The Dog Made of Stars By Lily

One - The Witch

A cloaked figure walked through the woods at night. Her face was covered by a hood, and she walked with purpose.

She had decided to grant a child’s wish. She did not do this often, no, there were too many wishes out there. But she felt that she owed a debt to the girl. When her town was planning to chop down the forest to build an amusement park, she started a petition against it, which was successful. Even though no one knew the witch lived in the forest, she was grateful nonetheless.

She stopped in a clearing where she could see the stars. All wishes made go to the sky, where they shine brightly against the night. The girl had wished for a friend. The witch did the best she could. She reached up and gathered a few of the dimmest stars in her hand—faded wishes. She weaved them together to form a shape. Then she stretched her hand out higher, and took the child’s wish itself, which was the brightest star in the sky, and added it as the finishing touch.

Maybe, this way, the girl could grant some dying wishes herself.

Two - The Dog

Frankie didn’t have many friends. Or, well, she didn’t have any. And after she saved the forest, meaning no amusement park could be built, it got worse. Everyone hated her. So she was walking home alone when she saw the dog.

It was sitting on the side of the road, head tilted in curiosity, staring at Frankie with eyes dark as night. Its fur was the same color, with three faint white dots on its back, one stark white one on its forehead.

“Hello there,” Frankie said softly, bending down and putting out a hand for the dog to sniff. “Are you lost, buddy?” It barked, wagging its tail. It seemed healthy. But she decided to take it home just in case.

It followed without protest, to her surprise. She let it in, and it plopped down next to the door, waiting. “Mom!” Frankie called.

Her mother, Julia, entered the room. “Yes, dear?” she asked, but then stopped, her hazel eyes widening. “Is that a dog?” she asked, startled.

“I found it outside,” Frankie explained. “It doesn’t have a collar.”

Her mom knelt down beside it, and looked closely at the canine. “Well, she’s a girl,” she said as she stood back up.

“Can I keep her? Please?” begged Frankie, petting the dog’s head. It woofed happily.

Julia looked at her daughter, so happy, and the dog, which had not moved, and was now licking the girl’s face. Even she knew how lonely Frankie was, even though she never talked to her parents about it. “Well, I’ll have to talk to Dad about it…”

“So maybe?” Frankie said hopefully, pulling the dog closer.

“Maybe,” her mother agreed. “Dinner’s almost ready, and your dad should be home soon, so why don’t you set the table?”

Frankie laid out plates, napkins, and utensils, the dog trotting along at her heels. She patted the pup’s head. “What should I name you?” she said. She looked at the marks on the dog’s back and forehead that reminded her of stars. “How about Luna?” She got a happy yip! in response. “Yeah? You like that, girl?” She laughed as she was covered in doggy licks.

She heard the front door open and close, and the sound of quiet talking down the hall. A moment later, Aaron Williams entered the dining room, home from the library where he worked. “Hey, Frankie,” he said. “I see you’ve found yourself a pet.”

“Dad! Does this mean I can keep her? I’ll take her on walks every day, I’ll feed her and play with her and—”

“Slow down, kiddo,” he said. Julia came in behind him. “Me and Mom have decided that if you do all those things, and help us put up posters in case she is lost… then you can keep her.”

“Yay!” Frankie cheered, running forward and hugging her parents. Luna ran up and excitedly butted their legs with her head. “Welcome to the family.”

Three - Grace

At school the next day, Frankie continued acting like nothing happened—but she was continuously reminding herself she had Luna to go home to. She was walking through the empty halls, trying to get to her next class before the bell rang, head down, when she bumped into someone.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed, looking up at the girl in front of her. She had dark brown hair, and bright eyes. Frankie remembered seeing her in the halls before. She was standing in front of a poster for auditions for the school play, The Wizard of Oz, which had fallen to the floor.

“Oh, um, it’s fine,” she responded, picking up the poster. She looked at it longingly.

“What’s wrong?” Frankie asked.

“I just…” she began, but then shook her head. “Never mind. It’s not important. I’m Grace. What’s your name?”

“Frankie.”

“Well, um, nice to meet you. Do you, uh, want to sit together at lunch?”

“Sure,” said Frankie nervously. “See you later?”

“Okay.”

Four - Lunch

Grace and Frankie sat together at lunch. They made awkward small talk, until Frankie tried asking about what Grace had been doing in the hall again. “So, are you thinking of trying out for the play?”

Grace looked down and sighed. “You won’t tell anyone?”

