Wish - Chapter 3

III

Sarita and Ianto were standing in a long line to ride the Ferris Wheel when she heard a woman vent her frustration.

“The ride's broken down again!” The poor woman sounded ready to cry. “I can't afford to keep fixing it! I just wish it would stay running until I can save up enough to replace it!”

Sarita felt a sudden tingling in her body. It was so intense that she shook, trembling from something akin to fear. What's wrong with me?

She turned to bury her face in Ianto's shirt.

“What's wrong?” He asked in concern.

“I feel weird all of a sudden,” she mumbled, clinging to his shirt. Wait... this isn't wishing someone would jump in a lake... This is a true wish. Something that would actually help her if I granted it...

The problem is that she really didn't know how to grant it. Indigo had told her that it was her power, he never told her how to use it. The scary tingling inside her continued to grow stronger until she felt she just had to do something. Anything!

Turning to face the woman who was grumbling at her assistant – who was trying to fix the ride – Sarita called out: “Hey lady! The tilt-a-whirl was always my favorite ride! I hope you get it fixed soon!”

This was so uncharacteristic for Sarita that Ianto was open mouthed with shock. He had never heard her shout before, and even just talking to strangers was unusual. Closing his mouth with a soft chuckle, her stroked her hair.

“You have such a kind heart,” he murmured. “Wishing her luck even though talking to her scared you so much.”

Strangely, Sarita felt much better. She still clung to Ianto, but her trembling had stopped completely. She rested her head against Ianto as she watched the woman pace and fret.

Less than a minute later, the assistant exclaimed in triumph as the ride started up. He slammed the access panel back into place. “I have no idea what I did to fix it so quickly, but that should do it!”

The woman jumped up in glee, pumping her fists as she cried out: “Yes!” She spotted Sarita and Ianto watching her, and smiled at them. “Hey there little girl, you said this ride was your favorite; you want to be the one to help me test it out?”

Sarita gasped happily. “You mean it?!”

“Yeah, come on over here,” the woman invited. A couple moments later, they were seated in the tilt-a-whirl.

Sarita had actually lied when she said that the ride had always been her favorite, but at this moment, it felt like the best ride in the whole world. “I did it!” She cried out softly under her breath.

Ianto simply smiled at her, glad that she was having fun. After the ride was over, they walked around playing games and riding more rides. At one point, she grabbed his hand and lightly bounced as she pointed to a large stuffed cat.

“I wish you could win that for me!” She cried out, and then slapped her hand over her mouth with a gasp of dismay.

“What's wrong?” Ianto wondered. “If you're afraid that I'll feel pressured to win it, don't worry. I'm actually really good at these shooting games.”

He proved his point by playing the game extremely well. It took him a couple of tries, but eventually he did win the stuffed cat for her. He handed it to her proudly, confused by the somber look on her face.

“You only won it because I wished you would...” she muttered very quietly.

He managed to hear her anyway. “So? What does that matter? The result is the same. Or don't you want it any more?”

“I do!” She replied a bit defensively, nearly snatching it from him. “I just thought you'd feel bad about winning something only because I wished it.”

“I wouldn't have wanted to win it if you hadn't wished for it, so I see no problem with that,” Ianto stated with a shrug, still confused about why she was upset that she had wished for it. “It can be your birthday present from me.”

This banished all other feelings from her heart. “You mean that?!”

“Of course! Happy birthday!” Ianto said, kissing her on the cheek.

Sarita was so happy that she almost fainted. Her entire face turned red and she swayed slightly side to side. A dreamy expression announced that she was firmly in La La Land at the moment.

Ianto laughed. “You're so adorable!”

Sarita blushed and buried her face in her new toy cat. In a very tiny whisper, she admitted: “This has been the best birthday ever!”

Guessing what she had said since he couldn't hear her, Ianto smiled. “You hungry?”

“Mini donuts,” Sarita suggested hopefully.

“I love those!” Ianto agreed, looking around to find the nearest vendor selling them.

***

“I had fun,” Ianto informed her as they stood outside the door to her house.

“Me too,” Sarita mumbled with a blush, which she attempted to hide by looking down.

“Thomas texted me that he's still out on his date, so I'm going to go home now. Will you be alright here alone until he gets back?” Ianto asked. On the one hand, he didn't want his best friend to think he did anything to Sarita, but on the other hand, he wasn't sure that she wanted to be alone.

“I'll be fine,” Sarita promised him with a genuine smile.

“Okay,” Ianto stated, noticing that he was still holding her hand. He'd need to let it go if he wanted to leave, but he didn't really want to. She had this soothing energy that made him happy. “I'll, uh... I'll probably see you tomorrow. I'm coming over to do my homework with Thomas.”

“See you then,” Sarita murmured.

Thomas kissed her on the cheek, and then rushed to his car because he was suddenly nervous. What if she had wanted an actual kiss? Like on the lips? I've never done that before and I'm not sure I'd be any good at it!

Sarita went inside her house and leaned on the door for several long minutes. She was purring happily, holding her hands to her heart. He kissed me! Not just once, but twice! She was happy with kisses on the cheek because an actual kiss on the lips might have made her so happy that she'd die on the spot!

“I have to call Talya and tell her everything!” Sarita announced abruptly.

Just then, the doorbell rang. “Sarita!” Talya called out.

Sarita opened the door. “How did you get here so fast?! I didn't even text you to say that I was home yet!”

“I was following you all day,” Talya stated as if this was the only logical action for her to have taken.

“What?” Sarita asked in confusion.

“Yep, I got to the fair before you and waited so that I could capture your every moment. You looked so beautiful wearing the dress I made you! I just wanted to cry from happiness!” Talya burst out emotionally, looking as if she had just been taken by the rapture.

“Uh...” Sarita droned for a moment. She wasn't sure how to feel about being stalked by her best friend during her first date.

Talya smirked at her. “Just look what I have!” She held up her camera and showed Sarita a picture of Ianto kissing her cheek after giving her the stuffed cat he'd won.

Sarita grabbed the camera and twirled around in a delirious circle as she squealed. “Can you believe that he kissed me?!”

“The expression on your face is so adorable!” Talya exclaimed. “I about died of happiness that I managed to capture the picture!”

Sarita looked through some of the other pictures on the camera. “Ianto looks so cute in this one!”

