Before I begin this, I have to say something. Francine Pascal, the fabulous women who has
created this series, is not always kind to her characters. She kills someone once a book. Turns her
characters on each other. Kills Gaia's best friend. Tortures Ed( Ed! Ed! Wonderful Ed!) With the
fact that he cannot possibly compete with a gullible, talent less fool who has brainwashed Gaia,
also goes by the name of Sam. Has evil triumph over good every other book. Hey, I can deal with
injustice. Hey, to make up for when Mary was killed, Gaia made out with Ed. All's well that ends
well. But there is one injustice that still makes me want to march up to Francine Pascal and tear
her to little bits. Slowly. She killed off Ella. Now, I know that everyone on planet earth must hate
Ella. I loved her from the beginning. She was awesome, she was cool, she was like a 27 year old
Gaia without the depression. Apart from being controlled by an evil man that has the same name
as my neighbor's cat, she kicked butt. Until stupid Mr. Xi came along. This ticked me off. There
were so many unanswered questions left, and not to mention Gaia and Ella would of made the
*perfect* team. Gaia could of just forgotten about stupid Sam, and it would be Batman and
Robin reborn, the female version. So, after rereading Fearless 12 several times, I have a special
tribute to Ella. What happened to Ella BEFORE stupid Loki came and messed everything up.
Ella when she was just a Tae kwon do teenage 16 year old photographer growing up in
Connecticut . And just for the records, it states in Fearless 12 that Ella's true hair color is blonde,
not Redhead. Just clearing that up for you guys. I am proud to say also that this is my
***FIRST*** Fearless fic. Please, be kind with the reviews.
~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 1
" Ella! Ella, wait up!" Ella turned around to see Mike running to catch up . She pivoted and waited impatiently for him. The petite 16 year old girl was looking prettier then usual that day; not that she'd ever call herself pretty. A few wisps of blonde hair hung out from her bun, and her green eyes shined brightly against her green Tank Top. Smiling, her camera was slung over one shoulder bordering Cargo pants, with her backpack slung on the other shoulder. Panting, he finally caught up to her.
" Damn, your getting fast." he told here. Ella laughed.
" Yeah, too fast for you. You're gonna have to start walking with all your friends." He laughed too.
" What's all the rush for anyway? Nikki said that you were skipping the mall today." She rolled her eyes.
" Not everyone is made out of money like Nikki is. I have a Tae kwon do testing later tonight, and I wanted to go down to the park before I head over to Master Chung's."
" Why the hell are you going to the park? There's nothing in our park except for trash, bums, and a couple of twigs some people call trees." Ella rolled her eyes again.
" I take pictures Mike, remember? It's only what I do every other Friday."
" Oh yeah. Can I tag along?"
" In a word. No." " Hey, what'd I say?" Ella sighed.
" Nothing, Mike. This is just something I usually do by myself, ya know?"
" Ok, Ok, I'll back off. God, what's your problem today?"
" Nothing! It's just that--fine, you can come. Just a couple of things."
" Lay them on me."
" One. I am not going to lend you the camera so you can take a picture of some ' gorgeous chick.'"
" Oh come on El, I took one freaking little picture and"
" Little? We spent the rest of the afternoon tracking her down, not to mention I wasted an entire role of film! " But in spite of herself, she was smiling. That was Mike for you. Always denying the truth.
" Oh, come on, it was only like 20 minutes or so, not an entire afternoon. Besides, you wanted to ask her where she got her skirt, or something, didn't you?"
" Oh god Mike, you are impossible! The day I wear a mini skirt, I'll kill myself. Admit it! We spent the entire afternoon tracking her down so we find out her number!" He grinned sheepishly.
" So maybe we did. I am a changed man now, Ella. Gone is my playboy self and now I'll that you will find is a charming man." she rolled my eyes.
" A combination of Captain Hook and Jack the ripper. Charming, he says."
" It's getting dark. Why don't you say that we just forget the park and go for coffee before you have your little Tay con do thing?" Ella stared at him.
Was he doing what she thought he was doing?
" Mike, are you asking me out?" she asked, amazed.
The month Mike had been in Australia must of effected his brain or something. He blushed a little. " Hell, no. God, why would I ever do something like that. I mean, you know that I like, you know, and anyway I was just thirsty and I thought you might be thirsty." He finished lamely. Ella raised an eyebrow. God, Mike sucked at lying.
" Uh huh. Right, Mike. Say that again." He grinned.