“Do I look like I have anyone to tell?”

She laughed. “Well, I want to try out for Dorothy, or really any role.”

“That’s great! Why don’t you?”

“I’m afraid everyone will laugh at me. If I try out for Dorothy, I have to read a line and sing one of the songs, but I’ve never been on stage, and I’m honestly kinda terrified.”

“How about I come to your house and you can practice in front of me?” Frankie suggested, before blushing and saying, “Or, you know, you could come to my house?”

“Uh, let’s do your house. Tonight?”

“Tonight.”

Five - Practice

The girls walked home together. It was by the time they had stepped inside the front door that Frankie realized she hadn’t asked her mom if it was fine to have someone over. She’d never had to ask before.

As soon as she had closed the door behind them, Luna came bounding over to lick their faces. She adapted super quickly to Grace, Frankie was relieved to see. She gestured for the other girl to stay there, and went to the kitchen, where Julia was standing over a bubbling pan on the stovetop.

“Hello, hunny,” she said. “How was your day?”

“Fine. Is it okay if I have a… a friend over?

Her mom tried to hide her surprise. “When?”

“Um, now?”

Julia raised an eyebrow. “I suppose, if their parents agree.”

“Thanks, Mom!” At that moment, Grace entered the room. She waved shyly.

“Well, she got here fast,” said Julia, looking more amused than irritated.

“Yeah, we’d better get upstairs now, love you bye!” Frankie said. Then she dragged Grace upstairs to her room. “So, are you ready?”

“I have to read a short line from Dorothy, then sing one song she sings,” Grace said, reading off a little instruction sheet. She took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Frankie. I’ve memorized the script and the song, but—”

“Come on, you can do it,” Frankie encouraged.

“Well, all right, here goes nothing…”

Six - The Audition

One week later, Frankie found herself in the auditorium after school for The Wizard of Oz auditions. She was sitting in the seats facing the stage to watch Grace, who was still sitting next to her until she got called up.

“I’m not necessarily going to get the part I want,” she explained. “I might end up as, like, the Scarecrow, or a munchkin.”

“You’re definitely going to get the main role,” Frankie said sincerely. “You’re so talented.” It was the truth. When Grace sang for her last week, Frankie had said straight up that she would drag her to the audition if she had to.

They watched the other students, and clapped politely after each of them—even when they were awful. Then the drama director, Mrs. Fuller, called out, “Grace Terre?”

Grace gathered her courage, before standing to go to the stage. “Good luck,” whispered Frankie.

She went up onstage, and stood in the middle in front of Mrs. Fuller. She took a deep breath, and when she let it out, she was a completely different person. She was the innocent, carefree Dorothy. “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow!” Then she began to sing. Her voice sounded even better in the large auditorium.

“Somewhere, over the rainbow…”

Everyone clapped wildly when she was done, including Mrs. Fuller, who had a smile on her face as she marked something on her clipboard. “You’ve got the part,” Frankie said to the beaming girl. “Way to go.”

Seven - Quinn

“Alright, everybody!” said Mrs. Carolyn, their joyful art teacher. “Today, we’ll be working with partners.” The class cheered. “And I’ve preselected them.” The class sighed. Honestly, Frankie liked when teachers picked the groups. That way she didn’t have to see everyone pair up with friends, only to stick out like a sore thumb, alone.

A couple minutes later, Frankie found herself doing origami with Quinn Steele, a talkative girl with a stylish auburn bob and dark brown eyes. She was the best artist in the class. “Hello,” she said. “You know, origami’s always been harder than other art for me.”

“Oh… uh, sorry?” Frankie responded awkwardly.

The other girl inspected her. “Right, I forgot, you don’t talk.”

“I talk,” she said defensively.

“Mhm. Anyway, I wanted to go to art camp this summer—they have so much cool stuff. Like, even if you don’t count the actual art.”

“Why can’t you go?” asked Frankie, curious.

“I wasn’t accepted,” she said flatly. “Since my parents pitched in on the price, I could afford it, but when I sent in a painting, and all my info and whatnot, they wrote back saying I didn’t make it on the list.” She shrugged, not looking directly at Frankie. “I mean, whatever. I’ve moved on. There’s always next year.”

They spent the rest of class talking. Or, well, Quinn talking, and Frankie sitting silently. She felt bad for Quinn. She wished she could help her.

Eight - An Idea

The next day at the end of class, Frankie talked to Mrs. Carolyn. “Do you know about the art camp Quinn wanted to go to?”

