September 19, 1998,

I'm feeling really sad today, and I really don't know why I'm writing. The tears are making my diary look all weird.

My mom has died.

I'm really going to miss her. She always made me feel happy when I was under a lot of pressure, and she was always there for me no matter what happened.

And now, that stupid flu has to come along and kill her!

But, now it's just me and my dad.

We were both sitting in his room, crying for my mom. Well, at least my dad is still here.

Oh, I'd better get going. My dad says it's time for me to hit the sheets.

September 24, 1998,

I realize it's been a while since I last wrote, but I just don't feel like doing it when my mom isn't there to barge in on me while I'm writing in my diary.

Well, anyway, my mom's funeral is in three days, and I've been helping my dad prepare for her funeral. Here's what we have so far:

She's going to wear her red cardigan, with the white T-shirt that she wore during family time, and her red skirt.

We're going to have it at the Gloria King Funeral Home, and every person from my mom's side of the family will be there.

Also, a few officials will be there to help carry the coffin since she was the mayor's wife.

I'm the mayor's daughter.

Rose White.

My dad is the mayor of our town, called Lovington, in Illinois.

His name is Frank White. My mom's name was Tina White.

But I'm not going to get into life as the mayor's daughter. Right now, I'm going to stick with the funeral subject.

That list is what we have so far, and we still have yet more to do.

September 27, 1998,

The funeral = today.

Me and my dad sat in the front pew, watching Mom in her coffin, and listening to the priest drawl on about what is happening to Mom right now in Heaven.

I didn't really listen to the priest, so I just lay down on my dad's arm.

At the cemetery, I could hardly bear to watch them lower Mom into the ground. That was the moment. I would never see her again!

I cried for the third time that day; the first time when the funeral began, second when I saw Mom laying in her coffin, and now.

My dad gave me a small jerk. "It's okay to cry," he said. I nodded. But deep down, I knew I would never stop crying. My mom was forever gone. I was never ever going to be with her again.

When we got home, I went up to my room, and locked the door so my dad wouldn't hear me crying. I lay down on my bed and cried into my pillow until my dad called me for a game of checkers and cookies and milk. Obviously he wanted to help keep our minds off of Mom, I thought.

I walked downstairs, wiping the tears as I walked. My dad was sitting on the couch, the game set up on the coffee table in front of it. He had the look of sympathy on his face. Then, I knew he probably had heard me crying.

When I reached the couch, he pulled me in his arms. "It's all right honey!" he said comfortingly. "Your mom is in a safe place now. God will take good care of her! Just as much as I'll take care of you!" He pulled me tight.

I felt a little better as he held me close. I hugged him back.

Suddenly, I felt happy. I knew eventually, I was going to get over Mom's death, so I hugged him tighter.

I think today wasn't really so bad after all.

September 29'th, 1998,

I can't believe it!

My dad has found another person!

Here's how it went:

Me and my dad went out to lunch today, and as usual, we went out to Billy's House of Beef for burgers. Then, my dad was walking to the soda fountain to refill his drink, and he accidentally walked into a woman. "A lovely woman," he called her.

I saw them mingling when they came back to our table. My dad was holding the woman in his arms. She was looking up into his eyes, and had a look of lovey-dovey on her face. So did my dad.

"Rose," he said. "This is Jade Lipkins. I accidentally made her fall into my arms, and, well, here she is!"

It was very clear to see that my dad was starting to feel something for her.

But after a while, when my dad was looking at the clock, Jade looked across at me and narrowed her eyes at me, along with a nasty snarl.

My dad looked back, and Jade resumed her regular face. "I love your daughter's face!" she said. "Her skin is so white, her hair is so black, and her lips are so red. It's like she's a snow princess!"

"Thank you for the compliments!" said my dad. "Rose, thank Jade for her compliments."

"Thanks," I mumbled. I wasn't going to thank her. True, my skin is really pale, true my hair is very black, and true my lips are very red, but I don't think she thinks I'm "like a snow princess."

"So, you'd like to join us?" asked my dad.

"Oh, yes!" Jade said ecstatically.

I groaned inside my head. Loudly.

Jade looked and snarled at me again.

"First, I need to get a drink," he said, rushing back to the soda fountain.

"What's your father's name?" she asked quickly.

"Frank. Frank White," I replied quickly.

Jade's face turned as white as mine, maybe a little more. "You mean to tell me he's the mayor?" she nearly shouted in my face.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Well, that's mighty wonderful!" she declared. "I think someone like your dad would make a good match! What do you think, honey?"

"You don't!" I said insistently, not bothering with her question.

"I do, you little snowball!" she said even more insistently.

I backed down a little.

My dad came back. I was about to tell him about Jade's comeback, when I realized he probably wouldn't believe me. He must think that Jade was so pretty and nice that she probably wouldn't think of it.

"Hello my two favorite women!" he said sitting down.

Those words got me. He was calling Jade one of his "favorite women." He used to say that when he greeted me and Mom. Instantly, I was reminded of Mom, and I felt anger, almost like crying. It was like Dad was replacing Mom with some wicked hag like Jade. She might have been beautiful, but in my eyes, she was as ugly and gross as a toad covered in mud and vomit from a slime monster!

I could barely eat the rest of my burger, nor drink the rest of my soda.

When we got home, my dad walked to the phone straight away. While we were eating, he had gotten Jade's number, and was probably going to call her.

I sensed he was going to be calling her for a long time, so I went to my room, and began writing in my diary, up until now.

I'm really worried. If this relationship develops enough, then who knows, Jade could be my new stepmother.

If she does, I am so getting out of here!

Wait, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. I'll stay here, I just won't talk to her, go near her, or any of that stuff.

