"I was once an ordinary girl from another world.

Wait, don't close it yet.

I know it may sound farfetched at first, but it is the truth. It was just another day on my world, on Earth, with me as a struggling student in college in a city called Brooklyn…"

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Wished Upon a Star

December 14, 19**

"Ms. Rigassi!!"

A piercing yell slammed into the student's ears like two cars crashing into each other. She jolted her head up with a piece of paper stuck to her face. Despite the shock, she was still groggy and ready to collapse into sleep again. She stared in daze at her literature instructor, a plump man in a blue shirt and tie gazing maliciously at her.

"Loretta Rigassi, pay attention! If you fall asleep again, then I'm sending you out of the classroom!" he warned her.

"Uh…y, yes sir," she quietly replied.

Loretta was a sophomore in college and recently turned nineteen years old. She had long, dark hair, big sapphire eyes and glasses, wore a green cotton blouse under a white jacket and a thin skirt over her tan skin. She was very short for her age, standing a few inches above four feet and a little chubbier than some girls but calling her fat would be over-exaggerating.

Loretta put her hand on heavy head to desperately keep it up. In her opinion, literature is one of the most boring topics to listen to, especially if you have an outrageously boring teacher like Mr. Roberson who won't stop talking in monotone. Thankfully, the class ended and everyone was free to go for the holiday. Loretta would have rushed right out of the door, but she had some business to take care of with the teacher.

"Mr. Roberson?" she started.

"You have some nerve coming up to me after your little interruption of my lecture with your snoring."

"I'm so sorry, sir. I promise it will never happen again. But, I would like to discuss my grade for this class."

"I already told you before, Ms. Rigassi. If you didn't get a least a B on your paper, then you would more likely fail the course."

"That's exactly what is wrong here!" she raised her voice. "I looked over that paper again and again, and I even gave it to other English professors to read, and most of them said that it was worth a B. Mr. Roberson, all I am asking is for you to look over it again and reconsider," she begged.

"Loretta, my hands are tied. Now, I have been teaching for 20 years, and I know a C paper when I see one. I know you need the grade to keep your scholarship, but maybe you should have thought of that and tried harder than you did. Final grades are already posted. There is nothing I can do."

Mr. Roberson stood from his seat and collected his things. He head toward the door but looked back to Loretta with somewhat sympathetic eyes. "You can always reapply for the scholarship next year. I'm sure you can manage until then."

With that, he turned off the lights and left the classroom, leaving Loretta in complete distraught.

*~____~*

The walk on campus seemed long and painful for her. She just wished for time to stop and keep to herself as long as she wanted. The chill of the winter air wasn't making her feel any better but rather made her feel bitterer. She made it to her green, rusted car, which looked like it was ready to fall apart at any moment, in the parking lot.

"Yo, Retta!" a voice called.

Behind her, a figure lounged and spun around with her neck, almost dragging her down. It was another woman, thin, blonde hair, hazel eyes, and sporting a very fashionable black coat and gloves.

"Hey, Retta! Where are you off to? There's a party at the junior dorms and I found this boy who can sneak us in," the girl grinned.

"No thanks, Amber. I'm not in the mood for fun," Loretta answered sadly to her friend.

"What's the matter, Loretta? Did something happen?"

"I just chatted with Mr. Roberson, and he won't even look at my paper again. Basically, I failed literature."

"That's so totally unfair!" Amber argued. "Everyone knows Mr. Roberson is an egotistic jerk, but this tears it!"

"And now I'll lose my scholarship, too. He said I could just 'apply for it next year', but my parents don't possibly have the money to support me for two semesters without it. Oh, mama's never going to look at me again…"

"Loretta, don't let this get you down. I'm sure it will work out. You never know what's going to happen around the corner," said Amber, trying to cheer her up. Loretta simply stood in the snow with no effect from her friend's kindness. "Do you want some company and grab a coffee before you leave for home?"

"No…no, that's alright. I just want to be alone now."

"Well, okay. Call me later."

"Sure."

Amber walked off back on the campus, and Loretta entered her car and drove off onto the highway.

*~____~*

New York was the city of lights and glamour. It never rested and it was never quiet. Only after Loretta exited the highway and into the neighborhoods out of the city limits did it become more peaceful and she could think to herself. She turned on the radio and a blues song was playing. It was just perfect.

