1 Chapter 1 - Know Your Place

Candy woke up in the middle of the night in sweat. She had a nightmare that her step mother was strangling her to death and woke up in fright.

"It was just a dream" she muttered quietly to herself as her eyes were wide awake from the shock. But it really felt real that it would be hard to considered it as a mistake as she brought her right hand to her neck to assure there was no pain or mark. But her bed covers and nightgown were soaking wet from her scary nightmare so it was kind of hard to fall back asleep. She also didn't want to bother her maids who were already fast asleep. So she dragged herself off from her bed and remove the bed covers. Once the covers were off, she went to fetch new blankets in the laundry room which was in the next corridor from her room. She lit up a candle and went out the door. As she was walking, she saw a light in her father's office.

"Oh! Father must be back! But why come no one informed me" Candy said in a downcasted voice as she quickly went to her father office but stood outside the door. As she stood there, she heard not only her father voice but another voice as well. It was her step mother.

"Argh...I can't stand that little twat! Do you know what she did today while you were out?! She broke my heirloom vase that was in the hallway! But while you were out, I made sure she had her punishment! Since, she broke my precious vase, how are you going to pay me dear?" her stepmother said in an angry voice.

Candy can only hear their voices but couldn't see the reactions of their faces.

"I knew stepmother would tattle on me. But it really wasn't my fault. Please, father don't believe her" Candy whisper to herself as she brought her ear closer to the door to listen to what her father say.

"Well, what do you want?" her father replied in a tired voice.

"If you kept the little twat locked up, my precious vase wouldn't be broken. Since, you asked, I want my Alicia to get more dresses for her upcoming social debut and more jewelries for myself" her stepmother said in a haughty voice.

"More jewelries! My God! Don't you already have enough?!" Her father yelled in an exasperated tone.

"Why are you yelling at me! Your wife! Anyway, I said what I said! If you don't give me the gold for the dresses and my jewelries, then how are you going to replace my broken vase cause by a child you had an affair with a mere maid! I deserve compensation and you know that!" her stepmother yelled back at her father.

She could hear her father loud sigh outside the door.

"Fine" he said in a angrily tone.

"Good! Make sure you keep that child locked up! Just look at the mess she caused today while you were gone. She must have thought she could roam freely and act as she want" her stepmother said.

"Fine. I'll tell the servants to move her room to the east wing tower."

"Good! Make sure she knows her place! Out of my sight and out of my life! She could never compared to our true daughter!" her stepmother said in a merry tone while laughing to herself.

"The east wing tower!" Candy eyes grew big and she got shivers up her spine. The east wing tower was scary. She only heard that no one goes there since it was far off the main estate. There were rumors that it was haunted and that it was there for storage purposes. She heard her stepmother footsteps coming towards the door, Candy quickly sprinted back to her bedroom. The candle she lit was extinguished by the time she got back to her room. She quickly close her bedroom door and fell to her knees. Forget the blankets! She got a bigger problem to worry about. The east wing tower!

She was trying to catch her breath and once she was calm, she got off of the floor. She put away the candle on the table in her room and went under her bed to grab a box. She opened the box and in it was a necklace. It was the last remaining thing her mother left her. Although, she never really knew her mother, she only heard stories about her.

"Mother. Please give me strength! I'm sorry, it wasn't me who broke the vase! It wasn't my fault!" she cried while holding the necklace up to her chest. After crying for a while, she kiss the necklace and put it back in the box. Tucking the box back under her bed, she went on to her bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Candy woke up with a banging on her door.

"Young miss! Young miss! You must get up now! I'm coming in!" her head maid said outside the door and the door open with a bang. Candy quickly got up and tried to rub the puffiness out of her swollen eyes. Her hand maids came flushing through the door. Each one of them busy and packing her things up. It was a chaos. Her head maid, came straight towards her and tried to get her ready.

"Your father is coming. We have no ti-" she was cut off short as her father appeared at the entrance of her room. He was big and round with a big mustache that loom over his mouth. He was dress from head to toe in jewels and glamorous silk. He strode across the room in a few quick footstep and slap Candy hard across the face. Candy could feel the swelling on her face and tears forming in her eyes from the pain.

"I heard you were playing around yesterday while I was gone! Your mother told me!" he said in a angry tone while staring at Candy who was still sitting on her bed.

"Father no, you got it wrong. It wasn't my fau-"

SLAP!

Another slap landed on Candy face.

"I don't want to hear no excuses! I guess you don't know your place! The east wing tower is where you will stay from now on! Maids! I want this place clear! No breakfast for her!" he yelled angrily with a huff and a puff as he stormed out of the room. As soon as her father went out the door, Candy started to cry really hard as much as the pain was inflicted on her. She didn't know if it was from the pain or from the fear of going to the east wing tower. Her head maid started to cry too.

"Oh my sweet dear! We know it wasn't your fault. Look at your face! It's all red. Triss go fetch me some medicine!" her head maid said as she tried to calm the crying Candy. Triss ran out the door and the other maids went on busily packing her things up. Candy got up from her head maid embrace and went under her bed. She took the box and clutch it tightly to her chest.

"Mom, it's time" she whispered to herself as she was then rushed outside of her bedroom and onwards to the east wing tower.