Date post: | 08-Apr-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | katelyn-walker |
View: | 223 times |
Download: | 0 times |
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 1/36
One
As she stood in her recently emptied room, Emmy West wondered how things got to be
this way so fast. She ran her hands through her long, dark hair and smoothed her light
blue shirt against her flat stomach. Just two weeks ago this was a room full of pictures
and posters, noises and memories. Now all of that was gone, the walls bare and lifeless.
“Emmy, honey, are you ready?” her mom called from down stairs.
“Yeah mom, I’m coming. I just had a few more boxes.” Emmy replied.
She grabbed the last of the boxes and headed downstairs. She tossed one last glance into
the empty room before turning around and closing the door behind her, saying goodbye
to so many memories. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was flooded with a
memory from two weeks before, and found herself grasping the locket that hung around
her neck.
“It’s time.” The doctor said solemnly, looking at the faces surrounding the pale girl on
the hospital bed.
“Okay,” The girl’s mom said. “Could you give us some time to say goodbye?”
“Of course, Mrs. West.” The young doctor replied.
After the doctor closed the door behind him, the family surrounded the frail looking girl
with tears welling behind their eyes, each trying to be strong.
“It’s okay you guys, really. I’m ready.” The small girl said to her family.
1
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 2/36
“But Amelia, you’re only 11, you haven’t had time… This just isn’t fair!” Amelia’s sister
cried.
“Oh Emmy, come here.” Emmy and Amelia’s father took her in his big arms.
Each of Amelia’s family members took some time alone with her to say goodbye.
When the nurse told them it was time for them to leave, all Emmy could think about was
what Amelia had told her.
“Always be strong, Em. I never let this stupid disease get to me, and you better not let
anything get to you, either. Just go out there and live an exciting life for once, and take
me with you when you go. Stop worrying so much.”
Emmy smiled and kissed her younger sister with tears streaming down from her light
gray eyes then turned to leave before her sister saw her crying. She stopped and turned
to the small bald girl on the bed.
“Hey Lia,” Emmy said, trying to make her voice sound composed.
“Yeah?” Amelia asked, trying to sound strong.
“I love you”
“I love you too. Oh, and Emmy, wait!”
“What is it Lia?”
“I want you to have this.” Amelia slowly sat up and undid the clasp to the gold chain
around her neck, and handed her sister the locket she always wore.
They hugged tightly and Amelia whispered into her older sister’s ear:
“Don’t forget me.”
As Emmy left the room she answered her sister.
“Never.”
2
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 3/36
The drive to the new house in Oregon was long. She was uncomfortable in the family car,
but didn’t want to complain because she knew how upset her parents already were.
Despite the discomfort, Emmy found herself drifting in and out of sleep when her best
friend Han wasn’t texting her. Emmy and her family had moved to Seattle two years ago,
when they first found out about Amelia’s leukemia, and Han had been the first one to talk
to her. He was about an inch taller than Emmy, with mousey brown, curly hair and blue
eyes. He was skinny, but kept himself in good shape. He seemed popular, but Emmy
later found out that was only because his brother was Nick Grady, the singer in the
popular boy band “Them Apples.”
When Emmy drifted to sleep, she found herself dreaming of Amelia. When she dreamed
of her, she saw Amelia as she was before the treatments. Her wavy blonde hair flowing
past her shoulders, her rosy cheeks bright and warm on each side of her toothy smile. She
would see her and Amelia back in their house in Montana, swimming in the pool and
drinking lemonade, being careless and happy on break from school. Emmy woke up with
tears drying on her face. She hated having to wake up from these dreams, realizing that
Amelia really was gone.
She looked around and realized they were almost to downtown Portland. The
hospitals and buildings seemed to be getting larger as they drew closer. She knew it
would still be at least an hour until they reached the house in McMinnville, but there was
no way she could sleep now.
“Are you hungry?” Her dad asked from the driver’s seat.
3
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 4/36
Emmy thought about it and felt her stomach rumble. “Yeah, a little”
“The next exit has a few restaurants, do you want to stop?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, your mom fell asleep too. I heard you crying, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I was just dreaming…”
“About Lia?”
“Yeah, before she was sick. She was so beautiful, this isn’t fair.”
“I know Em, I’m sorry.”
Emmy turned to look out the window, trying to take her mind off her sister. She thought
about what her new school would be like, if she’d make a friend like Han, or if she’d try
out for drama or choir at the new school. She doubted the last part. She always thought
about it, but she didn’t think she was good enough, and she was shy. She had also never
told anyone, except Han, who knew everything about her, that she wanted to.
They pulled off the highway and drove up to a small restaurant called Lillie’s Diner and
went inside. After they left the homey diner, they started back for McMinnville hoping to
make it there by dark. Now full, Emmy found herself fading into unconsciousness, her
dreams filled with images of her dancing and singing on a stage for hundreds of people.
