Like Mother, Like Daughter

Prologue

Quick note:

I'm Portuguese, so when I include laws, school/university experiences, etc. in this story, they will be based off how things work in Portugal, as I can only write about what I know (for example, in Portugal you have to be 18 to get your driver's license and to drink/buy drinks legally, although it's not a big deal if your parents let you have a drink or two as long as you're inside your house). Hopefully, it won't affect the story that much and it will still be easy to understand.

As English isn't my first language, I would be very grateful if you could bring any grammar mistakes to my attention.

Thank you and happy reading!

Prologue

Annastasia

"I'm cold. I'm sleepy. I hate this sh*t.".

Those would be the first words to come out of my mouth every morning when I'd get to school in cold weather. November was approaching, and the 2 long-sleeved tops, sweater and coat I was wearing didn't seem to be keeping me warm enough as the strong wind blew, dragging dry leaves across the ground.

As my mom had to start working early in the morning and my dad lived in another city, I had to take the public bus to school, getting there half an hour before classes were supposed to start. Being one of the first people to arrive, I'd get in the building, sit on the ground and wait, grumpily mumbling to myself about how cold it was and how I hadn't slept enough until I'd take my phone out of my bag and get distracted with it, scrolling down social media or playing a game.

My classmates would start arriving slowly around fifteen minutes later. I'd mumble my 'good morning' to each of them, making no other attempt to talk to them, letting them engage in their own conversations. Eventually, a couple of girls whom I considered my friends would show up and we'd make small talk until the ringing of the bell.

The day would go by; a proud girl would occasionally tell me she didn't like my clothes, only to be met with a 'I don't really give a damn about what you think'; some classmates would ask me for help with the notes the teacher erased off the whiteboard before they could finish writing them down, or if I knew the date of a certain test, which I always did and was always happy to help.

And before I knew it, the day would be over, uneventful. I'd get home, go to my room, study, play The Sims 3, read a book, learn a new song to sing.

Singing is my passion and the only thing that keeps me away from the ghosts of the past.

Throughout the years, I had changed schools 3 times so I could stick to the music course I was in, which was articulated between the local Music Conservatory and some of the nearby public schools. There'd be very few classes per school with that privilege, and you'd have to change schools as you got older due to that limitation. Seeing friends drop out of the course as they'd lose interest, and transfer to regular schools closer to their living area would make me lose touch with them, for how busy we'd be and our different schedules. No one would dare to get their driver's license as they turned 18 in the middle of the chaos that was the last year of high school, especially on a music course, so we'd also be limited to our parents driving us everywhere, or the few public transportation methods that would barely work on weekends and holidays.

That made me lose interest in getting close to people my age, as I'd watch my old friends and everyone else around me change, as they got older, into people I couldn't relate to.

Smokers, drinkers, drug users, egocentric and selfish people, girls obsessed with their image and the pictures they post on social media, guys trying to sleep with any girl they'd see looking good and single on Instagram.