•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚constellations˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙

prologue

       
                              ☆.｡.:*.｡.:*☆

Amore house. london 1941.

As the rain raced down the dingy pane, Estelle Amore sat upon the windowsill with her legs curled up reading 'Little Women', evidently her favourite as the pages were crinkled and yellowed with use.

In her head, she was dancing with Laurie and Jo in a hidden room at a ball, or painting with Amy in her gallery, to the point where she almost missed her aunt's bellows to begin getting ready for school. She had attended St Finbar's for a while now yet still only found herself playing the piano with Beth or laughing with Meg most breaks whilst she ate her, usually cold, school provided meals.

Estelle had never made much of an attempt to interact with the other students nor did they to her. She liked it that way, after all, most girls her age weren't out shoplifting to scrape by or completing chores as demanded by their relatives. She glanced at her window, silently placing bets on which drop would reach the bottom first. The sun rarely shined in the Amore house, and even when it did, it only enhanced the grey, peeling wallpaper that enveloped the whole building.

That's why she loved reading. It gave her a chance to be in a new world, one full of life and adventure, some called it immature and nonsensical however Estelle truly believed that there must be more to her story than the dull house of her aunt Ruth. There must be more than the same recycled sentences of her peers, banishing her to a neverending, cruelly mundane existence. Jo took a life that destined her to marry rich and settle down, likely out of desperation and not love, and made it her own destiny to write. If the characters in her book could achieve it, so could she.

She delicately removed the french braid from her long light brown hair, allowing it to remain free and only slightly curly, and hurriedly pulled on the scratchy uniform forced upon her by the headteachers of St Finbars. Ready to begin her day which would undoubtedly be similar to the previous one and alike the one that followed.

She raced down the stairs, not before grabbing her part of the assignment that she had been, much to her dismay, paired with another student for. Fortunately for Estelle, that student was none other than Susan Pevensie, a quiet girl who sat upon the top of the class hierarchy as if it were a throne. Susan had been nothing but respectful and kind towards Estelle yet she couldn't help but envy the older girls natural academic abilities.

"Good morning Aunt Ruth, how did you sleep?" Estelle muttered, out of politeness rather than genuine curiosity. When she received only a hum in response, she took that as her cue to leave.

Ruth was a bland and cold woman with a harsh glare and stern manner. She held no interest in Estelle as a person and made it very obvious that she only tolerated her company because of the blood they shared. She often reminded the 14 year old how she expects the upmost respect for taking her under her roof instead of leaving her to be orphaned and alone, something she clearly believed to be a noble and generous act that deserved praise rather than the bare minimum for a family member. With no intention to linger, Estelle closed the large heavy door behind her and began her long walk to school.

The day had continued like most others, with Estelle attending her mandatory lessons and being assigned work to complete that evening. Eventually, lunch rolled around and Susan had practically jumped at the opportunity to get some more of their assignment complete. The two girls had chosen a small bench located near the front of the school and began their respective activities in comfortable silence, exchanging a few words as to not make it awkward.

That was until a small girl with brown hair rushed towards them in apparent excitement.
"Susan! Susan! Edmund and Peter will be waiting for us!" She informed the former.
Realising they had been working for about an hour, Estelle politely nodded at the girl as a subtle way of saying "go ahead" and softly smiled. Susan stood and made her way towards the girl who Estelle had assumed was her sister until the latter let out a small uncomfortable cough and nodded in her direction.