The Runt of the Litter

Chapter One

3rd of June 1824

In the large manor in the English countryside, a family stirred as the chaos turned into turmoil. Unknown pain seeped through every crack in every tile and in every wall. People were hiding secrets, great secrets, that created friction between each family member in the household.

The wretched girl, sitting in the corner of the attic room, looked out onto what had seemed like a perfect world. In her own mind, things were different. She didn't understand why everyone was so angry with each other and why no one ever spoke to her.

Why didn't they love her?

She could hear her mother and father fighting again down below. She wasn't allowed to leave her room. Last time she did she got smacked.

Staring out the only window in her gloomy room, she wondering if the grass ever turned any other colour but green. Same with the tree leaves. And the hedges.

She hated green. Green was a horrible colour. Green, yellow and brown. All colours she never liked to see. Orange was okay. Orange wasn't so bad.

The best colour was blue. Blue was so pretty and nice. Blue made her feel happy. 

She wondered if the grass would ever be blue.

She didn't notice the footsteps coming up to her room. She was humming a nursery rhyme her mother sang to her before everyone hated her. She could remember every word. It was about rowing a boat. She was rocking herself back and forwards while sitting on her haunches, thinking about the colour blue and her songs.

Only when the door was torn off and some one grab her arm did she notice anyone was there.

She didn't like people touching her. She screamed and shouted and kicked at whoever was grabbing her. Her mother cried in the background and watched her little girl being smacked again and again. The young girl didn't notice her mother was even there, let alone the grief her mother felt. All she knew was the large hand that hit her and hit her until she was so tired she couldn't kick anymore. The big hands pushed her away and made her head bump against the wall.

The little girl looked up to see her father leaving the room, pulling her mother with him. She knew her head hurt, and she felt dizzy as if some one had spun her around and around.

"Happy...sad...happy...sad..." the small child muttered. One of the few things she knew. Right now she was sad. Everyone was sad. Why couldn't they be blue? Why was everyone so green and brown and yellow?

Slowly the dark room faded before her eyes. The wooden floorboards began to swim and the brick walls began to dance as reality vanished before her young eyes.