Hello okes!

I have been dying to write something with a South African flavour, so I picked my favourite Disney character to do so.

I am sorry if there is any confusing language. I might add Afrikaans sentences as I go along. I will make a list at the bottom of each chapter with words or phrases you might not know.

I should also warn everyone that there are trigger warnings about depression, self harm and rape as I go along.

I do not own any of the characters only my creativity!

And of course please comment!

Love from thecapefangirl

The snow-covered trees whizzed past me. It was extremely strange to have a winter in December. I was used to the sunny, hot Christmases spent residing on the beach eating ice-creams or at home having a braai instead of turkey

Ever since my mom died, my life had completely changed. You see, my parents were divorced when I was five. My mother claimed that my father was too focused on his "stupid pet projects and inventions" to pay any attention to us. So he moved here in the French country-side, back to his obscure hometown, Villeneuve.

My mother's life and mine were pretty normal. We lived in a small flat in one of the suburbs near Cape Town. It was cosy and it was a walking distance from all the important places: The local Spar, my school and the library.

She was the Head-librarian and I basically grew up surrounded by books. People teased me because my nose was always stuck in a book, with my glasses sliding off it. If they had a chance to knock my books out of my hands, or worse they would rip the pages out, they would.

The boys mainly did that the most. The girls would be too busy talking about me behind my back. And God-forbid if I call them upon it. The teachers would always say, "Boys will be boys", and "Oh they are only having a bit of fun" and then shrug it off.

As I grew older the more people excluded me from their little social gatherings, the more I would be absorbed in the worlds that my books offered. One day I could be in a far-off place with daring sword fights, sprinkled with magic spells, and the occasional prince in disguise. I always longed for adventure. In a cruel twist of fate seemed to grant my wish.

Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors tried everything possible to save her, but the cancer spread across the whole of her body before any surgery was done. They gave her a few months to live and those months were the hardest.

The last month of her life she knew that time was short.

XXX

"Honey," she breathed, the heart monitor beeping beside her "We have to discuss what is going to happen when I die."

"Mom, don't say that!" I said feeling tears streaming from my eyes. I clasp her thin bony hand tightly. It is so unfair! I thought, She is not even fifty!

"We have to. The doctors say that I have three weeks at the most, and I am sure as hell going to use it to makes sure you will be fine. Now sit on the bed, my bokkie, you are going to be here for a while."

I gently settle myself on the edge of the bed, still holding onto her hand, afraid if I let go she will be gone forever.

"Now, my sweet, you may not like what I am about to tell you," Her breath was raspy and shallow.

I will have to hear it anyway," I sigh It isn't like I have a choice, do I?

She nodded her head, "In a month's time I wish you to go and join your father in France."

"What!" I exclaimed. I broke my hold from her hand.

This was the first time since the divorce that I heard her even mention him. I mean, it had to be desperate if she even ordered me to go further than a twenty kilometre radius around him. I thought she had finally lost it.

"No ways! Leave my home and everything I know to go to…him!"

"I know you don't like the idea, and quite frankly neither do I" She says in the loudest voice that she could muster, "But there is nothing for you here. There are no other relatives and there is no-one who could afford to keep you here."

There has to be a way!" All I could think was that there is no way that I could leave the home, the library and there is no ways that I could leave her. A thought popped into my head. "Why don't I go to boarding school? I mean I could go to Bridge House, or even better Papa (He insisted on me calling him that) could send money for the last few months for school. I could do fine by myself."

She just shook her head with a sad smile "I thought of that already but it is too expensive to keep you here, sweetheart. And not to mention completely impractical. Think about it. Here you would have to repeat a whole year of school, while in France you can just do six months of work until your exams."

I slumped back onto the bed, defeated. "What if you are still alive by the time I leave," I whisper.

She just gave out a rough laugh. "The way I am feeling at the moment, I assure that you that within a week that will not be an excuse for you."

"Mom!"

"Oh Belle, you always said that you wanted more than this life that we have. You said that you want to have an, and I quote, 'Adventure in the great wide somewhere.'"

"I know, I just thought that you would come with me." I said quietly.

She cupped her hand on my chin. "I will always be with you. I will be that annoying voice in your head that advises you against stupid decisions. Just think of it as your conscience with a new voice."

I let a small smile tug on my lips. That small smile quickly went when the heart monitor's beeping got louder.

XXX

That memory is still fuzzy to this day. All I remember is me calling for my mom to stay with me and a flurry of doctors and nurses pushing me out the way to come to her aid.

I remembered that she never took her eyes off me.

The next week, as she predicted, we had her funeral. There was only me, the library staff, and some of the regulars who were quite close to her. There really weren't any more excuses to stay.

For the rest of the time till the plane trip, I packed up the things in the house. I kept only the stuff that I really needed: Some clothes, some books that the library staff gave to me as a going-away present, some of my mom's things, and, of course, a photo album with pictures where we have travelled in South Africa. There were places that ranged from the deserted Karoo to the windy West Cost. The rest of the things I gave to charity.

I didn't go to school for the rest of the year, there was no point considering that I missed a term's worth of work anyway. I stayed at home to brush up on my French and work on six months' worth of coursework to catch up. I know that school years are different because of summer and whatnot, but life would just be easier to start the school year when the New Year starts. I don't know, it just makes sense to me.

But to me that was the least of my problems. The thing that did worry me was the fact I was about to meet the man that I call my father for the first time in forever. I very rarely had any communication with him, except for the awkward birthday call and a Christmas card now and again.

I had no idea what I was to expect when I got there.

Braai- a barbecue

Spar- a it is a name of a grocery store

Bokkie- term of endearment

Bridge House- a boarding school by a place called Franschhoek (literally translates to 'French Corner')