This is an exert from my novel (possibly series?) That I am writing.

Bonita 

When the sun set in the town of Bonita, it lowered with precision, falling precisely between the two lush hills off in the distance. Most of the town, by that time, would then be in their homes getting ready for the perfect, calm, and peaceful night ahead of them. No interruptions, no disturbances.  

See, Bonita was a small town. Nobody knew where it was, or how it got there. Most didn’t even know it existed. Nobody ever left or came. It was dark and silent at night, but when the sun rose, so did everybody else. And once everyone was wide awake, the town would be fun and lively. 

The seasons in Bonita were considerably unique, for there were none. The temperature was constantly 70-80 degrees warm throughout the whole year. Rocks were extremely scarce, and silky green grass covered nearly all the soil in the entire town.

It was quite a clear fact that Bonita was no ordinary town. And just to make it even stranger, the people who lived in its borders were special. They could do things. And not just simple things like taking the trash out or doing the dishes. They could float the trash to the curb, or wipe all grime from the plates with a snap of their fingers. They could do magic.  

~o~ 

~Chapter 1~ 

>-o-------------------------------------o-< 

Marie was a shy girl, a quiet girl. And yet, she currently stood on her soft, yet oddly springy mattress  jumping spasmodically like a crazy person with excitement. She jumped down and maneuvered around the messy pile of clothes on the floor, then flopped onto her unmade bed. A squeal of happiness escaped her lips.  

It was her birthday. And she was finally turning thirteen. 

Marie glanced at the clock. 2 minutes! Only two- no one- minute until she aged another year. 30 seconds now! The clock still read 11:59 p.m. and in 20 more seconds, it would say, 12:00 a.m.   

She started a countdown, “ten!” she whispered. “Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.”  she raised her voice a little. 

“Five.” 

“Four.” 

Her voice increased ever so slightly. 

“Three!” 

“TWO!” She was shouting now. 

“O-” 

“MARIE! GO BACK TO BED!” her mother was standing in her dimly lit doorway, it was quite obvious from the expression on her flawless face that she was tired and frustrated. 

She glanced at the clock for a split second. “It's midnight! Why are you still up?!” 

“I-I-I'm really sorry mom.”  Marie declared. “But it's my Bir-.” 

“Go. To. Bed.” her mother glared at her. “No excuses.” 

Marie flipped off her floating purple lamp, pulled her silky magenta covers over her fuzzy turquoise pajamas, and laid her head down on her navy-blue pillow. Why had her mother gotten so angry? Her family had always done a countdown until their birthdays. It was a tradition. 

“Good night, Mama.” she murmured and choked back a sob, but she didn't know why. 

It was her birthday!  Shouldn't she be crying tears of joy? 

Not sorrow. 

“Good night Marie.”  

Her mother shut the door and thumped downstairs to her own bedroom. 

A single tear slid down Marie's face. Why was she crying! It was her birthday! 

She sniffed, trying to hold in the tears. She failed. 

Little droplets of salty water fell down her fair cheek, and she heard a wail escaped her lips. A pool of wet tears dropped into her copper curls. 

Suddenly it dawned on her. Why she was so dismal. 

Her own mother had forgotten her birthday. 

-.- 

Mrs. Aspen descended the floating staircase that led up to Marie’s top-floor room. When she had reached the last step, she heard a small whimper from her daughter's bedroom. Was she crying? Mrs. Aspen desperately wished she could turn back time, and not have been so harsh on her only daughter. But there was no excuse for jumping around in your room and counting down till midnight, especially if you occupied the room above everyone else in the house. 

Suddenly, as Mrs. Aspen reached the last step, full-on weeping sounded from her little girl's room. She hadn’t been that harsh on her, had she? The tired mother turned right back around and started to make her way back up the 50 stairs to consult her child. On step 27 she froze.  

It was May 13th. The May 13th. 

She raced up the remaining 23 stairs and thrust open the door. Her, now 13-year-old child lay in her bed. Her smooth face was streaked with tears. And a small pool rested upon her copper locks. 

