Internet Life

By: Cx3, CkSwCtWj, and The Mysterious Q

Summary (PLEASE READ!): Hello, fellow Lunartics! The amazing CkSwCtWj, the awesome The Mysterious Q and I- Cx3 - have come together to create a Modern!AU. All of our favorite characters are having issues in their own lives. It's almost unbearable, until they begin to use the Internet. Cinder, Peony, Iko, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter are obsessed with a fictional book series, The Star Chronicles, written by Reyem Assiram. The girls bonded through an inter-web friendship, and soon they depend on the Internet as an escape to the hardships of life. But what happens when life becomes more hectic when a flamer comes in and destroys their friendship, changing their lives permanently?

NOTE: In this certain chapter, Cinder is thirteen, Peony is eleven, and Iko is twelve (All characters are about three year younger). THIS FIRST CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BY CkSwCtWj.

Prologue- The Day We all met

The door to the apartment room swung wide open, and Cinder glowered at the figure who bounded in.

"Next time, ring the bell."

"But I knew it was open. Peony always keeps the door unlocked on Fridays," Iko tittered.

"That's what stalkers say," mumbled Cinder.

"I'm not a stalker."

"Right. Says the one who knows if my apartment door is locked or not," Cinder remarked sarcastically, and then she made a face when Iko stuck out her tongue. Her younger sister's long-time best friend- and Cinder's relatively new friend- was a bit of an annoyance. That was an understatement. Iko could be completely irking if she wanted to be.

But, Cinder had to admit that Iko was nice, unlike those snobby girls from the private school Peony always ranted about.

Just in time, Peony erupted out of her room, laughing and running into Iko's arms. Smiles wider than the galaxy spread across their faces.

"Iko!"

"Peony!" The two friends embraced happily, and Cinder rolled her eyes.

"Seriously," she muttered, "you guys are acting like you haven't seen each other in a week. You've been seeing each other at school ever since kindergarten. And now you've decided to start seeing each other on Fridays after school, for whatever you're doing."

"Sounds like someone is jealous," teased Peony. She poked Cinder in the sternum, and a slight ache formed as Cinder's anger bubbled. Defensively, she crossed her arms.

"What? I'm not even-"

"You're welcome to join us, if you want," Iko added. The two girls glanced at each other, and another course of giggling ensued. Cinder's eye twitched. But before she could make another sarcastic comment, the girls quickly fled- Iko's vibrant, dark blue braids flying behind her and Peony's skirt swishing against her thighs.

They could be so despicable.

But Cinder still loved them both. Even though Iko and Peony were closer in different ways, Cinder was still their friend. She didn't mind being left out, but it could get a bit frustrating that Peony and Iko didn't always include her in everything. Sighing, she rolled herself towards the tiny living room. Awkwardly, she tried plopping herself onto the couch, slipping off her wheelchair. But before she was entirely onto the couch, she caught Pearl smirking at her. She was lounging comfortably, with no wheel chair by her, on a different couch. The television was on, displaying an interviewer speaking to celebrity that Pearl, Peony, and Iko were fans of- Kaito, or whatever his name was. He was some star born of rich parents, and after singing a few songs on YouTube at age 5, he became a hit. Ever since, Kaito became a successful singer, and he was now around Cinder's age- about fourteen or so. Two years older than Cinder.

"Having trouble, wheelie?" Pearl jeered, snapping Cinder's thoughts back into focus. Wheelie. The stupid names Pearl called her were equally idiotic as they were rude.

"I don't know, sea clam, am I?" Pearl frowned as she said this, and a bit of success rose upon Cinder. Sea clam- that was a good taunt for someone with the name Pearl. All Cinder had to do to insult her sister was to say remarks about her silly name, while Pearl usually tended to make fun of her disabilities.

"Ash," Pearl snapped back.

"Prissy-pants."

"Soot-covered piece of junk."

"Useless rock in the sea."

"You little-"

"Hey, no cursing. Adri says not to, and I can use this against you," Cinder mocked. Even though they both knew that Adri wouldn't care about Cinder's opinion, Pearl huffed. This was the final straw for her. The girl's once annoyingly pleasant face was now steaming, and Cinder could practically see the waves of resentment sizzling off her.

"I can swear whenever I feel like it, and if you don't understand that, then you're messed up!" she shrieked."You're supposed to be quiet and obedient, like my servant. Shut up, will you?" Swiftly, she walked over to Cinder, who still wasn't completely off her wheelchair, and yanked it out from beneath her.

"Hey!" With a grunt, she landed on the floor beneath her, wincing from the ache. Her legs were pretty much useless, and if she did manage to get up, she would still have to hobble around with pain. Cinder wanted a prosthetic so badly, mainly because she thought it would limit her pain, but Adri refused to spend another bill for the thing.

