A/N dated Dec. 10, 2008. Hey peeps! I've decided to reupload Chapter 1. Don't worry, its simply because one of the penames no longer is existent and also I don't wish to use a paticular last name for a character. The content will be the same, but I just needed to change a few spelling/grammar mistakes. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy!
((AUTHORS WARNING: OpaqueOpal is one of the biggest procrastinators in the world. So don't be suprised if it takes her over 3 months to update a story. It could be a variety of reasons whether its procrastination, writer's block, or laziness, it takes a while for her to upload a chapter. :))
First and foremost, I'd like to thank the following people. Without their help and amazing online friendships, this story wouldn't be possible: LazyChestnut, ForestWater, LilyHelsing. The only exception to this is eXsTorDiNaRiLy InViSiBlE because she is my cousin whom I love dearly.
Disclaimer: All the characters are based off a character survey in Chapter 16 of Le Banni Fleur 2: The Beautiful Traitor. That being said, the following people own the listed characters:
LazyChestnut- Maggie Duncan
ForestWater- Diane Bontecou
LilyHelsing-Steffanie Stubeck
eXsTorDiNaRiLy InViSiBlE- Ella Daniels
OpaqueOpal- Everyone else... including Elaine
A/N: THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS A FLASHBACK! They won't be going to Disney World for another few chapters...
June 21, 1996
Five year old Maggie Duncan watched the clock eagerly. She was supposed to be drawing a picture of her favorite thing, but was distracted. In a few minutes time, she'd be free to enjoy the summer. And next year, she'd be a first grader! She couldn't wait!
"Five more minutes!" warned Miss Close, her teacher. Miss Close was one of those teachers that had the students working until the last minute. Because of this, Maggie was late to her bus every single day. Luckily, her mother understood and always would pick her up. As soon as the clock struck three, Maggie cheered.
"YAY! SUMMER VACATION!" she exclaimed, throwing her crayons in the air.
"Pick those up!" the teacher scolded. Grumbling, Maggie crumpled up her paper and shoved it deep in her pocket. She bent down on the carpet floor and started to pick up the crayons.
"We'll help you Maggie!" chorused two voices. Looking up, Maggie saw her two best friends: Elaine Aldridge and Diane Bontecou. Diane had blue eyes and messy blonde hair that looked like it hadn't seen a hairbrush. Elaine had green eyes and strawberry-blonde hair that hung in two braids. Like their appearances, Elaine and Diane were polar opposites. Elaine was hyperactive, while Diane was more reserved. Elaine liked to break the rules, and Diane played it safe. However, their differences brought them closer together. By the time they picked up the crayons, most of the class was ready to leave.
"Time for our last good-bye song!" Miss Close said happily. Some children looked on the verge of tears, but Maggie, Elaine, and Diane were estatic! Since they were neighbors, they got to spend a lot of time together. On top of that, their mom's had planned a short trip with the other kids in the neighborhood. They were going to see a movie (which one, they did not know) and then eat pizza at Chuck E. Cheese's!
"Now let's hold hands and sing!" Miss Close exclaimed. Maggie stood in between her friends and clasped their hands. They were sticky and sweaty, but Maggie held tight.
"We'll always be best friends, right?" Maggie whispered to them.
"You betcha!" Elaine said.
"Of course!" Diane smiled.
But before they could continue, Miss Close had them all singing:
Good bye (insert name here)!
Good bye (insert name here)!
We'll see you again soon!
They proceeded to say that for all the twenty or so students in the classroom. As soon as the last name was ushered, the friends bolted to their cubbies.
"What movie do you think we're gonna see?" Diane asked eagerly, slipping into her Barbie backpack.
"I hope we see Flipper!" said a haughty voice. Turning around, the girls came face to face with Clarissa Menchini, their arch enemy. Behind her back, they called her Clarissa Meanchini. Spoiled rotten and filthy rich, she got everything she could want. Her mother owned her stable while her dad was an agent in New York City. Her other rich friends, Tami Johnson and Lily Greenhall, did whatever they could to make Maggie miserable.
"Who said you were going?" Elaine retorted.
"My mommy said we were. And besides, you should know! We live on the same street!" Clarissa snapped. Tami and Lily giggled, making Elaine blush with embarrassment.
"You leave Elaine alone!" shouted Maggie.
"Oh yeah, who's gonna make me?" Clarissa challenged, placing her hands on her hips.
"I'm afraid I'll have to," said a voice. Looking up, Maggie noticed her mom. And much to her dismay, Clarissa's mom was there too.
"Oh my poor baby!" Mrs. Menchini exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her bony daughter, "Were those girls being mean to you?"
"Yes mommy they were!" Clarissa said smugly.
"Pardon me, Jean, but that's not what it looked like from my angle," argued Mrs. Duncan, stepping in.
"I'm sorry Lauren but I won't tolerate bullies around my daughter!" said Mrs. Menchini, balancing her daughter on her hip.