4
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 5/36
Two
Amelia watched the butterfly soar and dip in front of her, fascinated by the delicate
patterns etched on the wings. She got up and ran after the graceful insect, leaving her
sleeping sister on the picnic blanket under the oak tree. Emmy woke and looked around
frantically for her younger sister. She saw a wobbling figure in the distance that kept
darting side to side after something in the air. Emmy took after the person in the distance
but her legs felt like frozen rubber. She pushed herself harder, breathing becoming
labored struggling to catch her sister before she got too far away, but every time she
thought she was getting close, the figure would move. “You just have to go out there and
live Em, I mean it.” It was Amelia; she was talking to Emmy, she couldn’t believe what
she was hearing. She reached out for the hem of her sister’s dress, now within reach,
fingers inches away…
Emmy awoke with a start. The alarm was rising in volume, competing with the loud beats
coming from her racing heart. She reached out blindly for the snooze button and slowly
sat up in bed, trying to calm her labored breathing. Once she had collected herself, she
went into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Dark bags were starting to form under
her eyes. Ever since Amelia left them, she woke up at least three times a night scared,
crying, or confused. She washed her face and then went to her closet to find something to
wear for her first day at McMinnville High. She decided on a turquoise flowery blouse,
dark skinny jeans, and her gray boots. She curled her hair, quickly put on some
foundation and mascara, grabbed a cup of coffee and her keys, and left.
5
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 6/36
Emmy tried to look like she knew where she was going while walking the halls. She had
taped the campus map and class schedule to her notebook so she could sneak stealthy
glances to figure out where she was supposed to be. After searching the map for her
biology classroom she looked up just as she collided with a dark figure.
“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was walking and… Are you okay?”
Emmy spoke quickly, face reddening.
“Oh don’t worry about it. It’s okay!” The girl Emmy had run into had choppy shoulder
length hair that was blonde with streaks of blue, purple, and pink. She wore black skinny
jeans with a tie dye shirt that had holes and rips, revealing a bright blue undershirt. “I
don’t recognize you, are you new?”
Emmy forgot that they had been talking and quickly answered, “Yeah, I am. Today’s my
first day.”
“Oh cool, what grade are you in?” The colorful girl asked warmly.
“I’m a junior, what about you?”
“Same. What kind of classes do you have?” The girl peered at Emmy’s schedule.
“Honors bio with Kemp, AP English with Ammeter, AP history with Tate, Pre-Calculus
with Hatch, French 3 with Privet, and SAT Prep with Saltzer.”
“Wow, impressive. Looks like Becca will have some competition this year.”
6
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 7/36
“What do you mean?” Emmy felt embarrassed, she forgot not everyone took insane,
challenging classes like she did.
“Oh you’ll see. She’s the student council president. She has a similarly challenging
schedule like yours. I’m sure she’ll try to prove, loudly, that she’s still the best at
everything.” The girl smirked and started to giggle a little, like she was remembering
something funny. The laugh was contagious and for the first time in a few weeks Emmy
felt a smile creep across her lips. “Well, I should get going to class. I’ll see you in
English and SAT prep, we have those together.” The girl smiled and turned to walk away,
then suddenly stopped and whirled around.
“Oh! I almost forgot. I’m Zailah. What’s your name?”
“I’m Emmy.” She said, admiring the uniqueness of the other girl’s name. “You’re name
is really cool.”
“Thank you, I think it fits me well. Oh crap, I’m sorry but I really have to go. If I’m late
to art again Evans will kill me. See you around Emmy!” Zailah smiled and skipped down
the hallway.
For some reason, Emmy felt frozen. She stood in the hallway looking after the colorful
girl that just left her presence. She silently pleaded with the butterflies in her stomach to
calm down. Stupid new schools, she thought to herself. They always make me so anxious.
But as she sat through her biology lecture, she found her thoughts drifting to Zailah. She
saw the dimples she got when she smiled, heard her contagious laugh, running the scene
7
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 8/36
over and over in her head. There was something different about this girl, not just her hair
and clothing, and Emmy told herself she would figure out just what that was.
8
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 9/36
Three
The first week at McMinnville High flew by in a blur of introductions, directions, and
placement tests for Emmy. She had talked to Zailah a few times in the halls and during
the classes they had together, and Emmy still got nervous around her more than usual.
She tried to shake off those feelings most of the time though, uncomfortable with the fact
she couldn’t understand them.
Her teachers were all impressed at how well she knew the material and told her she
should do well in their classes. Her favorite teacher was Ammeter, her English teacher.
She was enthusiastic, young, and easy to follow. Her last English teacher tried to make
things too complex, and it took full concentration to figure out what she was saying. Her
history teacher Tate, on the other hand, was old, cranky, and mumbled his lectures. She
found it very difficult to pay attention in that class, especially since there was a
distraction she welcomed warmly. Mikhale, a cute guy with a surfer boy style, and
shaggy blonde hair that fell over his bright green eyes, sat next to her. So far, they got
along quite well.
Mikhale would often rip pieces of paper out of his notebook and write a sarcastic or witty
comment about Tate and pass it to her with a smirk that stirred up the butterflies resting
in her stomach. On the rare occasion Mikhale was paying attention to Tate and taking
notes Emmy would study him. His light skin was showered with freckles across his
cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He slouched slightly, and gave off a light air of
confidence. Not the type of confidence that seemed cocky or unapproachable, just more
like he was sure of himself. He had slightly upturned eyes that crinkled in the corners
9
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 10/36
when he smiled, a nose that wasn’t too big or small, but seemed perfect for his face, and
small dimples that could only be noticed when closely looked at. There was an indent
under his nose and above his upper lip, bright, straight teeth, and a larger lower lip that
Emmy wished she could kiss. She doubted Mikhale ever noticed little details about her
when she wasn’t looking, but she wondered sometimes when she felt a pair of eyes on
her when she wasn’t looking. Sometimes, she thought she saw him look away quickly
when she looked up from her notes, but she wasn’t sure.
