Lizzie got ready for bed with her heart feeling like it weighed a ton. She pulled her covers over herself. She turned on the television set at the end of her bed. It turned onto Disney Channel. 'Amy must have been sneaking watching TV in my room yesterday,' Lizzie thought. She got mad until she remembered that even if she were to tell Amy off, she didn't know where Amy was. This made her cry even harder. Once she recovered, she watched Disney Channel, even though she despised it. It was on a show called Wizards of Waverly Place. Lizzie watched how the girl messed up three wishes with a genie and lost her brother.
   Lizzie turned the television set off. She layed down and tryed to sleep, but she knew sleep was far away. She closed her eyes anyways. Suddenly a voice came from the doorway of her room. She opened her eyes. A woman dressed in blue and gold silk clothing stood, leaning against the doorway. "You rubbed my lamp?" she said pointing to the gold lamp that Lizzie hadn't noticed until she looked down. "Three wishes are yours. Oh, and make it quick... I'm in the middle of an intense poker game!" she snapped.
   Lizzie coudn't believe her luck! Three wishes of her own! She thought about it for a moment. Then she wished for her first wish. "I wish that Amy was safely tucked into her bed in her bedroom at this very moment." The genie did the same weird dance that the genie had done in the television show.
   After a second the genie replied, "Wish granted... next?"
   Lizzie had already thought of her next wish. "I wish I knew where Amy used to be when she was lost today." Lizzie made sure she made it perfectly clear what she wanted to wish for because in the show the genie outsmarted the girl and she didn't want to be in the same position.
   The genie did the same dance then nodded. "She was at your backdoor." Lizzie's jaw dropped. She gestured for Lizzie to go on with her third wish.
   "I wish that my family didn't have any problems or stresses in our lives."
   In a moment the genie was done. Before she left, she turned around to Lizzie and told her, "You're a smart kid. Keep it that way." Then she left. Lizzie layed back down, flattered.
   Lizzie's mother woke her in the morning, her face joyfull and happy. "Lizzie! Amy was at-"
   "At the back door," Lizzie finished for her.
   "How did you know?" Lizzie's mother raised her eyebrows.
   "Lucky guess." She winked at her mother.

   "I am serious, Natalie!" Lizzie wailed into my red Motorola cell phone. "I cried the whole way home."
   In the background on Natalie's side she heard her computer blaring out Alvin and the Chipmunks songs that she had recelntly become addicted to. Natalie sighed. "I believe the part about you crying all the way home. I just can't believe you cried in front of Crystal! What were you thinking? Crying in front of one of the most popular girls? Her whole family of teenagers have been in the popular crowd for ages! How could you let that happen, Liz?" Her voice was filled with exasperation. It made Lizzie's brain ache.
   "Oh, you think I didn't TRY to not cry? Oh, believe me I definately did. Oh, and then you will not believe what Maggie Revlon did that embarassed me even more! You know what? She-" Lizzie got cut off as she heard a knock at her door. "I'll call you back later, okay Natalie?" I didn't wait for a reply as I slapped the phone shut. "Come in!" Lizzie invited.
   Lizzie's mother came in looking distraught. She patted the bed beside her, inviting her mother to sit down. She skeptically sat down. There was a moment of silence before Lizzie's mother started crying uncontrollably. "What's wrong, Mom?" She sounded bewildered.
   "Oh, Lizzie," her mother managed to choke out. "Amy-" she stopped as a fresh wave of salty tears poured over her face.
   'What could Amy have to do with this?' Lizzie wondered. Amy was Lizzie's ten year old little sister.
   Her mother managed to get a hold of herself for a few seconds. "Amy walked home from Terri's birthday party instead of waiting for us to pick her up and now she's gone missing! Mrs. Smith didn't even see her go by!" Mrs. Smith lived in a small house next to Terri, Amy's best friend.
   Frightening images flashed through Lizzie's head at the thought of what could have happened to Amy. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket which made her jump. She opened it with clammy hands. "Hello?" she wimpered.
   "Liz?" a voice crackled through the speaker.
   Lizzie's heart leaped. "Amy! Where are you?"
   "I'm at-" then the phone went dead.
   "Amy?" Then Lizzie cried with her mother and told her what Amy had told her.