Mira the Overlander
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Disclaimer: I only own Betsy, Mira, and their dad, and a few other random characters I made up. AKA, I own squat.
The story of a big city Arizona girl, named Mira, who moved from her luxurious home in outer Phoenix to the middle of New York City. There, she makes friends with Gregor, Lizzie, and Boots, and eventually finds out about the Underland.
Prologue
Arizona, probably one of the hottest places in the world, right after the Sahara and Yellowstone in August, and maybe Disney World in July. And I live there, well, lived, until my dad finally decided it was too hot in Arizona and went to a freezing, two degrees below zero in the winter, New York City, imagine my joy.
No-no-no, don't get me wrong, it was GREAT at first for me…until the day I learned about how cold it could get in there for one of my final projects at my old school. From then on I DREADED the day our plane took off for New York. But fate, like time can't be stopped, and I left my old life in Arizona behind, never to see it again.
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Chapter One:
What's up with the neighbor kid?
"AN APARTMENT?!?!?" I yelled at the top of my voice, much to the dissatisfaction of the taxi driver in the seat in front of me. I glared at my dad, thinking he must have lost his brain in baggage claim. "You said that the loft we had was reserved!" I made my chin quiver. I sounded spoiled, but he HAD said that we had a loft, not an apartment. And I better not have to share a room with Betsy and all her two hairless cats…ugh…I shudder at the thought!
"Yes, Miranda, and apartment, the other building won't allow cats, hairless or otherwise." My dad laid his hand on my shoulder. Betsy looked at me from the back seat and-that little brat!-stuck her tongue out at me! I clawed at her and she gasped, followed by a quick suspension of my cell phone until that evening. "Miranda! I told you not to be evil to your sister!"
"It's MIRA!" I said exasperatedly, turning to face forward and hitting my head on the headrest. Why could he NEVER manage Mira? It's much simpler than Miranda anyways, not to mention more big-city. "First you deny me a life where I can look up-to-date, then you won't call me a name that everyone I knew at school likes! Honestly father!" Betsy giggled.
"She'll fit in perfectly, daddy! Miranda's always being a drama queen, maybe she'll try out for a musical or something!" The little twerp pointed to a large sign, advertising the Broadway version of "Legally Blonde", and next to it, a small banner publicizing "Little Women" on Broadway. I looked at my reflection in the window, long chestnut-brown hair, sparkling brown eyes; I would make a good Josephine or Beth, if dad would let me try out for once, I had an "okay" singing voice.
"Ooo! There are auditions for…OMIGOSH! March sister understudies! Please daddy please?" I gave him a puppy-dog gaze as the driver pulled up to our apartment complex. Dad opened the door and shook his head with a laugh.
"What will I ever do with you?" He ruffled my hair, which I hate, and poked me gently in the nose, which I also hate. WHY DOES HE CRUSH MY DREAMS? "Now stop pouting and get your bag, Miranda." I trudged out of the taxi and through the doors, and to the elevator with my bright blue duffel. The hairless cats mewed all the way to our floor, by which time I was ready to tear them to pieces, I didn't care what my dad punished me with.
The doors opened with the same irritating ding as when it opened and I ran out, breathing in the smell of cat-free hall in front of a door where a boy's and little girl's voices could be heard, I caught an occasional "Come here Boots!" and "You it now Gregor!" before my dad grabbed my jacket sleeve and tugged me to the door facing the one the voices could be heard behind.
The lock clicked and Dad opened the door, I ran in and to the second-largest room, which had all of my things, none of Betsy's hypoallergenic cat stuff. I flopped onto the bed face first and let the old smell of Arizona sand fill my nostrils. "Sweet, sweet sheets, I love your pleasant smell." I sighed lazily, wanting nothing more than to just drift off into sleep, if only I was tired and wasn't starving, well, maybe if I put my head down for a few minutes…zzzZZzzZZzzzZZZzzz….
The next thing I heard was the doorknocker and the boy's voice again.
"Hello, I'm Gregor, and this is Lizzie, and Boots." I jumped out of bed and ran to the door, hair slightly frizzed, to meet the neighbor. Boy was I shocked.
