Starseeds

Episode one: crop circles and missing girls

  Esmeralda sorted the Indica and Sativa into different bags. She stood up after she was done. "Here you go," she said. She held out her hand, and Lulu handed Esmeralda all her sleeping pills. Sometimes, Esmeralda would take trades rather than money. Pills made her money when she sold them anyway. "Do you know of any parties going on this weekend?" Lulu asked, as she dropped the bags of pot in her tangerine- colored tote.

"I mean, it's the weekend before thanksgiving. What are you gonna do, get wine drunk with your mom's PTA friends?" Esmeralda joked, checking on her schedule for her next "customer." Lulu had heard Lewis say that Esmeralda made as much as 1,000 dollars every weekend. Lulu could believe it. "Lance Griffith is throwing a party. His parents are gone until Tuesday. I'll be there. Everyone's going,"Esmeralda said. Lulu smiled, but she knew it looked a little sad. "Looks like I'm everyone," she said.
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  Lulu didn't go right home after Esmeralda's house. She drove to Evy  and Rain's   place, which was only a street away from her house. She hadn't called her mom ahead of time to let her know, but her mom would be totally busy with Daniella, who was arriving tonight. Evy  and Rain lived in a beautiful Victorian house. It was painted baby blue and gold, with a pointy roof and dollhouse- style windows. Flowery vines had wrapped its way all around the porch. Lulu loved it. She preferred the shabby- chic, bohemian vibes in Simpson Way much more than the fussy and identical perfection of her house in Oribe Court.

The front door was open. Lulu stepped inside of the house. Evy and Rain's  parents were archaeologists, so the house was decorated with all kinds of unusual artifacts. Ancient tribal vases, masks, swords, suits of armor. Evy and Rain's    mom had passed away four years ago in a car accident, but one look at the house and you'd forget she was gone. Lulu ran up the winding ebony staircase, into Rain's room.

Evy and Rain were eleven months apart, but Evy had a late birthday, so they were in the same year at school, even though she was almost a year older. She and Rain were so different. Evy was at cheerleading  practice. Rain was here in her bedroom listening to Joni Mitchell. They were both gorgeous and funny and had so much good about them, and their father had never compared them. Sure, Summer and Autumn had arguments, but there had never been a bitter rivalry between them. They were sisters in every sense of the word- the good, not just the bad.

"What's up?" Rain asked. She drew herself up gracefully on one elbow. Her long hair looked like a wavy curtain that framed her face. "Apparently not UFO's," said Lulu. Rain lit some incense up, and the scent of roses and cedar filled her room.  "So Lance Griffith is throwing a party tomorrow night," Lulu said,flopping on Rain's  bed . The bed was   a mattress on a huge old porch swing, so it made her bed swing back and forth. "Will your mom be cool with you going? This week is all about Daniella,"Rain said. Lulu almost laughed out loud, but she sucked the air in so Rain wouldn't think she had started to cry.

"Exactly. It's all about Daniella." Lulu felt a stab of hatred for her sister, but pushed it down. She wanted to have a good time tomorrow night, and if she thought too much about Daniella she would be too upset to have fun. "Are you gonna be okay this week?" Rain asked. She flopped on the bed next to Lulu. The late afternoon sunshine was filtering in through the stained glass windows. Rain's blue- green eyes looked like jewels for a second. "I'm gonna be fine. My mom is gonna have an aneurysm, though, from stress," Lulu said. Rain shrugged. " Que sera," she said.
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"Do you go to Disney World a lot, since you live in Orlando?" Max asked Daniella. Lulu glanced at her mom, expecting her to ask Daniella a question, but she was busy staring in absolute wonder. Their father was busy with his chicken. "I mean, I'm busy studying, Max," Daniella said. She looked gorgeous. Her skin was perfect. Her dark hair was full of shining volume. Her petite nose ( courtesy of their father, who was a plastic surgeon) crinkled when she laughed. Her dark eyes drank in the world. Lulu hated her.