.
Sunlight streaming through a window awakened me, softly whispering that it was morning. It filled my large room with warmth and lightly caressed my face as I slowly stirred from my dream.
"Not now," I murmured as I squinted my eyes shut. "Leave me alone."
My bed was soft and warm. I was too comfortable to wake up already.
Then the birds began to sing outside of my window. I knew it was time to wake up. Instead of leaving my bed, I curled into a ball and tried to capture what remained of my dream. I had been walking along the beach, listening to the song of the ocean and the crying of seagulls. The cold water of the sea washed around my feet and I looked up at the sky to gaze at the still remaining moon.
I must be homesick, I thought. Home.... it definitely isn't here.
Which was another reason I didn't want to get out of bed. If I woke up, I knew that I would have to face the world outside my room. I would have to face reality and accept it. Deep in my heart, I didn't want to.
But why shouldn't home be here? Mom grew up here, after all. This is the place. the country that she grew up in. It's her past and my future.
But still. it isn't home.
An unwanted tear flowed down my cheek. My world had crumbled almost three months ago when my father had said, "Pack up your things. We're moving." The biggest change in my entire life and my father had just been so casual about it as if he were saying, "Clean your room."
I was more confused than I had ever been in my life. But as I was climbing the stairs to my room, the realization came to me. We were moving... because of me.
A sob escaped my throat and I tried to hold back the rest of my tears. I knew that I couldn't be responsible. Somehow, this voice in my head kept telling me, "This is all your fault. You were the reason that you had to move to the other side of the ocean, away from America. You're the reason that your father is 'starting over' in England."
"No, I'm not!" I protested as I sat up in bed. "I'm going to prove you wrong!"
Suddenly, there was a sharp knocking on my door. It was soft at first, but then gradually grew louder with impatience.
"Chilly, are you talking to your cat again?" my older brother, Chris asked through the door.
"No." I replied softly as I threw the covers off my small body.
"Good. Now, get up!"
"I don't want to!" I yelled back. "I wanna stay in bed all day."
I heard his exasperated sigh as he walked off down the hallway.
My mind suddenly became cluttered with reasonable explanations about my sudden change of residence. They included the fact that my father had often said that it would be good for me to study abroad somewhere during my years of taking N.E.W.T. classes. They also included thoughts that my father might have gotten fired or maybe he was wanted in the United States for a crime.
I was interrupted yet again by a loud knocking on the door to my privacy.
"Chilly, Dad wants to say good bye before he leaves for work!" Chris yelled through the door.
"Coming!" I replied as I fell out of bed. I tripped over my trunk and several stuffed animals as I made my way to my closet.
Hmm. My blue robe was missing.
I looked around my room for my robe. It was somewhat difficult, since my room was cluttered with laundry (both dirty and clean), random stuffed animals, and the like. I could barely see the blue carpet on the floor and I knew I had a desk in here somewhere.
My dresser was towards the back of the large room. Maybe I put it there. I walked over to it and pulled off a few tee shirts and shorts before finally finding my blue robe.
As I put it on, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I made a face at it, partially because my brown hair was sticking up in all directions and the Crayola red tips were starting to fade. I examined my face and noticed my skin tone, which was like a year round tan, thanks to my Cuban, African-American, and Irish ancestors. What the Irish gave me, I still don't know yet, but I was suspecting that they were the reason how I sunburn on my nose easily.
"Chilly! What's taking so long?" Chris was becoming impatient, as usual.
I sighed and made my way to my door, stepping over several boxes I hadn't unpacked.
My eighteen-year-old brother stood there, with a slight frown on his face. Standing next to him, I realized just how short I really was. He was almost six feet tall and what was I? Five foot one.
"I'm glad you decided to grace me with your presence," he said.
My eyes moved up and down, examining him. He was wearing a black shirt with blue jeans and his tan skin seemed to glow. His hair was slightly spiky, and with that smirk on his face, he looked like he had leapt out of one of my magazines.
"Are you done with your examination?" Chris asked, with a slight smirk on his face that suggested that he knew he looked good.
"You think you're so sexy," I replied as I rolled my eyes.
"That's right. I'm damn sexy and don't you forget it." He ruffled my hair and I smacked his hand away. I knew he was making it worse.
"Who're you trying to impress today?" I asked as I shut my door behind me.