“Yes, he is rather good at making you look your best,” Talya agreed with a tone that implied that she didn't care about his looks in the slightest.

“He asked me to go see a movie with him next weekend,” Sarita murmured shyly.

Talya squealed happily, more than willing to spin in circles with her best friend. “He did?! That's wonderful! I'll have to make a cute dress for you to wear!”

“Uh...” For a tiny moment, Sarita was upset that her best friend was taking over, but then she remembered that Talya would make her look as good as possible, so she shrugged it off. “I'd like that!”

Talya stroked Sarita's shoulder length brown hair. “Well try new hair styles too, if you want.”

“I do!” Sarita squealed, bouncing in excitement.

“Let's check out some YouTube tutorials!” Talya suggested, and then opened the door and gestured to someone. “I'm having my stuff brought in now.”

Sarita squeaked in dismay. “I wish I'd known that! I'd have tea ready for them!”

Talya shook her head. “Don't worry about it. My people have been well fed today.”

A minute later, three women carried in a large trunk and immediately brought it to Sarita's room. A fourth woman carried a much smaller case, which she handed to Talya. Lastly, she held out a closed rectangular picnic basket to Sarita.

“Enjoy yourselves tonight girls, and Happy Birthday Sarita,” she said.

Sarita took the basket and looked inside it. It was take out boxes from her favorite restaurant. She smiled at the woman, knowing that the food was actually from Talya, but thanking her anyway.

“Thanks Deborah!”

Deborah nodded and returned the smile. “As always, we will be patrolling the neighborhood.” She turned to Talya. “And don't hesitate to call me if anything seems out of the ordinary.”

“I will,” Talya promised, knowing that her bodyguard took the job much more seriously than she did. The other three bodyguards – who doubled as assistants to Talya – returned from Sarita's room and quietly followed Deborah out.

“My mom is so paranoid,” Talya lamented with a sigh. “Just because she is out of the country on business, she thinks that people want to kidnap me. At least Deborah doesn't insist on sleeping in the room with us, although I wouldn't be at all surprised if she bugged my trunk when I wasn't looking.”

Sarita led the way to her room, figuring that they could eat in there. Talya followed her morosely for a moment. Just after they set their stuff down, she burst out in frustration.

“I just wish my mom didn't worry about me quite so much! It's annoying to have bodyguards clinging to me all the time!”

Sarita felt that strange tingling again. Her body trembled, only this time, she didn't have Ianto to cling to. She clenched her fists as she sat in a chair.

“I hope that your mom finds peace of mind so that her paranoia calms down,” Sarita murmured, sighing softly when her strange feeling immediately lessened.

Indigo leapt up onto her lap, jumped onto the table in front of her, and then glared at her. He very softly growled in displeasure.

“Oh how cute!” Talya exclaimed. She grabbed Indigo and cradled him in her arms. “You are the most adorably precious thing I've ever seen!”

Indigo really wanted to continue growling, but her compliment softened him up. He purred and rubbed his head against her hand. Talya noticed how Sarita was watching them intently, and smirked.

“About time you got a familiar!”

“What?!” Sarita squealed in surprise. Indigo nearly fainted from the shock.

Talya laughed. “Remember, we always used to talk about how we each wanted to be witches with cats!”

“Uh...” Sarita droned uncertainly.

“I was going to name mine Salem, and you were going to name yours..... I forget. Tiny or something. What did you name him anyway?”

“Indigo,” Sarita murmured.

Talya laughed, pressing kisses to his head. “That name doesn't suit you at all, but it's probably better than Blue, right?”

“How did you –?!” Sarita blurted out incredulously.

“He's got bluish fur, and I am almost certain that you couldn't think of anything else while trying to name him,” Talya stated with a shrug. “I wish I had one just like him!”

Sarita felt mildly tingly again. This was soft enough that she could ignore it if she wanted to, but it didn't go away. She got a pensive look on her face.

So far, all I've had to do to grant a wish is say “I hope,” and it has worked. I wonder if that's how my power is supposed to work?

Indigo growled and pointedly glared at Sarita.

“I am not so sure that he likes you...” Talya murmured. “Perhaps I should keep him.”

“I uh, I hope – ” Sarita was cut short when Indigo yowled and leapt at her.

“You promised that you wouldn't grant any wishes today!” He roared angrily.

“It's not like you told me how to do it!” Sarita protested in self-defense. She caught him and held him at arm's length.

“And yet you figured it out just fine!” Indigo rebutted.

“I couldn't help it!” Sarita cried out. “When a lady made a true wish, I felt like I couldn't do anything at all until I granted it!”

“So wait! That means you granted another one?!” Indigo growled menacingly.

“Well... I think I did...” Sarita replied with a nervous tilt of her head. “I can't be sure, but I said that I hope her wish came true, and then it seemed to.”

Indigo gave a long suffering sigh of aggravation. “This is why I wanted you to stay with me today!”

Talya finally closed her gaping mouth. “I was right!” She exclaimed. “You do have a familiar!”

Indigo and Sarita looked at her apprehensively. Indigo recovered first. “You are sure taking this well.”

Talya giggled and shrugged. “Why not? I always thought that Sarita was so very good that she just had to be magical somehow.”

“Talya...” Sarita murmured in surprise.

“So you grant wishes huh?” Talya summed up what she'd heard. “Got it! I'll make it a point to never carelessly wish for something again.

“Wait!” Indigo blurted out in surprise. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course!” Talya stated, sounding just a bit offended. “Sarita is my best friend. It would be terrible if I treated her as my own personal Genie or something!”

Indigo squirmed so that Sarita would put him down. He landed on the table and walked over to Talya. He scrutinized her carefully a moment, before sitting down and grooming his paw.

“You might just be the first person I've met who can say something like that and mean it,” he remarked.

“You can't have met many decent people then,” Talya murmured dryly. She smiled at Sarita impishly for a second before pulling her into a hug. “You are the best person I know, and if anyone deserves to have magical powers, it's you!”

“Oh! Well now that we have your approval...” Indigo muttered sarcastically. “Oh never mind. We still have to come up with a plan for helping people.”

Sarita shrugged. “What's there to plan? People wish for things, and I grant the things I feel are true wishes.”

