Lily J. Evans and the Swirling Sphere

Chapter One:

The Beginning

Lily Evans was incredibly smart. She knew it. She hid it. Lily was eccentric, fun-loving, and wild. She knew it. She hid it. Lily was beautiful. She didn't know it. It got hidden anyway. She was a talented basketball player. She knew it. She let it shine.

That's what happens when you live in a boring suburban neighborhood. Where all the houses look exactly the same, and the only difference is the shade of green the lawns are.

That's what happens when you go to a boring private school. With its matching pleated skirts and ugly, black, buckled shoes.

She wasn't a depressed girl. Just extremely bored. Lily wanted something exciting in her life. Something, so that when you wake up in the morning you would never know what that day would bring.

The only thing that Lily fully enjoyed about her life was basketball. Her school had an amazing basketball coach. In Lily's opinion that was the only good thing about her school.

Lily was dead clumsy. The main reason she enjoyed basketball was, when she was on the court, she never tripped, or slipped and fell.

It's not that she minded falling all the time, but when she had up to fifteen bruises on her knees and elbows people asked her funny questions.

It was when she had just gotten home from her summer league basketball practice when she got what she was wishing for. Something exciting, something different. Her letter.

Lily marched into her living room fuming. She grabbed a book from the bookshelf and flopped onto the couch to read.

"Witch," Lily muttered under her breath. The Old Lady Harris had just yelled at her, yet again, for letting her basketball roll over her precious Petunias. " Ugly flower," Lily thought, " and a stupid name."

Petunia was Lily's older sister. She had blond hair, a long neck, and a bratty attitude. She got her blond hair from their dad, Conner. Lily got her fiery red hair and dark, emerald green eyes form their mom, Emeley.

Along with a fiery red hair Lily had a fiery temper. She was sick and tired of listening to Old Lady Harris's nagging. This time she had just about been pushed to her limit. Lily often read to calm herself down, and today was no exception.

Lily, still in a rage wasn't taking in any of what she was reading. She had almost calmed down when she heard the click of the mail slot shutting. " That's odd, the mail should've come hours ago," Lily thought out loud.

She put her book down and went to pick up the letter that had come through the slot. It was an envelope made of thick, yellowing parchment. It was addressed to her:

Miss Lily Evans

The couch

The Living Room

2 Finair Drive

It was written in emerald green ink that reminded Lily of her own eyes. She flipped it over. On the back was a red rubber seal stamped with the letter H.

She was just about to open it when her mom yelled, " Lily dear, time for dinner." Lily sighed; the letter would have to wait. She stuck the letter in her book to keep her place and walked into the dining room.

Dinner was not a quiet affair that night. Petunia and her mom were having a heated discussion about Petunia spending too much time on the phone.

"You never let me talk on the phone!" Petunia yelled.

"Dear, you were on the phone for two hours this afternoon," their mom said calmly.

"Yah, but you kicked me off," Petunia said lamely.

"Like I said, you were on the phone for two hours. I had important calls to make." Emeley was getting annoyed.

"Well, if you would just get me my own line we wouldn't have that problem, would we?" Petunia retorted.

"Petunia, we've already talked about this. You are not getting you own line." Her mom stated firmly. Petunia decided to change tactics.

"But Mom," she whined, " if I don't get my own line I'll die."

"Drama queen," Lily muttered and roller her eyes.

"What?" Petunia snapped.

"Nothing." Lily began to gobble down her food. She didn't like the way this conversation was going and wanted to get out of there before Petunia started chucking plates.

Petunia and her mom were still at it when Lily finished. Lily stood up and said, "Dad, will you come help me with my math homework?"

Conner looked at his daughter with grateful eyes. He hated Petunia's whining as much as lily did, and she knew it.

Father followed daughter into the living room.

"Thanks Lily," her dad said," do you really have math homework?"

"No, do you want to steal around to the back and shoot some hoops?"

"Sure."

Her dad was the one who had gotten Lily hooked on the wonderful game.

Conner understood his daughter the way nobody else did. Most people saw her as quiet, reserved, and a little odd. Conner knew her to be outgoing, fun-loving, and wild. Nobody accepted her the way she was, so she put a mask over her true self.

After a rousing game of Horse, where Lily soundly whipped her dad, they went inside.

Lily was just about to hop into bed when she remembered her letter.