Wish Box

Everyone makes wishes, things that they desperately want to happen, dreams that they want to become reality. People wish upon shooting stars as they wander through the night, or lay in bed peering through open curtains as they fail at sleep. They always tell you to make a wish when blowing out your birthday candles; everyday millions of people partake in these activities; the wishes rarely come true though. Then there are wishing wells or fountains, somehow believing that if you throw a penny into the water you wish will be granted. Praying is a lot like wishing, hooping that there is some higher power out there, listening to your deepest desires, hopes and dreams, with the ability and power to fulfil them. Then there are some people who like to write them down. Some people keep their wishes safely in a jar or box. A wish box.

The Lopez family were always busy people, always at work, never with the time to look after their daughter. Santana Lopez was left with a child minder before she started school. She didn't mind, the bubbly women was more like a mother to the girl than her actual mother. She was the one who taught the Latina to speak Spanish, how to read and write, right from wrong amongst other things. It was this same woman who introduced Santana to the wish box.

One rainy afternoon, the friendly women found herself stood quietly in the doorway of Santana Lopez' bedroom. She had anticipated walking in on the 5 year old girl playing happily; instead she was met with the small girl looking out of her window, talking to herself (or some higher power that she had hoped was listening). The women paused at the doorway, listening in on the small girl and her wishes, she could tell that she was crying, as every so often a small sniffle sounded in the room.

I wish mami and papi were home more. I love Caroline, but I still miss them. Other kids always have their mommies and daddies to look after them….

Sometimes I get lonely; I wish I had more friends….

I can't wait to go to school, but I hope I'm as clever as the other kids. What if they don't like me? Please can you make the other kids like me…

The list of wishes went on, breaking the woman's heart as she listened in on the girl talking. She couldn't take it anymore, making her way across the room she embraced the tiny girl into a massive hug. Santana wiped her teary face against the shoulder of the small women. That's when an idea popped into her head, she wanted Santana to have hopes and dreams, and a way that she could let all of her feelings out, it wasn't healthy to bottle them up. Pulling away from the small girl, she went downstairs and into the basement, finding a small box, some wrapping paper, cellotype and scissors. Once she returned to the girls bedroom she began to explain.

Santana, this is a wish box. All you have to do is write down any of your wishes, or your dreams, things that you want to happen, and put them in the box. You can hide it, and keep it safe so nobody else ever knows your wishes. And one day, they will hopefully come true, wish boxes are magic like that. We can even decorate it.

A huge smile grew on the girls face as she began decorating the small cardboard box. Once they had finished her child minder handed her a piece of paper and a pen so that she could write her first wish. She needed a little help because; she was only five after all.

I want mami and papi to be home more

She slipped the small piece of paper into her box, which was then hidden safely under her bed.

After a few days, Santana's mother announced that she had taken a day off work to spend with her daughter. Santana smiled as she was told that she was being taken on a trip to the zoo with her mom, thinking to herself maybe the wish box does work.

From that day onwards, Santana would fill the wish box with all of her hopes and dreams, these could be anything from what grades she wanted on her school work, through to simply what she wanted for Christmas.

Santana didn't have many friends at school, and had put many of wishes into her wish box about making friends. So far, she hadn't had much luck, but just assumed that this was a big wish, and maybe the box needed more time to do its managed. By the time she reached her teens, she had made a few friends, but none close enough to consider to be real friends. The only person that she ever saw out of school was Quinn Fabray, but their relationship could be a little strained at times. One night, exactly a week before her birthday, Santana scribbled down a wish, to put into her box.

I want to make a new friend, a real one, someone who will come and see me on my birthday.

Two days, before her birthday, a new girl had transferred to their school. Santana took in her appearance as the teacher introduced her to the class: she had long blonde hair, much like Quinn's, but other than that, she was like nothing Santana had ever seen before. She was much taller than the other girls, but not in an awkward kind of way, and she had the most piercing blue eyes you could ever look into. The corners of her mouth turned up into a wide, toothy grin as the teacher said her name; Brittany. Santana was sat at the back of the class, in the corner; nobody ever chose to sit next to her, mostly because they were slightly afraid of her fiery temper that she had shown on a few too many occasions. Brittany made her way to the spare seat at the back of the class, with a slight skip in her step. She didn't introduce herself to Santana, but she did give her the most beautiful, heat warming smile that Santana had ever witnessed, or at least, ever been on the receiving end of.

In Spanish class, the two girls were once again sat next to each other, this time sharing a table. Nobody ever sat next to Santana, because she was already too good at Spanish and they didn't want to look bad. Santana could see a confused frown on the blonde girls face, and decided that she might as well introduce herself, perhaps she could help the girl.

S: Hi, my names Santana. Are you ok?

B: My names Brittany. I don't understand any of this, we didn't do Spanish at my old school

S: well, its actually pretty easy, I learnt this when I was seven.

B: wow, so your like, super smart?

S: not really, I just had a nanny, she used to teach me

B: cool

A wide grin grew across the blondes face, and Santana felt herself being drawn in by those crystal blue eyes. She felt a connection. Something that she had never felt with anyone before.

