Noelle found herself regaining consciousness to a bright light shining in her face, almost blinding her. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter in an attempt to block out the red obscuring her vision, and rolled over with a grunt. Only then, did she peel open her eyes.

The room she rested in was different from her own, she noticed. Instantly Noelle shot up in the bed, flinging the covers off of her only body only to be hit with a rush of cold air. The red room was alien to her, so much more expensive and decorated than her small yet cosy bedroom back in London. She was sitting in a king-sized bed, with a wooden bed stand next to it, a large yellow lamp placed on top of it. Upon closer inspection, Noelle saw it was carved out by hand. The whole place itself looked like a royal bedroom, with a tall ceiling, fancy wallpapers, and valuable furniture. The room was clean and tidy, fit for a queen.

However, Noelle ignored this, instead jumping from the bed and lunging for the door. She gripped the handle and tried to pull, but it would not budge. She tried to push, but it would not move either. The door was locked.

Her panic and despair steadily rising, Noelle fought to take great gulps of air and calm herself down.

Think!

"Right Ellie, calm down, just think." For some reason, her sister's affectionate nickname for her was a source of comfort. "Where... where am I?"

Looking around with a clear head, Noelle found she could suddenly see much more. There was a window to her right, which she made her way to. It was also locked, but she could get a view of her surroundings. She was in a castle tower, many metres off of the ground. Noelle gulped at the deep drop.

"Alright, so we are eliminating that plan," she joked, but there was no joy in her words.

She tried to shift her head to see more, and perhaps spot a person so she could call for rescue... but to no avail. There was not a soul in sight. Her heartbeat raising again, she tried to push out the intrusive, dreadful thoughts.

Behind her, the door opened. Noelle spun around faster than lightning, only to come face to face with two tall, dark guards. They eyed her with no mercy, before grabbing her arms and hauling her out of the room while she screamed.

"No! Help! Where are you taking me?" Noelle pleaded, desperately looking up at the men. They never met her eye, only taking her further down the hallway to her doom. Tears of fear filled her eyes, but Noelle refused to let them see her cry.

She was thrown into a grand dungeon - no, a throne room - and braced her hands and knees on a black carpet. Noelle looked along it until she reached the very end, where a golden throne with silver details was placed. On the throne was a cold man, no feature of emotion on his face, dressed in royal garments. A golden crown with rubies, diamonds, and emeralds sat snugly upon his head. He had a dark brown beard, resting on his light pecan brown face.

When the King spoke, his voice boomed across the room, assaulting any ears it reached.

"Are you sure this is her?" he asked, his stare piercing into poor Noelle.

"Name," commanded one of the guys behind her as he shoved his knee into her back.

"Noelle," she whispered, her terrified eyes refusing to meet the King's.

"She says her name is Noelle," the guard stated in a loud clear voice. There was a moment of silence.

"No...Elle," the King repeated, trying out the name for himself. "A peculiar name, where are you from?"

"L-London, sir," said Noelle, louder this time. Finally, she looked up to stare at the man who brought her. "Why am I here?"

The King laughed, the sound dark and menacing. The guards behind her joined in, and red heat burned in Noelle's face. She felt they were mocking her.

"Don't worry, Noelle, no harm shall come to you here," said the King, once the awful sound had ceased to exist. "My name... is Adron, and I am the King of Dacnella. Do you not know why you have been brought here?"

"No sir," Noelle replied, mustering up every last ounce of courage she had. "I've just woken up in the tower."

"Which means the wish worked," King Adron mused. "You are here, dearest Noelle, because you have been carefully chosen as the queen of Dacnella, and my wife."

Noelle's heart froze, the cold hand of horror tugging at her heartstrings. Her mouth fell open and she gaped at the King, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

"You're... Is this a joke?" she croaked, afraid to hear the answer. She shifted her legs underneath her, putting them in just the right position to bolt.

"You are to be married to me in two days' time," the man spoke, and in his eyes, there was not an ounce of mercy. He was emotionless as he looked at her, though his snarl curled up in an amused smirk. "Why, is anything the matter?"

Noelle did not wait to reply; she sprung up before the guards had managed to seize her and ran past them toward the metal doors keeping her in. She threw them open and bounded down the hallway, the guards behind her hot on her heels.

Noelle could barely breathe, everything was so loud. She ran faster than she had ever before, just intent on thrusting her legs forwards as she tried not to trip on the velvet carpet. The shouting behind her was incomprehensible, though she could make out a single word being repeated and spread like a domino effect with each person she passed.

