The Red Queen's Daughter: Book One

Chapter 1

"Nicole!" I jerk my head up at the call of my name. Obviously it's my mother. I run downstairs, my long, brown hair bouncing with me. When I finally get to the bottom, I trip on my red dress. "Ow!" I say, rubbing my palms. "Clumsy, much? My darling, you must come with me out on the balcony to attend the death of Jackson Barring. He ate after dinner time, I found him stuffing his face with biscuits in the dining room. His head will be removed, unless you have any other ideas," she says with a raise of her right eyebrow. I cringe with disgust. She wants me to be exactly like her, coming up with torturous ideas for innocent peoples' deaths. It makes me mad when she calls me Darling, because I know I'm the only one who she's even kind've nice to. "Oh, I have a great idea. How about we don't kill him at all?! You don't feed anyone enough but me and yourself! That's why he was found stuffing his face!" I yell. She narrows her eyes at me. "You're exactly like your father was, nice! Why is it that you have to be exactly like him and not me? I'm the reason that your even here! You will need to be me when I pass someday, and I will not be happy if I look up and see that you're being nice! So you will attend with me, and mark my words you will at least act like you like it!"

My mother, out of all the women in the world, she had to be mine. I run back upstairs, up the winding staircase, yelling behind me,"But I won't like it, and you can't make me!" My words hang in the air. Whenever my mom was truly mad, she wouldn't say anything, she'd just go to  her room and break a vase or two. Crash! Crash! Yep, she's really, truly angry. Crash! Crash! Oh no, this isn't good. Four vases! I have two options: 1. Jump out my window and run away. Nope, never mind, not an option, there's the moat. 2. Stay in my room, even if my mom does break some more vases. It's not good when she breaks four vases, that means she's gonna just kill somebody out of anger. Not me, she wouldn't even though she hates me right now. The reason she loves me is because she wants me to be the next her. But I really don't care, it's not like I love her, either.

I lock my door. My mother was stupid to even consider a lock. I take off my red dress and put on a silky purple dress, I hate the color red, it reminds me of the blood that is always shed in this castle. Yet I had to wear the other one because it was the only one that was available to wear. Apparently the Red Maids, as my mother calls them, washed my clothing. I look out my window, it looks like a storm is coming, it's what my mother calls perfect weather for a perfect death. Another reason I despise my mother.