Donna Beneviento had been grieving for what felt like days. Her sister had just died from an unknown illness, leading to her mother and father jumping into the sharp rocks below the waterfall that roared behind the silent manor that the family had called home. Donna had been crying to her doll, Angie, for what had been forever. She didn't know what to do as she wandered the halls of House Beneviento, looking through old rooms, wishing that this was a bad dream and that Mother, Father, and Claudia would be alive and well. Mother was baking cookies, and Father was creating a new doll for Claudia to play with as she worked on the dress.
But none of that was ever happening—no sounds of laughter, no smell of cookies to brighten her mood. The only source of compassion left was Angie and the visit from the family gardener to make sure that she was fed and still alive, under the order of Mother Miranda. But it wasn't like he truly cared; no one cared about her anymore; they would only care afterward when Mother Miranda made her the ruler of House Beneviento, and the next of the four lords of the village. But if Donna was being honest with herself, she didn't want that; she just wanted a more happy life, one where she could see a smile every day, the bright sun on her face, and the feeling that nothing bad would happen to her for a long while.
But that wasn't bound to happen where she was going. Donna knew that jumping off the waterfall was a horrible idea, but she couldn't bear to live in this house any longer. She needed her parents; each day that passed was getting harder for the nine-year-old girl to deal with. Sometimes she'd try watching a movie or reading a book, even the rare visit outside to look at the garden, but she could feel it in her heart: she wasn't going to last any longer in this cold, cruel world without someone to care for her. So Donna silently walked through the manor, Angie held tightly in her arms as she made her way to the front door, eyes full of sadness and pain. She was ready, wearing a small black dress with her house crest on it, so that if any villagers found her dead body, they could tell Miranda that the last of the Beneviento family was dead. Maybe her body would be offered to big sister Alcina for food, and then all that would be left was the knowledge that the house was cursed, as the family departed one by one, as some cruel ghost story to tell people.
Nevertheless, the young, raven-haired girl arrived at the front door, opening it to see the harsh winter wind and snow blowing outside. She could tell that the weather was against her, but she exited the warm manor into the pitch-black abyss, only a flashlight to guide her on the short walk to the waterfall that loomed behind her manor.
"It's ok, Angie; we'll be together with mother and father soon, and then we'll never have to jump again. This is the only time that I'll ever hurt myself to be free of this pain. We're almost there. I love you, Angie, and I will always value our short time together." Donna said, looking forward into the pitch-black forest as the sounds of the waterfall got louder and louder until she was at the edge of the cliff. Eyes blurring from the fear rising from within her heart, she was terrified of what she was about to do, but she continued to step forward as her feet moved slowly. Until the young dollmaker took a leap off the cliff, she felt her heart beating in her chest as she closed her eyes. Contempt with the fact that she lived a cruel life, that was fitting for her family even if she wanted more out of life; maybe in the next life she'd find some form of peace, as everything went dark.
—--
Moreau was tired, and as he looked up at the shack room, he wondered what else was happening today. He knew that Mother Miranda was going to implant the cadou into the young Beneviento girl and force the title of Lord upon the broken child. It made no difference to him, as all that matters is Mother's happiness and love, so he had to get up and get ready, hacking up a stream of vomit onto the floor as he flopped onto the disgusting floor.
"My Lord, may I speak to you?" Luther whispered as Moreau looked up to see the town musician and the Beneviento gardener. The man looked terrified as he held what looked like a doll in his hands, but as Moreau looked closer at the doll, it was Angie, the little doll that Donna was holding when he met her right after Beneviento's death. Quick panic overtook the fish lord, as he knew that Donna was never far from Angie; he knew if she was connected to the doll, then something was wrong.
"Where is the child? Is she okay? She has to be okay, right? Mother is going to be mad if something happens to Donna." Moreau shouted, wrapping vomit and mucus from his lips, as he ran out the door, with Luther right behind him, only to run into Mother Miranda.
