Years later, the little girl came out of her bed a young teenager of seventeen. Her birthday was in a few days, but her step mother didn't care. Her step sisters had beautiful parties, while she only had a minor time of a party, which she couldn't call a party, but a servant party.

She came out of bed and saw her sweet cat looking up at her, "Oh, Lucy, darling. How can I turn eighteen as a servant? I have served my mother since the death of my wonderful father. I hated her to be honest with you. But I love her enough to forgive her."

Lucy only meowed and curled up against the girl. She stood up and opened her window, "I must dress before the bells rings. Or else mother would be so displeased with me."

Lucy meowed as the girl fetched a dress of purple lace. She put it on as quick as she could, and left her bedroom. Down, down, down the flight of stairs. She had lost count over the years, counting the steps each time she went up and down, prehaps over millions steps.

She took care of her mother's evil looking cat, DeVile. He liked Lucy, but Lucy had no taste for such evil looking cats. Finally, she got the trays ready and suddenly the bells begun to ring...

"AVIVA!"

"Aviva!"

"Aviva, where's my breakfast?!"

Aviva groaned, "Coming," As she put the hot tea in the cups and fresh oatmeal. With three trays balancing; one on her head, one on her left hand and one on her right, she slowly went up the stairs. The bells kept ringing and ringing. Finally, Elizabeth came out of her bedroom, "Well, what is taking you so damn long?!"

Aviva said, "Sorry, I am making sure I don't drop the trays."

"I want breakfast at my bed this instance!"

Aviva felt uneasy. Elizabeth went back into her bedroom and started to ring her bell again. Aviva came into her bedroom and lay her tray at her lap. Elizabeth scoffed, "You're not thanked."

Aviva left the room, feeling unaccepted. She went into Kaylee's room. Kaylee was like a toddler who wanted candy all the time. She screamed, "Where's my breakfast?! You forgot the sugar again?! My tea is cold!"

Aviva repeated everyquestion with the same answer. Then, she took the tray from her head and went to her mother, "Here's your breakfast mother..."

"Thank-you, my fine one. Have you any questions?"

Madam Cores would always ask her step daughter this question every month. This time, Aviva had a question, "Can I have a party for my birthday?"

"A party? Waste my precious substance on you? I doubt it, my dearest."

Aviva left her step mother, depressed. She wanted a good birthday. She went down the stairs until the bells begun ringing again. She got so upset and went to see Elizabeth.

"I want you to dress me!"

Aviva was used to her sisters' threats if she don't dress them. So she dressed her step sister, who just sat with a pretty face. Aviva said, "What shoes?"

"You know, servant!"

Aviva picked up the heels and put them on her sister's feet. Elizabeth got off the bed and walked with her head in the air, "You're not thanked."

Aviva felt so angry. She went downstairs to the kitchen. At least Kaylee dressed herself that morning. She picked up the empty food dish for DeVile. She washed the numerous dishes which came from no where.

Madam Cores came into the Kitchen, "Aviva. I will give you a fund for your birthday. You can use it for anything."

Aviva dried the late dish, "Oh, thank-you, mother..."

The woman placed a coin in the girl's hand... One coin. Aviva felt disgraced, but tried to stay happy. Madam Cores smiled, "Enough for a teaspoon of cake," and walked away.

Aviva took the coin and put it in her pocket. She picked up the bucket and filled it will water and got a clean rag. She sat at the stairs and wrung the rag and cleaned the floors. She felt so unhappy and tried to be normal. The coin fell out of her pocket and immediately her two step sisters came running from no where, fighting over the coin. Aviva tried to stop her sisters, but Madam Cores lay her spiny stick on Aviva, and whip her and gives a coin to her daughters to split the coin.

Aviva was crying. She wanted to be happy. Her back stung from pain. She wanted a life, but her step mother wanted her to work.

"Aviva, the girls and I will be practicing our song. Will you be ever so grateful to clean these floors... Again?"

Aviva sighed, "Yes, mother."

"Thank-you, Aviva. Come on, girls. It's time for practice."

Elizabeth and Kaylee took tall and took their skirts and bounced up the stairs. Their skirts that is... As the girls walked, the skirts bounced as they pranced up the stairs, going to their music room.

