Poisoned Fruit

Chapter One

Thousands of droplets of rain fell down the earth, hitting the window room of an unfortunate young woman.

Lightening hit the tree next to the window.

It made the young woman flinch and wince in her sleep, holding onto her worn-out, yellow pillow without its case.

Despite her father, the pope, living in a mansion with fifty rooms, having servants, and her family living a luxurious life, the young woman simply didn't. Not when she was at home at last.

Her room was dusty; in almost every corner were spiderwebs. A thick layer of dust has built up on all the shelves. The drains in the young woman's bathroom were clogged with hair.

You could also easily spot the smudges on the windows and mirror.

The young woman was tangled in her stained and unwashed sheets, in deep sleep.

Well, that was until her bedroom door slammed open.

"Juicelynn, it's dinner time!" The maid carried a plate stacked with moldy food. She put it on the dresser, a smirk resting on her face. It quickly turned into a frown when she noticed Juicelynn was still asleep.

The maid snatched the thin, dirty sheets from Juicelynn, sighing annoyingly.

The thin sheets revealed a young woman who was 5'5 feet tall.

The woman fluttered her dark, brown eyes open in a daze. She pushed her back length, thick and curly pearl white hair away from her face. Her soft chestnut skin was marked with dark and light bruises all over her body.

The young woman had a round, freckled face and a thin build. She had a small, upturned nose and big, doe-brown eyes. She had a small mouth and little taupe brown-colored plump lips that complimented her features well.

"Master Pierce invites you for a family meeting."

Juicelynn flinched. She never enjoyed those. There never came any good out of it. Sighing, she sat up in her bed, hugging her knees to her body, trying to find a bit of warmth.

Even though the South had always been extremely warm, there were days where magicians had to make the skies rain for the crops. And the days it did rain from itself were short-lived.

"Eat up," the maid sneered, walking out the door, leaving the young woman to fend for herself.

And that's exactly what Juicelynn did.

Even though she had taken quite a punishment the day before from her father, Franklin Pierce.

The Pope of Akreno, the country she was born and raised in.

To the outside world, the father of two was a kind old pope who loved his family dearly. Only a few people knew who he really was.

And they lived in his home.

Juicelynn grabbed the plate, a grimace plastered on her face, looking at what was served to her.

The only thing that was clean was the glass of water.

Juicelynn picked on the moldy bread.

She ate the bits that the mold hadn't touched yet. The maids hated her for it when they came to pick up her plate. They would scold her, saying that next time she would get something less to eat. She couldn't care less for it, though. Her body would reject the food. Or she would.

The young woman rubbed her stomach after eating the bread. She was still hungry. But, she didn't want to eat anymore.

"The water will fill me 'til tomorrow," the girl's voice was just above a whisper as she picked up the glass. She took a big gulp out of the glass, spitting it out immediately with a disgusted expression plastered on her face. "How cruel.." Juicelynn whispered to herself, placing the glass back. The maids had put salt in her water.
They wanted her to drink it so she'll be left more thirsty.