As his new stepmother wiped William’s wounds, a strange pleasant smile, spread across her face. She must have been enjoying the ridiculous bruises that decorated his face.

Both cheeks were swollen and deformed. It was quite the look. William peeked into the water basin, that slowly gained a pinkish hue. This was his face. What was shown was his current reflection… But in the end it didn’t reflect him. It reflected someone else…

Oh, how he wished that he could escape this body, that the book imprisoned him in. It wasn’t his. So why did he have to suffer it’s hardships and injustices? In fact. Maybe he should hope that the swelling would remain? That the deformed face he was looking at right this instance, would turn permanent… That way he might not have to deal with future encounters of any disgusting-, gut-wrenching- or obscene nature.

Just thinking back to the sounds that escaped his mother… It was enough nightmare-fuel to last a decade!

Grettel watched as well, while the bloody pulp gained human features again. She grumbled, “And what is this supposed to mean? You don’t want me to have anything of yours and so you ruined it?”. The father bursted out a, “HAH! What nonsense. I simple disciplined my child. There is nothing more to it…”.

The old woman stirred her finger in the basin filled with blood. As the tip dripped, she inspected it carefully, “What a mess… You think I’ll let you do the same to her tomorrow?.. Ridiculous!”.

The father heaved his chest, “Think of it as you will. She’s not leaving this house until she gives me th-... A certain heirloom!”. Grettel sneered back, “Nay! This is all a ploy isn’t it!? Don’t think you can run corners around me! Give me the girl! RIGHT NOW!”. She screamed with such a shrill, that goosebumps marched across everyone’s skin.

Even so, she hadn’t won the yelling competition. The father filled his lungs and launched his attack, “SHUT UP!”. The left eyelid on Grettel’s face, twitched as she closed the distance between her and the man that owed her. “GIVE. ME. NOW!” she snapped at him.

As the father opened his mouth for another verbal retaliation, a voice much softer than the adults broke through, “Stop it, father! You don’t need to beat Mirabelle anymore… I have the recipe right here!..”.

All eyes landed on Joss, who seemed a bit guilty. He had chosen to surrender in William’s stead. Waving the white flag around like a buffoon. William felt nothing but betrayal. His fight had been ended before it even really began. His only accomplishment was a brutal beating…

Joss handed over the recipe to let the father inspect it. He muttered, “Yes… It’s the real deal”. The father shifted his gaze towards William. It was clear that the rebellion had ended, yet his father seemed marked by something.

If William could, he would have given that jailer a broken smile, purely for the sake of pissing him off. Unfortunately, William’s cheeks were filled to max capacity and wouldn’t allow any further stretching of skin.

Grettel seemed to piece things together as she asked, “Well? Has everything been settled then? Are you willing to fulfill your end of the bargain now?”. The man wiped his stained knuckles across his shirt before complying, “Of course… Go ahead and take her”.

The old lady appealed to Jacqueline, “Could you please hand me over the little lady?”. Jacqueline saw her husband’s reaction and nodded as if her nerve was constantly poked. “Here!”. William was pushed towards the collector.

Joss opened his mouth. With this action a long shadow was cast on his face. The father held his arm outstretched to cover his son from doing anything ‘stupid’. Along the way he also gave him some manners, “Say goodbye to your sister… From this day and henceforth Mirabelle is no longer a family member of the Castonale household. From now on you, Mirabelle, have no last name…”.

****

“Let me introduce you to my four sons… Well, I assume you already know my gallant Harvick... However he doesn’t live here anymore. this here is my second oldest son: Talbot… Behind him, you can see my twin pair of healthy boys. The one with dark eyes are Guillemet. The other is named Batcock”. William was feeling pretty down, right until the point Grettel spat out that horrible name…

William tried his hardest not to burst out laughing, asking himself: BAT COCK!? What the **** kind of name is that!? You can’t be serious!?

Grettel squinted her eyes at William’s dull stance. She waited for a bit, until she couldn’t bear it anymore, “Is this how you behave before your masters!? Don’t just stand there gathering dust! Greet them properly!”. William widened his eyes at the sudden command and blurted out his alias “Eh!? Nwice t-... I greet thee, my name ish Mirabelle…”.

This performance got a lukewarm welcome, as well as a smack in the head, “You’re forgetting to make a curtsy!”.

Seeing how William was confused as to what it was, made Grettel infuriated. She smacked him again and said, “You don’t even know what that is!? Observe closely. This is a curtsy!”. Then Grettel went into a formal greeting as she bend her knees and lowered her body. The ragged dress was folded out with both hands. She raised her body after the performance and threatened, “Now you know, so don’t even try to pretend that your ignorant in the future! Go on! Do it!”.

William tried to imitate the strange position of Grettel’s limbs. He got lectured and pointed at countless times until Grettel was somewhat satisfied. William could feel sweat slip down his earlobe.

This woman was already making him physically tired and that was just from doing a proper greeting! He couldn’t phantom how exhausted he would be from normal chores...