She still called Han every night before she went to bed to tell him about her day and hear
about his. He always asked her about her dreams since she had told him about the
butterfly dream. She told him how she thought it was weird how things kept moving
forward without Amelia, when it seemed like it should stop. There were even times when
she forgot Amelia was gone.
“It’s so weird,” she was telling Han one night, “how everything is going. My parents
won’t talk about it, and they’ve been whispering a lot and stopping when I come into the
room. What do you think they talk about?”
“I’m not sure, Em. I’m sure you’ll find out soon. Maybe they’re planning a surprise to try
to cheer you up. Or maybe, they’ve heard your shower concerts, and are planning on
shipping you off to some swanky arts school!” Her best friend teased.
“Han...” Emmy started but he cut her off.
“Come on, hon! Give yourself some credit. You have a great voice. I still believe you
should show people that.”
10
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 11/36
“Don’t tease me Han, I’m not good.” Emmy smiled when Han sighed. “You should go to
bed. Another wonderful Monday awaits us tomorrow.”
Han groaned. “Okay. Goodnight Emmy, I love you.”
“I love you too Han, Goodnight.”
Emmy hung up the phone and flopped onto her bed. Talking to Han always made her feel
better. She loved the way he was so confident in her. She tried to hold on to the warm
feelings as she drifted to sleep. She thought about blooming flowers, swimming with
Amelia, and saw flashes of Mikhale and Zailah. She lost the fight to stay awake and
started to dream.
“Emmy, Emmy wake up.”
Amelia’s voice shook her, and she forgot that Amelia was no longer real. “What do you
want Amelia?”
“Come and play with me.”
“Right now?”
“Yes now, we don’t have much time.”
“Okay, where are we going?”
“Shh, they’ll hear you.”
Emmy followed quietly, not understanding who “they” were or why Amelia was waking
her up in the middle of the night, but her urgency made her want to follow. Amelia led
her through a dark passage and through a door that lead to a beach.
“Where are we?”
“That’s not important. Have you been doing what I asked?”
11
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 12/36
“What do you mean?”
“My wish, Em; to go out and live, be exciting and have fun for once. Have you tried?”
“Lia, come on. You know I’m not exciting.”
“Yes you are. You can be; I’ve seen it. You just have to open up and be yourself. It gets
better when you do that.”
“I’ll try, for you.”
“Promise.”
“What?”
“Promise me that you will Emmy. Go for what you want, be risky. Please, I don’t have
much time.”
“Okay, I promise.” She said reluctantly, turning her eyes to the sand. ”But Lia,” Emmy
looked up from the sand she was playing with but Amelia had disappeared. She stood up
and looked around. “Amelia? Amelia, don’t leave me! Please come back!”
But Amelia didn’t come back and Emmy felt a gentle hand on her shoulder begin to
shake her. She looked around sore and disoriented, wondering why both of her parents
were in her room. She sat up and realized she wasn’t in her room at all. Instead, she was
on the kitchen floor.
“Emmy, what are you doing in here?” Her mom asked, looking worried.
“I… I don’t know. I was in my room, I fell asleep, I was dreaming about Amelia and… I
don’t know mom.” Emmy started crying. Why wasn’t she in her bed? Where did Amelia
disappear to in her dream? Why? None of it made sense. She had never wanted to go to
sleep and dream again as bad as she did now.
12
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 13/36
What a great way to start my Monday, Emmy thought to herself.
Emmy fought to stay awake in her first three classes that morning, glancing up at the
clock every five to ten minutes. She felt so exhausted, and apparently it showed because
Zailah asked her more than once if she was alright and ended up telling her they were
going for coffee at lunch. At first Emmy thought she was joking but when she stepped
outside her history class Zailah was already waiting for her, keys in hand.
“I’m driving,” she said and smiled.
Emmy followed Zailah to the parking lot, making note of her style. She was wearing a
busy patterned sweater in multiple vibrant colors, navy skinny jeans, and a pair of tan
moccasins. Emmy came out of her thoughts as they came up to a teal 60’s model
Volkswagen Van.
“What do you think?” Zailah asked, grinning.
“It’s cute!” Emmy replied.
“You think so? My parents were totally against it. Told me that it’s not worth the money
and that it sucks with gas mileage, but what can I say? I love Old Izzy.” While talking she
unlocked Emmy’s door and waited for her to get in.
“Izzy?” She asked, looking at the interior décor of the van.
“Oh yeah, that’s what I named it. Buckle up; we only have a half hour left for lunch.”
13
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 14/36
While they drove, Zailah talked about The Koffee House, the coffee shop they were
going to, but all Emmy could think about was the dream she had and her apparent sleep
walking episode.
“Hey, are you okay?” Zailah asked, startling Emmy out of her daze.
