Mist knew Treasure was the heir. She knew, but there was still one test that the girl had to pass before it was official. Mist placed two bears in front of the door and told her daughter to choose.
Treasure immediately crawled to the vampire bear and hugged it with her little golden toddler arms. Standing in the doorway, her mother smiled, her only genuine smile since Cassandra died.
Mist picked up the werewolf bear, holding it distastefully by her fingertips under Treasure's wide-eyed gaze. It was important that she learn from both her mother's words and subtle actions. "This is Grace, sweetie. Can you say Grace?"
"Gwace!"
"Good. Grace is bad. Grace is stupid. Grace is dirty. We don't talk to Grace. We don't look at Grace. Grace is trash. Grace is garbage. Grace is below us. Got it?"
"Gwace bad."
"Mommy?"
Mist growled to herself, impatient, but answered nicely. "Yes, sweetie?"
"Why Gwace here?"
"Grace is here to serve you, Treasure. You'll never have to act like Grace, because Grace will do everything for you."
Dropping the werewolf bear on the ground, Mist crushed it with her heel. She then picked up the vampire bear. "Treasure, this is you. This is me. We are the elite, the smart, the highest of the high. I am the queen. You are the princess. Understand?"
"I am a princess!" Treasure cheered, smiling. Despite herself, Mist smiled too.
Mist left to finish building Grace's future home. She returned to find Wogan playing on the peg box with their daughter. This was unacceptable.
Wogan would not be allowed to bond with Treasure. No one but Mist would be in the same room with Treasure at any given time. The heir would be kept pure, unpolluted by the rest of the world.
"Good night, honey."
"Good night, Mommy."
She entered the garage, wrinkling her nose at the smell. The child had to be removed before she contaminated Treasure. And so Mist shook her daughter out of bed and ordered her to follow.
Grace was taken out to the backyard, to a little shack that had been recently built, and told to enter and climb down until she reached the room on the very bottom of the string of basements.
Having been conditioned to obey, and being terrified of her mother, Grace obeyed. She climbed . . .
. . . and she climbed . . .
. . . and she climbed . . .
. . . I swear these aren't just pictures of her climbing down the same ladder . . .
. . . until she reached the tiny room at the very bottom, and heard a door close and lock far, far above. Grace knew there was no point in trying to get out, so she just curled up on the little bed and went to sleep.
