World of Secrets; Lover's Death

Chapter 1 - I am not your property

"It's a sunny day," I mumble to myself, as I pull away the curtains, letting the sun in my room. My father called me downstairs yesterday as I was going to bed, he said I needed to put on my long blue dress today. I look in the mirror at the atrocity I'm wearing; I hate that dress. It has puffed shoulders with scratchy stitching, it's so long it reaches my ankles which is a tripping hazard on stairs, it's light blue with pink flowers covering most of it. The sleeves are down to my elbow. It only has one band at my waist, to still look feminine without showing too much figure and of course it has a high cut, with the same itchy stitching as the shoulders.
The dress is almost the same colour as my eyes, just a shade shy of crystal blue. My hair is long, reaching past my waist. I'm mostly not allowed to wear it down, especially when going to church. I tie my hair in a bun till it looks nice and tight. I do it so often that I have mastered doing it quickly. I take a final look in the mirror and sigh.
"This is as good as it gets," I mumble to myself before leaving my room. I close the door to my room behind me and make my way downstairs. I wonder why my father wants me to wear this dress today. Normally he doesn't care about what I wear to church, as long as it's appropriate. An uneasy feeling stirs in my stomach, but I push it back as I reach the bottom of the staircase.
I throw my mother a confused glance as she runs past me. My mother is usually a very well put together woman, never stressed no matter how much needs to be done, so this is very out of character for her. "Good morning mom," I say rather loudly, while turning my head towards her as she stops in her tracks. "Good morning darling, glad to see you're already dressed. Will you set the table for me?" she asks and takes out the fine cups from the vitrine. Still confused I give a small nod, and make my way into the kitchen.
My parents' house is a small villa, there isn't much colour, only a few flowery patterns on pillows and tiles in the kitchen. I squat down slightly and open the cupboard, but stop when I hear my mother enter the room. "Excuse me dear, but can you set the table with the antique plates? They are in the vitrine in the living room." I can feel the irritation in my stomach. "What the hell is this about?" I think, without uttering a word as I nod to her and make my way into the living room.

As I pass the dining table I spot new flowers in my mother's finest vase, placed in the middle of the table. My mother has even pulled out a white table-cloth and placed it on the table before I came down. I begin to wonder how long she has been up, as it was 7:30 when I came downstairs, church is first at 9:30, or 10 for everyone else. I get pulled out of my thoughts, as she enters the room with the newly polished cups.
"Oh dear, sorry I forgot to tell you. You need to set up the table for two more people," she says, as she places the tea cups by every plate I have placed, plus two more. "What is going on?" I look at her, her expression is serious. Instinctively I bow my head slightly. "We'll discuss it when the guests have arrived. We don't have time for it now, they'll arrive any minute," My mother answers firmly, before leaving the dining room.
I can feel the frustration rise within me, I want to know what is going on, but I know I'll get in trouble if I don't do as I'm told. I carefully place the last plate and take a final look at the table, but make a slight jump in surprise as a firm knock comes from the front door. I can hear my father walk down the stairs in a speed I've never heard before. I feel the need to flee at the sound, but calm myself out of it as I know it has nothing to do with me. I walk over to the door leading to the hallway, and peak around the corner.
My father is wearing a suit. "Why is he wearing a suit? What is going on?" Before I can think more about it, he opens the door. I quickly step back from the doorway, over to the dining table and stand in front of it. My mother is standing in the doorway to the dining room, her hands are folded nicely in front of her, she's wearing a long, light blue dress. Which is the same colour as the dress I am wearing.
Something in the back of my mind is starting to put the puzzle together, I can feel my pulse rising. "Today? Now?... Already?" I breathe slowly to calm myself, before my face turns red. I have to stay calm. My mother makes a curtsey bow as she greets the two men, before she elegantly walks over and stands beside me.
"This is our daughter, Alice." She looks at me with a smile. I spot the high expectations in her eyes, as she places her hand on my back. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I make the sincerest smile I can muster, while folding my hands in front of me and make a curtsy bow.
"My name is Eric Johnson. And this, is my son Bruce." Eric places his hand on Bruce's shoulder, clearly proud of his creation. "It's a pleasure to meet you Alice, I have heard a lot about you." Bruce's smile is gentle, he nods his head slightly in respect, but I don't fail to notice the confidence. And arrogance.