I pulled up to our house. The garage was empty. My parents must have gone out to brave the crowds too. I made a beeline for my bedroom, shoved my shopping bag in the closet, and went back to bed.
Two hours later, I woke up the sound of piano and guitar. Skylar has been practicing singing as much as possible in hopes of achieving her dreams.
I pulled myself out of bed, then took the One Direction dolls out of the bag to reassure myself I'd really gotten them. I hadn't examined the toys closely before, but the dolls did bear a striking resemblance to the boys. Harry had the same curly brown hair and his blue eyes gazed back at me. I could almost imagine him on stage singing.
I stared at him a while longer. Probably longer than normal for a seventeen-year-old girl to stare at a plastic doll. Sometimes when I watch their concerts online I feel a connection with Harry Styles. I feel like he's someone I already know, someone who fits with me. It stinks that he's probably one of those pampered celebrities who never sets foot in a grocery store though.
I slid the box under my bed for later. I would wait until Skylar and I were alone, until everything was perfect and my plan couldn't go wrong. Then I would give it to her.
When I went into the kitchen, Mom and Dad were cleaning up the dishes from a waffle breakfast, Skylar's favorite.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Dad called to me. "We saved you a couple, but you'll need to heat them up."
Mom looked up from the sink. "Did you get any good bargains?"
I picked up a waffle and took a bite. "Actually, I made out like a bandit. How about you guys?"
"I got some good deals. I couldn't find the One Direction dolls anywhere though. We told Skylar the stores were all sold out and so now she wants to go to the mall to ask Santa for one." Her eyes crinkled with worry.
"Don't worry," I said, trying not to smile. "Something might turn up."
After breakfast, I played along with Skylar while she sang. I tried to get Elise to join in, but she was too busy simultaneously tying up the phone line while texting on her cell.
Elise goes to Liberty University in Georgia, which basically means she lives with us but is disdainful about being forced into spending time with us. Usually when she's not at class she's out somewhere working on her social life.
People say I look like Elise, and I take it as a compliment. The difference is, beauty and flirting have always come naturally to her. Everything I know on both subjects, I've just copied. Sometimes when I'm with guys, I'm not sure if I'm being myself or channeling my sister. I'd just rather shoot hoops with them instead of batting my eyelashes.
After Skylar and I were done practicing, she looked at me. "I'm going to get the One Direction dolls for my birthday. They sing for real."
I walked to my room and motioned for her to follow. "Come on. I want to tell you a secret."
She trotted after me, and when we got to my room, I sat cross-legged on my bed. She climbed up and curled next to me, looking serious. "What's your secret?"
I leaned toward her, my voice low. "Well, I've never told anyone this before, but years ago I found a magic lamp, the kind genies live in. I rubbed the lamp, released the genie, and got three wishes. But I didn't use them all. I still have two left."
Skylar looked up at me, doubt written across her face. "I'm five, Allegra. I know there's no such thing as genies."
This is from the girl who wanted to ask Santa for some dolls, and wanted to marry Harry Styles.
"It's true," I insisted. "I have two wishes left, and I want to give them to you."
Her eyes narrowed skeptically. "What was your first wish?"
"Um…" You'd think I would have thought this through, but I hadn't. I mean what kind of five-year-old when given two wishes asks you what you wished for?
"I'll tell you another time. Right now I want to explain the rules about wishing because you can't wish for more wishes or for impossible stuff like superpowers. Besides, my genie is one of those difficult ones so you might end up as invisible forever or something. I want you to use your last wish to make sure the surgery will go fine. That way you won't have to worry about it anymore."
"Why don't I wish that I don't have to have the surgery in the first place?" she asked, and her eyes lit up at this prospect.
It hurt to have to disappoint her. "Mom and Dad would make you have the surgery anyway. They don't believe in genies, so it wouldn't matter what we told them. It's better to just wish that it'll go fine."
Skylar nodded, accepting this explanation, then looked back at me. "Allegra, are you tricking me?"
"No. Now shut your eyes and say, 'This is my official second wish,' and wish for something you really want." I leaned toward her, my eyes never leaving her face. "What toy would you most want right now?"
She closed her eyes. "Do I have to call for the genie first?"
"He'll come when you say it. That's why you have to shut your eyes. He's shy around people. You're not supposed to see him." I put my hands under the bed, ready to grab the box. "Now what's your official wish? Think of something you really, really want."
She fidgeted, thinking, then clasped her hands together in decision. "This is my official second wish. I wish the real Harry Styles and the rest of One Direction would come and teach me how to sing."