"I am thirsty. You look tired. The park is hell with a couple of weeds. I say that we forget this entire thing and go have coffee. And don't get sarcastic."
" Another one of the many services I offer. I'll skip the park tonight."
" Good. To the coffee house. Let's cut through the Peterson Park, though."Ella followed him as we walked through the sunset coming park.. She loved the park. Not many people did, it was so trashy and scummy and most people were just praying to god that it would soon become a strip mall. Oh, Ella could see why, sometimes. There was McDonald's hamburger wrappers, empty soda cans, wadded up newspapers that littered the park's walks. The trees were pretty much dead, even when it wasn't winter. Their limbs hung over in a ghostly way, but she still loved seeing them. But what she loved most in it was it's people. The people who lived in it, and the people who just strolled through it. From Old Mexican worker that walked home this way every day around 5:00 to the laughing groups of girls. Sometimes, when no one was looking, this park did have life in it, a special kind of beauty in it's own. That's why I took pictures of this park. Some day, these photos would be displayed in the MOMA, just like the exhibit I 'm going to see in a couple of weeks, Ella thought.
" So, treats on me. What do you want? Cappuccino,"
" Listen buddy, just hand over the wallet, and no one's going to get hurt." Mike stopped abruptly. A man stood holding a gun. Holy Shit. Since when does Peterson's have crime? She asked herself.
" Hand it over blondie." The man told her.
Ella tucked a wisp of blonde hair that had escaped from her bun. God, let him leave us alone, she prayed. She took out her wallet and handed it to him. Thank god all that she had was a twenty.
" This is all we have. Back off now." Mike said nervously. The man checked how much money.
" This can't be it all. Where's the rest, bitch?" he demanded to Ella, satisfied with the amount from Mike.
" I don't have anymore." she replied nervously.
" Oh come on sister. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
" Yes." Ella muttered under her breath. He continued,
" How about that camera? That'll be worth at least a couple of bucks." Ella sucked in her breath. There may be a lot of things she'd give up, but her camera was not one of them. She may have given up all of the Shit in her purse, but not her camera.
" No." she replied simply. The man roughly grabbed at it.
" Give it to me, bitch. I'm not afraid to use this." " Ella, give it to him!" Mike told her hoarsely. " No! God, give me my camera!" Ella snatched it back. The man yanked on it again. Ella saw this as a chance, and she took it. Before she could think, She grabbed his wrist and pulled it passed her. The man was surprised, and stumbled back. Ella took a step forward and delivered a kick that took the man across the rib. The man was bigger and stronger then Ella was though. He through a punch into her jaw. She tasted the blood that welled up in her mouth.
" Stupid bitch." he muttered, and reached for her arm, thinking she was through. Ella backhanded him hard against the side of his neck, causing him to stagger sideways. Her head was hurting like hell, but if she could just finish the asshole off...... She delivered a swift kick in the chest and watched him slam into the telephone box. Handy little things. He slid onto the concrete, not a sound coming from him.
" Bastard." Ella muttered, and kicked him. Mike stared at her. " Shit, maybe your Tae Kwon Do is doing something for you." He said, rushing to steady her. Ella was sure she had to look like hell right now.
" Yeah. Funny things a balding Chinese guy can teach you." she said, and smiled weakly.
" How about that coffee?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" God, I swear Nikki. It makes you want to take lessons." The brunette snorted. " Chill, big boy. Remember last time when you went on your ' photography' kick just to impress Ella? I never saw such a load of crap in my life. You're idea of good photos is worse then my Grandmother's taste in bathing suits." She twirled the phone cord with her fingers.
" Shit, why do you and Ella have such goddamn good memories? I forgot all that Shit until she brought it up again." Mike continued.
" Of course you did. You never want to remember anything you suck at." Nikki pointed out.
" Why do you always put words in my mouth?" She smiled.
" Ok Mike, if you really don't want to talk about how much you like Ella, can you come to my barbecue next Friday? You haven't RSVP'd yet." There was a pause.
" Uh yeah. I'm not sure."
" Don't worry. I'm not inviting Charisse. The bitch can stay home and sulk for all I care. What's it to her? Just an extra night to arrange her credit cards in alphabetical order. God, just because my Father works with her dad doesn't mean I'm going to actually invite her!"
" Yeah. I can come then." She caught the tone of relief .
" And not to mention that she bitched out on Ella and me! Thee is mad, boy. The day Charisse steps one of her cheap plastic Italian pumps in my house, I will personally make sure that I am put in therapy. What's up with El, besides the whole mad hit man thing. God, I feel sorry for him." Mike laughed.