“Know about it?” she laughed. “She talks about it every day! Haven’t you heard her?” Frankie shook her head. She never really listened to anything going on around her in class. She just kept her head bowed.

“Well, anyway, do you know the name of the place?”

“Why, yes, I do.” She gave Frankie a slip of paper with their phone number and email.

She thanked her teacher, then rushed off to her next class.

“Um, hello?” Frankie said into the phone. She was at home on her bed, Luna’s head resting on her lap. “Yes, I wanted to ask if you’re still accepting people for camp?” She paused. “For a friend. Her name’s Quinn… Quinn Steele? Yes, I know she was denied. But is there a way she could get in if someone was to cancel or something?” She paused again. “That’s great, thank you!”

She patted Luna on the head, smiling. “They have an opening! But they won’t accept entrances in a few days, so I need to talk to Quinn tomorrow.

Quinn was absent Friday. Frankie hoped she would be there Monday. The weekend passed, and she was still missing. Frankie started to get worried. But then at lunch, Grace delivered some good news.

“I DID IT!” she screamed as she ran into the cafeteria, ignoring everyone’s stares as she sat down at their usual table. “I’m Dorothy! Mrs. Fuller posted the list this morning!”

“That’s great!” Frankie said. “I knew you could do it.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Frankie. I wouldn’t have even tried out if you hadn’t encouraged me. This is literally the greatest moment of my life!”

That night, when Frankie was petting Luna, she saw there were only two dim dots on her back. That’s odd, she thought. I could’ve sworn there were three. But she didn’t think more about it, because she was too worried—if she couldn’t talk to Quinn the next day about trying to get into camp again, then she would definitely not make it.

Nine - Lighting the Torch

Fortunately, Quinn was in art class Tuesday. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to try again. “I told you, it’s fine! I’m so over it!” But Frankie could tell she wasn’t.

“Why do you really not want to do it?” she asked quietly.

Quinn ducked her head. “I’m not going to get accepted, okay?” she said softly. “I didn’t the first time, why would I the second time? I’m just not good enough.”

“How could you say that?” Frankie said, aghast. “You’re the best artist I’ve ever seen.”

“Then you haven’t seen enough.”

During lunch, Frankie asked Grace if she would mind sitting with Quinn for the day. She seemed reluctant, but agreed.

They found Quinn was sitting at a table with some other girls. She seemed to be trying to make conversation, but they were just ignoring her. “Mind if we sit here?” Frankie asked.

She seemed relieved. “Sure,” she said. “Actually, let’s go somewhere else.” She said it loud enough so the others at the table could hear. They kept talking and giggling. She sighed, and the trio walked to a table in the corner.

“So, are those girls friends of yours?” Frankie asked.

“Friends, frenemies, potato patato. They’re too cool for me now.” She shrugged, like it didn’t bother her. Franke noticed she did that a lot. “Anyway, who’s this?” She nodded in Grace’s direction.

“I’m Grace,” she said politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“So, Quinn,” said Frankie, leaning in. “About camp…”

“I said no,” she interrupted.

“Listen. Even if you aren’t willing to try again, you still want to go. So if you don’t submit another request, I will.”

“You don’t have my art,” Quinn said stubbornly. “Or information. So you can’t.”

“What if I told you Mrs. Carolyn would be willing to help with that?”

Quinn stared at her. “You’re bluffing.” But she didn’t seem sure. Although she was right. Frankie could get a piece of her art from their teacher, but not private stuff like address and phone number.

Finally, Quinn relented. “But seriously, I can’t do this.”

She seemed scared. Of rejection? It kind of reminded her of Grace, who was sitting quietly beside her until then. “You don’t know that,” she said. “How would you feel later, knowing you’d never tried?”

“Come on, Quinn,” Frankie begged. It was like Quinn was a torch, and she had to coax its flame to rise up again, to illuminate the wish and make it come true.

Quinn looked at each of them, who’d she’d only just met, yet they believed in her. Fine,” she said, hope already returning to her eyes. “Yeah. I’ve got this.”

Ten - The Steele Home

The next day, they met at Quinn’s house on a sleepy street. Her mother was in what appeared to be an office, typing on a computer. She nodded hello and gave a stressed smile when Quinn poked her head in to ask if she could have friends over. “Sure, just keep it down, please.”

“She’s an accountant,” Quinn told them as they walked up the stairs. “She’s always super busy.” She held open the door to her room and they went in. It was an explosion of color. There were her art pieces pinned all over her walls, leaving no space uncovered.

