Most fairy tales start with the words “Once upon a time, in a far away land...”
This one won't.
Those words are far too romantic for what my life is.
And besides, my life wasn't exactly a fairy tale- not a Disney one, at least. Maybe one of the older kinds- A Brothers Grimm, or a Hans Christian Anderson.
Their fairy tales didn't start with “Once upon a time...”, either.
No, mine starts on a much... bleaker note.
~*~*~
“CinderLexa! CinderLexa!”
Sighing, I looked up. Oh, how I hated that cursed nickname.
But, there was no time to dwell on that. As my two stepsisters burst into the kitchen, I looked up, forcing a smile upon my face. “Hello,” I said, “How are you two?”
Ignoring me, they walked over to the pantry. “Hm...” My older stepsister hummed lightly, looking through it. “What do we have, what do we have...”
I went back to cleaning the stove, leaving them to pick their after school snack. My school, the local public high school, had gotten out three hours earlier than their private school today for a teacher meeting. Unlike them, I hadn't gotten a snack, just got straight to cleaning.
Finishing up on the stove, I gathered my supplies before heading out to the living room to clean out the fireplace. After a few minutes, I was done.
I stood up, wincing at the pain in my back. Dang. But, oh well. After last night's... “incident”, I had to go to bed early, and couldn't study. I had gotten up early this morning, though, two hours before I had to leave to walk to school, and had done extra cleaning then, so I hoped to finish my chores early and get extra study time. As long as I didn't let them know of my plan, I would be good.
I knew from personal experience that if they found out, they would create more work for me. Or... or, they would do something worse. Subconsciously, my hand wandered to my lower back. I didn't notice until I felt the pain of pressure being applied to recently created scars.
Bringing my hand back around, I checked over the fireplace once more, knowing that it had to be cleaned to absolute perfection.
About half way through my check-over routine, my stepsisters, Ivory and Hayden, walked in. Out of habit more than anything, I stood up and faced them.
They had apparently chosen a snack, Rice Crispies, and Hayden, the older one, was holding it. From talking to her alone, I knew that she was actually really nice- however, she just couldn't say no to Ivory. Though, in her defense, not many people could. Ivory was... scary. Like, really scary. She gave small children nightmares.
And it was her who took the box or Rice Crispies, walked over, and... poured a bunch into my freshly-cleaned fireplace.
Oh, no.
Inwardly panicking, I wondered if, somehow, they had found out about my plan. Oh, I hoped not... Please, I thought, don't know about my plan. Please just be being your normal spiteful self.
Glaring up at me, Ivory snarled. “Pick those up!” Sighing once again, I bent down, grabbing my broom. But, before I could get started, Ivory's voice stopped me. “No. Pick them up. By hand.”
I looked up at her in disbelief. “But... why?!”
“Because I said so.” She slowly turned around, allowing me a glimpse of the silver that I knew to be a knife tucked away in her back pocket. Walking away, she gestured to Hayden to do the same. Trowing me an apologetic glance, she followed.
I sighed, getting to work. I knew that I had to have the house spotless by the time John got home. John, my stepfather, was... well, my father, Rod, would have said that he was “an interesting sort of person”. My mother, Erika, would have said that he was “crazier than a veteran hatter who's been hit with a frying pan!”.
That is, if they had know this side of him. He's actually my uncle, and in my parents will, it had said that I was to go to him should they die. And then...
But, it didn't matter. I had to do what I had to do, and at the moment, that was cleaning the fireplace.
Oh, boy. This'll take a while... But, it had to be done. I sat down in front of the fireplace. Guess I better get started.
~*~*~
I had managed to clear the cereal out of the fireplace before John had gotten back from work, thank goodness, and I was busily finishing up my chores so that I might have time to study. As I passed the living room, I heard Ivory and Hayden excitedly talking to John about something. Curious, I stopped to listen.
“... up in Bellingham! It 's starting on Friday, and going all weekend!” I couldn't hear the voices very clearly, but that was definitely Hayden.
“Yes. All girls between the ages of 13 and 18 are being allowed to go.” Ivory this time.
“Hm... a festival, you say...” Festival? All weekend? “Well...”