"Catch her!"

Noelle only ran faster, as the tears streamed down her face, blinding her. Everything was blurry, she couldn't see. Fear overwhelmed her and she felt sick to her stomach. A blurry shape suddenly appeared before her, and before Noelle had time to halt, she crashed into the shape and they both toppled over.

Burly arms grabbed at her, hauling her up off of the floor as she cried.

"No! Stop! Let me go!" Noelle shrieked as she was dragged along the hallway, a spectacle for anybody watching.

"Thank you, miss," one of the men said to the shape she'd crashed into, who was a young woman with long, curly hair pinned into a bun. She had a rude air around her and gazed arrogantly at Noelle as she was carried away.

She did not make it easy for the guards and almost got away twice before she was thrown back inside the tower where she woke up. She grunted as she hit the floor, and the door was slammed closed before she had even had time to turn her head around.

Immediately, Noelle got herself up and rushed towards the door, banging her fists on the cool metal.

"Get me out of here! Now!" she yelled, but to no avail. One of the guards had laughed in her face and told her no one would ever hear her here. "Please!" Noelle pleaded and begged, but whatever God was out there ignored her desperate pleas.

She stopped banging, her hands sore and red as she slid down the door. Noelle buried her face in her hands and cried, in the privacy of the room - she refused to call it hers.

Whatever had she done to deserve this? What had she done to be put through such Hell?

She'd always listened, always behaved, and respected her parents. She'd never transgressed and stayed a good person her whole life. She had never shown people anything but kindness.

She did not know how long she had stayed a bundle of tears on the floor, her only indicator of time being the passing clouds out of the window and the setting sun. All Noelle knew was that when the door clicked open to reveal King Adron, the sun was setting outside, painting colours of orange and yellow across the vermilion sky.

Noelle stood up quickly, shuffling away from the door and turning away from the King. She refused to look at him.

"Do you not think it to be rude not to look at your future husband?" Adron asked, his voice piercing her ears. "You behaved like a barbarian, you should be ashamed. Answer!"

She flinched at his roar, and Adron softened instantly. "I would like to get to know you," he said, and Noelle heard his footsteps inching towards her. A warm hand was placed on her shoulder, but she threw it off of her and backed away. She sent daggers at Adron, imagining them stabbing through his head and ending this horrific nightmare.

"I will get out of here," she threatened, but it was hard to be intimidating with a voice as shaky as hers. "You will not keep me here you sick freak."

Adron did not move but looked at her with his dead, black eyes. Then, a smile was carved onto his face. It was not a kind smile, no. It was the cruel, laughing type that a predator might flash to its prey just before attacking the poor, unsuspecting thing. That is how Noelle felt now, like an animal backed into a corner by the hunter.

Adron laughed, the sounds crackly and hoarse. He belted them out like an offbeat song, and they continued until they reached their crescendo before ceasing to exist completely. Noelle just stared with increasing horror.

"Oh, you are not getting out of here, Noelle," he said sitting down on the bed as it creaked under him. "I will make sure of that. You will not get out of here alive. Goodnight, Noelle. A servant will bring you food in the morning."

. . .

A child sat upon a brick wall, swinging her feet as she stared down at the drop below her. She could see small people walking below, none paying attention to the little girl sitting above them.

She hummed a song, one that she had heard on the radio yesterday, as she looked wistfully at the clear summer sky.

"You might want to get off, they can see up your dress," she heard a voice giggle, so she turned around to face the girl who spoke. She had short, brown, and wavy hair and a pretty, tanned face.

"Oh," she muttered, her cheeks heated in embarrassment as she tucked her dress back over the fence and stood up to face the tanned girl. "Thank you."

"It's okay! My name is Zuzanna!" the girl chirped, reaching her hand forward for a handshake.

"I am Noelle, I moved here a little while ago," said Noelle, grasping Zuzanna's hand and shaking it vigorously.

"Nice to meet you, Noelle," Zuzanna said, flashing a shining smile that opened up the Heavens to Noelle. She watched on in silent admiration as Zuzanna animatedly skipped down the road, waving her hand and beckoning Noelle to follow. She took a deep breath and jogged up to catch up with her, falling into step with the girl.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Noelle hopefully asked, turning her big, brown eyes towards Zuzanna.