“What? Oh, yeah I’m fine. I was just daydreaming.” She answered feeling a rush of
warmth in her cheeks.
“That must’ve been one intense day dream,” Zailah laughed, “I asked you why you
moved here like three times and you didn’t even look at me.”
“Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”
“It’s okay, I thought it was cute.” Zailah glanced at Emmy when she said this and
continued, “So will you tell me why?”
Emmy saw flashes of the past three years, searching for a simple answer to give the girl
sitting across from her. She saw the house in Montana, the doctor’s diagnosis, Seattle
Children’s Hospital, hanging out with Han, packing Amelia’s things, and driving away
from Seattle. “I don’t know,” she started. “It’s a long story really.”
“We have time, tell me over coffee?”
Emmy was surprised by how interested Zailah seemed in getting to know her, but a secret
part of her loved it.
14
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 15/36
You’ll have to open up to someone sooner or later, she told herself. At least this is
someone you like to be around.
They walked into the small, dimly lit coffee shop and got in line. Emmy looked around,
taking in the smell of freshly ground coffee, the music flowing in from the speakers,
broadcasting bands she’d never heard before. In place of tables and chairs there were low
tables and pillows. There were no couches to socialize on, but oversized bean bag chairs
were scattered throughout The Koffee House.
When they reached the barista, Emmy ordered a cheese bagel and a large mocha. Zailah
led her to the back of the shop to a bright purple bean bag and sat down. Emmy let herself
sink into the soft material and took a long, slow sip of her mocha, taking in all the
flavors. Zailah looked at her and smiled, waiting. Emmy took a deep breath and another
gulp of coffee, and then looked to the girl next to her.
“Are you sure you want to hear it? It gets pretty sad.” She warned.
Zailah nodded and told her “I want to know, honestly. I think it will help me get to know
you better. I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Okay, stop me if you get bored or tired of hearing me talk.” Emmy paused to take
another drink of her coffee, enjoying the warmth as it traveled down her throat. She
quickly considered making up a story but knew it would be bad. “Well,” the brunette
started, “it all started with a bruise, really. After my sister fell and hit the piano stool, she
got this huge bruise and it wouldn’t go away.”
15
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 16/36
Emmy looked at Zailah, wondering if she should go on. Zailah nodded and she continued
telling the story. She told her about the doctor with the sad eyes telling them it was
cancer, the first move to Seattle, Amelia’s last few days, packing moving boxes, she even
told her about her dreams. When she was done she felt emotionally exhausted, but also
like a weight had been lifted off her heart. The older girl looked up from the bagel she
had torn into small pieces and saw the outgoing, colorful girl wipe a tear from her face
before turning to Emmy and putting a supportive hand on her knee.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you. I shouldn’t have told you in so many details. Just
once I started, it felt so good to get it out; I couldn’t stop. I should’ve stopped, I’m sorry.”
Emmy said feeling insecure and flustered.
“No, don’t be sorry. You didn’t upset me; I just know what it’s like to lose someone close
to you. Seriously don’t be sorry for opening up to me. I wanted to know, and I’m glad
you told me.” Zailah smiled at her, “I’m hoping we can be really good friends, if that’s
okay with you?” she offered.
“Of course, I’d love that. But, since I opened up to you I expect to hear your story
sometime, and then I can tell you about a happier past.”
Zailah smiled and took the grey eyed girls hand. “Even if everything you ever told me
was sad, I’d still be your friend.”
Emmy blushed and allowed Zailah to help her up and guide her back out to her van, still
holding hands.
16
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 17/36
Four
Zailah sat in her room after school wondering how she could’ve been so careless. You
can’t do this again Zay, she scolded herself, you don’t even know if she’s straight or
not. She played the scene at The Koffee House over in her head. I really need to keep my
emotions in check.
She stared at the tie dye flag that covered the wall in her room and tried to calm down.
She couldn’t figure out why she felt so strongly about this pretty new girl when all she
knew about her was the heartbreaking story of her sister. The more she thought about
how she had been so openly flirtatious, the dumber she felt. The blonde girl reached over
and turned up her music, hoping to push out her thoughts and get lost in the lyrics and
beats. She jumped when she heard a voice from downstairs.
“Lillian, are you home?” the voice called.
Zailah sighed, she hated her first name. Multiple times she had asked her parents to call
her by her middle name but they refused.
“Yes I’m home Mom, I’m in my room.” She answered.
“Well come downstairs, I haven’t seen you all day.” Her mom replied.
“Alright,” Zailah checked the mirror on the way out of her room, smoothing down the
pink and blue streaks that were falling on the wrong side of her part in her hair. She
prepared for a lecture as she closed the door behind her.
17
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 18/36
“Lillian,” her mom said seeing Zailah coming down the stairs, “why do you insist on
wearing such clothing? And that hair, I thought you agreed to change it to
something normal.” She said this last part like Zailah’s hair was something quite
repulsive. “You know the image of this family is important to my career.”
“I like the way I look, Mom. I feel comfortable and I feel like myself. Expressing myself
outwardly is not a bad thing.” Zailah sighed. Her mom was always bugging her about
how she looked.
“Whatever you say darling.” Her mom said with an exaggerated sigh. “But on Sunday for
the brunch I’d like you to look more presentable please. Wear that bright blue evening
gown and hide the colors in your hair, too.”
