— I —
Ambrosia felt stupid. Very stupid.
Any lucky and rich 18 year old girl would fuss and be fussed over on her special day. She would try on different gowns, shoes and masks for the family's traditional (and quite lavish) masquerade ball. Glitter, glam, and gorgeous people. That's her life.
It's incomplete.
It’s not that Ambrosia hadn't dreamed of her debut, the dancing, drinking and laughing, she had. She still does. After all, every girl wants to be a princess, to be the bell of the ball, the fairest of them all. But nothing’s ever complete without her other half. Her Rebel.
Since the age of 7, Ambrosia had understood that fame and power are two very important things to her family, especially her father. She had played the part of the perfect, adorable only child. She smiled her best, behaved politely, studied hard, played some sports, and went to events and gatherings to learn the family’s means and ways. She did it all. And all of it was an act. Everybody bought it.
Well, almost.
Her father never, not once, had trusted her. He, she assumes, was born paranoid. Not that he has any reason not to be. Trust is a very hard thing to give and harder to earn. So far, only a few had earned Theron Fey’s trust. His daughter’s not one of those lucky few. He hired bodyguards to watch Ambrosia’s every move, to follow her every- and anywhere. She even has lady bodyguards to ‘accompany’ her to the toilet. And all the while he played the role of the loving and overprotective father.
Liar.
I should have thought of this possibility.
I should have prepared a Plan B.
But, as Rebel has often told her, she’s too spontaneous to even think of preparing a Plan A.
It was just a little birthday wish. She had never asked one before. What was so wrong in asking your parents the night before your debut to let you have the whole day all to yourself with no shadow behind you except your own? Everything, according to Theron Fey. Obviously, he refused her little wish. What’s new? So obviously, she had to defy him.
Ambrosia woke before the crack of dawn, a feat she would never do for anyone else except Rebel, and tried to sneak out of the house. She failed. One of the newly hired guards caught her and reported everything to Theron Fey. It was bad she also got an earful from her mother, and very bad that her mother deemed it fit to take away all of her gifts as punishment.
The gifts were all expensive and some were quite interesting while the others were rare. But there was only one gift that was priceless. It was a painting, done in oil and watercolor, of Ambrosia relaxing on the beach. She was resting on a hammock, wearing blue bikini and had a blue headphone covering her ears. Her eyes were closed and her lips were curled into a childlike, blissful smile. Its title was ‘PARADISE’. On the lower-right corner of the painting was a note, short and sweet, signed by the artist:
Happy 18th Birthday to you A.
Wish you all the best. I love you.
— Rebel
Yikes.
