated as eyes, especially my very own eyes. The violet was just a bit too complicated for a pack of oil based crayons.

Ashlee smiled satisfied. “Once you’re done with you, you have to draw me. I want the world to know how fabulous I am.”

I laughed a little and so did she. “Of course Ash.”

“Okay… now we have to get down to business, to the reason I even came over.”

“All this time I thought you came to see me… your best friend.”

“Of course I didn’t,” she said jokingly. “I came because I need to try a new spell. This one should work… The lady at the magic shop said it’s guaranteed to work if done properly.” Ashlee pulled a printed out sheet of paper, obviously copied from a book, from her oversized purse, and handed it to me. She then continued to pull out bottles and bags of weird liquids and solids, and she began to organize them. When she looked up and saw me still staring at her she mumbled, still concentrating on her project, to “read it!”

I did as told and read what was printed on the thick paper. It read:

Charm Spell

Level: Intermediate

Supplies:

At least two people.

An Intermediately skilled witch/priestess of spells

Four big blue candles

Matches

Chalk

Purified water

A demon less room

A time you’ll be uninterrupted.

Set the four candles in a circle around you one across from another. Sit in the middle of the circle and have the witch/ priestess draw lines connecting the candle to candle with the chalk. Then light the candles and after each one say the words: “fulfill my wish.” After each is done everyone should sit on the floor and connect hands and repeat the spell three times fully and in synch.

Spell

All alone we stand

Connected to earth

We only have one wish

You already know

Grant it now

So we can go

Turn off each candle by throwing a few drops of purified water on their burning wicks.

At most 24 hours to work.

“Wow! A bit stupid for an actual spell?” I mumbled after reading the whole thing.

Ashlee shot me a look and said, “Yeah well you try and do better!” It seemed she had everything already organized in front of her.

I kept my mouth shut knowing I couldn’t. I am not very good at writing any kind of poem- the ones that do not rhyme included. I just sighed and gave her a dirty look knowing, she knew about my inability to write anything very well.

“Start memorizing,” was all she said obviously ignoring my look.

I gave a loud sigh and got to work, wondering why I was even going along with the stupid spell.

--

“So is there an exact reason why we are doing this,” I asked as Ashlee set up the candles. “I mean I have no problem being unpopular… actually when I think about it I actually like it. I’ve seen how Caroline has to act around her friends, how much pressure she’s under to dress one way, instead of another. Plus we aren’t even in school.”

“Step into the circle,” she mumbled as she pulled her brown hair up into a bun that sat high on her head. She went to the door and locked it before entering the circle with me. “We are doing this because this is our summer between middle school and high school and I don’t want us going back to school as complete losers. It’ll help next year if over the summer we get invited to some high school parties.”

“We don’t know any highschoolers,” I said as she grabbed the chalk, and drew the lines between the candles, almost kicking me in the back as she went behind me.

“Yes we do… You know Caroline and her friends…” She said as she grabbed the matches she planned on using from the floor. After lighting each candle she mummered the words, "fulfill my wish."

“Yeah, but what will they want to do with us?”

“Nothing right now… but after the spell we’ll be the most popular girls in town.” She sat back down and grabbed my hands, “now shut up so we can do this. On the count of three say it three times.” She cleared her throat and mouthed one…two… three, and in unison we repeated the spell all three times neither of us losing eye contact.

After that was done Ashlee took the holy water and put out the candles. Quietly, then, she began to pack up her things in silence.

“Do you think it worked?” I asked going to my desk and watching her pack up her stuff.

She pulled her bag up on her shoulder and smiled over at me and said, “I don’t know; I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” With a quick wave she headed out of my room and down the stairs.

I pulled out my sketch book and tried once again to finish my picture.