Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.
Full Summary: Marie, an ordinary teenage girl living in Port Angeles, Washington, longs for some excitement in her life. Then one day she gets her wish as a handsome stranger takes an interest in her, and her life takes a turn towards the extraordinary… but will she be happy with the way her wish is granted?
A/N: This chapter is a preface of sorts. Sorry it's so short, most of the others are longer.
Chapter One: Longing
The hostess of La Bella Italia burst through the kitchen doors, hurrying to the table where I sat with the other waitresses, chatting for a few seconds as we waited for our customers' orders to be cooked. "Amber," she cried, collapsing into an empty chair and fanning herself with her hand. "You won't believe how hot the guy who just walked in is. I thought I was going to faint when he smiled at me."
"That handsome, huh?" Amber asked incredulously.
"Too gorgeous to be real," Penny sighed (overdramatically, in my expert opinion).
Amber grabbed her pad and pen from the table, got the table number from Penny, and made for the door, calling back, "I hope he's available- and if he isn't, I might just steal him, if he really is as hot as you say."
Once she had disappeared, I turned to Penny, who was still recovering from her encounter. "Did he come here alone?"
"Of course not, but the girl he brought isn't extremely pretty or anything. Definitely not the sort someone like him would date. She's probably just a friend… or maybe his sister." Penny didn't sound very certain, so I decided to go rescue the poor girl and her 'brother' from Amber.
Slipping unobtrusively out of the back area, I scanned the brightly lit, crowded room for Amber, and soon spotted her coming out of one of the side areas. Penny had apparently "forgotten" to reveal that little detail; most visitors on a slow weekday night like this one were seated in the bright, open central area. If they had asked for a private area like that, then they probably weren't siblings or casual acquaintances. I went around to my assigned tables to check that they didn't need anything, and then stopped by the partition to watch the couple. The boy really was quite handsome, but the girl wasn't as plain as Penny had made her seem- she was merely overshadowed by the gorgeous guy across from her. They seemed pretty friendly, and I could see them leaning closer to each other as they talked, oblivious to my scrutiny. I could tell that they cared for each other in a way that transcended friendship. Just then Amber approached them, fluffing her black hair. I watched as the boy replied to some clearly flirtatious question of hers without even looking at her, and I silently cheered while Amber stalked away sulkily. Amber was notorious for stealing other girls' boyfriends, and I was far from disappointed to see her rejected.
I returned to the kitchen, slightly pensive as I pondered what I had witnessed and reflected on my own currently sparse romantic life. How I wished I might find someone who would love me just for being myself! It would definitely be a plus if he was handsome, too.
As the night lengthened, though, my thoughts took a darker turn. I was suffering from the tedious nature of my life. My job was not challenging or exciting enough, and it bored me half to death! It would have been a different story if at least some of my coworkers were good friends, but half of them were empty-headed flirts only interested in boys and who was wearing the most expensive outfit, and the others were apathetic and disinterested in doing anything out of their ordinary routine. School was repetitive- I was nearing the end of my senior year and the teachers were mostly taking it slow. None of the guys at school interested me, either- or maybe the truth was that none of them were interested in me. I had never had a boyfriend, and I'd only been on one date thus far. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me- was I not pretty enough, not thin enough, too bold, too shy? Maybe it was all of these things, maybe none. But whatever the cause, the effect was clear. The only guys calling me wanted to know the night's homework. I was probably the only girl my age not planning on going to my Senior Prom. All in all, my life was pretty dull, stuck in the middle of this small town in the middle of Washington (I mean, come on, it only had one good department store!). I wanted something exciting to happen to me. Something thrilling and adventurous, that would change my life completely. I didn't want to be boring old Marie Daniels forever.
Unfortunately for me, the head cook saw me as I was sitting idle and yelled for me to, "Come and help chop onions, if you have so much free time on your hands!" Choking back a violent protest (onions are the bane of my existence), I rose and glumly complied. Eventually, however, my shift ended and I could escape, my eyes red and watering uncontrollably. I drove home in my car slowly and carefully as the effects of the onions faded. My appetite was gradually returning, although exhaustion hovered on the edges of my consciousness. But upon arriving home, I realized with chagrin that I had forgotten to pick up groceries after school (again), so I decided to order Chinese food- I was sick to death of anything remotely Italian.
I walked down to the restaurant to pick up my food, then returned to the empty house. Finishing my delicious meal, I cracked open the fortune cookie and pulled out the folded message inside. It read, simply,
'Be Careful What You Wish For.'
