5. Attack On Serene

Serene

When you arrive at home with something important to you on your mind, whom do you run to to take it off? Many people would've said their family, whether it be siblings or guardians (parents, aunts, uncles, etc.) but others prefer to bare it alone. And some people, well...

They don't have a choice.

"Child, call my daughters and tell them to come here."

Serene sighed upon hearing Jenifer's voice. She was hoping that her step mom wouldn't come home until later in the night.

'Oh well, my fault for believing there was actually a possibility.'

She dried her hands on her apron, preparing to do her bidding. To her dismay, a plate fell to the floor and broke into a hundred pieces. Serene groaned. Another mess to clean up, and she'd probably get scolded for it.

'Beautiful, just beautiful.'

"Serene!" Jenifer's voice rang out in impatience.

"I'm working on it," she replied, leaving the broken plate where it was and beginning to walk up the stairway. Soon afterward Mary and Gena came racing down, trying to be the first one to reach the living room. They were cursing at each other every step of the way. Serene slowly made her way back down again, shaking her head at their antics and watching every step with caution.

The girls probably thought they were getting some kind of gift.

"Now, line up ladies," her stepmother said. "I have an important announcement to make."

The girls stood beside each other but were fidgeting like crazy with big smiles on their faces. Deciding to leave the mess 'til the last minute, Serene dodged the pieces, picked up a wet bowl and traveled back to the kitchen doorway. She proceeded to dry it while she listened to Jenifer's words.

"Guess what?!" Jenifer told the girls excitedly. "We have all been officially invited to the Christmas masquerade ball by the one and only..." She paused briefly, a wide smile on her face. "...Leonard King himself!"

There was the sound of a plate meeting with the floor and all eyes turned to Serene.

"S-so sorry about that," she said and ran to look for something to clean it up.

'What am I supposed to do now?'

She knelt down and swept up the shattered pieces while Jenifer continued.

"Ignoring whatever that was, I hear that the King family is looking for someone to accompany their son in marriage, and tomorrow night ladies, that someone IS going to be one of you!"

Gena and Mary were looking at each other and giggling but soon those giggles turned into arguments about who he was gonna pick and those arguments turned into meaningless yelling. Serene had already cleaned up both messes during the exchange and was in the middle of drying another one, shaking her head at the two.

If she's vigilant, she might be able to find a loophole in their conversation.

"Girls," said Jenifer softly. The girls ignored her, still going at each other. "Girls..." They still ignored her. At that point, Jenifer lost all her patience.

"GIRLS!" She shouted and the sisters stopped immediately but still jabbed remarks and glared at each other.

'Children. So hard to learn these days. Tsk tsk tsk.'

"I understand why you're so excited. Honestly, I am too, but there's a problem." Silence lingered in the air as Jenifer gives each girl a staredown. Even they knew when she was being dead serious.

"I have a meeting with the glorious Sam Dumplay tomorrow night so I won't be able to stay as long as I want. He'll be coming in right after his jet lands, which would be about 12:10 am, so I'll return by 12 or 11:50. Other than that you have the day to get some beauty sleep and make yourselves beautiful for the dance. Behave like a lady and don't disgrace us."

The two sisters were squealing in delight so loudly that Serene could barely hear her own thoughts.

"Now hurry and get ready for bed. We have a long day ahead of us, ladies."

'Excuse me, did I just here you say that they were ladies? Don't you mean rude, nosy, selfish, dumb, ruthless, clueless, lazy ass..'

"Who's a clueless lazy ass?" Hearing Jenifer's voice being targeted at her so suddenly caused Serene to almost drop another plate right at Queen Jenifer's toes. Thankfully she caught it on time.

"Oh my god, my queen I'm so sorry," she said. She hurried to stack the plate with the other dry ones.

"I swear Serene you are becoming such a klutz. I'm scared to even let you prepare the Christmas dinner for tomorrow but it's not like we have anyone else here to do it."

Serene clenched her teeth but decided to keep her mouth shut.

"When you're done with those go and heat up my dinner, I want grape flavored wine tonight, and less meat and more lattice, I'm watching my figure."

'Whatever's left of it.'

"Yes."

"And Serene," Jenifer said as she was about to go upstairs.

She glanced behind her. "Yes?"

"Call me that again."

"Call you what?"

"What you had called me earlier."

Serene wondered what Jenifer was referring to, but thinking back now she knew.

"My queen."

Jenifer laughed. "Yes," she said. "That never gets old."

She continued up the way to her bedroom. How nice it would be to freshen up before sleeping. Serene threw a plate against the wall.

"Serene!"

"Sorry. It slipped!"

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"I hope that you know your duties for tomorrow?" Jenifer asked as Serene laid down her dinner with the grape wine.

"Yes, Jenifer. I'll have to stay at home and prepare the house for the dinner and Mr. Dumplay's visit."

Jenifer nodded her head in approval. "Good. It's about time you start catching up to the way things work around here."

As Serene watched her step mom eat, her mind debated on whether or not to tell her her plans. Despite the hassle with the broken dishes, Jenifer was in one of those rare good moods, most likely having to do with that man coming over here. Oh well, it's not like she has anything to lose by simply asking.

"Um, Jenifer?"

"What?" Came her reply.

"There's this place I wanted to go tomorrow, for the holiday, and..."

Come on Serene what happened to you? Little things like this shouldn't be a problem for you. What happened to that feisty and fearless little girl? The daughter of the Depps?

'She died along with her father.'

"I want to go and hang out with Donya tomorrow night after I'm done with everything," she finally managed to say. "Do you think that's possible?"

Jenifer expressed not one hint of surprise at her request. Instead, she put on a bored looking face and delivered an equally bored answer. "It is possible, but it's not happening."

Serene felt the life being sucked out of her.

"Why not?"

"Because I need you here with me, right here."

"No, you don't."

This time the surprise clearly showed in her face when Jenifer turned to face her.

"Oh," Jenifer laid down her fork. "Really now?"

"Yes. All you need me to do is get the house ready for someone who isn't coming until the middle of the night. I think that's something anyone can do. You never let me go anywhere by my own will for the holidays, and I can't tell you why but Christmas is important to me and the same goes for my parents. They both died on their favorite day. I wanna remember that time the only way my mother would want me to--"

"Don't you ever speak about that woman in my presence!" shouted Jenifer, pushing herself out of the chair. It tilted over and fell to the ground.

"I talk about her whenever the hell I feel like! She's my mother!" Serene rebutted, not hesitating to stare up into her face.

"Well, she's dead now! So keep at it if you want me to go after that money your father left you in the bank."

Serene's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Keep up that tone with me, brat and I just might!"

This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening! She couldn't resist it anymore. Tears flowed down her face for the second time that day.

"If...if my father was here--"

"Well, he's not. And it doesn't matter if your father was some highly favored businessman who had a lot of friends, cause it's funny how not one of his 'friends' came to see if you were OK." Jenifer's smile was as sinister as her stance. "And I am in charge of everything now! So if I want to take over that money, I will! Who can stop me? Maybe your father but, oh! He's dead!"

Even before Jenifer spat out those words, Serene's face was already soaked with tears. She let her feet carry her up the stairs and into the dusty attic that was now her home. She could still hear Jenifer's voice two stories below.

"And Serene, Merry Christmas!"