Written on the Pages of a Fairytale

Chapter One: L'eve Avec le Soleil

Rises With the Sun

Once Upon A Time....

A young girl looked out her grimy bedroom window, intently. Papers cluttered her desk, some yellowing from age. Notes of music covered every square inch of the papers. Harmonies. Solos. Classic. Pop. Some sheets had titles and lyrics, others didn’t.

All of a sudden the girl gasped, urging something to come. The new day. As the sun appeared over the horizon, she smiled. The sunrise, for some unknown reason, had been extra beautiful today. She hoped that this was a good omen for a great day.

Now that the room was bathed in light, or as much light as her dirty window could allow, she picked up her pen and began to write. The paper soon became filled with notes and lyrics, smearing as she scribbled. She hummed the notes, over and over, the perfectionist as always.

The girl was so absorbed in her music, that she did not notice two hours past. She did not hear the sounds of the members of the household as they awoke. Yet, they noticed when they walked into the kitchen and breakfast was not made, nor the dog, Charmont, had been let out. They grew angry; how very grave for the girl!

Finally, finally, the girl realized they were awake, gasping. She ran down the stairs, apologizing.

“Je suis désolé, Madame Maryse!”

Maryse glared at her as she entered the kitchen and snapped, “What have I told you about speaking French in this house?! Answer me, Mira!”

Mira frowned. She loved her native tongue. Nevertheless, she replied, “To not to. I am sorry, Madame. Forgive me.”

Maryse pointed to the fridge, “Breakfast. Now.”

___________________________

Oh! I’m sorry! I have not properly introduced myself, have I? Je….er, I’m Mira Juliette Gasquet. I am 19 years old (December 10, 1992) and live in Rodez, France. I have curly, dark brown hair and my eyes are the most unique aspect about me. They are grey with specks of lilac and royal blue. My mother, Lucie, died giving birth to me. My father, Henri, remarried when I was 10 to Maryse Bonnet. With her, came my step-sister, Astrid. To put it bluntly, my new family despised me. My step-mother is cruel and my step-sister is a brat.

My dear, dear father died when I was 15 from a heart attack. Once he was gone, my things were sent up to the attic and my life turned into hell. Maryse basically transformed me into a servant. I woke up at 5 am every morning, whether the sun had rose or not. My days were spent cleaning and performing my step-mother’s orders.

But, my life has not all been terrible. Yes, that is hard to believe, huh? I went to school until I was 17…I loved it! I wish to attend college, but I have little money. My step-mother gives me 18€ every month. I try to save for college, but I have to pay for food at the market and my clothes.

Music is a huge part of my life. J’adore beaucoup! Composing, singing…so fun! Most nights, I lay down in the field and sing, gazing at the stars and moon. I dream of being a singer or songwriter one day. But, alas, I have never left Rodez.

The world must be huge! I wonder how many creatures live in the oceans. I wonder how many people live in France. They probably can speak French freely! Manufique! And the Eiffel Tower looks amazing in photos!

One time, Astrid told me a story of…what was the word?? Oh! Airplanes! Apparently, they travel at great speeds, transporting people around the world. Ah! How I envy them! What it must be like to our beautiful France from high in—

“Mira!!! Mira!!”

The young, French girl was pulled out of her reverie to her screaming step-sister.

She replied, “Oui, Astrid?”

Astrid glared, “Stop staring in space like a loony bird! You are to go to the market and buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Then, meet me at the clothing store.”

I nodded and asked, “Why are you going to the clothing store?”

Astrid sighed and rolled her eyes, playing with her straight, blonde hair. “To buy a new outfit, of course! Tomorrow, I’m going to Montpellier to see Roselina. A band is playing there for their world tour!”

Roselina is her cousin. My eyes widened at the mention of band and world tour. I said, “World tour?! Whoa! May I come, please?”

Astrid bursted out laughing. “You? Come? How absurd! You don’t even know who Usher is…or Justin Bieber!”

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to remember who those men were. I catiously said, “Isn’t Justin Bieber on your wall? What is so great about him?”

Astrid, who had just been drinking, spit her orange juice all over the table. Her jaw dropped.

“Gasquet, JUSTIN BIEBER is the most famous singing sensation in the WORLD!! Where have you been for the past 3 years?….Clean this up.” She said, gesturing to her spill.

I grabbed the dish towel and wiped it up, saying, “For the past 3 years, I have been here, doing your orders. I plan to leave Rodez someday and see the world, singing. My first stop on my world tour will be the Eiffel Tower.”

She snorted. “Well, good luck with that. You have no money. Its not going to happen, Gasquet. You will die here, working for me and Mother. You are NOTHING!”

My lip trembled as I turned around, preventing her from seeing my hurt face. Maybe I was nothing. Maybe I would never travel beyond the town of Rodez. Maybe I would die here, while scrubbing the floors.

“Mira, go to the market. Now!” Maryse commanded.

I nodded. “Straight away…..Er, Step-Mother?”

She sighed and barked, “What is it now?”

I shuffled my feet and responded, “I was hoping that I could travel with Astrid to Montpellier to see the band. Please?”

Astrid cried, “No! She will ruin everything!! She will make me look bad in front of Zach!!!”

I shook my head, having no idea who this Zach was. “I promise not to. Please, Step-Mother. I will even follow her and Roselina’s orders.”

Maryse paused, clearly thinking it through. After a few minutes, she responded, “Fine, Mira. You may go. But, you must follow Astrid’s and Roselina’s orders and you must pay me back for the ticket. If I hear anything of you being rude or misbehaving in anyway, the second you get back, I will lock you in the attic for a month. Am I understood??”

I nodded, smiling. “Merc-Thank you, Step-Mother! I will change and be off to the market.”

I left the room, barely containing in my excitement. I was going to Montpellier. Me! To see a band, apparently one of their names was Zach!

Au revoir, Rodez!!