Thanks so much for your review Abbeygirl06! I'm glad you enjoyed it.This is going to be almost like the original story, but one of the sisters isn't going to be evil. Here's the next chapter for you...
Callista walked down the steps that led to the kitchen. The door opened to reveal a plump woman holding a cake tin. "Good afternoon my lady" the woman said. "Oh Maia," Callista said " If Adrianna hears you call me that she will have a fit."
" She won't hear me. She's out havin' tea with some noble or other"
" Oh, so that's why she was in such a mood this morning" Callista picked up a mop and two buckets of water for the dining room floor. As she walked towards the open door she called over her shoulder "Just don't let her hear you calling me Lady"
"But it's your proper title, even if she don't acknowledge it" Maia said in her lilting voice.
" We cannot prove it Maia," Callista sighed as she walked up the stairs.
"That don't mean I canna call you 'my lady' " Maia called.
Callista pulled the large wooden doors open and stepped into the large rectangular room. This was her favourite room in the whole house. One wall was taken up by a beautiful stained glass window, the picture depicting a lovely tree in spring. The tree was covered in green leaves with beautiful coloured blossoms and the midday sun shined through it, throwing the room into a rainbow of colours, green, blue, red, orange, purple, pink and yellow. Callista picked up the mop and dunked it into the soapy water. The mop sailed across the floor, Callista moved with the rhythm of the broom. Swish, swash, swish. Callista twirled the broom around, plunging it into the bucket of water. This feels like dancing Callista thought and something stirred in her memory.
She was nine. Mary, Anna and Callista were having their first dancing lesson at the palace, something her father had organised the last time he was home. They were being whirled around the room by some of the younger pages and noble sons, Adrianna sat with the Queen and other ladies who were watching their daughters and sons dance. Callista accidently stepped on her partner's foot. Luckily, they had to swap partners and Callista was saved from apologising. She was quite preoccupied as her father was coming home today.Her foot pulled the hem of her gown and she almost tripped but her partner caught her hand. Callista looked up to see laughing hazel eyes . The boy was about two years older than her. "Are you quite alright?" He asked.
"Quite alright," she replied " it's just this silly gown. Why don't we all just wear breeches and save ourselves the hassle?"
The boy laughed and was about opened his mouth to reply.The music ceased and the children all stopped dancing, wondring what was happening. A page had run into the room. He curtseyed to the Queen and said there was an urgent message for the Duke of Rasine's family. That's me Callista thought. She walked out of the room with Adrianna, Mary and Anne. "What has happened?" Callista asked the page
" My Lord, the Duke of Rasine" the page began "he has been.."
"Been what?" Adrianna demanded.
"Been killed" he finished. "His majesty wishes to offer his deepest condolences." The page then ran off, leaving the family stunned in the hallway. Callista looked at her stepmother, and saw a strange emotion flicker in her eyes. It almost looks like she's happy Callista thought. But why would she be happy? Callista put this out of her mind as another realisation dawned on her. She was an orphan now. She had no parents. She would be forced to serve Adrianna and Mary for the rest of her life!
Soon after that fateful day in the palace, Callista's things were moved to the servants' floor. All of her fine gowns and jewellery were sold or given to Mary. She was no longer Callista of Rasine, daughter of the Duke, she was just an orphaned nobody.
The light of the sun was thrown into her eyes, as she had reached the window with the mop. Callista hastily blinked away tears that were threatening to fall. I will not cry, I will not cry she told herself.
She was in the study. This room was nearly never used as Adrianna did not think that learning was very important. Mary and Anna had been taught her letters and numbers but after that, their education was quite limited. Callista on the other hand had been taught her letters and numbers at an early age and was also taught languages, history, geography and a numerous number of other subjects. She found an odd comfort in spending an afternoon reading. Callista was supposed to be tidying the room, which was quite an easy feat as it had not been used by the family for a week. Instead, she looked around the room longingly, wishing that she could just relax in one of the chairs and lose herself in the pages of a book. Callista knew, however, that this was a wasted wish, as she had so many chores left to do. Adrianna seemed to take pleasure in seeing Callista work exhaustedly day after day and would not hesitate in dealing her a blow if the work was not completed to her satisfaction. Each morning when she woke, there would be an extensive list of chores waiting beside her pallet. And then there was Mary. For some unknown reason, Mary seemed to hate her. Callista had never figured it out. She had never done anything to anger either of them but they still hated her. They always kept her working late into the night and every morning she would drag herself out of bed to begin their extensive list of things to do. The servants, like Maia, still regarded her as the mistress of the house, no matter how much she protested for them not to call her Lady. They tried to help her with the tasks she was forced to do but sometimes Adrianna would spent half the day just watching her work. Once, Adrianna spent the whole day in the ballroom just watching Callista scrub the floor. Anna would try to help as well.
Anna was probably the closest thing to family that Callista had. Even though they were only half-sisters, Callista suspected that Anna was closer to her than she was to even Mary. Adrianna did not dote on her as she did Mary, but she did not hate her as she did Callista. Anna was so different to the other noble girls she knew. She was intelligent. Anna didn't have ambitions to marry a man of great wealth or power. She didn't want the expensive gowns or to have her hair styled in the latest fashion. She was a natural beauty and unlike her sister did not spend hours every day on her appearence. Some people may have thought she was too simple but really, she just took pleasure in simple things. She would rise early, just to see the colours of the rising sun or stay up late to see the millions of stars in the sky. Callista could not count the number of times Anna had saved her from Adrianna and Mary, by distracting them or changing the topic they were speaking about, which was usually Callista's incompetence. Callista was thankful that Anna at least, did not treat her as a slave. Callista questioned her about this and was surprised at the answer she was given. "You don't deserve this" Anna had said simply. "You've done nothing to deserve this servitude yet you are a servant, and worse yet, in your own home. I will not treat you as a servant because you should not be one." Sighing deeply at the nightmare that was her life, Callista left the study to begin cleaning all the downstairs windows.
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