Zailah rolled her eyes and turned for the stairs, hoping to go back to her room.
“Wait Lillian, won’t you pick up your brother from school? I simply don’t have enough
time before my meeting.” Her mom asked sweetly.
“Can’t he ride the bus?”
“Oh honey, busses are quite unsanitary, don’t you think? Although that junker of a van
you have might not be any better.”
Taking a deep breath, Zailah held back her anger before she answered her mom. “Alright,
fine. When does he get out of school?”
“3:30. Thank you, I’ll see you after this meeting wraps up. Will you make dinner too
dear?”
18
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 19/36
“Sure Mom.” Zailah agreed, grabbing her keys.
She loved her little brother Zachary, but she didn’t understand why her parents babied
him. When she was growing up, she always rode the bus. Since her dad was always
locked in his office writing something he thought would be the next big thing, and her
mom was always too busy building her political career to be bothered, that left Zailah to
fend for herself. Sometimes her parents would hire a babysitter or a part-time nanny, but
those were always temporary fixes. Now, “Lillian” was used as the 24/7 babysitting
service for her 6 year old brother.
“Hi Zach,” Zailah greeted her little brother. He was smiling broadly, revealing two gaps
where he had recently lost teeth. His orange hair was sticking up in places and his blue
eyes were shining with excitement.
“Hi Zay!” His grin grew wider as he looked at his older sister. Zailah loved how easy it
was to read his emotions.
“How was school bud?” She asked, helping him buckle his seatbelt.
“It was so fun sis; we learned how to draw a pig! Wanna see it?” Zailah nodded and he
fumbled with the zipper on his backpack, pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper with lines
pink paint that vaguely resembled a pig.
“Wow Zachy, that’s awesome!” She smiled and started the van.
“Do you want it sissy? You could hang it on your wall so you could always remember
me. Only if you want though.” Looking eager, Zach held out the paper to Zailah.
19
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 20/36
“Of course I want it!” Zailah took the picture and put it in the visor, taking in the
happiness and innocence that radiated from the redhead in the passenger seat. As much as
she hated being taken advantage of by her parents, she loved the opportunity it gave her
to be close with Zach. The radio switched to an upbeat popular song and Zailah reached
for the volume, turning it up. Zach started to tap his foot with the beat and opened his
mouth to sing. Zailah let the music and her brother’s joy surround her, feeling a sense of
calm content wash over her.
20
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 21/36
Five
Emmy knew that she was acting childish, trying to avoid Zailah all day, knowing that
she’d have to talk to her eventually. She told herself she was just rushed, but she knew
she was trying to figure out what to say. The feelings inside her were confusing; the mix
of wanting Zailah as just a friend and feeling like maybe there was more. Even though
she had tried to talk to Han about the last part, he only told her things she already knew,
and didn’t want to hear.
The night after they had coffee she had called him for advice.
”Maybe you do like her Em; it wouldn’t be so weird for you to like a girl you know, it
happens. I saw how close you and Kelsey got last year, and even though nothing
happened you can’t say you weren’t attracted to her. Why don’t you give it a chance?
Don’t force yourself to like Mikhale because he has a pretty face and flirts with you if
your heart wants Zailah. Just think about it.” Han had told her.
Emmy tried to work it out in her head but every time she tried she got a headache and
gave up. If she really did have feelings for Zailah, then why? She had never been
interested in a girl, no matter what Han thought went on with Kelsey. Mikhale was fun to
be around, and he always made her laugh. She thought he was attractive, so why did her
mind wander to Zailah? Instead of thinking about these things more, she decided to just
focus on her math homework. She went to the library at lunch, not avoiding a run-in with
Zailah, she told herself, but to get a head start on her French project.
21
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 22/36
“Emmy, I know you’re avoiding me.” Emmy looked up, startled at the sound of Zailah’s
voice and saw that she was standing in front of her, with an expectant and hurt look on
her face. “You came in late to English,” Zailah continued, “left as soon as the bell rang,
and now you’re hiding out in the library at lunch, probably going to tell me you just
wanted to catch up on studying. Look, I’m sorry of I made you uncomfortable yesterday
at The Koffee House, but to be honest, I really like being around you, and I might like
you as more than a friend. If you don’t feel the same I totally understand, it wouldn’t be
the first time I picked someone that wasn’t that way. Just say it and I’ll back off, but I
still want to be your friend. So I want this avoidant behavior to stop.”
Emmy sat, open mouthed and blinking, wondering how to respond. Nobody had ever
been so open and confrontational with her before.
“I…” She started, “I don’t know how I feel, honestly. So much has been going on in my
life lately and I don’t know if I’m ready, or know how, to figure it out. But I do want to
be your friend. I’m sorry I was avoiding you, I didn’t know what to say, and I’m not good
with confrontation.” Emmy smiled weakly and waited for Zailah’s response, wondering
if this is what Amelia meant when she said to go for what she wanted.
“Thank you.” Zailah said, smiling at the look of surprise that went across Emmy’s face.
“For what?”
