So this was a prompt sent to me by Just-An-Outlaw on Tumblr. It's supposed to be a Cinderella AU and it will have an essence of that sort of "from rags to riches" throughout. Feeling kinda brave about what I'm writing about and how serious it will get in places so keep that in mind. And I just hope that I don't dig myself into a hole with this like I (hopefully) temporarily have with Secrets of War. Anyway, blame her for why I'm starting yet another multi-chapter fic that I won't complete
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared.
This had been her home for as long as she could remember. These girls she'd grown up around had become like her sisters, each one helping the other along.
And now that was all changing.
She throws the last of her things into the case. Everything is tossed up, unfolded, Miss Annison would have a fit if she saw it, tell Regina to do it again but what does it matter? It was going to get all messed up anyway.
If there was one person Regina couldn't wait to see the back of, it was her. They'd butt heads the moment Regina was sent here and they're relationship hadn't grown any better through the years. Miss Annison probably couldn't wait to be rid of Regina, and likewise, too.
"Do you have to go?"
Regina turns, smiling at the sight of eight year old Maria standing at the door. Dressed in the House's uniform that Regina had no put aside (she had no use for it anymore) her apron is stained with every ingredient found downstairs, evidence the girl had been working in the kitchen.
"You should be working, Maria," Regina says softly, sitting down on the clear mattress (the bedding had been stripped, being prepared for the next girl who'd take Regina's place in this room) Despite her words, Regina beckons Maria over, to which the girl moves towards her immediately. "You'll get beaten if they find you up here."
Slacking off was one of the worst things to do. The punishment was worth five canes to the back of your legs if you were caught and Regina had had plenty over the sixteen years she'd lived there for.
Maria just nuzzles her face into Regina's chest, ignoring her words. "I don't care," she says, though it muffled. "I needed to see you."
Regina smiles again, warming at the words and brushing her hand through Maria's thick brown hair. It was tattered with the day's activities already and it was barely noon.
"You'll see me later on," Regina tells her. They have a big seeing off party (well, if you could call it that) for the girls that leave them. Every few months it happens, it's boring and Regina would much be doing something else yet it's mandatory that everyone attends to wish the girl's good luck and so on.
"It wouldn't be the same," the girl moves away from Regina yet she's still in reach for Regina to keep her arms around her. "And I wouldn't be able to give you this." Maria runs over to her pillow. From where Regina is, she can only see a rolled up piece of cloth, catching the crumpled colours of red, white, and blue as Maria runs back over to her, holding the gift out to her.
Regina's heart stops for a second when she realises what it is that Maria is giving her. Her heart thumping a beat faster, a longing appearing deep inside her as she smoothes the cloth across her knee. White and red stripes with a blue triangle and one white star stare up at her and all Regina can do is stare back.
"I know it isn't much but I remembered all the stories you told me about where you were from and when I saw it, I really wanted to give it to you."
Regina wipes her eyes, feeling tears forming as she stares at the flag. Most of the stories she'd told Maria were made up. She couldn't remember what Puerto Rico looked liked. She may have been born there, but it was just a stranger, it's features created by imagination. Australia was more familiar to her and Regina had never been outside the gates of this House.
"Where did you get it?" Regina asks and the girl's face drops as her eyes look anywhere over than Regina's.
"I may have stolen it off a truck that came in here a few weeks ago."
All Regina can do is laugh, her gaze falling back to the stolen cloth as her hands clutch at the corners and she's once again fighting back tears.
Looking back at the eight year old, no longer caring about the water that clouds her vision, she says, "I'm going to miss you, Maria." The girl's own expression falls, eyes growing sad as they hug each other for the last time, the cloth caught between them.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
All members of the House gather around to watch them leave. Various trucks and cars surrounding them, ready to take a number of girls off to where they'll live and work from now on.
Regina clutches her case, the flag carefully packed beneath all her clothes, the only thing in there that she bothered to fold in the end, it means too much for her to just have thrown it in like she did with her other meaningless possessions.
She walks along the line of staff that forms, smiling at each one and saying goodbye, until she reaches Miss Annison and her smile drops, changing to a scowl.
"You're placement for six weeks," she says, all but shoving the papers unceremoniously in Regina's face. "Try not to disgrace us too much, Your Majesty."
Regina only sarcastically smiles, she's been waiting for the old nickname to remerge again. She snatches the papers out of the older woman's hand and with that same sarcastic smile etched across her face, she can't help but say, "Oh, I won't...You've done that already."
The woman can do nothing but glare at Regina, that hatred in her eyes growing stronger as the anger flares, Regina can feel it. Revelling in the fact that Miss Annison no longer holds any power over her, Regina walks off ready to board the truck waiting for her, but not before she catches Maria's eyes as they subtlety wave to each other.
There's a worry that tightens in Regina's chest. Sure, the other girls will look out for Maria but it had been Regina who'd acted like the girl's big sister, tending to her needs and soothing her cries. Maria had grown up through the House attached to Regina's side, her partner in crime a majority of the time but also Regina's biggest confident, and she Maria's. Now they were being separated, both left without that comfort and for the first time, Regina feels truly sad about that, a sort of grief and longing like she felt for the homeland. She'd miss Maria most of the all the girls and just hoped the little girl could survive the world without her.