Not Quite A Cinderella Story *WAS DROPPED*

Prologue

Luna Hart is a strong willed girl that has to deal with a lot. At a young age, her mother, Alice Wellington-Hart, was killed in a car accident. Her father, Simon Hart, was often away on trips due to his work and he felt that she needed a female figure in her life, so he decided to remarry after promising Luna that is first wife would forever be in his heart.

His new wife, Helena Westfall, was a rich widow with two twin daughters named Pricilla and Patricia. They were the same age as Luna and her father thought that they would be good company for his young daughter. At first, all was well. Helena was kind to her new daughter and Pricilla and Patricia got along with Luna. Simon would leave for short trips and come back to a happy family. The big house in a peaceful neighbourhood was a happy place.

Everything changed when, one night, Simon went to tuck Luna in her bed. He told her that every night, Alice's ghost came to see him in his dreams to say how happy she was to see their beautiful daughter grow up to be such a fine young woman. Luna had asked if her mother would also visit her dreams to talk to her since she missed her mother and was starting to forget what she looked like. Her father promised to give her a picture the next day. He kissed her forehead and told her that she was the spitting image of her mother, so each time she looked in the mirror, she could also be reminded of her mother.

Helena, who had been walking in front of Luna's room to get to her own heard the whole conversation and was heartbroken. She understood that Simon's heart could never be hers and that Alice would always be in his mind. She was nothing but a glorified nanny for his daughter. His daughter. A constant reminder of his first wife, both in looks and personality. With such a reminder, he would never forget his beloved and she would never get his love. From that moment on, she became cold to Luna and when Simon was out, she was downright rude.

Simon's job started to send him for longer trips and Luna barely saw him. Helena used this to her advantage and started to use Luna as a slave. It started with cleaning, then she added cooking and grocery shopping to the list of chores and then she had to wait on Helena and her daughter.

This was paused as soon as Simon walked on the property and to be sure that Luna couldn't tell her father, Helena gave Luna a fake number, pretending that her father's phone number had been changed due to work. The number was actually connected to a second phone she owned, so she could monitor everything her step-daughter told her father.

When they would see each other in person, Helena would be leading the conversation, never letting either one of them speak. Pricilla helped her mother since she loved having a servant that she could boss around. Only Patricia took no part in the bullying. She even tried to tell Simon for Luna but was stopped by her sister and shoved in a closet till Simon left the next day.

Two years after the bullying started, Simon was forced to stay abroad for a few years, but not wanting to pull his family from their life in Vancouver, he stayed in England on his own keeping in touch via text and e-mail, which Helena also monitored.

She had managed to send a message from the e-mail of a friend but Helena had also given her a fake address and had sent a reply saying that Luna was probably overreacting and to be nicer to Helena and not cause so much trouble. Since then Luna barely sent anything to her father knowing that it would be useless.

* * * * * * * *

It's been two years since her father went to London for his job. Luna is now 17 and in her last year of high school. Helena doesn't want to pay for her tuition saying that her own daughters tuitions were more important since they had a future while she was probably going to be around minimal wage all her life. And even if she wanted to ask her father, Helena would stop her from sending any mail concerning her mistreatment.

Luna had been forced to apply for a scholarship, which she got due to her great grades and participation in the school life. School was ironically a heaven from her daily life. Well heaven was a strong word, Pricilla was at the school and she didn't get along with the "popular" crowd since Pricilla was part of the group and spent her days talking about how Luna was a servant at home.

Unlike at home though, Luna was able to be herself and she was able to voice her opinion. She had two friends including Patricia and when Pricilla tried to make fun of her, she would answer with class or sarcasm. She was well liked by the teachers and the staff at the school and was even almost sure to be valedictorian at the end of the year.

What no one knew was that she also got a job at a shady bar, where she had to wear a low cut cropped top and a short mini-skirt. Every night, at 8p.m she got to work and had to deal with drunk men trying to grope a feel as she took their orders. After her first few months, she had managed to learn to avoid the hands and do her job at the same time. The boss was a friend of a friend and he had agreed to hire her even if she was underage, but if there was ever trouble he would clean his hands of her.

Luna could go to her job since Helena gave her a certain amount of chores in a day and then gave her free time once she was done. It was a sign of kindness since Luna hadn't tried to talk to her father about the bulling for a whole year. The pay was good and the tip was even better but if anyone was to find out, she would be in big trouble.

She had a gotten the job a year ago and was more than glad to finally get some money for herself. She could finally buy clothes that fit her style and not have the run-me-down from Pricilla and Patricia. Patricia would buy some clothes that I liked but if Pricilla found out, she would go in my room and cut them up. But more importantly, Luna was in need of a job since her dream university was far from home and hence, it's appeal. Obviously, Helena refused to give a penny for the dorm fee and for school supplies so now she needed to make enough for those plus some extra for food and the trip from her house to the campus.

Everything was going well, until one day an even changed her whole life. But first, let's start that same morning, when everything was still as it should.