We have moved from lovely Italy, to this place in America. I hated my step mom she made us move! My mothers name was pretty and my father remarried three days before the funeral. Keep in mind that is was a few months before thy found my mothers body in the lake. Her brother had already confessed, and has been let out for good behavior. If we hadn’t moved I would have hunted him down. I will never forgive him.

We had to finish unpacking before night fall. I think the movers were just scared the church was haunted. I loved the thought of ghosts! It makes my spine chill which gives me thrills! I wanted to tour the halls, but we had to pick our rooms first. Their were three main halls with the bedrooms. there was a tower hidden behind boxes, I assume René, my step mom was hiding. I was soon running up the curling, ancient looking limestone steps in the tower. It seemed like a fairy tale. The canopy bed was black and red, with a red Curtin. I loved the tower roof it was like a hollow cone with a bunch of paintings like the Sistine chapel, but the paintings were of myths of vampires and ghosts and god with their goddesses. It was beautiful and this was my room.

I took the old cart that was what my mother used to move many boxes up stairs and I put all of my boxes on it. I felt like I was exploring a new world and this was my island. And my island breaks most rules. It’s high and majestic and out of bounds to the outsiders that I dared to call my family. And it was just so I and I loved my discovery. And this was a way to release my anger towards Renée and my revenge on her for breaking my few possessions.

I examined my jewelry box. Oh, no! The devil stole my mother’s necklace! I ran down the steps like they weren’t there when I got to the dinning room were she was unpacking porcelain I hit the plate she held and watched it shatter on the tile. I saw her face turn almost as red as mine when I pushed the whole box of hand painted china.

“Well Arabella you have out done your low standard what did I do to you?” she spoke calmly though I could tell her blood was boiling in her vain veins.

“RETURN MY JEWELS NOW YOU THEIF! YOU DEVIL!” before I could finish my dad had ran threw the new halls and saw the plate’s cups and pitchers.

“Aw, Renée that was your grandmother’s heirloom, huh” he said very sincerely

“GOOD WERE EVEN THEN YOU THEIF! BUT GIVE ME BACK MY JEWELS OR I WILL CALL UP THE POLICE AND MAKE SURE YOU GET INTO THE BACK OF THAT CAR!” my screams were so genuine that my dad looked shocked he bent down to ask what was wrong. I rolled my eyes “LIKE YOU CARE! LIKE YOU’D BELIVE ME! SHE…” I pointed my finger violently at her she seemed shocked at me and her naïve husband, “STOLE MY MOTHERS DIMOND AND RUBY NECKLACE HER ENGAGEMENT RING AND FOUR SAPHIRE BRACELETS! GIVE THEM BACK YOU DEVIL!” I was so outraged I was willing to brake and burn every piece of anything she had! Every grain of sand she collected from beaches. I was willing to break every plate she ever bought. Pull the beads from her necklaces from the reserves. I was willing to rip the hair off her ‘emergency cancer’ wigs then burn the synthetic hair till the fumes rotted the very small amount of good tissue in left in her brain.

I looked very hard into her quaking eyes and said calmly “where are they”
I had the blood rushing out of my face when she looked at the floor and said “they paid for this home.”

The blood rushed back into my face. “Not only did I not want to move here but I paid for it!” I screamed so loud I felt my head quake outrageously! I went into hysteria. I could not see straight I ran out side. Well I don’t remember anything afterwards. The doctor said I fainted. I told him in a rush how she stole my jewelry to pay for the home we live in, he told me I hit my head to hard! Are you kidding me! I could not be telling more truth.

Renee was the worst at acting but the best at convincing! Gah! Not only did she have all votes (including two of my sisters and one of my brothers) of my Dad but even my doctor! What kind of witch is she?! What planets devil is she!?

I waited till she left from my hospital room to ask my dad if he remembered any of her confessions.

you hit your head hard. I don’t think you remember anything.”

“I’ll be changing my actions, but not for the good?” I told him I was so serious! I wanted to go into my father’s brain and engrave how seroius I was! I don’t think he understands, and I wanted really? So, my vision turning a bright crimson and shaking was a fantasy? That the urge to punch the devil right in her face was a fantasy? I don’t think so; I think you’re in a fantasy Dad not me. You want this perfect life with the perfect children and perfect wife and when some one other than me becomes unperfected…YOU BLOCK IT OUT! Do you understand?” I will to make sure he knew that if things happended he’d remember.




For the next few months, I spent my time exploring the back yard and my room.

My room had my same old red and black canopy bed, with the purple drapes. My dresser has my empty jewelry box (thanks to the devil) and a deep blood red velvet cloth my sister had given me after her vampire phase passed her. Lying sadly on the scraped mahogany chipping black paint monster I called a dresser, there was also a vase with a single dead black rose I stole from the flower bed above my mother’s grave after her funeral. I had four archway windows, one on every wall. My door was on the foor, because you climbed and climb the steps then a ladder, on it I nailed an octagon rug that was black with white spider web I didn’t like the idea of being trapped in a room but I was more afraid of the hole that could have the devils follower, AKA my siblings, spying on me! Across my bed the dresser was there, and a poster of the oldest vampire I could find my windows Curtains were shut. It was only four, I think, I glanced at my clock. It was blinking twelve. Great! I stayed were I was, beetle position on the end of my bed. Tomorrow I was to go to um… I forgot the schools name. Oops. Well I have to get ready; I went down the stairs and into the kitchen was the only other clock was. It was only seven thirty? Oh well. I peeked in the fridge, hoping there was some sweet bread or a bar of chocolate. Nothing. Hmm…maybe in her stash which was above the stove. I reached up and I got the bread! My knee it started to burn. I looked down to a see my clothes on fire! I dropped the bread and took off my pajama bottom and got a towel from the cupboard I put them both under the water flow of the sink. My knee stung I knew the burn was bad because there wasn’t blood coming out but a much thicker liquid. I put the cold towel on my burning knee and hoped,

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP to late the fire alarm went off. I saw my brother , Will, run down first, he probably thought I was Noelle pulling the alarm. But no I was simply Arabella taking some of the devils sweet bread. He looked at me sitting on the counter in my girl boxers then at the burnt pajama bottoms in the sink.

“Pick up her sweet bread quick” he told me.

“yea will I can totally do that I just burnt my skin off no biggie” he instantly found the sarcasm in my voice. He picked up the sweet bread and put it in the cupboard promptly. And just as Renée walked down the main steps. Will was already talking to the 911 operator.

I was at the hospital, again, for two weeks. Well I was getting out of school. The school was so stupid no clubs not even a dance!! Come to think of it the school needs me!

The power was out, not only in the hospital, but in all the city. It wasn’t even raining! I feel asleep hoping to die of carbon monoxide before I woke.