“What's there to plan?!” Indigo burst out incredulously. “You almost granted her wish for a cat!”

Sarita laughed. “Well yeah, but that was only because I was trying to figure out how my power works.”

“And earlier, when you granted that wish about her mom... Do you realize how badly that could have went?!” Indigo demanded fiercely. “She asked for her mom to not care about her so much! If you hadn't specified finding emotional peace, you could have been responsible for her mother abandoning her!”

Sarita wasn't concerned in the slightest, smiling at her familiar instead. “So you mean that my power works by doing what I say?”

Indigo calmed down, chose a place to get comfortable, and then lay down. “Well... that and your intention. I mean even if you said: 'I hope your mother forgets about you,' if what you really meant was: 'for an hour or so while you plan out her surprise party,' your power wouldn't actually make her mom forget about her.”

“That's good!” Sarita sighed in relief. “I'd hate for something like that to happen!”

Talya held up a finger. “But it sounds like if worse came to worst, all that would need to be done is something like saying: 'I wish my mom remembered me again,' and the damage could be fixed.”

Indigo nodded reluctantly. “That's true... assuming that the person knew to come make another wish. If Sarita had simply granted a passing stranger's wish, then she wouldn't know to fix it if it was disastrous.”

“That's true,” Talya murmured as she busied herself pulling food from the picnic basket.”

Sarita looked at the variety of seafood and grinned. “This calls for tea!”

Talya laughed. “I just knew you'd say that!” After Sarita ran off to the kitchen, she smiled at Indigo. “What about you, little kitty? Do you like seafood?”

“If you had asked me that in my past life, I would have shouted an emphatic no, but smelling this now...” Indigo was on his feet again, slowly following his nose towards the food. “I don't technically need to eat...” His nose was literally a centimeter from a jumbo shrimp.

Talya laughed and set a napkin aside for him so she could pile some goodies on it. Sarita returned to find Indigo merrily munching on a small feast. Talya grinned at her.

“Good thing I brought extras!”

“I'm so stupid!” Sarita blurted out. “I should have bought cat food or something!”

“Oh please no!” Indigo begged. “I don't actually need to eat, so please don't feed me that. If I get hungry, I'll eat whatever you're eating.”

“Okay,” Sarita agreed. “I won't make you eat anything you don't want to.”

Just then, the door to the house shut with just enough force that Sarita could hear it. She turned to look out her open bedroom door.

“I'm home!” Thomas called out.

“In here!” Sarita yelled even though she knew he'd find her.

“You want to have dinner with us?” Talya shouted the question.

Thomas poked his head in her door. “Hi Talya. That smells delicious, and look at you, you spoiled little cutie!” He pointed at Indigo. “Sitting on the table like a tiny Emperor!”

Sarita laughed. “Why didn't I think of that?! Emperor might have suited him better than Indigo.”

“Indigo huh?” Thomas asked, deciding to join them after all. “That actually suits him just fine in my opinion.” He stroked Indigo's fur, muttering to himself. “So soft...”

Sarita smiled at them as she fiddled with one of the flowers her father had sent this morning for her birthday. Thomas noticed this and smiled at her.

“That reminds me! Dad called me a few minutes ago. He's hoping you'll go online and Skype with him tonight before you go to bed,” Thomas informed her.

“I can do that!” Sarita agreed with a smile. She tilted her head to look at her brother a bit slyly. “How was your date?”

Thomas shrugged. “The same as usual, I guess. We hung out at her place for a while and watched a movie.”

Sarita surreptitiously pulled her phone into her lap and texted Talya: That means they had sex and then snuggled while watching a movie.

Talya checked her text curiously and responded with: Yeah, I figured. Then she set her phone aside and gave Thomas a look like she hadn't just gossiped about him behind his back. He rolled his eyes at her and poked his sister in the side.

“You don't need to be so smart, baby sister!” He chided her. He then sniffed himself. “What? Can you smell it on me or something?”

“Maybe,” Sarita murmured with a shrug. “I've just always thought you had this – I don't know – invisible glow or something for a couple of hours after you've done it.”

“Yeah, well just keep that in mind when you get older,” Thomas warned her. “I've always been able to see ghosts and auras and stuff, so I'll probably see an actual glow around you when it happens.”

Sarita blushed so hard that she decided to just bury her face in her arms.

Talya laughed. “I'm now rather glad that I don't have a big brother around! It's bad enough wondering how I'm going to sneak around with four bodyguards following me everywhere!”

“You're only 13,” Thomas pointed out. “Why are you even thinking about this?”

Talya laughed again. “I'm not. Not really. All I truly want is the person I like to give me kisses and cuddle with me, but sadly...” She purposely didn't finish her sentence.

“Speaking of kisses...” Thomas murmured, staring pointedly at his sister. She blushed guiltily, wondering if she could grant her own wish to hide in a hole.

Talya decided that it would be far less embarrassing for everyone if she just showed him the picture. “Not to worry, big brother, Ianto was very much a gentleman.”

Thomas looked at the picture with a slight nod. “Good...” Deep inside, he felt weirdly surreal about his best friend kissing his sister – even if just on the cheek. Some part of him longed to turn into a dragon and go on a rampage, but he kept that urge in check. Instead, he kissed his sister on the cheek, ruffled her hair, and then stood so he could leave the room.

“I'm going to go take a shower and then go to bed, so goodnight!” He bade them.

“Night!” They both called after him.

Talya sighed a bit morosely. “Why couldn't I have been interested in him...?”

Go To Chapter 4 

Wish - Chapter 2

THIS IS MY 700TH POST, HOORAY!!!

II

“It's midnight!” The voice announced a bit ominously, tearing Sarita from her slumber.

“Huh?” She murmured sleepily.

“It's midnight!!!” The voice practically shouted. “Give me a form already!”

“Huh?” Sarita mumbled again, digging some sleep from the corner of her eye.

“You are officially 13, and your power should be active now! So give me a form and let's get started already!”

“I'm too tired,” Sarita groaned, rolling over in bed and getting comfortably snuggled under her blanket. “Wait until morning...”

“No!” The voice cried out. “You have no idea how badly I want a body!”

“A body?” Sarita questioned, gulping in dismay. “Like a zombie?”

“No! Please Gods no!”

