Pretty Girl

Prologue

Here you guys go! Let us get straight into it! I am so FREAKING EXCITED!! I hope with all of my heart and soul that you guys enjoy. I love you, dearly. -Hannah xoxo

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'The past is never where we think we left it.' -Katherine Anne Porter

PROLOGUE: 20 years ago.

The water rushed down, pouring warmth into the bathtub as it filled. Sydney Greene watched the water bubble as she smoothed her now-wet barbie's hair down, thinking of how she one day would be a princess herself- her mind wandering to places of fairy tales and sweet cotton dreams.

That is what children think about, right?

Sydney had never known true fear yet in her short life of 4 years, fear beyond that of a spider or of monsters lurking in the darkness of her closet or under her bed.

Not true fear.

The bone deep, chilling fear where fight or flight kicked in. She sung under her breath as her mom, Ciara Greene, tried to find the strawberry scented shampoo that they used every time Sydney took a bath.

Finally, she straightened and put her hands down on her slim hips. "Goddammit. I have no idea where that shampoo went."

Sydney giggled. "Momma, you said a swear."

Ciara turned to the little girl and kneeled down next to the bathtub. "Oh I did, did I?" She asked with a smirk as she flicked a bit water at Sydney's naked torso.

Sydney squealed and splashed her mom back, making her mom scream out in laughter as she landed on her butt. "You stinker! Who do you think you are?!" She asked as she began to tickle her. Sydney thrashed around in the bathtub, laughing like crazy.

The playing slowed and Ciara smiled at Sydney, a beautiful smile. Sydney had always found her mom absolutely stunning with her blonde-light brown hair and wide pearly white smile.

"I'm gonna be a princess one day, momma." Sydney said and Ciara laughed before she reached out to touch her daughter's small cherub-like face.

"You, my darling, can be anything you want. An astronaut, a police officer, the president, or if you want to be a princess, then a princess you can be." Sydney smiled as she thought of growing up, wearing big ball gowns and wearing tons of pretty sparkly jewelry.

"I love you, my pretty girl." Her mother said.

Suddenly, there was a door slammed downstairs and Sydney recognized it as the front door and then the sound of her stepfather Richard's voice.

That wasn't the only thing Sydney recognized.

It was the flicker in her mom's eyes.

Fear...that true, bone deep fear.

She had seen it before, but her mom had been quick to hide it in front of her baby girl.

Like last night at dinner. Richard wasn't happy when he got home and he was even angrier to find the peas on his dinner-plate cold.

He hadn't done anything...at least not while Sydney was there.

No.

Her mother had met Richard's eyes and had quietly told Sydney to go to her room and to not come out. So she did as her momma had asked, but she had heard the loud thumps even as she tried to cover her ears. For the life of her, little Sydney couldn't erase the sounds of her mom crying out in pain.