Time

PREFACE

Have you ever heard that time is the key? well Mallory has, after her mother died her father would tell her stories of when these men would travel but not just by anything... but by time.!

Mallory's father was a writer. a poet. and above all her hero. They would together defeat dragons and save the princess, and maybe even fall in love with a prince.

As you may have already figured out Mallory's father and her were pretty close. Yet her father thought she needed more and so he remarried and that is where our story begins...

CHAPTER 1.

Mallory wakes up at 9:00 sharp to find a beautiful bluebird perched out her window staring in. She makes the slightest movement and the bird cocks his head as if to wonder what on earth she is. Mallory creeps to her dresser drawer where she keeps her most special journal that her mother gave her. She reads aloud the quote on the front. "for all those thoughts you could never say." she stares out the window once more and opens her book for the very first time and begins to write. Mallory's mind began to fill with such adventures for this little birdie and so she gave him a name. That little bluebird was to be called bishop for her favorite game to play with her father was indeed chess, and her favorite piece was the bishop because she always used it to win against her father.

"Mallory... time for breakfast, I know your awake." Mallory's head shot up and she glanced for her sweet new friend Bishop yet could not see where he lye perched. to her surprise she turned to find the little bird hanging by her bedpost. As she got up to go downstairs she hummed a little tune and the bird flew away with such grace as to leave a marking of Remembrance.

Mallory raced downstairs so excited to tell her father of her morning but was stopped short at the sight of a woman not very tall with a beautiful baby blue dress on that hit the floor as she sat in Mallory's chair at the table. Shocked at what she has seen Mallory looks at her self appallingly and glided over to the table.

"Well good morning my sweet." her father walks over to meet her and kisses her upon the head. "good morning ,father" she replies with a soft heartfelt voice.

" This is lady Victoria Castle."

"How do you do miss?" Mallory asks with a slight curtsey.

"Very well thankyou." She nods and smiles.

As Mallory sits down Lady Victoria begins to ask her many questions, "Your father has told me so much about you, yet he hadn't told me whether or not you like books."

Mallory looks at her father puzzled. Why has her father not tell her this, all she and her father do is read books and write stories together?

Mallory clears her throat politely before she speaks, and when she does it is in a soft gentle tone, " Yes ma'am I love to read. I think my favorite book should be Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain."

Mallory's father walks over and sets two plates filled with bacon, sausage, eggs and toast with raspberry jam in front of them.

"Thankyou" they reply in unison.

Each lady looks at each other and sort of giggles along with a little snicker.

As each person ate there fulfilling breakfast, Mallory and her father shared a couple adventure they had written together and some they had written with Mallory's mother. Lady Victoria loved them so much that she decided to ask to publish them. And so they did.

A couple days later...

"Mallory, may I talk with you for a moment."

"Why of course father." Mallory walks towards her father who was seated by her mother's chair by the window writing in his book, as he did this everyday. At that moment Mallory too was writing in her journal about the bluebird she became friends with, a couple day before.

"Mallory after the breakfast with Lady Victoria I had asked her to become my wife." Mallory gasps and stumbles back falling into her mother's chair where she started to cry.

"Why my dear what is wrong? I thought you would have been happy, you seemed to be getting along very well with her."

As she sniffs and wipes away a tear Mallory manages to spill out her feelings. "Well father, I do like Lady Victoria, it's just that mother only died two years ago and we just now started to move on without her, I just think that when we agreed move on it didn't mean with a new mother."

"Well Mallory Lady Victoria can and will never replace your mother but she will be your stepmother."

"I'm just not so sure." Mallory crawls out of the comfort of her chair and walks slowly to her room.

There in the comforts of her room, she curls up on her bed and crys herself to sleep.

Chapter 2

Once Mallory finally woke up in the morning, she began to realize and process what actually went on yesterday with her father. As soon she had finished and wiped a couple tears she went downstairs and again found Lady Victoria, yet today she was not alone.

By her side was two young girls that looked to be about Mallory's age .

Lady Gretchen and lady Natalia stood there waiting for the go to in greeting there new step sister. "Girls say hello to your new sister " she smiles and looked at her girls. Both girls smiled politely and Said in unison "How do you do miss Mallory?"

"I'm very well thank you." Mallory replied. She looked at her father who was grinning with pride as he watched his family greet for the first time.

"Sir, tea is served,"

"Ahh thank you Amelia." Mallory's father clasped his hands with excitement and guided the girls to the parlor where they sat an had tea and biscuits.