prologue
I feel like I’m flying soaring like an eagle in the sky and I don’t want to come back down but I know that I’ll have too soon. Ty sets me down and I jump pointing my toe and land safely in his arms as I always do. He smiles at me and sets me down on the ground.
I turn around and everyone claps at our performance.
“Aren’t you forgetting something? What do you do after you perform?” Joy, my dance teacher asks
“We forget to bow” Ty whispers in my ear making me half blush, Ty is my best friend and I have a small crush on him and it doesn’t help him being my dancing partner.
Ty takes my hand in his and he bows while I curtsey and everyone claps again but even louder.
“Excellent Anastasia and Ty try and catch her sooner next time I thought I would be calling for an ambulance tonight” Joy claps her hands together smiling towards the class “Other than that excellent job everyone you’re all dismissed practice tomorrow at six be there or you forfeit your role in the slipper”
Everyone jumps to their feet grab their bags and leave. I have to admit three hours was a little long and I’m puffed with hardly any energy left.
“Hey Ana, do you want to come get ice-cream with us?” Razz shouts her real name is Razzle but she hates it so we all call her Razz.
“I don’t know Razz I have to get home”
“Oh come on Ana are you not melting after that?” Ty whines
“I am”
“So come chill with us” Razz begs
“Alright just for a wee while”
I sit down and take off my ballet shoes and rub my very sore feet. I stand up nearly falling but Ty catches me as always.
“You alright Ana?” he asks
“Yep lets go” I swing my bag over my shoulder and Razz links her arm through mine and together we walk to Joe’s ice- cream shop.
Finally we reach the shop and I yawn from exhaustion. Joe sees us come in and he smiles at us and runs over to me.
“There’s my little niece or should I say Cinderella?” he hugs me and Razz giggles I shoot her a glare she knows my uncle Joe is a little to enthusiastic when it comes to me, he is my dad’s brother and their parents died when they were teenagers so I’m my uncles world basically as well as my mum he would go clean mad if someone was to ever hurt me.
“Joe, how you doing?” Ty asks and I could not be more thankful that he has saved me from yet another death crushing hug.
“Well Ty I always knew you would be Ana’s prince a little sooner than I expected though”
“Well at least I got the roll of prince and not step mother like Razz”
“Hey I actually like being the evil step mother!” Razz shouts
“That’s because you like to be the bad guy” Ty interjects
“So are you dating my little niece Prince Ty?” my uncle asks him and I wish I could just hide at that moment.
“Well sir I believe Cinderella had to wait to the ball”
“Not really an answer there Ty” Razz points out
“Alright, can we get three ice- creams?”
“Anything for my little niece!”
We finally get our ice creams and eat them. After we have finished we have a bit of banter and Razz and Ty get into a heated discussion about ice lollies and ice cream. My head is starting to throb so I gather my belongings and tell them goodbye like usual they beg me to stay but I say no.
Walking out of the shop and on my way home at last I cannot wait to get into my bed and just sleep.
I walk past the street and turn into the left a few more minutes and I’ll be home. The wind blows right threw me and I wrap my coat around me even tighter to try and keep out the cold night air.
I’m about to turn into my street when a hand comes over my face and pulls me back round the corner. My instincts kick in and hit and do everything to get my captor off me but he just tightens his grip on me.
Before I know what’s happening a bag is put over my head and I am put in some sort of vehicle. The bag must have some sort of drug in it because my eyes are starting to drupe and my vision is blaring. Next thing the bag is pulled of my head and I can see now that I’m in the back of a car.
I go to scream but I find that I have no voice. There is a man sitting beside me and he’s watching me.
“What’s taking so long she should be out for the count?”
“Calm Rowan I told you she’s different”
“Well she is thirteen the youngest yet!”
“Yes Mrs Baker should be very pleased”
I try to ask them who they are and what they want with me but I have no voice.
“Go to sleep girly!” the driver shouts
“Yes be a good girl and don’t fight it”
The man beside me goes to touch me but I flinch away from him. My eyelids start to flicker and I try my best to keep them open but to my disappointment they close and I sub come to the darkness.
***********
I open my eyes expecting to be in a cold damp dungeon or maybe even a prison but what I don’t expect a box made out of clear glass. There are no windows only an artificial light that is streaming down in the middle. The four corners are surrounded by four men that appear to be guarding me, as if I could take out four men.
I hear a slam and look around to find a woman standing beside me I wonder how she got in here because I didn’t see anyone come.
“Ah good you’re awake I’m Mrs Baker the head mistress here”
“Where am I?”
“Welcome to bride academy! Eloise come and explain to Anastasia I have a punishment to be seen too”
A girl with bright red hair emerges from the light she send me a weary smile and I give her one back.
“Eloise has been her for two weeks she will explain everything to you and tell you the rules. I warn you now Anastasia do not cross me because I have no problem with punishing you furthermore I have men and if you do not behave you will find out the meaning of punishment”
And just like that she disappears leaving me alone with Eloise.
“I wouldn’t cross her she means what she says”
“I want to go home”
“I know you are only a child but there is no home your parents and uncle are dead I’m very sorry”
“NO NO IT CANNOT BE TRUE! PLEASE PLEASE!”
“I’m very sorry Anastasia I know what you are feeling they killed my family too”
“I’m sorry....what is this place?”
“Bride academy...we have to find husbands. There are three years we have to complete year one is for education, year two we learn how to be the perfect little wives and year three we must a husband..... If you don’t find a husband you’re punished and then repeat the process”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 16 I will be married when I turn 18 and you will be fifteen”
“I will not get married when I am fifteen!”
“The punishment is not worth it.....Mrs Baker was leaving because one of the girls was misbehaving during class she is a second year and was expressing her opinions...Mrs Baker hates opinions.... she holds a lot of power and it’s her we fear she holds our lives in the palm of her hand, her punishments are fine when she is giving them but don’t involve the guards....the guards are brutal I have heard rumours that they raped a few of the girls”
“Eloise what are they going to do to me?”
“Nothing absolutely nothing I will be here for you always....I should probably tell you though they have already...em done a medical check on you”
“What do you mean?”
“They checked everything from your height, blood type to...you know innocence”
“Don’t worry Ana I’m your friend and I’ll look after you”
“Thank you”
“Other than that not all the girls are like us some parents paid for them to go to the academy so not all the girls will be sympathetic”
“How many girls are there?”
“All together around a hundred but in freshman year 12 counting me and you”
“How many were taken?”
“Not many I’m pleased to say”
“Why did they take me?”
“I don’t Mrs Baker says I’m different from the other girls she said you were too”
“Well welcome to the academy!”