Well, Chapter 3. Please review! And just so you know, the fourth chapter will not be added until I have 5 reviews. Also, when you review, if you have any suggestions for a new title, they're very welcome! Thanks!

**NOTE: This chapter has been updated with spelling errors corrected and some wordings changed. Thank you!**

Chapter 3: Four Years Later

Katie sat up and yawned. Four years ago her father had died and now she was sixteen. Her tattered dress had been let down as she grew taller - only to get tattered again. Her pink dress was longer. She hurriedly dressed and plaited her hair, covered the top with a green rag, and went down to start the fires.

She shivered in the nippy winter air; her feet were still bare so they were practically frozen from the cold floor. She started the fire in the parlor, then tiptoed into the kitchen to find Carita had started the fire in there. She nodded gratefully to Carita, who was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, and started up the stairs to the bedrooms given to Starina and the stepsisters. She started in Loreen's room - she drew back the curtains, set out a dress, and started the fire.

"Loreen," she whispered, shaking her. "Loreen, it's time to wake up." She jumped back as Loreen's fist shot up in the air as it did every morning. "Loreen, wake up, you have to get dressed. Loreen!"

Loreen sat straight up. "I didn't do it, I didn't eat the last cookie, I promise I didn't."

Smiling and helping Loreen out of bed, Katie replied, "So it was you. Stand on the stool." Loreen did so and Katie helped her out of her nightgown and into the yellow dress. She fastened the black buttons that ran all the way down the back and straightened the big black collar. "Down." Loreen stepped off the stool and Katie stepped up. "How d'you want your hair today?"

"Can you put it in a twist?"

"Sure, why not?"

Loreen was the kindest of the stepsisters, though she could be rather obnoxious at times. Katie gathered Loreen's ebony hair and piled it on her head. Then she twisted it into a knot on the top. "Look in the mirror." Loreen did so in the full-length mirror that hung on the wall, nodded her approval, and watched Katie leave the room through the mirror.

"Gale, rise and shine." Gale sat up straight, and then fell back down into her pillow - but she missed the pillow and hit her head on the backboard instead.

"Ow!" With much difficulty and a few arguments, Katie managed to get Gale into the gray-blue dress and she pulled her long, black curls into a bun at the nape of her neck.

Katie went on to each of the girls, drawing curtains, starting fires, and helping them dress. Each girl wanted her hair up or down in a different style, each wore a different colored dress. When she got to Starina, whom she called Mistress now, she didn't help her change and dress her hair, for she had a fever. "Katherine, fetch breakfast!" she snapped from her bed.

"Carita hasn't even finished-"

"Katherine!" Starina's voice was warning.

"Yes, Mistress." Katie dashed down the steps, her braid whipping at the walls and her face. "Carita, is breakfast ready?"

"I've just finished cooking it, Katie, it needs a moment to cool."

"It doesn't have time to cool, I have to get it up there! Help me load the trays!" They poured coffee into two mugs and placed them each on a tray, placed two links of sausage, a scrambled egg, and a blueberry muffin on each plate on the two trays and Katie hurried up the stairs as fast as she could while balancing a tray in each hand.

She pushed her way through Loreen's door and placed the tray on Loreen's desk. "Breakfast time," she said, leaving. Loreen bounced up from her spot on the floor, leaving her china dolls behind, and began to eat.

She placed the second tray in Gale's room and dashed down the stairs again. There, four more trays had been set up. Carita and Katie each taking two, they hurried up the stairs. Carita took her trays to Fayre and Callista and Katie took hers to Brenda and Arena. Dashing downstairs, they made one more tray and Katie took it up to Starina. "So sorry it took so long, Mistress, I had to get the trays to Loreen and Gale and Fayre and-"

"That's Mistress Loreen and Mistress Gale and Mistress Fayre."

"They're my stepsisters and I will call them by name-"

"They are your Mistresses! For your behavior, Katherine, you will scrub the floors."