“Then what?” Sarita wondered, her mind already drifting back towards sleep.

“Anything you want. A toy, a watch, a locket, a hairpin. Just anything that you can carry with you at all times and not look weird.”

Sarita yawned, honestly trying to come up with something, but unable to think straight. She murmured sleepily. “I've always wanted a cat, but dad is allergic to them. Plus, it would have to be a tiny cat so it could sit on my shoulder... like a purse dog...”

“What in the world is a purse dog?!?!” The voice asked in confusion.

“A really small dog that can be carried around in a purse, but I'm not really the type to carry around a purse, and besides, I want a cat... a flying cat that can turn invisible! And get bigger so I can ride on it when it's flying. And maybe it can glow in the dark. With green eyes... and a fiery sun...”

“What are you describing?!”

“My super tiny purple panther...” Sarita whispered, a soft snore erupting from her a moment later.

“Are you talking in your sleep?” The voice demanded. When it received no answer but more snores, it sighed heavily. “Fine...”

With a soft glow, the magical essence that was her familiar coalesced into the shape of a cat. It was a perfect replica of a kitten, with extraordinarily soft blue-gray fur and green eyes. As a familiar, he would have the power to aid her as necessary, but because she had listed some fairly zany qualities, he'd have those abilities even when he wasn't helping her.

“Flying could be fun,” he murmured to himself. In a very cat like gesture, he sat to groom his short fur. “Although this glow is a bit distracting.” He referred to a very soft glow that emanated from his fur. It was a cool blue color – like his fur – and probably wouldn't be noticeable if there was even a digital clock or a flashlight on. With a contented sigh, he lay down and went to sleep.

In the morning, Thomas knocked on the door before opening it. He knew she was still asleep, which was why he carried in a tray. It was a sort of tradition in their family to serve a person breakfast in bed on their birthday.

“Hey, are you hungry? Ack! What are you?!” Thomas exclaimed when he saw the tiny blue gray kitten on her bed. Their father was allergic to cats, so kittens were definitely taboo in their house.

“Why are you shouting?” Sarita asked sleepily. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Hooray, breakfast!”

“Explain this kitten!” Thomas insisted, pointing to the furry culprit.

“Huh?” Sarita murmured, looking at it. “An extremely lifelike plush toy?” She replied very slowly, honestly not sure if he'd believe her because she wasn't entirely sure if it was a real kitten.

“Hmm,” Thomas harrumphed. “Whatever, just keep it far away from dad when he gets home.”

“I will,” Sarita promised, then shoved her breakfast into her mouth with relish.

“Such a pig!” Thomas teased her, pushing on her nose lightly with his pointer finger.

“Am not!” Sarita roared in outrage, and then shoved more food in her mouth just to be perverse.

“Are so,” Thomas stated with a laugh. He then stroked the kitten curiously. “So where did you find this little one?”

“Don't know,” Sarita replied with a shrug. “He just followed me home.”

“Must be fate then...” Thomas murmured, staring at the kitten with slightly unfocused eyes. After a few moments, he blinked and bit his lip in thought. Then he stared vaguely in Sarita's direction for a few moments.

“Something wrong?” She asked in concern.

“No... Just... I just have something on my mind,” he murmured evasively. Shaking his head, he sighed. “Happy birthday little piggy! Enjoy your breakfast. I'm going to go get ready for my date with my girlfriend.”

“You're still with her?” Sarita asked incredulously. “You two go out so rarely that I thought you'd broken up!”

“Nope, still together,” he murmured with a shrug, and then left the room.

Sarita watched him go for a moment before it hit her. “I have a date today too!!!” She cried out, squealing happily and almost spilling her orange juice. She downed everything as fast as she could, and then set the tray aside so that she could jump out of bed and spin in circles.

“You sure are energetic this morning,” the cat commented dryly. Unlike her, he had been wide awake at midnight, and now felt tired.

“So you are the voice that's been talking to me for the last few days!” She exclaimed, picking him up and twirling him around as she spun in circles. She hugged him tight and squealed again. “I have a date today! My very first date with my very first boyfriend!”

“Ugh...” the cat groaned. “I think I'm going to be sick if you don't stop spinning me...”

“Oh!” Sarita burst out in dismay and set him back on her bed. “Are you okay?”

“I think so...” he murmured uncertainly. “So Sarita... now that you've given me a form, what do you plan to call me? And by the way, your dad won't be allergic to me, so you don't have to worry about that.”

“I have no idea. I've never had to name a pet before!” Sarita squeaked, feeling a vague sense of dread that she would somehow mess this up. “Kaya?”

“I'm a boy!” The cat growled angrily.

“Blue?” Sarita suggested with a nervous flinch.

The cat tilted his head side to side as he thought this over. “You seem to have no imagination...” he sighed. “Oh well, Blue is a good enough name, I guess...”

“Cerulean?” Sarita asked, trying to come up with something a bit better. “Navy Blue?” She chuckled wryly at that. “Probably not...”

“Navy Blue?!” The cat protested indignantly. “That's worse than Cerulean!”

“Indigo?” Sarita added with a shrug.

“Now that I can live with!” The cat exclaimed before she came up with something worse.

Sarita giggled softly and shook her head.

“What?” Indigo asked curiously.

“It's just a movie I watched with my dad...” Sarita murmured, and then giggled again. “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!”

Indigo smiled as much as a cat could smile. “I've seen that movie in a past life. It was funny. Okay, now that I have a name, we need to come up with a plan for helping people.”

“Uh...” Sarita muttered hesitantly. “I insist that we wait until tomorrow. As much as I love helping people, today is my birthday and I am going on a date.”

“Yes, I know,” Indigo murmured. “Turning 13 is what triggered your power. You have to learn how to use that power or things could go badly wrong.”

“Like what?” Sarita wondered curiously.

“Oh... for example, say someone passed by you and muttered something like: Jeez! I wish he would just go jump in a lake!” Indigo licked his paw and then used it to rub his head. “If you don't know what you are doing, you might make the person being referred to actually go jump in a lake.”

“I promise that if at all possible, I will not grant any wishes today!” Sarita vowed. “Hey wait! Am I allowed to grant my own wishes?”

“Well, uh.....” Indigo was obviously reluctant to answer this. “You... can... but I wouldn't recommend it!”

