The Dollmaker's Wish

I: New Life

"Happy Birthday Princess!!! Make a wish!" Mom and Dad shouted with excitement.

"But I don't know what to wish for," I said.

It was my seventh birthday and we just moved into a new neighborhood.

"How about a friend?," Mom suggested.

"Okay. I wish I have a beautiful princess friend," I said and blew the candles out.

Then suddenly I saw Sapphire appeared and ate all my cake with her bare hands.

"Hey! That's my cake!" As I grabbed the cake away from her I felt myself falling into darkness.

"Ouch," I said and saw myself on the floor. As I try to remember about the dream, the pain began to spread all over my body and the door swung open.

"Good morning!" the culprit of my misery greeted me with a smile on her face. Sapphire.

"How did you get in here?" I asked and I can hear the grumpiness in my voice. Probably she rode her bicycle to get here, again.

"It looks like Mother Nature dropped something off," She said nonchalantly and I ran toward her to cover her mouth.

"Shhh!," I hushed her and whispered," What if someone overhears you!"

"Oh you mean Prince Charming down the hall?" she said playfully.

"No it's not that and Mother Nature wasn't here," I interrupted and added," You're disgusting, he's my cousin"

"But you thought he was cute, right?" she asked as she walked over my bookshelf and took a random book.

"Yeah, before I knew he was my cousin," I surrendered and took the book from her and put it back on the shelve.

"Why were you grumpy today anyway, it's not like you," she said as I gave her the fashion magazines.

"Do you really want to know?", I asked.

"Yes, tell me"

***

"That's why I'm a bit angry at you today," I said as we enter at back of the car.

"You know I didn't take your cake, it was an accident," she corrected.

"Yeah, sure princess," I smiled.

"Hey! Don't ever call me princess. Call me Queen," Sapphire said and imitated a beauty queen waive.

Then the door on my right side opened and Alexid entered. As he saw us he smiled and I still can't get over that he is my cousin. I'm so abnormal.

"Good morning, Sapphire," he greeted her and Sapphire saluted in response.

"Good morning, Kaine", he said and twirled the ends of my black hair with his finger.

"G-good morning," I whispered and he smiled and mumbled,"Cute as always".

"You heard that? Cousins don't talk like that," Sapphire whispered after she elbowed me which was pretty hard but I swallowed the pain and tried to be calm as possible.

"But he is one," I whispered back. It looked like he heard us and is about to say something but stopped himself.

***

As the chauffeur, Mr. Bean, he once suggested to be called based on his favorite show, dropped us off at the entrance.

As Alexid exited the car first, girls began screaming. School girls from the school and from the neighboring public school always greeted Alexid. I kind of felt bad for the boys who just stared at their crushes, whose eyes are glued to their idol, "Prince Alexid".

As I got off the car after Sapphire, one of the girls accidentally pushed me and before my face can touch the hard concrete ground, Alexid had his arms around me. I can clearly picture how we looked right now, the witch and the prince.

I try to avoid facing his gaze as much as possible and instead, my gaze met the crowd with laser-like glares and I knew that I am a dead-meat.

Immediately, I got off from his arms and pulled Sapphire inside the school and into a random room, luckily it was the girl's restroom.

"What just happened?" I asked Sapphire feeling dazed.

"Well, like Snow White in Prince Charming's arms," she said and added,"Here I have a proof" and showed me a picture of me in Alexid's arms.

"If I took the pic in a different angle, it looks like you guys are lip-locking," she said as she try to determine the best angle in her phone.

"This is not funny and erase that," I told her and she begged me not to let her erase the picture.

"Fine," I surrendered and try to pretend that everything was a dream.

I just hoped that he didn't see me blushed, I don't want to give him the wrong idea.

***

Throughout the entire day, I avoided Alexid and Sapphire protected me from all the angry fans.

"If anyone try to touch one strand of this girl's hair, this will happen," Sapphire used her thumb to drew a line across her neck.

She said that to every places we went: the classrooms, lunch hall and even in the restrooms.

While in the lunch hall, our friends joked that Sapphire shouldn't be her given name but rather Ruby because her hair and her attitude are red like fire.

"Hey, Sapphire is my birthstone and blue is my favorite color," she interrupted and we all laughed.

***

The school for the day was over and Sapphire reminded me that she has to help her mom at their store. Without her, it would only mean that I would be alone with Alexid inside the car.

As Mr. Bean pulled in front of the school, I enter the car to avoid the evil glares from the fan girls.

I sat on the car for minutes and talked with Mr. Bean about his day. Then the door on where I am sitting opened and I met Alexid's green eyes.

"Wrong door," he mumbled and walk around the the other side of the car.

When he entered the car, Mr. Bean greeted him and he respond with a "Good Afternoon". Its usually not like this, but maybe it was my fault for avoiding him at school. I felt that the silence is killing me and I decided to make the first move.

"Umm...I'm sorry for today. I should be thanking you for saving me," I said and allowed my hair to cover my face.

"It's fine. I probably embarrassed you anyway," he said and put some of the strands of my hair behind my ears.

"It's not that, I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea," I said and looked him in the eyes.

"What if I said I don't care if they get the wrong idea," he said and touched my cheek.

"What?" I shouted and pulled myself away from him in surprise and I could feel my face and my ears getting warmer. Then, I heard Mr. Bean called out from the driver's seat asking me if I was alright which I barely responded back with a 'Yes'.

"It was just a joke. Did you see your reaction?" he said and laughed.

"You know what that's not funny and wipe that smile off your face," I said and playfully punched him on his arm.

By the time we got home I realized that tomorrow is our last day as being a middle school students.

I just hoped that Summer will be alright even if Mom and Dad are not here with me anymore.