“What color are your walls?” asked Grace, amazed.

“Hm?” Quinn looked up, surprised, like she’s never thought about it. “Oh, I don’t know.”

She flopped down on her tie-dyed bed, and pulled a pile of folders into her lap. “Let’s see… this is all the art that couldn’t fit on the walls.” She flipped through them. “I’m going to enter one of these. Can I get some help picking one out?”

She laid them all out on the bed, and they stood over it, looking down at all the sketches and paintings. It took an hour just to look through them all and pick one out. They settled on an abstract art painting. It was a large cat, but it was made of stairs. It’s tail was one long staircase, its eyes a spiral.

When they went downstairs, Mrs. Steele was standing at the counter holding a phone in one hand, a takeout menu in the other. “Would you girls like to stay for some sushi?” she asked. They politely declined, and Grace and Frankie said goodbye to Quinn before heading to their own homes.

“So, how did you like Quinn?” Frankie asked on the way.

“She’s nice,” Grace responded with a smile. “Kind of… eccentric, but in a good way.”

“Yeah.” Then they reached where they had to part, going down their separate roads. “See you tomorrow!”

Eleven - Caitlyn

When she got home, Frankie hooked Luna onto her new leash and took her outside. She decided to take her to the park so she could run around—her backyard wasn’t really big enough for a dog.

When she got there, it had gone from sunny to cloudy, casting the world in shadow, threatening rain. She let Luna run around anyway, since they’d come all the way out.

No one was there. Except for one girl, who seemed about Frankie’s age, sitting on the swings. She was gently going back and forth, propelling herself with her feet. Her gaze drifted up to Frankie, who normally would’ve looked away and sat down on a bench, alone. But today was different. She walked up to the girl and sat on the swing next to her. “Hi.”

She seemed surprised. “Hi,” she said back. “What’re you doing here?”

“Taking my dog out for some exercise.”

“She’s very pretty.”

“Thanks. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here?”

She lifted her chin. “I just met you. Why should I tell you anything?”

“You don’t have to,” Frankie replied, turning back to watch Luna romp around. She could feel the girl’s shock.

They sat in silence, until she said, “Um, I’m Caitlyn.”

“Frankie.” She turned to look at Caitlyn, who was staring at her lap. If Frankie had to describe her appearance in one word, it would be… average. She was average height, had plain brown hair and eyes. Frankie didn’t remember seeing her at school, and there was only one middle school in their town.

“How old are you?” she asked, curiosity peaked.

“Oh, yeah,” Caitlyn said, sighing. “I’m twelve-and-a-half. I’m supposed to be in seventh grade, but I’m in eighth. Yay, me.” But she didn’t sound happy. Just tired. “I’m too smart, or whatever.”

Before she could ask more, it started raining. Not just a small drizzle. It came pouring down, so Frankie couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her. Luna broke through the curtain of water, wet and displeased.

“Come on,” Caitlyn said, starting to walk toward a long row of big thick bushes that were even taller than her. “I know where we can hide until the rain stops.” She hurriedly walked along the edge, as if searching for something, and then disappeared through. Frankie followed, Luna at her heels. She bent down to see a small, tiny opening. She got on her hands and knees, and crawled through.

Caitlyn helped her stand, and they walked further on, trying not to get too wet. Eventually, they reached their destination. It was three trees with the largest trunks Frankie had ever seen. They were grouped together, with a few planks of wood laid in the middle so it sort of formed a floor with walls. Above was more wood, balanced on branches, covered with a leaf-patterned sheet.

The two girls and dog crawled inside, and sat down, protected from the rain. There was a makeshift bookshelf with worn books stuffed inside, and a slightly deflated bean bag. Plus a small battery-powered lantern, hanging from a plank on the “ceiling.” Caitlyn reached up and pressed a button on the bottom. It flickered to life.

“Did you build this?” asked Frankie.

“Yeah. I know it’s not much, but it took forever to make it.”

“It’s really cool.”

“Thanks. I call it the Hideaway” She paused. “Look over here.” She went to the opposite side of where they had climbed in. Frankie followed, and peered through the gap in the trees.

There was a small lake, a stretch of dark water, rippling as raindrops hit it. She figured it would be beautiful when there was sunshine. They sat back down, Luna sprawled between them. “Grace and Quinn would love it here,” Frankie said out loud, imagining Quinn painting the scenery and Grace practicing her acting on the stage-like platform.

