The Royal Castaway

Chapter 1

Ever wished that somewhere out there was a prince charming fighting his way through all kinds of danger just to come and rescue you from your tower and slay your dragons?

Aah! The dreams of childhood when you have hope for a brighter future. Now imagine if those dreams were crushed into a thousand pieces and served it to you.

Joe had stopped believing in them altogether because what's the point when you'll just have to wake in the morning and face reality. She never got the luxury of that. How could she when her dragons where just outside the door waiting to devour her.

That's how she ended up in front of her mirror , chanting her mantra as usual .
Just one more day and two more hours five minutes and seven seconds to go. You can do it!

You heard that right. She only had one more day until she was finally eighteen. Just one more day,what's the worst that could happen right? Wrong. If there was a girl who had the crappiest  luck in the history of crappy lucks it was Joe.

Holding her mother's pendant in her hand she made her way to the door. She took in a deep breath and out she went.
Help me mum please just a few more hours then I'm coming to find ...
She never got to finish that because one of her dragons was approaching fast. One thing about this dragons is that they had claws ,fangs and bleached hair .

"You insolent brat after everything we have done for you this is how you repay us. You thought you could get away with it, didn't you? "

Before long those claws were sunk into her flesh and the demon eyes of the dragon boring into her. Unlike fairytale dragons , this one was human and also her stepmother , Eugenia Santos

By the smell of  her breath Joe knew that her stepmom was definitely drunk. So ,this was going to be one of those days.
What did I do this time
"How could you call the cops on us? We took you in when that witch left you. We fed you , clothed you and gave you a place to stay and this is how you thank us." Eugenia screamed in her ears while clawing through her already combed hair.

"I didn't call anyone mum I promise." Joe whimpered.
 
That earned her a slap from her stepmother.

"Shut up ! I am not your mother you bastard and I will never be. That homewrecker is dead and it would have been better if you died to."

With that she stumbled up the stairs leaving Joe sobbing silently on the floor. It's not that Joe couldn't fight for herself. Oh no, actually she could defend herself  just fine if need be but every time she saw Eugenia her mind blanked and she froze. Even when she told herself there was nothing to be scared about she still freaked out.

And that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that she was living under one roof with the three people who hated her most aka dragon one, two and three.

Dragon one : her father , Xavier Santos, he never acknowledged her presence and didn't care about her whatsoever.

Dragon two : Eugenia Santos , her abusive stepmother who considered Joe to be an insolent bastard who needed to be punished

Dragon three : Carina Santos , her  glamorous stepsister who is at the very top of the social ladder at school and also her parent's precious perfect Sussie. She just could do no wrong in their eyes.

So together the three of them worked to make Joe's life a nightmare but at least now she had the option of leaving. Just imagining that gave her the strength to get up from the floor and go back and get ready for school again considering she was already late. That meant that it was back to the attic which was meant to be her bedroom. It took her fifteen minutes to wipe off most of the blood , comb her hair and change out of her blood stained clothes.

Joe had chosen to wear skinny jeans , a top she had inherited from Carina which was among the best she owned, and some worn sneakers. She had put on a jacket to cover up the fresh marks on her arms. She raced out of the house as fast as she could , not wanting to cross paths with Eugenia.

Outside she met her nosy neighbor  Gladys  sticking her face into their open window.

Okay ,weird. Joe thought
"Good morning ,Gladys?" she greeted the nosy old woman.

"Good morning Joe, I just heard the racket in there. Is that woman drunk again? I thought the cops would take care of her. I'll file more complains if I have to, she's really giving me a migraine. The nerve of some people. Hm" She retorted.

So that's what Eugenia was mad about.
Do you now you've doomed me woman?
"I'm sure she got the message anyway , off to school now." Joe bid her goodbye but by then Gladys's attention was somewhere else.

It was too late to get a bus so she had to run but she was used to it. Carina would never let Joe ride with her and by the time Joe was done with Eugenia's madness it was already late. And she wouldn't dare ask for money to go with a cab , if she did then not even the universe could save her from Eugenia. So the only option left was running. And run she did.

By the time Joe got to school ,first period was over and the second was just about to start.

Why today God ? Of all days , why today?

That was before she lost control of  her speed and went crashing into a bunch of lockers. Good thing the hall was almost empty and therefore not many saw her fall. She didn't want to get up but she had to this was her last day nothing was bringing her down.

If only she had known.

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So there you have it guys my first chapter.
I wish I could update sooner but I was in battle with the  archenemy of  school breaks going by the alias
'homework'

Question of the chapter :
Why bother calling it homework when it's just schoolwork transferred home ?

Adiós
Signed
Vee 😂