Matilda was born as the perfect child of the perfect couple. Cities most eligible movie director bachelor meet the princess of petroleum and cue fairytale marriage. At least, to the outside. Truth was, as with many of the wealthy elite this was a match set up by parents and media and is convenient for the image of both involved but there's no love between them. Matilda however has been doted on by the both of them, even though illness took the ability to conceive away from her mother a few years afterwards.
With money and status comes the responsibility to live up to an image always. There's no room to relax or fall off he rails with the whole world watching. Matilda was no exception, although has always wanted to make her parents proud of her, catching very early that she was the glue of their happy little life. She attended the best schools and tried to make the connections so important in the adult life circles, and managed to float between social groups, forming the connections without the complete politicking drama that goes with it. She did well in school, and managed not to cause scandal- so much easier these days than it ever was. When graduation came around she chose not to attend college, but had loved stories growing up and wanted to share hers with the world.
Needless to say her parents weren't pleased, she being an heiress and all, they reached a compromise whereby she would learn how to both handle business (or rather wrangle the boards that run the business), as well as figure out how to direct a film- so she could theoretically run both her family fortunes in later life. The compromise being that these would be weekly in turn with being able to write, so in a three week rotation she would effectively have three jobs. It keeps her busy but oddly sane, to be able to change mindsets regularly. She's been successful in her ventures, having co-directed a major motion film with her father, helped her mother expand heir business into new directions and just published her third book with great success. Now. If only she could find a guy that would be an asset, rather than just in it for her money. Love would be great but realistically not gonna happen. Love is for the common person, a fairytale for people in the higher echelons, but apparently a decent human being is also nothing but fiction.
The First Day
Her morning had been uneventful, which had been nice for a change. Back on a week of writing she had a very productive start to her day, finishing scoping her storyboard for her new novel. The digital screen wall of her office showed snippets of over arching stories and little arcs, scenes she'd dreamt up and her scope for this new book. She was pretty excited about it, ready to type up the synopsis for her publisher by the end of the week. But this afternoon she reluctantly had to stop what she was doing and attend another party. Ostensibly this was a funeral, but that only influenced the start and fashion code. The rest would be playboys going too hard, and business deals brokered behind closed doors with whiskey like all the others. Her mother had sent over a lovely black ballgown, strapless and corseted with a full skirt, with intricate embroidery from the hem working its way up to mid thigh to look wispy and smoky in greys and sparkles. She actually really liked this one. Completing it with a black velvet chocked with a chandelier design of beaded strings coming down over her collarbones. Satisfied she realised she was nearly late to catch the limo her mother would have sent to collect her.
The start of the soirée was muted and respectful. The guy was some billionaire who had been a friend of her mothers father or some such. The reception after lived entirely up to her expectations, with the partiers leaving to go indulge in expensive drugs and give the tabloids new headlines for the next few weeks. One such, an aquaintence from her high school wandered over, and chance allowed a waitress with champagne to wander by. Grabbing one to cope with turning him down, again, she felt it start as he was talking to her. Pins and needles started in her fingers and feet, and took over her scalp. Her eyes felt sandy and itchy all of a sudden, and she frowned at her champagne glass. Apologising and fleeing the room she made it to the bathroom before he agony set in.
Every nerve in her body was on fire. Her head felt like it was splitting open and she could see visions running past so quickly, nightmares and beautiful dreams, getting faster until all she was was red and white a black luring together until there was nothing anymore. Waking up she realised she had passed out, and figuring her drink must have been spiked she picked heeled up and went to straighten her looks. The girl in the mirror had changed into a demon. Which her mothers horrified face reflected too behind her.
Turning and desperate for her mother not to see her this way she reached out, unconsciously using her mind to do so. She wanted her to still see her little girl badly enough, and her mothers face relaxed, the usual doting look of love coming over it. Telling her mother she wasn't feeling well and was going home, she left taking back ways to avoid others seeing her. She didn't know what she had done, not really, but she felt like her mum had seen her as she should have looked. As Matilda wanted her to see her.
She was lost in thought about it, wandering home and only half worried that there were no cabs driving around to catch. That's when she saw them. They had hunted down a homeless person and were fighting each other to grab a piece. Instinctively she swore in horror, which drew the attention from the couple in the back. Their gaze focused on her and she ran. She took a wrong turn, finding herself in a dead end alley, with free of them advancing on her. She needed a distraction, and almost without thinking about it the gem she hadn't noticed before started glowing. Her skirt turned into tendrils rooting her in a misty writhing mass, and she closed her eyes imaging a cry for help coming from the street beyond echoing through the empty streets. The farthest two turned to listen and she managed to generate the cry again. They took off, searching for their easier prey. One stayed, advancing on her, happy that this kill it wouldn't have to share. Her mind thought frantically. This was no human, not anymore. The only way out was to kill it, and the surest way to deal with monsters was to remove the head- that's the one thing common throughout literature anyway right? Could she..? With a might of concentration she thought about a thin wire spanning the alleyway at neck level. She thought about it being real so hard she didn't hear the thing start running, and she barely felt the twang of the string in her mind as it hit it. Minutes later she opened her eyes, and let go her mind almost feeling like it was going to cramp. And that when she saw it crumpled. Head detached from its shoulders, but no string in sight. She did check, not wanting to kill herself just yet. Fleeing into the night she made it home without further incident, unsure of her next move. In the way that all people try to cope with shock she went to bed, figuring it was drugs or maybe the war had come to New Windsor. Or it was all a bad dream. Any which way it would probably be better and make more sense in the morning. Right?