Prologue

Green Meadow, TX

July 2011

The teen girl stood nervously in the line to meet the famous Selena Gomez. She wasn't much of a fan of the actress/singer, but her little 9-year-old sister was, and there were few pleasures on their lives that when she heard the actress was visiting their town, she had to take the munchkin to see her.

The girl was just 13 years old, and yet her eyes were much older and sadder than they should be. They weren't destitute or anything like that, but times in Texas had been hard for the past few years, and their father had lost several jobs. Their mum had taken it the worst; she had started drinking and taking out her anger on them. For the most part she managed to catch all the blows, and her little sister was kept out of harms way. Still, it was impossible to shield her from all the abuse, particularly the verbal one.

Her little sister was a little awkward, but the teen was sure it was just baby clumsiness, and she'd outgrow it anytime. But it wasn't enough for their mum. She was a former beauty queen whose glory days were sadly in the past, but that made her be especially hard on her daughters.

The teen didn't really minded; she was thick skinned and she had gone through much worse than what her mother could throw at her, but her sister wasn't. No kid should have to hear her mum tell her what a disappointment she was.

In the long run, the teen was sure it wouldn't matter; she was sure one day they'd be able to walk away from all this. She'd stay in school until she was old enough to get a semi-decent job, and then she'd be able to pay for her sister's school and college. One day they'd go and live together in their own house, and they'd never have to worry about going to bed hungry. They would have enough money for a nice little house, maybe even a little car, but not before sending their parents some too. They might not be the best parents in the world, but they still were theirs, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to take care of them. But, until that time came, she'd try her best to give her little sister the most normal childhood she could.

She knew it wasn't really fair for her to have to carry such a burden, but she also knew she didn't had a choice. Maybe if it was just her she'd be more selfish, but she had her little sister to think of. She was the older one, and it was her duty to care for her in anyway she could.

Today was a good example. Her sister had always looked up to Selena Gomez; she never missed an episode of her show, she had seen all her movies at least four times, and she had bugged her big sister until she had no choice but buying her all the star's albums. The teen smiled at that thought; she had worked her ass off doing odd jobs at the mall to get enough money to buy those records. It had been worth it. The little one saw a role model on the slim, dark-haired girl; and given the harshness of their life, it was good she had someone as wholesome as her to admire. So when the munchkin had heard the Disney Princess was coming to their town to do a meet and greet sponsored by some company or another, the teen knew she would do anything so her little sister could meet her.

She had stood in line for almost 48 hours to get passes for them. 48 hours under the scorching Texas sun. In the middle of summer. During one of the worst heat waves in history. Their mum had been angry; she said it was a waste of time. But the teen knew that what their mum was just being mean. The woman had refused to give her any money to buy something to eat, or at least some water. So for 48 hours she had to rely on the kindness of strangers. Even though most of the people on their little town weren't better off than they were, she was positively surprised when she was offered a little water, a little bite to eat. It made her think that maybe there was hope after all.

So, they were now just minutes away from meeting the actress. They were close enough that they could see her, and the munchkin was getting restless and nervous. Would the great star stay long enough so they could meet her? Would she be kind enough to autograph her record? Would she think badly of their poor clothes?

The teen could do nothing but sight and try to reassure her little sister. No, she was sure the Disney Princess wouldn't mind at all their clothes. They were the best they had, and they were clean. Don't worry, munchkin, someone like Selena Gomez can't be so shallow as to resent our clothes. Just remember to mind your manners, be polite and your usual sweet self, and don't worry about anything else, enjoy this moment.

The look of adoration her little sister gave her was almost enough to make the teen believe her own words. In reality, she was embarrassed; their best clothes weren't really much, and would never actually impress someone like the Wizards star. But there was nothing she could do; they simply didn't have the money for nice clothes. She had washed them extra carefully; she had done their hair the best she could, too.

Her thoughts were cut short; it was finally their turn to meet the famous Selena Gomez. They both froze in place for some of the most uncomfortable seconds in their life, until the actress flashed them their amazing smile and beckoned them to come closer.

"Hey you guys! Come one, get over here, I promise I won't bite" The Disney Princess chuckled and they got closer to the table.

"What's your name, kids?"

The teen prodded at her little sister slightly, and she in turn smiled her toothy grin. "My name is Demi, Miss Gomez. And this is my sister Dallas. I'm so happy you came to our town, and I'm ever so glad I got to meet you. You are my favorite actress and singer in the whole wide world, and I watch your show all the time. I love your music too, and your movies. I think you are such and amazing person, and I love you so much, and think you are the greatest. Would you sign my record?" The little girl extended her tiny hand towards the singer.

"Please Miss Gomez, I hope you don't mind our clothes, our parents don't have a lot of money and Dallas and I have to make do with what little we have."

"Demi!" Dallas screeched at her little sister, completely mortified. She turned towards the actress. "Please Miss Gomez, I'm so sorry, it was really inappropriate of her to say…" She didn't have a chance to continue apologizing, for the actress interrupted her.

"Dallas, isn't it?" When the teen nodded, she kept on while looking at both girls in turn. "Dallas, Demi, there is nothing to be ashamed of. I know that this are difficult times, and believe me, I don't mind this at all. You both look like very smart, very beautiful girls, and I'm sure that things will get better for you in no time. I'm sure you'll both achieve all of your dreams. You just have to work really hard at it and never lose focus of what you want. Never lose your faith." She proceeded to write something on Demi's record and closed back the case before returning it to her.

"Do you really think so, Miss Gomez? Do you really think all our dreams will come true?" Little Demi asked, her voice a mixture between awe and a plea.

Selena stood up, bent down over the table so she could be closer to the little girl's face, and spoke softly. "Yes, Demi. I'm sure that you will make all your dreams come true. Trust me. Never forget it, Demi, all you need to make those dreams happen is right here." She touched the little girl's heart. "Don't' ever be afraid, and don't ever hold back. I'm sure good things are in your future." And she kissed the little girl and smiled at them both.

It was all a blur after that; they had to move quickly, the Disney Princess still had to greet a lot of people. But after they had walked halfway home, they stopped so the munchkin could rest her little legs for a while. It was then when Dallas remembered that they hadn't even looked at the record. They opened it.

"Yes I will, of course I will, Selena." Demi said softly, while her sister smiled sweetly at her.