“No! Ari! You can’t! You don’t know what it will…” Tara interjected, but it was too late. Ariana was already reading the first poem she had stumbled across.
Jealousy
Dark-eyed jealous gaze doth fill me,
turn mine wants to gifts of envy
What thou hast wilt I devour,
bathe me in black thieving power.
Before thine eyes, my needs be met,
leaving thee to weep and fret.
“Omigod!” said Tara, her eyes wide in concern. “That one sounds badass! A little too badass!”
Ariana shivered as she lowered the book. “Did you feel that?”
Tara shook her head, though she knew the feeling Ariana was talking about. She had felt it when she had read the poem about dreaming the previous day.
“My turn,” said Tara, reaching for the book.
Ariana, however, pulled it away from her. “I think I’ll keep it a little longer.”
Tara stamped her foot in frustration. “What?! That’s not fair!”
Ariana shrugged, her taut, gymnast muscles tensing as she clutched the book to her chest. “Like my dad always says—life’s not fair.”
She ran off, leaving a frustrated Tara to stew outside the bookshop.
As she turned to walk dejectedly home, Tara had little doubt that Ariana would use her new power to grow her tiny body into absolute magnificence, just as Anna had. Her friends were all going to leave her behind!
At the rate they were going, only she and Chloe were going to be left as their tiny selves. It seemed that everyone else they knew was going to be tall, gorgeous, and amazing!
There had to be a way to change her fate. She could go after the book—although something told her that Ariana would hide it well. Maybe she could persuade Ariana to let her read it? Just one more poem?
That jealousy one sounded as if it had potential. Maybe Ariana would let her read that one? The more she thought about it, however, the more she began to understand Ariana’s reluctance to let her read it. Maybe only one person could have the power of a poem at a time. Maybe if she read the poem, she would have the power and Ariana no longer would.
But those thoughts led her back to the poem that she herself had read and her dream from the previous night.
Of course!
She might still have the power to dream changes to herself! Just because she had dreamt of Anna the previous night didn’t mean that she could only dream of Anna. What if she dreamt of herself? Maybe she could dream herself beyond even Anna’s level, a six-foot statuesque stunner, eclipsing her sister and friend with her amazonic beauty...
The thought sent a shudder of desire through her diminutive form. She would be soooo sexy! Her heart began to race as she considered the idea of becoming more desirable than her sister, attempting to visualize just how impossibly gorgeous she could be.
But she quickly tamped down on the excitement. It wouldn’t do to get her adrenaline pumping right now. Her thin lips curled into a mischievous smile. She needed to remain calm. She had some napping to do before the beach party today...
***
Ariana ran all the way home. When she arrived, she glanced around to ensure that Tara hadn’t followed her. Dropping to her knees, she pried back the board under the porch of her house that was always loose, and shoved the book into the darkness inside. Replacing the board, she rose again, dusting the dirt from her knees. That should do for now. No one would find the book there. Not even her parents. She felt a twinge of guilt for not letting Tara borrow it, but then Tara had already had a chance to read the book. It wasn’t Ariana’s fault if her friend had spent its power improving Anna rather than herself. She had no intention of allowing the book’s power to go to waste. She intended to use it!
As she marched up the steps to the front door, pulling it open, she thought of the words she had read. Could it really be as simple as it sounded? Could jealousy really give her what she desired? She supposed there was only one way to find out...
“Ari?” called her mother. “Is that you?”
“Yes, mom,” said her daughter, walking toward the stairs that lead to her bedroom.
“Don’t forget your meet at noon!”
Ariana had nearly forgotten! She would have to ponder the poem later. Running up the steps to her room, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, removed her earrings, and donned her favorite leotard.
As she descended the stairs, she focused her thoughts on the coming competition, her pretty features hardening with determined concentration.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