“Why not?” Sarita asked with a frown.

“Because when people use the power for themselves, it's usually for stupid and selfish reasons. For example, say you wanted to pass a math test you didn't study for. If you are using your power correctly, you will grant a true wish rather than a impulse wish.”

Sarita, being smarter than she generally let on, understood this immediately. “Oh! Like the difference between someone wishing he'd go jump in a lake and someone wishing that their mom could be home in time for Christmas.”

“Exactly! More or less,” Indigo stated with a tilt of his head. “It seems you get the general concept. Hopefully that means you won't make too many big messes.”

Sarita rolled her eyes, thinking that it sounded like he was being overly dramatic.

“What is that noise?!” Indigo demanded in annoyance.

“Just my phone. I had it on silent while I slept.” Sarita grabbed her cellphone and held it up. “My best friend Talya just sent me a text wishing me a happy birthday. By the look of my notifications, I need to hop on my computer for a few minutes and check all my Facebook posts. My phone about blew up the other night when I posted that I was going on a date for my birthday with my boyfriend!”

“It's been a while since my last life, so... what does that even mean?!” Indigo demanded.

Sarita simply ignored him as she opened her laptop. A mere 10 minutes later, she was done replying to well wishes for the moment. As she closed her laptop, a text came in from Talya.

Have fun on your date! Hopefully, there'll be plenty of good pictures!

Sarita chuckled nervously, not sure she'd have the courage to ask Ianto for a picture. She fiddled with his necklace, and suddenly felt so happy that she could squeal again. Instead, she twirled in circles.

“I'd better get in the shower!”

Ianto showed up about 20 minutes after he received a text from Thomas saying: If you don't get here soon, she may well bake a 12 layer cake! It was only 11:30 – which seemed a bit early for a date to him, but he figured that early was much better than too late.

True to Thomas' warning, Sarita was in the middle of frosting a medium sized carrot cake with cream cheese sweetened with maple syrup.

“Hi Sarita,” he greeted her with a smile.

“Perfect timing!” Sarita murmured timidly. She blushed and forced herself to finish what she wanted to say. “After I'm done with this, we can each have a piece before going on our d-d-date.”

Ianto had been friends with Thomas long enough by now to know where they kept things in the kitchen, so he busied himself making her favorite tea. When he was done, she had finished her task and cut a few pieces out of the cake. Thomas grabbed one from her before she could even set it on a plate, and then took a huge bite out of it.

“Mmm!” He moaned through his full mouth. “Tashe-tee!” The word tasty came out slurred and muffled, but she could still understand him.

Sarita growled softly in frustration for a moment before remembering that her boyfriend was in the room. Deciding not to make a scene, she let the matter drop and cast a wan smile at Ianto. However, before Thomas walked away from her, she softly stepped on his foot and then leaned all her weight on it.

“Ah!” Thomas yelped and jumped back.

“Something wrong?” Ianto asked. Since he was on the other side of the counter from them, he hadn't seen what happened.

Thomas caught Sarita's glare and wisely decided not to complain. “Uh, nope! Just stubbed my toe.”

A couple minutes passed in slightly awkward silence as they ate, but then Ianto held out his hand to Sarita. “Are you ready to go?”

She blushed and nodded, hesitating for only a second before slipping her hand into his. Ianto led her out to a fairly posh car painted a sleek and shiny black. She inhaled in awe.

“This is your car?” She asked in astonishment since he usually came over on a bike. A regular pedal powered one.

“Well, not really. It's my grandpa's. He let me borrow it for our date,” Ianto explained. A moment later, he opened the front passenger door and held it open for her.

Their ride to the fair was mostly quiet. Sarita was too shy to talk, and Ianto ran out of things to say. Even so, neither felt awkward. Ianto kept trying anyway.

“I passed both of my tests with an A!” He announced with a cheerful smile.

“That's good,” Sarita murmured, smiling at him in return.

“It was a near thing with the history test though. I forgot a couple of important dates, but still, an A is an A.”

Sarita laughed softly and murmured just barely louder than a whisper. “I always get A's on all my tests.”

“Really? You must be one of the top students then!” Ianto said as if congratulating her.

“Not really,” she replied with a shrug. “I never do my homework unless I can get it done in class, so my grades are usually B's and C's.”

“Doesn't your dad get mad that you're not getting good grades?” Ianto wondered in confusion.

“Not really,” Sarita murmured. “He sees my test scores and understands that I am smart. He feels that it's the system that is letting me down by requiring so much useless homework when clearly, I don't need it. He also agrees that I shouldn't have to do busy work for no reason.”

“If that's true, then why doesn't he pull you out of school? Find a better one that will challenge you?” Ianto asked, thinking that this solution made much more sense than letting her just float through her education.

“He asked me if I wanted to do that, but I told him no. My best friend Talya and I made a pact that we would stay in the same school no matter what,” Sarita explained. “She's like I am... Smart... Except that she does her homework most of the time, so she really is a top student.”

“So then, why don't both of you look into other schools to find one better?” Ianto asked.

To him, school was neither hard nor easy. If he did his homework and studied, he got good grades. Therefore he had never really thought about it before, but if someone really was so smart that they weren't challenged by school, then they should go to a more challenging school, right?

“Nah,” Sarita stated with a shake of her head. “Right now, we have it pretty good. School is super easy for us, so we have all that time that everyone else is studying and struggling with their homework to do the things we like to do.”

“Such as?” Ianto prompted, suddenly realizing that he didn't know that much about her.

Sarita turned to look out the window, shrugging.

Ianto nearly sighed in frustration when he realized that she had stopped talking again, but then he had a moment of clarity. She was too shy to tell him because she liked him. This gave him a secret weapon.

With a kind and patient smile, Ianto asked in a soothing voice: “Please tell me. I promise I won't laugh...”

“Well... Talya likes to sing. She's really really good at it too! So... I'll go over to her house and sing with her. She also loves photography, so she...”

Sarita blushed and buried her face in her hands. “Never mind!”

“I promised I wouldn't laugh, didn't I?” Ianto reminded her gently.

Sarita blushed profusely and looked out the window again as she forced herself to finish answering him. “She... Well, her biggest hobby is making clothes. Some are regular clothes but a lot are costumes. She loves nothing more than to dress me up like a doll and take pictures of me.”

