Fleur took a rest for just about a second, Miss Madison whipped her with her walking stick. Louisa tried helping Fleur, but it was to no avail for there was no helping others in this place, especially not with Miss Madison and her iron fist around.
***
4 years later
Fleur had grown to understand Miss Madison’s ways. She was already accustomed to her abuse and her ill treatment of every single good hearted soul that had ever passed her way.
There were never any birthdays or parties at Miss Madison’s, only the scrubbing of toilets, the warmth of stoves and the chocking feeling of the horrid room where she had lived with Louisa for the last four years. There was never a day’s rest and never a kind word to spare. Louisa was all Fleur had and vice versa. Once in those four ghastly years, Miss Madison tried to turn sister against sister.
Fleur, a pretty little thing by nature, got hold of a comb and a mirror and brushed her unruly hair and admired herself in the mirror. Miss Madison’s assistant house keeper, Miss Page Lamington, caught her and gave her seven whippings for being a bad girl. Miss Madison again tried to force Fleur to turn against her sister and say that it was indeed Louisa who had given her the comb and mirror. Fleur had a strong and righteous will and simply refused. Miss Madison sent them both to the attic. A place where there was no food and just a bit of water and they were forced to kill and eat rats to stay alive.
Since those days things have never gotten better. The girl’s lives were the same and they had no hope of ever getting out, until a magician, a very strange and wonderful man came to town. Miss Madison a big fan of the man, arranged for him to entertain the kids. This was very unlike Miss Madison, but she had a silly school girl’s crush on him and in her mind hoped the magician would fall for her.
The girls did not complain as they never saw other human beings besides the girls in the school. Most girls were left there after their parents had died. Others were treated quite royally, depending on their circumstance.
That week in preparation for the magician’s arrival, Miss Madison bought every girl a dress and had her keepers do their hair. The last thing she wanted was for the world to find out how much she hated them, or how badly she treated some girls. She did not want her evils exposed to the world. She loathed seeing them in pretty dresses and all scrubbed up, but she had no choice if she wanted to continue running her school her way. She had to make sure that every inch of suspicion or rumor would disappear, as some rumors had been circling the town.
Miss Madison’s kindness stopped at the buying of the dresses. She still went out of her way to silently make life hell for every middle class student at her school. Fleur screamed as Miss Lamington tried to comb the knots out of her hair. Tears welled up inside of her but she couldn’t utter a word. The maids scrubbed her dirty body and she could see the color of her skin for the first time in four years. Baths were not allowed in Miss Madison’s school, especially for girls like Fleur and Louisa. Fleur sat in the bath smelling the sweet smell of Palmolive covering her body. The warmth of the bath felt like a mothers touch … like her mother’s touch … washing away the pain of the last few years.
***
Jacques St Cloud arrived the next day at twilight. He couldn’t risk being seen in the sunlight. The last few weeks had shown an influx of ultraviolet rays in Cornwell accompanied by harsh sunlight and heat. He looked at the big school in front of him and a definite strange sickening feeling came over him, a premonition of sorts. The cold stone building reminded him of Lucia’s the evil ruler of Crastias in his Babylonian palace, it felt cold and soulless. His driver opened the door to the car and he exited elegantly out of the car, tipping his hat to the driver,
***
4 years later
Fleur had grown to understand Miss Madison’s ways. She was already accustomed to her abuse and her ill treatment of every single good hearted soul that had ever passed her way.
There were never any birthdays or parties at Miss Madison’s, only the scrubbing of toilets, the warmth of stoves and the chocking feeling of the horrid room where she had lived with Louisa for the last four years. There was never a day’s rest and never a kind word to spare. Louisa was all Fleur had and vice versa. Once in those four ghastly years, Miss Madison tried to turn sister against sister.
Fleur, a pretty little thing by nature, got hold of a comb and a mirror and brushed her unruly hair and admired herself in the mirror. Miss Madison’s assistant house keeper, Miss Page Lamington, caught her and gave her seven whippings for being a bad girl. Miss Madison again tried to force Fleur to turn against her sister and say that it was indeed Louisa who had given her the comb and mirror. Fleur had a strong and righteous will and simply refused. Miss Madison sent them both to the attic. A place where there was no food and just a bit of water and they were forced to kill and eat rats to stay alive.
Since those days things have never gotten better. The girl’s lives were the same and they had no hope of ever getting out, until a magician, a very strange and wonderful man came to town. Miss Madison a big fan of the man, arranged for him to entertain the kids. This was very unlike Miss Madison, but she had a silly school girl’s crush on him and in her mind hoped the magician would fall for her.
The girls did not complain as they never saw other human beings besides the girls in the school. Most girls were left there after their parents had died. Others were treated quite royally, depending on their circumstance.
That week in preparation for the magician’s arrival, Miss Madison bought every girl a dress and had her keepers do their hair. The last thing she wanted was for the world to find out how much she hated them, or how badly she treated some girls. She did not want her evils exposed to the world. She loathed seeing them in pretty dresses and all scrubbed up, but she had no choice if she wanted to continue running her school her way. She had to make sure that every inch of suspicion or rumor would disappear, as some rumors had been circling the town.
Miss Madison’s kindness stopped at the buying of the dresses. She still went out of her way to silently make life hell for every middle class student at her school. Fleur screamed as Miss Lamington tried to comb the knots out of her hair. Tears welled up inside of her but she couldn’t utter a word. The maids scrubbed her dirty body and she could see the color of her skin for the first time in four years. Baths were not allowed in Miss Madison’s school, especially for girls like Fleur and Louisa. Fleur sat in the bath smelling the sweet smell of Palmolive covering her body. The warmth of the bath felt like a mothers touch … like her mother’s touch … washing away the pain of the last few years.
***
Jacques St Cloud arrived the next day at twilight. He couldn’t risk being seen in the sunlight. The last few weeks had shown an influx of ultraviolet rays in Cornwell accompanied by harsh sunlight and heat. He looked at the big school in front of him and a definite strange sickening feeling came over him, a premonition of sorts. The cold stone building reminded him of Lucia’s the evil ruler of Crastias in his Babylonian palace, it felt cold and soulless. His driver opened the door to the car and he exited elegantly out of the car, tipping his hat to the driver,
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