"Mother!" Moreau shouted as the Lord gazed upon the goddess, whom he called mother; did she already know?
"Luther told me as soon as he found Angie in the river this morning. Moreau, be ready this afternoon; we are to have another funeral." Miranda said, with Luther silently behind her.
"Mother Miranda, what will happen now, if I may humbly ask, the house now has no owner, and now I am unable to support my family beyond making music. What should I do once we've given Mistress Donna her funeral?" Luther whispered, as cold eyes looked at him, as he hugged the broken, cold body of Angie tighter.
"Once the funeral is over, hand over Angie to me. I'll make sure that we have a lord to run the manor, so you don't have to worry about anything. Unless you want to be Lycan food, because I am tempted to kill you myself for not watching the girl closer, so be lucky that you at least brought me the doll. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still need to let Karl know that Donna is dead." Mother Miranda said, disappearing into a flock of crows, flying away.
'Oh Donna, I hope you are better in the next life." Luther whispered, walking deeper into the darkness.
—--
Donna felt warm as she tried looking up at the bright lights that had been in her face. She didn't know why she was feeling the sun in her face; she had jumped off the waterfall; she should have been dead. Mother and father died, so why didn't she die? Donna looked down to see a massive pink blanket with white flowers. She couldn't move; everything was soft and warm. She hadn't felt this level of comfort ever since her mother died; even crawling into the family bed couldn't bring back that level of happiness.
"Oh, good, you're awake. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep forever. I'll be back in a minute, sweetie. You look like you need some breakfast; hopefully pancakes are good enough. Be back in a quick sec; my name's Hina by the way, Hina Hinazaki." Hina declared as Donna looked at the brown-haired woman with her eyes wide. She was in someone's house; somehow she survived the waterfall and ended up far away from the village. But the question was, where? The small room looked too modern and happy to be her village or anywhere close.
Donna decided to keep quiet until she was asked; she was somewhere new, and the thought of talking to people without Angie already felt like it was going to take every ounce of energy she had into talking to the woman named Hina. But Donna got out of the comfort of the large bed, feeling the air hitting her face. It was warm and relaxing compared to the cold winds of her Romanian village. She looks down to see if she has any damage, but to her surprise. Nothing had been done to her; she wasn't bleeding, and there were no broken bones or missing limbs. It was like she never jumped off the waterfall and actually felt better. She rushed over to a nearby mirror that was on a nightstand. She had to see if anything on her face was broken or if she had lost an eye.
But when Donna saw her face, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The scar on her face, the result of her indoor life, was gone, leaving her looking normal. She could feel tears running down her face as she touched the fresh skin where her scar had once been.
"I look normal again; how is this possible?" Donna whispered as the sounds of footsteps could be heard. Donna quickly looked out of the room, spotting the woman named Hina. She could see her more clearly now that she was more awake. Hina was tall, nowhere near as tall as Alcina, but taller than her mother but shorter than her father. She had long brown hair and a smile on her face that screamed joy. A white kimono was the only thing that did not appear human; she had a figure that seemed to surpass the idea of humanity. Donna was curious about the woman even more; everything about Hina was so different from her family or the village.
"Oh, hey there, sweetie, pancakes are almost done; please take a seat; I'm getting the maple syrup, and then we'll be eating like queens this morning." Hina said, placing a stack of pancakes on the table for Donna. Hina could see the young girl; she looked in awe at the sight of the fluffy food. It made the busty woman wonder if the young girl had eaten anything in days, as well as the question of which world she came from and who she had to beat up with the key blade.
Donna silently took a bite of pancakes as a small smile grew on her face. It was the first real thing she ate since her mother made dinner before they jumped off the waterfall, and then she vomited up dinner on the floor. Luther only ever made her sweet treats to calm her down, but it was nothing like this. Donna knew one thing as she took bite after bite: whatever second chance she had been given for happiness was already off to a sweet start.