imacamoprincess

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali knew where he was coming from, she’d heard rumors about the mafia around school – since they were in the same town, gossip happened. “No, I know – it's just that they’ve been the only constant thing in my life. They’ve been a rock, a shoulder to cry on. I know it’s for their best interest, it's just hard...I mean, they were there for my father's passing, my mother's passing, Henry’s abuse...they've just been there for a lot – they've kept me grounded through everything.” She explained softly, giving him a small smile. “They’ve become like my family; they’ve always had my back even if I didn’t know I needed it.” She added softly.

“Sure, I’d like to get to know who I’m getting married to,” She said softly, listening as he told her about his siblings. She had always wanted siblings; she wanted an older brother and she’d always wanted sisters – that's what her friends had slowly become to her – like sisters. “I always wanted siblings, but I get the entire ex thing – Henry kind of ruined my relationship – though he was apparently cheating because Henry was so controlling over me that he didn’t see it going anywhere. But he didn’t want to end it while I was grieving the loss of my mother, just happened to find him and the other girl at the last party I was at.” She admitted softly with a slight shrug.

A soft sigh escaped from her lips, “I guess you don’t get a lot of free time, do you?” She asked softly, meeting Joseph’s eyes.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali listened as Joseph explained they could probably go to her old house and get her things that were essential, studying him a moment as she moved toward the chair and slowly sat down as he set a glass full of coffee in front of her on the table next to the plate with an omelet. “I only would like to get what I’d need for school – mostly essays we have due after spring break I’d prefer not to restart – some things of my mom and dads. I know clothing can be replaced, but my late parents' things can’t be. I mean...I know roughly where Henry hid them...” Her voice trailed off; Henry hid everything in the house that had to do with her father in the basement – her mother's things were soon to follow shortly after she passed so he could bring new women home.

The young woman paused as Joseph brought up that he had one request for her, glancing up to meet his eyes as she took a sip of coffee. She bit her lip as he told her to cut ties with her friends after they were married – those were the people she knew as a little kid when her father was killed, they were there to comfort her when her mother passed away. They had been her rock, her shoulder to cry on – they had been her escape from Henry if she was able to sneak out and he was too drunk to notice she was gone. They had been her safety net for years; it was going to hurt them and herself to not have them in her life – they had gone to school together since kindergarten, but she didn’t want to cause them any harm if she could help it. Now she just had to figure out how to tell them, surely, they’d understand if they knew who she was marrying.

She gently set her glass of coffee on the table, a soft sigh escaping from her lips – she only was able to see them at school and the very few times she was able to get out of the house at night. She simply nodded, keeping her eyes low for a moment as she took a small bite of the omelet. She would be losing those who kept her grounded when her mom passed, her support system, the people who always were in her corner whenever she needed them. She was going to cut ties with people she’d known for years for someone she wasn’t only being forced to marry, but someone she’d only known for a few months before marrying him. “I understand.” She said softly, biting her lip a moment more. This was doing more than turning her life upside down, this was taking everything she knew and held dear away from her.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali watched Joseph for a moment, opening her mouth to say something before he commented that she wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore – that would be something she would have to adjust to, she had grown up living on a budget. “Do you know what's going to happen to that house? Everything I have to remember my mom and my dad by is still there, all I have is this ring and this necklace she gave me for my sixteenth birthday right before she passed away.” Ali commented softly, she had so many good and bad memories in that house. But it had been her childhood home, and she didn’t know she wouldn’t be returning to pack her things up after the meeting. She bit her lip slightly as he commented that her stepfather was most likely killed, adding that he wasn’t sure if she was upset or not.

“With everything he put me through while my mom was sick and after she passed, he was never nice – I'm not upset that he’s gone if that's what happened to him. He was a controlling man – one who lied to cover his own skin no matter who he hurt in the process. He wanted to get rid of me as soon as he could, he made that perfectly clear.” She explained softly with a slight shrug, she didn’t have to fear speaking out against him anymore. Ali stood, following Joseph to the kitchen – pausing a moment as he turned and stated he wasn’t pleased with the situation they were placed in either. “It’s not exactly how I saw myself getting married either, given there wasn’t any chance of marrying any other way because Henry made sure not to let me date.” She commented softly.

