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I studied myself as I looked into the mirror. I threw my hips side to side a bit, letting the long, silk, taffeta dress fly through the air with me. It was on the smaller side, sticking to my skin before spreading out to make the gown. It was sleeveless but it still managed to cover my shoulders. The clean pearl necklace on said shoulders gently covered the chest window. I touched the small diamond jewel that hung off my ears. My fingers ran up the glistening golden chain that connected the two. At my earlobe, my other hand went to undo the pin and take off the whole thing.

"I look like garbage," I muttered to myself.

Taking off the second earring too, I carried both of them over to my cabinet where my collection of gold, silver, and diamond earrings lay organized and perfectly laid out. I placed the two down at their appropriate spot and organized them with the chain straightened out and both jewels sitting next to each other. I closed the cabinet and gazed towards my room closet before a weak knock echoed through my room. My thin patience was already dissolving and the last thing I needed was someone interrupting me. I quickly stomped up to the double wooden doors and swung them open to find a surprised and scared servant.

"Madam Astral." He said nervously, "Your parents are wai-"

"Shut it," I interrupted him.

"Tell my mother that I'm not ready yet," I said through my teeth. The servant quickly nodded and ran off. I turned around and closed the door behind me. I walked back to the mirror and took in everything one more time. In the light of the chandler above me, my sky blue eyes and tiny light freckles demanded attention. My pale ivory skin and the dark eyeliner helped emphasize their sharpness. My golden hair, braided back in the style of a greek goddess left everything bare to witness.

As much as I wanted to try something else, I knew that I didn't have time. Going back to the cabinet, I opened it up and quickly scanned through my collection to find anything better to match. Out of the dozens I had laid out, my eyes stopped at a pair of 24 karat gold rings. I felt my lips curl a bit as I took them out. They were simple, yet effective. I half-hazardly put them on and closed the cabinet. Making a mad dash towards the door, I grabbed my small designer purse and opened the door into the hallway. As I did, a different servant was standing in front of me. His pupils shrank and his skin turned tissue white. I looked into his eyes for a second before skipping right past him. Turning away, I could hear the weight of his fear crash into the floor like a brick. My grin turned into a smile as it did.

As I walked down the hallway, all the servants quickly scuffled out of the way. They were practically running over each other to reach the walls. Turning the corner, two servants that were previously talking immediately started cleaning the nearest thing next to them when they saw me. I glared at them as I passed by.

I hated them. We pay and feed them and all they ever did was sit around and talk. They would badmouth us for giving them a reason to exist. It is appalling.

I value respect more than anything else. I have always been a shining example of the perfect daughter: prim, proper, and always obedient. At least, when I'm around my parents and their friends. When I'm around those beneath me, I demand their respect and obedience. It makes sense because I'm better than them. I have power and they do not. When someone has more power than me, I know my place. Yet, some people aren't aware of this. They don't realize that people in power are the reason they have lives. Nothing gets on my nerves more than someone who doesn't respect those in power.

I entered the spacious main hall. Looking down the stairs, my parents were already waiting for me. My mother had put on that long, sparkling, golden dress that always stole the spotlight. I have secretly envied her for wearing such an eye-opening and majestic dress when I have to wear scraps and rags. Behind her was my father, wearing his military uniform decked out in all sorts of medals and awards. I didn't really care much about whose life he saved or what bullet he took during his service. What I do know is whatever he did, it made him a national celebrity and got him into politics. Not that he needed to, he just has a big-ass ego to keep calm. A servant was keeping the door open as bits of snow found their way in before melting in an instant.

My mother was the first to spot me as I made my way down. I smiled serenely, flashing my teeth as I reached them at the bottom.

"Hello sweetie, are you ready to go?" My mother asked me.

"I guess," I responded truthfully. My mom smiled her cozy, warm smile as she placed her hands on my small shoulders.

"You look amazing. Don't be such a Debbie downer," She assured me.

My father loudly scoffed to break up the moment as he walked through the open door. My mother's smile dropped. She closed her eyes and flared her nostrils in discontent. Her mouth scrunched up for a moment as she fixed her posture and rolled her shoulders. After that moment, her smile returned as if that last seven seconds never happened. She looked down at me again and booped my nose.

"Best not be late," she said as she turned to walk out the door. I walked right behind her as two servants approached with fluffy fur coats. My mother and I slid them on before following my father into the cold night.

The snow was falling rapidly as my mother and I approached the limousine. The dark clouds seemed to swallow any light that didn't come from the mansion. Even the mountain ranges that I could normally see from my windows were lost behind the thick curtain. One couldn't even see over the trees that guarded our home. There was only a black abyss that stood above the white frost on the ground.

The servants stood with the door open as I passed my mother and hopped in. I sat in the middle, right in front of the minibar, My father sat right next to the separator while my mother sat down at the opposite end of the car.

As I grew up, I started realizing that neither of my parents liked the other. In fact, they hated each other and despised being in the other's presence. They never talk to each other, they sleep in different rooms, and when one of them enters a room, the other one leaves. Yet, they remained loyal to each other. They never entertained the idea of divorce and have never cheated on each other.  It is odd, but I have grown accustomed to it. At the very least, it spared me the embarrassment of any romantic situation between them.

The limo started moving. Looking out the window, we drove past the manor gates, and we began to make our way to the banquet hall. We are going to a military ball. It's sponsored by some big-time war-relief charity that I can't remember the name of. I didn't really care much for politics. These public charity events were only done for two things: to appease the hounds in the media and to give everyone who goes there an excuse to party.

After a twenty-minute drive, we arrived at the banquet hall which stood at the edge of town. I looked behind me at the barbarically large mountain covered entirely in the blinding white snow that continued to cover the town. Turning back around, I saw again the pine tree forest that surrounded the town. The limo turned left into the lot and drove up to the main doors. The door next to my mother opened as she walked out. I followed her and was immediately ambushed by friends. They all came running towards me. They were squealing so high I swore the bats nearby went deaf. Leading the charge was my best friend, Amelia, wearing her iconic ruby red dress which matched with her hair which was black as the night and restrained into a typical ponytail. When she reached me, she wrapped her arms around me and started jumping up and down.

"Oh my god! You came!" She squealed as my other friends quickly arrived to join the hug. They ended up nearly suffocating me as the weight pressed down from all sides and I found that fresh air was becoming a precious commodity.

"Yeah, great, you're going to kill me." I managed to speak out. They all suddenly stopped and took a step back, leaving me with enough space to breathe. I took a couple of deep breaths and quickly fixed myself. Looking up at the girls, I smirked proudly.

"Now, who's ready to party?" I asked.