“For being honest,” Zailah told her. “I expected you to come back with some lie or for
you to tell me you didn’t want to see me anymore. I’m glad that’s not what happened. I
understand that you’re confused, and I’m sorry, I should’ve waited, knowing what you’ve
22
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 23/36
been through. I know everything is messy right now, and I don’t want to add to that. I just
want to be here for you.”
“So, just friends then?” Emmy suggested, struggling with her mixed emotions.
“Definitely, want to walk together to class?” Zailah asked, flashing a smile that
accentuated her dimples.
“Sure.” Emmy picked up her backpack, feeling better that she had talked it out with
Zailah, no matter how fast her heart was beating.
Zailah took a deep breath and told herself to be patient, she didn’t want a repeat of last
year with Hillary.
They both sighed and walked out of the library, each lost in their own thoughts.
23
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 24/36
Six
Emmy stretched, her hand smacking something hard and cold. She opened her eyes
quickly and looked around. She was in the laundry room, and what her hand had hit was
the dryer. She sighed and wondered where else she’d end up sleep walking to. Ever since
the night she woke up in the kitchen, she hadn’t been in her own bed when she woke up
once. It confused Emmy because she couldn’t even remember her dreams. Sometimes,
right before she woke up she would hear Amelia’s voice, but she could never find her in
her dreams. This morning, she thought she heard Amelia telling her to “Just go for it” but
she wasn’t sure. She checked the clock in the kitchen as she went back upstairs. 6:15; she
had 45 minutes to get ready. As she left, she reminded herself that it was finally Friday,
and she hoped the weekend would be better.
When she walked into history that morning, Mikhale was nowhere to be found.
Normally, he was already in his seat, grinning at Emmy when she entered the classroom,
but today, there was just an empty seat. Her mood dropped and she started to doodle in
her notebook as Mr. Tate started the lesson.
A few minutes in to the lecture, the classroom door opened, and Emmy looked up from
the swirling pattern she had drawn around her paper. Mikhale stood in the doorway,
making the most of the distraction his entrance caused. He waved as he walked to the
back of the class, and bowed when he reached Emmy. He flipped his blonde hair out of
his eyes and turned towards the class. A few of the cheerleaders clapped. Emmy blushed
and whispered for him to sit down.
24
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 25/36
“As you wish, my lady,” he said as he sat down, winking at Emmy. He reached in his
backpack and brought out two cups of coffee. “Coffee?” He asked, “I was running late
and thought I’d make the most of it and go get some refreshments from the coffee shop
across the street.”
Emmy smiled and took the cup. “You didn’t slip anything in this, did you?” She joked
quietly.
“Only the good stuff.” Mikhale replied with a smile and another wink.
“Ms. West, Mr. Gregor, when you’re done with your little chit chat, I’d like to get on
with the lesson, if that’s alright with you?” Mr. Tate called out crankily.
Emmy and Mikhale looked at each other and started to laugh. Mikhale took a piece of
paper out and started writing.
“So where’d you wake up this morning?” He wrote.
Emmy had told him how she’d been sleep walking once when he noticed her grumpy
attitude. “Laundry room.” She wrote back in her neat handwriting.
“That’s a new one. What were you dreaming about?” Mikhale passed back the note then
changed his mind, adding more in his scribbled writing. “Let me guess, you were
dreaming about me, and I made you chase after me, right? ;)”
Emmy smiled and shook her head. Somehow, Mikhale could always get her out of her
bad moods. She replied. “Of course, I just find you way too irresistible and only having
history with you is just not enough for my savage lust.” She rolled her eyes when
25
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 26/36
Mikhale looked up from reading, hoping he didn’t realize that there was truth in part of
that. They passed the note back and forth until the end of class, and Emmy was
disappointed when the bell rang. She packed her backpack, surprised at how fast the class
went by.
As she left the classroom, Mikhale caught her arm, pulling her into the hall.
“Hey, so, me and some friends are going to the football game tonight, want to come with,
since you find me so irresistible?” Mikhale asked her, his green eyes shining eagerly.
“Sure,” Emmy replied happily, “What time?”
“Game starts at 7, but I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Maybe after the game we can get a bite to
eat. Have you been to the Burger Barn off 15th yet?” The green eyed boy asked, smiling.
“No I haven’t, is it any good?”
“Any good?!” He stared at the dark haired girl in mock horror, “It’s the best place in
town, you’ll see.”
“Alright,” She agreed, realizing that she was running out of time to get to pre-calc. “I’ll
see you at 6:30 then?”
“Definitely,” Mikhale said with a smile, putting his arm around Emmy’s shoulders.
The gray eyed girl started walking away before she realized something and turned
around. “Wait, Mikhale!” She called, “How do you know where I live?”
26
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 27/36
“I have my ways,” the blonde called over his shoulder with a smirk, then he winked, and
disappeared into the crowd of students.
Emmy paced her room after school, tossing clothes from their drawers and hangers on to
her bed and floor. Nothing was good enough. She had tried on almost every shirt she
owned, including the hideous sweater her old Aunt Patty had knitted her for Christmas.
She was desperate, and felt her temperature rising with her temper. Slipping on a tank
top, Emmy went downstairs to get a glass of water. When she got to the kitchen, her
phone rang. She answered without looking at the caller ID.
“Hi sweetie,” her mom greeted her.
“Hey mom,” Emmy replied.
