"Knock, knock! Is anyone in that hollow head?" Jennie teased as she rapped on Marjie's head.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Marjie complained as she swiftly ducked out of her friend's reach.
"Marjie, you know Sailor Moon's just a make-believe character," Jesse said as she sat down with her school lunch.
"It could happen!" Marjie responded defensively. Jennie snorted. The two glared at each other.
"Cut it out you two, try to act your age!"Jesse said with a sigh. She turned back to her lunch.
"Ewwwww! I swear it's still alive!" Marjie wrinkled her nose in disgust while she picked through her lunch.
"That's why you should bring your own lunch, cafeteria food may be hazardous to your health," Allison laughed as she set down her own sack lunch. Marjie just gave her a look that was a cross between disgust and horror. There was some truth in her friend's words…
Unknown to the whining girl someone was creeping up behind her. She suddenly felt a sharp tug on one of her long marmalade pigtails.
"Amy!" Marjie shouted as she whirled around. She pulled her long hair out of her friend's reach.
"Hey, meatball head," Amy said smoothly as she sat down with the rest of her friends. Marjie was glaring daggers at Amy. She suddenly lunged for her friend's long dark brown hair. Amy just laughed and dodged out of the way, sending Marjie on a collision course with the wall.
Once everyone had settled down, and Marjie had picked herself up off the floor, still rubbing her forehead where the wall had made contact, two more girls joined the group.
"Hey you guys, what are you talking about?" Sarah asked as both her and Dana sat down.
"Looks like Marjie had another ditz attack," Dana whispered to Jesse.
"I heard that!" Marjie said indignantly. Jesse giggled.
Jennie rolled her eyes.
"What do we always talk about at lunch?" she asked them, referring to the question that Sarah had asked.
"Oh, it's that Sailor Moon girl again. You know that she's just make believe," Sarah said while she looked directly at Marjie.
"I just said that it could happen," she said defensively, "Besides," she added quickly, "I'm not the one whose dream is to go live in Japan."
The all looked at Allison after Marjie's last statement. Allison just shrugged.
"Hey, you all know that I love researching myths and legends!" she pointed out. They all nodded.
"Maybe you should go talk to the Counselor?" Sarah suggested.
"Very funny, Sarah," Allison said while she glared.
"You've got a point there," Sarah said.
The first bell rang before Allison was given the chance to respond.
"Gotta go, don't want to be late to class. See ya!" Amy said as she hurried off.
The seven girls split up and went their separate ways.
Friends Forever
Marjie heard a loud knock on her door the next morning. She rolled over to see her alarm clock and groaned when she saw the numbers through bleary eyes. 6:15 in the morning. No living thing should be awake at this time, she thought. She flopped back over and was about to fall back asleep when the knock came again, but this time it was louder.
Boy, I sure am glad that Dad's out of town, and that Mom's a heavy sleeper, she thought as the knock grew louder and more impatient each time.
"Shutup…" she said sleepily, just barely awake.
Whoever it is they will die for waking me up, she thought.
"Go away!" she grumbled at the door. She finally dragged herself out of her warm bed and trudged sleepily to the door.
"Amy this had better not be another one of your practical jokes," Marjie growled when she saw Amy standing in the doorway. There was a shadow behind her.
"It's not," came a frantic voice.
"Allison? What the heck are you doing up this early? I thought that you would at least have the brains to stay in bed at this hour," Marjie said in surprise when she saw her other friend.
"I'll explain it all. Meet me at the park in half an hour," Allison ran off down the street.
"What's gotten into her?" Marjie asked Amy, looking at the retreating backside of her other friend.
"I wish I knew," Amy responded.
"I think that the poor girl has finally lost it," Marjie speculated.
"I'll be right back," Marjie said as she ran up the stairs. She came down a couple of minutes later dressed in blue jeans and a yellow tee shirt. She grabbed two pop-tarts and gave one to Amy.
"Thanks, Allison dragged me out of the house before I could eat breakfast, it was throw some clothes on and go with her," Amy said as she accepted the offered pop tart.
"No problem," Marjie said. She glanced at her watch.
"Uh oh, we better hurry!" she said as she rushed out the door with Amy right on her heels. They sprinted to the park so that they wouldn't be late for whatever Allison had dragged them out there.
They skidded to a halt when they saw their friends at a bench near the entrance. Everyone was already there.
"It took you long enough!" Jennie said while dramatically waving her hands.
Marjie turned red.
"Why me, why am I always late. I think that I'm cursed…" she muttered to herself as she sat down at one of the empty park benches.
"Cool it, girl," Jesse put a hand on Jennie's shoulder. Jennie sat down reluctantly.
"So, what's up?" Sarah asked Allison. Everyone's attention turned toward Allison.
"Well I had the same dream again, but this time it was different," Allison said seriously. Everyone became silent. Allison had been having these weird "dreams" for a while now, but until now they had always been the same. The dreams always had two girls that were covered by some heavy mist, and five more girls beyond them. Then there was this man. He would d always be dressed like a king or something. He always told Allison the same thing.
"Remember, you are the ones from the Heavens, you are the stars that shine with Mercy. You are our deliverers…" he would say. Then he would disappear into the mist with the rest of the girls.
"'Different' as in good different, or 'different' as in bad different?" Dana asked, breaking the silence.
"I'm not sure. But I do know that it will change our lives forever," Allison said solemnly, "We all have to swear that we'll stick together no matter what happens. Through thick and thin, we always have to be there for eachother. Are we all together?" she asked them all, she looked straight into each girl's eyes.
"Count me in," Dana said as she stuck her hand forward.
"Me too," Sarah did the same.
"I'm with you," Jennie said.
"Same here," Jesse joined in.
"With you all the way," Amy said. Marjie was the last one left.
"You're not doing this without me!" she said with a grin on her face.
Seven hands were in the center of a circle of seven young teenage girls, teenage girls who had no idea what kind of future was in store for them.
"Friends forever, we'll stick together!" they all said together.