"No one in particular," Chris said slyly.
I rolled my eyes again, which was becoming a frequent custom. I wrapped my robe tightly around me and made my way down the large spiral staircase.
My father, Jon Richardson, stood next to the large green front door, checking his watch every now and then. He was almost identical to my brother, except Chris actually got off his butt and went to the gym.
I looked at him and realized how much the three of us had in common. We all had large brown eyes and the habit of getting into trouble, which my father would be in soon, because he was late for work.
"Hey, Dad," I greeted. "Hope they don't give you too much trouble at the office."
My father had gotten a job and England's Ministry of Magic. He is in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He took the job long before we even got to England. Lately, people at the office were giving him trouble because he is so freaking lazy.
"Honey, we've been here for almost three months. I doubt anyone's going to give me trouble." He sighed as he checked his watch yet again. "Trust me, I'm not as lazy as you think I am."
"Sure," I remarked, rolling my eyes.
"Where's your brother?" Dad asked.
"He was right behind me..." I cleared my throat. "CHRIS!"
At that instant, Chris slid down the windy banister, not pausing to jump off at the very end. He landed in front of me.
"Yes, your highness?" he asked and bowed.
"What have you been doing?" I asked.
"Gelling my hair some more," Chris replied.
"It's time to go, Chris." There was a loud jingling noise as Dad pulled out his car keys out of his pocket.
"Why can't we Apparate like any other normal wizard?" Chris asked.
"Because you failed the test again for the fifth time," Dad reminded.
I slapped Chris upside the head, as if to say, "Yeah, stupid."
"Where are you taking Chris? He doesn't have a job," I pointed out.
"I will soon. I have an interview today," Chris said proudly.
"Maybe you can keep the job this time," I mumbled.
"What was that?" asked Chris.
"All right now, Chilly. Don't burn the house down while we're gone. And don't forget to shower sometime today." My father kissed the top of my head. "See you around five. That is, if another fight involving an angered hippogriff doesn't happen again. Then I'll see you around seven."
"Later, squirt," Chris said as they left.
I shut the door behind them. I spun around, walked down a long narrow hallway, and pushed the door open to the sunny kitchen.
"What should I have for breakfast?" I asked myself as I fished through the cabinets. "Health bars or unnecessary large amounts of sugar?"
I pulled some Coco Puffs out of the cabinet and poured some into a large bowl used for mixing.
A small black cat walked into the kitchen and jumped up on the counter. He walked around in a circle and then curled himself into a ball.
"Hello, Friday," I greeted.
I opened a cabinet and pulled out his cap nip. As I poured it into a small bowl, he came running towards me and was probably thinking "FOOD!"
A smile came across my face and I sat down at the table to eat my bowl of sugary goodness.
"It's about time you fed me," Friday suddenly said, looking at me strangely.
"Stop complaining," I replied as I looked at this morning's edition of the Daily Prophet.
"You know," Friday went on as he leapt onto the table, "ancient Egyptians worshiped cats. They wouldn't have forgotten to take care of them."
"Lo ciento, but would you stop comparing me to the Egyptians?" I asked as I scratched his head. "Besides, I didn't forget to feed you. I just woke up later than usual."
Friday purred contently. "Well. I suppose I can forgive you."
"You'd better or I won't let you go outside and stalk the squirrels like you usually do."
I sat on my bed, flipping through a large book. It was a scrapbook I made sometime before the move to England and I cherished it. It was full of pictures of my family and friends from America.
Friday jumped onto my bed and sat in his usual spot, next to me with his head on my pillow.
"Hey, Friday," I said as I flipped to another page in the scrapbook.
Pictures of a small, smiling woman with short brown hair and bright blue eyes covered the next few pages. There was not a single picture where she was looking sad or angry. She was always happy.
"Mom..." I mumbled. I touched the face of the woman, smiling and waving.
It still surprised me about how much I missed her. She died when I was just a kid, after all. Even though I could barely remember her, I still love her and miss her. When she was taken away from me, it was as if I it had made this hole in my heart that never would close up.
I closed my scrapbook and pet Friday on the head. It didn't seem fair that I had to move and leave all of these people behind.
"Are you feeling homesick again?" Friday asked politely as he rubbed his head against my arm.
"Just a little." I hopped off my canopy bed and placed the scrapbook back onto my bookshelf.