"Are you calling my daughter a bully?" Mrs. Duncan asked defensively.
"Ladies! Please! Think of the children!" said Miss Close, jumping in between them.
"Let me tell you something Lauren! Today's outing is the last time our daughters will hang out together!"
And with that, Mrs. Menchini took Clarissa out of the room. Tami and Lily followed her, glaring at Maggie as they passed.
"Good riddance," Mrs. Duncan grumbled, crossing her arms.
"I don't wanna hang out with a sourpuss like her anyway," declared Diane.
Everyone laughed, including Miss Close.
"We'll still have to put up with her during the movie," reminded Mrs. Duncan.
"Speaking of which, what movie are we seeing?" Elaine asked.
"You'll see," promised Mrs. Duncan.
An hour later, the girls arrived in front of the cinema with their mothers.
"3 adults and 3 children for Hunchback of Notre Dame!" said Mrs. Duncan, taking out her credit card.
"I WANTED TO SEE FLIPPER!" Clarissa screamed, stomping her feet.
"You can go see Flipper then," Diane said.
"Mommy, can we see Flipper instead? Diane is seeing a BORING movie!"
"Of course sweetheart. You don't mind, do you Lauren?" simpered Mrs. Menchini.
"Not at all," Mrs. Duncan said, faking a smile.
"YAY!" cheered Elaine as they were handed tickets, "It looks so good! There's this part where some girl DANCES! And her dress is really pretty!"
"But there are scary men in it!" Diane pointed out.
"Now honey, there's nothing to worry about," said Mrs. Bontecou, patting her daughter on the head.
"Can we get a jumbo popcorn bucket mommy?" asked Maggie, trying to steer her toward the concession stand
"No, we're going out to Chuck E. Cheese's later," said Mrs. Duncan.
They entered the crowded movie theater. Little kids were crying and spilling food everywhere. Others were running up and down the aisles, causing chaos.
"Elaine! Maggie! Diane! Come sit with us!" called a voice.
"Mommy, look! It's Ella and Steffanie!" said Elaine, tugging her mother towards the two girls and their parents. Ella Daniels and Steffanie Stubeck were both first graders, so the girls didn't see them at school. Instead, they relied on their mothers to organize play dates. Steffanie had black hair and green eyes. Her mother was very pushy for her to succeed. In fact, she took riding lessons at the Menchini's stable. Not only that, she took gymnastics, ballet and entered beauty pageants. However, she wasn't stuck-up like Clarissa. Ella had brown hair and onyx colored eyes. Unlike most girls her age, she wasn't interested in the color pink or Barbie dolls. Instead, she watched Disney movies to the point of memorization and played with Hot Wheels cars.
"Mommy, is it okay if you and the other mommies sit behind us?" Maggie asked.
"Of course! Ella and Steffanie can watch you,"
"Sweet!" said Diane, climbing into her squashy red seat.
"You guys want popcorn?" Ella offered, holding the bucket out.
Without responding, the girls grabbed handfuls of the food; most of it falling on the floor.
"AND NOW OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION!" said the screen. The girls watched with awe as the Notre Dame Cathedral towered over the clouds…
"THAT WAS THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER!" screamed Elaine as the credits rolled in.
"Frollo was a SCARY!" Diane whimpered.
"Are you kidding? He was cool! Did you see the way he rode around on his horse?" Steffanie exclaimed.
"I LOVED CLOPIN!" cheered Maggie.
"But he was mean! All those skeletons scared me! I never want to be a plumber in case I find THEM in the sewer!" said Elaine.
"I thought you liked the movie though!" Ella cried in disbelief.
"I did!" Elaine insisted, "Did you memorize the script?"
"Not yet, but I remember most of the movie!" Ella said matter-of-factly. She entertained them all the way to the parking lot, imitating Esmeralda's kind voice perfectly.
"Remember, you take a right on Park Street and Chuck E. Cheese's will be on your left," said Mrs. Duncan to the other moms, buckling Maggie into her car seat.
"What did you think of the movie, mommy?" Maggie asked as her mother started the car.
"A little dark compared to other Disney movies. But it had a good message behind it," said Mrs. Duncan.
"What was the message?"
"That you should judge people by how they are on the inside, not the outside. Even though Quasimodo was ugly, he was kind and gentle. And even though Frollo looked nice, he was mean to everyone."
Maggie nodded, still a little confused. Maybe she'd understand the complexities behind the movies when she was older. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the crumpled piece of paper she was supposed to draw on earlier. Back in the classroom, she didn't know what her favorite thing was, but she did now. It was The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! In case you were wondering why I used June 21, 1996 as the date its because that was when Hunchback of Notre Dame hit movie theaters. Why did I mention Flipper? Because that was the only kid-friendly movie I could find that was in theaters the same time as HoND. Please R&R!