Eliza and the Queen

Chapter One

"Eliza!"

Eliza heard her mother calling for her, but she didn't want to move from her favorite spot in the field of daisies. She loved to sit there and think. She loved smelling the flowers and saving some for her mother slovely table. It was a quiet and peaceful place. Her mother would scold her when she got home for getting her dress all dirty, but Eliza did not care. She was a fourteen year old girl, she could not help but get in trouble a few times. She didn't get in much trouble, but she did get lectured a lot.

"Eliza Marie!"

When her mother called for the last time, she quickly rushed home. Her mother stood on the porch with her hands on her hips waiting. She knew her mother called for her for ten minutes. Her mother only got red in the face when she had been yelling for a certain amount of time. It was how Eliza knew when she was in trouble or not. She approached her mother slowly and lowered her head. Her mother always gave her 'the look' when she was in trouble.

Her mother shook her head and gently grabbed Eliza's dress to show her the dirt stains.

"Your father spent a lot of money on this dress young lady. It is shameful that you would ruin it. Come inside. Your fathers guests are here."

Eliza spent an hour washing up and changing into a new clean dress. Her sister Lilly had come in to help Eliza with her dress. Lilly was the youngest, but close to Eliza. Lilly had blond hair and blue eyes while Eliza had brunette hair and blue eyes. She hated to see Eliza get in trouble.

"Mother going to punish you?" Lilly asked twirling a daisy in her hands. Eliza looked at her and saw tears in her sisters eyes. It pained her to see Eliza get punished with the stick.

Eliza lay her hand on Lilly's shoulder and smiled. "No. I am going to behave for momma and papa. Come. Let's go see what food we can steal."

Lilly smiled and followed Eliza downstairs to their front lawn. Eliza's parents always had gatherings at their house for the people around them on Saturdays. They would sit around gossiping and having tea and pie. Her mother, Mrs. Wilson was the most generous woman in town and the friendliest. She did not gossip, but only listened in and pretended to enjoy it. Mr. Wilson usually stood with the gentlemen smoking on his pipe and talking with the men he worked with.

Vanderville was a small quiet town and everyone knew everyone. They loved the days where they could get together and enjoy the beautiful world. Eliza loved to sit and eat cookies with Lilly watching the women fan themselves and talk amongst one another. They were always dressed in the finest dresses and talked constantly like they had unlimited topics to talk about. She also loved to join the other kids in the games they play. Mother was against it if it meant they were going to get dirty, but it was fun and the other kids never left them out ofany of the games.

Lilly grabbed a small cookie and sat in the grass nibbling on it. Eliza noticed her sister did not eat that much and wore her worried expression she always wore. She sat down beside her sister and nibbled on her cookie not wanting to look too hungry.

"The King and Queen hate our home Eliza. Papa says that they will destroy us one day."

Eliza was shocked to hear that from her sister, but didn't respond. Her sister continued. "Papa also said that they will take some of us as slaves and refusing just means that we will be punished. Then we will never see momma or papa again."

Eliza saw the tears streak down her sisters face. She was afraid. Lilly was only four and needed their parents. Eliza could not imagine life without them. She knew their father was just worried since some villagers were taken from Vanderville as slaves a few years ago, but for their father to tell Lilly surprised Eliza.