She is 6 years old, and she has never heard anything like it.
She is wearing her favorite sweater with the puppy dog on the front, eating her favorite lunch of peanut butter and jelly and celery sticks, and she is sitting in the cafeteria – alone at the end of one of the tables.
But the boy with the glasses is loud, and she listens curiously as he talks about how his mommy can hear his daddy in her mind, and how much they love each other. They're best friends, and his daddy wouldn't ever want anyone else but his mom. It's like a fairytale, he says to his friends, who are rolling their eyes and making gagging noises because they're older, and they're boys, and that's what they do. And then one of them catches her looking and sneers at her before stealing her juice and pouring it over the remainder of her lunch.
She closes her eyes as everyone laughs, and she thinks of music and best friends.
She doesn't tell Mommy when she gets home, but goes straight to her room and sits on her bed, in her little pink room with stars on the ceiling, and too many stuffed animals. She closes her eyes and thinks, as hard as she can.
At first there's nothing, but then it feels as if a there's a tiny wisp, a ribbon of wind, and she realizes she's not alone. She takes a deep breath.
Hi.
She can feel it in an instant, and she doesn't lose concentration, but she tenses. Maybe she's done something wrong, because she feels… fear.
But she thinks of best friends, and tries again.
Hello! Are you there? Will you… talk to me?
It would be nice, to have someone to talk to.
She hadn't meant to scare her, she didn't mean to do anything wrong, and she feels sick to her tummy because she can't get it out of her mind, and all she can feel is… the girl.
The girl who is scared of her.
She digs out her coloring book – the one that she got at school and keeps under her bed because it has knights in shining armor and Mommy doesn't like fairy tales. Her tongue is between her teeth as she colors and imagines best friends and singing, as she hums a soft song and lets the melody comfort.
She feels the other girl rather than sees her, and Rachel smiles.
Hello. I'm sorry I scared you.
Her smile widens when the girl answers her, quiet and hesitant but hopeful.
Now she can see curious hazel eyes and golden blonde hair, and she knows everything has changed.
Rachel looks down at the half-colored picture of a knight and his lady, and then glances up.
Is this happily ever after?