The large chandelier that was carefully crafted from sterling silver and platinum and embedded with gleaming, magnificent sapphires, amethysts and aquamarines dangled above Madam Becca. As she sipped a glass of iced lemon tea, the chandelier shook violently for a moment, then its precious jewels started to drop and some of them scrambled to get a handful of the jewels before they proceeded to skedaddle and scurry for their lives. Madam Becca dropped her glass of iced lemon tea in shock. Her legs turned jelly and she trembled in fright.

She had only managed to run away when the chandelier crashed onto the floor, inches away from her. Suddenly, a vortex of twisting light appeared, pulling Madam Becca

into it.

The light vanished, and all that was left was an exquisite necklace that was beaded with luscious, pearly, tiny spheres and had a fifty-cent-coin-size sapphire dangling from the string of beads. It was a rich shade of blue, and the necklace shimmered in a dim beam of light.

Asked a gruff voice.

In the shadows, a figure moved and wrapped its fingers around the sapphire. It glistened and glinted in the dark ballroom.

What's going on here? Why is a magnificent sapphire twinkling and shimmering on the floor?

This should be worthy of a heavy ransom from its owner!

The voice sniggered with glee. The sapphire lost its shimmer for a moment, but then started to gleam ever so brightly again.

The sapphire was glimmering as the figure darted swiftly out of the ballroom, with the grand chandelier's leftover precious gems glittering magnificently.

The door slammed shut.

A malicious and devious cackle could be heard.

The sapphire reflected a beam of light in the darkness, sparkling

innocently.

The doors burst open once more, and a lone girl who was named Cora who was wearing a pair of golden-framed

glasses peered out as the door creaked.

"What was that?" She whispered.

Cora had always been a dorky, nerdy bookworm. She had a friend, a boy named Andrew. He had brown hair and eyes as blue as cornflowers. Cora liked him. A lot. And he did like her back too.

Until one day...

Cora got a notice that she had to purchase a pair of spectacles, and Andrew's other friends taunted him that he had a nerdy friend. Andrew liked that Cora was a nerd, but he did not want to lose his other friends. So, right in front of their faces, he unfriended Cora with just an uttered sentence.

His other friends hooted. Cora looked down miserably.

And from then on, Cora was friendless.

So she decided to read. Instead of having friends to confide in, she had a tacky denim-cover diary.

Andrew often saw

her writing in it.

One of his friends

noticed, too, and

ordered him to snatch

away Cora's diary.

Andrew was

mortified and outraged. "What? No! I will not intrude on people's private things!"

So

WHAT COULD SHE DO NOW?!?

Cora had no friends, only family and teachers to support her.

And her new-found supporter–a diary!

"Very well, then. I SHALL do it instead. Watch and learn, Andrew."

Snarked Andrew's friend, Jake.

Andrew was seething with fury and rage. "Jake! Stop right now!"

Jake sneered at Andrew. "You think I've gone too far?"

Andrew nodded bravely.

"Well, I think you've gone too far!" Jake snarled, and shoved Andrew away roughly before snatching Cora's diary out of her hands.

Cora looked up in surprise. Her surprise turned to anger as she saw Jake.

"If it isn't Jake the Joker."

Cora frowned.

"And if it isn't Cora the Clown.

I don't care what you think, Cora.

Or should I call you Coral Reef?"

Jake leered.

"Please! I don't care about YOUR opinion of me or my name. Instead, I care about how you're so ANNOYING."

Cora smirked. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Oh, oh, Coral Reefy, you're so... NOT beefy!"

Jake burst into peals of laughter.

Now it was Cora's turn to roll her eyes in exasperation and annoyance.

"Oh well, what can I say?

Simple things please simple people."

Jake stopped laughing. His expression turned serious.

He flipped open Cora's diary and began to read.

Cora's heart skipped a beat, and she lunged to grab her diary from him. Jake shoved her away and snorted.

He crowed,

" 'I detest Jake. Today, he kicked me and chortled at me. Fortunately, I held my tongue and waited patiently for Andrew to stop him. But, I realised that he had changed COMPLETELY! Instead, he just looked away. What has he become?'

Oh Coral Reef, you are so hilarious! It's not what HE'S become, but what YOU'VE BECOME!"

Andrew and Cora both felt hurt. They glared at Jake, then at each other.

Finally, Andrew piped up gruffly, "I don't care what you think, Cora."

And this time his words were true.

Cora's pleading eyes searched Andrew's glum and grim face for any clues of sarcasm or amusement. But there was nothing.

No signs of forgiveness.

Cora felt like she wanted to burst into tears. She had truly lost her friend.

Andrew turned on his heel and stormed off.

A girl with fiery, long, auburn tresses glanced apologetically at Cora and rushed after Andrew.

Who was she? Cora had wondered.

The truth was, she was the daughter of Madam Becca.

Cora's mind jerked back to the present as she gazed at the broken chandelier with its magnificent, gorgeous jewels glittering as another set of doors burst open and the daughter of Madam Becca, who was in tears, and a group of detectives and policemen appeared. "Where's my mother?" Madam Becca's daughter wailed. "She was the only one who didn't escape!"

Cora stepped out from behind the door. "I don't know," she simply whispered, her voice echoing in the dark ballroom, startling the girl, the detectives and the policemen. "But I did see someone making his–or her escape with a large glittering sapphire necklace in his or her clenched fist."

"My mother's necklace," Madam Becca's daughter swooned,