......Xinderella.......

Far far away in a distant land lived a young girl and her father. The girl's mother had passed away soon after the labour of her child. Nevertheless her father tried to give the best possible life she could get without a motherly influence. And she did until she reached the tender age of 13 when…

'Do you Clay Bailey take Wuya as your lawful wedded wife?'

'I do.'

'And same for you Wuya, do you take this man as your lawful wedded husband?'

'I do.'

'With the power invested in me, I now announce you husband and wife.'

As if this wasn't bad enough, her father had died the same night he wed Wuya. They said he had died from natural causes but for some reason Kimiko was banned from seeing her dead father, as it was believed that she was too young to take in this trauma. Kimiko was forced to work alongside Jack, her stepbrother (who had lost his father in similar circumstances) and complete all the house chores for Wuya and their stepsister, Ashley, before the end of each day. Life was hard but she soon got used to it.

5 years later

Crouching behind the lush bushes of the palace gardens, the young brunette cautiously looked side to side waiting the perfect opportunity to leave. Silence hollered through the air and as soon he sensed noone else's presence but his own he stepped out into his surroundings where-

"Master Raimundo!" called a young man startling the prince. " Master Raimundo, you know you shouldn't leave the palace grounds. You have the royal ball to attend and your father wishes you to choose a bride."

"Spare me the lecture Omi," Raimundo whined, " I'm under enough pressure as it is already. Why can't one of my other brothers choose a bride for himself and rule the kingdom in 'blissful marriage'?"

"Master Raimundo," Omi shook his head, " It is not an easy task but you must remember your duties, and as a first born and set an example for yourself and the kingdom. But I expect things will go fine anyway Master Raimundo."

"Geez thanks," muttered a sarcastic Rai.

"Oh, Master Raimundo I forgot to remind you, your tutor will be arriving soon. Make sure you arrive on time."

Groaning as he dragged himself into the palace, he took a final glance over the wall where it separated himself from the outside world, he'd longed to see it.

------------

Trembling with fear as she carried the steaming mug, Kimiko walked carefully over to the settee where Wuya was sitting sloppily. She was screaming at Jack telling him once again that he was a failure and embarrassment to the family, which was soon followed with several beatings. The most disturbing part was when he barely even twitched, as this was a daily routine to him. As Kimiko drew closer, she tried to keep a calm exterior. She'd learnt from past experience that even though Jack was her friend, she couldn't protect him. That enraged Wuya more and left a burnt scar on Kimiko's left arm to remind her to mind her own business.

As soon as Jack was dismissed, Kimiko served up the tea without a 'thank you' but a 'clean your sister's room'. Deciding not to point out that Ashley was her stepsister not actual sister, she grabbed a bin liner and hurried over to her room. As she entered the room, she began to gather the litter surrounding the floor, acknowledging that her stepsister was bandaging up Jack. This was no shock to her, she'd known for about 2 years now that they'd been seeing each other behind Wuya's back. Although it was kinda sick knowing that your stepsiblings were at in secret but it wasn't entirely their fault. Wuya used to molest them at a young age (before Kimiko joined the family) and only had each other for comfort. They weren't even legally related yet Wuya wanted to destroy their nurturing bond by separating the two apart. She started treating Ashley like a princess and Jack like an animal. Even though she was pure of heart, Ashley had to act heartless for Wuya so that she could save herself from Wuya's torturous behaviour.

Placing the last band aid on his arm, Ashley got up and left the room on Wuya's call downstairs.

"See ya guys later," she mouthed blowing a kiss in the air.

As they heard the two leave the house, Jack and Kim let out a sigh of relief.

"Where are they going?" Kimiko asked sitting down on a stool near a dresser.

"To the shopping centre," Jack said combing his hand through his crayon red hair. " They need to choose a gown for the royal ball tonight."

"Royal ball?" Asked Kimiko. She was forbidden to leave the house for any reason as she was least trusted by Wuya.

Sighing at her lack of knowledge, Jack continued on, " the prince needs a bride to rule the kingdom with so a royal ball has been arranged for tonight that every maiden must go to so that they can offer themselves to the prince. Ashley doesn't want to go but Wuya's making her. And you can imagine who'll get the blame if she doesn't get chosen."

Shivering at the thought, Kimiko looked into the mirror studying her reflection.

"You could try but its not bloody likely that Wuya will let you go," Jack snorted.

Sighing with disappointment she quietly murmured, " I guess it's worth a shot…"

Laura: End of chapter 1. The beginning was a little cliché but hey, it was bound to be like that anyway. It's obvious where its going but that's ok I guess. Anyway, please review if you've gotten this far reading. Thanks. xXx