Caitlyn looked at her. “I’m here to escape,” she blurted out. She took a deep breath, and quickly said, “I can’t stand being in the same room as my mom and her new husband. They’re having a baby, and I… I feel like I’m being replaced.” She looked embarrassed, but seemed glad to get it off her chest.

“I’m sorry, Caitlyn,” Frankie said, not really knowing what to say. “But maybe it’s not like that…”

“She said she doesn’t want anything from my real dad around her,” the other girl said stonily.

“She must’ve just meant pictures, or something! Not you.”

“Well, either way, now she can start a new life with him. And I’ll just stay out of it!”

Twelve - The New Dad

On Saturday, Frankie went over to Caitlyn’s house. She had invited her the other day when they met. She rode her scratched-up blue bike over to her street, Luna happily running beside her, tongue lolling out of her mouth.

When she reached the building Caitlyn had described, she stopped and rolled her bike the rest of the way up the driveway. It was a modest-sized white house with a single floor. She rang the doorbell, and when it opened, there was a pregnant woman with short blond hair wearing an apron.

“Oh, hello! You must be Frankie. Caitlyn told me you were coming over.” She stepped aside to let her in, and led her to the kitchen. “Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, thank you.”

“I’m Allegra, and this is my husband Rian,” she said. There was a dark-haired man sitting at a table reading a book. He closed it as the two entered.

“Hello,” he said with a friendly smile. “And you are?”

“This is Frankie, dear,” Allegra said as Rian stood up. “She’s Caitlyn’s friend.” They seemed like a very cheerful couple, and Frankie felt happy for them. But sad and worried that Caitlyn felt the way she did.

Speaking of Caitlyn, she came into the room, face lighting up when she saw Frankie. She strode over and, completely ignoring her parents, said, “Let’s go to my room.” Then she dragged her away down the hall.

“Sorry about that,” she said after they had gone into her room and closed the door. Frankie rubbed her eyes, and blinked a few times. The room was so bright white, it hurt her eyes. The only color was on the bed—the rainbow-pastel blanket and pillowcase. “It makes me feel calm,” she explained.

Frankie didn’t know what to do. She hovered in front of the closed doorway. Caitlyn looked up, sensing her hesitation. “Just take off your shoes, and you can sit anywhere. It’s alright, I know white stains easily. I’m cool with it.” Frankie removed her shoes and carefully placed them near the door, before sinking down next to Caitlyn on the bed.

Caitlyn seemed nervous. “I, um, don’t have any friends,” she said. “So, sorry if I’m awkward. Being a grade above where I’m supposed to be is hard. No one in the eighth grade wants to be friends with someone a year younger, and I never get a chance to talk to anyone else my age.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry, Caitlyn.”

“Yeah, well… that’s not all.” She sighed heavily, standing up. She opened one of the drawers on her desk, pulling out a stack of papers. She held them out, and Frankie tentatively took them. The red marks on the pages stood out in the white room. “C. C minus. D plus. C minus. B minus,” Caitlyn recited as she sat back down. “I mean, last year I got really good scores and everything… so instead of going from sixth to seventh, I skipped it and went to eighth.”

“And is it too hard for you?”

“Yes! I got good grades because I tried hard. Like, really hard. I had awful grades in fifth, so I wanted to step up my game. But I lost a lot of sleep, staying up late. I had to quit soccer to cram in extra studying. I can’t do that again this year, so I’m falling behind. Even when I do the normal amount of studying. But Mom’s so proud of me… it makes me feel like…”

She didn’t finish. “I won’t tell anyone,” Frankie said quietly.

“It makes me feel like she still wants me,” she finished in a rush.

Frankie’s heart ached for her. She didn’t know how to convince Caitlyn but she knew she had too. “She doesn’t feel that way,” she said firmly. “I know it.”

“Let’s not talk about that. Do you want to stay the night?”

“Yeah, sure, if my mom says it’s fine.” She used their house phone to call her mother.

“Yes?” Julia responded. “No, down, girl.”

Frankie laughed. “Hi, Mom.” She heard a bark. “Hi, Luna.”

“Oh, hello, dear.” She could picture her mom shifting the phone in her grip to pat the eager dog. “How’s your playdate with Caroline?”

“It’s Caitlyn. And it’s not a playdate.” Before Julia could interject, she hurriedly went on. “Is it okay if I stay for a sleepover?”

“But you don’t have any pajamas, or a sleeping bag.”

