Ophelia

Ophelia shuts the door to her house, fighting back tears. She doesn't know what's worse - her stepmother's screeching or her father's silence.

Resolute, Ophelia marches down the driveway and onto the rural route. She just wants to make it to the next town where prom was scheduled to start in two hours. Was two hours long enough to walk 3 miles?

This wasn't supposed to happen - she'd carefully budgeted the cost of her gown, her Uber money, even the special glass tiara she'd dreamed of. Everything came together so perfectly! Ophelia had double checked her drawer where she hid the Uber money last night. But when she woke up this morning, it was gone! She looked everywhere, her family laughing at her the whole time.

Finally, Ophelia had no choice but to try and walk to the next town over. Her dreams of a beautiful prom night were quickly dashed as the time stretched on, darkness fell - and now the skies opened up and she was drenched.

What a disaster. She doesn't want to go back home, where her family will ridicule her further, and she is too humiliated to keep trying to get to prom.

Headlights sweep across her crouching form, and Ophelia doesn't raise her head as a dark figure approaches her. "Please…don't hurt me." She whispers.