She's The Beautiful Devil

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Nadia please get up! I'm making a stew and need more water, could you please go and get some from the well?" Nadia's mother, Anka, said as she shook Nadia's tired body. Nadia's long plum dress was uncomfortably tight with a brown waist coat that held it tight to her body. 

"Why are you wearing your waist coat Nadia? You must have been very uncomfortable sleeping in it!" Exclaimed Anka whilst Nadia groaned quietly into her hay field sack called a 'pillow'. Her legs ached desperately from all the running and she would give anything just to have another hour in bed but, knowing that her mother would find it odd if she did, Nadia pushed herself uncomfortably up and stood in her tiny, crumbling room. Looking around, she walked over to her pair of worn, tattered brown pumps and slotted her feet inside them. The walls of her room and their entire house were the dull grey of the cheap, weak rock they were made of. Her bed was no more than a cracked plank of wood tied loosely with worn rope to four thin pieces of wood, covered only in an itchy green blanket and thin, bumpy pillow. Slumping into their main room which included a cauldron over a burning pile of sticks, her brothers bed (which was exactly the same as Nadia's), two crooked stools, a pile of chipped pottery (made by Nadia and Anka) and several slabs of meat drying on a metal rack. Nadia's eleven year old brother Deyan was dully tossing a small ball made of dried straw up in the air. Anka was cooking away at the stew and was knelt by the cauldron with a wooden spoon in her hand. Nadia hurried over to the wall opposite her which was only a few meters away in their miniature home, and picked up an empty metal bucket to take to the well. Just as she turned to leave through their low, black front door she heard Deyan stand up behind her. 

"Good Morning Nadia." Deyan said with a dead, tired voice. Nadia could barely turn around to face her innocent little brother because if he knew all of what she had done, how many people she had killed he would hate her forever and she couldn't stand that. Putting on a fake smile, she slowly turned to see her brother grinning up at her. His dark brown eyes and short black hair contrasted with his pale, sick skin. He was wearing one of his fathers, whose name was Marin, old loose brown tops and loose black trousers which were also once Marin's.

"Morning Deyan." Nadia said with a small smile. Deyan smiled back then suddenly turned his head over his shoulder to look at his mother before turning back to Nadia.

"I saw you come in very late last night Nadia. I couldn't sleep when I heard you rush in very quickly in your cloak, and Nadia there was a bloody dagger in your hand. Nadia please tell me what you were doing, tell me you are alright." Whispered Deyan with worried eyes. Nadia's heart stopped for a moment. What would she say? How would she stop him worrying? 

"Oh Deyan I'm sorry! I never meant for you to worry, I was going for a late night walk as I couldn't sleep either when a large chicken came scurrying out of the forest and into the street. I saw a dagger hanging outside a house and quickly grabbed it and stabbed the animal. I know I shouldn't have done it but we have hardly any food and I know that you are starving even if you don't say so, we all are. I was going to bring it back tonight as a surprise dinner for all of you and I would still like to if that is ok with you Deyan? Please don't tell Mother or Father as they may get angry with me." Nadia lied, the entire time her heart beating un-naturally fast. Deyan's face automatically softened and he grinned up at her excitedly.

"What time will it be ready?" He said innocently.