Chapter 3

"We live in a world where unfortunately the distinction between true and false appears to become increasingly blurred by manipulation of facts, by exploitation of uncritical minds, and by the pollution of the language." 
― Arne Tiselius

I rolled over onto my back as I attempted to get myself back under control. At some point, I had started to cry. I quickly wiped my eyes and stood up on shaky feet.

I walked over to my walk in closet and threw the door open. Making my way to the very back I found what I was looking for-a section full of uniforms.

My eyes fell to a rack full of coats in front of me. Behind those coats was the door that led to my own personal Narnia.

I longed to just forget about today and spend time in my Narnia in peace. I knew that it was not possible at the moment but I couldn't help but wish.

I reached up and grabbed the first uniform my fingers touched, grabbed the necessary accessories, and walked out without a second glance.

I threw the ridiculous dress and accessories onto my bed as I stripped out of my clothes.

I finally forced myself to look at the assortment of clothes and began to dress myself.

The dress was black, white, and covered in ruffles. It was tied up in the back in a simple bow, pulled as tightly as possible.

I pulled on a pair of black thigh high black stockings and placed my feet in black two inch heels with little white bows.

I rolled on a pair of white gloves and then placed a white barrette that looked more like a tiara into my long brown hair.

After a couple months, I had convinced Kierra to let me pick out my own uniforms instead of the ones she picked for me.

With a final look I stare at myself in the mirror a bit longer as I tried to make myself seem presentable.

My big brown eyes looked dull and lifeless, caramel complexion looked ashen, and my lips were chapped.

It hurt to look at myself and I could still remember the day I was brought back clearly. Even more than the day I had left

It was raining. Now that I think about it, the weather had fit the scene and the mood it was to create perfectly.

Ms. Lane the social worker I had been stuck with for seven months pulled up to the familiar wrought iron gate with two K's engraved into it and waited for them to be opened.

Driving inside we approached the familiar and ridiculously large mansion.

There was a circular driveway and trees on almost every side. The walls of the mansion were a soft tan color though some were made of glass and not even a speck of dirt on it. The trees, shrubs, and flowers were perfectly trimmed.

A fountain was in the middle of the front yard. The grass was ridiculously green and looked like it had recently been mowed. The house was a mix of modern spanish style design and old Victorian flair.

On the outside it was every architects dream house. On the inside it was Alcatraz starring Kierra as the head prison warden and Terra and Brooklyn her faithful hound dogs.

I sighed, already resigning myself to the fate of having to clean the entire house from top to bottom.

I mean, really? Who would live in a house with more rooms than the White House?

Ms. Lane got out of her car and walked up to the wrought iron front door, ringing the doorbell before I even had the chance to pull my suitcase out of the car. I could tell she was trying to get rid of me as fast as possible.

The door swung open and there she stood, Kierra Kinsley. She was wearing a pale blue sundress and white heels- a soft white cardigan draped over her shoulders. Her brown hair had been pulled tightly into a bun on top of her head and she was wearing a white hat on top.

Today, she had chosen to wear light makeup accentuating her cheekbones and her brown eyes. Her caramel skin shone lightly from the light behind her as she smiled first at Ms. Lane and then at me though it seemed to slip a bit when she took me in.

She stared at me with hard cold eyes and then looked at Ms. Lane with nothing but warmth and pure innocence and kindness.

"Oh, come in dear! It's absolutely pouring out there."

"Why thank you, Mrs. Kinsley."

Neither of them gave me a second glance or even bothered offering to help me with my suitcase as I dragged it up the stairs and into the parlor where the scent of cinnamon wafted around.

I finally caught up with them just in time to hear Kierra say "--thank you so much for bringing her here. It means the world to us."

"My pleasure. Honestly though, I don't understand why out of all your options you chose her."

"Oh, I didn't choose her. My husband did. He seemed to feel some sort of pity for her. If I had it my way I would have chosen the other girl. What was her name? Ah, Rachel!"