“Listen, one of my clients called and needs to make an emergency visit, so I won’t be
home for dinner like I said. Do you want to come to my office and get my debit card?”
Mrs. West asked her daughter.
“No thanks, I’m actually going to go to the football game tonight,” Emmy said and
sipped her water, “My friend Mikhale invited me to go with him and some friends,”
There was silence on the line before her mom took a deep breath. “Okay, well you know
the rules. Home by 11, no drugs, no drinking-“
“And no alone time with boys,” Emmy finished for her mom. Mrs. West was a therapist,
and thought that she also had to be super mom. To her, that meant repeating the rules
27
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 28/36
every time Emmy went somewhere without a parent. “I know the rules mom, don’t
worry, I’ll follow them.”
Emmy’s mom laughed. “Okay, good. Love you Emma-bear.”
Emmy rolled her eyes at her childhood nickname. “Love you too mom, I’ll check in
when I get home.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“Bye.”
There was a click and Emmy closed her phone. She gulped down the rest of her water
and walked to the bathroom for a shower. Letting the water calm her, Emmy let go of her
worries. It’s just a football game, Em. She told herself . You don’t have to look amazing .
Sitting on her bed after the shower, Emmy spotted the perfect outfit. Her favorite jeans
and a sweatshirt she had got from her friend Paxton in Montana. It was cream with a
small, painted, brown bear on the chest. Emmy set the outfit on her bed and pulled on
shorts and a tank top. She sat in front of the mirror and put on her makeup. She dried her
hair and straightened it, enjoying the warmth on her bare back. After her hair was
completely straight, she pulled on her sweatshirt and jeans and admired herself in the
mirror. She felt pretty, and she liked that feeling.
Anxiety took over Emmy again as she walked into the living room. It was 6:15; Mikhale
would be there in 15 minutes. She wondered if she should call and invite Zailah, but
28
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 29/36
decided against it. She flipped on the TV instead; hoping game shows would make the
time pass faster.
After seeing some guy named Hank sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” off-key for
$10,000, Emmy checked the time. It was 7:00, where was Mikhale? A sinking feeling
filled Emmy as she realized what this was. She was the new girl, and Mikhale was
playing a joke on her. He had probably planned this all out with his friends. He would
seduce the new girl, make her trust him, and then he’d blow her off and stop talking to
her. Furious, Emmy pulled on her shoes and grabbed her keys. She was going to find
Mikhale and tell him what she thought about this little prank. As she put her hand on the
doorknob, there was a knock on the other side. Taking a deep breath, Emmy tried to look
happy. Mikhale had probably just been running late, or got lost on the way to her house.
When she opened the door, it wasn’t Mikhale that stood there, but one of his friends,
Toby, who was in her math class. His dark eyes looked frightened behind his glasses, and
his frizzy black hair was messier than usual.
“Toby, are you okay? What happened?” Emmy said and motioned for him to come
inside.
He shook his head and stayed on the porch, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“It’s Mikhale,” He said slowly, “he’s been in an accident.”
29
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 30/36
Seven
Emmy slowly got out of Toby’s car and stood in front of the hospital doors. On the drive
there, Toby had told her what he knew about Mikhale’s accident. On the way to Emmy’s,
Mikhale went through an intersection and a truck had run a red light, hitting the driver’s
side of Mikhale’s car. He wasn’t sure of Mikhale’s condition, but Emmy knew Toby was
trying to comfort her.
“Come on,” Toby urged her, noticing she hadn’t moved towards the doors yet. “Let’s go
inside.”
Emmy looked around nervously. The last time she was in a hospital was when Amelia…
She shook her head as if to erase the images of her sick sister that were flashing in her
mind, and followed Toby into the hospital. He walked up to the nurses’ desk and waited
for the husky, brown haired nurse to look up from the computer.
“What can I do for y’all?” She asked with a strong southern drawl.
“We’re here to see Mikhale Gregor,” Toby told her, turning to Emmy for a moment.
“Are you family?” The brunette nurse said, getting up from her desk chair and exposing a
name card that read Anne.
“I’m his brother,” Toby said, eyeing Emmy to see if he would call his bluff, “and this is
his girlfriend,” he continued when he seemed confident Emmy wouldn’t say differently.
30
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 31/36
“Okay dolls, let’s see,” Anne checked her clipboard. “Mr. Gregor is in room 324B; down
that hall and on your left. Take care.” The nurse pointed down the hall to their right and
went back to her computer.
“Thank you,” Toby called out, walking towards the hall.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Emmy whispered to Toby once they were away from the
nurses’ station. “I hate hospitals.”
“You’ll be fine,” Toby assured her, stopping in front of room 324B. “Ready?”
Emmy’s anxiety level was off the charts, but she nodded anyway. You can do this, she
told herself.
Toby opened the door and looked inside, then turned and faced Emmy. His pale skin
seemed paler, but he was trying to seem confident. “He’s pretty bruised, but he’s asleep.
We should go in and wait until he wakes up.”
Emmy nodded again and followed Toby into the room. She heard the heart rate monitor
beeping, the respirator taking in air and letting it out, simulating breaths. She looked to
the bed and saw Mikhale. He was bandaged in multiple places, including his head, and
seemed smaller than she remembered. She felt her legs growing weaker and sat on the
seat closest to the window. She looked down upon the traffic and took slow, even breaths,
and let her mind drift away.
