7:30 a.m., August 1, 2013

I was awoken by the usual tingling sensation that embraced my fingertips, followed by the fresh morning breeze that climbed through my pale legs. I sighed. That was my first call. I blinked slowly, peeking from my pillow lazily, staring at my two furry alarm clocks.

Our usual staring contest began between my light brown eyes versus my Siberian husky's blue ones and my German Shepard brown ones. Both of them were panting, while wagging their tails eagerly. I giggled; they were probably chasing some squirrels. Unfortunately for me, my Siberian husky grew impatient of my laziness so she placed her top paws on the bed and barked.

"Alright, alright, alright, I'm up," I told Perdy as I untucked myself from my bed sheets and walked to my bathroom to begin my morning routine.

After showering, I went quickly to my walk-in closet where I picked some skinny jeans, a forest green tank top, a brown jacket and some sneakers. I combed my straight but slightly wavy dark brown hair, applied some mascara and lip gloss and strolled down the stairs.

As I walked into the kitchen, I was welcomed by the smell of the waffle maker and by the gentle aroma of lemon with brown sugar. I giggled. I knew exactly what Grandpa was cooking.

"Hmmmm, looks like someone is in a nice mood. Did you have a decent sleep?" said Grandpa playfully while he poured me a glass of his amazing homemade lemonade.

"I did! And today we're getting a new arrival of books at the store. I can't wait! I ordered a few that I'm dying to read." I spoke eagerly as I sat in the white cushion stool, just behind the marble counter.

"Good morning- Whoa, whoa, whoa, rewind and pause," said Nana as she entered the kitchen. "Are you telling me that my beautiful, smart, talented granddaughter is more excited about a pile of books than she is over being scouted for commercials?" she asked with dramatic bewilderment. Nana was always the drama in the family.

"Naaana," I warned her playfully, glaring at my grandmother. I knew perfectly well where this was going.

"I'm sorry, I'll chillax," Nana smiled. I grinned. She poured some coffee in a black mug and sat next to me, sighing. "I'm sorry, Pumpkin." She apologized again with a hint of sadness. I turned around to face her. She looked at me and I could see her eyes watering just a little, but she took a deep breath, pushing back the tears and forcing a smile as she took my hands. "It's so hard not to insist, when you have her same hands… her same eyes, same face. As a former entertainment manager…" She paused and took another deep breath, "As your mother's manager, it's hard for me to let go of the fact that you're not her. It's so hard to accept that you care more for books and veterinary school than acting, singing or modeling. It's hard to accept that you are just seventeen and you're about to leave us for college and close yourself in an old dusty room, full of dead trees and rotten wood." Nana made a look of despair.

I gave her a sad smile. "Nana… Forgive me. But I don't belong there. I'm sorry I can't model, act or sing like Mom could." My parents died in a car accident when I was 4 years old, so my grandparents raised me, Nana taking a particularly special interest in me. She had always wanted me to enter showbiz just like my mother. She trained me so hard. Because of that, most of my life was all busy schedules and homeschooling. I was trained in all kinds of subjects including the arts, French, and Spanish. My mom was Colombian and Grandpa knew French so I had been speaking these languages since I was a little girl.

Just as Nana educated me in the arts, languages and the basics, so did my grandpa in the field of physical education. As a retired federal agent, he took his time to teach me some defensive skills, such as judo and taekwondo. I had to go through all of this, just because I was a spitting image of my mom who was regarded by magazines as a woman of "exquisite looks". Bottom line: since I was four, Grandpa would spend two hours daily teaching me judo, taekwondo, yoga, and other sports.

I know I can do a lot of things and I enjoy all of them, but I don't see them as something worth showing off. I like to keep things to myself and I don't enjoy the thought of having to constantly show people what I can do or earn money from it. I also do not enjoy being the center of attention, so the less people know what I can do, the better. You could say that I would like to blend in the crowd or walk unnoticed, but being the daughter of a famous model/actress as well as an Olympic gold medalist genius in martial arts (my father), makes it really hard. I think my parents were wise when they retired from their respective careers to move to Columbia Falls, Montana, as soon as Nana noticed Mom's pregnancy.

"Oh, but Sam, you do, you do! Oh Jack, I'm telling you, her voice is like Carrie Underwood mixed with Christina Aguilera. Whenever you sing, Sam, I get goose bumps and I feel like crying like a hopeless, stupid romantic. And that smile! Jack, she was scouted four times by Oral B to appear on their commercials and she refused them. She said no, Jack!" she wailed. She was exaggerating: I was scouted one time, my smile was simply the result of braces and my voice just had the average soprano pitch.

"Anna, that's enough. Sam has to eat her breakfast or she'll be late for work," grandpa spoke sternly as he placed my breakfast in front me. I smiled at him. Grandpa was one of the few who could reason with Nana. They really were soulmates. Then Mom and Dad turned out to be soulmates too. At least that's what the magazines and my grandparents told me. I don't really know much about love. I know about many things simply from reading about them, but love is something I'm definitely not too familiar with. Maybe I'll find out in college. Although I really should focus on my studies instead of romance, Cornell being both one of the best and one of the toughest schools for veterinary students.