He looked about thirteen, two years younger than me, but sounded like he was twelve. The girl in the middle looked about eight, and the smallest looked about four, and was very adorable, I tucked my hair behind my ears and smiled in a friendly way. "Nice to meet you guys." I looked Gregor over again, and noticed small traces of scars on his ankles, and more noticeable ones on his wrists, both attempted to be covered by jeans and a sweatshirt, both a little too short. He looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep for months, maybe even a year or two. I let them be, for now, but was for sure going to inquire later. I laughed as loud as I could when Boots broke into a fit of hiccups halfway through Gregor's parents introducing themselves to my dad in the kitchen. It was too cute, and Boots started laughing too, until we were both laughing and hiccupping at the table. Dad told me to cut it out before I made a fool out myself, too late, and burst out laughing harder than ever.
"Miranda Marana Dovve!" He snapped as soon as Gregor's family had left. "Why did you have to do that? You made me look like an idiot!" I rolled my eyes and hiccupped again. "And stop hiccupping!" I hiccupped again and Betsy giggled.
"Sorry-." I hiccupped again. "Dad." Hiccup. "But you have to admit, it was adorable to hear her laugh." I hiccupped and grabbed a glass of water. I squeezed a bit of lemon juice in it and chugged it while Betsy plugged my ears and I plugged my nose. The hiccupped disappeared within ten minutes, thank goodness. "And I think I was the one who looked like an idiot, not you." I dismissed the blame and picked up the phone, about to order pizza. I opened the phone book and turned to the "Business-P" Papa Johns, okay with me, okay with Betsy, and dad didn't want anything, so I called and ordered a medium cheese with cheese sticks, part of a promo they were doing to outshine Domino's and Pizza Hut.
The T V was turned on, and Betsy squealed when she turned to FOX. The familiar theme played and I screamed in equal measure to Betsy's squeal. "Omigosh! American Idol!" We yelled in unison and I plopped down by Betsy and started bouncing up and down. "Oh yeah! Audition day! Where?"
"San Diego." Betsy clapped her hands and also started to bounce. "Oh wow! Look at his fingernails!"
"They're MANICURED!"
"Can't wait to hear him, it'll be funny, I can already tell!"
Pizza arrived and it was slowly disappearing.
"Wait, I remember that guy! Didn't he already audition…THREE TIMES?" I pointed to the dorkiest guy I ever saw.
"Four, I think." Betsy nodded and took a bite of her pizza.
"Oooh, his brother's HOT!" I stared at the dork's brother. Betsy hit me in the arm and pointed to the screen. "Ow, sorry, I'll shut up."
"Good."
"Oh gosh! It's the manicured nails guy! Look how huge that fan is! Is that a BARBIE?"
"Yes! He NEEEDS a LIFE, doesn't he?"
I nodded and pointed to the screen as it showed a montage of a bunch of people singing and being denied.
"Remember that lady last week?" Betsy asked and poured some soda.
"Yeah, what a dork, Simon didn't even bash her that hard."
We laughed when a woman with blond hair started singing "Sweet Escape" with her lips barely moving and she sounded like a mouse on caffeine.
"Now what?" I asked as the episode ended, the pizza gone, dad snuck a slice; my cell phone was still off-limits…maybe that Gregor kid would be interesting.
"Well…there's this new DVD of Hannah Montana I bought and I was thinking…" Betsy cooed.
"NO! I'm not watching…wait, does it have the Jake Ryan episodes?" I shook my head after I asked; I was being a dork, an immature dork. Betsy looked crestfallen and flipped to Disney Channel and started jumping up and down. "What is it, Bets?"
"High…School…Musical…TWO!" She squealed and turned up the volume. Oh great…it was "The Music in Me" gag…
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I ran to my room after the music video of "Humahumanukanukaapua'a" (what a mouthful!) and turned on the radio. Taylor Swift…thank goodness. I turned up the volume and started humming, and then during the chorus, I would start singing along.
"He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar. The only thing that keeps me wishin' on the wishin' star. He's the song in the car, I keep singing, don't know why I do…" I started to play along on my keyboard.
I got distracted, easily. Because five minutes later I was playing the Pirates theme and staring at an autographed photo of Jack Sparrow. "Miranda! Miranda! GO TO BED!"
"Great, parental unit annoyed, must stop." I thought to myself and shut off the radio and my keyboard. "Okay dad! I'm going!"
A/N: Okay, doesn't have much to do with Gregor now, but it will in about half a chapter…stay tuned for more "Mira the Overlander"!