Chapter 1: The Orphanage
A/N: I was bored, and I felt like writing a Mary-Sue Legomance. This chapter really, really sucks because when I first started writing it I was with my friends and I thought 'I should write a Mary-Sue Legomance with all the sappy stuff about the horrible life and orphanage' so I did. Please don't think the entire story is like the first few chapters. Yeah. So, read and review please!
"Rhino!"
Elerina slowly came to her senses, but did not open her eyes.
"Hey Rhino!"
This time she opened her eyes. She brushed her knee-length, silky smooth strawberry blond hair from her face.
"You have three minutes instead of your usual five to brush that dang hair of yours 'cause you wouldn't wake up. The Mistress says if you don't get your chores done on time she will skin you alive. And you'll miss breakfast," said Sandy. Sandy had short, jet-black hair that hung just above her shoulders. She had dark and mischievous eyes. She was the Mistress's favorite, and didn't have to do any chores at the orphanage.
"I won't have to miss breakfast, since you always eat my share anyway, you pig!" Elerina yelled at Sandy. Sandy gasped.
"I'm gonna go tell Mistress and she's gonna make you miserable, Rhino!" Sandy shouted as she ran down the hall.
Elerina scowled at her nickname. When she had first come to the orphanageten years ago when she was seven, they had pronounced her name as it was spelled. Rina instead of Reena. Sandy laughed and started calling her Rhino, and it stuck. Sandy also at once noticed that Elerina had strange, delicately pointed ears, and made fun of her for that also. Everyone at the orphanage hated Rina, including the Mistress, and she cruelly forced Rina to clean the Mistress's quarters until it shown every single day, in addition to her other chores, which were cleaning the bathrooms and doing the breakfast and dinner dishes. She had more chores than anyone else.
She reached for her brush and sat in front of her tiny mirror and started quickly brushing the tangles out of her hair. The girl of 17 was tall and slender, muscular yet thin, and very feminine. She had beautifully fine features in her face, but they were always hidden by dirt. Long, thick, coal black lashes framed her deep sea green and grey eyes.
She hadn't even started to braid her hair when the Mistress came in. Elerina quickly put her hair into a ponytail, stood up, and curtsied.
"Yes Mistress?" she said politely.
"Don't 'Yes Mistress' me, Rhino. Is it true that you called Sandy a pig?" said the plump woman. She had curly orange hair and bright, menacing green eyes. She was well dressed and always over-did it on the makeup.
"Yes Mistress, I did," she said calmly.
"And, why, may I ask, did you do such a thing?" said the Mistress very sternly.
"Because," was all she said. The mistress swiftly raised a hand a slapped her squarely across the face.
"You come with me, snot bag," said the Mistress. Elerina was feeling defiant.
"No," she said plainly.
"You imbecile!" the Mistress yelled. She grabbed Elerina's arm and started to drag her out the door. Elerina tried to struggle, but because she was poorly fed, was no match for the strength of the Mistress.
The Mistress dragged her into an empty room and threw her on the hard floor. The Mistress picked up a stick.
"You pathetic waste! I am going to make you so miserable you will wish you had never been born!" she yelled. She walked up to Elerina, who was just about to get up, and whacked her hard across the back with the stick. Elerina winced in pain, but was determined not to let the Mistress get the better of her. She tried to get up, and the Mistress again whacked her across the back, tearing her blouse and slashing into her skin. Elerina could feel the blood running down her back and tried not to cry out.
"What do you think now?" said the Mistress. "You should have thought first! But now it's too late. Look at me you stupid wretch!"
Elerina raised her eyes to the Mistress only to be met with an unmerciful blow to the face. This time Elerina cried out. She put her hand on her face and felt the warmth of the blood as it dripped off her chin to the floor. She took her hand off and again was hit in the face. She fell face first onto the floor, and did not get back up.
After a few moments she managed with much pain to roll over. She looked at where the Mistress was standing, but she wasn't there. The room started spinning and fading away. Then everything went black.