1 A New Beginning

After months of waiting and impatience, Mia, the daughter of a wretched old poor woman living in a small cottage in Grotlik, a small town off the border of the city of Pycea received the news that would change her life and set her on the journey she had planned her entire life.

She came in to the little courtyard with smiles all over her face. Her mother, Miss Elsa knew it was time for her little Princess to leave her alone to continue her dreams in the city. She anxiously asked, "who lifted the spirit of my Princess today." With tears of joy, she answered, "Mother, finally my wait is over." She did not know whether to be happy for her daughter or be sad for herself. She however grinned and tried to feel happy for her only daughter.

Miss Elsa realized that Mia's smile was fading away as she stood before her. She knew exactly what the problem was. How was an old "hag" like herself going to raise money to finance her education through out college.

She still remembered the days when her husband was alive; life in the comfort of a big mansion in the city with tons of servants ready to obey her every command. "Well, this is my new life and there is nothing I can do to change it", she whispered to herself.

Mia returned to her usual state of misery and depression. She returned to her room, looked herself and refused to eat for the next couple of days. Her mother, Miss Elsa understood her daughter; she knew what it meant to have one's dreams crushed to the ground as she herself had suffered the same fate many years ago.

In the principal cities of Pycea lived Daniella, daughter of billionaire who used his money to get her daughter whatever she wished for. Daniella was known by all as a spoiled brat but to her father Mr. Louis, everything had a price and he was ever willing to pay to keep her little angel happy.

He knocked gently on the door to her luxurious room decorated with the most expensive silk curtains he had ever seen. He waited a while but there was no response. He knocked for the second time with fear that one of his business rivals might have ordered a hit on her daughter while he slept in his lounge.

He busted into the room only to see her daughter rolling on the floor with tears all over her body. Her eyes looked sullen and red for she had cried the entire night.

He kneeled close to her torso and gently brushed her hair and whispered in her ear, "what is bothering my angel? Tell me what you need. Your wish is my command." She knew her dad will do anything to see her smile again for she was the only family he had left. Her mother, his wife had run away with the gardener a just a year after she was born stealing half of the money he had in his briefcase never to return. The only thing of hers he still kept was a letter telling him to take care of their little daughter.

Daniella revealed to her dad that the college had rejected her application to gain admission to further her education. She had performed poorly and was way below average to be considered to such a prestigious college. Her dad almost felt angry but kept his composure and promised to give her some good news on his way home from the office after the days work.

Back in Grotlik, Miss Elsa lies on her wooden bed thinking about what to do to bring her daughter out of her distress. For she knew the only thing that could lift her spirit was for her to accomplish her dream of getting admitted to the Oakwood College of Fine Arts.

She decided to sell all the ornaments she retrieved from her dead husbands locker before the house was set on fire by the angry mob who accused her husband of embezzling national funds.

The next day, she set off to the pawn shop hopping to get a good deal for a few of the good jewelries her husband had entrusted to her care. Upon seeing that she cared a lot of jewels the greedy pawnbroker decided to pull a fast one of her by giving her half the worth of all she had.

She initially rejected the offer but remembered she had no other option as the next pawn show was 3 days walk away from her for she had no money to pay for a cab to the city. She returned home to her daughter and gave her all the money she had made from the sale of her precious ornaments. Mia upon seeing the sacrifice of her mother hugged her as tight as she could with tears running down her eyes. She was touched by her mothers kindness and love but deep down within her she regretted being the reason her mother had to loose her only means of remembering her dead husband.

Mr. Louis came back home and saw her daughter sitting calmly in the swing watching the sunset. With smiles, he handed her an envelope. She opened it to see her name on the admission letter. Immediately her face was lite with happiness. Indeed her dad would do anything to make her happy. He had gone to the office of the Vice Chancellor and offered him a deal he could never reject for him to turn a blind eye on his daughters poor performance to secure her a place in her dream school.

As the days went by, Mia grew more impatient as she could not wait any longer to to taste and experience every bit of her new environment. She had packed all her belongings like she was travelling to another planet never to return home. Her mother Miss Elsa was happy her little daughter was now ready to begin a new chapter in her life.