So hopefully now that the bandwidth problem is dealt with, here is the next part! It's a bit of a mini-update as I've had to split it into two so the last part isn't too short.
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One night, I came into my father and Regina's bedroom to sweep the fireplace, and Drizella followed me in and cornered me.
"You know, now your father has married mummy, we can do whatever we want. We can kick you out of your nice bedroom, and get rid of your mother's grave. I'm sick of her bothering us." she smirked.
I was outraged.
"You wouldn't dare! I'm sick of you and your reign of terror. This is our house, not yours, and as long as my father's around you can't do anything about it."
She paused. "That's true. We'll have to do something about that then, won't we?"
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach, but before I could say anything further, she'd walked away.
What the hell did that mean?
I should have seen it coming. Not long after that incident occurred, Regina casually mentioned to my father that she should be written into his will, "should anything happen". He hadn't updated it since my mother Victoria's death, so currently I would have stood to inherit everything. Of course, she couldn't risk that happening.
Not when she had plans of her own.
I was at work when it happened, but from what I heard in the police report, it happened exactly the same way. My father was lighting the barbeque, and, in a tragic accident, he had used too much gasoline and it had caught fire.
Apparently no one was home at the time to help. But I knew different.
At least Anastacia seemed genuinely sad about it.
Regina just seemed... blank. Empty. Emotionless.
Like it was just another task to strike off her list.
As soon as I got the call, I ran home as fast as I could. But it was exactly the same. I was too late.
He was already gone. It hadn't fully sunk in yet, but I knew I was on my own. They'd taken everything away from me. And no way in hell was I going to let them take what little I had left... my home.
At least I still had Bruno. My rock, my protector and my best friend.
http://i.imgur.com/pGQZkiC.pngWhen I was playing fetch with him one day, Anastacia approached me. I was instantly on guard, but she said:
"Don't worry, I'm not here to ask for anything. I just want to say... I'm sorry. I don't agree with anything my sister and my mother have done. And I want you to know, I'm on your side."
I didn't reply. I didn't know how to feel. Was this a trick? Anastacia was the one I definitely got on with the most. Which wasn't saying much, but at least it was something. But this could have been a scheme from Drizella and Regina, getting me to trust her and accidently slip up and tell her something important. I decided to keep a distance, but for now I would pretend to trust her.
"Thank you."
She nodded and walked back to the house.
After my father passed away, Regina showed her true colours. I'd always known she hated me, but now she didn't even bother to hide it. She was more evil and demanding than ever. She gave me so many chores I barely had time to eat or sleep, and they were much more dangerous than before.
I almost died when she forced me to repair the dishwasher and I got electrocuted, something Drizella found extremely amusing. What I didn't tell them was that before her death, my mother had given me a Death Flower which meant I had much more of a chance of staying alive to complete my legacy.
She made me dust all the horrible old paintings, and clean the entire house from top to bottom every morning. I hated her.
Late one night, I got a phone call.
"Hello, is this Cinderella Tremaine?"
"Tremaine? Oh, um, yes. Hi Malcolm."
"I was just wondering if you were busy tomorrow. My father's having a ball and I always find them so boring. Would you like to come?"
I laughed. "You make it sound so fun, but unfortunately I'm busy... meeting my relative for dinner. Sorry."
"That's okay. Maybe I could arrange something for another time."
I couldn't. I was barely even able to make it to work anymore. Regina pushed me so hard that I was exhausted all the time. And no way would I disobey her. She could kick me out on to the streets and I'd rather die than let her take my house (and by default, my parents graves) from me.
"I can't, I'm going back home tomorrow night. That's why I'm meeting my relatives, they're picking me up."
Where were these lies coming from?
"That's... a shame. Oh well. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
"Hopefully, under better circumstances. Bye Malcolm." For forever.
"Goodbye."
He hung up.
It was disappointing that I'd never get to know Malcolm Landgrabb. But often, I'd think back to that phone call, and meeting him at the wedding, and smile. It made my chores bearable.
