It was a cold December. Delany is 13, today. Caroline, who is Delany’s mother, said she could have three friends sleep over for her birthday party. Her mother said that she needed to clean her room before she went anywhere. Delany put all of her dirty cloths in a basket and her clean cloths in her closet and dresser. She put her trash in her mini over flowing garbage. Next was her vanity.




~~***~~


Delany started cleaning the dark brown vanity that was placed in the center of the furthest wall from her door. She stared at her vanity to find out where she would start. She scattered some things around and she took a drink of the ice water Caroline brought up earlier. Delany noticed a picture of Elizabeth, which is her grandmother, on her wedding day. It had a huge crack on her grandma’s face. At the exact moment she thought of the family heirloom and rummaged through everything to find. Delany thought she might have cut herself, but she didn’t care, she wanted to find her great, great, great, grandma’s necklace.
She whispered to herself, “It’s gone.” She wanted to make sure her mother to hear her. Delany went ran over to her bed and toppled over all the clean cloths to cry.
She tried to cheer herself up by saying, “It’s just a dream.” “Stop crying, it’s your birthday!” But it didn’t work.
She rolled over to try to fall asleep, but she noticed a fortune cookie, with a note attached to it the she read aloud.
It said, “Open with carefulness.” Delany had no clue what that meant. She felt a slight cold breathe come through her window. She got up and slowly walked over to her window. She glanced out her window to she what the kids of her neighborhood were doing. There was not a single child out there. Delany wondered why her window was open. She scratched her head and thought maybe the person who stole my necklace came through the window. More and more thoughts came to mind, but she didn’t bother. Delany slammed her window shut with a big thud! Most of her pictures fell to pieces. She was surprised her parents didn’t come running. She wanted to know more about the cookie on her bed, more then anything. Delany ran to her bed to find that her cookie was still untouched. Delany heard two people come up her squeaky stairs. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. She recognized her mother’s voice, but the other sounded like a gentlemen, like he was 30 year-old, deep voice, and heavy footer. You could her Caroline’s light feet walk up the steps first, then heavy feet second. Delany ran to her door. She was scared, thinking her mother had been taken hostage. She pulled her door open with all her might! She almost punched herself in the face. Delany looked out and saw a long brown trench coat, before he shut the door. She stumbled down the stairs to her mother, which was doing dishes.
“MOM! WHO WAS THAT! She yelled to her mother.
Caroline responded with a laugh, “That’s Hector, he practically peed his pants knocking on the door.”
“Ohh..” Said Delany, “Why didn’t he go to Isaac’s house or Parkman’s house? “There at the end of the street.” She didn’t ask any more questions, because she heard Hector come down the stairs. She thought to herself. He sounds like elephants coming down the stairs! Delany shut her mouth and quickly and quietly walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She instantly remembered the fortune cookie and her grandma’s stolen necklace. She went up stairs to notice that she still didn’t open it. She did very carefully. “It’s a map?” She didn’t think of a map being in a fortune cookie. There were endless possibilities, but it was a map! She was confused. Delany had to clue what this map meant, or where it wanted her to go. She was confused. Then it hit her!
“I know what this map wants me to go! I’m off to find my grandmothers necklace!” She whispered in excitement.


~~***~~


Delany cleaned her room spotless, so Caroline had to let her outside. She slipped on her boots and put her jacket on half way.
“Ring! Ring! Ring!” Annie says that every time the phone rings. Delany grabbed her backpack and darted towards the kitchen. She managed to sneak a couple snacks and juice boxes into her backpack before her mother walked in.
“Honey, what are you doing?”
“I’m getting ready to get my friends.” Said Delany. She didn’t like lying, but she had to. If she told her mother that she had lost the necklace she would have been called “irresponsible” and “Bad child” stuff like that. You get the point.
“Is your room clean?”
“Yes, of course!” Now Delany didn’t lie about that. Then Delany was out the front like a flash!


~~***~~



Delany pointed out a couple of neat rocks and shoved them in her pocket. She was half way down the block when she reached to grab the map. It wasn’t there! Then she checked all of her pockets to find the map. “I can’t find the map.” She was trying to find where she put it then she remembered it was still on her bed untouched. Delany turned around and ran as fast as she could. Her legs were like cheetahs. She almost tripped over her snow pants. Delany’s hat nearly fell off. Out of corner of her eye she saw Ginger Jimmy for just a split second. His thin, greasy, dark orange hair, and his buckteeth all scared her and made her run even faster. Jimmy kept calling her name but she ran faster and faster! She jumped up her front porch stairs in one leap. Delany pushed her front door open in one push and jumped up her stairs in three leaps. She felt like she was in the Olympics. She found the map still sitting on her bed. Delany scooped it up and ran to where she started when she realized the map was gone. She thought she was going to have a heart attack right there and then. She drank half her water bottle that she packed and a fruit roll up. She was surprised that the rocks were still in her pocket.