"Well, it's not like she needs the money. Mr. Morris should be grateful that my Sam is working at his bookstore, and so should Bob at the clinic," Nana argued.

"Nana" I scolded her, looking up from my breakfast of waffles, ham and vegetables.

"I'm chillin', I'm cool," she raised her hands in surrender. Then she turned to face Grandpa and drank her coffee in peace. I enjoyed my meal until I took my iPhone out to glance at the screen. "Oh no, I'm late!" I guzzled my lemonade and swiftly slung my brown purse over my shoulder. "Nana, Grandpa, see you at noon. Love you!" I called as I ran to the garage to grab my bike.

On weekdays I worked at the Morris Bookstore. It was owned, evidently, by Mr. and Mrs. Morris. The store had been in their family since the 60's, so it was quite old. Even though it was small, it had diversity and it had the best business in Columbia Falls. On weekends, I would volunteer in the mornings at the vet clinic of Bob Stanley. I really loved it.

As I rode on my bike, feeling the morning breeze and smelling the pines, I spotted an eagle flying a few feet away from me, up in the sky. I glanced at it. The American eagle was one of my favorite animals and I hoped to specialize in the protection of their specie. I rode my bike faster, trying to match the bird's pace. I had an amazing stamina and speed due to Grandpa's training, but it was obvious that I couldn't compete with a flying eagle. I giggled. The morning breeze blew stronger; I let it embrace me, finally feeling free from my busy schedule. From now on, no more lessons, no more schedules, just me, my grandparents, Perdy and Mimi and the pines. I could be whoever I wanted to be and even though Nana was still against it, I knew, she wished for my happiness. Oh God, it sounds like I'm talking about marriage. Yeah, sure. Let's wait 10 years or so, and then we'll talk.

After a busy day at the bookstore, I rode back home. Riding through the street, I gazed at the sunset rays that illuminated the sky, embracing the pines and mountains. I smiled. I loved it here in Columbia Falls. I was happy. As I entered the garage and placed my bike by the corner, I was greeted by Mimi and Perdy.

"Hey, I'm back. Nana, Grandpa, I'm home!" I yelled as I entered through the kitchen.

I was met with silence.

I blinked. Okay, nobody's home.

I set my bag on the marble countertop. I blinked as I noticed a note on the stainless steel fridge.

Sam,

Gone grocery shopping. Don't pout—we'll be back soon. Don't forget to lock the doors.

Love, Grandpa

I still pouted.

I loved going grocery shopping with them. It's funny how Nana and Grandpa would fight over which brand was better than the other. I sighed, thinking I might as well grab some yogurt and hit the dummy, then the jog machine, then do some weight lifting and end with a bit of yoga.

By 9 o'clock, I was done and neither of them was back. Weird. What in the world could they be buying? Is Nana thinking she can take the whole market home?

I figured I'd kill some more time by having a shower and washing my hair. But even after drying my hair, they still weren't back. I was getting tired. My muscles were aching. Maybe I shouldn't have worked myself so hard. As I combed my hair, my dogs' ears perked; they barked and ran from my room.

"W-Wha—Girls! I called to them. I was ignored. "Great…" I groaned and ran after my dogs.

I found them at the backyard barking at something in the bushes. "Girls, leave the poor squirrel, alone. This also part of their home," I scolded them, but they didn't listen. I sighed. "¡Basta! (Enough!)¡Atrás! (Get back!)" I rebuked them harshly with authority. Their ears lowered down and they stepped back. "Siéntate. (Sit.)" I pointed at them and they sat down. My dogs only responded if addressed in Spanish, because Nana trained them herself, or at least they held more respect for her than for Grandpa. "I should work on your English too," I sighed. I turned around to check if the poor squirrel had survived the dogs. I bent down to get a better look, placing my hands on the humid ground. I sighed for the fourth time. I really wanted to go to bed. "There's nothing here, so if that's all, I'm going to be—" My right knee slipped, along with my right hand, and before I could process it, I was falling, sliding down the hill atop which sat my home.

I screamed. I got scared, I could feel my back hurting. I had forgotten it rained the night before. It had really poured, hence the muddy hill. I winced in pain as I slid through the bushes. I knew I got a few cuts on my face. I could feel them stinging. I could feel the cold stabbing my skin. I was sliding fast until the slope began to widen a bit. I used my legs to skip some steps, unaware that I was going straight into a pine branch. Before I could catch myself my forehead crashed into the branch, breaking it and sending me backwards, gravity pulling me to the solid ground. By this time, my body was numb and I was all muddy, my knees and face most likely injured and my forehead was probably not too good either. I could feel blood trickling gently across my cheek bones. I tried to get up, but I couldn't. I was exhausted from my training, my arms and legs hurt so much. My muscles were probably swearing at me and that little voice at the back of my mind said, You just had to go check it out.

"Curiosity killed the cat…" I scoffed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Hi guys, just to let you guys know my first language is Spanish, not English. So, if there were errors or any grammatical horrors, do point out to me.

Also, I'm a complete first timer in writing a fan fiction so bear with me. Comments and critiques are welcome.

Finally, I'm a college student and I have a part-time job, so most of the time, updates won't be often, but there are always exceptions.