Hinder-Rella

December 23rd 20XX - 11:30 p.m. a date and time that would forever change the lives of the Steel family in Rune City.

"Why? Why? WHY?!?!" each word her father, Avery Steel yelled resonated in the heart of Olivia Steel. Every passing moment thundered against her heart as she stood beside the hospital bed looking upon her beloved mother. Grace Steel was a women beyond human beauty, any person who had eyes could tell you the same information as they passed the silent woman who laid upon the hospital bed. Her skin was translucent white, hair resembled waves of ebony, het lips were plump and red but her face was small and delicate.

Anyone who looked upon this beauty would never believe that her soul had moved across the planes of existence and safely passed through the golden gates. Except for one single note, playing continuously in the room, indicating that her heart finally gave up the fight and stopped.

In the next passing moments everything turned into one massive blur, nothing was registering in her brain. Everyone was moving slowly, people were yelling into the hallways while her father was calling out to her mother with tears streaming down his face. Olivia just stood there feeling tiny and useless as she watched this surreal scene play around her.

"Sir! Sir! You need to move your daughter out of here now!" a nurse yelled as she tried to push the sobbing man back.

"Sir we need to do our job someone call security!" another yelled as she tried to make way. The image of some unknown nurses trying to drag her father away from her mother was foreign to her. She watched as her father pushed his way through, refusing to leave her mother's side.

He reached out towards her, grasped at the air until he made contact. He held onto her slender hand refusing to believe that his wife's heart just stopped. In the next second, two men in dark suits came running into the room followed by a tall, rugged man dressed in a forest green suit with white pin strips and a black tie.

His face looked grim as he ordered the body guards to remove her father from the room. As the men were separating her parents, a loud and heart breaking cry was coming out of her father's mouth, as tears and fists were sent flying.

Finally the hold that was placed on Olivia was cut loose and her senses were slowly coming back. "Daddy? Daddy?! What are you doing to my daddy!" Olivia shouted as she stared at the scene before her. Little Olivia couldn't stay still anymore, these men that she thought were her father's friends, her family, were trying to take her father away from her mother but before she could move someone grabbed her little hand.

She turned quickly to face the person who held her hand. Her eyes shot upwards to the tall man's face, his ice blue eyes were brimming with tears as he met her confused and hurt hazel coloured eyes. "Uncle Robin please let my daddy be with mommy! Please get them to let him go!" she begged as she squeezed the man's big hand with her little one.

However her little pleas fell on deaf ears. Her uncle Robin let go of her hand, bent over, picked up the 6 year old girl and carried her right out of the room without saying a single word. All Olivia could do was embrace the man's neck as they silently followed the wails of a broken hearted Avery Steel.

.....

It had been a decade since her mother's passing and every year on her anniversary Olivia and Avery Steel would always spend the night outside on the porch of their family cottage. They would wrapped themselves up in a thick blanket, sit in her mom's favorite swing chair and look up at the stars.

The now 16 year old Olivia knew that her mother had not actually turned into a twinkling, shooting star as she was once told by her father so many years ago. However the tradition still stood and they would spend the night watching out for her mother's star, waiting to see if it would fly through the night sky, sending them her love and blessings.

"Dad" Olivia announced as she looked at her father sitting beside her cuddling a thermos full of their favorite home made hot chocolate. His nose was red and starting to run but his cheek would not stop rubbing against the warmth that was radiating the thermos. "Dad!" she shouted a little too loudly, causing her father to finally snap back to his senses "W-what?! Huh? Oh .... Yes my sweet Livy." he said awkwardly as he slowly moved the thermos away from his face.

Honestly Olivia didn't think her dad would ever get out of the habit of calling her Livy but enough was enough! She wanted to have a serious discussion with her father and being called by the endearing nickname was not helping.

She quickly brought her fist to her dark pink lips and cleared her throat. "Father, as you may have not realized I am 16 this year and I will be turning 17 very soon." She said in a dignified voice. She raised her nose into the air and paused for affect. After a moment she peeked at her father from beneath her eyelashes to see if she had successfully captured his attention.

Once she was satisfied with the dumbstruck look on his face, she straightened her back, moved her gaze up to the stars and acted like she was speaking to her mother rather then her father.

"I would like to debut with everyone else who will be turning 18. I know that it will be another year and 5 months before I do turn 18 but I do need time to prepare something special for the debutante ball. Don't get me wrong, I know this is supposed to be a daughter-mother bonding event and I know more than anyone else in this whole, wide world that you have been giving me enough love in place of two people but I want to be the one that has the only say in the dress that I will be wearing." she said a little too rushed. After Olivia caught her breath the pressure of the words in her rant got to her. Suddenly she felt like her heart became lodged in her throat.

She was scared to look at her father but she tore her gaze from the stars, silently wishing that a shooting star would light up the night, as a sign that her mother was on her side. She turned her body slightly, adjusting the blanket so she could properly face her father.

Olivia took a deep breath calming breathe to settle her nerves and hopefully put her heart back in it's place. Once she had a handle of her emotions she allowed the cold wind to wisp a few loose locks of hair that gently framed her face.

"I want to enter into the working world and earn the money for my dress. I do not want your opinion on the dress or hear any complaints. That way I can hold my head up high and be proud that I am not playing make believe! That I am a a genuine lady. I want to prove that I am ready for the real world and walk out as a lady who has experienced hardship and prevailed!" she said with such vigour that it caused her cheeks to blush.

That did it for Avery, his heart melted when he saw the look in her eyes, twinkling like star light. Her face was showing so much excitement and anticipation that he couldn't think of a way to argue with her. It was a look that started it all.