“Yea, I turn eighteen in two weeks and then I graduate in two months – so not much longer. Though the thoughts of going back to school after spring break and suddenly being married has had everything that could happen going through my head, I mean – it'd throw a ton of people off if I showed up suddenly married without any word of an engagement and no ring.” She said softly, biting her lip a moment. “And then add in that Henry suddenly disappeared, though that could be easier to explain that he just took off because he was tired of playing stepfather – that he found someone else and ran off with them.” She added softly with another slight shrug, though as her muscles moved over her ribs, she couldn’t stop herself from wincing.

The last fight she got into with Henry had gotten violent, he had landed more hits than normal on her – most had been the same area of her ribs. He landed a few across her face, left a few bruises on her arms from grabbing her every time she tried to run away from him. He’d come home drunk from a night out gambling, he’d woken her up demanding she cook him something to eat. Since it had been a school night and she refused, it threw him into a rage not only because he’d lost hundreds at the casino but because she wouldn't listen to his orders. He had wasted no time ripping her out of bed and dragging her down the hall and into the kitchen, calling her every name he could think of. She had done her best to get away from him, she ended up not going to school that morning because of how sore she was from the fight – she’d been awake crying until he went to work, and she felt safe enough to sleep.

“Believe me, like I said – this isn’t ideal for me either. Henry had wanted to get me gone ever since my mother passed away, but it took time for everything to settle down and lawyers to go through her will and try to track down other family members before he got custody of me. But this had been in the works for a while, at least on his end. I honestly wouldn’t have put it past him to do something darker than this.” She admitted softly.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali slowly steered at the sudden deep voice not far from her ear, feeling the warmth of someone’s body against her and the weight of someone’s arm resting on her hip – their hand on the small of her back, holding her against them. But they hadn’t called her by her name, what had they called her – Mary? Who was Mary? He didn’t finish his sentence, seeming to come to the realization he’d called her by the wrong name or maybe he realized he had been holding her against him. Ali hadn’t been sure since her stepfather was killed if anything from her house would be delivered to Joseph’s apartment, the house would more than likely sit empty. But now she realized she would have to come up with why Henry disappeared on top of why she’d be returning to school married.

A soft sign escaped from the young woman’s lips, eyes slowly fluttering open as Joseph moved to the edge of the bed – growling a few curses under his breath. As she felt his weight shift completely off the bed, she sat up – swinging her legs over the edge as she ran her hand through her hair. She paused a moment as Joseph spoke, glancing over at him to notice he was only in his boxers – studying him a moment to take in the scars on his body. It was hard not to notice his toned muscles, knowing the rumors that would flood the school the next few weeks leading up to graduation that she would be dealing with. And her small group of friends would surely have questions of their own because she told them everything and she hadn’t told them she was engaged.

“Huh? Oh...Um, yea – nothing fancy or dressy...mostly just stuff that I wore to school and maybe one back at the house that my mom got me for graduation before she passed away. But it’s really something that is nice enough for exactly that – graduation and maybe some more casual things.” She said softly, figuring he was only offering because as his fiancé and soon-to-be-wife she would have to have things to wear that would be common for the son of a mafia boss’ wife to wear. The dress she had on was the nicest she owned besides the one she had for graduation, and it surely wasn’t up to their standards for how they wanted to present themselves. They were also talking about them getting married tomorrow, she had nothing for a wedding – no one did.

Not to mention that as far as she knew, there was no way if they were to go try and find a dress would they probably find one that could fit her and it be ready for the next day – given she was sure Joseph’s family had much deeper pockets than hers could ever dream of. Her mind was elsewhere than on shopping for clothing that she would need for her new life, she would have a week and a half to adjust to these changes as well as think up a story to tell her classmates and especially her friends who would be hurt, she didn’t tell them nor invite them to the wedding. That was even if there was going to be an actual wedding. She brushed her long bangs away from her face, biting her lip a moment. This entire situation, right before graduation.

