JULY 23, 1996

Chapter Two

Dear Diary,

Summer has been a bore for me. On top of that unadulterated boredom, the irksome heat licks against my skin, leaving traces of perspiration behind. I love the summer; just not the summer heat. The weight of the air makes it difficult to breathe.

For the majority of summer, I've spent my time inside the manor playing piano, studying with my tutor and complying to my mother's demands. You would assume I could breathe in my own home, but it is undeniably suffocating! I am confined to this house by degree of the "Ice Queen" otherwise known as my mother. She is determined to make me and Daphne into ladies, but there seems to be no progress with me. This displeases my mother beyond patience. She always urges me to "be like Daphne", "sit like Daphne", "dress like Daphne" and "think and speak like Daphne". There is even a new maxim my mother likes to say to me. "Think Astoria: 'What would Daphne do?' " WWDD?

What my mother does not know is that she has not seen Daphne in her true nature. Daphne likes to sit with her legs slightly open so that the blokes that come to visit can have a peek in between. She likes to wear revealing clothing that emphasizes the volume of her cleavage and she speaks with an air of vulgarity. But this is only when mother is not around.

Daphne would never dare to conduct herself in such a poor manner in front of my mother. Mother is not one to tolerate such behavior. She can be awfully frightening when provoked, but it is a very rare sight to find her scolding Daphne for imperfections of her character. Me, on the other way, I cannot speak of the same treatment. I get chastised on a daily basis. For even as little as a slight flinch or fidget. I. HATE. IT. She is overbearing beyond belief!

I don't understand why she's so determined in the idea of making me into a "proper lady" as she so boldly puts it. I am definitely not made out to be like one of those stuffy women in the Pure Ladies Club. I find them a haughty, boring bunch.

Nowadays, my mother has been acting quite peculiar. I mean, she still scolds me and pressures me to be ladylike, but I suppose it is in the way she carries herself. The strides in her walk are not very confident. As if she's unsure about things. She brings it out on me and pushes me even harder. It seems like she's worried about something. As to what that something might be, I haven't got a clue. But every now and then I catch her giving me these scrutinizing looks, as if she's trying to assess me and then she sighs with a bit of frustration.

Why, this evening I caught her looking at me and she decided to say something.

"Astoria, come over here," she said, waving me over with her hand.

I walked over hesitantly, bracing myself for whatever criticism she had to offer. As I drew near, she grabbed me by the forearm and pulled me closer to her. With my chin in the warm "v" between her thumb and pointer finger, she examined my face.

Clicking her tongue, she said, "There is so much work to be done of you." With a woeful sigh, she added. "I'm not sure if I will be able to transform you on time." Letting go of my chin, she released me and I stepped back to feel my skin press against the cool air. With another wave of her hand, she gestured for me to leave. "You may go."

Without another word I left, a bit baffled by her words. I don't know what my mother meant by "...not sure if I will be able to transform you on time", but I don't think anything good can come from those words. At least, nothing that suggests freedom or independence.

I can't wait for the opening of classes to begin. It will be only two more weeks until I'm sent back to Hogwarts and that's the closest to freedom I can get.

Well, it's getting late and I must get ready for bed. Tomorrow Graciela will be coming in for my piano lessons in the morning. Oh, joy!

Truly Yourself,
Astoria


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