If Life Was a Fairytale... ((Open))

...then my life wouldn¡¦t even fit in, Lia thought to herself as she closed yet another one of her mother¡¦s books. This one was different from the rest of the books hidden in the library her father still concealed. Lia had long expected her father to play the good citizen and reveal its location yet no one knew about the library save Lia and her father, and none of the books were seized. Every evening after dinner, the girl would steal away into the hidden room, devouring whatever knowledge her mother deemed secretive to keep. Many times, the books were of some use, some knowledge Lia could use in her studies. However, this one was simply a pathetic, idealistic tale with no chance of ever happening. A ¡§Prince Charming¡¨ to save a young girl from her desolation? What type of an idiot could have written that mess? Had the book not been from the most sacred place to Lia, she would have thrown the book across the room and never picked it up. Instead, Lia stared at the cover of the book still sitting on her lap.

With a long stare, Lia mulled over the story. As if there is much to think about with this book. Why did my mother even keep this book? The story is incredibly useless compared to the treasures that fill these bookshelves. Strange mother, really. As Lia stood up and dusted off the back of her clothes, she tried to recollect any memories she had of her mother. Only stories filled her mind and a blank face. No pictures were around for Lia to reference and even if there were, they would be hidden, away from plain sight. She had heard enough stories about her ¡§rebel mother¡¨ to know that it would be much better if Dara Renden was completely wiped off the face of the Earth. But for some reason, Lia refused to forget about her mother, even if her father tried as much as he could to make her. A new mother, more siblings¡Xeverything was supposed to carry on as if nothing ever happened. But Lia¡¦s step-mother was nothing like her mother, her siblings could never fill the void. If anything, she despised her two half-brothers. To her, nothing was ever going to be the same, whether her father liked it or not.

¡§Happily ever after. Who was my mother trying to kid?¡¨ Lia left the library into the darkness that filled the house. Everyone¡¦s probably asleep right now. It wasn¡¦t really late at the time but it did not appear as if anyone was awake. With a slight frown, Lia left the house, unsure of what to do. Late night training? No, that¡¦s just stupid. Break into the school and see what happens? Yeah, that¡¦s just even worse. With a long, internal sigh, Lia headed to one of her favourite places. The little tree that was close to her house had long provided the young girl with shade during the warm summer days. In the night, it was more of a sanctuary, a place where she could isolate herself even more. Another long sigh left Lia sitting on the ground, leaning her head against the tree. That story had drained her energy, left her a bit light-headed and clueless. Who knew reading for ¡§enjoyment¡¨ could have taken such a toll on her?

Thoughts swirled in Lia¡¦s mind as the quietness of the night enveloped her. Her eyes remained closed as she tried to empty her mind. Usually she would have taken the time to process what she had just read but that story needed no processing. It was just a surface tale, one that would never exist. Not in this world, at least. Not with everything that goes on. As Lia¡¦s standard frown grew, a sharp sound caused the small girl to jump, her eyes moving around rapidly. Her hand immediately flew to the dagger that hung by her side, her only means of defence in this crazy world. A small voice barely escaped from her mouth as she asked, ¡§Who¡¦s there?¡¨ Every bad case scenario flew through Lia¡¦s head, her body wondering which would be the one that happened. Was it a Capitol minion who sought out Dara Renden¡¦s daughter? Or was it one of those older boys from school, here to beat her up?