Chapter 10

                                    

                                          
Turned out Will did have something for me. She went into her closet and came out with a brown halter top and skinny jeans. It wasn't something that I usually wore, but I didn't really have an option here. She helped me get dressed and started styling my hair. Once she was finished she let me look in her mirror. 
                          
I hardly recognized myself. I looked in the mirror and saw a stranger. The girl looking back at me was beautiful, the jeans hugged her legs in all the right places and fit perfectly around the waist. The top was perfect for her figure and looked flawless as it started at her shoulders and ended just about her bellybutton. As I looked at her hair, I could see that it was pulled tight into a red round bun and a few strands fell across her forehead and a couple short ringlets dangle by her ears.
                          
"That can't be me." I simply say looking closer to see any of the flaws I usually see when I look in the mirror. Then  I saw my upper left arm and saw all the burn marks my mom had left. I placed my hand over them as I remembered why I always wore big shirts with sleeves that usually went down to my elbows.
                          
Will saw my arm and took my hand away.
                          
"Sometimes we have to find the beauty in our flaws before we can find our true beauty. I know what she has done to you Winter, but you are some much more than she led you to believe." She said. I turned to her and gave her a hug.
                          
"Wither my curse gets lifted or not, any life here will be better than what I had there. For me and for Ethan."
                          
"Winter, Ryder just pulled...up." I heard Lane say from the door. I smiled as Will moved me to stand in front of him, spinning me a little.
                          
"How does she look, Lane?" She asked. I let out a giggle as I felt my cheeks get red. 
                          
"Um, wow. Winter you look beautiful." He answered. He looked a little awkward so I asked him to let Ryder in and I turned back to Will.
                          
"Thank you." I said. We both ran downstairs and found Lane and Ryder talking in the living room. They seemed to be making friends. 
                          
"Oh, there she is." Lane said and Ryder turned around and smiled. He took my hand and led me out the door as I said goodbye to everyone.
                          
"You look beautiful, Winter." He said as he held my door open for me. I sat down in the passenger seat as I thanked him and he walked to the other side and started the car. He drove off and a little while later, we found ourselves at a drive-in movie theater. 
                          
"Man, I feel over-dressed." We both laughed as he hooked the speakers to the car door and turned it up a little. I smiled when I realized it was a silly romantic comedy. 
                          
After the movie, he took me to dinner and we both just laughed and had a good time. We ate our dinner and started walking down the street to the car. We walked in silence as he grabbed my hand and started swinging our arms. I could feel myself already falling in love with him and it was only been a few days.
                          


                          
I woke up a few days later to the sounds of stifled giggles and quiet whispers. I was too tired to understand what was going on so I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I looked over to see everyone standing in my room with balloons and a cake. Everyone but Ryder.
                          
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all yelled. I jumped and started laughing. I forgot today was my birthday with everything that was going on. I pulled the covers off of me and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I looked down to see what looked like an aquarium under my feet. The floor looked like water and I could see the fish swimming around. I could see for miles down. Hundreds upon hundreds of colored fish just swimming. I looked up to see the water ascending up my walls and it was nothing around us but water and fish. I smiled in amazement and started spinning to look at all of them and to take them all in.
                          
"Fairy magic?" I asked. 
                          
"Yup, It was Lane's idea. Willow just kind of helped. She's always good with illusions." Georgette. Ethan ran up to me and jumped for me to pick him up.
                          
"Look at all the fishies, Winter." He said, pointing at all of them.
                          
"I know. It's pretty cool, huh?" I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that I forgot it wasn't real. I was shocked and a little disappointed when it went away. 
                          
"Alright, lets head downstairs. There's presents and cake." And at the mention of cake, Ethan was gone. I laughed as we followed them downstairs. I fell behind and as I reached the stairs, I felt a twinge of pain in my chest. I stopped and put my hand on my chest and took a few deep breathes. It passed as quick as it came and I didn't think anything of it. I was glad that no one saw and I quickly ran down the stairs to catch up. 
                          
"Hurry up, Winter. There is a cake down here." Ethan yelled. I laughed as I reached the bottom the stairs. 
                          
"I'm coming, I'm coming." I reached the dinning room and everyone was all gathered around a cake, singing happy birthday, everyone but Ryder. That was weird he said he was going to be here this morning.
                          
"Ryder show up yet?" I asked Will as I sat down. She just shook her head. I just nodded and focus on my cake. It was beautiful. It was two-tiered with little yellow frosting and little green flower buds looping around it. The inside was my favorite, chocolate with more yellow frosting. 
                          
"Dig in, it looks delicious." Georgette said. And we did it tasted wonderful. I loved it.
                          
Once everyone was finished, Georgette cleaned up with a little help from Ethan as Lane and Will brought in my gifts and set them on the table. There was so many of them and they were all from everyone. I wasn't really expecting anything which is the norm but when they woke me up and said something about presents I was expecting two, three tops. Not like, twenty. 
                          
"Alright, we are cleaned up, now lets open the presents." Georgette said. As I opened them, I couldn't help but smile, these people didn't know me very long, but they still got me the best gifts. Georgette got me a few fantastic outfits and they were beautiful and a painting of beautiful swirls of colors to hang in my room. Ethan drew me a few pictures which Georgette had framed, and he gave me one of his action figures which I will give back to him on his birthday. Willow gave me a few sketch pads and charcoal pencils along with blank paper and paints.
                          
"Thanks, Will. I love it." I said.
                          
"Well, you said with the way your mother was always taking your money, you never had any money for art supplies. You also mentioned that you preferred sketch pads and charcoal over anything else." She explained. I thanked her again and continued opening gifts. I got more clothes and art supplies. 
                          
Then I got to Lane's gifts. He got me some  books, ones I never even mentioned that I loved, and some more clothes that were beautiful. He got me a canvas with and easel with more paints. I thought they were all wonderful. I thought I was finished until Georgette gave me one more. 
                          
"This is also from Lane." She said. It was small and long and I opened it to find out it was a jewelry box. I lifted the lid to find a gorgeous necklace. It was a long sliver chain and at the end was a small but beautiful pendent. I picked up the pendent in between my fingers and saw that it was a small green leaf.  I looked up at Lane as I pulled it out of the box.
                          
"Lane, this is beautiful. I love it." I said as he took it from me to help me put it on. I pulled my brown hair forward over my shoulder and he closed the clasp. 
                          
"I saw it and I knew that it was perfect." I just smile down at it. 
                          
"Alright, that was the last one. Lets get this cleaned up so I can start cooking for dinner." Dinner? I looked at my watch and it was only noon.
                          
"You're starting dinner already, Georgette?" I asked. She just smiled and walked into the kitchen.
                          
"Mother always makes a huge meal on birthdays. Consider yourself lucky, I bring cursed humans here all the time, she never does this for them. That means she really likes you." Lane explained. I smiled and walked into the living room. Ethan was sitting on the couch and Will was watching TV. 
                          
"Um, Winter."  Will said, standing up.
                          
"Look, Winnie, I'm on TV." Ethan yelled suddenly. I looked at the television. 
                          
"There has been an Amber Alert issued for a six-year-old Ethan Jefferson who was taken from his home within the last few days."