Chapter 2 Break | The Second Piece

Long, burnished wood panels and gold columns supported a pearly clock face, decorated with roman numerals and gilded cherubs. From somewhere inside the grandfather clock, a gong sounded, reminding its listeners that the hour was near.

An older woman and a young girl argued in front of the clock, which was situated at the end of a very long hallway. There was nothing remarkable about the hallway, with the exception of a few pictures here and there that were slashed to pieces.

“But I don’t want to go!” a little girl about nine or ten years old cried to an older woman dressed in a rather plain shift. The woman didn’t seem to like the little girl very much; her face was full of somber lines and thick powdered makeup. “Grandmother hates me, Nanna. She hates me.”

“I may be your new nanny, dear, but I can spot a lie when I see one,” scolded Nanna, her features grave with responsibility and duty. “What about your pretty, little dress?” Without saying it, Nanna had told her that the girl’s fine, lace dress was worth more than three month’s of her paltry salary.

The girl pouted, inspecting the yards of hand-dyed navy blue lace embroidered with intricate gold stitching. The girl knew that something about the dress was significant, but she wasn’t sure why. “Do I have to wear the veil, too?” she whispered, careful not to sound too disrespectful. “It’s itchy.”

Nanna regarded her with contempt. Secretly, she resented the brat and her constant string of tutors, nannies and visitors. Nanna thought that all the girl needed was a good whipping–especially since the girl’s father wouldn’t be around any longer. Still, it was up to her to earn her keep as she was told. “Serafina, your grandmother has always been only a wish away. I think it’s high time you go to see her. Put your veil on, now.”