“And, that's not all! There's also going to be an academic contest!” Ooh, an academic contest? I love those!
“Really?”
“Yes, and the winner will get a scholarship to the school of her choice!”
At this, I had to stifle a gasp, stepping backward. A-a scholarship?
“Hm... yes, that is certainly a good thing... However, this weekend, hadn't we already been planning on taking a vacation together?”
Ah, yes. I remembered hearing them discuss that, and being relieved. If they were gone, then I would have very little cleaning to do. I could just relax and study all weekend. But, this...
“Oh, you're right...” this was definitely the gentle voice of Hayden. “Hm, I was looking forward to spending time with you, father...”
“No.” Definitely Ivory. “We're going.”
“But, my darling Ivory-”
“Father. We're going.”
“O-okay, Ivory, darling!”
Hm... this could make things difficult. If they had just decided to leave for the weekend, I could have easily snuck away to the festival. But with them home, my chances of getting to go were-
Shoot! I heard their footsteps, coming towards the door! Turning, I ran down the hall, not stopping until I was in the kitchen. Panting lightly, I tried to catch my breath before I resumed cleaning up the last of the dinner mess.
As I did, I though about what to do. I had to go to this festival. I had to enter that contest. It could be my one chance out.
But how could I? Asking John was useless, he would never allow me. But... I had to go...
Hm...
Well,they had said Bellingham. That was about a two hour drive from where we lived. So, they would almost definitely just drive up come Friday and stay all weekend. That gave me some options.
But, still- how to get there? I could always bus up... But then where would I stay?...
Wait.
Bellingham, a half hour drive from Edison.
Edisonm the town that my Uncle Aras and Uncle Emil lived in.
YES. I could totally make that work!
Happy to have something akin to a plan, I quickly finished the dishes. I didn't have access to a phone at home, but I could stop by the 7-11 and use a payphone there.
As I pulled on my ragged over-large nightshirt and crawled into the piles of sleeping bags and blankets that I knew as a bed, I couldn't help but smile.
Finally.
Finally, I might get out of this place...
And with that thought on my mind, I went to sleep.
~*~*~
Upon waking that morning, I had gone about routine as usual. The one difference was that, while I was serving them breakfast, John informed me, in that sickly-sweet way of his, that they- they, not we- would be going out of town that weekend. I made sure to look surprised, and a little upset, before going back to work as usual. That was what was expected of me- show the emotions that they wanted to see, and then go back to being the moving doll.
After all, servants, like children, should be seen and not heard. And since I was both, that apparently went double for me.
But that day, it didn't matter. I had the knowledge that as soon as school was done, I would be walking to the 7-11 and hearing at least one familiar and comforting voice. I had already grabbed a bit of money that I had saved up, so as not to arouse suspicion by going back up to my room before heading off to school.
I always left earlier than them, because I had to walk, and they often took that time to trash the house out slightly. And then, of course, I was expected to have it completely cleaned out by the time John got home at five.
But it didn't matter. Nothing could spoil my good mood.
~*~*~
As soon as school ended, I headed to the 7-11. Smiling at late-spring sunshine beating down at me, I jogged to get there faster, and to get some exercise for the day. Aside from walks to and from school, and occasional walks on errands that John makes me run, I didn't get much of a chance for exercise; and I was trying to build a bit of muscle up. Hard, when I only got one proper a meal a day- and even then, only on school days.
Not this time, though. I had grabbed more money than I knew would be necessary for the payphone, intending to stock up on a bit of food to get me through the week. I wanted to try and look my best for when- if, I had to remind myself- I got to see Uncles Aras and Emil. I didn't want them to worry for me, and I knew that they both would. It would be more obvious with Aras than Emil, but years of knowing them had allowed me to pick things up about them; like, that Emil, when worried, would just... try too hard. On the surface, at least, he was a generally fairly happy, if not a bit spacey, type of man. However, when he got worried, he would try to force the happiness, so as not to worry others with his worrying.
Aras, however, just got- well, worried. Like a mother whose little child has caught the flu. Two very different, but strangely complementary personalities.
Finally reaching the 7-11, I headed straight to the payphone. No one was using it, thankfully. I wanted to talk with them as soon as I possibly could.