"I hope you aren't going to cry again."
"I do not cry!" I insisted.
"Sure you do. Remember that one Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where she killed Angel?"
"I wasn't crying!"
"Yes you were!"
I threw a stuffed bear at him. "I was not! What do you know, anyway? You're just a stupid cat."
"Excuse me, but I am one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth." Friday began to groom himself. "Do you remember that book you were reading? Cats were wizards in that book and extremely intelligent."
"That was pure fiction, and you know it."
"I don't even understand why you take such a liking to Muggle fantasy."
There was a sudden sharp knocking at my door.
"Chilly!" Chris yelled. "Are you arguing with the cat again?"
"No!" I yelled back. "He's arguing with me!"
Friday and I usually get along well, but lately we have been arguing over the stupidest things. Dad and Chris are extremely confused about it, especially since they can't understand what we are fighting about. That's probably due to the fact that I'm the only one that can understand Friday.
Chris opened the door to my room and made a face.
"Like your room is any better," I said as I closed my scrapbook and tucked it under my bed. "At least I don't have Playboys on my wall. You're lucky I don't tell Dad that what he thinks are racing posters are really your blonde lovers-"
"You're lucky that I don't tell him about the portal that you're trying to create in your closet to take you back to America," Chris snapped.
Friday, sensing the tension, jumped off the bed and scampered out of the room.
"By the way, how was the interview?" I asked Chris as he flipped through one of my video game magazines on my desk.
"I think I might have gotten the job," he replied. "I think I wooed her with my American charms."
"What American charms?" I asked as I rolled my eyes.
"You know, Chilly, one day you're going to roll your eyes so far back into your head that they're going to get stuck."
"I hope that's the day those Playboys finally make you go blind."
"What's THAT supposed to mean?"
"What do you think it means? It's a wonder that those headlights of theirs don't make you go blind."
"At least they HAVE something!"
"Oh, that's it you pervert!" I exclaimed as I fished through my covers for my wand.
"Uh, uh, uh," Chris said, shaking his finger. "You can't use magic before school starts, remember?"
I glared at him and chucked a pillow straight at his pretty-boy face.
Sunlight streaming through a window awakened me, softly whispering that it was morning. It filled my large room with warmth and lightly caressed my face as I slowly stirred from my dream.
"Not now," I murmured as I squinted my eyes shut. "Leave me alone."
My bed was soft and warm. I was too comfortable to wake up already.
Then the birds began to sing outside of my window. I knew it was time to wake up. Instead of leaving my bed, I curled into a ball and tried to capture what remained of my dream. I had been walking along the beach, listening to the song of the ocean and the crying of seagulls. The cold water of the sea washed around my feet and I looked up at the sky to gaze at the still remaining moon.
I must be homesick, I thought. Home.... it definitely isn't here.
Which was another reason I didn't want to get out of bed. If I woke up, I knew that I would have to face the world outside my room. I would have to face reality and accept it. Deep in my heart, I didn't want to.
But why shouldn't home be here? Mom grew up here, after all. This is the place. the country that she grew up in. It's her past and my future.
But still. it isn't home.
An unwanted tear flowed down my cheek. My world had crumbled almost three months ago when my father had said, "Pack up your things. We're moving." The biggest change in my entire life and my father had just been so casual about it as if he were saying, "Clean your room."
I was more confused than I had ever been in my life. But as I was climbing the stairs to my room, the realization came to me. We were moving... because of me.
A sob escaped my throat and I tried to hold back the rest of my tears. I knew that I couldn't be responsible. Somehow, this voice in my head kept telling me, "This is all your fault. You were the reason that you had to move to the other side of the ocean, away from America. You're the reason that your father is 'starting over' in England."
"No, I'm not!" I protested as I sat up in bed. "I'm going to prove you wrong!"
Suddenly, there was a sharp knocking on my door. It was soft at first, but then gradually grew louder with impatience.
"Chilly, are you talking to your cat again?" my older brother, Chris asked through the door.
"No." I replied softly as I threw the covers off my small body.
"Good. Now, get up!"
"I don't want to!" I yelled back. "I wanna stay in bed all day."
I heard his exasperated sigh as he walked off down the hallway.
