Chapter 1
"Marlene, you cannot do this. I forbid you from doing this. I am your father, and you will do as you are told" bellowed the robust yet small figure of my father whilst he attempted to wrestle my leather suitcase from within my grip. I fought back desperately, tugging and pulling with all my might while my ears rang with the sound of muffled cries from my 10 year old sister hiding behind our mother's nerve ridden frame in the corner of the room.
"You cannot tell me what to do any longer. I am of 22 years of age and have the capabilities of making my own decisions. If you think I will remain here and watch as you conjure up yet another marriage for me with a man of whom is not of my choosing for no ones gain other than your own, then you papa are severely mistaken." The words eased from within my lips, my shoulders rigid with a sudden feeling of power as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders via my revelation. Never once had I dared to speak to my devil eyed father with such a manner of determination and rebelliousness but no longer could I play the part of the darling obedient daughter.
My family and I live upon a small farm outside of Alsace where the summers scorched and the winters were bitter. The farm had been handed down through my mother's line, she being the last of the Dumas family. My father, Hermann Austerlitz, on the other hand was born on the other side of the border in Germany. And then there was Evangeline, my little sister. My dear little Eva. We are the best of friends, despite our age gap. Many a time have we frolicked in the fields, taken a dip in the river and told each other stories at night beneath the blanket upon our bed. We have to share a room and all its commodoties, you see, because my family are not particularly 'well-off' though we are not poor either. We have enough to get by. My father however, is an ambitious man always trying to make his way in the world and rise from our current social standings. When he married my mother and thus inherited the farm, he had expected to inherit a very significant lump sum of funds to go with it. He was dissapointed. The farm was all that was left of the great Dumas family after their riches had been spoilt. From that point on my father's bitterness only grew. The birth of two daughters certainly didnt help matters. My poor poor mother is now a shadow of her former self, flinching from the slightest movement of my father's hand and cowering upon her bed whenever he raises his voice. Our dire financial situation is the reason for our latest disagreement and my wish to leave.
Time after time my father has tried to arrange a marriage for me with wealthy suitors that would no doubt bump up my father's income. I however have no interest in money or doing my so called 'duty' to suit my trecherous father. I want to mary for love and because I desire to spend the rest of my life with a man, rather than marry a man of whom I neither find attractive nor lust after. That is why I cannot stay here any longer, I cannot possibly succumb to my father's wishes and rot away beside a husband who does not love me nor respect me. I would rather die than spend my life tending to a husband who has no desire for me and cannot touch me as though only a loving husband should. The only answer is that I pack up my things and go.
"You ungrateful little bitch" he screamed into my face, twisting his frightfully strong grasp amongst my auburn locks of hair, bending my frame to his will. "After all the things we have done for you, provided you with, you repay us like this? You are so intent on your pathetic little fantasies that you would disgrace us all?" he continued, landing a venomous drop of spit upon my cheek as I writhed to set myself free.
"Leave her, Hermann" my mother finally called out in a whimpering tone, torn between whether to protect herself of her eldest and first born daughter. As soon as the words left her lips, my father spun on his heels having released me and landed a hard brutal punch across my mother's face, nocking her to the floor infront of my sister. The terrified little form of Eva crouched over my mother, crying and trembling as she gripped the unconcious form and shook her. With that, my anger toppled over and I could no longer keep a lid on the extraordinary power brewing within me. With a single wave of the hand, I sent my brute of a father crashing into the far flint wall of our dining room to fall to the floor in a heap. At least I had inherited one good thing from my mother: the power of a witch.
After a moment of deep exhilation, I rushed towards my sister and took her by the shoulders to craddle her against my body and whisper "I'm sorry" repeatedly into her ear. I hovered my hand over our mother's battered and bruised face all the while keeping an arm around my sisters waist. Slowly but surely the purple colouring forming on my mother's cheek was drawn away with my power, her eyes flickering open gently. "My girls, my beautiful girls" she croaked, beaming up at us both.
As though a lightbulb had flicked on within her head, mother unsteadely rose to her feet, glancing over to the heap of our father before picking up my suitcase and handing it to me.
"Mother, what..what are you doing?" I asked sceptically, surprised that she had plucked up the courage to disobey my father.
"You must go, my sweet." she said gently, putting her forhead to mine and rubbing my cheek with her thumb. "This is no place for such a bright and beautiful young lady. You must be happy Marlene. On the very first day that I held you in my arms and looked deep into your tiny brown eyes, I made a promise that you would find happiness and love. This is your chance, I am giving you your chance. Take it."
"But what about..." I was about to say Eva when mother cut me off, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I will take care of Eva. Please Marlene, there is not much time. You need to go, now."
I sheepishly took the suitcase from her, glancing over her shoulder to Eva. "I cannot just leave you both, mother. Come with me? How can I leave you with him?"
"Shhhh, darling" she whispered, pressing her index finger against my lips to prevent the flow of questions. "I must stay here, you know that. My place is here by your father's side. I promised I would stay with him until death do us part. I made a vow. I will be fine, Marlene. Go." Her gentle hands pushed me away a little further, trying her hardest to convince me to leave. The corners of my chapped lips curved into a halfhearted grin, nodding at the two most important people in my life as I prepared myself to flee and perhaps never see their faces again.
"I love you both, so much more than you will ever know. I will write, I will try my hardest to write to you. I'm sorry" I choaked as the floodgates opened and the tears rolled down my cheeks like a never ending waterfall.
Pulling the hood of my cape up over my head, I turned and made my way into the bitter chilling wind allowing the door to slam behind me. I did not know where I was heading, nor did I have a plan of action. I just knew that I had to leave France.
