(A Talk about Emily)

*November 25th, 1941*

*2:52 pm*

*Glen Cove, New York*

*Miller Manor*

Anya, Judith, and the others had just gotten back from a long day of shopping while Judith placed the bags on the floor next to Alice who was wiping the tables down.

"Alice, take our bags to my room once you're done wiping the tables so you better make it quick" Judith commanded Alice while walking over to the couch as she sat down alongside Neville, Megan, and Lisa.

"O-Okay. I'll do that right away. I-I hope you had a good time, Madam Judith.." Alice responded politely before going back to her task; however, this was interrupted by Anya gently touching her on the shoulder which made the girl look up.

"It's okay. I'll take care of it. I know you already have a lot on your plate at the moment so I want to make things easier for you" Anya reassured Alice which in return made the girl smile back.

"Thank you but I don't want to make Judith angry at you or anything so I can take care of it, okay?" Alice responded politely and Anya nodded in an understanding way. "Okay, and if you need help then don't be afraid to ask me, okay?" Anya had spoken back with a smile, which made Alice smile more.

"Thank you for understanding but I'll keep that in mind," Alice spoke to Anya once more before resuming her duties while she saw Anya walking to where Judith was currently sitting and she took a seat across from her.

"You have a bad habit of offering help when it's not needed. It gets old once in a while but I just wanted to let you know" Judith spoke to Anya with an annoyed voice while Neville, Megan, and Lisa nodded in agreement.

"She's right. Alice is our servant and she doesn't need help from poor saps like you, okay?" Lisa chimed into the conversation while Anya sighed to herself in annoyance.

"Well, it's just in my blood to help others but I don't wanna talk about that anymore. Let's just change subjects before I get more annoyed" Anya advised Judith and the others in hopes of getting the message across; however, this was only met with Judith shrugging her off.

"Whatever, just don't pull any of that nice crap once the Winter Ball arrives, okay? I'm practically begging you at this point so please consider that" Judith responded with annoyance in her voice while crossing her arms before glaring at her.

"My cousin is right. Almost everyone that our family knows is showing up. Emily, our grandmother, and other such people. If you embarrass us then you got hell to pay and I mean it" Neville warned Anya as well with a rather stern and somewhat threatening voice while Anya simply nodded in an understanding way.

"I know. I know this event means a lot to Judith so it's only best for me to ensure that she's happy during the event" Anya responded calmly while Neville began to laugh in response to what he just heard.

"Now that's a load of crap! I bet you only joined for the sole purpose of ruining my cousin's life even more and I'm not gonna stand for it!" Neville responded to Anya once more with a hint of disdain in his voice while Anya shook her head to deny the accusation.

"I don't want to ruin Judith's life so please just grow up for once. I'm only here because I was invited by Judith and nothing else." Anya responded to the accusation while Neville laughed some more before speaking once more.

"Whatever! We'll see who's right once the ball comes to an end" Neville responded to Anya for the final time while this argument could be heard by Alice.

"This seems intense. I knew this was a bad idea for Calvin to have Judith invite Anya over.." Alice thought to herself while walking over to the shopping bag to pick them up and take them over to Judith's room; however, this was interrupted by a hand gently touching her shoulder which belonged to Mrs Miller, the mother of Judith.

"M-Mrs Miller?! What brings you here today?" Alice spoke to the woman in a surprised voice while this was met with Mrs Miller smiling at her.

"I'm here to tell my daughter, nephew, their friends, and Anya something and, in the meantime, you can take a break. I'll bring the bags up to my daughter's room when I get the chance." Mrs Miller responded politely which in return made Alice smile warmly.

"T-Thank you, M-Madam Miller. I'll take a break if you want me to" Alice responded in the same polite voice while gently placing the cleaning supplies on the table before walking back to her room; however, she heard Mrs Miller calling her which made her turn back.

"Alice, please drop the Madam, okay? You can call me Edith or Mrs Miller. You are not just a maid but rather a friend in my eyes" Mrs Miller advised Alice politely which made the young girl smile as her eyes lit up with joy.

"G-Got it. Thanks for letting me know so I'll keep that in mind, Edith.." Alice responded once more with a smile on her face before going back to her room for the rest of her break.

