Flora

1

"Why is she here?" I think to myself. "Hasn't she done enough?". It all started out when she, Flora, began to work here, at the Cardigan Palace. I was five years old and she was in love with my father. She knew he was happy with my mother, but she wanted him anyways. She fooled all of us with her fake smile, which she displayed daily. She had the sweetest voice and would do anything to please us. Although she was our maid, she knew a lot about us. Everyone trusted her. 2

3

Then, that one day, my mother was found dead on the living room floor. A knife through her heart. I fell to the ground and cried at the sight of her body. I knew who did it, I was there, hiding behind the big, red curtains. I was ten, my mother was taking me to etiquette classes when Flora came up to my mother. "Madam, I must talk to you in private" she told my mom, looking at me. I could tell she wanted me to leave. I was smarter than that, so I hid behind the curtain and saw the scene. She closed my mother's eyes with a rag and plunged the knife into my mom's heart. It happened in the blink of an eye and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The royal family decided to not do anything about it since it would just attract attention to us, negative attention. This is something we always tried to avoid, any little thing and the press would be all over the place. So, we just said out mother left us and never said a word. Ever since that day, I began to keep a close eye on Flora. She was always flirting with my dad, trying to cheer him up. It was sickening. Whenever I tried to tell my dad what happened he would just say "Stop accusing people if you have no proof child" 4

5

She continued for three years. Two days after my thirteenth birthday, Flora and my dad got married. It was a huge celebration, but I did not attend. I hated her, she killed my mother and took away my dad. Now, I am fourteen and she is my "god", at least that is what she thinks. She comes to my room daily to check it out and make sure its in tip-top shape. If it isn't, I am punished. She ruins my life and I have to put up with it because my daddy's in "love". I'm just waiting for the day when she plunges a knife through his heart too.6