August, 2002

Mallory entered the dayroom towards the kitchen with a pile of dirty plates stacked in her hands, causing heavy steps. 

Seeking this opportunity, a bored Calvin Wraith tripped Mallory when she passed by where he was sitting while playing Snake on his phone. Bang!

Handless, Mallory fell to the floor, and all of the plates lay scattered across the room. Mrs Wraith heard the tumult, and she stormed into the room angrily.

"Stupid girl!" Mrs. Wraith scolded with a hard slap across Mollory's face. With ringing ears and tears burning in her eyes, Mallory took a short breath and tried to keep her voice steady as she pleaded, "I am sorry Mrs. Wraith. I will clean this up immediately," Mallory bowed her head and heard Calvin chuckle from the sofa, sitting with a grin, "Yes, you will. I want the room to be spotless within an hour," Mrs. Wraith demanded, shoved Mallory aside, and stormed out.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Mallory with a strained voice and gazed at Calvin after Mrs. Wraith shut the door. Calvin got up and stopped inches away from a frightened Mallory.

He styled his hair with too much wax, and his grey eyes were taunting her, making her more fearful of him.

"Don't forget your place, slave," Calvin hissed and grabbed Mallory by the neck and pushed her up against the wall next to the window," Or do you want me to come by your room later tonight and punish you?" He whispered in Mallory's ear while she fought to breathe.

She shook her head, and Calvin grinned before he freed her again. Mallory falls to the floor, tears streaming down her face. 

"Clean yourself up. If my father sees you like this..." Calvin didn't finish the sentence; he didn't have to, and the raised eyebrow said it all before he left the room laughing.

Mallory stood up, gathered the cleaning supplies in a hurry, and started cleaning up the mess that Calvin had caused. 

She knew better than to plead her innocence; she didn't have any say in this household; she never had. She was the collateral damage given in a business deal gone wrong from her own family. She was sent to be enslaved to the Wraith family when she was a child, only five years old. At least, that is what had been thrown in her face for the last thirteen years. 

She was worthless, unwanted, and hideous.

She had no memory of her early childhood; it was a blur, almost like it was wiped out.

All she ever knew was doing chores for the Wraith family, obeying orders, and taking beatings whenever they felt like it. 

She was never allowed to leave the property, and if it hadn't been for Ms Mary, she would not know how to read either.

Years of beating and being starved were taking a toll on Mallory.

She could handle Mrs. Wraiths' slaps and name-calling; she could handle Calvin's rough ways and sexist threats.

But Mr. Wraith. The big man with grey hair slicked along with his head. The Mean, grey eyes placed on a cold, grey face with coarse wrinkles and a pointed chin. His mustache was always well combed and twisted at the ends, and it would flutter whenever he was short-breathed and angry.

Which was often, and Mallory was usually the one to be targeted with his hard punches and sadistic ways. 

Mallory shuddered at the thought of the evil, big man, then wiped up the last glass from the floor and quickly left the room. She went to the kitchen, threw it away in the trash bag, and breathed out.

Oh no. Mallory saw the clock on the wall, and the time was nearly seven o'clock at night, meaning that she was late preparing the dinner that should be served within fifteen minutes. 

She cursed herself and quickly began to prepare the chicken and pale the potatoes while the oven was heating up. But she knew it was pointless; the dinner would only be served earliest at seven-thirty, and Mr. Wraith would be furious by then.-

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Mr. Wraith sat down at the dinner table at preciously seven o'clock. At the same time, he had eaten dinner for the last fifty years. He liked tradition and wanted life as always in the Wraith family. 

Mr. Wraith was the CEO. At the family business, he had taken over after his father. The position had been passed on for generations amongst the Wraith men. Calvin would be honored and take over next after stepping down and retiring.

One minute passed seven, and Mr. Wraith's anger began to surface. He hated waiting, and he hated that possum, Mallory. 

Her innocent blue eyes and stripy, long, red hair really provoked him. He gritted his teeth as he thought of her slender body and firm breasts that he had begun to notice a year ago. 

Not even her baggy clothes could hide them from him.

He stood up with a bang from the chair that fell over and saw his wife, Mrs. Wraith, winch when it did. He glared at his wife, and she turned away her gaze to submit under him. Mr. Wraith studied her and milled. 

After years of treatment, her once blonde, shiny hair was now bleached and damaged. Her face was injected with Botox in every line, making it tightened and expressionless, and her recent weight gain made him resent her even more, more than he already did.

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"Sit down, love. I will see what the hold-up is," Mrs. Wraith excused herself and left for the kitchen.

Mallory mixed the salad with shaky hands as she saw the time was past seven, and she closed her eyes when she heard footsteps passing through the hall.

"Where is the dinner? Mr. Wraith is livid out there!" Mrs. Wraith grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and threw it at Mallory.

"I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Wraith, the cleaning took time from the dinner preparations," 

"Don't give me your hollow excuses, worthless cow!" Another apple was thrown and hit Mallory in the back. "Aouw," Mallory cried when it had hit a bruise Mr. Wraith had caused from last night's beating.

"Oh, that hurt?" Mrs. Wraith said mockingly and gripped a pan from the stove.

__________________

"STOP!" Mr. Wraith yelled as he entered the kitchen. Mallory froze and bowed her head in a heartbeat. "I want my dinner served, and I want it now!" Mr. Wraith hissed with a clenched jaw.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Wraith, I was late with preparing for dinner, and I am afraid it won't be until seven-thirty before the chicken is done," Mallory stuttered as she felt herself crawl back into her skin while looking down on the floor.

"This is unacceptable! I will deal with you later tonight," He scolded and left the room, and Mallory winched when the door slammed behind him.

"Look what you just did to yourself, foolish girl," Mrs. Wraith gave her a disgusted gaze and trotted out from the room, happy that she was left unharmed from her husband's anger.