"I thought we already were?" Zuzanna laughed, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead as she looked at Noelle quizzingly. Never once did she stop smiling, her face welcoming, sincere, and kind every time Noelle met her eyes.

It just felt so natural, so vivid and so real that she was here in this present moment, spending time with her new best friend. Was it alright to call her that? Noelle did not know, but that did not stop her. As the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, their friendship only grew. Every day from then was spent with each other, and the two girls found themselves in one another.

That intensity of feeling only grew.

Yet Noelle pushed those feelings aside, they could not risk sabotaging her and Zuzanna's friendship. It was not worth it. Noelle would rather live beside Zuzanna as her friend for a lifetime rather than lose her to something as foolish as love.

. . .

One day, Noelle was made to go watch a dance competition that her sister, Valerie, was to take part in. She sat in the stands with Aurora and Richard on either side, as she waited for the curtains to reveal her sister.

The lights came down and the spotlight illuminated a single spot on the stage. Slowly, the audience began to clap and Noelle soon joined in when Valerie entered the stage.

When she began to dance, it was like the entire world had stopped. She watched with bated breath as Valerie leaped around the stage, each of her movements precise as if she was a professional dancer. She was born to be on the stage, and Noelle believed that statement to be more true each second she watched her sister.

The dance was simply breathtaking. It spoke of pain, passion, happiness, pride, and glory. Every drop, spin and turn held so much meaning that it was hard to even imagine it all.

When Valerie hit her final pose, the audience roared with glee as the theatre stood up. The smile on Valerie's face made Noelle's heart warm as she looked at her sister with all the love in the world.

They met again in the front of the theatre, among many other parents heartily congratulating their children. Valerie ran towards them, throwing herself at her big sister.

"I'm so proud of you, Val," Noelle praised, stroking her sister's hair. The overwhelming smell of hairspray tickled her nose. "You were amazing!"

"Thank you!" Valerie giggled as she pulled away from Noelle. She noticed that she didn't hug her parents, instead smiling at them as Richard congratulated her and Aurora watched on with a proud smile.

They were only proud when it benefited them. When they could boast to their friends about their brilliant daughters and pretend they care. Noelle knew the drill all too well, and she thought to protect Valerie from the realisation as long as she could.

. . .

The first time Noelle could remember being seriously in trouble with her parents was when she was six. She had broken an expensive vase that was special to her mother and was sitting on the floor crying as her hand ached. There was white dust in a ring around her small frame.

She had run down the stairs too quickly and fell, smashing into the vase and cutting her hand on one of the shards. The cut only bled slightly and was not deep, yet to a child, it was the worst thing possible imaginable. Her crying and the loud noise had alerted her mother, and soon Noelle could hear Aurora's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Noelle! What have you done!" Aurora raged, grasping little Noelle's arm and hauling her up. "Foolish child!"

Noelle's terror only grew as she was shaken and dragged to her room, sobbing and flailing her limbs.

"Mummy this isn't fair!" Noelle wailed, but her cries were ignored. She was shoved into her room and refused dinner.

The thing that terrified her the most was Aurora's threat that her father would deal with her once he arrived home. She had seen Richard in a rage before, and it was a sight to fear.

Noelle curled up on her bed, quietly sniffling as she waited for the car door outside to slam and the front door to swing open. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to think about anything but her upcoming punishment.

She would see Zuzanna in school tomorrow, and she made everything better. She would forget about what she did and feel happy again at school. It was a safe place for her now.

Suddenly, Noelle heard the pounding of footsteps coming up the stairs, and she knew it was Richard. He banged her door open and stood in the doorway, a fuming tank with its target being Noelle. She hid behind her pillow as he yelled.

"Do you have any idea how important that vase was to your mother!?" He raged, waving his fists in the hair. His moustache bounced as spit flew from his mouth. "She is devastated, and it's all your fault!"

"I-I'm sorry!" cried Noelle, afraid to speak back and defend herself. "I didn't mean to!"

"Do not make excuses now, Noelle," warned Richard, taking a threatening step forward. "Go apologise to your mother now! You're forbidden to go outside for two weeks and will be homeschooled until that time is up. You need to learn your lesson."

His voice was unforgiving and cold; Noelle had never been spoken to like that. Richard's voice held no love and only disgust at his daughter.

Noelle was made to give her mother a teary apology. She did not try to tell them the full story, as she knew it would not help anything, instead took the blame for herself. Aurora refused to look at her while she spoke but had called her a "responsible child" for owning up to her misdeeds.

