Hello Everyone! I'm AshenEmbers, and, in all honesty, I didn't plan on posting this at all. This is one of the original ideas that I had for a longer story, and something I worked on for a long time. This is the story I use to practice my writing for In Defense of Our Dreams, as well as other stories I hope to do in the future, and the first three chapters were actually an assignment for a Creative Writing class I once took. I thought this would be a good insight into me as an author, and a good little side project for you to read while waiting for In Defense of Our Dreams to update.

I do not own many of the characters referenced and they belong to their particular companies, mostly Disney, Dreamworks and some Nickelodeon. I don't own any of the characters or cities, except those specified as mine below.

I do own Ennick, Freya, and Tyra Bjorgman, along with Zyalon the dog, and the city, Carpenter and some of the establishments therein.

Each chapter is from the point of view of a different character, and these first six chapters take place within a 24 hour period. This is the first chapter of Part 1: The Best Day of My Life, written from the perspective of Elsa Adelaide.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Chapter 1: Please Don't Wake Me Now

I clung to my pillow, tears cascading relentlessly down my cheeks. I felt myself heave, letting out a soft sob. I kept sobbing, silently praying this was just a long drawn-out nightmare. After a long while, my eyes stopped shedding tears and a soft light shown through my window. Sitting up, I looked to the rising sun painting the clouds red and purple behind the green pines and the dark, torn-paper mountains. Another sleepless night with my echo. I swung my bruised legs over the bed, shaking and struggling to stand. When I started to lose my balance, I stumbled and fell into the wall. I let out another sob, my forehead pressed to my wallpaper. I turned my head, glancing at the small camera I knew was broadcasting from my desk all the time to my stepfather. I wasn't allowed to touch it or speak of it. I only knew it was there and that he used it to watch me on these mornings and every night.

I finally gained strength and walked to my dresser, slipping on any clothes I had without paying attention. I grabbed my bag, heading toward the kitchen, trying to stay calm. The hall concealed me, darkness my guide as I stepped along the cold, wood stairs. As I approached, he caught my eye. I felt a shudder run up my body, and I kept my eyes down to the small bowl I had pulled down from the cabinet. Paper rustled and his voice sounded. "Good morning, Elsa."

I trembled, the milk carton in my unsteady grasp, and the cereal dumped into the bowl I had pulled down before he had spoken. The milk sloshed, some of it falling onto the counter. Swallowing quickly, I put the milk away and responded with a soft, "Good morning, sir." My body shook harshly, flashes of my years of taken abuse running through my head. I ripped a paper towel from it's holder, using it to sop up my mess, then threw the dirtied paper away, never keeping him out of my sight. I sat at the island on a stool, keeping him within my vision. My younger sister came into the kitchen, her ginger braids hanging over her shoulders as she headed over to the pantry. "Hi, Elsa!"

I let a small smile come to my lips. "Good morning, Anna."

She grabbed a cereal bar, then headed toward the door, pulling her hoodie over her head, adjusting the position of her backpack slung over one shoulder, and walking out of the door. "I'll see you at school!" she yelled as she closed it.

Silence reigned for several minutes while I stirred my cereal nervously. Then my mother rushed into the kitchen. She glanced at me, grabbing a granola bar. "Good morning, dear!" She kissed the top of my head as she passed, stating as she headed for the door, "Isn't that the same shirt you wore yesterday, honey?"

I felt my heart lurch, and I looked at my appearance for the first time. I wore my long-sleeved turtleneck with black shoulders and arms and a deep teal body that featured rosemaling . I wore it a lot mainly to hide the blemishes. I turned, letting out a weak laugh. "I guess it is. I'm sorry, Mom." I tried to give her a smile, but it only came out like a crooked frown. My stepfather cleared his throat, and it was good Mom looked at him. I turned my head, his hard dark brown eyes locking with my ice blue ones. I shook violently. It was only for a few moments before he looked to my mother, his eyes melting into a sweeter shade. He smiled brightly.

I leapt up, grabbing my bag and putting my dish and spoon in the sink. I didn't have long before his attention was on me again, so I rushed out, grabbing my purple jacket, sliding it on, getting my bike and hurrying to one of my safe havens. I loved the feel of the wind on my face, and took solace in the fact that no one else was around. It took me a quarter of an hour to get to school, and, as usual, the girls were waiting for me.