31
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 32/36
Amelia lay in the hospital bed, waiting for the oncology nurse with Emmy by her side.
Today was a chemo day, and the nurse would be in to hook up her port soon. The port
was like a ball with silicone that was inserted into the skin, and connected to a line that
was threaded into major vein. The doctors had told Amelia’s parents that this was the
safest way to give chemo therapy. Emmy was talking to Amelia, smiling and holding a
wig.
“I’m not wearing that!” Amelia squealed. “I’ll look like a poodle.”
Emmy laughed and put away the tightly curled blonde wig. “You’re so brave,” she told
her sister. “I wouldn’t be able to just sit there patiently waiting for doctors to inject me
with a mix of deadly chemicals, just so I can be sick for the next three to seven days.”
Amelia shook her head. “It’s not just so I can be sick for a few days, it’s to beat this
stupid cancer. And I am going to beat it, so I can’t be afraid of some medicine if it can
possibly return me to normality.”
As Amelia said this, Kali, the nurse that normally helped with treatments entered the
room. “Ready?” She asked Amelia.
“Anything interesting out there?” Toby’s voice pulled Emmy from her memory.
“Um, not really,” Emmy replied. “Did you get to talk to the doctor yet?”
“Yeah, they said he’s not terrible, but he has some healing to do. The impact gave him a
few cracked ribs, a broken wrist, and a concussion. They said he should be waking up
32
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 33/36
soon.” Toby looked at Emmy when he said this and decided he wasn’t going to push her
to talk to him. There was obviously something else on her mind.
Emmy’s heart was beating unusually fast and as she looked at Mikhale’s pale face with
bruising around his eyes, she felt her head begin to swim again. She couldn’t be in that
room anymore without bringing up some intense, unwanted memories. She focused on
taking slow, deep breaths and turned away from the hospital bed, fading into another
memory.
The heart rate monitors steady beeping had slowed and Amelia’s face looked older. She
was pale and fragile looking. Emmy sat in the chair next to the bed with her parents,
holding her younger sister’s hand. Amelia had been slowly growing sicker, and the
doctors feared she was no longer responding to treatment. She couldn’t get a bone
marrow transplant because she was no longer strong enough to survive the operation.
“Hey Em,” Amelia’s voice came out as a whisper.
“Yeah?” Emmy answered.
“Why are you still here?”
“Why am I still here?” Emmy asked, feeling her heart drop. Why didn’t her sister want
her there? “I’m here for you, Lia. I’m not leaving you until you’re better and you can
walk out of this room with me.”
33
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 34/36
Amelia smiled weakly and shook her head. “What about your friends? When was the last
time you saw them? When was the last time you even left this room, or slept?”
The dark haired girl shook her head, “It doesn’t matter, and you need me.”
“I’m okay, you can go. I want you to. I’m the one that’s sick, not you. Go have a little
fun; I’ll be here when you get back.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Now go home and shower, you smell.” The bald girl smiled up at her sister
and gave her a hug.
“You sure you’ll be okay without me?” Emmy asked and Amelia nodded. “Okay, I’ll be
back first thing in the morning. I love you.”
“I love you too Emmy.”
There was a ruffling sound from the bed, and Emmy wiped the tears from her face before
turning to see what the noise was.
“Ah,” Mikhale groaned, touching the bandage on his head and blinking quickly. His eyes
searched the room and stopped on Emmy, who was standing by the window. “Hey girl,”
Mikhale called, his voice coming out a croak. He smiled and cleared his throat. “Sorry
about out date, I had a little set back. Can I get a rain check?” Mikhale tried to wink, still
smiling, but winced, realizing he was bruised in multiple places.
34
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 35/36
“Don’t worry about it, Toby came to get me and told me what happened.” Emmy told
him.
Mikhale turned to the other side of the room where Toby was sitting and smiled again.
“Toby, my man!” he called.
Toby smiled and nodded, asking “Can I get you something?”
“No, I’m still pretty good on pain killers right now.” Mikhale answered then, noticing
Emmy looked paler than usual, asked, “Emmy, you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Emmy replied, although she was becoming increasingly
nauseous. “I think I’m just going to go far a walk.” She turned and left the room, wanting
to be away from the constant beeping of the heart rate monitor. She felt it mocking her
with the memory of the last time she was in a hospital and the haunting sound of one
constant, frantic beep followed by chaos, and silence.
Emmy reached the bench outside after what felt like an eternity of maneuvering through
the halls and sat down, putting her head between her legs, trying to slow her labored
breathing. She sat back up and took out her phone.
“I’m at the hospital and I’m freaking out,” She texted. “Can you please come and pick me
up? I’m out side on a bench”
She selected the name from her contacts and pushed send.
35
8/7/2019 Amelia's Wish Chapters 1-7
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/amelias-wish-chapters-1-7 36/36
Ten minutes later, Old Izzy pulled up in front of the hospital. Zailah looked out the
window and stopped when she spotted Emmy on a bench.
Emmy walked towards the van, thankful for her rescue, and hoping she wasn’t
completely crazy for what she was about to do.