Why couldn’t they have just set the date for after graduation? “I’ve kind of been in that boat since my mom passed, Henry wasn’t exactly a great father figure – I mean, I was his stepdaughter...he didn’t give a fuck about what I had or needed. My friends' parents stepped up a few times and helped when they could, kind of became step-in moms.” She said softly.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali paused a moment, glass halfway to her lips as Joseph began to explain about what was going to happen next – she knew nothing about the mafia lifestyle. She knew the rumors that went around school, but she didn’t know if there was any truth behind any of them. “To be honest...this is about the only nice dress I have...and my mom and I got it for my junior prom – I just ended up not going because she was so sick...it literally had the tags pulled off today.” She admitted softly with a slight shrug as she took another sip from the glass, once her stuff arrived – if it arrived, he’d see that she didn’t have any super nice clothing. After all, the ring on her right hand, the necklace that lay against her tanned skin both belonged to her mother than her father had bought for an anniversary gift.

She studied the young man in front of her as he explained that he wouldn’t treat her poorly and that he’d never hit her, but she wasn’t completely sure if she believed him – what would really stop him? After all, now that Henry was gone, she had no one to run to – Henry wouldn’t have helped her even if she managed to run away from this, he’d just take her right back. She watched him as he tried to speak through hiccups, it was kind of cute – though she wasn’t sure if he was always this drunk or if something had happened. She didn’t feel as though it was her place to push. She didn’t know him well enough to try pushing his limits to get information he may not be ready to give her, Henry never handled her questioning well and with him being the son of a mafia leader – the stakes may be higher.

Ali watched him as he stumbled past her and in the direction that he’d pointed which she was going to guess was the direction of his room, she had nothing to sleep in – in fact she was realizing she hadn’t eaten anything since school. Drinking on an empty stomach probably wasn’t the best idea, she could feel her head getting fuzzy. She paused a moment as Joseph turned to ask her to come to his room at some point in the night, promising he wouldn’t try anything but that he wasn’t used to sleeping alone. That raised some questions, but it was questions she didn’t feel like asking now. As Joseph disappeared, Ali silently wandered around the living room – continuing to drink from her glass until it was gone.

She carefully set the glass down, the foggy feeling becoming heavier – it had been a few months since she’d drank anything, let alone an empty stomach. Henry had tightened restrictions, making it a point to stop anywhere the high school kids were known to party to make sure Ali wasn’t there. Some nights he would even sit around the corner from the house to catch her trying to sneak out, it ended her partying rather quickly because she hated the consequences that Henry dished out. She sighed softly, slowly following the way Joseph had gone before – finding him in his bedroom asleep, lights still on like he’d fallen asleep as soon as he’d laid down. He’d smelled like alcohol; she was sure he’d been drinking for hours.

Ali bit her lip a moment, flicking the lights off after studying the nice furniture in the bedroom – it was huge just like the rest of the apartment. The bedroom was the size of the large living room in the house she’d grown up in, but this was his bedroom – the entire apartment was larger than her house. She slowly moved toward the bed, watching his back rise and fall with each breath. She was slightly concerned with his reaction if she laid down, but where else was she going to sleep? She slowly slipped off her heels, gently sitting on the edge of the bed as she ran her hand through her hair. She remembered the nights she and her mother would sit in her room, her mother telling her a story as she braided her hair for the night – she missed those days. Now they were mere memories that she clung to.

The young woman pushed the thoughts away, she needed sleep – she was sure the next few days were going to be stressful and fast paced, she would surely be busy – after all, she was getting married and didn’t have a dress or anything for a wedding. They didn’t even have rings, but they’d just been told about this today. Yet surely, this had been in the plan for weeks if not months for there to be a wedding in two days – unless that was just something that happened when you were marrying into the mafia. Ali pushed the thoughts away; she was just causing herself more stress than she needed. She glanced toward Joseph once more, watching the rhythm of the rise and fall of his back before she slowly laid down – a soft sigh escaping from her lips as she stared at the wall, millions of thoughts suddenly entering her mind.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali watched as Joseph glared at her father, his eyes seemed cold – almost daring her stepfather not to let her go. But as soon as she was free, she followed him – keeping herself closer than she normally would have in case her stepfather made a quick grab for her again. As soon as the door clicked closed behind them, Ali jumped at the sound of a gunshot behind them – feeling Joseph grab her hand and tell her not to go back there. She hadn’t planned on it, but the sudden loud bang had her looking over her shoulder at the door. This was her new life, her stepfather had signed a contract, and she wasn’t able to get out of it – now as a matter of fact, she had no one to go to even if she could get out of it.

