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"Ariadne! Ariadne!! Stop fooling around and finish the chores!! If you don't, you will get an extra whipping tonight!" yelled my wicked stepmother from the window.

I had always hated my stepmother. She never listens to me and loves beating me.

I am just a child! I just want to play with my brother and the animals! Tell me, what is so bad about that?!

I simply sighed and headed toward the house, continuing my rampage in my mind, while my brother continued playing.

I was down on my hands an knees, scrubbing the floors angrily, not even listening to my step-mother screaming at me for her own pleasure. I could feel the anger rushing into me, making me feel like i was going to explode.

I looked out the window wistfully as i saw my brother playing with the animals. However, I looked away & got back to my work when i felt the sharp tongue of a whip hit me in the back.

"Pay attention to what I am saying, and pay attention to your work!!" she screeched then she saw me flinch with the pain & sneered, "Do that again and I'll make sure to triple your whippings tonight."

She watched as I scrubbed the floors quickly and angrily and shouted, "Slow down, child! You are going to end up scrubbing off the tile!"

'How stupid is she?' I thought angrily, also saying many, many curse words at her in my head.

"I can tell that you are angry-"

'Oh, really? You can tell? Oh, I thought I was keeping it in sooo well.' I thought sarcastically.

"-So, why don't you just....show your anger to me more...openly?"

That got my attention. I turned around and looked at her. Just looked at her. 'How stupid is this woman?'

I stood up bravely, letting the anger show in my movements, face, & voice.

"So, you want to fight me?"

"Yes, you stupid child."

At that, I back-handed her across the face and kicked her in the stomach.

She fell to the ground, completely shocked. Obviously, she thought that i wasn't going to hurt her.

I smiled as she coughed up blood from the blow in the stomach and her face was bright red & slightly scratched when from when I had slapped her.

"So...you were saying....?" I asked mockingly.

"You are a stupid child, thinking you have already beaten me!!" she picked up the whip and tried to whip me, but i dodged it quickly.

"You b-" she yelled, but was cut off as my father walked into the room, & took in the scene in front of him.

Of course, he thought I was to blame, his precious new wife was more important to him. Also, she had the freshest wounds.

So, I shouldn't be surprised that I'm in his room, being slammed against the stone wall....right?

As the mysterious man with the fire in his hair helped her up she slapped him, hard, fast, and disparately. He had a look of shock on his face for a moment, but as Selena round for another whack across the face he caught her wrist in mid stride. His hand seemed to crush hers as he grasped it, "What was that for?!" she could hear the anger in his voice, "I just saved you!"

Selena tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held firm. "I can take care of myself!"

"Not from what I saw!"

(sorry I have to go to bed, hope it works Ice)

*she continued to argue look if u would rather bleed to death then u better stay but if u dont u better come with me as the flame turned green and started to grow she said "fine, ill go with u for now but only for now"
"then we better get going as i saw the monster wakeing up from the concusion
we better leave now as the flames consumed my face we as we started to run
"so wat are u?" she calmly said
i sighed
"honestly i dont know" i replied
"u dont even no wat u are thats crazy" she said is confusion
"i no... but wat are u u touched this flame on my head but still u didnt burn"
"oh yeah"
"and ur hand it should be broken and it looks as good as ever... so wat are u i must ask"
(hows that i guess i made it hard for u lol hope u had a good sleep and i thought u would do something different lol)

Astra sat in her customary corner, the two baskets on either side of her; one filled with glittering, polished white stones, the other filled with their unfinished, soot-covered counterparts. One of these stones sat in her lap, cradled in the polishing cloth which she ran over its surface until it shown like the moon. Holding up the stone, she admired the crystalline surface of the now glittering pebble, before placing it in the finished basket and reaching for a new one.

"Astra!" Addi called, emerging from the front of the shop, his customary half-smile on his face, "You done yet?"

Astra glanced up at him, "Does it look like it?" she said, indicating the still half-full basket on her left before continuining with her polishing.

Addi rolled his eyes, "Yorick won't be pleased with you," he said, "You were supposed to finish these yesterday!"

"Don't I know it," Astra mumbled, dropping the next pebble into the finished basket, "But he refilled it last night, I'm sure of it! I remember being farther than this before." She picked up the next stone.

Addi just laughed, shaking his head, "It doesn't matter what Yorick did, he's your employer and you do what he says... you're just lucky that you can bring out such a good hew in these rocks, or else you'da been sacked last month!"

Astra ran the cloth through her fingers, rubbing the stone on her palm, "It's not like he pays me with much of anything. I could find my way if I was thrown out."

"Like hell you could!" Addi said, nudging her shoulder, "You'd be lost and helpless, same as me. He gives us a place to sleep at night, food to eat, and a family! There's not much more you can pay someone than that."

Astra smiled up at him, her first smile all morning, "I better get working then, and you certainly aren't helping. Out!" She shoved Addi towards the front of the shop again.

Ducking through the door, Astra heard Addi laugh as he disappeared down the corridor to resume his work. She dropped the stone into the basket and leaned back, closing her eyes.

It was then that she heard Addi's shout.

"i have the same question, my father always called me boy or son it got annoying and may i ask who are u?" i said as i went to hold her hand but my hand lit on fire "y me y" i shouted then i hear bird "someones coming" she said in a quite tone i grabed her arm and started to pull her up the tree "come on" i said quietly...