"They say: be careful what you wish for..."
When Jenna Pratt wishes death upon her parents for her thirteenth birthday, she discovers someone who claims to be her guardian angel.
Rosalanea lives in the other world behind the living room mirror, and...
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I sit at the dining room table, feeling unamused as I stare at the clock before me. It is almost 8:00 PM — specifically, fifty-nine minutes past 7:00 PM.
That means that they are fifty-nine minutes late. My parents are fifty-nine minutes late to their daughter's birthday.
I fall into a day-dream and fantasize that my parents will burst into the house, saying that they got into a horrible car accident or something, but that they're here now.
However, they're only just fantasies.
Although I know that they're perfectly fine, I don't want to hurt myself with the truth: that my father's at work and that my mother's in a bar somewhere, most-likely intoxicated.
Part of me wishes that they really were in a car accident. That way, they would be dead, and would leave my life permanently.
I want them to leave. Forever.
I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Mrs. Jones; my caring neighbor and the mother of by two best friends. She smiles at me softly. "I'm sure they'll be here soon, Jenna," she says, pushing her thick brown hair out of her face. "Just wait a little longer.
I glance at Chase and Blair, who are twins. They look almost like a copy of their mother, except they have brown eyes, not blue. They're my two best friends. Scratch that — probably my two only friends. They're looking at me with pity in their eyes.
Once more, I look at the clock. It's officially 8:01 PM, making my parents sixty-one minutes late.
I sigh and look at Mrs. Jones. "I think I'd like to eat my cake now," I say.
She looks at me, shocked. She replies, "I'm sure that they're just running late..."
I can tell she's trying to waste more time, but I honestly just want to go to sleep. "If they were running late, they would have called." I hit her with the cold, hard truth.
Mrs. Jones becomes silent. Then, she speaks, forcing a smile onto her face. "Alright."
She ushers for Chase and Blair to gather around the table, as she gets into position. She tells us to say "cheese!" as she snaps a few pictures with her camera.
Then, Chase and Blair begin to sing "Happy Birthday" — I pretend I'm listening, but I'm really thinking about how this is the worst birthday I've ever had.
Although the Jones family is trying really hard to make this good, all I wanted for my birthday were my parents.
Before I know it, the song is over. Chase tells me to make a wish. I stare at the chocolate-fudge cake Mrs. Jones so generously baked for me. It is perfect, and I can't help but think that my mother can't bake even if her life depended on it.
I envy Chase and Blair so much.
Inhaling, I do what is expected of me. I blow all thirteen flaring candles, and watch as the fire disappears.
I make a wish:
I wish that my parents would just... disappear. Like the fire.