“That sounds like it could be fun,” Ianto murmured with a grin, secretly wishing that he could see her dressed up in a cute bunny costume.

“It is!” Sarita assured him, looking enthusiastic for the first time that he could recall. “It's also embarrassing though! I mean, I am not very good looking, so me dressing up for pictures is almost mortifying, but Talya makes it so much fun! I almost think I could – ” The light in her eyes died completely and she looked down at her hands in her lap.

“Could what?” Ianto prompted curiously.

Sarita shook her head and refused to answer him.

Ianto thought about this in silence for a few minutes. Slowly, the answer came to him. “All around your house are pictures of your mother. She was a model, right? She must have been one of the best because in every picture, she looks so vibrantly happy...”

Sarita sighed softly. “I don't remember her at all...”

Ianto pulled the car into a parking spot and turned it off. He was technically at a park and ride – which was a big free parking lot for people who commuted by bus or train. Being a weekend, it was fairly empty.

The fair was a few blocks away, but he knew that the traffic would be terrible, and so wanted to avoid that. There was a well maintained sidewalk that they could walk on, which would give them just a little bit more time to warm up to their date. Ianto smiled at her.

“Is Talya the one who had you wear the pretty dress you're in?” He asked, to change the topic back to something happier. “It looks really good on you.”

“Actually, yes,” Sarita admitted. She nearly whispered the rest. “She made it just for me the moment she heard I was going on a date.”

“She sounds like a wonderful friend,” Ianto said because he couldn't think of anything else. Then he got out of the car and went to open her door for her. Only she felt stupid letting him do such things for her, so she opened it herself before he could get there.

Rather than be disappointed, Ianto smiled at her. “The fair is a couple of blocks that way. Would you like me to hold your hand while we walk?”

Sarita frowned very softly. The way he asked that sounded like he thought he was talking to a small child. In her mind, a boyfriend didn't have to ask such things. She held out her hand to him passively and let him lead her like she was a mindless doll.

At that moment, Ianto understood a lot better what Thomas had been talking about. Sarita really was the type of person who would do what others wanted her too whether she wanted to or not. Ianto felt bad about this information because he realized that she didn't really want to be holding his hand.

He stopped walking abruptly and dropped her hand. “We don't have to hold hands if you don't want. I...”

Sarita suddenly realized that he was just as nervous and embarrassed as she was! This made her feel a lot better. Smiling, she took his hand again.

“No I do,” she assured him. “I really do.”

Ianto felt so relieved it was like a bucket of cool water dumped over his head. “That's good.”

Neither talked the rest of the walk to the fair, but Sarita hummed ever so softly. She was clearly happy, and that made Ianto happy too. 

Go To Chapter 3 

Wish - Chapter I

I

“I expect you both to be on your best behavior while I'm gone!”

“We will!” The brother and sister promised their father.

“That means no parties! If the neighbors so much as suspect you're having a party, they will call me and I'll come back and ground your butts!” Their father warned.

“Yes dad,” both replied with a tone of frustration that he didn't seem to trust them.

“Good,” he stated, giving each one a last hug and kiss before leaving on his week long business trip.

Thomas and Sarita looked at each other as if trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Thomas crossed his arms and frowned at his 12 year old sister. It already felt like a pain in his butt that he was considered responsible for her.

“I may be more or less in charge while dad is gone, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to nag you about doing your homework! Do it on your own or fail; see if I care,” Thomas huffed.

Sarita laughed and flapped her hand at her 16 year old brother as if waving away his statement. “I never do my homework, so don't worry about that!”

He narrowed his eyes at her in dis-appreciation. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Probably not!” Sarita stated with a shrug. “If you need me, I'll be in my room.”

“Good, and do your homework while you're in there!” He called after her, ignoring when she muttered: Probably not. “And don't bug me when Ianto gets here. Unlike you, we plan to study.”

Sarita stopped abruptly, turned to look at her brother with an expression that clearly told him that she was happy that Ianto was coming over. Then she quickly changed her expression to one of blank disinterest. She shrugged again, then walked into the kitchen.

“Hey! I thought you were going to your room!” Thomas shouted after her before checking out the window to see if Ianto was on his way yet.

“I am, I just want to grab a snack first!” Sarita called out to him from the kitchen.

“Right...” Thomas muttered softly, scoffing. He knew one thing more certainly than anything else about his sister: no matter how much she acted like a normal girl in front of him, she was a complete push over when it came to everyone else. Around others, she seemed to be very shy and eager to do as asked. It frankly worried him to no end!

In the kitchen, Sarita quickly dug around in the cupboards until she had gathered up all the ingredients she'd need. In the background, the door shut with a sound that shouldn't have been heard from the kitchen, but it sent a thrill straight to her heart. She stopped what she was doing, closed her eyes, and focused completely on her brother's best friend.

Ianto was as cheerful as ever, chatting with Thomas as they went to Thomas' bedroom. The two discussed their various classes, lamented the fact that they had a big math test and a history test on the same day, and then complained about having to pull an all-nighter. Their conversation faded as Thomas' bedroom door shut behind them.

“Hmm...” Sarita murmured softly to herself as she opened her eyes. “Strawberry Shortcake...”

In a matter of minutes, she whipped together a batter to be baked in special dishes so that each palm sized cake would end up a certain shape. While the cakes were baking, she prepared a strawberry compote from frozen organic berries, and then set some heavy whipping cream and honey in a professional mixer to be turned into whipped cream.

Very soon, the kitchen smelled heavenly!

Sadly, Sarita had to practice her patience as she waited for the Shortcakes to cool just enough that they wouldn't melt the whipped cream outright. As she waited, she decided to make some of her favorite green tea – enough for everyone. Finally, everything was ready and set on a tray.

Carrying the tray carefully, Sarita knocked on her brother's door. His room was across the hall from hers, which made them seem close, but actually, the hall was pretty wide and there was a lot of space between the rooms. They were the only rooms in this part of the house, and so had plenty of privacy. Not that that was entirely necessary. It just made it easier when they had loud projects to work on, such as piano practice.

“I told you not to bug us!” Thomas growled as he opened his door. Then he saw the tray she carried and shook his head as if thinking: I knew it! “On second thought, come in a minute.”

