Hey there fellow Daria fans, this is the prologue for my first Daria Fanfiction ever. This is partly to test the ability to submit stories but also to try my hand at something new. I hope I wrote it well and that you all enjoy it.

"Innocence ends once reality makes its presence known to us, seeking to burn it from our souls. Then we either rise from the ashes, or join them"

-Author unknown

Prologue

Two years before Start of Series: Highland, Texas

Daria was walking dispassionately down the road from school as the two morons were following behind her, grunting and muttering as they always did. They were saying the usual dumb things with an occasional sexual or insulting, but as usual Daria had tuned it out. Eventually they reached the turn off to her house deviating away from the perpetual slackers.

"Well as much as I've enjoyed feeling my brain cells wither and die from being ear you both, I suppose I'll have to wait till tomorrow to finish them off. Later." Daria said as she walked away from Beavis and Butt-head, the two saying goodbye to 'Diarrhea" in their own fashion.

The fourteen year old girl sighed as she headed back towards her house, already knowing what awaited her. She would do her homework for an hour or two before turning back down for dinner, that being either half frozen lasagna or some abomination made by her father. As she would attempt to stomach down the food her mother would give a halfhearted attempt to make conversation with her between talking about how much work she was doing and dealing with Jake's outburst. Daria in turn would give away very little, knowing any attempt at actual conversation would be stolen away by the redheaded little brat who called Daria her cousin. Then it would be reading in silence in her room before bed and before you knew I her day would start all over an. No friends, a family that barely even registered her and an evening solitude with her books. Some life she ha-

"GET BACK HERE YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER!" Daria jerked out of her self-reflection to watch as two older men were chasing down a young blond redneck down towards her. Upon looking closer Daria recognized the running man as Todd, the small time gang leader who was always picking on Beavis and Butt-head. He always acted so tough when he was taking money or food from the two oblivious idiots.

He didn't seem so tough today though, his hair was disheveled and his usual sunglasses were missing, replaced instead by a pair of black eyes and a bleeding nose. He was sprinting away from the two burly black wearing thugs heading towards his car. Despite the obvious physically damaged shape he was in he had a decent lead on the two and looked like he was going to make it.

Years later Daria would never understand why she did what she did. Maybe it was some misplaced sense of loyalty she felt to her two drones; maybe it was to put this arrogant wannabe gangster in his place. Maybe it was for nothing more than her own amusement.

All she knew was years later she would always remember the satisfaction she felt tripping him over her steel toed boot.

Todd fell to the ground his face smacking off the pavement as blood spurted out of his nose and mouth. He looked up at the teenager who tripped him, mouthing bitch at her, he couldn't speak the words themselves before attempting to stand up and keep running.

This attempt was quickly ended as the two men caught up to him, knocking him into a fence near the sidewalk and wailing on him. As the larger of the two held him up to the wall by the smaller one began pounding into him, the sound of meat harshly hitting meat playing out in the air. Daria for her part knew she should have felt sick at what she was seeing, but for some reason she couldn't look away. She found herself leaning against the fence, watching the two reduce the delinquent to a bloody pulp. Even as Todd tried to talk between the blows the larger man began to speak.

"You think you could welch on us you little shit, or Mr. Novak? Bet that didn't work the way you thought did ya?" Holding up a hand the little guy stopped hitting Todd, allowing him to slump to the ground. The big guy dropped to his knee, grabbing Todd by his hair and lifting him up by his hair. "You got three days to get the money, or you'll have to drive your shit heap of a car without thumbs, understood?" Todd with what energy he could nodded his head before dropping it back down to the pavement. As the man stood back up a white car pulled up to the curb, horn giving a honk at the two men. Wordlessly they turned and entered the vehicle, sitting in the shotgun and backseat by size.

Thinking the show was over Daria sighed and turned away, not hearing the backseat window of the car rolls down. An old yet even toned voice stopped her in her tracks. "Excuse me young woman, might I have a moment of your time?" Turning back she saw a bald old white man with sunglasses and a business staring out at her, face set in an emotionless expression.

Going against everything her mother and common sense told her, Daria walked over to the car, close enough to see but far enough away if she needed to run. The old man noticed this and almost seemed to smirk, but his face never lost its expression.

"You did me a favor kid, can I ask you why?" Daria shrugged her shoulders in reply, her eyes already starting to show boredom with the conversation. "Don't really know, does it matter? I have to get home and do homework."

The large of the two thugs who was sitting next to the old man began opening his mouth to speak, but the old man silence him with an upraised hand. The way he silenced his underling with a single motion struck Daria, showed her the kind of respect this man held. "Got a bit of a mouth on you don't you?" the old man said with a chuckle. Reaching up to his face he removed his glasses, exposing the pale icy blue eyes. The kind of eyes that froze grown men's blood and perhaps even paralyze them on the spot.

Daria stared back at the man, refusing to answer his question. "Are we done here sir?" The old man simply nodded, putting his glasses back on. "I suppose we are, miss?"

"Daria, Daria Morgendorffer." At this the man's eyebrow rose in surprise. "You wouldn't happen to be related to a Helen Morgendorffer would you?" Daria nodded her head, suddenly feeling nervous for the first time since the conversation started.

"Yes she's my mother. Umm, may I ask how you know her Mr.?" The old man chuckled, running a wrinkled hand over his scalp. "Forgive my manners young lady. Novak, Jimmy Novak. As to your question I've employed your mother and her firm a few times in, ah business deals. She's quite the brilliant lawyer if I say so myself. But I've wasted enough of your time with pointless banter. This is for your help." Reaching out he held a $100 bill to her, which she took and pocketed with a nod.

"Say miss Morgendorffer, this may seem a strange question but do you happen to play chess?" The girl nodded, her lip unconsciously tugging up at the mention of the game. "I used to play in the chess club, but nobody would ever play me. Losing a lot tends to cause people to build a grudge for some reason." The old man grinned, his teeth reminding her of a shark who just happened across a beach filled with overweight and asthmatic tourists. "In Highland park I go there every Thursday and Sunday at four to play for a few hours. You're welcome to try your luck if you wish. Now I bid you a good day."

Saying this he turned his head away and the window rolled up, just as the car took off down the road. Daria looked down half absently at the $100 bill in her hand, then back at the still groaning but unconscious form of Todd. She then pocketed the cash and went on her way.

A single moment can define a person's, can mold and shape the path they'll eventually go down. Todd's was set the night he saw his father abandon his family in the dead of night, never to return. If a person thinks hard enough they can look back and see this one moment. If they can't it simply means they haven't experienced it yet.

For Daria meeting Jimmy Novak wasn't her moment of clarity. It simply opened the door for that day.

Well I hope you all liked the prologue for my Daria Fanfic, coming soon to a theatre in hell. This is an alternate universe Daria, so while I'll be following some of the episode guidelines of the series this will be darker than the original series. This idea was inspired by the story God save the Esteem, and I hope to get close to the level of greatness that story had. Thanks for reading and see you at the next update, oh and feel free to critique if you wish. I'm always open to self-improvement.