A/N: Okay. my very first fanfic! I have no idea if this is worth doing,
so pleez review- I don't care if u totally hate it and think it's a blemish
to all fanfic!! Just review! Thanks.
Great, she thought. Another Christmas is coming. It was Christmas Eve. She envisioned herself and her father sitting down to a delectable dinner in the beautiful dining room at the beautiful carved mahogany table, struggling to maintain a conversation while they ate. Deciding she had enough time to wrap her father's gift before dinner, she headed towards her room armed with festive wrapping paper, tape and scissors. Her father was descending as she reached the stairwell. Damn, I knew I should have taken the back staircase!
"Ella, I hope you haven't forgotten my company New Years party," he said, " Try and pick out something nice this year- wouldn't want them to think I had a plain daughter, now would I?"
Last year, she had worn a gray shirt and black pants, but apparently that wasn't good enough for some obscure reason, known only to her father. It wasn't like she looked gothic; there was nothing about her appearance anyone except her father would remark upon. He had preset notions of what a family should be, and that was that as far as he was concerned.
Nothing Ella could do seemed to please him. Not even a decent GPA in a competitive high school, or the fencing and karate lessons she took because it was something he had done when he was younger, or getting into Columbia's journalism school was good enough.
When she thought about it, she wondered how she had possibly gotten into Columbia. She was smart, but she wasn't some 4.0 Olympic athlete. Dad probably has a couple friends on the board, she thought with disgust. Yeah, that did it or a really big grant.
"Right," she replied, continuing upstairs. She dumped the wrapping paper on her bed and fished out her father's sweater from her closet. Another typical run of the mill sweater. She hated getting him something so ordinary and unpersonal. Peering into her closet, she pulled out a green sweater. She decided to wear it for the party. It would look good with her green eyes and warm auburn hair, and was fitted so it wouldn't make her tall, thin figure look too much like a scarecrow. Red would just make her hair look like oranges hanging on a really tall tree, so green would have to be festive enough for the party.
With her newly wrapped present, she ventured downstairs to lay it under the tree, to perfectly bedecked with golden gauzy ribbon and coordinating gold ornaments. Too perfect. She rebelliously tugged one of the ribbons out of place.
The dining room was also perfectly decorated and the food was already laid out. Her father was already at the head of the table. Ella sat down and each of them piled food onto their plates and ate in silence aside from a few random questions and answers to break the monotony.
It had been like this ever since her mother had died when she was in middle school. The housekeeper had always been nice to her, but she could never fill the gap. When her mother had been around, everything had been perfect. Everyone had gotten along, and everyone was happy. As Ella struggled to find something else to say to her father, she felt a sharp pang of sadness. It was at times like these when Ella missed her mother the most. Ella's thoughts were interrupted when the butler came in with a guest.
"Mister Gandalf here to join you for dinner," he announced.
Ella flung herself out of her chair in eagerness to greet Gandalf.
"It's been so long!" she exclaimed. Mister Gandalf was supposedly a distant relation of her mother's. When she was younger, she had pried out of him that they had been really close friends, but not related. That didn't change anything; she and Gandalf were still close, and couldn't be separated during his infrequent visits.
"Ah, Gandalf, simply wonderful to see you again," her father greeted him.
Gandalf joined them for dinner. Ella talked to him, telling him about her senior year of high school, as well as her acceptance into college.
"Please excuse me, I have a call to make for the company. We just might be able to merge another company with ours," he said.
"Great, Dad," she replied with forced cheerfulness.
Ella and Gandalf talked more.
"So, what have you been doing?" Ella asked.
"I've been very busy," he replied evasively.
Then he came over to sit next to Ella.
"I can tell that you are unhappy here. Your body language betrays it. Forgive me for bluntness, but if there reaches a point that you feel you do not belong here, and you would be willing to begin anew, well, I give you this."
He handed her a silver pendant with detailed scrolls and patterns attached to a fine silver chain. She held it and almost dropped it in astonishment. It was so light, she felt it had to be some other metal. No earthly metal had ever felt as light as the silver lining of a cloud.
"What is it?" she breathed.
"This pendant allows you a new chance, but you must say the proper words, written on this paper, for it to work," he said, and folded a small scrap of yellowed paper into a crease in the pendant. "Be warned! You will face a whole new life- no friends or family. Different challenges will await you if you choose begin anew as well as a different destiny. But, I will be there to guide you, and I will need your help in the future."
"My help?" she asked incredulously, "What can I possibly do for you?"
"Many things, my dear, some of which you have already displayed: your intelligence, resourcefulness, and creativity will all be of use to you in your new life. But you have other qualities waiting to surface."
"Think about it. But, there is one condition. You must make you decision by the New Year."
"I must be off now," he announced.
"What? So soon?"
