~*~Hey everyone! This is my very first fanfic, so I hope you all enjoy it! This is only the Prologue, so it's a little short! Read it and enjoy, and review if you can. Constructive criticism is welcome, flaming is not. Anyways, onto the story!~*~

Helga looked around the huge, dirty kitchen, and wrinkled her nose. What was she thinking, taking a job like this? Sure, she needs the money for college, but a maid? Seriously. Who would have ever thought that she would have ever taken a job cleaning other peoples houses? Yeah...right.

"Well...better get to work then, I suppose..." Helga murmured, taking a bucket of hot water off the counter.

"Yes...yes, you should, if you even want to think about getting any money. I must say, what a pleasant surprise this is...when I ordered in a maid, I definitely didn't expect Helga Pataki! Well, Helga, since I know what an ever so wonderful worker you are, I expect this whole kitchen to be spotless...in...oh, why don't we say, two hours?" The leggy redhead sighed. "Poor you, Helga. I just feel ever so bad for putting you to so much work, but isn't my daddy just going to love how spotless his kitchen is?"

Helga took one look up, and cringed. Well, well, well, it looked like she had Miss Perfect to answer to. She wasn't expecting her here. Wasn't Lila the one who lived in that shabby little apartment when they were fourth graders? Her Dad must have moved his way up to be living in posh digs like this.

Lila smiled coldly. "Don't let me stop you from working, Helga, hun."

Helga smiled back, just as cold. "Thanks for the consideration..." She got down on her hands, and knees, and stuck her hand in the now cold, soapy water, and began to scrub the floor. Thankfully, they weren't in school anymore. This would have spread so fast; it wouldn't have been funny. Suddenly, she heard Lila snickering. Something must have amused little Miss Perfect.

"What's so funny, Liiila?" Helga asked snidely. God, she hated it when she had to resort to such childish motives, but, Lord, that girl got on her nerves.

"Why Helga, you are on your hands and knees...somewhere you are all the time...or is that on your back?" Lila giggled.

That was way too much for Helga. She took the bucket of water she had on the floor, and picked it up, walking over to Lila. Lila looking at her like she was crazy.

"What ever are you doing HelgAAAA!" The last part began to crescendo into a high pitched screech as Helga dumped the cold, now almost black water all over Lila. Lila brushed her sopping hair out of her eyes, and stared at Helga, silently fuming. Helga smiled an "ever so" sweet smile, as Lila would put it, and confidently walked to the door, pausing for a second to yell over her shoulder - "Have fun cleaning up that mess, HUN!" - before leaving the house.

Helga dropped her keys on her coffee table, and slumped onto the rumpled couch she had gotten at a garage sale for ten bucks. Helga almost lived on the couch. She looked around her apartment, and smiled. Finally, she had gotten away from her parents. It was so nice to be in her own place, with HER rules, not theirs. She wasn't their kid to boss around anymore. Helga sighed, as she thought about all the wasted years. At least she had had Arnold to get her through it. No matter what happened, no matter how she treated him, he was always there when she needed a shoulder to cry on. They had gotten closer over the years, but only close enough to call him a friend, nothing more. Helga rubbed her eyes. Thinking about the way she had acted throughout her childhood and teenage years made her tired...very tired. She had kept her real self locked away for all those years...now maybe it would get a chance to fight it's way through.

Helga stood up from the couch, and stretched. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back, and the t shirt she was wearing stretched across her not-too-big, not-too-small chest, and as the hem of her shirt rose up, metal caught the last waning light from the sun beaming in through the window, and lit up, showing the cute shooting star belly button ring on Helga's flat stomach. Helga had gone from ugly duckling to beautiful swan in a matter of years. She got second looks wherever she went, but who cared? She never got second looks from the one person they would mean the most from.

Helga began to walk towards her kitchen, which was about two feet away in her cramped apartment. She saw something glinting on the floor, next to her door. Ah, mail, she thought, walking towards it. She scooped it up, and blinked her eyes at the brightness of the silver envelope she held in her hand. She began to open it, and smiled when she saw what was inside.

"Had to get one more in before everyone went off to college, huh, Princess?" Helga smirked down at the invitation she held in her hand.

~*~You Are Invited! ~*~

You are invited to one last soiree at Rhonda Wellington Lloyds this Saturday, from 6 O Clock pm to whenever you want to leave! Remember everyone, this is a masked party, so bearing masks! Everyone will remove the masks at midnight, if they so choose! I hope to see you there!

RSVP - (243) 235-2345

Helga shook her head. Figures...working that night...dammit! She reached for her appointment book on the table, and opened it up, cross her legs. Hmm.who was she cleaning for, now? Carolyn Meyer...hmm...She'd call up Rhonda and tell her she couldn't go tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep for about a million hours.

~*~ Again, sorry for it being so short...it will be longer next time!~*~