Ianto laughed silently when he saw the tray she carried. He knew that such a treat was actually one of the few reasons that Thomas would let her into his room when they were busy studying. With a big grin, he complimented his best friend's little sister.

“That smells so good!”

“Thank you,” Sarita nearly whispered, looking away from him with a pleased blush. She set a plate with two Shortcakes in front of Ianto, another plate with two Shortcakes in front of her brother, and then set a cup of tea next to each plate. “I just thought that a good snack would help you study better,” she informed them so softly that it was almost hard to hear her.

“Yep, this should do it!” Thomas stated with a wry smile.

“Thank you,” Ianto added with a more genuine smile.

Sarita quietly left the room, shutting the door and rushing into her own bedroom so that she could set the tray down and jump on her bed and squeal into her pillow. Her own cake and tea could wait a minute! It was far more important to bask in the wonderful feeling of bravery she felt for having the courage to do something nice for the boy she really really liked!

“Making him happy makes me so happy that I could just cry!” She shouted in a whisper as she rolled over and over on her bed with her pillow over her face to muffle the weird sounds coming out of her mouth.

“That's because it's a large part of who you are,” a strange voice stated. It sounded like it was suppressing an amused laugh.

Sarita gasped and fell off her bed. “Who's there?!”

A look around showed no one. She even looked under her bed and in her closet before shaking off the creeped out feeling and sitting at the table where she'd set her cake. “I must have imagined it...”

“Nope,” the voice stated. “I'm real, I just can't show myself to you until midnight three days from now.”

“Huh? What? Who are you? Where are you?!” Sarita asked, searching her room again.

“I'm your familiar,” the voice explained. “You'll get to choose the form I take, but until then, I can't show myself to you. I'm only here because you're already awakening.”

“Huh?” Sarita wondered, scratching her head as she turned circles in her room. “What are you talking about?”

“Your birthday... when you turn 13... You still have three days, so take that time to decide what form you want me to take.”

“Familiar??? What's that?”

“Look it up if you need an explanation,” the voice suggested with a tone of barely concealed ire. “Sheesh! They didn't even explain that much to you!”

“Who didn't explain what?!” Sarita demanded, starting to feel angry with this disembodied voice.

“Your parents,” the voice stated impatiently. “They should have told you everything by now.”

“Well my father is currently on a business trip and my mother is dead,” Sarita explained a bit defensively.

There was a pause, and then the voice asked: “How long has your mother been dead?”

“Since I was three,” Sarita stated with a shrug. “She was a model out doing a photoshoot on the ocean, but there was an accident, and she drowned.”

“Is it possible that your father didn't know?” The voice asked itself with a sigh. “Well, I suppose he might not have known. That would explain why he didn't tell you anything. Sarita... you have magic...”

“I have what?” Sarita asked, tempted to clean out her ears because she can't have heard that right. “You mean... like a witch?”

“You can call yourself that if you want, but I suppose that technically, you're not a witch. Witches do good by healing people and casting spells for love, luck, or money. You – on the other hand – are more like a... gift to the world...” The voice faltered, not sure how to explain this properly.

“A gift to the world?!” Sarita blurted out incredulously.

“In your line, inherited from your mother, is a power that has been around for a very long time. You are a force of good. Well... as your familiar, I hope you'll be a force of good, but in actuality, your power is simply that; power. It's intended to help people, and you by nature come from a long line of good women who are compelled to help others, but you can choose to ignore your power and do bad things.”

Sarita stared at her reflection in a mirror in shock for a moment. Her mouth literally hung open. “What do you mean I can choose to be bad?!” This concept was utterly foreign to her!

“You could! It's just that it's in your nature to help others, so I am pretty sure that you won't. It's the driving force of your power, after all...”

“What is?” Sarita wondered curiously. Part of her wondered if she was actually going crazy.

“The need to help others. It's almost a compulsion, really. Your power is the ability to grant wishes...” the voice explained.

“Like... like a genie...?” Sarita asked in an excited whisper. I Dream of Jeannie had always been her favorite show!

“That's a more accurate description of your power than witch is, but still not exact. You're not bound to any object, nor are you cursed or expected to serve a master. You are not actually limited to three wishes, but – as you'll find – giving any one person more than a single wish will probably create chaos and disaster.”

“I really think I must be dreaming...” Sarita murmured to herself, not sure whether she should go to bed and try to wake up, or sit at the table again and finally eat her handmade Strawberry Shortcake.

Before she could make a decision, there was a knock at her door. It opened a moment later just enough to let her brother poke his head in. He frowned at her curiously for a moment, then shook his head and shrugged.

“Not that I'm hungry yet, but I'm going to order pizzas for dinner tonight. What toppings do you want?” Thomas asked.

“Are you planning to order from Jenna's Organic Pizzeria?” Sarita questioned.

“Of course!” Thomas exclaimed with a tone that she was being stupid. It was his favorite pizza place too!

“Well, in that case, I'd like the chicken bacon ranch pizza,” Sarita stated with a smile.

“Okay,” Thomas agreed. “I'm going to get an all meat for me, and an everything but the kitchen sink pizza for Ianto. We can all share and have plenty of leftovers.”

“Sounds good!” Sarita agreed with a dreamy expression. I'm going to get to eat a slice of Ianto's pizza! I wonder if I can get him to take a bite of it first and have a sort of indirect kiss...

Thomas shook his head at her silliness, and then frowned again. “Hey... were you on the phone or something?”

“Uh... no. Just talking to myself,” Sarita lied, not entirely sure what she could say. She didn't think her brother would believe her. Unfortunately, she was a terrible liar, and so her brother didn't believe her anyway.

“Whatever...” he stated in annoyance, and then returned to his room.

Ianto chuckled at his expression. “I swear, you care more about your sister than anyone else in the whole world!”

Thomas rolled his eyes, and then shrugged. “That's because it seems like I am the only person she can truly be herself around ever since our mom died. I mean, she's more or less normal around dad too, but kind of a bit too much of a good girl. If I didn't tease her and make her mad from time to time, I'd think that she was some sort of robot programmed to be super nice to everyone without regard for her own happiness.”

“Ah... so maybe that explains why she's always making treats for me when I come over,” Ianto stated with a tone of sudden clarity.

