Rachel had black hair with green streaks, and cartoonish bangs that swept to the side. She had tan skin and she was really tall. She always wore a navy blue hoodie with dark, ripped jeans. She had big, cyan- colored eyes. It was hard to ignore her.

Rachel went to the grocery store one day to get milk. When she got to the automatic doors, she stuffed her hands into the large pocket in the front and went down the dairy aisle.

Rachel passed the cheese, yogurt, ice cream…

Thud.

She had been staring at the certain brand of milk her mother had wanted, and it had fallen to the floor.

"Hey!" called a store employee from the snack aisle. "You better pay for that!"

He rushed over, wearing a blue Tremain's grocery apron.

"I'll clean that up, but pay for the milk."

She paid the guy a couple bucks and picked up a new milk carton. Then she headed for the check- out counter.

She was running low on the green stuff, so she used her parents' credit card and left, frowning.

Strange things like that always happened to her. Before, she had bent a very sturdy golf club, melted a golf ball, and stopped the windmill in mini golf.

Rachel swept her bangs out of her cyan eyes and looked at a guy lovingly.Rodrick looked extremely handsome. His hair fell just a little below his neck, and his skin was just about the same shade as Rachel's. He was half-goth.

Rodrick didn't know Rachel existed. Rachel sighed and shyly walked to her car, where her mom was waiting.

"Did you get the Organic Fresh brand?" demanded Rachel's mom immediately. She grabbed the carton and saw with relief that the orange circle of Organic Fresh was stamped on the carton. "Good." She turned on the ignition and reversed out of the parking space.

As Rachel's mother drove into the bank parking lot to make some deposits, Rachel asked, "Mama, when am I getting my Hogwarts letter-?"

"Now Rachel, stop asking." Rachel's mother stopped the car. "You musn't rush yourself. Don't expect it for another good year."

"But Mama, Jeni got her Hogwarts letter already. It's not fair!" Jeni was Rachel's twelve-year-old sister.

"She's older, and we don't know if you might be on Daddy's side of the family." Rachel and Jeni were half-blood, because their mother had been a witch but her father had been a Muggle.

"Mama, don't bring that up." Rachel tugged on her mother's sleeve as she departed from the car.

"Come with me, Rachel." Rachel's mother went into the bank.

Rachel slumped into the bank, where all of the bank ladies said she was cute. She couldn't stand five minutes, so she slumped back out of the bank and sat in the car until her mother came out.

"Why did you leave, honey?"

"No reason," Rachel said casually. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked out her window.

She saw the post office and thought about letters, which made her think about Hogwarts. She wondered, "Could I really be a… Muggle?"

As she got to her room, she pulled off her hoodie. The sunlight streamed through the window. Even today, it was too hot for her to wear a hoodie. After all, she lived in America, so she didn't have much of a chance of going to Hogwarts.

"I might go to the Sacramento Academy of Magic," mumbled Rachel. She looked at the picture of her sister and herself on Jeni's first day of Hogwarts. Then she glanced at the clock.

Just then, Rachel's mother came in with a large basket of washed laundry. "Put away your laundry, dear." Rachel's mom smiled at Rachel, who rolled her eyes and tossed her hair.

"Dear," began Rachel's mother hesitantly, sitting down beside Rachel on her bed. "Wouldn't it be time to let your highlights…um…" Rachel's mother hesitated for a minute. "Wear…off?"

"No!" Rachel shouted.

Rachel's mother's face suddenly became stern. "Okay then. But just so you know, for shouting, grounding for a week." Rachel's mother shut the door.

Rachel was angrier than ever. She was fuming. She kicked the desk and sat back donw on her bed, thinking about Hogwarts again.