1 Her family.

In a small town surrounded by trees with a large tree right in the middle of her house, the third child of her family, Lady jumped from where she was perching on one of the low branches of the tree.

She dusted the dust off her favorite burgundy dress, which was worn out but held so much emotional value. She smiled and exhaled, bracing herself for what was about to happen. It was yet another day, another day in the farming season, another day of hard work and exhausting walks. Lady could hear the distant voice of her mother and her two older brothers drifting like a melancholy melody into her ears.

She always wondered why her parents chose to call her Lady out of all the possible and more beautiful names out there but she couldn't voice it out because her mother would use her flesh as the next piece of meat for dinner should she ever say it out aloud.

Soon enough, her heavily pregnant mother supported by her oldest brother with a small basket on her head cane out of their house, her mother's face twisting in pure agony. Lady always felt for the poor woman but the woman she calls her mom was as stubborn as the little birds that always came back to the fields after she had driven them out with full force. Her Mom as heavily pregnant and stubborn as she were refused to stay indoors like the normal heavily pregnant ladies she knew in the small town. She always wondered if her Mom was different from the other ladies but it was also one thing she would never voice out, if anything she would never utter a word about her memory's journeys and wonderings for fear of being skinned alive.

It wasn't like this always, it used to be all fun and sunshine, she was always cherished but it seems that the sun doesn't stay in the skies all day so her sun also went down when it shone to it's brightest. Her parents had been hellbent on getting a daughter but they couldn't because all they gave birth to were boys and in those births too, her mother suffered great consequences. But after twelve long years after the birth of his second older brother, her mother conceived her, it brought great joy to all and sundry in the town. After all the most loveable and hard-working family in the town had finally concieved again and it brought even more greater joy when she was born, the first daughter of her little family, the daughter who was going to be treated as a princess then tossed aside after sometime.

She sighed again picking up the basket that laid down at her feet and placed it on her head. She begrudgingly followed her mother who passed by her without so much of a glance in her direction but she knew better than to stand there looking at her mother's stumbling and receding figure. That was the unspoken rule of the house, follow the mother wherever she went especially if she has a basket on her head.

They walked through the narrow winding path that lead to their family farm. She kept quiet behind her mother as they strode through the path to their farm. They were just going to pick up vegetables and also take back the game of her brothers' hunt for the upcoming feast. Her eldest brother was leaving to the bigger town to seek greener pastures and so they were having a big feast for his departure. Lady was both excited and sad about the prospect of her brother leaving, she was going to lose a confidant and a brother. Her eldest brother is the pillar she was holding onto, the pillar that was helping to stand firm on the ground during the storms that passed through her life. Her second oldest brother was nothing to write home about, he was always out with friends drinking and chasing after girls when he was being unproductive but hunting and taking care of the fields when he was being productive. It was either one of these or he would be in his bed. To Lady, that brother of hers was just a breeze that passed by her and went as swiftly as it came.

She heard the voice of her mother cursing at a thorn that had pierced through her long skirt probably pricking the soft delicate skin underneath the dress. She studied her mother for a moment and sighed, when had they gotten so alienated from each other. It might be because of many reasons but the one she strongly believed was the cause was what happened a few months ago when her father had gotten injured so he could no longer hunt because of her mistake or it could be because she was finally introduced as a woman two years ago. She wasn't really sure but at least she knew her father didn't really blame her for that bad incident because her father had told her it wasn't her fault when she had apologised profusely. One of her biggest regrets was not being able to kick the hands of time with full force back to the day when the incident happened so she could have avoided stepping into the trap, so she could not have screamed for his father who sacrificed his hand for her so she could remove her legs from the trap. Now her father had scarred hand which was also weak to even hold a bag of vegetables and it was all her fault. She exhaled and took in a deep breath.

A woman she recognized as one of their neighbors passed by her and stopped beside her mother.

"Isn't it lovely to see you out on this fine day!" She exclaimed as her way of greeting ending with a smile.

"It is indeed" her mother replied with a beautiful bright smile on her face nodding thoughtfully.

Lady sighed again gazing at the genuine and beautiful smile on her mother's face. She remembered how she used to be on the recieving end of that smile, sh remembered how her world used to brighten up from the dazzling bright smile her mother used to give her. A smile worked its way onto her face from the thought as she gazed sadly into nothing.

Lady did not realise that she had zoned out after the the exchange of greetings between the two older women into her own world forgetting that she was now a mature woman or lady and she was supposed to be hyperactive during conversations and paying close attention to her environs especially when her mother was around. A hard smack on her head jolted her back to reality as she jumped a few metres away landing on a thorn that pierced through her light footwear into her foot. She bite the inside of her cheeks to stifle the groan of pain that was scratching at the back of her throat and looked up to her mother who was adorning a hard glare on her face.

"A proper lady is supposed to pay attention to her surroundings and also stay active during conversations" her mother chastised with stern voice pointing a long slender finger to her face.

"My apologies mother, I promise it won't happen again" She apologised with a strain voice trying hard to conceal the pain in her voice.

"Okay, that's good, at least you know when you're wrong" her mother said with stiff smile not noticing how hard Lady's voice was strained " Now let's go"

"Yes mother" Lady nodded and followed her mother quietly, this time not thinking about anything but paying attention to her surroundings and limping with a bloodied foot that left a scarlet trail behind her.

That was her family and she had no way of changing that.