Suddenly, a strange sound clanked in the hood of the car. The sounds began to sputter and the car was rolling to a stop. She tried turning her key but the engine was giving out on her. Then, smoke was seeping out. Loretta pulled over and ran out of her car before it could explode on her or something. It didn't, but Loretta was still cautious. She approached the hood, lifted it and backed away as the sweltering smoke almost burned her tan skin. She knew the engine was completely fried.

"Oh, cazzo…"

She sat on the cold ground in front of her useless car, still swearing under her breath and fogging up her glasses. When she was done, Loretta sighed and looked up at the sky with clouds obscuring the stars, as if one can see any stars in New York. To her left, she spotted an old payphone. She stared at it for a moment and decided to use it. Luckily, she had some coins in her purse. If only they made phones that you can take anywhere. But, only rich people could hope to get something like that.

Loretta took her coins, paid the several cents, and dialed the number. One ring…Two rings…Three rings…No answer. The machine came on with a male voice telling her to leave a message.

"Hey, Anthony. Just calling to see how you've been doing, fratello. Is Florence fun over there? I know you'll make a good architect someday. I wish I could be as talented and useful as you." There was a long pause. "I'm just rambling now. Anyway, I hope to talk to you later, fratello. Ciao…"

She hung up the phone unsatisfied. She saw she had enough coins for one more call but she hesitated. Her parents had given her so much to get into college and she screwed it up. Why would she want to hasten their disappointment, even if it meant stranding herself in the streets with no car? Loretta put her change back in her pocket and sat by the car again. She was in disarray to understand how she was going to do this. Once again, she groaned and gazed at the sky which began to clear, yet, there were hardly any stars to admire. However, she continued to look; it was the only thing keeping her relaxed.

Then, something curious caught her eye. Across the night sky, a shooting star was soaring over. It was a short spectacle and on impulse, she closed her eyes and made a wish. "I wish something could help me out of this mess."

Suddenly, a bright light was coming towards her. She thought it was incoming vehicle and rapidly jerked up from her seat. As she glanced ahead, there was no car coming to run her over. Then, Loretta looked up behind her and saw a glow floating towards her. Frighten, she climbed in her car, locked the door and hid in the seats. Through the window, and to her amazement, the glow slowly descended down on the street. Its illumination receded, and it was the figure of a shimmering star in the generic shape. The strangest part was the star had two eyes blinking curiously.

"What the hell…is this?" she whispered to herself trying to figure out how it could be real.

The star floated in many directions, looking confused.

"A wish…?" it spoke.

"Wait, how can it be speaking?!" Loretta screamed in her head.

"I…heard a wish…"

"Heard a wish? Is it talking about me? What am I saying?! This is insane!"

The star continued to wonder aimlessly. "Where are you?" it asked childishly. It flew down a nearby alley and away from the car.

Loretta sat up and watched the alley to see if it would comeback. She waited for a minute or two but saw nothing. She unlocked the door and stepped out, and after staring for so long, she started to chuckle.

"It was just a hallucination. Yeah, that's right…I was just so upset that I went and imagined everything. I'm so silly…"

Without noticing, Loretta was slowing walking toward the alley. Was it curiosity? It seemed like more she was in a trance being pulled in by some force. Finally, when she regained consciousness, Loretta noticed the alley led to an abandoned apartment. The grass was dirty and full of litter. The most of the windows were broken and the bricks were falling apart. A sign was in front of the building. It was due for demolition for a new apartment. Looking at the building again, it was a likely hazard, ready to fall over.

"What am I doing here?" she laughed at herself as she shook her head.

Loretta turned around back to her car.

"Don't go."

The voice was back again. She spun toward the broken down apartment.

"Let me…grant…your wish."

"Grant…my wish?"

There it was again, the feeling and force of being dragged toward the voice and toward the illusion which were beckoning her. Loretta couldn't stop, even if it meant scrolling up to a building which could collapse on her. Up the crumbling stone steps, she came to the taped up door. She simply tugged on the tape, and it all easily fell apart, leaving to door free to open. Loretta slowly grabbed the rusty doorknob, turned it, and pulled with a cracking sound from the doorway.

