While I lay daydreaming on my bed, thinking about my kiss with Weston and what it might have meant I had a noise coming from downstairs. I worriedly got up from the bed and contemplated on whether or not to leave my bedroom. The positioning of our house was always further away from other houses in the pack. As I headed out, the voices only increased. I cursed, as my door made a creaking noise while opening it. I hated the noise the floor board made while I tiptoed. I headed down the stairs while trying to maintain little to no noise. As I approached the front door, voices reached my ears, drawing me closer. The hushed tones of my stepmother, mingled with the unfamiliar voice of another woman. My curiosity piqued, I hesitated, my hand hovering over the doorknob. Should I eavesdrop on their conversation? A voice inside me urged me to walk away, to respect their privacy. But the urgency in my step mother's voice tugged at my curiosity, and against my better judgment, I succumbed to temp

The pack house was bustling with activity, preparation for the new ceremony had turned out to be more than everyone expected. “Mistress Mary.’’ I said with shock, as I bowed my head with respect. “Alondra, i need your help.’’ Mistress Mary said, staring down at the book in her hands. “Ofcouse, how can i help?’’ I said, hoping that my tone displayed excitement. I wanted to remain enthusiastic but the truth is that I was tired. I had finished a big quantity of my work but the rest that remained were the most tedious and big. They will take up a lot of my energy and time. a lot of the work that mistress Mary had allocated to me and seemed easy at the start but I soon began to realize why she had not given it to the other servants. while she trusted me the most but often made me feel unfortunate that I worked more than all the others yet was paid a little less than them.“It appears that I didn't account for some chores while I was allocating them to the other servants.’’ she said hold

FLASHBACKThere she was, standing between her two daughters with a smile on her face. She stretched out her hand and took it in mine before kissing the back of my hand.‘ it is very nice to meet you sweet pea, I have heard so much about you.’’ her daughters were just my age. I could tell. and in my mind there was a short image of how fun it would be to play with them. I've never had siblings while my mother was alive. and it has always been a dream of mine to have and play with siblings. When I smiled back at my new mother, I could feel father's eyes on us. He seemed so genuinely happy. He had been nervous about this earlier and it had been bugging him the whole day. Even though I was only seven I had learnt to take in a lot of information by just observation. I had taught myself to understand and see things for what they truly are. to not fill my mind with illusions. It was part of the main factors of how well I was able to cope with my mother's death. by understanding that she was

FLASHBACK“Come on sweetie,’’ mommy said as she held my hand and pulled me towards her. "You have to go play with the other kids outside. mummy needs to get some work done’’ “ But I can sit here with you Mummy. I can tell you stories from school and just accompany you so you don't feel lonely.’’ I argued stubbornly as I held onto her and was still reluctant to leave.‘ I don't think you want to stay with Mummy just for the company won't stop you don't want to play with other kids do you?’’ she said, reading into it. I shook my head to avoid her eyes.‘Come on don't lie to Mummy.’’“ I'm Sorry Mummy. but the other kids are always mean.’’ “ they call you names?’’ mummy asked with a stern expression. I could see the angle bowling behind her eyes.“Not me Mummy. they keep on calling Gloria bad names.’’ I answered. “ I don't like it. it is wrong Mummy. we should all be kind. What happened was not a glorious fault and we are her friends. you said that friends should always be there for on

Playing servant? Family? The mention of 'family' stung. The constant mistreatment from my stepmother and stepsisters had made me feel like an outsider in my own home. I was little more than a servant to them, a means to an end. but why would she act as if I was the one playing servant? She put me in this predicament. see each other to sentence me into this horror and now she was blaming me?"Why would you blame me for that? Why would you reprimand me for doing what you signed me up for?’’ Her hand was raised in the air again ready to strike me. but I didn't flinch. not this time. there was an unsettling confidence in my stomach when I watched her. I felt like I was being pushed to the edge. Dared to fight back.“ you're not going to talk to me like that. I am responsible for you. I am your mother..’’“You are my stepmother!’’ I corrected it. "You're not my mother. My mother is dead. My father is dead. This is the family I thought I had. but how you treat me isn't even the way any m