Chapter 1 ~ Darcy Several months later… “Oh, how I wish that was me!” My little sister sings as she dances around the house, overly excited. I smile as I finish picking up our things so we can set off to the music shop. Lizzie, my little sister, is my whole life. I love her more than anyone or anything in this life and seeing her this happy always makes me smile. This is all that I want for her: happiness, smiles and her little heart beating like the wings of a butterfly. She’s nine years old and the nicest girl on Earth, with her light dirty blond hair falling to her middle back in soft curls, her rosy cheeks, her adorable smile with the little space between her two front teeth, and her long eyelashes framing those adorable green eyes. There’s no cuter girl. I have to take care of her as Mum is almost never here due to her work. She’s a geologist, so normally she has to go somewhere else for weeks, sometimes months. She adores what she does, but at the same time she hates it since we can’t spend much time together. We barely see her and since our father left us when Lizzie was born, my sister and I only have each other. We have a good life in the sense that we do not have any kind of material necessity. Despite Mum not being here, Lizzie and I have each other and we are happy with that. I should be in uni, but this year is more hectic for Mum and her work. Because of this I decided to postpone it for a year to take care of Lizzie a bit better. I don’t trust anyone else to look after her, so I’d rather miss one year than leave her at someone else’s care. After all I’m still young; I’m only eighteen. “Ah! I can’t believe I’m going to meet them! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She says in a sing-song voice hugging me, her face buried in my belly. “You have to say thanks to Carter as he was the one who helped us to get there,” I tell her, kneeling so we can be at the same height. Lizzie smiles adorably while chewing her lower lip. “Let’s go, Darcy! I can’t wait to meet Liam. I can’t make my future husband wait!” She says dramatically, holding my hand and I laugh. Yes, my name is Darcy as in Pride and Prejudice, the same reason why my sister’s name is Elizabeth. That’s our mum’s favourite book ever written. We walk out of the house and get in the car to head off for the music shop where my best friend, Carter, must be waiting for us already. I’m taking Lizzie to a signing of her favourite band: One Direction. They are okay, I quite like their music. I didn’t have an option, it’s all Lizzie has listened to for three months. Eventually she decided she liked other artists as well, but One Direction is still her favourite one. They are signing their new album and for the first time, they are doing it in Carter’s family’s shop. That means we can actually be there this time. I’m so excited for Lizzie, but I’m sure my excitement can’t compare to hers. She really loves those five cute boys. Her favourite is Liam Payne, the one with adorable brown eyes and hair, cute smile, thick eyebrows and kind look. Lizzie is convinced she’s going to marry that boy, she doesn’t care that they have an age gap of ten years. During our ride, we listen to One Direction, of course. I know all their songs by heart and I know many things about them as I have to do research for Lizzie. I don’t want her to surf the Internet without supervision. Even though she doesn’t know much, just basic and official things. What she likes the most is to watch funny videos of them on YouTube. We get to the music shop, and inside there is already an uncountable number of girls. It’s hard for me to find Carter in the sea of people, plus I can’t let go of Lizzie’s hand. So many teenage girls are there, at the verge of tears, practically hyperventilating. There are some guys who seem as excited as the girls. “Carter!” I exclaim once I finally see my best friend trying to put some order in the shop. Poor lad, he seems about to freak out and kill everyone. Carter isn’t the patient type. “Darcy!” He calls me back and I see relief showing in his features. It must be nice to see a familiar face in such a chaotic crowd. “Thank God you’re here already. Sadly, you’ll have to wait ‘till the end. If I put you first, I’m sure these girls will kill me and it won’t be fast,” he trails, off giving me a hug and then kneeling to pick up Lizzie in his arms to give her a tight hug. “How are you, princess? Excited for today?” He asks my little sister and I smile. Carter is actually the only one I trust enough to look after my sister when I can’t do it, which doesn’t happen often. We have been friends forever, we grew up together as neighbours and went to school together as well. Just now that I decided to leave uni for later we are separated as he’s already taking a major in music engineer. The music shop belongs to his family, so music has been always in his life. “Yes! Thank you so much, Carter! I love you even more now,” Lizzie tells him and Carter chuckles. “More than you love Darcy?” He asks and it’s my turn to chuckle. He always asks the same, and the answer never changes. Giggling, Lizzie shakes her head. “That’s impossible. I’ll never love anyone more than I love Darcy!” She states and I smile, full of myself, at Carter. He sticks his tongue out at me. “Not even Liam? I’ve heard he’s looking for a girlfriend and he might pick you today. What happens then?” Carter asks Lizzie with big eyes and I can’t quit smiling. She opens her eyes as the mere idea overwhelms her with excitement. “But I’m too young to marry yet. He will have to wait for me, right, Darcy?” Lizzie inquires looking at me and I just nod with a solemn attitude. “See?” Carter laughs but he doesn’t put her down. I know my best friend adores Lizzie almost as much as I do. For him, my little sister is his, too.