Chapter 1

"This is the room you'll use; it has a few leaks, but I'm sure you can manage." "It's not like you have any choices," my aunt Bianca said as she showed me my new room.

The hate in her eyes gave me goosebumps, I'm just a little girl and I deserve to the loved this time more than ever.

It's a large room, but most of the space is taken up by a lot of junk my aunt called "artisans," which makes the room seem really small. The only window is blocked by a large wooden dresser, so I have to keep the door open if I don't want to die of lack of air.

"Can't I just sleep with Pearl?" I asked, looking disapprovingly at the room. She gave me a stern look, like I'd said something abominable.

How can I sleep in such a room when there's a well furnished one?

"Heaven forbids you go anywhere near my child; no one knows what you did to kill your parents," she yelled and stormed out immediately.

Of course, I killed my parents.

I walked into the room and fell on the bed, which made a squeaky noise as I descended. I looked at the bandages around my palms, and then the tears I'd been trying to hold in for over three days fell freely.

My parents died three days ago in a fire at my house. I'd gone to the public library to study for my upcoming exams, and when I got back, I saw flames. I couldn't open the door because the door knob was too hot. I was eventually able to open it, but it was too late.

When I opened the door to see what used to be my parents lying lifeless and partially burned on the ground, denial set in. I didn't want to believe those were my parents; in fact, it all still feels very surreal to me.

I ran into the room searching for them; I heard police sirens; the smoke started to choke; and I fell to the ground, clutching my throat in my hands.

"Mum? Dad?" I cried as I lost consciousness.

A few hours later, I woke up in a hospital room, surrounded by tons of police officers. They didn't even let me take in the reality of my evening and what I'd just witnessed before bombarding me with questions I obviously didn't know the answers to.

"Anna, can you hear me?" One of the policemen asked, pointing a flash light at my face. I raised my hands to shield the light, and he immediately turned it off.

"Sorry about that, but can you hear me?"

"Yes," I whispered; my throat still felt irritated.

"Can you tell me what happened to your parents?" He asked further.

"I don't know, I'm thirsty," I replied sternly.

"You really don't know how the fire started or what might have caused it?" He continued after ignoring my request for water.

"I said I don't know," I replied, drawing the blanket over my face.

"I think she's still in shock; let's try again tomorrow," I heard another officer say to him.

The next day I gave the same response; lawyers came, as did my uncle Benjamin and his wife Bianca.

My parents were rich, and I have never known what it means to not live in affluence my entire life, so I'm sure they left tons of fortune behind.

"Did you by any chance know your parents were owing the bank a huge debt?" The lawyer threw something at me; he had to repeat it before I could understand it.

"Are my parents in debt?"I laughed.

"Yes, Miss," he replied, shuffling through his old suitcase and finally pulling out a bunch of documents I was not ready to look at.

Couldn't they understand?

An 18-year-old girl just lost her parents. Why?

Were they being so freaking inconsiderate?

In the end, it turned out my parents were actually owing the bank. The bank took their money from what my parents left, and I was left with as good as nothing.

The rest of the money was given to my uncle Benjamin. There was something about me being "underage," and I'm sure it was just an excuse to take the money since I was going to move in with him.

I picked up a scrubbing broom and some towels and began to tidy up the small space I had for myself.

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"Mum said to come out for dinner," Pearl whispered as she stood by the door.

Pearl's really pretty, with both of us; it's like Beauty and the Beast without the part where I turn into a prince or a princess.

Her blue eyes shine so brightly, while mine are deep black.

Totally opposite.

"I'll be out soon," I replied.

"Ok," she replied, and she walked away.

We're around the same age, yet she talks so formally.

A true princess, I tell you.