Prologue

Malisa's POV.

   

I still can't believe that I am turning eighteen soon, it still felt like yesterday when I and Princess Gabriella said our goodbyes.

I miss my only best friend and comforter, she was the only one that understood me the most.

I am very grateful for all the times we spent together.

She taught me a lot about life, if not for her, I will be a girl with no direction.

I still remember vividly the day we last saw each other.

How we both became emotional as we knew that this was probably the last time we would see each other.

It's funny how she made me make a promise to her that I wouldn't give up on my dreams no matter what.

Well, I don't plan on giving up on my dreams but...

It's hard, very hard I must say.

Today is the beginning of a new month, March 1.

   My eighteenth birthday is in 24 days.

I am supposed to be happy about it but I am not.

I feel suffocated, I wish I could change my fate.

I want to fulfill my dreams.

I don't want to get married to Ronaldo Jones, the 50-year-old man my parents chose for me.

Not only is he almost Thrice my age, but he also has Five wives and Twenty children with most of them older than me.

Why would he want to get married to a young girl who is younger than his daughter? 

I haven't gotten my answer.

I wish I had a choice.

Getting married isn't the only thing I am sad about but I am also sad about the fact that I would be violated.

  I have to get circumcised on my 18-year-old birthday, this isn't a new thing as all girls my age go through this but it's crazy.

  Well, I thought this act was Normal until My best friend, Princess Gabriella told me that most countries of the world don't practice this.

Really?, Then why is our Village practicing it? ' I had asked her but she only replied to me with one word.

' Tradition. '

I don't want to go through all of this, I am scared.

I could remember how Stella one of our neighbor's daughters who was a year older than me, bled to death after being circumcised.

Well, this circumcision isn't safe as there are often complications.

Some women end up becoming an Empty shells because of it but as they say, Tradition is tradition.

I wish I wasn't born here.

A place where girls don't have a voice.

We are seen as nothing but Tools, we are been nurtured and trained to become instruments of pleasure for men and also childbearing tools.

We aren't respected at all.

Sometimes I ask myself the question.

' Why am I here? ' 

But then a spark in me will be felt then.

Am I here to Break the rules? 

Well, would I be courageous enough to do this despite knowing the consequences of it?

But I can't just accept my fate.

I deserve to be able to choose.

I am a human, not a thing.

I wish people in my village understand this.

But sadly none of them do only my best friend does.

Speaking of Princess Gabriella.

I would never forget her love and care.

She was very kind and lovely, unlike her older siblings despite being the youngest child of the One and only king of our village.

She respected me and treated me like a little sister, I would never forget her act of kindness.

I often wonder how it felt to be like her.

She lived in luxury.

She was well respected by all including her father who loved her unconditionally.

She didn't have to worry about being circumcised or being married off to an old man at a young age as she would have the right to chose.

She had traveled to different parts of the world.

She was well educated.

She could speak multiple languages fluently.

I often envied her, her life seems so perfect, I wish my life was like that.

[ Is Gabriella's life that perfect? ] 

Though I am not that Ignorant as she taught me a lot.

She thought me how to read and write, yeah she did.

She'll be a good teacher, I guess.

From here, I knew how to read novels and that's when I came across one of best selling writer Francine Rivers books, The book was titled  Marta's Legacy

  

As soon as I started reading it, I soon got hooked and didn't stop till I completed reading the book and then I realized that the book had a book two which was titled,  Her Mother's Hope.

I also made sure to read that too.

And that's how Francine Rivers became my best writer.

I started to wish to be a writer but can my dream be fulfilled? 

Also, I became a fan of Celine Dion after listening to her two Emotional songs, My heart will go on and The Prayer.

I especially loved her voice and the way she sings, I also began to admire her too.

Who knew that while I was enjoying all this luxury at the palace, I was building up hate, unknowingly.

When Princess Gabriella finally left the village for the city to further her education, I became an outcast.

All the friends I had before avoided me like a plague.

I often overhear them Gossiping and saying awful things about me.

Even my mom began to treat me differently

Isn't this too much? I thought.

I soon got used to all this and began to focus on things that matter and yes in the blink of an eye, Two years have passed.

I am almost eighteen ready for marriage.

Am I ready? 

The answer is obvious but do I have a choice? 

No, I don't.

My fate had been decided the minute I was born in this village.

But...

Is that how my story is going to end? 

Of course not.

I have my dreams waiting to be fulfilled.

I made a promise.

To who? 

My creator.

Myself

And Princess Gabriella

That I would fulfill my dreams.

I'll be persistent no matter the cost.

But what to do? 

There are only 24 days left! 

That's enough to change my Destiny.

I am Malisa Bree and this is my Story! 

Enjoy! 

I hope you'll learn a lot from it.

Thanks for reading.