A Twisted Cinderella

Chapter 6

I try hiding my depression, she doesn't say anything else just takes my tray of uneaten food, sets down a jug had of water, and leaves me alone again. I fight over the tears that wanted to come out, something about her being kind was harder to take them her cruelty. She was trying to be understanding that I didn't want to be here and she wasn't ready for me to suddenly show up.

I was sort of glad I didn't have to go to a new school, I don't think I can take being normal I was still a mess after dad's death. I wonder if she had to give me up in a divorce she for one twin and he got the other. I was glad that dad wasn't alone all these years it must be a real big shock to suddenly have another daughter.

I wanted her to be proud of me like dad was when I helped build that tree house all those years ago. I started on the boxes first moving them to the far corner of the room, where I couldn't stand up straight because of how low it was.

After making a wall out of the boxes I was tired that was all I could do tonight I didn't want to wake anyone if they were asleep. Climbing into the bed I pulled out my blanket dad had given to me.

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The next morning I look for some type of dresser for clothes in my suitcase. Which is hard to do there's still so many boxes to move and I was running out of room where I had made the decision to put them. I didn't want to have to block the window I had a feeling that it would open in the spring.

I stood looking at the wall when mother walks in holding a tray, I still don't feel 100 percent sure she isn't positioning my food since she doesn't call me to go eat with the rest of them. I smile nicely anyways, mother watches me for a minute.

"What are you doing?" Mother asks.

I sighed and turned to look at the food she had brought up. Eggs and bacon. "Trying to figure out where to stack the rest of the boxes, I was going to use some of the side tables, nightstands, coffee table, and table to place lamps."

There were three side tables, two nightstands, one coffee table, and one table. I think i found an old mattress under some books I found in a box.

Mother nods looking over the work I have done, I didn't do much last night there as a tiny wall under the lower part of the room, I had moved the couch bed out of the way but making sure I didn't move it where someone would run into it. I most likely would have tripped off it. When she leaves taking the chamber pot - that I haven't used - with her I get back to work.

That's what I mostly did for the next two days, mother made me do other things like washing the dishes, and help Rowan with the laundry since they live out in the middle of nowhere we have to wash things by hand and hang dry our clothes. It takes all day and mother does this once a week. Which isn't to bad but it is cold in the winter, and it snows. So doing it after a snowfall is hard.

I'm not allowed to talk to either Owen and Rowan while doing chores, but by the time we're done Rowan goes to hang out with some friends and Owen hides in his room. I go back to the attic. Mother has let me join them for dinner and breakfast but we don't talk at the table another rule it's hard because I want to get to know the family, I didn't know I had.

I think mother doesn't want that to happen, things are a little weird still, I still don't feel like I belong even if mother has allowed me to leave the attic but I'm not allowed outside or to talk to anyone else of the village.

As I was setting down the last box of the day, I jump five feet in the air there sat a tiny brown mouse with big black eyes sniffing up at me.

"Hi, little guy." I say reaching out to grab at it.

The mouse just looks at me, when I start getting closer to him, he moves away a little I don't move my hand as he sniffed it kind of like a dog would when you first meet it.

Suddenly I remembered the cheese and crackers mother had brought of me as a snack after Rowan and I finished our chores, grabbing a piece I set it down next to the mouse.

He sniffles it before taking a bite, I smile warmly I never had a pet before, maybe I would keep him around for a while. I watch as he eat the cheese and when he was done, it looked like he wanted more so I gave him as much as he could eat.

I've only been here three days and I was beginning to trust mothers cooking I no longer felt as if she was going to poison me. I had lost a lot of weight in the week I spent not eating I was already skinny enough.

I missed my dad everyday but I stopped wearing his sweater and had put on some of my jeans instead of the sweats I kept wearing. l didn't know what's going to happen when Rowan and Owen go back to their school work next week, mother has said she would take care of everything and get me books.

When the mousse finished the last piece of cheese he moved closer to me looking for more. "Sorry little guy that's all I had."

It looked like he gave a nod and crawled back into his hole in the wall.