Ella

Chapter One: The Garden

"ELLA?!" Step mother Dianne yells from the living room.

"Yes ma'am?" I ask, running to meet her.

"I told you an hour ago to clean up this room. Do you have better things to do than clean?" Step mother asks fiercely.

I lower my head. "No. I'm sorry. I'll start on it right away." I mumble.

"Your father would be very disappointed." She scoffs.

She has used that line a lot since my father died. But I knew it wasn't true. He had told me before he died that he was proud of his sweet little angel and to never listen to what the wicked witch said.

We had secretly named her the wicked witch of the west because I accidentally spilled water on her and she flipped out. Although it gave us a good laugh, she became cold hearted towards me. And it got worse when he died.

Her daughter Colleen is an exact image of her. Cold, mean and some how strikingly beautiful. They've always been full of them selves. Even first thing in the morning when their hair looks absolutely dreadful.

I quickly push aside the comment of my father and start cleaning the living room. Once I am finally finished I see Dianne glaring at me with her two daughters by her side.

"Ella." She says angrily.

"Y-yes, m-ma'am?" I stutter.

"Did you take Coleen's gold handled brush?" She asks. Her piercing eyes burning into mine.

I look at Coleen who has a smirk stretch across her face. I shake my head confidently. "No, I didn't." I say.

Dianne glares at me with Coleen. But thankfully Kora only looks at me with sorrow. Coleen is older than Kora and has a dark heart like her mother. But Kora respects me because I put up with her mother's and sister's insults. She is nicer to me than any has ever been. Other than my own parents who were now gone and unable to protect me.

"She's lying! I know she is!" Coleen whines. "I'll never be able to see my precious brush again! Nothing will ever replace that old birthday gift." She cries.

"Look, I didn't take it. I swear." I say while trying to come up with something that will make her stop her nonsense. "I can go clean your room and maybe I'll find it there?" I ask doubtfully.

"You only want to go to my room so you can secretly return it without any one seeing, don't you!" She accuses.

"That's not true and you know it. I didn't take your brush. I have my own." I say calmly. It was important to keep your cool with these girls.

"Give me back my brush!" Coleen yells. Something in me ticks, making it unable for me to stay calm anymore.

"I DIDN'T TAKE YOUR STUPID BRUSH!" I yell, loud enough for the ten mile away village to hear.

"That's enough Ella." madam Dianne says sternly. "Either give back her brush or you get no dinner." she glares.

"But-" Dianne puts up a finger to shush me. "Your father would dread you as a daughter if he were here." she turns and pushes her daughters out of the room with her.

I hear her stop half way down the hallway and she yells back "No dinner for you. Mrs.Johnson will make dinner tonight. Go to bed." she demands and walks into a room down the hall.

Tears stream down my face and I run upstairs to my room. I slam the door behind me when I enter my room. Burying my face in my pillow I begin to cry.

Shouting comes from down stairs and I compose my crying in order to hear.

"That wretched girl is a disgrace to her father." Coleen shouts while seating herself at the dinner table.