Thomas chuckled wryly. “Well... I think she actually likes you. You know what? That's rather perfect! I trust you...”

“Wait... What are you talking about?” Ianto wondered, scratching his head in confusion.

“I think you should ask her out,” Thomas stated firmly. “She's getting to that age where girls start falling in love with every boy they see, and boys are about a year behind in that department. If you asked her out, she can devote all that lovey dovey attention to you, and I won't have to worry that she'll be too shy to say no to all the other boys when they inevitably notice her and want to mess around.”

Ianto laughed again. “But it's 2015! Girls are allowed to make their own decisions these days. What if she doesn't want to say no to all the other boys?”

“Don't say that! Saying that means that you don't understand at all!” Thomas roared in frustration. “I am not against her doing something if she decides to – you know, when the time comes – I'm against her doing something she doesn't want to because she can't say no. It's like a serious character flaw!”

“Oh...” Ianto murmured, actually understanding what Thomas was talking about for the first time. “I get it. So you want me to date her because I won't, wait, what if I do?”

It was Thomas' turn to be confused. “Do what?”

“What if I decide that your little sister is just too cute for her own good and talk her into doing things?” Ianto asked a bit slyly.

“Then I'll kill you and bury in the backyard,” Thomas stated as if this was the only possible option. “But I am not worried about that. I am pretty sure you are a decent guy.”

Ianto laughed. “Well thanks... I think.”

Thomas rolled his eyes again.

“Are you sure you want me to be Sarita's boyfriend?” Ianto asked with an expression of disbelief. “I really won't mess with her, but if I am going to be anyone's boyfriend, then I'm going to try to do it right. And by that I mean dates and holding hands and lovey dovey stuff like that.”

Thomas nodded and sighed in relief. “Yes, that exactly. Give her something to focus her lovey dovey attention on so that she has a very good reason to refuse pressure from other guys.”

Ianto opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Closing it after a second, he took a deep breath. “Okay fine. I'll ask her out, but I want you to know that I really do find her cute, so I am not doing this because you told me to, but because I actually like her.”

“You do?!” Thomas asked, floored by this information.

Ianto laughed with a shrug. “How could I not?! She's always staring at me with an expression of admiration, she makes me delicious treats, and she's just freakin' adorable!”

Thomas grumbled and looked away.

“But don't worry,” Ianto hastily assured him. “I'm not planning to lay a hand on her until she older!”

“Good!” Thomas harrumphed, feeling like an old man at the moment.

“So... What do you think? Should I take her to a movie or out to lunch?” Ianto wondered, looking to the ceiling as he thought the possibilities over.

“Nah, she loves going to those little fairs,” Thomas stated. “It's kind of stupid really; the rides suck, the food sucks, and everything is way too expensive, but she loves them anyway.”

“You mean those little fairs that show up randomly in mall parking lots?” Ianto asked curiously.

“Yep,” Thomas confirmed.

“That's great!” Ianto exclaimed. “There's going to be one not too far from here this weekend. Hang on, I'll be right back, and then we can get back to studying.”

Thomas sighed in reluctant acceptance. “Just remember, if you ever hurt her...”

“Yeah, I know!” Ianto stated with a laugh. He quickly crossed the hall, took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door to Sarita's bedroom. The things I get myself into!

Sarita was confused when the door didn't open a moment later, so it took her a few seconds of staring at it before she realized that her brother wasn't going to just burst in. She whispered under her breath: “Strange...”

“Come in?” She called out just a bit louder, still confused. “Did the pizza get here already?”

Ianto opened the door. He looked embarrassed for some reason, rubbing the back of his neck. Sarita blushed, extremely happy to see him.

“Do... Do you want me to make more Shortcake?” She asked, not sure what else he could possibly want.

“There's this fair thing by my house this weekend, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?” Ianto informed her with a blush, and then rushed to fill her shocked silence. “I mean that I was planning to go anyway and I thought you might like to go. I don't know, maybe it's silly! I'll just go now...”

“Wait!” Sarita cried out in a near whisper. “I uh... I'd love to go!” Her voice was very soft and dreamy, not much more than a whisper, but it was enough for him to hear her.

“Really?” Ianto asked, just in case she was having doubts after all.

“Really,” Sarita stated, a bit more firmly. Happiness bubbled up inside her until she just couldn't contain it any longer. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tight. “Thank you so much for inviting me!”

Ianto returned her hug, feeling strangely relieved that the first time he had ever asked a person out ended up so well. Impulsively, he took the chain from around his neck. “See this charm?”

Sarita stepped back so that she could get a better look at it. It was a rather manly but thin gold chain with a charm that in bold cursive said: Ianto.

“I've had this necklace for years,” Ianto explained with a smile as he placed it around her neck. “How would you like to wear it until...”

“Until?” Sarita asked, finding it strangely hard to breathe. She really wanted to run screaming through the house, call up her best friend, and then throw a loud party!

“Until we break up?” Ianto replied uncertainly since her hadn't actually asked her to be his girlfriend.

Sarita was speechless for a few seconds until she realized that she was making a very strange noise. It was like a squeal that someone had turned the volume way down low on. She slapped a hand over her mouth and cleared her throat several times until she could talk again. Only she couldn't! In desperation to communicate somehow, she moved her hand from her mouth to around the charm, and then nodded profusely.

“Awesome!” Ianto cheered with a grin. “I'll be here on Saturday afternoon to pick you up!”

Saturday... Sarita thought with a dreamy sigh.

Ianto returned to Thomas' room, shutting the door somewhat enthusiastically. “I'd say that went pretty well.”

Thomas laughed. “I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I paced the room as I ordered the pizza and I saw a bit. I thought she was going to literally explode when you gave her your necklace!”

“I did too,” Ianto murmured with a laugh. “I wish I had thought to get a picture of her just then. Her face was priceless!”

Thomas looked down, and then tossed his cellphone on his bed. “Hey, uh... I don't know if you knew this, but Saturday... that's her birthday...”

“Oh!” Ianto exclaimed in understanding. “Crap! Now I need to figure out what to get her!”

Thomas laughed again. “Nah, don't worry so much. She'll just love it if you win her a stuffed animal or something at that fair.”

“I think I can do that,” Ianto murmured.

Go To Chapter 2