" I feel sorry for anyone who stands Ella's way. Anyone who does gets nothing but a bitch slap in the face. Personally delivered by Ella."
"Ella, girl, wait up!" cried a familiar voice.
" Hang 10, Nik." Ella called out. Don't move, she prayed. The Oriental girl laughed at the old man again, who was blabbering in something. Click. Perfect. Turning around she saw Nikki running toward her. Nikki, Ella's best friend. If there was anyone else on the planet that came close to understanding her, it was Nikki. Ella shared what she wanted to do after high school: have a husband that she was passionate for, a couple of adorable kids, an apartment in the city, a weekend house in the country, and to be a Photographer. Nikki, the socialite she was, had bigger plans. She was going to married to a famous, rich man, have 3 children, and live in a mansion on the Mediterranean sea. The brunette's hair was frazzled, and her hazel eyes focused on the Oriental girl, and apparently her grandfather. Her eyes narrowed.
" Ella, girl, are you stalking people again?" Ella rolled her eyes. Nikki, her best friend, understood a lot of things. Photography wasn't one of them.
" I'm taking pictures of them, not stalking them." Nikki threw her arms up in the air.
" The police are gonna believe that one! Why don't you go up and ask people to take their picture, instead of being Bat girl with a camera?" Ella tapped her foot impatiently.
" Because Nikki, then it wouldn't be natural. It'd be posed. Fake." Nikki rolled her eyes.
" You and your oversized Kodak. I will never figure either of you out. I still can't see why you don't take cute pictures, ones like those." She pointed to a little girl pushing an unhappy kitten down the street.
" Animal torture? I don't think so, Nik."
" Not of that kid, but of the kitten. Everybody loves to look at sweet innocent little pictures of kittens. I am telling you, El. Switch to kittens and dogs and you have your career laid out for you. I mean, look at Walmart! They must make like a million bucks just off of selling those cute little folders!" Ella rolled her eyes.
" Nikki, nobody gives Shit about kittens except for you and five year Olds. This," she gestured to the girl and her grandfather. " is real photography. This is what I want to do with my life." Nikki smiled and clapped a hand on the girl's shoulder.
" El, you are getting poetic on me. I say we forget about our future lives and figure out what we want to do next weekend."
" Where are you going this weekend? Tea with the Queen of England again?"
" Haha. No, We're going down to Florida for a two day vacation. You coming to my party?"
" It's on Friday, right? I have to be somewhere on Saturday."
" You met a guy?" Ella smiled.
" God, Nik, everything is guys with you. Guys or Abercrombie and Fitch. To hell with guys for a minute. Do you wanna go to the city to see the Annie Leibowitz exhibit at the MOMA?" Ella asked, already knowing what the girl's answer would be. Nikki's eyes always twitched when she lied. She never made eye contact.
" Ya know El, actually that day, my dad and I were going to go to some special company thing. You know how it is, he's the president of the company, so of course he has to bring me to all that crap......" she finished off lamely. Ella raised an eyebrow.
" You suck at lying, Nik. Anyone ever tell you that?" Nikki sighed.
" Is it that obvious? El, I know how much you love photography and all that Shit, but you know that I usually don't spend my Saturday afternoons looking at some photos with all these snobs around me that know I don't give Shit about the photograph. I don't see why you bother going, Ella. Everyone there doesn't give a crap about you--even though I still think that your work is the best thing since that Leonardo guy." Ella shrugged. " Nikki, one day somebody will notice me. And when that day comes, I'm gonna be ready. See if Mike wants to go with me, Kay?" Nikki swallowed the urge to laugh. Want? He'd pay to go with Ella to the local city dump. Nikki smiled, and grabbed Ella by the arm.
" Come on, lets go get something to eat."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" Annie Leibowitz exhibit at the MOMA. Do you have that down?"
Loki said sharply. The man curtly nodded, fear evidently showing. Loki dismissed him with a wave of his hand. It would be one of the gala events of the season. People would be there. People with possible job potential. Loki's lips curled into a smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*sighs* hope everyone likes it. If not, I'm going to continue it anyway. Please review.
All of Ella's friends are owned by little 'ol me, and Ella and Loki are all Francine Pascal's. If you
look in Fearless 12 on page 157. Gives the only account of Ella's life before Loki. Again, please
review!!to be continued..........................