Putting my money in, I dialed the number that I had had memorized since I was nine years old, after I met them for the first time. I still remembered begging them to not let me go back with John, that I liked it better with them. And I can still vividly remember Aras's face, happy; but, I realized as I got older, also a bit sad.
“If you should ever need us,” he had said, kneeling down and handing me a piece of paper, “Just call, okay? But... don't tell John about this.”
“Yeah!”, Emil had agreed, coming forward and kneeling down as well, smiling just as widely and just as sadly as Aras, “It'll be our little secret, okay?”
Of course, I had agreed, being thrilled. I had never kept a secret with anyone before...
I was suddenly jolted out of my reminiscing by a voice on the other end of the phone. “Yeah? Who is it?”
“It's me, Uncle Emil!” I said, comfort filling me as soon as I heard the familiar voice.
“Ah, darling Lexa! How are you doing? Are you okay? Are you being fed?”
Laughing slightly, I answered, “I'm doing well, thanks. Yes, I'm getting food.” Not exactly a lie. I was getting food from 7-11 as soon as I was done talking with him. “How're you?”
“Oh, I'm fine! Oh, Aras and I went to the mall together yesterday!”
Leaning against the payphone and smiling, I replied, “Oh, yeah? Did you have fun?”
“Loads! And Darius was here, too!”
Darius was Aras and and John' younger brother. I had met him and his best friend Michael several times before, and found them to be... generally nice. Definitely interesting.
“Ah, nice. Was Michael with him?”
“Of course! Can Darius go anywhere without that boy following him?”
I laughed, before taking a breath and replying. “True enough. So, how are they?”
“Michael is as happy as usual, and Darius is... He's alright. He's Darius.” A pause, as I heard him shift through the phone.
“So, Lexa. Tell me- is this just a call to hear my lovely voice-” I giggled slightly at that, “-or do you have something that you need to tell us? Has something happened?”
“Well... something has happened, kinda. Or, something is going to happen.”
“What do you-” he stopped for a moment, and I heard voices in the background. “Lexa? Aras is here, now. Do you want me to put the phone on speaker?”
“Yeah, please do.” I waited for a moment while he did so.
“Okay, we're set!”
“Alright. Hey, Uncle Aras!”
“Hello, sweetie. How are you?”
“Fine, fine.”
“Now”, he said, sounding slightly worried, “What is this 'something' that's happening?”
And I proceeded to tell them all that I had found out about the event in Bellingham, pausing occasionally to answer their (well, usually Emil's) questions. As soon as I was done, they both tried to speak at once.
“That's sounds so awe-”
“Well, Lexa, that certainly sounds like an-”
A pause, before they laughed, realizing that they were trying to speak over each other.
“Okay,” Aras said, “That sounds like an excellent idea. Do you know what time John and the girls are going up on Friday?”
“No,” I responded, “Presumably sometime after school. So, if I start to walk for the bus stop as soon as they leave, then-”
“Whoa!” Interrupted Emil, “I don't think so! You're not going to ride the bus and get kidnapped by some old creep!”
I sighed. “Uncle Emil, you know I've ridden the bus before.”
“But not all the way up here!”
Next to him, I could here Aras chuckling lightly. “Come on, now, Lexa. This is farther than you've ridden by yourself before...”
Not true. Many times, John had made me bus up there, while he and the girls drove and met me. A punishment for whatever I did that had, in his eyes, been a crime- a punishment made even greater by the threat, You can't find the money, you don't get to go.
“And besides, it's not much of a trouble for us to drive down and get you! You know how we both love Seattle, we could drive down a few hours early, hang about, then pick you up from school!”
“... Well,” I conceded, “If you're sure that it's not too much trouble...”
“Of course not!” Emil said, sounding happy. “Don't worry at all!”
“Alright, if you're sure...”
“Of course!”
We spent a few more minutes talking, before I realized that I had to hang up if I wanted to have enough time to buy enough food, and still get back in time to clean the house.
After saying the usual “Goodbye”s and “I love you”s, and hearing the usual “Please stay safe”s, I hung up, heading into the 7-11. Heading to the food area, I tried to find food that wasn't too unhealthy.
