Chapter 12
After reading the letter, I noticed the mess in my room again.
"Mandy!" I cried out. "Has there been a burglary in this house?"
"No, honey, why?" she asked.
"My room is a mess! What happened to it?"
Mandy came up the stairs and took a glance at my horrible room.
"Oh, that Hattie!" she said through gritted teeth. "Taking from people who are helpless."
My blood boiled with rage. Quickly, I looked through my secret drawer that I kept all of my money in. Empty. I looked in my jewelry box that mother had left me. It was empty as well. Had mother's silver necklace not been enough?
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her awake. I was no longer able to contain my rage. "Why did you take my money and jewelry, you filthy slum!" I yelled. I caught a side view of something shiny. I turned to look, and I saw my jewelry sprawled across her dresser. I knew she was too dimwitted to hide it properly. I walked over to it and grabbed the pile. Why wasn't she stopping me? I started piling the necklaces into my skirt.
"Ella," Hattie said. I detected a suspicious note of glee in her voice. "If you don't put down your jewelry, I'll tell Char about your curse. Oh, how he'll loathe you for deceiving him."
Then, I realized something. She had not only taken my jewelry. She had also read through my unsent letters to Char! She had found out that I was cursed by a fairy. I felt my blood boiling with hatred.
"Tell him." I said rashly. He would know about my curse. He would be disgusted, and he wouldn't want to marry me.
"Fine," Hattie said. "I'll tell him everything."
She smiled her malicious smile, showing all her teeth. Just then, I regretted my decision. Oh, why had I acted so rashly. I acted acted when my anger was directing my actions.
"Hattie...don't," I said. I smiled shakily at her, hoping to convince her not to tell him.
"You can have my jewels, if you want. Just don't tell Char about the curse."
"Too late," she said. "Ella, go to your room, please."
She smiled at me. I felt like vomiting.