Flashback

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Little Maddy stood in her empty playroom, holding her doll. She was so lonely, and her parents were always busy, never having time for her. There were only so many pretend weddings she could do with her tiny, perfect groom and her many white princess dresses before she was faced with the fact that she was, in fact, all alone. It tore her apart when she realized how desolate a playroom with no playmates was, and she could barely stand the loneliness. She looked out the massive window that sat at the front of the room, watching the world outside. She could see the hustle and bustle of the small town nearby, and the wildlife in the forest. She could see other children playing in the schoolyard, and she broke down.

How long would she be isolated? She was only allowed to see her Uncle twice a month, and that just wasn't enough. She wanted her Uncle and her Aunt, they felt more like parents than her actual parents. It was almost as if her actual parents didn't exist except for the small meals they left at her door that were usually just pre-made sandwiches from the store, or leftover take out that they had ordered for themselves and ordered too much. They were always working, and too busy to spend any time with her. Sometimes they weren't even home, so she could sneak out of her playroom and actually explore the house. She wasn't brave enough to go outside however, as she saw the creatures that roamed the trees at night. Although, sometimes she wondered if every time she heard someone enter and exit her home was actually her parents. It was a large manor that used to be the entrance of an old asylum that was restructured to be a proper home. Her room was in what used to be the clock tower, the clock faces were now massive windows that overlooked the whole forest and town. She padded her way over to the other window, behind her home was one of the old wings.

Well, it was part of the wing. It wasn't the full wing since it had been disconnected, but it was turned into a prison for the criminally insane and then left completely abandoned. Her parents had spoken about buying the old building and its property, but ultimately decided against it. This gave Maddy something to watch, as every night around sunset the building would have people bustling in and out of it. In fact it was sunset now, the sky casted in beautiful violet and orange, and as it became darker, Maddy saw the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was tall and lean and dressed in the finest of attire. He looked like he was going to a wedding, or the very least, a formal party.

Little Maddy was in her favorite white dress and favorite black Mary Janes. Her hair was messy but she still thought she looked prettier than any other little girl her age. After all, her family said so, so it must be true. She had tight, bouncy curls that her parents described as "3A", whatever that meant, and bright beautiful Caribbean blue eyes. She was dotted with plenty of what her aunt called "angel kisses" all over her face and shoulders, and was blessed with the prettiest Terra-Cotta colored skin. She was always told she was beautiful, but it made her sad. She wasn't just pretty, she was smart, and strong, and feisty. But she was rarely ever spoken to enough for anyone to know that. The only ones who did were her Aunt and Uncle.

She thought she would make the perfect bride one day, someone's princess. She would be showered with love and attention then, and taken from her hell. As she watched the man, she also noticed a little girl in a pink dress with him. She was immediately jealous, pouting. Why couldn't she be her? Taken care of by a tall, handsome, finely dressed man. This was the first time the little girl ever felt that feeling.

Jealousy.

She hated the way it tasted, and swallowed it down. Instead, she focused her energy on smiling and waving at them, and ended up making eye contact with the man. Something in her heart fluttered and she also felt faint. Satisfied with the interaction, and the weird, fuzzy headedness of making eye contact with the man, she made her way to bed. Not even fully making it under the covers, she passed out. What was strange was, she didn't feel tired before she fell unconscious. 

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