Restart - An Original Novella

Chapter I {Thank You, Happy Birthday} Part 1

**The media is what I've imagined Stephanie to look like. If you know who it is, please tell me who she is so I can add her name officially to the cast.**

Monday, February 29th, 2016

"Happy birthday, Steph!"

My younger sister, Maria, shrieks as she jumps on my bed, crushing my legs. I yawn before sitting up.

"Wait. My birthday? Oh, yeah, my birthday..." My voice is a low, raspy grumble, and I cough.

"Yeah, your birthday! Get up, slowpoke! I have a present for you!"

"Okay, umm. Get off my bed so I can get out of it!" I grunt.

Maria obliges, giggling, as she leaps onto the ivory colored rug on the floor.

"Why didn't Mom get me one of these?" she asks me as she curls her toes into the soft rug.

"I don't know, actually. I think she said it was an early birthday present." My voice stretches with me while I unfold my arms and look at the clock on the counter next to my bed. "5:24?" I whine. I'm not a morning person.

"It isn't that early," Maria retorts defensively.

"Yes, it is." I moan and climb out of my bed. The cold air of our house washes over me, chilling me to the bone. I instinctively start to crawl back into the inviting warmth of my green sheets, but I restrain myself. "Now, where's this present you're so excited about?"

Her brown eyes sparkling, she dashes out of my room and down the steep stairs to the living room.

"Maria!" I reprimand her as I chase her down the hallway. I stumble, my legs still used to my bed, not running, so early in the morning.

"Hurry up!" Maria calls back.

I finally reach our bright kitchen. It's a nice room, the pale yellow light bulbs illuminating the room and giving the dark brown chairs a glow. It's so neat in here. I guess the fact hits me especially right now because even if I am very organized, my bedroom can be sloppy sometimes.

I turn to the calendar on the wall. This year is a leap year, so my real birthday is actually going to occur (yes, I was born on Leap Day). I get distracted and, lost in my thoughts, I don't notice Maria waving her hand in front of my face.

"Hello? Anybody home? Earth to Steph! Steph?"

"Oh. Sorry. Just thinking..."

"Well, think after you've seen Michael's gift!"

"Wait. You said it was your gift?" I look at her.

"Fine. I was fibbing. Now come and see already!"

Maria grabs my hand and pulls me into the living room.

"Look!" she shouts, pointing at the carpet.

Sitting there, the sunrise casting rainbow colors on its amber shaded wood, is an acoustic guitar.

For a second, I seriously think my eyes are playing tricks on me. I look at Maria, who's staring back at me expectantly.

"Oh my gosh," I manage.

"Michael got it for you!" Maria squeals.

"Oh my gosh," I repeat like an idiot.

"Michael got it for you!" Maria squeals again, mocking me.

"Michael got it for me?!"

"Of course! He loves you!"

I roll my eyes. "No, he does not." I swallow the rising lump in my throat and run over to the guitar, kneeling over it like it's a living, breathing creature. Placed over the frets is a pale green ribbon, tied in the shape of a bow. There's a note under it written in marker:

Play your heart away — Michael

"I knew you'd like it!" Maria cries triumphantly.

"I can't believe he did this for me!" I'm so giddy, my hands are shaking as I finger the strings of my guitar. My guitar. My guitar!

I cradle the guitar like it's a baby and test strum. It vibrates in my hands, letting out a beautiful, sweet sound, and I beam.

"Why does it sound weird like that?" Maria asks, making a face. Maybe it isn't as beautiful or sweet as I imagine it.

"It needs to be tuned. I'll take care of that after school. Then it'll sound awesome." If I learn some chords.

But for now, it's perfect.

Mom comes down from upstairs and jokes I woke her up. She goes in the kitchen to make a special breakfast for me while get ready for school.

I go to my bedroom and pull a simple green t-shirt and jeans out of my dresser. My "style" (even though I don't have one) is casual, not fancy. And concealing of course. No crop tops or insanely revealing shorts in my wardrobe. That's definitely not me. Looking at myself in the mirror, I carelessly brush my hair, making sure my long, long bangs fall in front of my face. I'm shy, although very opinionated, and I don't want to stand out in the mass of the public high school I go to. Hiding behind my hair is the easiest way to survive. I don't care about my appearance the way some girls at school do, and I don't wear makeup or anything, so I only spend about thirty seconds each morning in front of the mirror. In my opinion, any more than that would be narcissistic, unless it's necessary.

As soon as I'm ready, I rush down the stairs to be greeted by the smell of something baking — something with strawberries. Mom tells me to wait a second while she prepares my meal. With extra time to kill, I go to my guitar to teach myself some chords. Michael will be impressed with my skills when I invite him to come over after school. The tuning doesn't take long, and I am done soon before Mom calls for me.

When I walk into our unattractively orange kitchen (which would have been painted mint green if it were up to me), I am greeted by two beaming faces and a delicious breakfast — strawberry pancakes, an omelette, and chocolate-covered strawberries.

"Wow!" I exclaim. My eyes widen. So much strawberry and chocolate! My two favorite foods!

Mom sits me down and gives me her gift, encased in a tiny velvet box — a jewelry set. The necklace, bracelet, and earrings all have green gems. "Concuerdan con tus ojos," she tells me in Spanish, her primary language. I understand it because since she's from Spain, she uses it in the house, although I can't really speak it that well.

I put on the jewelry and smile as Mom takes a picture. I decide to leave it on just for today, convincing myself there's no harm in being flashy just for one day. Maria gives me a box wrapped in light green paper. I unwrap the box to be greeted by a high-tech watch. It's equipped with a glow-in-the-dark light, which I appreciate. I love glow-in-the-dark things (my fear of the dark has never really gone away). It also has a timer, the day and date, and of course, it'll be useful to check the time when there isn't a clock available. I slip it on and smile.

"This is great! Thank you so much, guys!" I sit at the table and dig in so fast it's like someone will chase me away.