Chapter One- Wishing on a Star
The young girl let out an exasperated sigh as she desperately continued to braid her curls that couldn't be tamed. "Oh, I give up!" She muttered un her breath and tied it back with a white ribbon. She usually did this, for her good friend, Wendy, had tried it out on her once and she had grown to like it. Now it seemed every 12-year-old in Bloomsbury styled their hair that would. She didn't blame them, though. Everyone wanted to be Wendy's friend, wanted to do everything she did. It didn't bother the girl, she learned to live with it. Wendy never asks for attention, it just sort of... happens.
"Piper! Dinner's ready! Now, come out of your shell and get out of that room for once." The petite child's mother's voice sound from the bottom on the stairs. It was true, what she said. Piper spent most of her time in her room, avoiding the other members of her household. If an argument or issue started, apparently it was always her fault. Her twin brother, Ian, never got in trouble when he usually was the one to set her off. Piper could never win, so she decided it was best to coop up in her room and keep her isolated dreams of being of singer and songwriting to herself.
"Coming, Mother!" Slipping on a nicer, baby blue dress, Piper headed down the stairs and into the brightly lit dining room. She squinted, used to the cozy, dim lighting of her bedroom. "Good evening Mother, Father." She greeted politely, intentionally ignoring her sibling who was messing around with his mashed potatoes. Sitting at the far end, Piper quickly and quietly emptied her plate.
"It's your turn to do the dishes, butthead."
"What? That's outrageous! I did them the past two nights while you sat on your lazy bottom!" Piper exclaimed, already knowing what was about to come. No avoiding it now.
"Mother! Piper won't do the dishes, and I have a bunch of homework! That brat's going to make me fail my history test!" Her brother started wailing and whining, once again setting off the young girl.
"Shut it! Just shut up, will you please! I don't need your annoying voice ringing in my head. It is your job, and y
ou know it! I know very well there is no test, I have the same teacher, you idiot!" There it was. The ticking bomb that was Piper King just went off.
"Pip-" Mrs. King was abruptly cut off as her daughter whipped around to boldly face her.
"No, not another word. Listen to me, for once! I already know, it's my fault! Why? I have no clue. But it always is, and I don't need another lecture about how disappointed you are to come with it." And with that, Piper whirled around and stormed up to her room. Voices sounded faintly in the living room. Arguing and apologies to Ian, as usual. No one came up, which was relieving to the frustrated girl.
Exhaling a deep sigh, Piper swung open her windows and sat on the pink cushion of her bench. Something glimmering caught her eye, the brightest star. "Well, it's worth a try." Squeezing her dull blue eyes shut, she sighed again. "I wish it would all go away. I wish the arguing would stop, I wish I could be free, to evade it all."