"One double chocolate scone, and a glass of chocolate milk. Please," the little boy at the counter muttered nervously. It was clearly his first time coming here alone.

"That'll be five dollars and a lot of chocolate," Emily said, smiling down at his blank face.

The door swung closed behind him, and the shop was closed for the day. Emily sighed softly, and flipped the sign.

Someday I'll escape this world...she thought tiredly, slipping into her jacket and stepping into her shoes. Someday...

"Emily! You're five minutes late! Again! This has been the third time in a row! Is this the sign of appreciation and gratitude you give us? You should be ashamed of yourself! You know that we need you for chores, and you come home five minutes late!" the Queen yells in Emily's face, poking her shoulder, and spitting all over her body.

Emily bites the inside of her mouth and looks down at her feet. She grabs a fistful of her plain brown skirt in her hands, and says, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. There was---"

"Uh-huh, there was what? A monster? A ghost? I don't want to hear your lame excuses anymore! Last week it was, there was a spill. The week before, it was, there was an old couple that you didn't want to interrupt. If this job is too hard for you, then you know that you can just quit, don't you? Give it to someone else! Someone much more responsible that can actually handle a bakery! Emily! Listen to yourself. Making these dumb, lame excuses. If you can't get through those, how are you ever gonna become a queen! There are no spills, or old couples, or whatever it is this time. There's real problems. Problems that will cost those five minutes." The Queen huffed, and looked Emily in her eyes. A cold, cold, empty look full of pity.

I didn't ask to be Queen, and it's my bakery, I can do what I want,  Emily thought angrily, clenching and unclenching her fists slowly. "Whatever you say," she muttered, and stepped around her, racing up the stairs before the Queen could say anything else.

Emily never asked for this, life, but at least she knew what the life she wanted was. One that was filled with adventure. She wanted to prove to the world that she was everything other than what everyone thought she was. She wanted to prove that to herself, mostly.

Emily plopped onto her bed, and looked out of the window. All she wanted to do was jump out, and fly. She looked down at her hands, and thought that maybe one day she could check out another world. All she wanted to do was go to the Downside. Maybe one day, she would. But not today. Maybe tomorrow.