"Ah, yes, she is a beautiful girl. You know, its not too late to trade her in for Rachel. I could even help you do it."

"Oh, I wish I could but Jaxon would not be happy with me."

The two continued to talk as I dripped on the tiles in the hallway like I wasn't even in the room. I felt tears prick at my eyes but I kept them at bay.

Finally, with a final handshake, Ms. Lane left me in the hands of the woman who got me where I am in the first place. Kierra.

"First things first, there are rules in this house. First, refer to me and my husband as Mr. and Mrs. Kinsley. Second, you are to do all your chores immediately after school."

"Third, do not speak unless spoken to. Fourth, speak and act formally. In other words you are to bow before you leave a room and after you enter a room. I am the mistress of the house not your mother." 

"And fifth," she said as she reached behind her and grabbed a bundle of clothes from a side table, "You are to wear this when you are working. Your shift, once again, starts right after school at three with two breaks and ends at seven o'clock after you clean up after dinner. From Monday to Thursday and every Sunday afternoon. Understand?"

Sensing she was testing me I said, "Yes, Mrs. Kinsley."

After that she decided to take me on a tour of the house I had lived in up until seven months ago. I still had the same room, thank God, and nothing had really changed much. Except of course the atmosphere.

It had become even more unnaturally cold in the house even though according to the thermostat in the laundry room, it was 60 degrees.

Finally, she told me, well more like ordered me, to go to my room for the day.

Stepping through the threshold of my black, white, and royal purple bedroom a wave of nostalgia overcame me.

It was a princess' dream with black walls with built in shelves, a white fluffy carpet, and a brand new set of furniture.

I had honestly missed this place. Looking around some more my eyes fell on my closet which then brought my attention to the bundle in my arms.

I laid the bundle on my couch and carefully unfolded it. What I saw made my face turn hot. It was a maid outfit.

Not even the ones that people wore in the 1600's but the new modern kinky ones that barely left anything to the imagination.

I could tell immediately that it was a size too small and would barely reach mid-thigh let alone cover my butt.

There was a garter with frilly pink bows and white fishnet stockings. The entire outfit was a bright neon pink and it had started to hurt my eyes.

This time I could not hold back the tears as the realization of the position I was in finally hit home.

I curled up on the purple couch and cried for an hour before I went into my bathroom to wash up, only to cry all over again.

I quickly grabbed the list that Kierra had handed me. The first thing on the list was to take my puppy Casper for a walk. He was a beautiful white puppy and had the bluest eyes I had ever seen.

Casper was an American Eskimo and he was the only real family I had apart from the cook Ava. I bought him less than a year ago and after hours of begging and bribing, was allowed to keep him.

Well, more like Jaxon and Kierra got into a fight over it and in the end Jaxon guilt tripped Kierra into letting me keep him.

Finally, I was ready for my shift to start.

Reviews

[sohadtolba]

hmmmmmmmm, so pitiful. I wonder why her father allowed to go through all this and why does the step-mother hates her that much. I can still see the impact of cinderlla in your story...

Your words are neat and organized. You gave it time.... good job

[GMAngel]

I didn't realize how much it seemed like a Cinderella story until I read your review, so thank you. I will keep that in mind. Her story is a lot more complicated and will be less of a fairy tale. Thank you for reviewing!

[sohadtolba]

you are welcome....... There was a movie about cindrella that had a similar idea about she works for her step mother after school ... But it is ok to take an idea and recreate something out of it. You just need to realize that and when you write your preface, you must state how the novel is influenced for copyrights reasons.... But as writers, directors and producers, we all get affected by others work, or real life and many other things.... Especially when it can happen in real life...... The story you are stating I can relate to it cuz of similar incidents like it, I saw in my country... So I am not surprised.... Anyway a good writer keeps his reader interest and that what u are doing, keeping me interested to know more