There was no second gun shot, there was no screaming out in pain – it was either a faking his own death that he had planned out or he was shot dead with one shot. Ali doubted a mob boss would play along with someone who owed them money faking their own death and she doubted that her marrying Joseph would pay off the death her stepfather owed. She paused a moment as Joseph opened the door for her, slowly slipping past him and into the car as he gently shut the door once she was safely inside. A soft sigh escaped from her lips as Joseph walked to the other side of the car and slipped into the seat next to her, but the ride was silent – she didn’t think it’d be any different.

Ali was lost in her own thoughts on the drive to a tall apartment building, it looked high class – richer than she ever dreamed of living. She quietly followed Joseph up to his apartment, all the way to the top floor – slowly entering his apartment. She carefully looked around, noticed the art on the walls and the fancy furniture – but when her eyes landed on a bra, she bit her lip. That's the last thing she wanted to do, was take someone else's man from them – she didn’t want to be the cause of a relationship ending. She tore her eyes from the bra, figuring it was best not to rock the boat with a man she would be marrying in forty-eight hours. She knew nothing about him, she didn’t know if he had a temper like his father and her stepfather.

Ali paused a moment, studying Joseph as he poured whiskey into two glasses before offering one to her – explaining that he wasn’t a fan of what was happening either, but they could at least enjoy it. A small smile crossed her lips, she’d snuck out to quite a few parties when her mother was alive. She had even snuck out a few times after her mother passed, she of course was in that rebellious stage that most kids went through at the loss of a parent. Her stepfather of course lost his mind, and she felt the brunt of his anger. She still thought the parties were worth it to blow off steam, so she slowly took the glass from him. “Thanks, I guess that makes two of us that aren’t thrilled with this idea.” She said softly, using her free hand to brush her hair away from her eyes.

“Seems like there is no choice, so I guess enjoying it and making the best of it is the best thing we have to do.” Ali added softly, meeting his eyes a moment before she took a small sip of whiskey. She could probably use it more than she realized, finally noticing her hand shaking. She bit her lip; her nerves were worse than she thought they were. She would be marrying a stranger in forty-eight hours, her stepfather was more than likely dead, and the family she was marrying into was a well-known mafia family. "I guess we could take this time to get to know each other a little better, I mean - seems like a good idea since we...I guess are gonna be getting married in, what? 48 hours give or take?" Ali asked softly.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

The young woman was slightly taken aback as Antonio went from being rather kind toward her to referring to her as a little bitch, but she shouldn’t have been surprised – he was in the mafia, a leader of a mafia. He hadn’t gotten to where he was by being kind to everyone, she knew that much by the word that traveled around school of anyone who hung around anything this family was involved in – you didn’t want to cross them if you had anything to do with it. Ali bit her lip slightly, watching the older man force his son to apologize with the threat of taking away any inheritance for good. Ali couldn’t imagine what a threat like that meant, she was sure they had more money than she would know what to do with if that ever happened.

Ali studied they young man as he fixed his hair the best, he seemed to be able to as he straightened his clothes, seeming to come to terms with the situation they were finding themselves in. A soft sigh escaped from her lips, taking a step to follow Joseph before she felt her stepfathers hand wrap tightly around her upper arm – jerking her told him. “Now you listen carefully, got it?” He growled lowly, “You do anything he asks of you, understand? If he says jump, you best ask how high. Maybe him smacking you around a bit will do you some good because clearly my doing so hasn’t done you any good.” He added, his voice growling cold as he tightened his grip on her arm – sending a wave of pain through her arm as she tried to pull away from him before giving up as his grip continued to tighten.

“Now Alison, you should know by now that struggling has never done you any good. Now, be a good girl and make sure you pleasure your soon to be husband whenever he likes, understand?” He commented, a sickening smirk crossing his lips – it was like he was enjoying the fact that he would be getting her out of the house. But it seemed that he also was enjoying torturing her one last time. She could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes as her stepfather's nails started digging into her skin, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying. She swore that she’d never let herself cry in front of Henry because he seemed to enjoy making her cry, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

She couldn’t muster a word, merely nodding as she dropped her eyes as the sickening smile seemed to grow across Henry’s face. “Now, that’s a good girl – I'm sure Antonio can help me organize a way to get your things from the house to Joseph’s apartment over the next few hours – at least the necessities. Though let’s be honest dear, surely, you’ll want something tonight to empress him, so he doesn’t stray.” He added with a dark chuckle, his grip loosening enough for Ali to rip her arm away from him. She made sure to get a few steps away from him, keeping her eyes rather low as she rubbed her right arm where Henry had held such a tight grip on her. She had no idea what her mother has seen in the man, but maybe he was a pro at pulling the wool over women's eyes?

