Call Me Ella (ft. Niall Horan)

Prologue - Shitty Fairytale

Prologue

Shitty fairy-tale

Allow me to be cheesy and cliché for a moment, after all this is when my life changed for the worst. So yes, I'll start with a Once Upon a Time because that's how all stories start, isn't it? Same opening line, same shit. And yes, I will curse as well because I hate my life and every time I look back, I curse this moment.

So, once upon a time, I was happy, I had dreams and I had a beautiful family... yes, I had. I also had a loving mother who used to read me fairy tales and say that someday I would find my own Prince Charming, someone who would love me and treasure me like she found Dad. And I believed her, I wanted to be a princess, to have a castle and to find my prince charming riding his white horse. Although if he had a unicorn, that would be even better.

She was amazing, one of those women who you look up to. And yes, was because when I was six, she died. One day she fainted in the kitchen and when we went to the doctor they told her it was leukaemia and that she only had months. See? Cliché. In a matter of months, I lost her not without having her making me promise that I was going to be happy, that if Dad one day met another woman, I would accept her and love her like a second mother because wherever she had to go now, she would be looking out for me.

I did promise her that I wouldn't oppose to Dad's happiness and I didn't. When he met Rhonda two years after, I accepted her. I accepted that woman and her two twin daughters. Her husband had left them a couple of years ago and, being the little kid I was, I never questioned why. Now I understand that man. Clever man.

Rhonda is the most horrendous woman ever. She was all kindness and love when she got married to Dad, she and her daughters treated me right and we seemed a happy family. I believed we were a happy family.

By that time, Dad had started his business: A retreat centre for all those people who needed to escape from England's chaotic life. At the beginning we only had people from London, but with every year that passed, more clients came and the business was a complete success.

And that was what doomed my family.

Once day, when I was only twelve, Dad went to meet with some investors, but he never came back. The police told us later that same night that Dad didn't even make it to the meeting. An accident, they told us.

That day I didn't only lose my father; I also lost my life. All my dreams, my freedom, my happiness, because the moment Rhonda realised she was the owner of Dad's business —as I was still underage— and that I was also her responsibility, she decided to 'put me in a good use'; meaning I became her servant.

From that day onwards, she and my two stepsisters stopped treating me like part of the family and begun to treat me like rubbish. Whilst everyone around me complained about school and being unpopular, I loved it. It was the only place where I was safe from Rhonda, where I could be a kid again.

And now I'm seventeen —soon turning eighteen, mind you. I'm still under Rhonda's care, I'm still legally her responsibility and I'm still treated like rubbish. I'm forced to work for her in the business unless I want her to change Father's will and leave me out of any profit that I could use for Uni. Oh, I'm counting the days left to say goodby this place. I don't care if I lose Dad's business, after all she already destroyed it. I just want to be free from that witch.

Dad's business... What once was something to help all people now had become a living hell for me. Rhonda made sure that now only famous people would come to get rest and escape from their public world. Dad's business is now a secret among celebrities that come here all the time, hiding from the world. We receive people from all around the world and I hate them all. I loathe their shallow beings and their obnoxious personalities. They are all the same. No exception. I hate them all. Even Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with all their adopted kids. Even Zac Efron with that body destined to make every woman droll a pool. I hate them all because Rhonda loves them all.

So you see, my life is a cliché. From reading fairy tales, my life became a bloody one. Evil stepmother, horrendous stepsisters, orphan, living in hell... But, hey, there's a difference! My life wasn't written by the Grimm Bothers, after all. There's one crucial fact that differs from all the fairy tales you can read and it's that there's no Prince Charming this time. No noble knight in a white horse destined to save me and give me a happily ever after. No, of course there's not Prince Charming. That fucker, if he even exists, must be somewhere clubbing, meeting a lot of fake Barbie girls and having the time of his life, too busy to save a poor and miserable no-one.

Oh, am I bitter? Am I being overdramatic? Well, deal with Rhonda and her monsters– I mean, daughters–, for five years, being treated like rubbish and then tell me I'm bitter and that I should see the positive side of life. The only positive side about my life is that I'll be leaving this place when summer ends.

Three months. I can endure three more months, can't I?

Oh, wait. I haven't introduced myself! You know my life but you don't know who I am. Pardon my manners. I'm Arabella Drennan, and as you can see, I'm almost Cinderella, but you just can call me Ella.

-:-:-:-

And that's it, welcome to my new story. I've always wanted to try intertextuality, so it's great to have this chance. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do. I know the prologue is shorter than usual, but the rest of the chapters will be normal lenght.

At the sidebar a picture of how I picture Ella to look like [The actress is Skyler Sammuels, from The Nine Lives of Chloe King... I'm crying]

Dedication to @nisaheart Thank you and your friend for reading (:

Bel, xx