Troublesome

Wicked Woman

Chapter One:

Wicked Woman

I had met my aunt three times before today, twice on Christmases and once when she came to visit for the summer and all three times were...uncomfortable. She was a strict lady, and almost immediately berated my father for how I was being raised. The first time she visited was a few months before my mother had died, she was bedridden with a fever and my father did not want me to be lonely on Christmas, so he invited my aunt to keep me company while he took care of my mother.

She was horrible.

Like a stepmother from a fairy tale, she knit-picked everything I did. How I ate, my posture, the way I stumbled over my words, and even the color of my hair. As if I could change it magically! Though she was the headmistress at a finishing school, so these were not complaints my father would know about his sister. I did not want to worry him, as he was already very stressed, so I turned to someone who would listen to me.

Our neighbor, a boy a year older than me, Henry Kendall, would listen as I ranted for hours. I would sit high in the branch as he hovered below on the ground, he was petrified of heights. Something I did not share, but respected nonetheless, knowing it was because he had broken his arm a few months before after falling off the roof when his older brothers dared him too.

When my mother died, my aunt stayed for a few months after, to help my father through his grief, and to "keep me inline". I never quite understood why she always phrased it like that. I never did anything trouble worthy. I was always respectful, minded my manners, held my tongue, but she still seemed determined that I was awful. It made me wonder if I was some kind of monster but I just didn't know it.

Then my aunt had to return to her school, she had taken a long enough leave, and as she left she turned to my father and said, "As soon as you cannot handle her anymore, send her my way." Those words burned into me, and I was terrified that my aunt would come and kidnap next time she visited.

Luckily those other times passed without her swooping me up, kicking and screaming, to her finishing school, that I soon learned was called, "Ms. Clifford's School for Troublesome Girls" and from others, I learned that she specializes in turning "difficult girls" into "perfect women". She had a high success rate, all of the girls who were admitted, went on to marry wonderful matches.

And that's where I sat now, in her office with her peering over me like a predator. "It seems you've caused some trouble at home." Her eyes were the color of ice and felt as cold and unbearable as a winter storm. Her cold and relaxed face broke out into a smile, "But you don't have to worry, my dear niece. There is no way for you to cause trouble here." I wasn't entirely sure what she was implying, if she truly thought I was worthy of being here, then she must have thought that I was some wild girl raised by wolves.

But she knew why I was here, and it did not seem to be a good enough reason. I had heard about the girls that were admitted here, and I did not meet the requirements at all.

"Aunt Vera--"I started.

"You will call me headmistress while at school, as I shall call you Miss Howard. You may be my niece, but we must remain professional here, understand Miss Howard?"

I nodded my head, "Yes headmistress."

"Now, from what I've observed while seeing you grow up, your manners are appalling, your education is lackluster, and your social conduct is downright ghastly. I do not do special treatment here. You will be just like any other student here. And you will come to find that these girls are not ones to take lightly. I advise you to be polite, but wary of them. And you will keep yourself under control here, I will not allow another one of your incidents to blemish my name or my school. Understood?"