Ten minutes later, I was walking out the door with my purchases- some beef jerky, some instant ramen, a few energy drinks, some hot dogs, and a few other things... including Soap Opera Digest.
… What, it wasn't like they had a huge selection of fine reading there! And I needed to read something. It had been far too long.
Making a mental note to head to library as soon as I had the time- maybe Aras and Emil would take me there before we headed up to Edison-, and to possibly borrow a book from them when I went up, I began the treck back to the place I was being forced to call home
~*~*~
Finally. The day had finally come.
It was finally Friday.
Finally time to get out of this hellhole, and to the one place that I wanted to call home, but couldn't.
Throughout the week, I had listened to John and the girls, sometimes having to be sneaky -like when they met in his study- and sometimes not -when I was serving them dinner. And I had soon gathered that they planned to head for Bellingham straight from school, just like I did.
And I had also quickly realized another kink in my plan- the part where Aras and Emil picked me up straight from school.
“I won't be able to bring my things to school,” I explained to them when I called the next day, “Like my pajamas, and clothes, and all that stuff. There's too much stuff in my school bag for it to fit in there, and John will notice if I leave carrying a suitcase.”
But Emil had quickly come up with a plan. “Just leave your key under the doormat! Pack up the night before, leave your suitcase on your bed, and Aras and I will swing by and pick it up sometime before we head to your school!
And so, when the morning finally came, it saw a suitcase on my bed with everything I wanted to bring (a few pairs of pajamas, a few changes of clothes, my toothbrush, and the one picture I had of me with my parents- essentially, all of my belongings). I had headed downstairs early so that I could prepare some breakfast early for myself. For myself, I was simply heating up a breakfast burrito that I had bought at 7-11 a few days prior; it had to be heated up before they came down, as the kitchen and dining room were connected, and hearing the microwave running could quite likely arouse their curiosity.
And so, after preparing them their breakfast, I grabbed my bag and began heading for the door... when John's voice stopped me.
“Lexa. Come back here, please.”
Oh, no.
After hesitating for a moment, I turned back to him. “Yes, John?”
He waited for a moment. I knew what he wanted. He knew that I knew what he wanted.
And we both knew that I did not want to give it to him.
But... If I took much longer, then I would be late to school.
So, I grit my teeth, swallowed my pride... And spit it out.
“Yes, father?”
He smil- no, he smirked. “That's better. Now, as I was saying. I've noticed that you've fallen a bit behind on your chores lately.”
Maybe if you didn't give me so many- I held myself back. It was true, I had been busy preparing the last few days, finding out about this event on the computers at the local library, and studying in what I needed to study, as well as writing the essay that I needed to read aloud and have approved by the judges.
“So, I'm afraid that you may need to miss some school today.”
I froze. What?
“You are not to leave this house until it is fully cleaned. Understand, young lady?”
Mutely, I nodded.
“Good. Well, the girls and I will be out now. Bye, darling.”
He stood up, putting on the scarf that he seemed to always wear. He headed towards the door, followed by Ivory, and then Hayden.
For just a moment, Hayden looked back at me, as if she wanted to speak, wanted to help me...
“Hayden!”
But, at her sister's call, she simply sent me another apologetic look before heading out the door.
~*~*~
I pushed myself up off of the kitchen floor. Okay, I knew that I had been slacking off a little the last few days, but not too much. Of course, they had taken the opportunity to trash everything out as much as possible.
Deciding that the kitchen was clean enough, I started walking towards the living room door. Right before I pushed it open, I paused. The girls- well, Ivory- simply loved to trash out the living room; particularly the hearth. John, who was frequently cold, also ran nearly constant fires in there, leading to me being forced to clean it very regularly- and subsequently leading to the awful nickname of mine, “CinderNeva”. Ugh. Seriously, isn't that just horrible?
But, I needed to stop dwelling. I needed to focus, buckle down, and-
Knock, knock, knock.
I paused once more, my head turning towards the back door a few feet away from me. Through the fogged glass, I could clearly see the shape of two people.
I felt my heart stop in my chest for a moment.
Who... who could it be? Wouldn't any salesperson or mailman use the front door? The figures seemed to both be taller than me, both skinny. So, Ivory and Hayden? But what would they be doi-
Knock, knock, knock!
