《General》

Araviana became chaos as the Mayor George got killed after the selection result. People of Araviana went madness; they did not care about the children's safety and kept made ruckus around the city. The government of Araviana was about to go down if there was no precaution steps taken sooner.

"Mommy!!!" a little girl called for her mother while sobbing, looking for her mother in the crowd of people. "Mommyyy!"

"Bella, stay there!" a middle aged woman said to the little girl from afar. She hardly moved as the people around her were fighting with each other. "Don't come here, stay where you are, honey!"

"Don't leave me, please!!!" The little girl sobbed while watching her mother got dragged into a black shiny van. "No...mommy!"

The men in the black suits forcefully taken away Bella's mother right in front of her and the little girl could do nothing about it instead of sobbing in the middle of riot crowds. "Don't leave me, please..."

"Bella....hey, Bella!" A bronze hair boy approached her, blocking the ruckus crowds from hurting his friend with his small body. "Are you okay?"

"S-stefan,"she said sobbingly. "M-my mother...."

He gently grabs her hand, "Yes, I know...come, let's get out of here," he suggested. "It's not safe here."

Bella followed the young boy's without any hesitation since he was the only person she knew at that moment. She have nobody except for her mother as her father already passed away in a tragic accident when she was 6 years old.

"Stefan!" A middle aged man approached the young bronze hair boy. "Where were you! I'm so worried about you, son." He then pulled him into a tight hug.

"Sorry daddy," he apologized. "I found Bella in the middle of the crowd, crying. And her mother was taken away too,”

"That's it, we're not safe here anymore," said the man while grabbing both of the children's hands. "We should return home now, come Bella."

"B-but my mother..."she pulled her hand back.

Stefan's father crouches in front of her, "I'll see what I can do to find your mom, okay, Bella?" he persuaded her, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

She nodded as a reply then followed the two of them to the safest place from the riot.

 *

"Greeting, I'm Andrew Blake, reporter from the riot site of Araviana. As you can see back there.....people all went mad after the Mayor George got killed right after the announcement. The crowds here started to protest and I wasn't sure how long it will last," there was a massive riot behind of the reporter who was reporting about the scene. The crowd was out of control and they even fought themselves to show who were powerful that time.

"It seems like it getting worst there, dear," a middle aged beautiful woman said to her husband as she watched the news on the television.

"It seems so," her husband agreed.

"Excuse me your highness," the king's secretary politely knocked the door. "King Rupert requested for an urgent meeting at Araviana."

The queen looked at her husband with puppy eyes so he will changed his mind. "I'm sorry, dear," the king said.

"Mother," a young little prince came to his mother with a small robot on his arm. "Are you leaving me again?" his puppy looking eyes melted his mother heart but she knew she cannot change her mind. “Can I come along too, mother?”

She gives a quick peck on the little one's forehead, "I can't, dear. But, I promise I will come home sooner, okay? We will have a picnic just like sweet Nicholas like it...*touches the tip of his nose*...."

The young one smiles widely, "Really?"

She nods, "Yes, my baby,"

"You too, father?" the boy turned to the king who was staring at his two precious family with full of affections. "Yes, Nicholas...the three of us," his words made the boy in cheered happily. But, it was not for long as the king and queen of Scadyvynia could not kept their promises giving their child a deep impact for the rest of his life.

10 years later

“Here…take this Bella,” an old lady handed over a golden brown envelop color to a chestnut hair girl. “It’s your chance, my dear,” the old lady who used to be private tailor for the royal caressed gently her beloved student’s cheek. “Don’t waste it, okay?”

Bella, who grew up into a gorgeous looking girl read the envelop content with teary eyes, “Thank you, Mrs Brown….” She shed the tears. “Thank you so much….” Then hugged her master tightly.

“No, my dear,” Mrs Brown, the tailor rubbed the girl’s back. “You did it yourself, your own effort,” she released the hug, wiping the tears from the girl’s cheeks. “You’re very talented girl, so you deserve it, Bella. Besides, it’s your chance for you to get away from here. Aren’t you want to get out from your ungrateful aunt?”

She nodded, “But what about you, Mrs Brown? Who will help you if I left here?”

“Don’t worry about me, dear,” Mrs Brown held Bella’s hands, staring into her beautiful brown eyes color. “Just accept the offer, okay. Show them how talented you’re.”

*                                        

“Don’t you dare leave this house, you ungrateful child!” An old woman with curly hair shouted loudly. “I will never let you go for that stupid school!” There were two other women with her too, gambling with her since last night.

“But Aunt Sue, this is the great chance for me to improve my skill,” Bella begged for her aunt. “I will earn you a lot of money after I graduated, I promise…”

“Don’t you let her talk like you like that, Sue,” one of her aunt’s friends interrupted. “It sounded like your life is depend on her…”

"What a rude girl," the other one agreed. "You should teach her a lesson, Sue or that wrench will step on your head…"

The curly hair old lady seemed convinced with her gambling friends. She stood up from her chair then walked closer to the chestnut hair girl with furious face. "Come here!" She grabbed harshly the girl's shirt then dragged her forcefully towards the small room opposite of their kitchen. "You, stay here, you filthy girl! Don't you dare coming out from this room until I said so!"

"B-but Aunty Sue," the girl tried to get away from the storage room. "Please let me go…"

"You're just like your mother... arrogant, ungrateful wrench," the heartless old woman slammed the storage door. "Now stay there and be quiet!"

"No, please....open the door," the dark room traumatized her so much.

She once trapped for a day in the same room where her aunt purposely locked her as a punishment for broke a plate. Luckily, her kind uncle found her on the right time or she might be dead of coldness and starvation.

Her aunt and uncle were the only guardian she had after she received a news about her dead mother. Stefan's father managed to save her and the other hostages from the mafia, but unfortunately, the van got into a big accident on the way back to Araviana, which killed all of the passengers including the driver.

After two hours stuck in there, an old man opened the locked storage room, revealing the weak Bella who lied on the floor in coldness. "Bella...oh my god, are you okay, my dear?" He quickly took off his jacket and covered his shivering niece. "Was Sue did this to you again?"

"N-no," Bella replied weakly. "I got locked up in here by myself, uncle."

"Please don't cover up your aunt, Bella," he slowly brought Bella out of the room. "I heard you got the offer from Mrs Brown. I’m so proud of you, my child. That’s it, you’ll go there tonight. I’ll send you to my friend’s house.”

Bella stared at her uncle with teary eyes, "What about you, uncle?"

"Don't worry about me," he said with a weak smile. "I'll be fine."

"B-but uncle..." Bella hesitated.

"Now go, Bells, pack your things before your aunt see you." Bella's uncle gently guided her towards the stairs. "Bella.." but stopped her again in middle of the way. "Take this, use it well, okay, my dear," he swiftly put a roll of money inside of Bella's pocket.

"But it's too much uncle," Bella hesitated and even tried to return it back. "I really don't want to trouble you."

"It's fine, Bella," Bella's uncle gently patted her head.

"Thank you, uncle," she went down two steps of stairs and hugged her uncle while sobbing in his arms. "Thank you so much for being nice for me all the time,"