As I said, here I am! First chapter of Maggie's journey to Beacon is coming out TODAY! Hope you're all ready for some fucking awesome shit, or some complete garbage, depending on how well I remember my own characters. Any new readers here might want to know that this story is the PREQUEL to another story I've written. It will be following one of the main characters in the story on her journey to her first showing in my fic. Anyways, I won't hold you any longer! Enjoy the chapter!
You want to know my story? The story of the girl behind the armor? The story of the intelligent prodigy? Or maybe you want to know a story of insecurity and angst? Any of these are viable beginnings to my journey, but I'd like to go back much farther than that. I'd like to start as far back as my birth. Is everybody ready for my story, the explanation behind the mind of Magenta Everdale?
"Keep it up, baby! We're almost there!" The man held his wife's trembling hand as she groaned in pain. The woman was sitting back on the hospital bed, in the process of giving birth to her first child.
"The head is almost out. Push one more time, Mrs. Everdale." The woman took a deep breath before grunting loudly, giving a roar of pain before all of a sudden she laid back in relief. There was silence in the room for a couple seconds before the sudden crying came from the small child in the doctor's hand. It was weak, but enough for the mother to cry in happiness. The doctor accepted a towel from a nurse nearby, wrapping the baby in it before handing it to the mother with a smile.
"It's a girl. Congratulations." The mother smiled in bliss as she accepted the baby, staring down into the little girl's eyes. The baby stared up at her, the crying quieting down as soon as she was touched by her mother. The father stood beside his wife, looking down at the baby.
"A girl, huh? That means-"
"Magenta." The father looked at her in confusion.
"I thought we agreed on Jevaline?" She shook her head.
"Magenta." The mother took the baby's short pink locks in her hand, showing them to the father. He stared at the baby before nodding.
"I think that's a beautiful name." The baby smiled up at her parents, seemingly enjoying the idea of the new name.
"Magenta, your tutor in ten minutes. Are you ready to meet him?" The six year old girl jumped down from the couch and walked over to the intercom next to the door. She pulled over the stool nearby before climbing up to press the button.
"Do I have to do this? Can't I just play my games?"
"No, you have to be taught something. Now your father paid a lot of money for this tutor, so will you please come downstairs to prepare to greet him?" Magenta sighed quietly before pressing the button.
"Alright, I'm coming." When she let go of the button, she climbed down from the stool and walked to the door of her room. Well, to say it was her room was a bit of an understatement. Her room consisted of the entire third floor of the mansion. The only part of it that wasn't hers was the hallway that led to the elevator. When she got to the elevator, she reached up to press the button to call it up, but the elevator was already waiting, so it opened instantly. There was an old man waiting inside in a tux.
"Hello, Ma'am. What floor?" She quickly jumped in the elevator, and turned to the man with a smile.
"Bottom floor, Bernard. Thank you." The man smiled back at her as he pressed the button. The elevator started it's descent.
"Are you prepared for your tutor? I hear he was a college professor in the past." She rolled her eyes.
"So what? I could get a college degree if I wanted to." He smiled at her knowingly.
"I'm sure you could, but for now, you should listen to this mentor. He might teach you a thing or two." She puffed out air sarcastically.
"Yeah, right." The elevator dinged as it opened to the bottom floor. Maggie skipped out the door. "Bye, Bernard!" She called behind her as she jumped to the dining room where her mother and father were waiting.
"Hey, Mags." She smiled and ran to jump up to hug her father. As much as he loves his family, he's out of the house almost every day due to work. Every time she got to hug him was considered a rarity now.
"Dad! You didn't call to let us know you were coming home! I thought you were in Vale for the week." He nodded.
"I would've been, but the deal sealed before I even arrived, so I got the time to come back home." He glanced back at his wife, who was smiling gleefully. "But, while I was in Vale, for the small amount I was, I found one of the most intelligent men I've met in many years. I think he might provide a challenge for you." The girl blew some hair out of her face in disgust.
"Sure."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so cocky as that, Magenta." She turned to look at the man that had just walked in. He was a slender man in about his 40s or 50s. He wore a tweed jacket(Yeah, like in the movies) and a button up shirt. He had a short beard that was trimmed down on his face. Although he looked very limber and young by the way he moved, his hair was graying a bit in a few places. "I'd say you're going to go down two paths, and I believe that the road less travelled would be the best suited for you." Maggie raised an eyebrow.