S: I could help you if you like, you could come to my house later, my parents are never home, so they wouldn't mind

B: you're allowed to be left on your own

S: uhuh, have been since I was 9

B: wow. Well, I don't think my mum would let me, if there aren't parents around. You could come to mine?

Santana had never been to another girls house before, but she decided that she really really wanted to. She agreed and had Brittany write her address down on a scrap piece of paper, which Santana then shoved in her pocket of her jeans.

That evening, Santana walked over 45 minutes to get to Brittany's house. They spent a little bit of time doing Spanish, although, Brittany wasn't really catching on very quickly. The rest of the evening they spent the time just being young girls. They played a little, talked, and ate cookies that Brittany's mom had made.

S: I should get going, it's a long walk home, and its already getting dark

B: my mom will take you home

S: that's ok, I don't mind walking

B: but you're my friend, I want you to be safe

No one had ever told Santana that they were her friend before, and at that moment the girl couldn't be happier, finally her wish box had worked its magic. Santana had made a friend.

They spent the next couple of days at school together, getting to know each other, although to Santana, it felt as though she had known Brittany all her life.

Finally, it was her fourteenth birthday. Santana hadn't told anybody at school, not even her new friend. In the evening when she was sat watching the television, her parents out, there was a knock at the door. As Santana got up sluggishly, she opened the door to be met with her new friend, that goofy but adorable smile across her face. Santana didn't even know how she had gotten her address, but she was there none the less. The girls went up to Santana's bedroom, where they both sat facing each other, cross legged on her bed. Brittany pulled out a small package, wrapped in yellow wrapping paper, gently dropping it into Santana's lap, and then broke out into song: "happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"

S: this is for me?

B: well, it IS your birthday

S: how did you know though

B: I don't know, I just knew

Santana opened the small package, and inside a small box she found a silver bracelet. She had never been given a present from a kid her age before, hell, her parents occasionally forgot to buy her anything. At that point she felt like crying with pure happiness. The tears were brimming in her eyes, but unlike all of the other times she had cried, this time she had a smile on her face.

B: don't you like it?

S: I love it, no one has ever given me a present before

B: why not?

S: I don't have any friends, not really anyway

B: well, now you do, im your friend, look?

Brittany held up her arm in front of the smaller girls, face, showing Santana that she was wearing a bracelet that matched Santana's.

S: it's the same

B: yeah. It's so everyone knows that we are best friends, forever.

Santana wasted no time in putting on her bracelet. The two girls laid together on her bed for a little while, mostly talking about school. This is when Santana realised that she was happy, actually happy she had a friend, a best friend in fact. She remembered the wish that she had put in the box, the box that only she knew about, and that's when she had an idea. Best friends had no secrets, or at least that's what she had heard; and she knew she didn't want any secrets from Brittany.

Sliding off the bed, and beckoning Brittany so come and sit next to her in the floor, she reached under her bead, pulling out her wish box.

B: what is that?

S: it's a wish box, you write your wishes down, and one day , they come true.

B: so it's like, magic?

S: yeah, totally

B: I wish I had a wish box

S: you can share mine if you like

Brittany beamed up at Santana, showing nothing but love and adoration, although at the time neither girls realised that was what they were feeling towards each other, love.

S: you're not supposed to read them, or show anyone, but, do you want to see mine, they have come true anyway, well most of them

B: if you're sure

The girls spent about half an hour, reading through all of the wishes that Santana had made since she started almost ten years ago, the box was almost full in fact. Santana decided, that since she was now sharing the wish box, she would empty all her old wishes, and start again, silently thanking it for making some of her dreams come true.

Throughout the years, the two girls stayed great friends, and would continue making wishes, putting them safely away in the wish box under Santana's bed, anxiously waiting for the day that it would come true.

One night, when the girls were 16, and when Santana was asleep, Brittany slid out of bed to make her wish:

I want Santana to love me

They had promised that they would never read each other's wishes, since that would stop them from coming true, so it was safe to write anything down. What neither girl realised, was that they would both write many wishes about being with each other, loving each other.

Eventually the day came, when Santana told Brittany that she loved her. Brittany did love her back, with all her heart, but she had a boyfriend and she couldn't break his heart. Santana broke to pieces, writing the same wish every night for the next few months:

I wish Britt would love me back

Brittany did love her back, but she wanted things to be real, she didn't want to hide their feelings, and Santana wasn't ready. They hadn't had sleepovers in a while, and Brittany really needed to use the wish box. She silently made her way into Santana's house one night, a time that she knew her friend, and love of her life would be sleeping, and without waking her, made a wish.

I wish that San would accept herself, be happy with herself, and then, we can be together.

The wish box never failed. It might take time, sometimes a long time, but every single one of Brittany's dreams had come true, and they all involved Santana, other than the time when she wished for a kitten. Brittany snuck back out of the house, and went home, all she had to do now was wait, wait for the wish box to do its magic.