Aviva sat on the floor and wet the rag and wiped the floor. She heard the piano's soft keys and hummed slightly. Then, her step sisters' voices, so scratchy and off-key, sounded down the stairs. Aviva shook her head and hummed slightly to her own tone.

Lucy meowed. She liked listening to her favorite owner's beautiful hum. She bob her head as her owner began to sing softly. DeVile came down the stairs and meowed up close to Lucy. Lucy jumped and scratched the black cat. But Aviva was too mindful in her voice to care about her surroundings. DeVile noticed it, and he came up with a dirty plan. He snuck outside for a while.

Aviva hummed as she wiped the floors with one hand and stroked her cat with the other hand. Lucy purred up close to Aviva as the girl bundled her skirts together, "Oh, Lucy. You are the only thing that makes me happy."

Lucy meowed and purred and hugged up to Aviva. Aviva giggled and went back, "DeVile! You naughty cat!"

DeVile had come back into the house with dirty paw prints. Aviva took the broom and tried to get the cat away. Suddenly the door was knocked. Aviva picked up Lucy and ran to the door and answered. Her dress was a mess because of Devile's paw prints and the dust. Her apron was wet from the tipped over water bucket.

A highly dressed man was at the door, he took a heavy look at the girl and said, "Is Madam Cores here?"

"Oh, yes. But she's in music practice. She dares me not to enter."

"Well, I have a letter from the King."

"What is it about?"

"For dirty ladies like you, you don't need to know."

Aviva looked at herself, "I'm - I'm so sorry. I was trying to control DeVile here. Lucy's of no trouble."

"DeVile?" He spelled, "No. Give it to your mistress."

"I will, as soon as possible."

"Only she can open it."

"I know. Thank you."

The man walked away. He took out a bottle and sprayed himself. Aviva shut the door ashamed, "A letter from the King? It must be really special to come here. It's an invitation."

Lucy smiled a meow.

"The young prince is having a ball..."

"What are you reading?"

"Mother! A man came by and gave me this invitation to some ball."

"Oh, a ball!"

"A ball! Dances! Oh, mother! Can we go?!"

Aviva was pushed into the water puddle. The bucket made her fell into the puddle even more. She looked up at her step family, feeling neglected.

Madam Cores smiled, "The King invites all the ladies to a ball on the fifteenth of this month. The ball is for the prince to find a bride."

The girls went crazy. Aviva sat up, "Mother... The fifteenth is my birthday. Can I go?"

Madam Cores looked at her, "It only says the Ladies, not servant ladies."

Aviva lost her smile.

"Besides, you already asked me that question this morning about that day. Remember?"

"Yes, Mother..."

"Well, here's your answer. No."

Aviva nodded once.

"Now clean up this mess. Make us lunch. Give DeVile his meal. Wash the dishes! Clean the instruments upstairs."

Aviva took towels and wiped the floor dry. Lucy came up to Aviva and meowed. Aviva turned away and said, "Go away, Lucy... I'm so upset now..."

Madam Cores came back into the living area, "Aviva."

Aviva looked up from her mess, "Yes, Mother?"

"If you tend to clean everything little dust off this house, I guess I will let you go."

Aviva's smile came, "Oh, thank you, mother!" The girl wrapped her arms around her mother. Madam Cores pushed her off, "With that, I would have changed my mind!"

"Sorry, mother..."

"Your father should be mindful of that brat issue in you."

Aviva went right back to work, happy. She had a special dress in the back of her closet, hidden from her sisters. She cleaned the floors, made the meals, and cleaned every speck of dust.

By bedtime, Aviva went to her room. All was quiet. She looked to the castle outside her attic room, "Oh, I can't wait to see the Prince. The invitation says the Young Prince. He must not be the only one."

Lucy meowed and stretched out on Aviva's bed. Aviva slipped on her nightgown, and swirled in beauty, "I can't wait for the ball. And it's on birthday, Lucy."

Lucy smiled. Aviva took out her dress and swirled. It was beautiful purple lace. It had a full skirt and a beautiful blouse. She hid it back in the closet, "It was my mother's, when she met Dad... At a castle's ball, if I recall."

"Meow?"

"Yes, Lucy. It's true. I can't wait to see the Prince. He must be so handsome..."