"Quoting Robert Frost at me in my own home?" He smiled.
"Normally most of my students learn of his work deep into high school, but for some reason I don't believe I'll be waiting so long for you." He spoke with a determination in his voice that proved he wouldn't give up so easily. He stayed standing as well, instead of like most people, who kneeled down to get on the same level as her. "I was informed the road less travelled was chosen for you the day you were born, but what I believe that there are many roads, tributaries if you will, along this sunken road you walk along that can take you to either complete annihilation or fortune all the same." Maggie smirked at him, starting to walk along the table in the middle of the room.
"And now Dante's Inferno. Very old reference's, sir." She turned to her parents with a smile."He'll do." When she turned back around, she was already putting her hand out.
"Magenta Everdale, who might you be?" He took the hand gratefully.
"Vesuvius Grengin, and I believe this is going to be the start of something truly amazing." She threw up her hands in annoyance.
"Will you stop with the Ancient Literature!" He smiled in an obvious no.
Vesuvius spent the next 3 hours with Maggie, starting as a teaching process, but the session soon turned into debates about History, Literature, or Modern Politics. The man was surprised to find that he was not fazed by having such deep conversations with a girl that hadn't even reached ten.
Maggie was having a fantastic time talking with the man. She had always tired of speaking down to people whenever anybody had tried to talk to her about intelligence. With this man, the prodigy could actually have an intelligent conversation that both sides could understand easily.
"And with the tax representative in Patch dying last month, the elections still continue to stay at a dead stop. I've watched in on one of the debates, and honestly, both sides aren't exactly the best to represent their people." Maggie nodded knowingly.
"I listened in on the last debate, and it seemed like Williams had a good point on how things needed to change. The people of Patch are a small, but influential people, and with less taxes, that means a lesser schooling for the poor, which to be honest is most of their population. They need to keep what they've got, which nobody seems to agree with." The man listened to her, without taking his eyes off to try and think about what she was talking about.
"Yes, I completely agree with you. None of the politicians seem to realize that change is something that should only come in times of need, unless for advancement."
They spoke like this for another hour before Vesuvius looked down at the watch on his wrist and standing up.
"Why, I believe that's the last of the time I have with you." Maggie watched him with glee from her side of the table as he gathered his papers and put them in a leather briefcase.
"When will our next session be?" He glanced over at her.
"I believe that we should work at least three or four times a week together, setting dates for this will take me a bit of time. How about I'll stop by Friday for our next lesson, and we'll create a schedule together?" She nodded.
"Sounds good to me." He smiled at her before heading for the door.
"Goodbye, Magenta." She waved at him as he left.
"Bye, Vesuvius." Maggie's mother was waiting at the door as he left, moving to the side to allow him to leave. Maggie waited for him to leave before running to her mother to hug her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was great!" Mrs. Everdale laughed happily as she held her excited daughter in her arms. She looked up at her mom with glee.
"Where's daddy?" Her mother's face suddenly changed. She started to bite her lip, trying to figure out a way to tell her daughter where her dad was. Maggie noticed the change, though.
"He's already gone, isn't he?" The mother nodded sadly. Maggie quietly nodded, stepping back from her mother. The little girl pointed up. "I'm gonna… I'm gonna go upstairs." She nodded as she allowed her daughter to pass her to go to the elevator.
Maggie quietly walked into the elevator with Bernard waiting inside. The old man raised his eyebrows.
"Are you alright, Ma'am?" She nodded.
"Third floor, Bernard." The man hit the button, and the two started going up. It was surprisingly silent, different from Maggie's usual upbeat attitude. Bernard felt like he should say something, but decided against it, silently opening the door to the girl's room. Maggie sulked to the door to her room, locking it behind her. She then went and flopped on her large bed. She cried that night.
What? I lived wealthily in Mistral with my mother and all our servants. Vesuvius came by 3 days a week for my lessons, but they were more like debates. I came very close with the old man… You want to know about my Father? What's there to tell? He worked hard and often to provide the large house and many privileges that my family had. Nobody can blame him for that.
All around short chapter, I agree, but I expect this to pick up when we start getting farther in Maggie's life. The meat is coming after a few chapters, don't you worry. For now, enjoy this starting chapter, and wonder what is yet to come.