~~***~~



Delany was at her rusty old stop sign by Isaac’s house. Surprisingly he wasn’t home. He is always home. She unzipped her pocket and took out the map. Delany had to no time to look over the map earlier. So she looked what way she had to turn, it was right. On one side of that street there was a crazy dog that would hop over the fence to get at you. Delany crossed the street, then turned right, because she didn’t want to get attacked. She heard the viscous bark of the angry dog. She couldn’t find out what dog it was. It was brown, with tan strips, with a big head. I think they called the dog Hitler? I knew it was a boy. Delany kept walking. She got really hot and sweaty inside her snow gear, but it was worth it. She was determined to find the necklace with a green gem in the middle, surrounded by little diamonds, with a gold chain.
It was getting hotter by the second inside her snow gear. Delany still went forward. She got to the next stop sign.
“Thank god it’s red, or I wouldn’t have seen it through this snow!” She had no clue where she was going through this snow.
“Should I turn back?” She thought to herself in a whisper.
“Should I?” Delany couldn’t see anything at all it was like she was trapped inside a white box.
Right when she thought nothing could get better, her luck turned around!
“The snow stopped!” She yelled out. This was the first maracal of her day. The next has to be Delany finding the necklace! Last thing she knew she was where the map told her to stand and wait. So Delany did and did, and did, and did.

~~***~~

Then some guy randomly walked out of a dark, scary alley.
He said, “I have been excepting you, Delany.” How did he know my name? Who is he? Where’s the necklace? It was just like the movies! He came out of the alley, than he says that! So many ideas came to Delany’s head, she felt like passing out! She didn’t know what to say.
“Where’s my necklace? How do you know me? Who are you?” All of her questions spilled out.
“Its safe. I’ll give it to you if you le me tell you a story? Where are my manners? I’m Hector, and I was your grandma’s best friend.” He said with a big smile.
“Okay.” Delany sat down and listened closely, hoping that the story will end soon. She was freezing.
“ Elizabeth and I were the bestest of friends, and we did almost ever thing together, unless you were there. Elizabeth wouldn’t let me near you. I had no clue why, but she said something about being a bad influence, or something like that. I wasn’t paying any attention. One day after you left you left. Liz and I sat in her love seat together and me talked and talked. We would have our talks for hours, but this one was different. It was about ten minutes. All she said is that she had some sort of virus that eats your bones. And that she would be giving me something in my name to leave me. Elizabeth said she wanted it to be surprise, but she showed it to me anyway. It was this necklace!” As her pulled it out of his pocket.
“So that’s why you wanted it!”
“Yes, of course! Why else would I want it?” Said Hector with a confused look.
“I had no clue. Now you either give me my necklace or I’ll call the police and tell them you broke in and stole my belongings!” Delany was so eager to get it back. All she wanted to do is go home and go to bed. She ran to Hector, stomped on his foot and snatched the necklace! Delany ran as fast as anyone! Out of the corner of her eye people turned to blobs of colors. Nothing could stop her. Nothing!


~~***~~


Delany didn’t realize that she ran so fast that she ended up by the fire station, just three blocks from her house. She sat down on the wet grass and had a little picnic by her self. Delany set all her water bottles in a line and all the juice pouches. She put her fruity food around and she ate every single snack. She got up and walked up the four stairs and threw the trash in the garbage by the firehouse. She then went back to where she was having a picnic and sat down and drank every juice boxes and all the water except one. She was still hungry and thirst, but she needed to keep one for the other three blocks she went. She didn’t care when she got home or how long it took she just wanted to go home. Nothing stopped Delany. Next thing she noticed she was walking up her front stairs. She cam in and noticed her Mom and Dad fighting. She saw tipped over bear on the floor. Annie was screaming bloody merry in her crib and she didn’t know what to do. Delany grabbed Annie and ran up stairs. She locked them both in her room and shoved her dresser in front of her door. Annie and Delany lay on her bed and after an hour they fell asleep.


~~***~~


She woke up the next day, or at least she thought it was the next day. Annie wasn’t in her bed, so she looked over her bed to the floor and she wasn’t there. The dresser was in its original spot and her room was a mess again, exactly how it was in the beginning.
Delany’s mother, Caroline came up stairs and yelled, “ Why aren’t you cleaning?”
Delany asked, “Mom, what day is it and time?”
“Your birthday and 9 ‘clock. Get up and clean so you can have friends over!”
Delany got up and looked for the necklace and it was still there.
“It was all a dream!” Delany was confused, but except it. At least the necklace wasn’t stolen.