She silently followed Joseph, thankful to be leaving her stepfather behind – though she was hurt to be leaving the house she had grown up in to live with a stranger she had only heard of. She’d heard of Joseph and his family, yet she’d never actually seen him – only photos. Some of the girls at school drooled over him, she’d admit he was handsome. But what kind of husband could a mobster really be? Ali slowly ran her hand through her hair, pausing a moment as she stepped out into the sunlight – feeling the glow slowly warming her skin as she slowly looked up toward the car as they continued to move toward it. She couldn’t help but wonder what the rest of her life was going to be like, what would she return to school to deal with when she showed up with a wedding ring?

What was she even going to tell everyone? Was she going to lie and hope Joseph would go along with it? Or would it just be easier for her to admit her stepfather had a drinking and gambling problem and married her off to the Don’s son in exchange for that debt? Surely that would make her more of a sob story than she already was since she lost both her biological parents, she hated the feeling that everyone felt sorry for her. Everyone tried not to talk about their dreams of weddings, they tried not to talk about dress shopping since she wouldn’t be able to share dress shopping with her mother – no prom dresses, no homecoming dresses, and no wedding dresses. She had some close girlfriends, but they weren’t experienced enough to help her in her current situation. Yet something Henry had said was echoing in her head, that she would want something nice to wear to impress Joseph.

Did he really expect her to go and sleep with him? Though she was sure that if he had an apartment that they’d probably be in the same bed, but that didn’t mean they needed or had to have sex. After all, he was a few years older than she was from what she remembered hearing about him. The young woman paused a moment, knowing there was no turning back – divorce wasn’t much of an option in this day. Once you were married, there was no way out unless one of you passed away. She was stepping into a dangerous life, her future was unknown, but this was also getting her away from her stepfather. She’d at least have a roof over her head and hopefully that roof was with someone who didn’t hit her. She pushed the thoughts away, slowly slipping into the car - stealing a quick glance out the window at the large mansion once more - sure this wouldn't be the last time she would be here.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali jumped at the sudden booming voice, turning to glance at a well-dressed man that if she guessed was around her stepfathers age – if not a few years older. But he talked to him as if they were old friends, but the smile that crossed Henry’s lips gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She always had a sick feeling when he had that look, he was never up to any good. “Henry is actually my stepfather; my father was killed in a car accident when I was ten.” Ali corrected politely, ignoring the look that Henry shot in her direction. The two looked nothing alike, they didn’t even have similar personalities which was probably why they butted heads so often.

Ali felt a small smile pull at the corner of her lips as the older gentleman complimented her, though the comment about if he was a few years younger taking her for himself threw her off. She was confused about what this meeting was about, but it soon became obvious as the conversation went on. “I don’t see it being a problem and I do appreciate you being so flexible to do this, my wife’s medical bills and funeral expenses were much more than I had expected – we weren’t aware her life insurance policy wouldn’t cover the entire service unfortunately.” Henry explained as if her mother's death was merely a transaction to him, “Not to mention continuing to keep Ali here in the school she is currently in.” He added.

Her schooling had nothing to do with the financial situation they were in, Henry couldn’t manage money to save his life – not to mention he had a gambling and drinking problem. “How can I get married? I’m not even eight-” Ali stopped as Henry glared at her, that threatening look her got in his eyes that stopped her in her tacks for fear of what would be coming next in her direction once they got home or anywhere more private than they currently were. However, she doubted that the mafia would be completely opposed to Henry’s abuse of her – she was sure in one of his drunken rages the other night he had cracked her ribs over her not having dinner ready when he got home because she’d been studying for exams.

“Your mother left you in my custody, therefore I can sign off on you to get married at seventeen – after all, you're only weeks shy of turning eighteen and then you're what? Two months away from graduation? I’m sure Antonio and Joseph will be very supportive in you finishing your schooling – after all, with two months left...surely, they wouldn’t mind the absences due to your honeymoon. You’d get to go on that spring break trip you and your mother always talked about.” Henry muttered, a soft sigh escaping from Ali’s lips. She knew he was right; she didn’t have a single say – Henry was her legal guardian. He could sign off on her marrying Joseph and her moving in with him, Henry would love to have the house to himself.

