"God, Rei, can't you do anything right?" the lady spat at me, shoving me into the corner. Her hands forced my shoulders to the wall, not making it possible for me to escape. I simply glared back at her, challenging her with my eyes.

"What a mistake you are," she muttered, as she released me. She picked up her skirt daintly, and kicked back the bucket of water on the floor. The clear liquid spilled over the floor, as my eyes watched on in disbelief, having just cleaned it spotless. "Oops," she snickered, as she walked off.

I dropped to my knees, face in hands. How can anyone be so cruel and evil?! Slowly placing the bucket right side up, I started mopping the floor.

Mother had always hated me. To be honest, it's hard to picture my father. He was my beloved. My life, my soul, my.. everything. As a child, my life was devoted to him. I woke in the morning to see his glowing smile, and went to bed at night, only to imagine sugary sweet dreams of him. Dreams where he would take me away from England, to an enchanted land of elves and fairies. I was young and I was vulnerable.

His death was tragic, though I believe I hurt more than he did himself. He suffered, being played with, like a marionette, by the harsh grasp of the plague. I never knew a man could be so sick and deadly, without actually being dead. Those were the days when I slept and woke by his side, only being comforted by Mother.

Mother was kind and sweet-hearted back then. I doubt she had even a shred of indecency in her pure heart in those days. I understood. Whenever Father was around, there would never be a dull or sorrowful moment. In fact, oddly enough, I still remember those family outings. Those were the best times of my life, with both Mother and Father.

Those days are long gone, though. Mother has turned with eyes vacant and dead on life, as we only look back at her in dismay. Many people know of her mourning, when Father died, and they all pitied her. They still do. She wouldn't have half the friends she has now, if it wasn't for Father's death. To their eyes, though, Mother has never changed. She's still the sweet and loving mother she always was.

I laugh at the thought.

Mother became jealous when she found out that Father loved me more than her. On his deathbed, he called me forth to him, rather than Mother. O, the look in her eyes were painful. That time, I would've given anything in the world to take that sorrow away from her. Now, I would give anything to make her feel that way once more. I remember those words that he had told me. Father said to keep my chin up high, and to remember him in my dreams.

I slopped the damp cloth around the floor, and squeezing the remainder of water into the bucket. Those times seem like fairy tales, distant and surreal. Sometimes I wonder how things would've turned out if it wasn't for Father's death..

Usagi was the first one to comfort me, strangely. Her family was always close with one another. When Father was still alive, their love wouldn't even be able to compare with the one in our household. But now, I envy the girl. I never really conversed with her before Father's passing. She never really appealed to me. Though, I remember, as I was with my two crows, Phobos and Deimos, sobbing for his death.. she approached me. I placed the cloth on the edge of the bucket, grinning. She had said something along the lines of, "Don't weep, fair Rei. You still have me, after all".

She's always been there for me. Through thick and thin, she was the first one to comfort me, oddly enough. Sometimes I wonder if maybe we were destined to be friends?

The other girls were busy with their own lives as well. There wasn't much to our routinal day, however. Simply housework and cleaning. Sometimes outings with our family, to make an appearance in the market, in my case. Other than that, it's all cleaning. Every spare chance we get, we get together. The chance is rare, so we make the most of it everytime.

I placed the bucket of water carefully in the corner wall. I glared towards the door, where Mother once stood, moments ago. "Are her hands so fair and pure they wouldn't be able to clean?" I thought to myself sarcastically. "For she's the Queen of all, Ruler of all, Nothing of all". I struck the cloth to the floor, and marched off in fury to the kitchen for my next set of chores. "God forbid she dirties her hands with such filth!"