That night, Valerie joined Noelle in her room. She did not even have to say a word, only crawl under the covers with her and hold her waist tightly. Her silent offer of solace meant the universe to Noelle.

Back then, she did not understand why her mother was so upset that the vase had been broken. Now she knew that it contained the ashes of her late grandmother.

. . .

On her 13th birthday, Noelle wished for a party. Her parents were happy to comply with her wish and soon Noelle made a great list of classmates and friends she would invite. It consisted of Zuzanna, Ivan, Melanie, Rupert, and Donna. They were her little group of friends in school, ones that she was proud to have made herself,

Ivan was the oldest, the smartest, and the most responsible. He was the one that they would all go to whenever they had a worry, and he always gave valuable advice. He was the newest addition to the group, but an important one nonetheless.

Melanie was the sweetest. She was kind and caring, always making sure everybody was happy with her upbeat jokes and bubbly personality. She was the one that Noelle was closest with - other than Zuzanna - and had been one of her first friends.

Rupert was quiet and barely spoke. The most they had ever heard him speak was when his favourite topic was brought up: horse riding. He was smarter than he let on and a good listener to one's worries. He gave great hugs and was braver as a lion.

Donna was a hard person to get along with. They had begun on good terms at the start of the year, yet slowly she became distant and cold, often being rude and quickly apologising after. Noelle guiltily admitted to Zuzanna later that she only invited Donna because she felt bad leaving her out.

"Happy birthday Noelle!" Melanie was the first to greet her, engulfing Noelle in a tight hug. "I got you a present, do you like it?"

Noelle carefully opened the gift, not wanting to ruin the hand-drawn wrapping paper that was carefully crafted by Melanie. Inside, was a beautiful snow globe, crafted by the most exquisite artist.

"Thank you!" Noelle happily said, hugging her friend in return. "Hello, guys!"

She greeted her other friends, who were all present except for Donna. She still hadn't arrived, and in reality, Noelle had not expected her to. She sighed but smiled at all her friends. After all, why let a single person ruin your entire day?

"Are you all hungry?" Noelle asked.

"Oh yes! Daddy only gave me a small breakfast because he said that I would eat a lot of sweets here." Rupert chuckled, his voice low. It always was.

"What do you have?" inquired Zuzanna, leading the way to the kitchen.

"Well, there is cake, but that is for later. Ham sandwiches?"

"That sounds really good," said Ivan politely. "Did you make them?"

"I helped mum make them!"

They ate the ham sandwiches, except for Zuzanna who was a vegetarian so she had cheese, and proceeded to play the classical party games. Halfway through musical chairs, a loud presence entered the room and caused everyone to turn and look.

It was Donna. She strolled into the room, acting like nothing was amiss, noisily looking around the house. Noelle, being a good host, paused the game and welcomed her.

"Hi, Donna! You're a bit late." She could not help but comment. Donna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, which caused Noelle to notice she had come empty-handed.

"It's fine, I didn't miss much anyway," said Donna, her voice laced with boredom. "What are you doing?"

"We're playing musical chairs," Ivan informed, and Donna nodded in response.

"Did I miss the cake?"

Noelle told her no, and Donna was quick to jump at the opportunity for food. She demanded that they eat the cake now, and Noelle did not have the heart to refuse her. She meekly asked Aurora to cut the cake and hand it out among the guests.

She tried not to be bothered by Donna's behaviour, but it was hard. She had not thanked Aurora when given a slice of cake, chewed loudly with her mouth open, and butted into Noelle's sentences when she tried to speak. While singing "happy birthday" she had not joined in.

With the party ending, Noelle tried to keep the mood light by introducing party games.

"God she's so irritating," Donna whispered to Rupert but was overheard. Zuzanna was quick to react.

"If you've got a problem, why did you show up?" she angrily asked, turning to Donna.

"I didn't want to!" protested Donna. "My mum made me because it was polite!"

The party ended soon after, but the high spirits it had begun with were ruined. On Noelle's behalf, Zuzanna unfriended Donna, but her other friends were hesitant to do so. Melanie tried to keep the peace with both sides, while Ivan tried to convince the others to think rationally. Rupert did not comment.

Either way, Donna had stopped sitting with them at school, moving away to a table with the popular mean girls. She barely ever spoke to them again, only even if it was a cruel insult.

That was the first time that Noelle had been hurt by a friend she trusted, and there were many more times to come.