There was a knock on Peregrine's hotel room door. She put down the gift she had just finished wrapping and ran to the door. She threw it open to reveal her two long-lost friends, Lynn and Taryn.
"Oh! You guys made it!" She squealed. They all hugged and laughed and finally made their way inside the hotel room. It was spacious and included two huge beds, a big screen T.V., and one of those miniature kitchen areas. Peregrine showed them where to dump their stuff and then they all sat down at the kitchen table.
"What have y'all been up to?" Peregrine asked looking at each one.
"Well, we're all sophomores in college, so that's not new. I am top of my class, of course," Taryn said rolling her eyes. "I have a boyfriend."
Lynn's starling green eyes laughed as she said, "His name is Billy, and he's cute as a button." Peregrine laughed at her friends. There had always been a strong bond between them, but now it seemed to be stronger than ever. They talked for hours learning of Lynn's new obsession with the appearance of magic in everyday lives and Taryn's fight with her mom over individuality. Finally it was nighttime, time for ghost stories and movies, and for the telling of stories to horrible to tell in the daylight.
"You guys, I have something I need to tell you." Peregrine waited until their eyes were focused on her. "Freshman year I got married." She cut off their squeals of congratulations. "It wasn't a good thing. It only lasted six months." She started to tell them the rest, but chickened out. Sometimes some things were better left unsaid until later. "Well, I just wanted to let y'all know. Movie time now," They were on one of the beds in front of the big screen T.V.
"Aw, drat. I left the remote over there." Taryn said pointing.
"No problem." Lynn replied focusing on the remote. Suddenly, the remote lifted up and floated over to her out stretched hand. "Neat, huh?" she asked of her shocked friends.
"I want to do that!" Peregrine whined then laughed. "Start the movie!" Lynn pressed play and they settled in to watch a romantic comedy.
Two hours later, Peregrine looked at the sleeping forms of her two friends surrounded by the discarded wrapping paper from their presents. When she had called them up to her new town, she hadn't known it was going to be this much fun. She hadn't thought that it would be hard for her to say goodbye when she left the next day. Ever since Keith…well, she hadn't been spending a long time in any city. She sat up from where she was laying in between them and got up to make sure the door was locked.
As she reached the door, the doorknob started to rattle.
"Perry, honey, I know you're in there!" a voice called from the hall. "Let me in and it won't be as bad as last time." Peregrine ran back to the bed and slid between her friends praying it was a dream. Praying he hadn't found her again. "C'mon baby, let me in!" his screaming got louder. "Goddammit let me in! I will tan your hide for this!"
Another voice joined that of the man's, "Excuse me, sir, but you will need to leave now."
"Perry baby, open up the door and tell this man to leave me alone. Perry?! DO YOU HEAR ME?" his screaming got fainter as he was dragged down the hall. Peregrine let her tears fall freely as she breathed a sigh of relief. She grabbed her friends hands for comfort as they slept on undisturbed.
"Living like this isn't fair. I shouldn't have to run away." Peregrine whispered into the night. "I wish…I wish we were far away from here, somewhere where we can be free from people like Keith who would hit us as soon as hug us. I don't want my friends to go through the same things I have. I wish…" she trailed off as sleep overtook her.
Meanwhile somewhere away…
"Were those the words?" a funny looking creature asked. His companions huddled closer to the crystal they were looking in.
"Can we accept those as the words?" another asked.
"Yes, technically, she has wished them away." The wisest replied. A small cheer went up and all the creatures disappeared and reappeared in the hotel room. They formed a circle around Peregrine and her sleeping friends. One took up a chant that another joined in. Soon a white light surrounded the bed and with a pop, the creatures, the girls, and the bed disappeared.
A?N: It's my first. And so far not my best, eh? I'm trying. This is a Happy Christmas Present to my two best friends. Names will be changed as soon as I get their preferences back. But, I feel I need to post this before Christmas. BTW- The only name that might change will be Billy.