The Goblin Queen

I'm Made of Mistakes

Warm afternoon sun light filters through the tree top canopy as I sit curled up on a low hanging tree branch reading The Labyrinth for what must have been the thousandth time. I can't help the small smile that crosses my lips as my eyes scan through the old story. Suddenly a soft wing flap sends my eyes darting up to the branches above me, where a beautiful owl perches.

"Hello there, aren't you magnificent?" I whisper softly, rising from my precarious position to stand and face the bird. It watches me move with curious and caution filled eyes but doesn't move from it's spot.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you don't want any of my chips." I laugh quietly and reach forward to touch his soft cream colored feathers. He keeps his eyes trained on me but doesn't move as I touch him.

My hand jerks back as the church bells toll out, sounding the time and almost knocking me from my branch. I was late. My feet hit the ground and I take off towards my home cursing softly as I go. I'm halfway out of the park when the sky opens up and rain pours down over the sleepy town of Mountgrove, I groan as the first drops hit me.

"Are you serious!" I grumble and pick up the pace already getting soaked as I ran for home.

"Where have you been, your father and I are going to be late!" Miora, my step mother, stands on the porch shouting as I come into view her arms crossed.

"Sorry, sorry I lost track of time." I say, climbing the steps.

"Oh no you don't, go in through the garage I don't want the carpet to get soaked." She glares, holding up a hand to stop me.

Anger fills my head as I stare at her, I wasn't even supposed to be doing this tonight I was meant to be studying with Dante.

"You know, maybe if you wanted someone to show up on time you would hire them. I mean it's pretty obvious that I can't seem to do anything right, so why rely on me." I growl out, shivering from the cold, before jumping from the steps directly into a puddle splattering the both of us in water. I smirk hearing her outraged gasp, and stomp childishly through more mud puddles.  Opening the garage door I strip my shoes and socks off, throwing the socks and my jacket into the washer and my converse into the corner to dry out.

Grabbing a towel I start to dry my soft chocolate colored curls and listen to Moira's high pitched voice complaining to my father.

"She treats me like some wicked step mother in one of her awful stories." She cries to him, my ears protest at the pitch.

"I know I'll speak to her, okay?" He comforts.

"Joseph I'm worried about Cassie, I don't want her picking up that attitude." I hear her say as I open the door and head to my room to change into dry clothing. I listen to my father footsteps ascending the stair behind me, but ignore it as I open my door and got to the dresser.

"Why must you treat her so rudely, Lucana?" He stands with his back leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest and an exasperated expression. He was slightly shorter than I was and had dark curly hair that he liked to keep relatively short, when he smiled his dark eyes were a warm brown not unlike my own but there was no trace of a smile on his face now.

"Why does she treat me like a servant, I do most of the cleaning, take care of the dog and Cassie, Cassie without pay and it all interferes with plans that you approved the were made a week and a half ago. Do you realize that I have an English and math test tomorrow?"

"She does not treat you like a servant we both work everyday so that you can have what you want." He scoffs.

"Yes she does, you may work but I have school and doing most of the work around here has exhausted me, Cassie is almost ten and I don't see her lifting a finger to do anything here. I'm exhausted and stressed and you don't care enough to even notice or even bother to give a simple thank you to any of it with out a bit of prompting, when was the last time you even told me you loved me with out me saying it first." I answered back, fight tears.

"Oh please, you are just like your mother everything's always about you!" I finally allow tears to fill my eyes and flow down my face. I flinch a bit and turn away from him, shaking.

"Make sure the kitchen is cleaned and the Cassie is in bed by nine she has a game in the morning." His voice sounded harsher in my ears now, crueler. I listen to his footsteps retreat and finally as the front door closes I let a sob force itself from my throat.

Could I really be like her, really be so uncaring and narcissistic. I winced as memories flooded my mind, the insults and the almost physical pain that being ignored had caused. More sobs slipped from my lips as I thought of my mother and her boyfriend, how spiteful and vindictive she had become when he appeared. I hated her for what she had become, and hated him for what he'd done.

I dried my eyes finally and finished my earlier task of getting dressed, but it seemed more daunting and difficult now. I pulled on a pair of shorts and one of the red flannel shirts I had and slipped on a pair of red converse getting ready to take Sailor, my dog, out for his walk. I grabbed his lead and a flashlight as the sun had already set and it was almost 8:30 now. Cassie would need to shower soon and be gotten to bed. I knew it would be a fight.

After I finished walking Sailor I climbed the stairs again and popped my head into Cassie's room.

"Hey it's time to get in the shower now Kiddo." I stood in the doorway.

"Not right now." She responded not even bothering to turn her head.

"Cassie now, you have to go to bed soon and your mom wants you to have a shower first." I say crossing my arms, my voice stern now.

"No I'm playing my game!" She shouted back, glaring at me now.

"Now your not." I step inside and take her game turning it off and putting it on top of the bookshelf.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and stomped into the bathroom.

As she showered I cleaned the kitchen and fixed myself a snack, they hadn't left anything from Cassie's dinner. I hadn't exactly expected them to either. I wondered around the house quietly listening for Cassie to turn off the water. I let my mind wonder a little but immediately stopped when it drifted towards the earlier conversation with my father, I didn't want to relive the pain yet, didn't want to wonder if maybe he was right. I heard the water shut off and the feet pounding against the carpeted floors.

"Cassie get into the bed." I sigh as I enter her room again.

"But I'm in the bed, see?" She grins jumping on the mattress.

"I mean go to sleep, now." I glare at her not want to deal with this.

"No and you can't make me!" She grinned.

"Fine what if I told you a story then?" I grinned back, but doubt filled the back of my mind.

"What is it?" She finally stops jumping and plops down onto the comforter. I guess it's to late now.

"Are you sure you want to hear it, it's pretty scary." I say as I pull the blanket out from under her and wrap her in it. She nodded, skeptical.

"Alright but don't say I didn't warn you, once upon a time there was a young women who live with her father and his new family. The women often felt as though she was a prisoner in her home, forced to fulfill the want of her family above her own. What no one knew however was the Goblin King had fallen deeply in love with her and he had given her a gift. A set of words to be spoken when she had finally decided she'd had enough, but she couldn't do it. Saying the words, wishing them true, would send her new sister to the Goblin City where she would become a Goblin and stay for all eternity. So the women remained silent, never speaking the words until one day after many hours of house work and harsh words she could take it no more. "Goblin King Goblin King, do as you promise, take this awful child far away from me." As she spoke the wind began to pitch and howl outside the house and suddenly BANG." I shouted at last scaring Cassie.

"I hate you Lucana I'm telling Mommy what you did!" She cried out and curled up in her blanket.

"Oh Cassie hush, it's just a story. Your almost ten now and you can't go on being scared of fictional people for the rest of your life, and maybe next time you'll go to bed when you're told." I glower at her before walking from the room and closing the door, listening to her yelling behind me still furious.

"Sometimes I wish the Goblin King really would come and take you away, right now." I muttered as I pressed my head against the wood of the door.

Suddenly there was silence.