"That's what you get." With the grace of a professional killer, Pearl abruptly shut the wheelchair, closing the wheels and letting the arm rests fold in. In other words...It was going to break. Her evil hands throttled the chair threateningly, and Cinder felt completely useless. Desperation began to corner Cinder's mind. Living with a cruel sister like Pearl could lead to several things. That was the only wheelchair Cinder had. She owned it since she was eleven, since she was adopted, and it wasn't like Adri would be willing to buy one for her.

"Wait. You can't just leave me like this. It's going to take me at least ten minutes to get up." Helplessly, she tried to grasp for the chair that Pearl was holding up. "I need my chair." Indeed, it would take some time for her to get up, and even if she did, it would be difficult to walk around. Cinder was so going to get back at her step-sister. Sparks of deplore flashed in Cinder's vision as she acted like a lost puppy begging for a bone.

"Hmm," Pearl mused, ignoring Cinder's wails, "I can leave you without your hideous wheelchair, useless and pathetic. But that would be mortifying to me as well. You would follow me around, weak and insignificant. So, I suppose there's only one option left." Simply wanting Cinder to wait for her the final verdict, Pearl slowly picked at her cuticles. Please don't call Adri, Cinder pleaded internally. Please.

"What about, oh, I don't know...Mom." A Cheshire-cat curl formed on her evil step-sister's rouge lips.

"No. No, Pearl, please. Anything but-"

"MOM! Cinder's acting useless and she's not doing her work!" Pearl's shrill voice reverberated through Cinder's ears. Adri's response was immediate. Of course it was.

"Cinder." Oh no. Cinder grumbled to herself.

"Cinder! Did you vacuum the floor and wash the dishes yet? If you didn't, you're going to have to do more chores," she reprimanded from her bedroom. A shiver caused Cinder to growl. Ugh. Chores.

"I'll do them later, when I can actually sit up," she called back. That was the wrong thing to say. Swiftly, Adri- murderous and snarling- burst out of her room. Feigning the innocence of an angel, Pearl quickly tossed the wheelchair away, on top of Cinder.

"You're going to do your chores now, understand?" Adri's silk kimono clung to her thighs, and strands of her newly-dyed black, wet hair were sticking out of the towel that wrapped around her head. She smelled of lavender and spices, but all Cinder smelled was trash and skunks. Adri was gripping her phone in her hand, and her knuckles whitened.

"I wouldn't call them chores. More like death deeds," she retorted as she slowly sat up as she unfolded her wheelchair. A stinging palm slapped her cheek, and although it was brief, Cinder felt the burn. She glared at Adri, who looked like she was going to kill someone.

"Get up, you lame girl. You're getting to be so lazy." And with that, Adri pulled Cinder's ear, too, as if a slap and hurtful words weren't enough. A scowl was imprinted on her lips, and her eyes were beady and casted a frosty stare toward Cinder. "Adopted, ungrateful thing." Something stirred in Cinder's gut, something like fire and anger. She wanted to scream at Adri, claim that she was human too, but she bite her tongue and buried her feelings deep down.

That was how it was in the Linh household.

That was how it was, and how it would always be. Cinder would always be regarded as some servant, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Ever since Garan left, left them with nothing- as Adri had put it- they were not much of a family. Peony and Pearl were crushed, and Cinder was just accustoming to an actual family. She was at an orphanage her whole life, after all, and quickly after Garan adopted her into the family, he was out. And now, Adri wanted to get rid of Cinder- throw her away with Garan, and keep Peony and Pearl.

Cinder had only fuzzy memories of the orphanage home; that was three years ago. She recalled being made fun of from the other kids and being scolded at by some of the mistresses there. She remembered wanting a home, a warm place.

This was not exactly a warm place.

With Pearl and Adri, who ran the show, Cinder's life was more miserable than she wanted it to be. She was so fortunate for Peony, though.

But Cinder couldn't attend a normal school- or a school at all. Peony and Pearl attended a preppy, high-standard school, and that costed money. Something that Adri wasn't willing to give up for Cinder. The public, free schools couldn't afford 'special programs for the disabled', so Cinder couldn't go to those either.

So she couldn't get a proper education. She had to learn online and teach herself the subjects, and once she got the hang of it, Cinder began more advanced classes. In fact, she could even do Peony and Pearl's homework.

She was smart, but staying at home was a major disadvantage because of Adri. Who made her do chores. An awful lot of them.

"Get in your chair, and do your work." Adri stiffened her back, and she briskly walked back into her room. Pearl snarled at Cinder, and she walked away too. Grumbling, Cinder made her way to the kitchen, and the cumbersome wheel chair groaned and squeaked as she rolled.