This time more impatient, caused by the shorter one.
Looking around, I quickly grabbed the closest object to me- a frying pan. Holding it behind my back, but still ready to swing it out and hit whoever I needed to- just the way mama had taught me-, I walked towards the door. Taking one of my hands off of the frying pan handle, I reached forward, unlocking the door... Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open... Only for one of the people to throw themselves at me, knocking me back.
“Lexa! It's you!”
“Emil, get off of her!”
I gasped, trying to push myself up. “U-uncle Emil?! Uncle Aras?!”
Looking up, I was greeted with Emil' smiling face. “Lexa! It's so good to see you, finally!”
I felt a pressure being lifted off of my chest as Aras pulled Emil off of me. “C'mon, Emil, don't crush her!”
Finally able to pull myself up, I grabbed the edge of the counter, pulling until I was standing again. “Emil, Aras! You're really here!”
“Of course,” said Aras, smiling. “We had to come to get your suitcase, remember? But... why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?”
Reaching a hand up to twirl my necklace, I looked down. “Yeah, I should, but...” I hesitated.
After a moment, I felt a hand under my chin, and I was forced to look up. When I did, I saw the for-once serious face of Emil.
“Lexa,” he said, “What did John do?”
“Nothing,” I replied, choosing to focus on his blond strands of hair rather than his eyes. “Well, I mean...”
“Lexa...” This came from Aras, standing just behind Emil and me. “Please, tell us.”
I thought about it for a moment. I mean, telling them that John was making me staying home to clean wasn't too bad- it was just that I feared that if I told them once thing, I might tell them everything.
But...
I had to tell them something...
Upon hearing a sigh from Aras, I looked towards him, Emil releasing my head so that I could do so. “Lexa,” Aras said once again, “Did John make you stay home to clean the house?”
Looking at him blankly, I just nodded. How did he...?
Another sigh from Aras. “Yeah, I figured. Did he also make sure to trash out the house beforehand?”
This time, I was able to find my voice. “I-I... Yes... How did you...?”
This time, Aras looked away. “He... did the same thing to me, when I was younger and lived with only him, Darius, and Henrikas; and your father lived with our uncle.”
I froze, taking in that information, and trying to process it. Henrikas, my other uncle, was a few years younger than Aras, and several years older than Darius.
And, if John had made Aras do that, then... What else had he made him do? And Darius and Henrikas, for that matter. I knew that they had been very young when they moved in with him...
"Well," Emil said, a slightly forced-looking smile on his face, "C'mon! Even if you have to miss school today- which sucks-, you can still make it to thing in Bellingham!"
"But, Emil," I sighed, "It's such a mess! Look, it's already past 10, and I've only done this room so far! I can't just leave it! If I do, John will kill me when he gets back!"
"Well, then," said Aras, smiling, "I guess we'll just have to help you out."
Unable to resist, I smiled back at him. "Really?!"
"Of course!" said Emil, already tying back his hair as he moved towards the dining room. "I can take in here! Lexa, how about you take the dining room; and Aras, darling, you can take the living room for now!"
We both sighed, knowing that “I can take it in here” meant that we'd get to come back to the kitchen and actually clean it.
~*~*~
Aras and I were in shock.
Emil had actually cleaned it. Well. Hearing nothing from us, Emil turned back, frowning. "What?"
"N-nothing," I said, "It's just... I didn't know that you could clean..."
Rolling his eyes, Emil 'tsk'ed at us. "Of course! I lived without Aras for 19 years, you know. I think I can handle it." He started walking toward the door before calling back, “Lexa, get your bag! Let's get outta here!”
Aras and I just looked at each other once more after Emil left. I was wearing a look of slight surprise, while Aras wore one of amusement and fondness.
~*~*~
"Lexa... Lexa, we're here... "
Blinking, I sat up. Cleaning up the house had taken a while, as expected, but we had finished in plenty of time to make it to the event.
"Mm..." I crumbled as I sat up, "Are we at the thing?"
"No," answered Aras, "We're at our house. The event doesn't start for a few hours. You can drop off your things, and rest for a while."
"Yeah... okay..."
