Once Upon A Curse

Chapter One: the daily routine.

Ivy Belfrey opened her eyes, "Another day begins." She mumbled to herself as she threw off her covers. To Ivy, a new day usually meant a fresh start, a clean slate. But she somehow found herself doing the same old routine day after day.

Cue the music montage. Ivy thought to herself as she felt the cold hardwood floors of her apartment touch her feet. She shuffled in and out of the bathroom and got dressed. A simple t-shirt paired with a miniskirt. She plunked herself down at her vanity and started on her hair and makeup. There wasn't much that could be done with her black shoulder length hair. So it always ended up curled.

Her brown eyes stared back at her as she figured out what to do about the rest of her face. After about fifteen minutes of prepping Ivy took a step back. Her light brown skin gleamed as the sunlight shone on her. But that went unnoticed as Ivy could only spot her imperfections. She sighed, "this is as good as it's going to get." With a flip of her curled hair, she grabbed her purse and locked the front door behind her on her way out.

The streets of Hyperion Heights was always crowded as commuters rushed to get to work. As most people did in Hyperion Heights, Ivy kept her eyes on the floor and walked counting the pieces of chewed gum on the sidewalk. And as usual, Ivy's bus pulled up just as she made her way to the stop. After a smile and a nod at the bus driver, she made her way to the back of the bus. She placed her purse on the empty seat behind her as the bus driver pulled away from the station. Ivy wondered if this was it. This was just how her life would turn out to be. Dull and uninteresting.

"Ivy!" A voice said, interrupting her thoughts. Startled, Ivy jumped a little in her seat, turning to face the voice's source.

A smile spread across Ivy's face as she saw who it was. A pair of shining bright brown eyes stared back at her. Her short, black locks of curly hair flipped across her face as she sat down on her seat.

"Hey!" Ivy exclaimed as she scanned the lady's outfit. She was wearing a black tank top and dark washed jeans perfectly accessorized with a chunky belt and large hoop earrings with black leather ankle boots.

"Roni, how are you?" Ivy asked. Their daily bus conversations were the best part of her day.

Roni rolled her eyes which were enhanced by her dark eyeshadow. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Ivy," she said, "never ever be a bartender."

Ivy chuckled, "Believe me Roni, a job as a bartender sounds like a dream after working for a dragon lady."

Roni sighed, "Ivy, if you hate that job so much, why don't you just quit?"

"I one hundred percent agree," Ivy said nodding her head vigorously, "I just wish I knew how to stand up to her."

A playful gleam shined behind Roni's eyes. "Well, you could always borrow my baseball bat."

"And then what?" Ivy asked, chuckling. "You do know this is Victoria Belfrey we're talking about. She may just be a diner owner, but she is backed by detective Weaver, the one cop who doesn't play by the rules."

Roni knew this all too well. She took a breath and grabbed Ivy's shoulders. "You will break free from Victoria's cold and cruel grasp. In fact, by the end of this year, you will be free of her. I promise you."

Ivy smiled, "I wish that were true," She said as the bus pulled up to her stop, "and I wish that we could talk longer, but unfortunately, the dragon awaits." Roni and Ivy hugged goodbye.

She stepped off the bus and was greeted by the usual scene. A huge pink neon light sign with the words BELFREY'S DINER was shining brightly down on her. She noticed that the checkered floors that she had mopped the day before was already covered in crumbs by the early birds. The red leather booths were filled with customers holding steaming cups of coffee.

Ivy caught a glimpse at the clock hanging above the old jukebox and groaned. "Oh shoot, I'm late!" And she rushed inside.