Antonio, however, had a point, though his son looked in rather rough shape now – she was sure he was handsome when he was cleaned up. She studied Joseph a moment, before turning her attention back to his father and her stepfather. “How much exactly do you owe, Henry? I know for a fact my mother's insurance covered a large majority of her bills – it wasn’t her fault nor was it mine that you leave work and go to the track to bet on horses or dogs or the casino.” Ali commented, watching Henry grinding his teeth as he balled his hand up – she was preparing herself for the back of his hand to come across her face. But he seemed to get his thoughts collected enough to unclench his hand, still gritting his teeth.

“You’ll have to excuse my stepdaughter's mouth; she sometimes forgets that women need to be seen and not heard.” He muttered coldly more in her direction than Antonios, causing Ali to flinch slightly. She was well aware of what was coming her way as soon as they left, leaving thoughts running through her head of how quickly she would be able to get into the house and up the stairs – into the safety of her locked bedroom with what she was wearing. “Actually, since Alison is on spring break – couldn't hurt for them to move in together now, seems the perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other without the distraction of her schooling.” Henry suggested, clearly eager to get her out of the house.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Read at your own risk!
Contains sexual acts, drugs, alcohol, violence, guns, death, robbery, sexual themes, cursing, adult themes, adult language, and much more.

You've been warned, so welcome to the story.

Fates Contract: Bound by Honor & Soon by Love (imacamoprincess & Kyux)

Ali tapped her foot under the desk, glancing toward the clock once more – time seemed to be dragging by this entire day. Her stepfather had informed her that she had some sort of meeting after school but wouldn’t tell her anything about it. All he would say is that it was very important and that they couldn’t be late, not only could they not be late, but he expected her to be on her best behavior and dress to impress. The entire conversation had the young woman on edge, she and her stepfather had never seen eye to eye since her mother's passing, to him she was merely a reminder of his late wife. Henry had never wanted children, but he was so taken with her mother that he pushed that aside long enough to marry. Henry kept the nice guy act up to his stepdaughter while her mother was alive, but soon after everything settled down when she passed – his true feelings became clear.

The pair couldn’t stand each other, he would do the bare minimum for her and made it clear if they were ever alone that he couldn’t wait until she turned eighteen and she ‘wasn’t his problem anymore’. After all, he had gained custody of her after her mother's passing away – a part of the will he had clearly overread. Since Ali was under the age of eighteen when her mother passed, Henry was given the house and all her mother's possessions besides a few pieces of jewelry. She hid the jewelry in her room, under her bed when she wasn’t wearing it so her stepfather would never be able to find it. However, Ali always wore the small diamond ring that had been passed down through generations of women in her family – it allowed her to feel so close to her mother, almost like she was still a part of her day-to-day life. She almost felt like she wore the ring, she had her mother with her every day.

Ali was jolted from the memories of her mother as the bell rang, echoing around the cement walls of the classroom as it suddenly roared with chatting about everyone's plans for the spring break. Spring break, something she’d always spent with her mother, last year had been her last spring break with her mother that had ended at her mother's funeral. A soft sigh escaped from her lips as she slowly packed her books into her bag, nerves building in the pit of her stomach as she moved out of the room and down the hall to her locker where she dropped her books off – they wouldn’t be needed on spring break. Her brunette curls bounced around her tanned shoulders as she moved down the tiled hallway toward the door, toward the sunlight with every other kid in the high school.

The halls echoed with everyone's plans for spring break – parties, trips with family, trips with friends, and trips with their boyfriends or girlfriends. In her freshman year that seemed so long ago, she dreamed of her senior year spring break – the trips she would go on to celebrate graduation that was only two months away. Her mother had been so thrilled about the trips she planned to send her daughter on for her senior spring break, yet that had been three years ago. The cancer moved fast, and treatments weren’t fast enough to keep up with the aggressive disease. Ali bit her lip, pushing the thoughts away as she exited the hall and was welcomed by the warmth of the sun on her skin – a soft smile pulling at the corner of her lips as her ice blue eyes took in the life of the parking lot. However, she wasn’t able to partake in the fun – her stepfather had made sure to make this meeting as close to school letting out as possible.