I had stayed up late studying the night before, and had evidently fallen asleep on the car ride over. Too bad, I thought, I had been hoping to talk to them about... yeah...
But, grinning, I realized that I had all weekend to talk with them. As I pulled my suitcase through the familiar halls of the familiar house, eventually making it to my familiar room, I thought about that. I loved when I got to spend time with just them, able to talk and feel... comfortable, for once.
That thought in mind, I crawled on top of the covers on what I considered my bed, falling asleep quickly.
~*~*~
Oh, boy. It had actually come. After being able to hang with Emil and Aras and enjoy the festival itself Friday and Saturday, Sunday had finally come, and with it- the contest. The chance for a scholarship.
A chance to get away from John and Ivory.
On Friday, I had waited in line with Aras and Emil to get to the booth to sign up. While we waited, I told them that I was worried about John, Ivory, and Hayden seeing me, and what they would do if that happened.
Emil quickly had to idea of buying a wig for me at one of the nearby stands, and entering with a different name (assuming that was alright with the people running the contest). Aras and I both liked the idea, but I wondered what I would change my name to for the contest.
After thinking for a moment, Aras had quietly suggested a name that I knew very well.
I had quickly agreed.
And so there I was, blond wig done up in a bun upon my head, blue dress on my body, and entered under the name “Erika Christoph”- my mother and father's first names.
The first few rounds of the contest had gone splendidly- I had read my essay, which they loved, had passed in first or close to it in all of the rounds, and neither Ivory, Hayden, or John had recognized me.
Now, we were down to the last round, and it was just me and one other contestant.
And, of course, with my fate, I'm sure you won't be surprised when you hear that that contestant was Ivory.
And to complicate things even more, Ivory and I both had to work on the last thing together. Like, right next to each other type of together.
Which, I have to admit, had me panicking.
Oh, what if she recognizes me?! What will she do then?! No, I know what she'll do- she'll KILL ME, that's what! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...
After a moment of panicking, I heard over the loudspeakers that it was time for Ivory and I to head up. Taking a deep breath, I slowly walked up the steps to the stage where Ivory was already waiting. Reaching the table where we were supposed to perform our next task at, I stood across from her, keeping my head down, and praying as hard as I could that she wouldn't recognize me. After a moment, one of the judges came up to explain the rules to us.
"For the last round, you two will have to work together to agree on the proper solution for a list of problems given to you. You will have five minutes maximum for each question. If you agree upon a solution before the five minutes is up, you will be allowed to go on to the next question as long as you tell one of the judges who will be standing behind you and watching you work. However, it is recommended that you use any extra time to go over that question and make sure you believe it to be the best answer. All answers must be unanimous. Any questions?"
Ivory and I both shook our heads. "Good. Here is your first question, and a pencil," she said, handing us both items, "Begin."
Ivory and I looked down at the first question, scanning it quickly. After a moment, she looked up at me. "What's your name, again?"
"Erika." I told her, keeping my head down and making my voice higher. "And you?"
"Ivory."
Silence for a moment as we both looked down, reading the question again. Looking up at the clock, I saw that we had four minutes left.
"Okay, so, what do you think...?"
"Hm... Perhaps we could..."
~*~*~
Half an hour had passed. Ivory and I had gotten through the questions, getting along together... surprisingly well, actually. When I wasn't 'Lexa', she was... pretty nice.
It made me wonder how much influence Ivory really had on John, and how much it was actually the other way around.
The judges came up to collect our cards. Afterward, they told us to stand up and shake hands. As we did so, I risked a glance up at Ivory, and saw that she was... smiling. Which she never did. Ever.
The shock of seeing that caused me to look up at her longer than I meant to, and as we looked at each other, I saw a look of shock cross her face. Oh, no... After a moment, she mouthed one word:
Lexa?!
Oh, no... oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...
After a moment, though, the moment was broken as the judge told us our last task- to stand on opposite ends of the stage, and write between one and two hundred words on why our opponent deserved to win.
Oh, boy. I wondered what Ivory could bring herself to write that was good about me, now knowing who I was. But... I couldn't focus on that. I needed to focus on writing. Hm...
After thinking for a moment, I decided how it would go. Starting in on it, I gently hummed the lullaby that both my mother and Aras often sung to me.