Her hands ached from scrubbing so many dishes, and they burned from the caustic soap. She had just finished vacuuming the floor- an awkward routine that included bending her back while shifting uncomfortably in her wheelchair- and washing all of the dishes till they shined. Cinder considered herself a good worker, but she still detested the things Adri made her do. Every single day- or maybe every hour- Adri would burst out from her room (Peony and Cinder called it her 'evil witch lab') and scream her lungs out at Cinder, telling her to do this and that. She was the most demanding and annoying person Cinder had ever known, not like there was much competition; Cinder didn't know much people, and her only friends were Iko and Peony.

Exhausted, her hands moved slowly across her wheels, bringing her back to the living room. She could finally relax.

But then, a warning popped up in her mind. If she was going to rest, Pearl would rat her out again and Adri would give her more chores.

Perhaps...Iko's voice rang through Cinder's ears.

You can join us, if you want.

Of course, Iko was probably just joking.

But it didn't matter. If Cinder went into Peony's room, at least she could hide out for a while. Cinder didn't have a room herself; she slept on the couch in the living room.

Even though she was positive that Iko and Peony would taunt her because she was interested, or 'jealous', in what they were doing, it was a lot better to go through that instead of cleaning. Truthfully, she really wasn't all that interested, and even though she did wonder what those two did in Peony's room, all she wanted was a time to rest. Or, more of a time to breathe- Adri was practically hovering over her shoulder the whole day, which was very out of character for someone who wanted to stay away from a disabled person.

But even though Adri claimed it was because it's September, there are always more chores in the beginning of the school year and I'm just trying to see if you're getting work done since you can be a slacker, Cinder knew the real reason.

So Peony and Pearl could be held with Adri. And Cinder could be kicked out.

Cinder saw the contract papers, once. It was pretty blatant, sitting there on the dining room table, almost beckoning Cinder to read them and see Adri's name signed with dark ink on the thin contract line. Almost like Adri didn't feel the need to communicate with Cinder about it, that she should simply let her 'servant' find out on her own.

In which, Cinder was not in the very least okay with Peony leaving her. But it wasn't like Adri cared for Cinder's opinions. And Adri was trying to get the most out of Cinder in the few months they might spend together, and her step-mother was watching her like a hawk.

Finally making it to Peony's room, she knocked on the door without another thought. Eagerly, the knob twisted to show a glowing face.

"I knew it! You just needed an invitation." Iko beamed.

"I'm coming to escape from-"

"Now, don't be shy," she added. "Come on in! We want to introduce you to a new world!" She twirled her braids with her fingers, a smile exploding on her tanned face. Cinder's cheeks twitched with the nerve of wanting to laugh, but she held it in. She held up her earplugs and Mp3 player, the only thing that Adri gave to her all these years she'd spent with them. They were also very outdated, but Cinder could care less; she was thankful for the little items she owned.

"A new world...right. Okay, I'm just going to plug in my music and-"

"Wait! Peony, come on. Show Cinder." Bouncing up and down, Iko pulled Cinder inside the room with the wheel of her chair. It was a difficult task for Iko to do; Cinder plus her wheelchair equalled heaviness. But Iko was bright and cheery nonetheless, happiness ready to burst from her bubble. Cinder scowled.

"Will you stop interrupting me? Iko, are you some annoying robot that never…" The insult was only half-way out. Her step-sister grinned broadly, holding up her laptop and showing Cinder the illuminated screen. The two giggly girls exchanged glances. Squinting at the screen, Cinder frowned.

"What the...Fanfiction? What's fanfiction?" She glared at the laptop, trying to make sense of the site Peony was showing her. ? Iko and Peony pouted like their bubble of happiness suddenly popped, and Peony lowered the laptop and collapsed back onto the floor. Then, Peony scoffed upsettingly, lying down on her fuzzy lavender rug. She ignored Cinder, which made her feel like she was acting like a jerk. But she didn't say anything wrong, right?

"Ugh. I can't believe I even know you," muttered Iko, casting a disgusted glare towards Cinder. "Seriously, you've never even heard of fanfiction?"

"What? Am I supposed to know what it is?"

"Of course!" shrieked Peony form her comfortable position on the rug. "This is literally my life. Iko and I have been working on several fics for years! I can't even believe I live with you, for star's sake."

"Star's sake? Why are you using The Star Chronicles lingo?" Cinder knew that both Iko and Peony were die-hard fans of The Star Chronicles, and Cinder herself loved the books, but she never personally heard them using language from the series.

