In the distance I could hear my name. So softly… I groan and turn away. Warmth surrounded me. I part my lips.
Suddenly, someone takes my shoulders and shakes them violently. I woke up from my daze. Zoey’s strawberry blonde hair tickled my nose. I shove it away. She stepped back.
I was on the floor, wrapped in my thick covers. They were slightly ripped but it didn’t bother me. I let the covers slip off my shoulders. Cold greeted me and I shivered.
Zoey stood over me, with her hand resting on her hips. She was dressed in a common, orange dress. She glared at me with her dull brown eyes. I recoiled when I realized how much makeup she was wearing. I thought that it was just my imagination. She must be pissed. Zoey narrowed her eyes at me.
"I've been calling you for the past five minutes and you were still sleeping?!" She spat at me. "I had to walk to the dump.” She looked around the attic with a disgusted expression on her face. Before she left, she mentioned, “You’re needed in the kitchen, don't be late."
I didn't reply, which didn't matter since she didn’t let me. Slowly, I got up. I shivered and carefully walked down the spiral staircase. I entered the bright and luxurious halls. Better than the pathetic excuse I was stuck in. barefooted, I cautiously tip toed on the carpet. The kitchen door was on the far right. I placed my palm on the door. It was always warm. Before I closed the door of the kitchen, I spotted Zoey entering the dining room. I shot her a threatening glare and slammed the door closed.
When I was safely in the kitchen, I smirked.
I was still in the dress I wore to go to sleep. Since I didn’t have a lot of clothes I just wore the same for days.
No one in the family dares to go in the kitchen and there was so much to do in here that I was never bored. Mary glanced at me and wordlessly she handed me a piece of string to tie up my hair. Heat crept to my face. I must look like a mess. My hair was so out of control that it didn't fit in one of those maid's caps. The kitchen was my favorite place to be. It was always warm and the food smelled delicious.
It was quiet in the kitchen except for the sound of plates clashing against each other and the food cooking. Everyone knew what to do and where they are suppose to be. Someone passed me a plate covered with small tomato sandwiches. Another gave me a tray with tea and sugar placed on top of it. I took them and swung open the door into the dining room. Father just entered the room and was kissing the top of his family, who were already seated.
"Good morning Zoey and Lisa. How was your morning darling?" He kissed Rachel on the red, painted lips. I shuddered at the sight of her smiling. She looked at Father the same way a wolf looked at its prey.
If they noticed that I entered the room they didn't show signs of it. I placed the sandwiches between the other plates of food. With the hand I wasn't holding the tea tray, I handed the cups of tea by their breakfast plate. I chose not to make any eye contact with them.
"Good morning Father," I spoke quietly as I placed his tea on the table.
He didn't even look up. He was staring at the paper
"Yes, good morning," he mumbled. I paused for a moment and stared at him pitiful. Who the hell do you think you are? You are just a blind man, played by Rachel. I turned around and walked back into the kitchen with the tray. I didn’t want to see their satisfied smiles, when they saw me in that humiliation. My face showed no signs of emotion. Making sure the door closes properly behind me, I slammed it close with all my might. The kitchen staff didn't even look up; guess they were all ready used to it. I leaned back on the door and stared at my shoes.
"Diane? Would you please come here?" Rachel’s voice was muffled by the shut door.
Rolling my eyes I reentered the dining room. Rachel's overdone face smiled at me.
"Honey, my tea is cold. Be a darling and heat it up." Her eyes showed no signs of kindness. It was so tempting to grab the tea and pour it on her head. It’s not my fault your fucking tea is cold. I glared at her as I took the cup from her hand. Smiling, Rachel observed my expression. I relaxed my face and smiled at her sweetly.
"Of course, I apologize. Let me heat it up for you." I bowed my head slightly and turned toward the door. I hesitated and then confidently addressed her. "Forgive me for the cold tea but lately I've noticed that you act like you are the hottest being in the world. It seemed natural that someone so hot would be able to heat up her own tea just by touching it. I seemed to be mistaken." Rachel's smile dropped instantly.
"Give me the tea."
"But I thought..."
"Well you thought wrong!" She snapped.
Bowing slightly I placed the cup of tea back in its original place.
“Next time wake up when you are supposed to wake up. I don’t want to torture anyone by making them go to your room to bring you down.”
Wordlessly, I fix the table cloth.
"You may leave." Still smiling, I exit the room. With that glare, I thought, she could do more than just heat up tea.
~ While Later ~
I was huddled under my thick, old bed cover, staring at the wall of the attic. This was my room, all mine. No one else would come in here by their own free will. All the furniture was against the walls, the floor was bare, and the temperature was freezing. It was cold during winter and blazing hot during the summer. I cleaned out the place, removing all dust and spiders. Occasionally I’d have a spider or two and when I was in a bad mood, they'd usually end up in Zoey's Or Lisa's bed. Their screams put me in a better mood.
One good thing about living in the attic was the view. I lived in the city, Stonedren but the view was amazing. It was a pretty big city near the sea. I could see the tops of the buildings and in the morning, the sun peeks over the top of the church, painting the blue sky in gold.
Outside my window there was a nest of birds. Birds were my favorite animals. In the nest there were five small eggs in the nest. I've seen the parents come and go to prepare for the babies, making the nest perfect. There were already cracks in the eggs. They soon will come.
The attic was dark except for the light streaming thought the window and through cracks in the roof.
The only furniture I used was a clothing rack, mirror and a chest. I kept all my clothes, which the family gave me, on the rack. I found a full-length mirror a couple years ago and cleaned it. Now it stands next to the bundle of sheets that I call a bed. It had a small crack in it but other than that it was perfect.
I bought the chest myself. A couple years ago, Rachel started to refer to me as the maid; soon the family also called me that so I went up to them.
"Since you no longer treat me like your daughter, but as a maid then fine. I except a weekly paycheck just like a regular maid. Don’t pretend anymore that I am part of this pathetic family." With that said I left the room, leaving them speechless.
A couple weeks later, I found a poor gypsy on the street selling items. Amongst the other items was this chest. It was beautiful and colorful, but the paint was starting to fade away. It was a rather large chest. It was split into two sections: first section had three levels that you could lift up; the second section was empty for larger objects. Below the second section was a secret compartment on the floor of the chest. I bought the chest along with a few other items. I kept makeup and accessories I either bought or stole from my step-sisters, in the compartments. In the larger space I had sashes, dresses and fabrics I bought or found, along with ribbons and shoes. No one knows what I have in here, since I've locked it. It was kept in the far corner of the attic, unnoticeable.
Downstairs I could hear Zoey and Lisa singing. They had lessons and lessons of singing yet they went at the pace of a turtle. Zoey was determined to become a brilliant singer, so she could easily impress the man she would like to marry. It was pathetic but I admired her for not giving up, no matter how bad she was. Lisa wasn’t all into singing but did as her sister told her to do. Those two could sing any note perfectly but they had such annoying and scratchy voices. I was the opposite. I was gifted with my mother's voice which made me sound amazing. If I could study under a singer than I would be able to go professional and leave this hell.
Outside I could hear the birds singing. I desperately wanted to sing along but couldn’t risk being caught. Under my breath, I mimicked each note Zoey and Lisa sang. After a while I gave up, snuggled into a ball and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
~Author's Note~
I made Stonedren up, but I'd say its somewhere in Europe.
Thanks for reading :)