(This is a re-write of an old story of mine. I have to first two chapters complete and am working on the others. I can't promise when I will update but there will be updates. Please let me know what you think. Thank you!)
Edith Crawley had always been the odd one out. She had been for as long as she could remember. While both of her sisters were dark-haired beauties, she was the fair-haired plain one. Edith was the plain daughter of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, everyone knew that.
It didn't help that she was also an odd little girl. Edith didn't understand it, but strange things always happened to or around her. Especially during a fight with her older sister, Mary. Mary took to calling her a freak when something strange happened, while her younger sister, Sybil, always looked at her oddly. And her parents and grandmother were always wary around her. They were afraid to upset her just in case something happened. The only person comfortable around Edith was Mrs. Hughes, the head housemaid.
Edith woke up on her eleventh birthday as she always did in the Downton nursery. She couldn't wait to get her own room as Mary had. But her nanny had told her parents that being near Sybil might help curb the strange occurrences. Naturally, her parents agreed, much to Edith's chagrin. But this birthday was different. She could feel it in her very blood. For some reason instead of groaning as her nanny woke her up, she nearly jumped out of bed and fidgeted as Anna, the newest maid, dressed her for the day. Her nanny watched her amused. It was different and yet welcome to see the young girl so happy and energetic. She simply wished the same could be said for the still sleeping Sybil.
Once Edith was dressed and both of the girls ate their breakfast they raced down the stairs as they giggled happily. But as they ran down the stairs, Edith tripped and instead of tumbling painfully down the steps she seemed to bounce down the rest of the way. She stood up again and smoothed down her dress. Edith was frustrated that she had done another odd thing, and she hoped Sybil had been the only one to witness the strange bouncing. But unfortunately for the young girls, they had had an audience. One Robert Crawley.
Robert had watched his daughters raced happily together with a smile on his lips. He loved to see the girls so happy and carefree, but he had immediately panicked when Edith tripped and was about to run to her when the oddest thing happened, she bounced. His daughter had bounced a good five steps. It was another odd thing to add to the ever-growing list.
Ever since she was a little thing with bouncy blonde curls Robert had seen strange things happen when she became upset, excited, or frightened. But he had hoped that after he came back from the war, a year ago, the strange things would have stopped. But, unfortunately, they had not.
Robert loved his daughter, he really did. But the odd things had to be stopped. But how? He simply didn't know. All he knew was that his mother's asylum idea was not something he would ever even consider. Keeping her in the estate was one thing, but locking her up far away was just a step too far for the worried father.
He cleared his throat to let his youngest two daughters know he was there. Edith spun around and paled. "Good morning Papa," she said nervously, while her little sister ran to him and hugged him as tightly as she could.
Robert hugged his youngest daughter and kissed the top of Sybil's head before going to Edith. "Good morning and happy birthday love," he said with a soft smile towards his daughter.
Edith smiled back at him. She loved to see her father smile at her, especially after an odd thing. It made her feel normal and not like some demon like her older sister liked to claim. It made Edith feel special.
Robert smiled at his girls for a moment before he realized that he really wasn't sure what to say or do next as the three of them stood at the bottom of the stairs. And so, after a few minutes of simply standing around, the Earl of Grantham went into the library to truly and forget about the strange occurrences that plagued his little girl's very existance.
Edith frowned and angrily wiped her unwanted tears away as she watched his smile become strained before her father went into the library. She wished he wasn't so awkward when she was around as it reminded her just how much of a freak she actually was. Sybil gave her sister a sympathetic smile and went back to the nursery for their morning lessons.
The rest of the morning went on as most mornings did at Downton. The three girls worked with their governess on their lessons while their parents completed their morning routine. As Edith sat in-between her sisters she prayed that the rest of her birthday would be as normal as was possible for a freak like her.
(All Harry Potter recognizable things and people belong to JK Rowling. All Downton Abbey recognizable things and people belong to Julienne Fellows. Read and Review! I will update once a week. This starts in 1903 the year after the Boer War.)
