The Start of it All

 Rebecca Avendale was born unlucky. Lydia and Fletcher were both ambitious workaholics who cared little for anything other than their careers. Though they had been married since they were young adults, they cared little for each other as well. They both agreed that they made good partners and could help each other achieve their lifetime desires and figured staying together would be beneficial. This was true especially for Lydia. An aspiring politician, she could certainly see the advantage to being married to rich Fletcher Avendale. His inheritance along with the money from his company would go a long way towards backing her in campaigns.

Once Lydia had been named governor, she began polling her constituents and found that her majority was with single, business women who identified with her. Living in Sunset Valley, this was a good thing since many women were independent, but there was still an entire market of families to be tapped, especially if she wanted to become much more influential. It was at that time that Lydia decided she should have a child. By procreating, Lydia could make herself more marketable and receive more votes around the nation.

Shortly after, Rebecca was born. A beautiful baby girl brought into the family amid smiles and joyous pictures and professionally created baby announcements. However, behind closed doors her parents were indifferent to her existence. No, they weren’t cruel; she had everything she needed, except love. Rebecca was just another accessory in the lives of two ruthless and determined individuals.

When she was 12, Lydia, now Leader of the Free World, and Fletcher decided to take a trip to Al-Simhara to foster good relationships between countries. While there, they selected a site seeing tour of the Great Sphinx. It was supposed to be safe. Sure, there had been some accidents, but few casualties among the tombs of Egypt but they never planned on getting separated from their guide and having little idea of how to get out. 

 

Lydia saw an opening, or so she thought, and attempted to cross it to make it to the door. Unfortunately, she quickly caught flame. Fletcher, seeing his wife on fire went into shock for a moment before attempting to rescue her. He too quickly caught flame and later, the guide found their bones among ashes.

Regrettably, the Avendale fortune was left to various scholarships and charities throughout Sunset Valley. Rebecca had nothing and was forced to live with her father’s Aunt Esther who despised children. Esther was a grumpy, penny pinching woman who had never wanted children and resented the fact that she would now be forced to raise some other person’s brat, family notwithstanding. She chopped all of Rebecca’s hair off to save money on shampoo and sold all of her books to “cover” her room and board. Rebecca spent most of her teen years either embroiled in arguments with her aunt or hiding in the great outdoors with a borrowed library book. She often dreamed of her prince charming coming to rescue her as she sat alone in the woods, reading of the fairy tales of beautiful women.

5 years after the tragic end to her parents, Aunt Esther died of old age, or some say bitterness. In her resentment, even from the grave, Esther left Rebecca nothing. Her entire fortune went to her cat so Rebecca was again left penniless. As a final parting, she went to the cemetery and danced on Esther’s grave. 

She swore to herself that, this time, she would not allow herself to depend on anyone. She started camping out here and there, sometimes at the library, sometimes in the woods. She was left to dig for scraps in the dumpster behind the diner for her dinner and to bathe at the gym. 

 She got a part time job at the bookstore where she could read and practice writing during slow times and also make enough money to support herself.

Rebecca now dreamed of becoming a professional author, to give hope to children and people around the world and give them friends, just like the only ones she had ever had. She finally saved enough money to leave Sunset Valley forever. Even though she still aspired to be rescued by her prince charming, she believed, never having truly been loved before, that love was not for her. Her dreams to prosper and write somewhere else were dreams enough. So she packed up and left for Twinbrook, a quiet community where no one would know her. 

And so our story essentially begins.   

                                                                                                                                                                                            Chapter 1-1