Unmasked

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"We've been invited to the ball, a masquerade ball!" Alexandra exclaims again.

"Oh mother are we going?" Elisabeth asks.

Silence.

"Maybe" I heard Mother's voice.

"Oh please mother!" I hear both Elisabeth and Alexandra beg.

"This is the first time we've ever been invited to a royal ball!" Elisabeth's voice pleads.

More silence. Then a sigh.

"Alright."

"Oh really?!" Alexandra exclaims.

"Oh yes, yes, but-" Mother started.

"But what?"

"The ball is tomorrow night,"

"We'll be ready!" Elisabeth and Alexandra promise together.

"We can send a servant to go pick something up!" States Alexandra.

"Very well, but-" Mother starts again, but stops, silence later replaced by approaching footsteps.

Quickly, I stood up and ran to the other hallway corner.

The door opened and Mother walks out along with Elisabeth and Alexandra behind her.

"Make sure nobody finds out about this, especially..." She drifts off in an understanding silence.

Especially me.

They both nodded and walked away.

A Masquerade ball.

"What's the matter? Why the look on your face?" Harriet asks when I walk back into the kitchen.

"I heard that family has been invited to a royal ball for the first time ever..." I tell her gloomily.

She gasps.

"The king is having a ball, and the family...?" She drifts off.

I look at her.

"Well, what are you going to wear?" She asks suddenly

"What do you mean?" I ask," I'm not going."

"Why of course you are!" She says," What a silly thing to say!"

"Why?" I look down, "Harriet, you know how my mother is like, I'm not family to her anymore."

I don't think I ever was.

"You said it yourself, the family was invited." She lifts my chin up so I look at her, "it doesn't matter if she sees you as family or not, you are. So you're going."

Then she put her hands on her hips.

I shake my head, "You don't understand, she didn't even want me to know about it"

"I swear that..." She turns, "She is the worst of mothers, no, of women!"

She starts walking out of the kitchen.

"Wait!" I grab her arm, "What are you going to do?"

She looks back at me, "Mary, is is your mother is isn't supposed to treat you this way, If you're father were here-,"

"He's gone," It cuts her off, the sound of my hurt voice dropping to a whisper.

I can never handle the mention of my father. He passed away due at war which might have been the cause of my mother turning bitter. Believe it or not, she use to try and tolerate me but still favored Alexandra and Elisabeth.

But with my father, it was the opposite, he would always look out for me and he even hated they way mother would treat me compared to his other daughters. He treated all of us equally. I miss him, but he's gone. Nothing can be done about it.

Harriet stayed silent.

I took a deep breath and started again.

"It's just a ball," I said calmly.

"This isn't about that," She snapped.

She looked away again, then back.

"It's about how she's never treats you as her daughter," She finished.

I stayed silent this time.

"You're going" She finally Said.

"I can't" I told her," She'll never see me as a daughter."

"Then you'll go where she can't see you," She smiles.

"What do you-?" I stopped.

I knew exactly what she meant.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Updated as of July 28, 2014.