Inside the lobby area, a set of dusty stairs steered up the floors near the left, and a long, torn, green carpet stretched down the corridor in front of her. Bits of the wall were missing, and the holes allowed the moonlight to shine through. Again, the voice whispered, and it was coming from the corridor. Loretta gathered her courage and ventured inside the building

The holes in the walls and ceiling were bringing in the cold wind from outside making the dwarf girl shiver. Dry grass was growing on the floor molding and old cobwebs dangled on the ceiling. The hallways soon became a labyrinth, hardly showing any signs of differences to tell each new turn apart. She had been walking for minutes now, and even if she was going in a straight path, she should have reached the other end of the building. Was it a trick?

"Closer…"

The voice was her only guide. Why was she so committed to all of it? In her mind, it was to waste time before she had to go home and face her parents, but on the other hand, she became curious. An entity in the shape of a star wanted her to follow it, and she couldn't help but obey it. It was an otherworldly power having grabbed hold of her, and she struggled to break free, but at the same time, she was choosing to let it on her on accord.

All of a sudden, Loretta noticed the floor becoming lush with grass and even small flowers were sprouting. There was less dust in the air and the hallway was becoming warmer that she had to take off her coat.

"Man, did they forget to turn off the heater in the back?" she asked while in discomfort.

Soon, the walls were getting covered with moss and plants, and the ground felt wet. At the end of the corridor, Loretta could see a light. Excited to make it to the end of the darkness, she picked up her pace and reached for the light.

When she passed through, a large room spread around her. It looked like the backyard of the apartment, but it was a lovely garden with a bounty of hedges, moss, and flowers glistening by the pale moonlight. There were even signs of insects buzzing around the area.

"I didn't think apartments would have a botanical garden, and judging by the warm air, it must still be functioning. This must have been a real fancy place at one time," she figured.

Loretta wondered in the garden, enjoying the mild warmth from the freezing weather. She pasted through a gate with two pillars and stepped into puddles of water. Down the middle path, the water was running from a center fountain. Stepping closer, Loretta saw that it wasn't a fountain but a very large, green tube overflowing.

"You are finally here."

Loretta stopped and searched for the voice. When she looked up at the roof, she noticed the night sky and moon were inside the room. She thought it was a glass ceiling, but then there was an aurora of pink and green colors rippling in the sky and the stars looks like they were moving.

"This can't be real…" Loretta murmured as she dropped her coat.

"It is real."

"W, what are you? Why did you lead me here?" she questioned it though she couldn't believe she was trying to have a conversation.

"Do you wish to believe and hope?" it asked.

She listening for the voice and it seemed to be coming from the green pipe. She carefully stepped toward the tube, getting her shoes soaked from the water. She leaned over the edge and peered into the inside but there was nothing but water gushing out.

"Here I am."

Nearly getting a heart attack, Loretta grabbed the pipe's rim to keep from falling over, despite getting her clothes wet, and spun around as she gazed into the mystic black eyes of the star being. It was somehow than her this time with a yellow glow that was soft and warm but still brilliant to make her wince at its light. She didn't know what to do as this thing was blankly staring at her so innocently.

Behind her, the water suddenly stopped overflowing and it started to recede, but Loretta was too distracted by the strange entity to notice. Then, a light appeared in the darkness of the hole, and it rapidly shot up closer to the surface. An intense beam flew from the green tube, nearly grazing Loretta's dark hair, and water spouted in all directions like a geyser. From inside the tube, thorny vines reached and entangled Loretta's arms, waist, and neck. It was all happening so fast she didn't have a chance to react, and the vines pulled her down the green tube without a struggle.

"SOMEONE…HELP ME!!!!!!"

Her screams echoed down the tube until they were completely gone. The star that surprised her giggled mischievously and vanished, leaving only a few sparkles to fall to the wet ground.

…………

"And so, your wish begins…"

*~____~*

(A/N):

Italian translations

cazzo - damn

fratello - big brother

ciao - bye

So if you haven't guessed now, Loretta Rigassi comes from an Italian family. She rarely speaks Italian unless it's with her family or she gets really excited or upset, and it's simple words. She has a brother, Anthony, who is in Florence, Italy studying abroad, and Amber is her best friend at school. However, most likely these background characters won't make important appearances again, but don't fret. The newcomer next chapter will definitely start turning some cogs with what I'm going with this story.