I walked over to the bike rack, the girls trailing behind. "Hey, Ellie!" Vanessa approached, hunting me with her omegas trailing behind. I didn't pay them any mind at all. They were the kind that had faces caked in makeup and their bodies suffocated by designer clothes to cover up the ugliness on the inside. Nothing ever impressed them, but I seemed to be the thing they loved to tear down. Not that it really did. I had gone through a whole lot worse than they could deal. "How was the pound, Ellie? Finally get out, did you? Whose bitch are you now?" Vanessa hounded, getting a chorus of laughter from behind her. She crossed her arms and looked at me with half-lidded eyes, a wide smile spreading across her face that was framed by her dark hair.

At first, I remained silent, locking my bike, and ignoring them. Then I answered, "Well, since you have your pack, I'm pretty sure we know who the real bitch is," I turned to her, my emotions non-existent, "Don't we, Vanessa?"

Several of the girls behind her gasped. Vanessa's eyes opened fully, and her smile disappeared. Pure hatred filled her dark eyes, and nothingness filled mine. After a few moments, she smiled wickedly. "Ellie wants to play, does she?" She glanced over to the boys not too far away. "Oh boys!" They turned, smiling when they saw her. She made herself look sad and hurt. "Ellie's being mean to me, boys." She turned her head slightly, her dark eyes making contact with mine. "Could you help me?"

I turned toward the boys, backing up slightly. My body hit the chainlink fence, and I shook harshly, the pure terror bubbling up in my chest. I closed my eyes, turning my head away as one of them pinned one of my arms against the fence. Kicking and screaming, I swore I wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Leave her alone!" I heard a male voice call. I allowed myself a glance. There stood three people I had seen around the school, but had never really known. The boy that I had assumed just spoke up, stood bravely near the bikes. He was tall and strong, but he didn't look half as muscular as the men pinning me against the chain link fence. My eyes wandered and widened when I realized that the boy had a prosthetic on his left leg. The girl on the right side him had messy black hair, and it seemed to spike naturally. She definitely had some kind of chance against them for her bare arms seemed very muscular. The girl on the left had darker skin and dark brown hair, but had ocean blue eyes and seemed rather muscular herself.

The girl on the right stood taller. "Come on, guys! Are you gonna listen to that floozie that makes you beat up girls, or are you gonna listen to the girl that helps you get good ones?" She shrugged, holding her arms out slightly.

The one on the left had her arms crossed, "Yeah, guys. I thought you were at least good enough that you wouldn't beat up a girl." She paused. "Or are you just Vanessa's little lap dogs?"

I kept my eyes on them, desperate. It hit me that everyone else would have walked away while I was being beaten to a pulp. The boy holding me loosened his grip, and I fell to the ground. I rushed over to my bag, and tried to get out of the rack, only to have Vanessa block the way, pure anger on her face. She turned to the three and the now large crowd gathering around the bike rack. I felt my face flush deeply. Was it always like this when I got beat up? I looked to the floor. Only at school. I felt a slight wetness roll down my cheeks. "You think you can make them question their allegiance to me, queer!?" Vanessa screamed.

I looked up just in time to see the black-haired girl stare her right in the eyes, anger evident. "You make school Hell for people like us." I could see Vanessa shaking slightly, and the dark and angry look on the face of the girl that was trying to protect me even made the larger boys scared.

The boy stepped forward. "You aren't going to do that to her ever again." He gestured to me. I made eye contact with his warm, reassuring green eyes. I felt even more tears fall from my face when he did. There was someone who cared.

The other girl looked to me, pushing Vanessa to the side. "You okay?" I nodded, shaking still. I couldn't help it. I ran to her, hugging her tightly. At first, she seemed surprised, but then she wrapped her arms around me. "You're alright." She just held me, one hand on my back and the other running over my platinum hair in comfort as I cried.

When I finally pulled away, the dark-haired girl smiled at me. "Hey, are you alright?"

I blushed, her bright brown eyes catching mine. They were so light, they almost seemed like amber. I nodded. "Hi."

The boy came forward. standing beside us.

The other girl smiled, letting me go. "I'm Korra."

"I'm Hiccup." The boy smiled at me.

"And I'm Tyra." The dark-haired girl answered.

I returned their smiles, then answered, "I'm Elsa."