September 30'th, 1998,

My dad went on a date with Jade today!

So, I had the whole house to myself, and the babysitter of course.

All I did was sit in my room, and cry a little. And twice today, there were calls from the Town Hall asking where the heck the mayor was. I would have answered and told them that he was out on a date with a hag, but I figured maybe I shouldn't do that stuff.

I couldn't help but feel a little angry at my dad. He just couldn't see what a hag Jade was, and that meant trouble for me, because if Jade became my stepmother, things would never be happy, good, the same, or any of that stuff again!

He came home very late. He was acting all happy, until I told him all about the calls from the Town Hall.

"Oh my gosh!" he cried. "I guess I'd better call and ask them what I missed."

Immediately, he called the Town Hall, and got to work.

I went up to my room, and cried again. Jade was taking over our lives. She was the reason that my dad was missing work at the Town Hall.

And I could tell it was about to get worse.

October 5, 1998,

The worst thing in the world happened today.

My dad proposed to Jade!

Yes, proposed. As in asking her to marry him!

In fact, after I found out, I threw up in the bathroom.

Now, he's in the kitchen with Jade, preparing the wedding.

My life is completely over…and done with!

October 17'th 1998,

I know I haven't written in a while, but it's because I'm too bummed that my dad is marrying that wicked old witch.

And, my dad is acting like it's the greatest thing on earth. He can't stop talking about it, he can't stop staring into space thinking about her. He should be looking at how ugly she is, and how mean she is to me.

And who knows. Maybe she'll be making me her personal house servant while my dad's not looking! Or worse, she could beat me until I was dead when I did something bad.

Ohhh! I can't even think of it!

Well, my dad told me that the wedding is in at least a week, so I can take some extra time before my dad gets married.

October 24'th, 1997,

The stupid wedding was today.

Jade made me be her maid of honor, her bridesmaid, and her flower girl. How unfair is that? How can a person be in three places at once?

That's only because she doesn't have any friends because she is so obsessed with her looks. Yesterday, I saw her go into the bathroom, and she came out gorged in make-up, and dressed in another outfit that was uglier than the one she was already wearing.

Also, I saw her pick up a hand mirror from her dresser when she and my dad were together, and looked at herself while primping her hair.

I nearly gagged when I walked down the isle tossing flowers at the wedding. And worse, I had to go through with the reception. Thankfully, the entirety of my dad's family came to the wedding, and the reception, so I had a little bit of fun.

But, when Jade made the toasts, she didn't even make one to me; her flower girl, her bridesmaid, and her maid of honor. And my dad didn't even notice that, he is so crazy about Jade.

And when my dad went off to talk with his friends, Jade came to me, and acted all maternal towards me. Like this:

Me: Hi

Jade: You say hello to me like that?

Me: What?

Jade: Arrggh! When will you learn to be a good girl? I knew you were a bad girl from the moment I saw you. With that pure white skin! And that hair! And those lips! I can't even bear to look at you!

Me: What's wrong with how I look?

Jade: You are even more beautiful than I am. And that makes you a threat to me.

Me: But I didn't mean to be a "threat"

Jade: Don't play with me, girl! I know you are planning to get all the attention from your looks, but as long as you stay out of my way, there won't be any trouble! And besides, you are just a worthless little rat!

Honestly, what kind of woman would say that kind of stuff?

And at that moment, I knew my life with my dad was completely over!

October 26'th, 1998,

I can barely even write for what happened today.

This morning, I woke up to Jade crying uncontrollably. I ran to the bedroom, and I saw her leaning on my dad. He was lying there, still as a statue, blood flowing from his chest, where a knife was placed.

I leaned down beside Jade. "What happened?" I asked, about to burst into tears.

"He…was…murdered!" Jade shouted. "The police are on their way, and I want them to catch the culprit, and have him hung!"

I lay down on my dad's chest, and cried even more uncontrollably than Jade. I couldn't believe it! He had been murdered!

All of a sudden, I sensed something inside Jade. She was probably the one who murdered my dad, after all she was crying in a very cheesy way.

But I didn't want to reveal it to her face. She already knew!

The police came after a while, and they examined my dad.

"I don't see anything coming out of this," said the detective. "There are no footprints into the house, nor are there any fingerprints on the knife. And, there are no stories from the neighbors about the murder."

"What now?" I asked.

"Well," said the detective. "Let's take a look at the will." He gestured for Jade to hand him the family will, and she did. He looked at it. "According to this, the house and everything in it, and the occupation as mayor would go to his wife. You are his wife right?" he asked Jade.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, then you shall receive the job as Mayor, and you shall inherit the girl and the house, and everything in between!"

"Excellent," said Jade.

The detective nodded. "Well, me and the group have done everything we can to solve this crime for now. We're going to continue later on." Gesturing for the others to follow him, the team left the house.

Once they were gone, Jade grabbed me by the arm.

"Now listen here, girl!" she said firmly. "Now that your dad is gone, I am your guardian and parent now. You will do as I say, you will do what I tell you to do. You will become my personal house servant, and will work from dawn until dusk. If you refuse, the consequences will be extremely severe. You will also no longer have your nice things, only some rags, your room, your bed, and all those necessary necessities. Got it?"

"Yes," I mumbled weakly.

"Good!" she said. "Now, go to your room, and get all your nice things!"

I went to my room, and sat on my bed. I decided not to give her my things. I packed them all in my closet, where I would hide them. I sat down again, and wrote in my diary.

I stopped a few minutes ago, feeling really hungry. Jade hadn't even come up to give me food.

I knew that now, my life wasn't going to be the same ever again. My loving dad was now gone, my mom was dead, and now that monster was giving me more orders than ever.

I'm feeling worse than ever before!