Rose, Wilted: Book 1

Chapter 2 - Beauty

Upstairs I could hear Blair and Ilsa stumbling about. Nothing less than the smell of breakfast ever woke them. That or the midday sun. Not that I really blamed them today. After last night we were all exhausted.

As I heard them coming down the stairs I turned back to the stove, concentrating probably more than was necessary on shoving the eggs across the skillet. Footsteps on the stairs, then,

"Good morning Beauty." It was said with barely contained spite.

Just be pleasant. She's just still mad about last night.

"Good morning Ilsa."

"Morning Beauty." A sneer. So she was going along with it too. My hand clenched tighter around the skillet's handle.

"Good morning Blair."

Just pretend it doesn't get to you. Don't give them the satisfaction.

I put on my best smile. Then I turned to face them carrying the pan of eggs to the table where my sisters were sitting.

Ilsa tossed a perfect gold ringlet of hair behind her shoulder as I set the pan in the center of the table. Of all three of us, Ilsa looked the most a mermaid with her long, naturally curled hair and stunning brown irises. She was wearing her favorite dress this morning, a long and tight fitting garment of a teal hue. Like the sea.

I went and grabbed four plates and some cutlery out of the cupboard, then set places in front of each of my sisters. Then I set the remaining two places at the table for my father and I.

Blair raked me up and down with her gaze and failed to keep her smirk concealed. If Ilsa was a mermaid then Blair was a Phoenix. Her brown eyes were sharp as glass and she had naturally blonde hair, but she constantly dyed it sunset orange and kept it in a thick braid across her shoulder. Her dress was the same scarlet as dying embers.

I turned away. I didn't want to see their distasteful looks or play the maid anymore.

While they helped themselves to breakfast I walked down the hall to wake Father. I came to a small door at the end of the short hallway and rapped on it.

"Father? It's time to get up. I've made breakfast," I called gently. From inside there was a muffled groan.

"Sun's up already is it? Alright, I'm coming," was the sleepy reply. I smiled and walked back into the kitchen. But the smile immediately vanished. Every last scrap of egg was gone. Two questions flashed across my mind. First, how did they eat so fast? Second,

"What's Father going to eat?"

A tiny voice in my head added, What am I going to eat? but I slapped it down. Blair shrugged.

"We were hungry," was Ilsa's only reply. My fist clenched. Another ploy to spite me. No. Stop that Annalise. There's enough unrest in this house already without your adding to it.

I forced myself to relax my hand and think. There was some bread and cheese left over from last night wasn't there? Father could have the last of that. There were probably some ripe blackberries out in the garden by now too. There. Problem solved.

Ilsa left the table to put on a pair of shoes.

"Tell father I'm going out. I'm going to see if Matilda has my dress finished yet."

"I'll come too," Blair said, standing up. She donned a pair of shoes as well. "They're breaking in a new colt this afternoon at the stables." Ilsa grabbed a pretty, dark green cloak from off the hooks by the door and Blair snatched the navy blue one. As they fastened their cloaks and walked out the door I thought I'd seen the last of them for a while, but Blair was back a few moments later.