Novel Jumper

Chapter Two

 Lilia was rudely awoken when her mother barged into her room, Kasey following close behind.

Lilia sat bolt upright in her bed, heart beating fast. She had had a strange dream that she couldn't quite remember, but it had been disconcerting to be forced from whatever it was into consciousness. It took her a moment to fully take in her bedroom, which had been "miraculously" transformed overnight.

Streamers hung from the ceiling and balloons covered the floor. Her mother beamed at her from the doorway and Kasey wriggled past her to spread her arms wide and shout excitedly, "Happy birthday! I have an early present for you."

Lilia, grabbing a hair tie off of her nightstand to tame her wild mane, asked, "What?"

Nervously, Kasey handed her a carefully folded piece of paper. When Lilia unfolded it to reveal the picture within, she gasped.

It was a drawing of a female warrior, holding a broadsword high. Her expression was set and determined and her hair swept to the left as if in a strong breeze. Her feet were planted firmly and in her tousled hair, a crown sat.

The only color in the picture was the woman's eyes. One was bright green, while the other was a deep, ocean-like blue. They were so wonderfully drawn that Lilia could easily imagine the cold rage and determination within them.

"I love it!" Lilia shrieked, jumping out of her bed to hug her little sister fiercely while putting the drawing into the pocket of her pajama pants with her free hand. Kasey giggled and wriggled away from her, bouncing happily on the balls of her feet.

"Come on!" Mrs. Well urged, grinning much wider than she had in a very long time. Birthdays were a favorite for Lilia's mother, even when it wasn't her own. She loved the planning, the organization, and even the present purchasing.

When Lilia got downstairs, she heard two male voices coming from the kitchen - her father and - was that Ryan? Sure enough, when she entered the room Ryan stood from the table and shouted, "There's my little sis!"

Lilia didn't approve of Ryan and what he was doing with his life. She thought that he was a bad role model, especially to Kasey, and wasn't worth the grief he caused their mother. But even despite all of that, Lilia wasn't able to help but look up to Ryan, and loved his visits.

She flung herself into his arms. "Hey!" she greeted him.

"You are sixteen years old. Cool," Ryan exclaimed, looking her up and down. "And you grew, like, four inches. Not cool."

In reality, Lilia hadn't grown since she was fourteen, but she never told Ryan that, because she had trouble figuring out if Ryan actually thought she had grown or if he was just messing with her.

"Lilia," her father called. She looked up just in time to catch a brown paper bag sailing her way. Opening it, she found a blueberry muffin from her favorite bakery awaiting her. She raised her head to grin at her father.

"Thanks, Dad!"

"It's the least I could do for my little girl," he said gruffly, which Lilia knew was his way of saying, "I love you." She just smiled and bit into the muffin.

"Presents, presents!" Kasey chanted. Her mood was infectious, and Lilia laughed around her mouthful of muffin as she followed her sister into the living room, the rest of her family close behind.

A mound of presents awaited her on the coffee table. Most were suspiciously book-shaped, but some were strangely large or small. Lilia had no clues as to their contents.

"Wait!" Mrs. Well exclaimed. "I need to grab the camera!" She dashed out of the room. Lilia kneeled, resting her forearms on the coffee table and waiting patiently.