Halley Lars was awake, rather surprising, considering it was 11:45 at night. But she did have to get her summer homework finished, lest Professor Dia should take more points off. Even if the Maxon’s were afraid of her aunt, Lena Weston, because of her prison record that had only been cleared up a few years ago, [a clearing up Halley had 'forgotten' to mention] lately they were pretending to forget she was alive until she did something to upset them. Then, she generally paid for it with a beating, listening to her foster sister’s mocking giggles as her foster mother gleefully cracked her belt on her. 

She  leaned over her parchment, and measured it. "2 more inches." She murmured.

 She glanced at her watch. 10 minutes until she was fifteen. Like the Maxon’s would notice. Last year they went out of their way to make her miserable on her birthday. She glanced at the window, then at her hawk Flare’s cage. She’d sent her out to Tamara’s a few days ago, but she hadn't come back yet. She wasn't worried. She knew Tam would care for her. 

She looked down at her watch. Ten, nine, eight, maybe her birthday wouldn't be so bad, four, three, two, one! She was officially a fifteen-year-old. Why didn't she feel any different? She still felt like any normal teen, well as normal as the dark witch Morissa’s sworn enemy could, and as normal as a witch and the girl vanquisher could be. 

Halley stood and walked over to the window. A cool breeze blew in for July. Maybe she would go to the Castlen’s this year. She could hope. Maybe she’d go live with Lena, or even to Magicana Witch Academy  early. Halley smiled as she closed her window. "Well, maybe seeing Professor Dia so early wouldn't be a good thing."