“Caitlyn said she has one.”

“I suppose I could bring over a pair of pajamas…”

“Thanks, Mom!” Frankie said, smiling. She gave her the address, then hung up.

Julia arrived a couple minutes later. She promised Frankie she would leave as soon as she dropped off her clothes so as not to embarrass her, but ended up staying and talking with Caitlyn’s parents for the next half hour or so.

Both girls stayed in Caitlyn’s room until she was gone, each secretly worried about their parents being an embarrassment but not wanting to say so. They stayed in the room, snacking on candy hidden under Caitlyn’s bed and playing board games.

Later on, Rian came in holding a stack of menus in one hand, the phone in the other. “So, what do you girls want for dinner?” he asked. “Chinese food? Pizza?”

Caitlyn stiffened. “I don’t care.”

“Frankie?” he said, evidently trying to keep his voice light.

“Uh, pizza please. Cheese?” She glanced at Caitlyn, who nodded tightly.

Hours later, stuffed on pizza and candy, the two girls started to get ready for bed. Frankie went down the hall to use the bathroom, and she heard murmuring from the living room. She paused, hovering in the dark hallway, uncertain. Then, sighing quietly in resignation, she crept to stand beside the doorway.

Allegra’s voice came through. “I’m sorry, honey. She misses…”

“Her real dad,” Rian finished. “I know, and I’m trying to be the dad she needs but…”

Frankie didn’t stay to hear the rest. She tip-toed back to Caitlyn’s room. She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. “Come this way,” she said, and without explanation, dragged her out of her bed.

“What are we doing?” whispered Caitlyn, reluctantly allowing herself to be pulled through the hall. “Frankie!”

Franke shushed her, and stopped again outside the living room, gesturing for her to listen.

“I love her, and I just want her to be happy, for us to be a family…” Allegra said.

“I know, and I want to be too. Just give her time, we can’t rush it. I feel so bad for barging in.”

“She’s been so stressed lately. I wonder if it’s school. I want to suggest she go back to seventh, but then she might think I’m saying she can’t do it.”

“That girl is amazing. She’s capable of whatever she puts her mind to—”

He broke off as Caitlyn burst into the room.

“Caitlyn!” Allegra said, seeming more worried than mad. Caitlyn ran to her mother and hugged her tightly.

“I don’t want to be in eighth grade anymore,” she said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. “I want to go with Frankie, and make more friends.” Rian wrapped his arms around her, and she didn’t pull away.

Frankie quietly walked to the kitchen, and called her mom.

“Frankie?”

“It’s me, Mom. Can you come pick me up?”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“No. I think I just need to give Caitlyn and her family some time alone.”

“Alright. I’ll be over soon.”

Frankie picked up her clothes, having already changed into pajamas. She left a note on Caitlyn’s bed, before slipping out the front door to wait for her mom.

Thirteen - Goodbye, Luna

Weeks later—after the four girls had started hanging out together, and right after they found out Quinn had been accepted to camp, Frankie was walking down her driveway, on the way to meet her new friends to head to school. They had started hanging out at the Hideaway, after Caitlyn showed the others the secret little grove.

Frankie stopped as she heard a bark behind her, and turned around.

Luna trotted up to her, and looked up at Frankie. “You okay, girl?” she asked, bending down to pat Luna’s head. All the marks on the dog’s back were gone, Frankie noticed. Only the one on her head remained.

As she thought that, it seemed to glow. And then, just as quick, it faded away completely. Luna barked again, affectionately cuddling up against Frankie. “You have to go, don’t you?” she said softly, not knowing how she knew, but that she just did.

“Frankie!” she heard Grace call. She could see her, Caitlyn, and Quinn, waiting for her on the edge of the driveway.

“Come on, we’re going to be late!” shouted Quinn.

“We’ll leave without you,” Caitlyn teased.

She looked back at the dog. She hugged her. “I’ll miss you.” Luna gently pulled away, slowly fading. “Goodbye,” Frankie whispered, before turning back to the other girls, who were waving her towards them.

Her wish had been granted. Here she was, with three new friends, who were also feeling lighter. Two were making their dreams come true, and the other was happier with the complete family she’d always hoped to have, without realizing it.

Even though Frankie now had all she’d ever wanted, she would never forget Luna, the dog made of stars.

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Lily is an aspiring author and avid reader. Her goal is to eventually self-publish a book that she wrote this past year. She lives in Connecticut and will be an eighth grader in the fall.