California

Prologue - California

The heart and soul of Zuzu City's industry was the Joja Corporation. They had plenty of spaces, and didn't care about your qualifications. This seemed ideal to the citizens of Zuzu City who tend to not do well in school, however, the reality of it was far from ideal. Long working hours, spent in tiny, cramped cubicles, with only a 10 minute lunch break. It was constrainting, and unpleasant. At least one person had a breakdown every day. It is here that we find our main character. Tucked in the back corner of the massive cubical hall was California Estella Sparks, a 23 year old accountant.

California had every aspect of her life controlled by her mother, Isobel, from what friends she made, to what college course she took. She did anything she could to please her mother. Her eagerness to learn allowed her to skip a few years of high school, and even allowed her to graduate her accounting degree two years early. When she graduated, her mother used her various contacts to secure California a job in the accounting offices of Joja. California was glad her mother had helped her get a job, even if it wasn't what California had planned to do with her life. However, her mother's dictatorship control would eventually make California snap.

During her college years, Isobel had attempted to set California up with multiple suitors she had lined up. After graduating, Isobel announced to her daughter that since she wasn't interested in any of the men, she had arranged a betrothal. Her exact words were "Since you don't seem interested in any of those wonderful gentlemen I introduced you to, and don't seem to be making any effort into finding a man, I have secured you a betrothal." California's reaction was to be expected. She stood up from the kitchen table, and slammed her fist onto it. "I'm perfectly fine without a husband, I have no need for one! I insist that you cancel it!"

"It's unbreakable, so you have to go through with it. It'll be good for you, you need a rich man to take care of you, and eventually, you mightn't need your job at Joja."

If you couldn't tell, Isobel was a traditionalist, who believed that once married, a woman's place was in the home. This was why she didn't work or have her license, it was a man's thing. Yes she wanted her daughter to be successful, but success in her eyes was to provide as many children as her son-in-law wanted. The first meeting of the couple didn't go well, as you would expect. California hated the poofy dress her mother made her wear, and didn't want to get married. When she saw her future husband, she basically repeated what had occured the previous week at dinner, and walked out. Why, you may ask, did she leave upon seeing her betrothed? At this stage, California was 20, almost 21. The man her mother betrothed her to was Cassius Ewan Foley, the richest man of his age, which was double California's age, 40. This angered California, which angered her mother. This led to many rows in the household, leading up to the wedding.

Thankfully, one of California's friends was Dara Guinivere, a lawyer for Joja. The minute California got her hands on the betrothal agreement, she secretly got it into Dara's hands. After a week of reading it carefully, Dara found a loophole. The betrothal was only

unbreakable until the morning of the wedding, meaning that California could break it off any time after 10am. And that's exactly what she did. The wedding was due to start at 11am, but at 10:30am, California broke the betrothal, and went on a 2 week vacation with Dara to Spain. When she returned, her mother refused to speak to her for months, and her dad, Rohan, while pleased she followed her own heart and stood up for herself, was upset that she didn't tell him what she was planning or where she was going.

Two years later, just after California's 23rd birthday, she was done. Done with Joja, done with her mother, done with Cassius, and done with Zuzu city. This is where we begin our story.