“Hey, hey stop that sobbing,” she said in the most gentle voice she could muster. 

The girl’s head flipped upwards to face her mother.  

“I wasn’t sobbing.” she sniffed. 

“Oooooookay...”  

“I wasn’t!” 

“Are you sure?” she smiled and plopped down onto the fluffy magenta bed, so she would be next to her child.  

“I’m sure.” she looked up at her mother, a slight glare in her eye. 

“I-I’m sorry I got mad at you before.” Mrs. Aspen blurted out. “That's no way to treat a girl on her one and only thirteenth birthday now is it!” 

“You-you remembered!” Marie’s tone lightened a little. 

“Of course! I was just a little groggy that's all!” Mrs. Aspen side hugged her daughter. “Now,” she smirked. “Let's get you all primped up for the big celebration!” 

“Primped up? Big celebration?” Marie’s extraordinary midnight-blue eyes widened. “Now?” 

“Well, it’s your thirteenth birthday after all!” 

-.- 

Claudia lay in her bed. It was exactly 4:09 a.m. She had woken up to a noise. It had been coming from her neighbor’s residence, Marie’s house. A yell of, “MARIE! GO BACK TO BED!” then racking sobs, then a squeal of delight. What a weird way to begin your most significant birthday. Claudia thought Marie was so lucky to finally be thirteen! It was such an honor in Bonita to turn thirteen. Nobody in existence had ever figured out what their abilities were before the age of thirteen, and one rarely would discover them on the important age but it was a significant point in everyone's life. The day you aged thirteen years, you were no longer considered a child because you could unearth remarkable abilities, be advantageous to the community, and it was the day you got admitted into S.A.D., the School of Ability Development. Many kids her age joked about their school, being all “sad” and boring, but they all knew it was anything but that. There was always a very prominent celebration for the lucky child who aged the big one-three. Claudia couldn't wait for her birthday, but she would have to because hers was in October. 

Claudia knew Marie as the timid, quiet girl in her age group, so the sudden drama in the night had surprised her lots. So much that, now, she couldn’t sleep. So, she lay awake in her bed, waiting for morning to come, or something to happen.  

“Bip Bip Bip Bip Bip Bip.” 

Claudia’s alarm was going off. It was light outside. She assumed that after long enough of gazing off into the distance, she had dozed off. She slapped the big, red snooze button on her pink alarm clock, and scrambled out of bed. When she reached her big closet, she reached for a nice but subtle dress, she didn't want to outshine Marie on her big day! The dress was rosy and had a few little frills here and there. 

Making her way to the kitchen, she pulled on her pinkish toe socks, then her hot-pink sandals. Claudia embraced everything pink. It was her favorite color. The best color that had ever been created. Ever. 

On her way out the door, she grabbed a banana, perfectly ripe like usual. Then she stepped out onto the lush grass outside. The air was crisp and fresh when she inhaled, and it made her feel festive. She wanted to cartwheel, to jump up and down, to run across all the fields. So, she did. 

She ran, galloped, pranced and leapt through all the grassy plains. Until she reached the forest, then she halted and gazed up at the abnormally tall trees. A scared shiver spread across her entire form. A shaking form. She had never been this close to the legendary “Great Forest.” It was said to be possessed.  

By what? Nobody had ever returned to tell. 

Claudia recalled a paragraph she had read about the Great Forest in a book, 

“The Great Forest holds many mysteries nobody knows how to solve. It is a great mass of towering trees, at least we can see that much, and according to legend, it also contains “The Great Aspen.” An aspen tree that, unlike most aspens, is exceptionally tall and inexplicably thick. In fables, it is rumored to have magical properties.” 

She wondered if there really was a “Great Aspen” tree. Maybe, someday, someone would venture into the forest and find out.  

A loud crunching noise sounded from the eerie forest that sent chills up Claudia’s spine. Not wanting to find out what had made the noise, she bolted away from the terrifying woods, never looking back.

-.-