My mind suddenly became cluttered with reasonable explanations about my sudden change of residence. They included the fact that my father had often said that it would be good for me to study abroad somewhere during my years of taking N.E.W.T. classes. They also included thoughts that my father might have gotten fired or maybe he was wanted in the United States for a crime.
I was interrupted yet again by a loud knocking on the door to my privacy.
"Chilly, Dad wants to say good bye before he leaves for work!" Chris yelled through the door.
"Coming!" I replied as I fell out of bed. I tripped over my trunk and several stuffed animals as I made my way to my closet.
Hmm. My blue robe was missing.
I looked around my room for my robe. It was somewhat difficult, since my room was cluttered with laundry (both dirty and clean), random stuffed animals, and the like. I could barely see the blue carpet on the floor and I knew I had a desk in here somewhere.
My dresser was towards the back of the large room. Maybe I put it there. I walked over to it and pulled off a few tee shirts and shorts before finally finding my blue robe.
As I put it on, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I made a face at it, partially because my brown hair was sticking up in all directions and the Crayola red tips were starting to fade. I examined my face and noticed my skin tone, which was like a year round tan, thanks to my Cuban, African-American, and Irish ancestors. What the Irish gave me, I still don't know yet, but I was suspecting that they were the reason how I sunburn on my nose easily.
"Chilly! What's taking so long?" Chris was becoming impatient, as usual.
I sighed and made my way to my door, stepping over several boxes I hadn't unpacked.
My eighteen-year-old brother stood there, with a slight frown on his face. Standing next to him, I realized just how short I really was. He was almost six feet tall and what was I? Five foot one.
"I'm glad you decided to grace me with your presence," he said.
My eyes moved up and down, examining him. He was wearing a black shirt with blue jeans and his tan skin seemed to glow. His hair was slightly spiky, and with that smirk on his face, he looked like he had leapt out of one of my magazines.
"Are you done with your examination?" Chris asked, with a slight smirk on his face that suggested that he knew he looked good.
"You think you're so sexy," I replied as I rolled my eyes.
"That's right. I'm damn sexy and don't you forget it." He ruffled my hair and I smacked his hand away. I knew he was making it worse.
"Who're you trying to impress today?" I asked as I shut my door behind me.
"No one in particular," Chris said slyly.
I rolled my eyes again, which was becoming a frequent custom. I wrapped my robe tightly around me and made my way down the large spiral staircase.
My father, Jon Richardson, stood next to the large green front door, checking his watch every now and then. He was almost identical to my brother, except Chris actually got off his butt and went to the gym.
I looked at him and realized how much the three of us had in common. We all had large brown eyes and the habit of getting into trouble, which my father would be in soon, because he was late for work.
"Hey, Dad," I greeted. "Hope they don't give you too much trouble at the office."
My father had gotten a job and England's Ministry of Magic. He is in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He took the job long before we even got to England. Lately, people at the office were giving him trouble because he is so freaking lazy.
"Honey, we've been here for almost three months. I doubt anyone's going to give me trouble." He sighed as he checked his watch yet again. "Trust me, I'm not as lazy as you think I am."
"Sure," I remarked, rolling my eyes.
"Where's your brother?" Dad asked.
"He was right behind me..." I cleared my throat. "CHRIS!"
At that instant, Chris slid down the windy banister, not pausing to jump off at the very end. He landed in front of me.
"Yes, your highness?" he asked and bowed.
"What have you been doing?" I asked.
"Gelling my hair some more," Chris replied.
"It's time to go, Chris." There was a loud jingling noise as Dad pulled out his car keys out of his pocket.
"Why can't we Apparate like any other normal wizard?" Chris asked.
"Because you failed the test again for the fifth time," Dad reminded.
I slapped Chris upside the head, as if to say, "Yeah, stupid."
"Where are you taking Chris? He doesn't have a job," I pointed out.
"I will soon. I have an interview today," Chris said proudly.
"Maybe you can keep the job this time," I mumbled.
"What was that?" asked Chris.
"All right now, Chilly. Don't burn the house down while we're gone. And don't forget to shower sometime today." My father kissed the top of my head. "See you around five. That is, if another fight involving an angered hippogriff doesn't happen again. Then I'll see you around seven."
"Later, squirt," Chris said as they left.
I shut the door behind them. I spun around, walked down a long narrow hallway, and pushed the door open to the sunny kitchen.
