Chapter Text
“ LEAVE ME ALONE! ”
A door slammed as a teenage girl stormed into her room, short and unpainted nails clawing at the door in her boiling rage. Darting over to her vanity lined with fragile, twinkling fairy-lights, she swept off a pile on her desk, disregarding any displaced tomes and grimoires in favor yanking out a set of makeup remover wipes before aggressively scrubbing at her face. Drawing a line down the middle of her face and removing the makeup on one side first, she looked in the mirror and yet again in her short life, grew agitated at the extreme lengths she went to in order to cover her true face. On one side lay a thick, stifling layer of foundation much too orange for her skin tone, dusted-on eyeshadow beneath her eyes to create the illusion of tiredness, and a plain tan lipstick that was flattering to neither her fabricated nor her true skin tone. On the freshly-cleaned side she saw her complexion nearly fair as snow, complemented by rosy cheeks, long black lashes, and lips “red as the red red rose,” as some of her favorite fairy tales would describe. After working through cleaning the makeup on the other side, she popped out her brown cosmetic contacts, revealing cotton candy pink eyes underneath. Reaching up to undo her long dark braid, she heard a rap-rap on the other side of the door. Glaring tear-filled daggers in that direction, she opted to ignore it in favor of some much-needed self-care. Unfortunately, the moment of solitude came to an end as a figure appeared in a small cloud of mist in the room.
“Aurora, sweetie-” A woman not appearing much older than her pled, more put-together than the teen.
“I said stay out mom! ” The girl screamed, choking back tears.
“Actually, you said to leave you alone-” The woman placed a finger over her lips, appearing to be in thought.
“ YOU KNEW WHAT I MEANT! ” Aurora’s eyes glowed as she argued with her mother.
“Look, sweetie, I know you’re upset, but-”
“But WHAT?!” she spat out. “Is it too much to ask that I actually get to leave the house without looking like I walked straight out of the Chocolate Factory?”
The woman sighed, “sweetie, your skin tone would draw way too much attention out here, so that alone has to be covered up. It looks like you never go outside-”
“Maybe that’s because I don’t! ” she interrupted.
“-As I was saying,” the woman cut back in, “you’d attract far too much attention looking like that-”
“I thought I wasn’t responsible for others’ opinions of me? Or does that only apply when it’s convenient for you-”
“-And not because of the typical reasons some people might say, but if the wrong people look a little too closely at your distinct appearance, somebody might recognize that you’re not. completely. human .” The woman clapped her hands together as if to emphasize her point.
“Then you should’ve thought about that before deciding to raise me here!” Aurora threw her hands up in frantic motion. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I’d actually want to be normally socialized instead of being stuck inside this house all day?! And if you can’t give me that, then maybe you should’ve given me to my dad who might’ve actually loved me! ”
The mother’s voice raised as she iterated, “we’ve been over this a million times by now, child! You know that’s not safe for you right now-”
“And yet you spend all this time cracking down on me instead of actually attempting to find a solutions that’s not just screaming at me to stay miserable like you!”
The woman’s eyes darkened, her fists clenching as she visibly reigned her temper in. “...I can see that you’re not willing to be reasonable right now. You can come talk to me or Uncle Sol when you’re ready. I just hope you know I’m doing this because I love you, Aurora.”
“SHUT UP!”
Her energy spent from the last several horrible hours, Aurora flopped down on her bed, muffled tears escaping into her pillow. Another knock sounded as she heard her Uncle announce that he had brought food for her, but she could not bring herself to acknowledge any more unwanted presences. An inky black cloud of despair surrounded the teen, threatening to suffocate her as the night came for her once again, no end in sight to her isolation.
Until there was.
For somehow, despite all the magical wards, traps, and protections surrounding every inch of her home, there stood an almost-menacing black carriage with a midnight-colored horse, its very presence inviting to her. As she reached out to admire the beautiful creation, she felt her body being whisked into the contraption. Knowing she was being kidnapped, that this was dangerous, she knew she should fight back - and yet, deep within her soul, she couldn’t bring herself to. ‘ This might be my only chance to get out of here. ’
And so Aurora let herself be carried an unknown distance by this mysterious carriage, only to find herself in a dimly lit chamber, a bubbling green fountain leading up to a floating mirror roaring with acidic flames. A deep, almost-disturbingly eager voice echoed across the chamber as the teen slowly stepped closer. “Ahh… my dearly beloved, a lovely and noble flower of evil… Truly, you are the most beautiful of all.” Such dangerous words… and yet they appealed to the girl’s desires, beckoning her further forward towards the siren song of this mirror. “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest…” ‘ Of them all? Am I truly that outstanding? ’ “Let yourself be guided through the Dark Mirror… If your heart desires, take my hand.” At last, the flames parted, revealing a hand pale as Aurora’s own, fingertips glittering in gold.
‘ This is a horrible idea. I know this is a horrible idea. It’s too much like something out of a fairytale - far too perfect. And yet… I can’t keep going on like I have been. And if this is my ticket out… then I think I’d do just about anything for it. ’ So Aurora held out her hand, paying no heed to the hiss from her boots as she ascended the fountain. ‘ Wonder if this guy secretly has a spindle tucked between his fingers. ’ “Magic mirror in the air, take me somewhere far and fair.” ‘ Every good story needs a few rhymes, right? ’ With that last though, she reached through the mirror, ebony hair cascading behind her as she fell, tugged through the portal. One final sentence echoed into her heart as she fell into her slumber, the first small smile on her face in months.
“ Welcome to the villains’ world. ”