He was still at work; he’d be taking a long lunch to pick her up and accompany her to this meeting – all he told her was that it was life changing for them both. The walk home was rather short, she only lived two and a half blocks away from the school. She walked herself to and from school daily since Henry had managed to chase off her friends and any man who had any interest in her. According to Henry, especially recently – dating was completely off the table, but he would never give her an explanation as to why. As the young woman put the key into the lock, turning the handle after the lock clicked into an unlocked position – she slipped through the door. She swung it shut behind her, flipping the lock back into its locked position before she headed up the stairs toward her room and bathroom. She took a forty-fine minute shower, keeping her hair dry so she could make sure she made it to the meeting on time.

The young woman stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and she moved into her room and toward her closet – reaching for a black form fitting dress still covered in plastic. It had never been worn before – though it had been purchased two years ago. Ali just had no reason to wear it, not until today at least. It was the nicest thing she currently owned. She studied the dress on the hanger after removing the plastic from around it, plucking the tags off the side before slowly unzipping the side – removing it from the hanger before she slowly stepped into it. She slowly shimmied it up her body, holding it in place with one hand as she used the other to slowly pull the zipper up – feeling the fabric slowly begin to hug her body until the zipper stopped at the top.

She let her brunette hair loose from the clip, running her finger through it as it fell to her shoulders, and she slowly stepped into a pair of four-inch heels – slowly sitting on the edge of her bed to secure the buckles. She bit her lip a moment as she stood, slowly moving toward the makeup table against the outside wall of her room. It took another ten minutes for her to complete her make up, checking a moment to make sure the black polish she’d done on her nails the night before was still presentable before she stood from the chair. She knew her stepfather would be arriving home in moments, so she quickly spritzed herself with a few pumps of perfume that smelled like jasmine and sandalwood. As soon as she set the bottle down on the desk, she heard the faint sound of a car engine pulling into the driveway.

She was almost at the bottom of the stairs when her stepfather began blowing the horn on the car – clearly, he was impatient. Ali was quick to lock the door before stepping off the porch and moving to the passenger side of the car – she got in in silence. The entire ride was silent, she didn’t even ask where they were going – it wasn’t like her stepfather would tell her anyway. The only information she’d gotten from him this morning was that this meeting was important, lifechanging for them both, and that she needed to be on her best behavior as well as to dress in her nicest clothing. Her eyes were focused out the window, watching the landscapes as they sped by though she noticed they were heading toward the richer side of town. It only added to her confusion as they turned into a large private driveway, following the twists and turns until they arrived in front of a large what she would call mansion.

As soon as she car stopped, the young woman was slowly opening her door and stepping out onto the pavement – taking in the well-manicured home and property in awe. It was stunning, it was much more than she ever dreamed of living in one day. “Best behavior Alison Marie, no exceptions.” Henry grumbled as he moved to stand beside her, “This is your future and my future, understand me? You cannot mess this up.” He added in a harsh tone, causing her to flinch slightly. Their fights were not always vocal, she would be the first to admit that her skills with makeup was self-taught to hide whatever marks her stepfather left during an argument – after all, her mother was no longer around to protect her. That may very well be the reason he was so against her dating as well; it limited the number of people he had to worry about defending her from his abuse.

“I get it – best behavior, best dress, best this, best that – but you still haven’t told me what this meeting is even about.” She muttered in a soft whisper as the door in front of them slowly opened, whether her stepfather told her or not it looked like she was about to find out. The pair was silent as they were led into the home, the halls seemed to be lined with expensive art that Ali only dreamed of seeing in a museum. She loved to draw and paint, she loved art – but her stepfather wasn’t one to support her dreams. He was a man who believed that women were expected to be seen and not heard, he believed they belonged to their fathers or stepfathers until they were married off where they then became their husband's property. A soft sigh escaped from Ali’s lips once more, wandering from her stepfather’s side as they were guided into a large room Ali would guess was the den, complete with a lit fire and walls filled with books.

She was focused on the books and the art that hung on the walls, ignoring her stepfather as he mumbled about her needing to act like a proper lady. She rolled her eyes, continuing to look over the art – doing her best to ignore her stepfather. She was doing whatever she could not to speak to him and to preoccupy herself to stop the nerves of the unknown.