~*~*~
After the fifteen minutes allotted to us, we stood up, both ready to read ours out loud. They asked us who would like to go first, and I said that Ivory could. Nodding, she stepped forward, clearing her throat before beginning.
"Why My Opponent Erika Should Win. Though I have not truly know her for long, Erika is a very thoughtful, intelligent person. We spoke some during extra time that we had during the previous task, and I discovered that she wants sincerely to win this scholarship so that she can get away from a bad home life. From what she said, it sounds pretty bad- particularly her step-sisters, who are awful to her."
I looked on in shock, seeing her grip on the edges of the paper tighten.
"But that is not the only reason why she should win. She should win because she is truly a bright, intelligent girl- the type who could go many places, but might not have the chance to. And that is why you should give the scholarship to her." Done, she stepped back, sitting down in her chair. Everyone in the room applauded her, myself included. Making a mental note to talk to her later, I stood up and walked forward.
"Why Ivory Should Win. Ivory and I haven't exactly had a close relationship before this, and when I first saw her, I will admit that she definitely intimidated me. However, I realized quickly that, despite my earlier misconceptions, she is actually very kind. Not only that, but she is also one of the most intelligent people that I've met. She also admitted to me that while her father has offered to pay for most, if not all, of her schooling expenses, she's feels that she's relied on him too much for too long, and wants to be able to be independent. She also said that she someday wished to be a scientist, and I personally can't wait for the day when I look in the newspaper and see how she's invented something to save the world. It's going to happen- and this scholarship will be an excellent way for her to get started on that path."
Again, applause throughout the room. Instead of sitting down this time, Ivory and I both walked forward to the edge of the stage. Standing next to each other, I looked at her once more. As I did, she glanced towards me, and we locked eyes for a moment. Until, that is, Ivory did something...
She smiled straight at me.
~*~*~
I still couldn't believe it. No, really, I couldn't. It was too good to be true.
I had won.
And, even better, it happened when the school year was just about over. My senior year. I just had one more week, before I would be out of there for good. Out of the school, out of the town, out of the state!
And I wouldn't be with John ever again.
The day that I was set to leave, I visited the house I had lived in for years to say goodbye to Ivory and Hayden.
John was at work.
As pulled myself out of Hayden's hug, I smiled up at her. "I guess I'll see you, then."
"Y-yeah..." Hayden, poor thing, looked like she was about to cry. She always had cried easily. "A-and, look, Lexa... I'm sorry that I've been so horrible to you! And Ivory is, too, you know. She's just... no good with words, I suppose."
"Hey, it's okay," I said, smiling at her still. "And don't worry about Ivory. She already said everything that she needed to say."
"Well, alright... Don't forget to call, okay!"
"Of course!" Turning away from Rain, I faced Ivory. We just looked at each other for a moment, before she smiled slightly.
"Goodbye, Lexa. I hope New York treats you well."
"I'm sure it will!" I said enthusiastically. "After all, I've got people to look after me."
"Yes, and they're ready to go as soon as you are." Turning back towards the door, I saw Aras standing there, smiling.
"I'm ready!" I said, giving Ivory a quick hug before heading out the door, where Emil had the car running already. I climbed into the back seat, buckling in. Safety first, kids.
"Are you two ready?" Emil asked us, smiling just as brightly as we had.
"Yep!" Aras and I both said, and Emil pulled out of the driveway, heading towards Sea-Tac airport. Six and a half hours on a plane, and then four hours from the airport to Ithaca. Get settled in over the summer, and then start at Cornell in the fall.
All while living with my two favorite people in the world.
As we drove on, I listened to Emil and Aras chatting, and watched the passing scenery, only slightly saddened that I wouldn't be seeing it again- at least not for a very long time.
Slowly, I drifted off.
~*~*~
Most fairy tales end with the words "And they all lived happily ever after".
This one comes close to it. Not quite, though. I mean, how should I know what's going to happen? It could all fall apart, right?
The school could be horrible. Aras and Emil could break up. Ivory and Hayden could get abused by John. Darius and Michael could die in a horrible accident...
But, if you just want to settle with "And they all lived happily ever after", that's fine, too.
