Glass Slippers [1st Draft]

5. Crime and Punishment

Chapter Five:

Crime and Punishment

(Important Note: Take this chapter with a grain of salt please. I promise that the events of the chapter will be explained in a later chapter and that I do realize that this chapter isn't the best. This was my first ever novel, and there will be mistakes. Some events in this chapter are among them.)

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"You did what?"

"I gave them the idea," Clara said, ignoring the two pairs of small hands tugging on her skirts. "I was upset with how you treated Mrs. Landon yesterday so I encouraged them to plan the prank. It was completely my idea."

"Your idea?" Linette growled, seeming to buy Clara's lie. "Ungrateful little fool, have you no respect for your betters?" Clara set her mouth into a firm line. While everything in her told her she should just let it go, part of her didn't want to, and it was almost like an out of body experience when she said the words exactly on her mind.

"You are not my better. When my mother died the title of Lady was passed to me. You didn't get the title when you married my father because, legally, as per my parents wishes, it went to me." Clara clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the last words left her lips. She had not meant to say that! Any of that! The other occupants in the room stared at Clara in shock and Linette's green eyes lit with fury.

"I have had enough of you and your siblings," Linette growled, lurching forward to grab hold of Clara's arms. Both Harriet and Amelia cried out as Linette dragged Clara from the room by her elbow. As they moved out of the parlor, Clara could feel Linette's hand tightening on her arm. Linette's fingernails were like talons, and it seemed as if they would pierce through the fabric of Clara's yellow dress.

"Where are we going?" Clara asked, not even attempting to struggle against her stepmother.

"The attic. Now be quiet," Linette demanded continuing to hurry Clara along. They had reached the attic door when suddenly, Linette came to a stop, throwing her other hand into a pocket on her gown and pulling out a key.

"The attic is never locked-" Clara protested, when Linette whipped open the door and, with no warning, pushed Clara through the dark doorway. Clara tripped over her own feet and she threw her hands out in front of her to stop her fall when suddenly the door slammed behind her loudly, leaving her in the pitch black of the attic stairway.

"You'll be let out once you have sufficiently payed for your actions!" Linette screeched through the door. Clara hurriedly jumped to her feet, stumbling in the dark, and banged her hands onto the wood.

"How long will that be?" Clara shouted back, her fists pounding on the door.

"However long I feel it should be!" Clara's stepmother answered. Clara listened to the tap of Linette's shoes moving down the hallway until all she could hear was her own breathing. The darkness of the attic was unsettling in the worst of ways. She could hear the scratching of animals moving around on the floorboards up the attic stairs and she didn't dare move. What if they were mice? Or worse, rats?

As her eyes began to adjust Clara could just start to make out the shape of some of the objects in the attic. What caught her attention the most, however, was that somewhere in the back of the attic there was a source of light. It was dim and she couldn't pinpoint exactly where the light was landing but she knew unless she wanted to spend the whole time cowering in fear by the door, she'd have to figure out where it was coming from.

Clara moved carefully up the steps, her arms out in front of her, as she tried to navigate the attic with only the extremely limited light to guide her. The clattering of little claws on wood got her attention as she shuffled forward, but she tried not to think about it too much.