She was indeed woken up early, and she was ready for it. Her eyes had shot open the moment she heard the soft click of the handle moving and the door shifting open. She lifted herself up and stretched, making sure to wake herself more as the weary voice of the maid filled her room. "Good morning Miss. White. I will set out some clothes for you." Makaila had turned to look to the girl, giving her that solemn gaze and shaking her head. "No, I will do that myself thank you. Please leave the room and let Henry know I will be down soon enough." The maid hesitated, as if fighting instructions she had already been given by someone else. Makaila just glared to her, only enforcing more of her demand before the woman squeaked helplessly and scurried from the room. The door shut with a sudden, yet soft slam before leaving Makaila to herself.
She didn't waste time as she went to the bathroom that was attached to this room and showered away the feeling of early morning rising and stiffened joints. As she went to dry herself off, she looked over her slender form as if appraising herself.
She was slender, frail, and almost too thin for someone of her age. The true ware of lack of sleep, food and torture was on her. It made her curvy hourglass figure look more like a winding stick than a young girl becoming a woman. It was hard to see the appeal she would have to anyone. But her face and uniquely colored eyes was what would be the drawing feature. She was stunning with that untouched porcelain skin. It gave way to the heart shaped face she had and beautifully high cheek bones. Even with the soft bags under her eyes, the violet in them stood out, drawing any who looked into them deep into her core. She knew the moment she was able to get food and rest she would be a stunning and alluring woman for sure. Time was the key here and she knew it.
She dressed in a simple gown and pulled back her blonde strands before making her way down the hallway and stairs. The sweet aroma of breakfast wafted through the air and guided her to the kitchen. There sitting was her father; a cup of coffee and a newspaper held within his hands. He peered over the paper at her before letting his eyes scan over her form. He scoffed a bit before going back to his paper and sipping his coffee.
She much rather preferred being ignored, it made her morning easier. She was able to sit in that silence eating and thinking. But that silence was quickly broken as it was met with the shrill voice of an older woman. She was old looking, carrying lots of wrinkles across her face and hands and had bright white hair that was peppered with dingy grey. She also wasn't very tall, but the thin heels she wore gave her height along with the upturned nose she held as she looked down to Makaila. She was dressed in a fancy gown that hung to her nonexistent curves and gave her an appeal of being snooty.
Makaila simply looked to her with that empty expression, knowing full well who she was without even knowing her name. "She is a mess!! How will I bring this...this thing into becoming a lady?!" Her father simply chuckled as he finally placed the paper down and turned to look over to the woman. "That is for you to determine. You have time, so don't waste it." He was direct and straightforward to her before glancing down at his watch and sighing. "It's time for me to go. I have work. Good luck with her." He turned to Makaila now as he gave a serious look. "Play nice now. I expect you to listen, learn and do as your told." Makaila nodded and rolled her eyes with a sigh before turning to her new charm schools teacher and giving a polite nod.
There wasn't much more said from her as she was escorted off and dragged to her room. Forced to change she was brought back out in a more elegant gown to fit her stature and made to match with heels of her own. She spent the remaining morning learning to walk properly in them and hold her self with 'dignity' as the old woman called it.
It was getting to be afternoon, and she was ready for the break away from her instructor. The others had begun mumbling in her mind and only adding to the difficulty of keeping up with the lessons. She had finally sat down for her meal when she was greeted by the instructor once again. "Sit up straight! You don't slouch! Also make an effort to hold your fork more lady like." Makaila growled to her giving warning she was not amused that she was being interrupted during her time of what should be solace. The old woman gasp as she placed a hand over her chest and looked to her with disgust. "I never! Your a beast!" Makaila rolled her eyes as she turned her gaze from her and set to eating and arguing in her mind. There was a few words of choking and bashing the woman's head in, but she quickly killed those thoughts with soft reminders of what they had planned. She was enjoying the silence her growling had brought when it was broken again by the woman's balking tone. "I don't think you heard me. You shall apologize and do as instructed! Growling is unacceptable of a woman and your eating habits are notoriously animalistic."
Makaila slammed down her silverware and turned with a dark glare. It was taking more restraint then she wanted not to kill this woman and it was even unnoticed to her how her hand clenched tightly around her knife. "I shall not apologize and I will eat in peace. Now you can leave to eat somewhere else if my eating habits are so horrible and wait to continue lessons once I am finished. Or even leave now and leave me to my peace for the rest of the day." She finally looked down to her hand and released the knife quickly as she huffed and tried to calm herself.
The old woman gasped once again as she kept that hand placed across her chest and looked to Makaila with that astonished gaze. "Your father will hear of this. You will never be a lady." Makaila listened to her heels click out of the home and vanished behind the front door as it closed shut. She sighed as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, pleased and upset with the whole affair. She knew later she would regret it but the peace she had now was exactly what she needed. She finally ate in that silence, feeling the prying eyes of the maids on her as she did.
She spent the rest of the day wandering the home and getting to know every corner of it. Moments would past where she got to think, letting her mind race and ponder while others left her arguing in her mind and mumbling to the open air around her. She could tell the whole house staff was on edge as they eyed her. Their gazes saying more than they intended. She preferred them scared though, it left her with control and as she toured this home everywhere she went they scurried away. This gave her freedom to browse undisturbed and she loved it.
It was getting dark as she sat going over teaching herself to read at more of an appropriate level. She recalled as a child being taught the sounds of letters and set to work placing those sounds together to form words and sentences. She had picked this up rather quickly and this was keeping her mind busy and as she sat there reading over the law book her father kept in the den, she found her mind racing once more over possibilities. It wasn't until she heard the maids greeting him as he came home and the door shutting that she was finally pulled from her thoughts and book. She turned to see him standing there with that disapproving glare before he approached and sat across from her.
"I will give you only one warning. If I have to hear another complaint about your behavior with your charms instructor, I wont warn I will handle it." He fell silent as he kept that stern and unblinking stare on her. She finally smirked to him and leaned forward in her seat to lock her gaze with him. "Then get me an actual teacher. I won't be uneducated and only good as a house wife. Consider this my stipulation to our agreement." He growled in frustration with her, about to rebuttal at her when she raised her hand and waved a delicate finger at him. "Now, I know you want to protest, but seeing as your trying to marry me off and using my looks for gaining a great prospect for yourself that you can use in future gains, I think I have some say in this matter. As I see it, you do need me. You only threaten to kill me or get rid of me because I'm too much just to keep me in line. But if you want me to find a man worthy of getting you where you want, you will make sure I am educated. Or we can just end this exchange now and you can kill me. I saw what I look like and given some time, I will be more beautiful as I get older. The choice is yours really....I'm just the unwitting pawn in it destined to marry a man and have his children and gain you a possible rich prospect." She gave him a calm smile as she leaned back into her chair now and kept her gaze to him. Her eyes smiled and danced with cleverness, feeling achieved.
He glared with rage in his eyes, never leaving hers as he kept that tension lingering in the air. He finally growled and huffed before waving an angry hand and nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll make sure of it. But this is the only time you will demand anything of me. If you think those moments in the basement were bad..." He took a moment to laugh as he laid his hand neatly in his lap. "That was just the beginning."
They fell silent to each other for the rest of the evening; a silent agreement that they would both be following the rules from now on. Makaila rather enjoyed it, finally finding some solace and peace in the silence. Even the others seemed to be quiet now, trusting her finally of her ability to get them what they wanted. As evening drew on, and it came time to get some rest, she found sleep coming to her easily. She curled beneath the blankets and embraced the sweet taste of slumber; that sly smile dancing across her face once more.