Abigail Marietta Johnson
Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Cinderella, however I do own the characters in this story.
Chapter 1
Abby glanced at herself in the mirror and grimaced at her reflection. She was wearing a green dress, if it could be called that at all, that made her look awful. It had a low neckline that was outlined in gold threaded embroidery, with a high waist line that then poofed out into a million layers of fabric making her look like the queen of frills. Her mother had promised her that the dress would suit her because it would bring out the green/ gray eyes that, according to her mother, were her only pretty features.
Thinking of her mother made her blood boil. When she was young her mother, Clarissa, had been the prettiest heiress in all of Karinne. Suitors would bang on the doors of her father's house night and day trying to win her favor. Abby doubted that if any of them had known what kind of person she was then they would've high tailed away from her as fast as they could. But alas, that did not happen. Instead her mother married her father, Richard Johnson III, Count over the wealthiest lands in all of Karinne. My mother had pretended to be infatuated with him up until after my sister was born. Then she let her true self show. The nasty manipulative woman that was hidden beneath the beauty.
Because her sister Drella had been born first, she was my mother's favorite. From day one she was pampered getting the best of everything from tutors to clothes to jewelry. Her mother accidentally got pregnant with her one Belantine and had tried for months to persuade her father to let her abort the child saying that they already had one child why did they need another? But my father refused and come that fall she was born.
From day one she was ignored, given hand-me-downs of her sister's clothes and later, horribly mean tutors. She personally thought that her mom made a deal with them that the meaner they were to her, the more they would get paid. Her nursemaid and had been dismissed when she had turned three and from then on she was cared for by Segal the cook, or another one of the servants. They had been nice to her and treated her like one of their own. She'd spent her younger years learning how to cook, washing sheets, and playing with the village children. Her mother of course knew hardly any of this was going on or would've put a stop to it right away. Even though she hated Abby she would be damned if one of her children was seen communicating with lower class 'peasants' who weren't worthy to lick her shoes.
Abby didn't really mind being ignored because she saw it as a kind of freedom. Because her mother wasn't breathing down her neck every minute of the day she learned how to do all sorts of things a proper lady would never think of doing, like; racing horses, picking locks, sneaking out late at night to look at the stars, swearing like a common street beggar, archery, and a little bit of fencing. Of course that happy carefree life had ended when she was around eleven when at a banquet she embarrassed the whole family because she didn't know the proper etiquette of a young lady. That night in the carriage her father had loudly reminded her mother that she had another daughter that was growing up as a hooligan.
Of course after that all her freedom had disappeared. Every day she had been required to attend lessons with her sister. Since the first day Drella had teased her on how far behind she was, unfairly punished by the tutors, and given so much work it was impossible for her to complete it.
Everyday for the first few weeks she had gone to the kitchens crying before Segal had told her gently. "Sweets, I know you wear your feelings right out there on your skin but if they figure that out then they will rip you apart until there's nothing left. And if you left that happen then your mother will win." Haunted by that thought, from that day on she worked hard at all her lessons, even dancing and embroidery, until she had caught up to Drella. Which wasn't hard, she thought, since Drella is incredibly dull.
She snapped out of her thought s at the sound of the door opening and narrowed her eyes as her sister walked in. Her sister took one look at her and started laughing hysterically as she said, "Ooh! You look so ugly!" which then resulted in another fit of laughter.
"Stop that infernal noise at once Drella," her mother said as she walked in, and like an obedient puppy her sister shut up. Turning her mother faced her and barely suppressed a smile as she looked at Abby.
"Well," she said with amusement in her voice. "This is certainly a work of art. If only the dress weren't so frilly…" she said as she came over and started arranging the folds of the gown.
"I look ridiculous," Abby growled.
"Oh nonsense! You look stunning, you could turn any man's head wearing that dress!" her mother assured her with a smirk playing at her lips.
Drella scoffed and muttered loudly, "Yeah, because it's so hideous no one could miss it.
Her mother's mouth quirked as she tried to suppress a smile and pretended she didn't hear anything. "Well. I suppose it is rather much with the ruffles, but it's too late to do anything about that now. The party is tonight after all."
Yes of course, that stupid party. It was being thrown in honor of the Prince Benjamin's home coming from the seas. Because he was traveling through our territory my mother had extended an invitation for him to come rest for a few days before returning to the capitol to attend celebrations there. He'd accepted of course and had arrived earlier today. There had been a small gathering to great them ( to which she hadn't been invited, and had instead been out riding) before they had gone off to their rooms to rest and prepare for tonight.
"The Prince is so dreamy," Drella mooned. "I made quite an impression on him, don't you think Mother?"
"Yes, I must agree you did. I think he was very enamored with you," turning to Abby she looked at her coldly. Abby knew what that look meant, 'stay away from him because he belongs to Drella'. Well fine, she could have him, he was probably just like Drella, pampered and stuck up. They deserved one another.
"Well if that's all I must be going. Drella and I must get ready for tonight." She turned to leave and then added, "Oh and Abby, see if you can't do something with that ridiculous mop of hair." With that she turned and walked out of the room and Drella followed her smirking, the rest of the seamstress's following them.
Finally alone her vision started to blur as tears came to her eyes. Blinking them back she looked at her hair in the mirror, it was the color of golden wheat, but had been bleached by the sun and looked almost white. There wasn't much she could ever do with her hair because it was a mass of curls that no matter what she did wouldn't straighten or even hold in a simple hair style. To top that off she was going to appear in front of the Prince in an outfit that made her look like one big mass of frills. Even though she tried to tell herself that it didn't matter, deep inside her she knew it mattered deeply.
Suddenly a basket in the corner of the room caught her attention. Going over to it she realized that it was one of the seamstress's baskets that must have been left behind. Her eyes sparkling with a sudden idea she dug through the basket until she found scissors.