The Royal Rose

Gone

Wherever the step mother took Rose, the people praised her beauty. As Rose was the most beautiful girl people had ever seen. She wasn't physically beautiful, but her heart was pure and kind. It took Rose less than a day to adjust with everyone. The servants loved her, and there wasn't even a single person in the neighborhood, who wasn't fond of her.

It wasn't long before the step mother showed her true colors. She already had a daughter of her own, almost the same age as Rose.She knew that till Rose lived at her house, nobody would consider her daughter. She had to get rid of her, but Ray Steven had left all his savings to Rose.

The heart-shaped key opened a box, inside which there was Ray Steven's Will about leaving all his money to his daughter.The step mother had to find a way, to get all that money from Rose and then throw her out of their lives. But the only way she had was to take care of her till she was 18.

Lena hired the best lawyer, and started the paper work of transfering the money in her account.

The step sister,Megan wasn't ready to share her room with Rose. So, the step mother made her sleep on the couch for the first few weeks. Goldie had to stay in the basement, as the step mother was allergic to dogs. Rose had no other place to go. So,she accepted her fate, as she had a decent place to stay and good food to eat.

Soon, Rose was given a separate room. The step mother brought her dresses and Jewels just like her father used to. But she wasn't happy, and the loneliness made her feel miserable. There were many nights, when she used to sneak Goldie to her room,and fed him all the good food from the fridge. They used to stay up till late at night and Rose talked to him about everything. Goldie was the only thing she had.

Rose thought that Lena wasn't that bad, and Megan was a little dumb but not mean. But Lena was doing all this to buy her sometime. She knew, that once she got the money transfered. She won't need Rose.

One morning, when she woke up, the house was unusually silent. It was already 10 am and nobody woke her up.

She went to the kitchen and made herself a good breakfast. The servants weren't home too.

Rose watched TV for a while, waiting for everyone to come back soon. The basement was unusually silent too. Goldie wasn't barking and rubbing his paws against the door. That seemed weird.

Rose went down the basement, only to find it empty. A wave of horror ran through her, but then she heard voices upstairs. She ran up to the living room, and saw her step mother entering through the door with Megan.

"Mother, Have you seen Goldie?"

"He's gone."

The step mother spoke casually, and took off her hat.

"What do you mean?" Her heart was beating fast. "Where's my Goldie?"

"He wasn't letting us sleep. So, we sent him away."

Megan gave her a smile.

"How could you?" Rose shouted and tried to ran out of the house to search for her dog. But the step mother caught her arm, and pulled her close to her face.

"This is my house and I won't tolerate even a little misbehavior."

"I NEED TO FIND HIM."

The step mother tightened the grip around her arm and dragged her towards the basement. Megan opened the door for her mother and they pushed her down the stairs.

"You are out of your mind. Staying in the basement would help you learn some etiquette."

"No food or water for her."

Rose heard the step mother talking to Megan. "Tell this to all of the servants."

Rose sat in the corner of the dimly lit basement, near Goldie's blanket. The tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall, and her heart was pierced with the pain of parting from the loved ones.

She felt helpless, and lonely with no one left to share her sadness with. The long shuddering sobs dissolved into a peaceful sleep, as she lied down on the ground fatigued.

All she wanted was to die, so that she'd get free from all this suffering. This wasn't a fairy tale where a Fairy Godmother would come to rescue her, it was real life.

The sleep made her forget about everything. She wandered through the beautiful garden laden with the colorful flowers. There was sweet fragrance in the air, and the warmth of the ground was comforing her bare feet. She sat at the edge of a fountain with crystal clear water. She was looking at her reflection in the water. Her blonde hair were braided with tiny flowers, and she was wearing a beautiful pink dress. Suddenly, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Child?"

She looked around. It was a beautiful woman,dressed in a white glamorous gown with a diamond and ruby crown.

"Are you my fairy Godmother?"

"No, my dear. I'm your real mother." She held her face softly and kissed her head.

"You can't be. My mother's dead."

"A mother could never abandon her child. I'm always around you, watching you and protecting you.Even if I'm not there."

"No, you're not. You're just watching me suffer."

The woman sat next to her and held her hands.

"You can fight, and conquer. I'm watching you, growing up into a strong woman. I'll stay around you, but you can't sit waiting for someone to rescue you. You are yourself a knight, go out there and rescue yourself."

"But..."

"I'll be there to guide you, if you strayed from the path. You're destined to succeed, my child."

Suddenly,everything disappeared as Rose woke up. But she felt stronger-not scared any more. She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, giving her strength.

Rose decided to flee from her stepmother's house. She had no idea where to head to, but anywhere would be better than this place. She had to find Goldie, too. She placed the boxes on top of eachother, and escaped through the basement window into an unknown world.