This act was noticed by Judith who glared at her mother with an annoyed look on her face as she began to speak out.

"Mother! Why are you being nice to her?! Alice doesn't deserve to be treated with respect. She's our servant, remember that!" Judith spoke to her mother with disdain in her voice while Mrs Miller sighed while shaking her head in disappointment.

"Sweetie, It doesn't matter what someone's background or job level is. That person is deserving of respect just as the other person and besides, Alice is a nice and sweet girl, she does so much around the manor" Mrs Miller responded to Judith in a soft voice while Anya nodded in agreement.

"Oh, mother! Why do you have to act like this? This is why I get along with Father more than you! You always gotta behave like this" Judith retaliated back in a more annoyed voice while glaring at her mother which caused Mrs Miller to sigh.

"Sweetie, I just want the best for you. I don't want you to grow up and become something that you might regret, okay? Just know that I love you and I'll always be there for you" Mrs Miller spoke to Judith once more while the young girl looked over to her side with her arms crossed.

"Yeah right, you probably hate me. You wish that Emily was your daughter instead…" Judith thought to herself while balling up her fists just at that thought of Emily; however, she managed to calm down before speaking once more.

"Whatever, but just know that you can't change who I am, mother. So don't push your luck" Judith spoke to her mother once more before letting out a smug smile which made Mrs Miller sigh in disappointment.

"I'm aware but if I can at least put some thoughts into your head then maybe you can be a better person" Mrs Miller responded to her daughter.

There was silence in the room for a few seconds before Judith spoke again.

"Whatever you say, mother. One day, you will understand that your daughter was only protecting herself by being honest with everything and to everyone else but, you just wouldn't understand." Judith spoke to her mother for the final time with bitterness in her voice.

Judith got up from the couch and looked over at the shopping bags that were still on the floor which caused her to sigh as she grabbed her bags and proceeded to go upstairs to her room while Neville, Megan, and Lisa followed her.

"Sorry about that, Anya. I know you didn't ask for this drama but sometimes Judith can be stubborn when she sees things she dislikes but I hope that didn't make you uncomfortable or anything" Mrs Miller spoke to Anya in a comforting voice while Anya smiled back.

"It's okay. I know there's good in Judith but it's just gonna take time for it to happen so we must be patient, trust me" Anya responded while also giving reassurance to Mrs Miller.

"I agree. Judith used to be so sweet and kind actually but as time passed, she just became someone that I know deep in my heart that she's not.." Mrs. Miller responded with a small smile before it faded into a frown while Anya gently touched her on the shoulder.

"If I may ask, does it have to do with Emily? Judith brought her up and it seems that she's envious or rather has a deep hatred for her '' Anya asked while waiting for an answer as Mrs Miller nodded her head in confirmation.

"Yes. you see, Emily always was in the spotlight. Admired by her grandmother, parents, and my husband. This also caused Judith to feel left out whenever she achieved something or just in general but don't get the wrong idea, Emily is a good and kind-hearted person, it's just she can let the attention get to her at times" Mrs Miller explained to Anya, who was listening attentively.

"Thank you for telling me. I had a hunch that this was the case but to hear it from you just confirms everything.." Anya spoke to Mrs Miller once more while getting up from the couch with a smile on her face.

"Don't worry! I'll make sure that I don't do anything to embarrass Judith. I'll show her that I'm not hellbent on ruining her life like she always claims' ' Anya spoke to Mrs Miller yet again as these words made the woman smile.

"Thank you. You are truly a sweetheart. Your parents truly raised you well and I'll always be grateful for that. You are always reaching out to others in hopes of fixing whatever problems they may have and that always touches my heart. You are truly a good person with a good soul.." Mrs Miller responded with a warm smile which made Anya smile back before hugging the woman.

"Thanks, If I can at least plant that seed of kindness and love into someone's mind then I believe I can make a difference.." Anya spoke to Mrs Miller for the final time as the pair continued to share their hug.

Unknown to them, Judith was watching them from the staircase with a rather conflicted look on her face.

"If only It was that easy.." Judith silently spoke to herself before walking back into her room.

5 days until Winter Ball