"What should I have for breakfast?" I asked myself as I fished through the cabinets. "Health bars or unnecessary large amounts of sugar?"
I pulled some Coco Puffs out of the cabinet and poured some into a large bowl used for mixing.
A small black cat walked into the kitchen and jumped up on the counter. He walked around in a circle and then curled himself into a ball.
"Hello, Friday," I greeted.
I opened a cabinet and pulled out his cap nip. As I poured it into a small bowl, he came running towards me and was probably thinking "FOOD!"
A smile came across my face and I sat down at the table to eat my bowl of sugary goodness.
"It's about time you fed me," Friday suddenly said, looking at me strangely.
"Stop complaining," I replied as I looked at this morning's edition of the Daily Prophet.
"You know," Friday went on as he leapt onto the table, "ancient Egyptians worshiped cats. They wouldn't have forgotten to take care of them."
"Lo ciento, but would you stop comparing me to the Egyptians?" I asked as I scratched his head. "Besides, I didn't forget to feed you. I just woke up later than usual."
Friday purred contently. "Well. I suppose I can forgive you."
"You'd better or I won't let you go outside and stalk the squirrels like you usually do."
I sat on my bed, flipping through a large book. It was a scrapbook I made sometime before the move to England and I cherished it. It was full of pictures of my family and friends from America.
Friday jumped onto my bed and sat in his usual spot, next to me with his head on my pillow.
"Hey, Friday," I said as I flipped to another page in the scrapbook.
Pictures of a small, smiling woman with short brown hair and bright blue eyes covered the next few pages. There was not a single picture where she was looking sad or angry. She was always happy.
"Mom..." I mumbled. I touched the face of the woman, smiling and waving.
It still surprised me about how much I missed her. She died when I was just a kid, after all. Even though I could barely remember her, I still love her and miss her. When she was taken away from me, it was as if I it had made this hole in my heart that never would close up.
I closed my scrapbook and pet Friday on the head. It didn't seem fair that I had to move and leave all of these people behind.
"Are you feeling homesick again?" Friday asked politely as he rubbed his head against my arm.
"Just a little." I hopped off my canopy bed and placed the scrapbook back onto my bookshelf.
"I hope you aren't going to cry again."
"I do not cry!" I insisted.
"Sure you do. Remember that one Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where she killed Angel?"
"I wasn't crying!"
"Yes you were!"
I threw a stuffed bear at him. "I was not! What do you know, anyway? You're just a stupid cat."
"Excuse me, but I am one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth." Friday began to groom himself. "Do you remember that book you were reading? Cats were wizards in that book and extremely intelligent."
"That was pure fiction, and you know it."
"I don't even understand why you take such a liking to Muggle fantasy."
There was a sudden sharp knocking at my door.
"Chilly!" Chris yelled. "Are you arguing with the cat again?"
"No!" I yelled back. "He's arguing with me!"
Friday and I usually get along well, but lately we have been arguing over the stupidest things. Dad and Chris are extremely confused about it, especially since they can't understand what we are fighting about. That's probably due to the fact that I'm the only one that can understand Friday.
Chris opened the door to my room and made a face.
"Like your room is any better," I said as I closed my scrapbook and tucked it under my bed. "At least I don't have Playboys on my wall. You're lucky I don't tell Dad that what he thinks are racing posters are really your blonde lovers-"
"You're lucky that I don't tell him about the portal that you're trying to create in your closet to take you back to America," Chris snapped.
Friday, sensing the tension, jumped off the bed and scampered out of the room.
"By the way, how was the interview?" I asked Chris as he flipped through one of my video game magazines on my desk.
"I think I might have gotten the job," he replied. "I think I wooed her with my American charms."
"What American charms?" I asked as I rolled my eyes.
"You know, Chilly, one day you're going to roll your eyes so far back into your head that they're going to get stuck."
"I hope that's the day those Playboys finally make you go blind."
"What's THAT supposed to mean?"
"What do you think it means? It's a wonder that those headlights of theirs don't make you go blind."
"At least they HAVE something!"
"Oh, that's it you pervert!" I exclaimed as I fished through my covers for my wand.
"Uh, uh, uh," Chris said, shaking his finger. "You can't use magic before school starts, remember?"
I glared at him and chucked a pillow straight at his pretty-boy face.