A/N: I wasn't planning on updating so quickly but I have a week off of Uni and I got inspired to write some more. Thank you to xxRikkexx1 for the review, it made me feel all happy inside. Here's chapter one, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

During her eighteen years locked in the tower, Lydia had got into a familiar routine. Wake up, do chores and then she read. It was the only thing she enjoyed in the tower, having read most of her books over and over again. Whether it was fictional stories about mermaids finding their voice, or non-fictional books teaching her about mathematics or physics, she read whatever her mother bought her. The last time mother Blake had returned, she'd bought stories of mystical creatures, a book she'd read at least three times in her mother's absence.

She was in the middle of brushing her long blonde hair when she heard her mother's voice ring out. Prada, her only companion, quickly scurried behind the closet, Jennifer not knowing about the small dog Lydia looked after.

Once she had pulled her mother up, she sat her down, rushing the process to restore her mother's youth and beauty. She felt her shock as her hair glowed a bright gold, the one short strand of red sticking out in the brightness. She turned with pursed lips, twisting the short strand around her finger as she found the words. "Mother, my birthday is coming up and I was thinking maybe I could leave to see the floating lights?"

The laughter filled the room almost instantly and it didn't long after for her mother to shoot down the idea. "You can't handle yourself out there darling. And I need you dear. I want you safe. You can see the stars from your window." She sighed, brushing her daughters hair as she looked around for reason. "Out there, there's monsters, other humans who want to take your hair and cut it, turn it that ugly red colour. Now, I have to go gather vegetables but I'll be back, you stay careful sweetheart." The tales of thugs and rogues were nothing new, having read of them before, but the way her mother spoke of them made them seem terrifying, made the tower seem a lot safer.

That's why when she heard footsteps, she'd grabbed the baseball bat that was leaning against the closet, hitting the boy the second he climbed inside. She watched him laying on the floor, Prada bounding over and poking his nose to the foreign creatures cheek. Lydia took a step closer, crouching down to inspect the boy. He didn't look menacing, but she wasn't that naive, knowing looks could be deceiving. However, she knew the opportunities that arose with his presence, dragging him over to the closet, excitement bubbling in her stomach at the proof to her mother that she could handle herself.

It was getting dark when her mother returned, the speech amd reveal of the boy practiced over and over by Lydia, both in her head and out loud to Prada, ready for every turn of events. Prada scurried to hide again as Lydia pulled her mother up to the window, watching from behind the closet.

"Lydia, look what I found, those berries you like for your paintings." Jennifer could tell something was wrong, a confident air to the girl she called her daughter that wasn't usually so apparent.

So when she started mumbling about the lanterns, she worked quickly to shoot her down. One thing she couldn't have was Lydia leaving the tower, learning her true heritage and leaving Jennifer alone to rot. "We talked about this darling, it's scary out there, you wouldn't be able to hand-"

Lydia interrupted without a thought, eyes fixed on her mother's as her voice became raised. "But mother, I can handle myself. If you'd just listen for once."

Jennifer's eyes turned dark as Lydia raised her voice, slightly larger stature towering with ease over the 5"3 blonde. "You are not leaving this tower, not for stars, not for anything. You could be killed out there, then what would I do?"

Lydia took a deep breath, nodding in defeat. Her back-up plan now needed to play out, which meant getting rid of her mother for a few days. "I-I just thought that maybe books were a better present for my birthday. Maybe a few on astrology, so I can remap the stars, clearly I did something wrong before."

"Okay my flower. I'll see you in a few days." She kissed the top of her head, hand caressing her long blonde locks, before she left on the long trip.

Without wasting another second, she pulled the boy from the closet and tied him to a chair, bat poised in her hands. She stated for a while, mapping his features as Prada sniffed him, trying to sense his trustworthyness by scent. He had decided he was seemingly good, when the boy let out a groan, caramel eyes slowly fluttering open. "What happened? Where am I?"

Lydia watched as Prada scurried away, taking a step forward to inspect him closely. Her eyes widened as she saw him looking around, a look of awe in her eyes as he spoke. When he started to fight against the restraints, she hit him in the head again, ignoring the look Prada gave her. "What? He was trying to escape."