"Everyone is welcome to the opening of Fusia Restaurant!" Carmen Quartet stood beautifully under the signboard of her very own restaurant dressed in a navy blue skirt suit paired with a pair of black red-bottom heels and her hair tied up in a bun while giving her opening speech to mark a new chapter in her life.
"More than ten years ago, I was in an orphanage but I had to leave at the age of sixteen as they could no longer support me. I lacked a high school diploma so I couldn't get any decent jobs. In the beginning, I used to roam these very streets, without a home. I had to rotate between shelters for food. But I decided that I didn't want to live and die like that, so for months after that I took on any job that would pay no matter how little it was, I would run around the city doing all kinds of errands and hard labour. Finally I managed to save enough to build a cart, with what little experience I had from my time in the orphanage helping the matrons to prepare food I started selling street food. I would try to change up the menu depending on the season and on different events. It was hard to make my little food cart business stand out from everyone else's but I did it. From then on I not only dreamed of opening my own restaurant, I worked hard because I had no support. In my darkest times, I could only hold onto myself and my dreams, being my biggest supporter. Now ten years later, I have achieved this dream of mine through much hardship. I thank all those who have supported my business, and helped me to achieve this day," she bowed her head and did a 90 degree bow to the crown below looking up at her.
She stepped back and took the huge pair of scissors from her assistant and posed for the shuttering cameras as she cut the ribbon at the entrance. She laughed and cheered with the crowd as they poured into the venue after shaking her hands. When all the guests had poured into the rustic styled restaurant, Carmen turned and called out to her assistant who was speaking with some guests.
"Layla!" she called out. Layla looked over to her and began walking towards her with a smile before her face quickly morphed into one of pure horror.
"Carmen!" she shouted with outstretched hands. "Move!"
Perhaps by instinct, Carmen looked up only to see the signboard of her own design falling towards her and on impact her vision went dark.
*BOOM BOOM*
The loud knocking scared the little girl looking no older than five years old out of her coma. She looked around with weary eyes at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where am I?" she wondered out loud. When the voice reached her ears, she looked around to see who had spoken out, but she saw no one.
"Is anyone there?" again the voice reached her ears , she unconsciously reached for her throat, but her eyes caught a glimpse of her hands. They were so small! Too small to be her own, they were the size of a child's!
Scared, she looked around the empty room that was more than a bit run down to see a small basin of water close to the wooden door with the sun's rays peeking through the large cracks and holes and reflecting on its surface. The little girl quickly jumped from the bed and ran towards the bucket to see her own reflection, ignoring all the aches all over her body. She was so scared by the dirty little face of a child that came into her view that she fell backwards with her bum hitting the dirty and hard floor.
"What? Why?" she mumbled as panic began to set in.
"What is happening? How could this be? I clearly remember dying. Yes! I died! Didn't I? Then how could I possibly be..."
Before she could ramble on further, a head splitting headache attacked her, she tried to hold onto her consciousness but it became too unbearable. Soon she passed out on the dirt covered mud floor that was a little damp from when she had accidentally shaken the bucket and spilled some of its contents in her panicked state.