Don’t be jealous, she said. I deserve it, you don’t!

Huh! What a cheek, I thought.

Her sister piped up.. Yeah we are better than you!

I was young and naive and hated the way they spoke to me. I didn’t know how to fight back. I never guessed the jealousy was theirs. They always ganged up on me.

So I sat and cried, tried hard not to think about how they treated me… Thinking about a distant future where I would go to college and become a doctor or a scientist? A lawyer or an engineer….

Cinder-Ella! They shouted down to the skullery. Get that washing done then start cooking dinner!

I wiped my eyes and put my mind to the work…..