" Yes, I am afraid so," he replied. " Think about what I have said."
And Gandalf left, leaving behind a very confused Ella.
Great, she thought. Another Christmas is coming. It was Christmas Eve. She envisioned herself and her father sitting down to a delectable dinner in the beautiful dining room at the beautiful carved mahogany table, struggling to maintain a conversation while they ate. Deciding she had enough time to wrap her father's gift before dinner, she headed towards her room armed with festive wrapping paper, tape and scissors. Her father was descending as she reached the stairwell. Damn, I knew I should have taken the back staircase!
"Ella, I hope you haven't forgotten my company New Years party," he said, " Try and pick out something nice this year- wouldn't want them to think I had a plain daughter, now would I?"
Last year, she had worn a gray shirt and black pants, but apparently that wasn't good enough for some obscure reason, known only to her father. It wasn't like she looked gothic; there was nothing about her appearance anyone except her father would remark upon. He had preset notions of what a family should be, and that was that as far as he was concerned.
Nothing Ella could do seemed to please him. Not even a decent GPA in a competitive high school, or the fencing and karate lessons she took because it was something he had done when he was younger, or getting into Columbia's journalism school was good enough.
When she thought about it, she wondered how she had possibly gotten into Columbia. She was smart, but she wasn't some 4.0 Olympic athlete. Dad probably has a couple friends on the board, she thought with disgust. Yeah, that did it or a really big grant.
"Right," she replied, continuing upstairs. She dumped the wrapping paper on her bed and fished out her father's sweater from her closet. Another typical run of the mill sweater. She hated getting him something so ordinary and unpersonal. Peering into her closet, she pulled out a green sweater. She decided to wear it for the party. It would look good with her green eyes and warm auburn hair, and was fitted so it wouldn't make her tall, thin figure look too much like a scarecrow. Red would just make her hair look like oranges hanging on a really tall tree, so green would have to be festive enough for the party.
With her newly wrapped present, she ventured downstairs to lay it under the tree, to perfectly bedecked with golden gauzy ribbon and coordinating gold ornaments. Too perfect. She rebelliously tugged one of the ribbons out of place.
The dining room was also perfectly decorated and the food was already laid out. Her father was already at the head of the table. Ella sat down and each of them piled food onto their plates and ate in silence aside from a few random questions and answers to break the monotony.
It had been like this ever since her mother had died when she was in middle school. The housekeeper had always been nice to her, but she could never fill the gap. When her mother had been around, everything had been perfect. Everyone had gotten along, and everyone was happy. As Ella struggled to find something else to say to her father, she felt a sharp pang of sadness. It was at times like these when Ella missed her mother the most. Ella's thoughts were interrupted when the butler came in with a guest.
"Mister Gandalf here to join you for dinner," he announced.
Ella flung herself out of her chair in eagerness to greet Gandalf.
"It's been so long!" she exclaimed. Mister Gandalf was supposedly a distant relation of her mother's. When she was younger, she had pried out of him that they had been really close friends, but not related. That didn't change anything; she and Gandalf were still close, and couldn't be separated during his infrequent visits.
"Ah, Gandalf, simply wonderful to see you again," her father greeted him.
Gandalf joined them for dinner. Ella talked to him, telling him about her senior year of high school, as well as her acceptance into college.
"Please excuse me, I have a call to make for the company. We just might be able to merge another company with ours," he said.
"Great, Dad," she replied with forced cheerfulness.
Ella and Gandalf talked more.
"So, what have you been doing?" Ella asked.
"I've been very busy," he replied evasively.
Then he came over to sit next to Ella.
"I can tell that you are unhappy here. Your body language betrays it. Forgive me for bluntness, but if there reaches a point that you feel you do not belong here, and you would be willing to begin anew, well, I give you this."
He handed her a silver pendant with detailed scrolls and patterns attached to a fine silver chain. She held it and almost dropped it in astonishment. It was so light, she felt it had to be some other metal. No earthly metal had ever felt as light as the silver lining of a cloud.
"What is it?" she breathed.
"This pendant allows you a new chance, but you must say the proper words, written on this paper, for it to work," he said, and folded a small scrap of yellowed paper into a crease in the pendant. "Be warned! You will face a whole new life- no friends or family. Different challenges will await you if you choose begin anew as well as a different destiny. But, I will be there to guide you, and I will need your help in the future."
"My help?" she asked incredulously, "What can I possibly do for you?"
"Many things, my dear, some of which you have already displayed: your intelligence, resourcefulness, and creativity will all be of use to you in your new life. But you have other qualities waiting to surface."
"Think about it. But, there is one condition. You must make you decision by the New Year."
"I must be off now," he announced.
"What? So soon?"
" Yes, I am afraid so," he replied. " Think about what I have said."
And Gandalf left, leaving behind a very confused Ella.