The first book had come out recently, The Astrological Committee, and it was about twelve friends who'd met in middle school and proceeded to take on the personalities of the twelve Zodiac signs over the internet, running a blog where they roleplayed and wrote little stories about their Zodiac lives. Soon, their antics became known all throughout the internet. The chapters flip-flopped between their virtual lives and reality, which were two very different things.

The Astrological Committee focused on Ella, who online was known as "Virgo". After a nasty truth about her was spread, her social life falls to pieces. Which of course, is the ideal time to 1) begin flirting with Cancer, the most popular guy at school, 2) Start a massive online war.

"Because we write fics for it." The two girls then groaned in unison, rolling their eyes like Cinder was a lost cause.

"How was I supposed to know about that? You never even told me," Cinder pointed out. "And, remind me again, what exactly is fanfiction?"

"Only the most amazing thing ever!" squealed Iko. She jumped up and down, like a balloon with too much helium. The room fell silent- Peony typing madly on the keyboard, and Cinder was left confused. "What? It's true. Fanfiction is amazing."

"That doesn't help with the definition," Cinder said.

"Basically written fictional stories by fans. It's typically based off a movie, television show, book, et cetera," explained Peony. Finally, she looked up from the screen.

"Right. Or that," said Iko. "Either way, fanfiction is related to amazing!" Immediately, she brightened up. Her moods were so fickle- she could be so hyper or so sassy.

"And how is this a new world?" Cinder asked, skeptical. What had Iko meant about the whole 'new world' thing?

"Fandoms!" Peony and Iko doubled over in laughter, leaving Cinder clueless once again. Their peals of giggles coursed through the room, making Cinder feel like the third wheel.

"What? Wait, don't you mean kingdoms?"

A collective sigh suddenly escaped Peony and Iko's mouths, and her step-sister ran a hand through her silky black hair. "Looks like there's going to be a lot of explaining to do."

She couldn't read the words fast enough. She couldn't scroll fast enough. And worst of all, the computer couldn't load fast enough.

For the past hour, Cinder was able to escape Adri's wrath and manage to hide out in Peony's room. Iko and Peony explained fandoms and fanfiction and all the necessary terms. There were tons of them, it seemed, like flaming and A/N and R&R, but once she was taught the basic essentials, it was perfect. Everything about fanfiction was absolutely perfect; Iko was right

Fanfiction was the epitome of awesomeness.

And Cinder had already 'PM-ed', or private-messaged, a handful of people. Everyone in the fandom was relatively nice, so far. Cinder hadn't made an account yet, but she was definitely going to soon enough. She was using Peony's account, peonyflowers22, to talk to others about their stories and ideas on the series.

It was the closest thing to social media; Cinder couldn't say she didn't like it. It wasn't like Adri would let her have any exposure to social media. It's not like Cinder really wanted social media, anyway. Cinder thought it was stupid, and she didn't think that anyone would follow or like her posts, so what was the purpose?

So far, she met Peony and Iko's online friends. There was Scarlet, with an awesome pen-name of RedFire79. And Cress, or ComputerHacker, and another girl- who refused to reveal her real name- with a pseudonym of PrincessOfTheMoon. Within the two hours Cinder knew them, Cinder had already PMed them more than a 300 times. Her inbox was constantly full, and she had a goal: read two chapters, then PM. Read two more chapters. PM. Read again, and so on…

She could do this routine forever.

And Pea and Iko were more than happy to let Cinder read and review fics. They showed her around the site, exploring stories and laughing at some of the ridiculous crossovers- like, who would ever do The Star Chronicles crossovered with Dork Diaries?- and Cinder had never had such much fun in one hour. It was so rare...

She jinxed it.

A voice- a hauntingly disturbing and shrill voice- screamed her name. Cinder groaned.

"You didn't even bother cleaning the dinner table, Cinder!"

"Fine! I'm coming!" yelled Cinder. Oh, holy spades, that woman was going to be the death of her.

Peony, Iko, and Cinder shared a look. Then, with a measured sigh, Cinder tossed the laptop toward Peony. Iko stood up.

"I need to go, anyway," Iko said. She smiled, but Cinder could visibly see how fake it was. They were pretending everything was okay, that Cinder wasn't a slave, that she wasn't a disabled girl, that…

It wasn't their fault, though. Cinder had no idea why she was getting so worked up about it. It wasn't their fault.

"Okay. I'll walk you out," Peony chirped, trying to balance out the mood. Nonchalantly, she placed her laptop on her bed, but behind Iko's back, she gave Cinder a worried look and mouthed a few words.

Are you okay?

Nodding, Cinder managed a simper. What else was she supposed to do- confess her feelings? Not a chance. They wouldn't make a difference anyway, and it was pretty obvious that Cinder hated Adri. Peony sighed and turned around, following Iko and leaving the room door open for Cinder.