"I do that every day anyway," Katie muttered under her breath.

"Twice, then, once now and once before you go to bed. After that, every window is to be cleaned and then you'll let down that purple velvet dress of Loreen's. Oh, and you'll have to write a letter to the King for me today. Now, go and start."

Rolling her eyes, Katie started for the door.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" The scream was high pitched and grew louder until Gale burst threw the door. "My tongue is burnt!" But, since Gale's tongue was hanging out of her mouth, it sounded more like, "Nly thung ith buhned!"

"KATHERINE, what did you do NOW?"

"You wanted me to get the breakfast out right away and so the food didn't have time to cool."

"Well, for that, you'll have to clean the girls' rooms, too."

"Yes, Mistress." Katie left before any more trouble rose.

Katie found the bucket and filled it with warm water and a new sort of foamy soap Starina had bought. She grabbed a rag and went up to the upstairs hall. Starting at the end near Starina's door, she dunked her hang, holding the rag, into the bucket - and yelped in pain. She pulled out her hand to find her knuckles swelling and bleeding and stinging. But she started scrubbing anyway. The hall seemed to stretch on longer than it usually did, just because of the sting in her hands. She got the soap in her eye and her eye stung so much she had to wait several minutes before she could start again.

The worst part of it was the thought of doing it again before bed.

After the windows were sparkling clean, it was time to make the midday meal with Carita. Vegetable stew and bread was what they ate and after that, upon clearing the china dolls and clothes and other various toys from Loreen's room, Katie called the eleven-year-old to her room and had her change into the pink gown so Katie could let down the skirt.

After the skirt was let down, Katie spent a half hour per room picking up nightgowns and dresses and blouses and skirts and hairbrushes and cleaning mirrors and picking up china dolls from Gale and Loreen's rooms.

"Mistress, the hall has been scrubbed once and the windows are clean. I've picked up in the young Mistresses' bedrooms and let down Mistress Loreen's pink dress. Would you like me to write the letter to the King now?"

"Yes, Katherine." Katie sat at the desk and took a clean sheet of parchment. She dipped the quill in the inkpot and wrote the date in the top right corner. Then she held it positioned over the parchment, waiting for Starina to begin. For the next minute or so, the only noises were the scratching of the quill on the parchment and Starina's voice.

"Dear King Derek Edward Alexander Ryan, I, Duchess Starina Teresa Elisa Priscilla, will be coming to visit you, your Queen, Queen Louise Ingrid Vevila Eleanor, and your son, Prince Kenneth Alexander Terrence Edward. I will be coming with all seven of my daughters, Arena, Brenda, Callista-"

"'Scuse me, Mistress."

"What is it, Katherine?"

"Did you say all seven of your daughters?"

"Indeed I did."

Katie shivered and continued writing.

"- Callista, Fayre, Gale, Loreen, and Katherine. We will be coming a week after the date you send a reply. We will be staying for four days. Thank you kindly, Duchess Starina Teresa Elisa Priscilla. Now, Katie, read it to me."

"Yes, ma'am.
"Dear King Derek Edward Alexander Ryan,
"I, Duchess Starina Teresa Elisa Priscilla,
will be coming to visit you, your Queen, Queen
Louise Ingrid Vevila Eleanor, and your son, Prince
Kenneth Alexander Terrence Edward. I will be
coming with all seven of my daughters, Arena,
Brenda, Callista, Fayre, Gale, Loreen, and
Katherine. We will be coming a week after the
date you send a reply. We will be staying for
four days.
"Thank you kindly,
"Duchess Starina Teresa Elisa Priscilla."

"That's very good. Put this in the mail."
"Yes, Mistress."
Katie shut the door and found Carita standing outside, having listened to it all. They took each other's hands and jumped up and down, one old and fat, one young and slim, both squealing with glee.

END CHAPTER THREE

Like I've said, please, please, please, please review! The fourth chapter won't be added until I have at least 5 reviews! Don't forget to suggest new titles, too! Thanks!