TRANSFORMERS
Ellaline's Legacy
CHAPTER ONE
An Introduction Of Sorts
***
I was sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by paper, references, fine art liners and expensive copic markers.
I looked at the picture in front of me – I was halfway through inking in the colour of the title. The title was the name as the name of the characters in the drawing. Starscream and Bumblebee. My two favourite Transformers, from Transformers Animated.
Simple stuff, really.
My mind was on the drawing, but my left eye was on the clock. I had half an hour to finish my drawing and pack up - I knew this, which was why I froze when I heard a car pull into the driveway half an hour early.
What the slag?
"Oh my Primus." I whispered, before I jumped into action. Everything was piled up, put into pencil cases and carried upstairs at the speed of light, to my room (which is the attic) and hidden in a special panel in the wall that no one knows about.
Then I ran downstairs again.
Suddenly, I noticed a stray copic marker in the kitchen, sitting on the table like a great yellow beacon. I ran for it, grabbed it, and stuffed it into the pocket of my back jeans.
Just in time, too. Because through the door that leads out to the garage came my step-sisters, Sandra and Sasha (they're twins) and, right behind them, was my step-mother, Fran.
Yes, I live with my step-mother and step-sisters. And I have, ever since my father died in a terrorist bombing in Bali. That was four years ago now, when I was twelve. Sounds like a Cinderella story, doesn't it?
But, my name's not Cinderella. It's just plain old 'Ella'. Ella Phila, if you wanna get technical. But anyway…
Fran stopped when she saw me, and her icy blue eyes narrowed. My heart froze. Was there copic marker on my face? Pencil perhaps?
"Did you start dinner yet?" Fran asked me, in her perfectly articulate voice.
I relaxed, slightly. "Y-yes, Ms. Wiffen, I did." Yes, I have to call her by her last name. But only to her face. Behind her back, I can say whatever I like about her – and I do.
So long as no one else hears it.
"Very good," Fran said, checking the pots on the stove, which contained various foods I'd rather not go into with you. "Go upstairs and get changed." She added, eyeing my old clothes critically.
I remembered the copic marker in my pocket, and nodded hastily.
Fran raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, yes Ms. Wiffen." I said quickly, and hightailed it up the stairs, nearly running into Sandra on the way up there.
Sandra and Sasha are identical twin, with their mother's beautiful dark red hair, and the twins have matching green eyes.
Sandra's were narrowed at me. I could see Sasha peering at me from upstairs, and wondered what was wrong this time.
I soon found out.
"Your cat," Sandra said the words as if they tasted bad, and I bristled. "Was sitting on my car," She glared at me. "You know what that means?"
I sighed. "Yes Sandra, I'll wash your car for you tomorrow."
"No, you'll do it now." She said, barring my way to go upstairs.
I said: "But-but it's dinner time!"
"Then you'll just have to hurry then, won't you?" She said, with a superior smile that made my insides curl. "Oh, and Ella? Try to do a better job then what you did last time."
I could see there was no way I was going to win this one. Muttering angrily to myself, I stalked downstairs and outside. I knew that Fran was going to be angry at me and, like always, wouldn't listen to my side of the story. Primus, there were just some times when I REALLY hated my life.
I mean really.
I got outside, and looked at the car parked in the driveway. A yellow Voltswagon Beetle with a black racing stripe.
Totally cute, and totally Bumblebee-like. But real.
I smiled. Sometimes life could be really fun – I loved washing the twins' car, even if I hated the twins themselves. Their car reminded me of my favourite Autobot, and that's why I loved it.
On the hood of the car was a black cat with startling sapphire blue eyes and a collar to match.
"Saphira, Saphira, how many times do I have to tell you not to touch the terror twins' car?" I scolded gently, and picked up my cat, who immediately started purring. I've had Saphira for eight years now, she was a gift from my mother before she died, and I love her, even if she gets me in trouble sometimes.
"Sometimes I wish that Transformers were real," I began, as I filled the bucket with water. It was summer, and so even though it was six o'clock the sun was still out. "I wish that Bumblebee was real, and Optimus, and Prowl, and Cliffjumper…I suppose the Decepticons would have to be real too, I wonder just how evil they'd be. Oh, I wish Transformers were real…" I said, laying both my hands on the car's hood, and running them up and down the racing stripe.
"Ella!" I looked up, to see Sandra standing at the front door. "That's not getting my car any cleaner, you know!"
I sighed. "I mean, I really wish that Transformers were real, Saph." I said sadly, as I began to wash the car again.
Saphira meowed plaintively. The car I was washing seemed to sigh as well, but maybe I was just imagining that.
Wishful thinking.
Little did I know, but my wish was already fully granted.
***
Somewhere in space…
A dark figure with glowing red optics watched the screen with masked interest. The small organic, called a human, was washing what was quite clearly an Autobot, a yellow one with a small car alt mode. The organic itself (it was a femme, no doubt) was small, even for a human. She had short dark brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes, and wore black jeans and a yellow t-shirt. Around her neck was a silver necklace with a star on it. Closer inspection of the star revealed the inscription Ella. A strange name, one that meant nothing (although the girl was rather elf-like, or maybe a pixie, whatever one was).
Not that he really cared what the organic's name was. He was only interested in one thing about her.
He smiled. "Starscream?"
His second-in-command, who had just walked into the room as the screen went blank, saluted. "Yes, Lord Megatron?"
"Set a course for this planet called…earth." Megatron smiled cruelly.
***
On Cybertron…
"Ultra Magnus Sir!" Sentinel Prime said, his tone of voice alerting everyone that something was wrong. "The Decepticons are on the move – but we don't know where they're headed!"
Ultra Magnus, one of the oldest and wisest Autobots on Cybertron, looked thoughtful. It could be… He thought, glancing at a mark burned onto his left forearm. It was a star, which bore the name Ella inside of it. Ellaline's legacy…perhaps now the legacy she left behind will come to pass…and a new hero can rise up…maybe…
Still, he was worried.
Very worried.
Ellaline's legacy was…very important to him. In more ways than one.
Starting with the All-Spark, and what it meant to all of Cybertron.
