Blended Fates (A Modern Fairytale Retelling) ✓

Chapter One : Anastasia

Ms. Emma Hill of twenty one, Ann Street held extreme pride in saying that she was a successful choreographer. Having brought up two twin daughters, all on her own--who would be completing their senior year the coming fall and had grown up in a magnificent house that was fit enough to house at least twenty people, she felt unnaturally proud in saying that she had everything she ever wanted.

If there was one regret in her life, then it was the girl living in the storage room. The only living legacy of her last dead husband.

Anastasia.

Checking the clock on her night-stand, she rang her on the intercom.

"How are you doing so early in bed, milady? Shall I bring you your breakfast in bed, too?" asked her silken voice. The taunt behind which didn't go unnoticed.

"Uh.. " Anastasia found it hard to answer. She knew she was bound to be a topic of laughter at the breakfast table that morning. And most probably, there might even be a punishment in store for her. Without even doing anything wrong. How lovely!

"Now don't you dare go stammering on me, you fool!" The same silken voice turned into one as cold as ice.

"I'm sorry, miss," the sixteen-year old replied in a light voice.

"You better be! And when you are done feeling sorry for yourself and about your oh-so-bright-future, why don't you come over here and give me my perfect back-massage?" 

Anastasia could imagine a perfectly hideous smirk forming on the elder lady's lips.

"Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes, Emma. Thirty minutes at the most," she said in a warning tone.

"Or what? You will sue me? Cut off my wages? Throw me out of the house? Stop my pocket money? Never let me go back to school? What?"

The younger girl winced. This was exactly what the older lady would do if she didn't follow her orders. And the last part hurt. Terribly. So instead, she tried a different tactic.

"But today is the first day to school. Remember, no extra work for me today? You promised. And besides, you can always call Marcus to do it. Or, ask the massaging company to send someone else."

Marcus was the guy who used to initially come over to massage her. However, the witch that was Emma liked him so much that she hired him permanently. Since the past few months, the guy had been roaming about their hallways every time he pleased to, passing off sultry remarks to Anastasia and the other 'house-maids' and no one could as much as speak against him. In fact, a rumor in the servant quarters suggested that there might be a little something going on between Emma and him. The lady never heard as much as a word against him since he initially began coming to massage her, after all.

"Firstly, " Emma replied to the sixteen-year-old, bringing her back to reality, "when I promised this to you, I did not have a back-ache. Next, Marcus left for his home last night due to some emergency that has been called to his notice recently. And lastly, the massaging company does not open up this early."

Anastasia gave the wall-clock a quick glance and thought grimly, 'yeah right. Only the Anastasia Company is available at this crucial hour.'

"So, are you coming, or not?"

If only she could say no.

"In a few minutes."

"Well, in that case, you better hurry up. You still have to prepare breakfast for your sisters and me and pack lunch for them."

"Yes, of course, Miss Emma," she replied quietly. It was obvious that she was doing this on purpose. To ruin Anastasia's first day of school.

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