Braided Silver

Chapter 1

Chapter One

The stars winked at me from high in the sky, and I searched among them for the one I'd named Fairy Godmother as a child. My gaze locked on her, in the same place she'd been since the first time I'd found her, twinkling in the dark. I knew now that it was nothing more than part of the dark sky, but as a child, I'd been fascinated by the things I'd read in books about Fairy Godmothers, royalty, and magic, and how they'd sweep away young girls who had been trapped or forced to do things against their wills.

The fact I'd been locked in a tower my entire life probably had something to do with the obsession. Though it was a little different when I was able to leave at will. Not that Mother knew. And without any money, or way to make it, there was no point running for good. I always came back, even if there was a small part of me that didn't want to.

I sighed loudly. "I wish you were real." Then she could whisk me away to a better life.

The star twinkled in response. Something I used to believe was an answer.

I flashed it a sad smile. There was nothing she could do about my situation. The only person who'd be able to change it, was me, and I didn't have any idea where to begin.

A loud clunk sounded, and I knew that meant Mother was returning. At least she'd finally stopped demanding to use my hair as a weird kind of ladder and I'd finally managed to cut it to a manageable length. Though hanging down to my knees probably wasn't deemed to be sensible by most, but I didn't care. It was still taking a lot of getting used to, which was the one reason I hadn't cut it further. I was still surprised she'd let me do it. Perhaps climbing up hair wasn't the easiest way to get places.

For a few weeks after I'd cut it, I watched Mother to see what she did to get in and out of the tower, which was how I'd learned of my escape route, even if I didn't use it as often as I should.

"Cosette?" she demanded from the room down below. Considering we lived in the tower completely on our own, it was odd we only used three floors of it. All at the top. It was like she wanted to make it obvious she was up to no good. I'd always wondered what she'd done to make herself a fugitive.

"Coming," I shouted back, pulling away from the window. If I didn't go see what she wanted, then I'd only end up punished for it later.

I swished my hair over my shoulder and made my way down the stairs, resisting the urge to run. I used to feel like I had to every time she called, but recently, I'd been trying to teach myself to not give in to her too easily. So far, she hasn't said anything about it, so there was some hope I'd be successful. Perhaps now I was an adult myself she'd let me leave the tower and work some kind of job. That would be nice. I wanted to see the world.

"Good evening, Mother," I said as I stepped off the stairs and into the room we used as a living space. It had a tiny stove in the corner, along with a staircase which led to the lowest level we used, which housed a pantry, and a well. I had no idea how the well had ended up in there, it had to have been built into the tower when it was constructed, otherwise, it would make no sense.

"Ah. You're here."

Because there was somewhere else I'd be? I bit my tongue so the words didn't slip out. I was always careful with when I snuck out for this exact reason. I had no idea what she'd do if she caught me, but I wasn't in a hurry to find out.

"Yes," I said instead.

"I'm going away for a few days." She walked over to the table we ate at and ran a finger over it. "Perhaps you should give this place a proper clean while I'm gone."

Anger bubbled up inside me. Our tower was clean. I took great pride in keeping it that way, and only partly because I had nothing else to do.

"Where are you going?" There was no point in asking. She went away like this at least once a month, but wouldn't tell me where she went. And yet, that never stopped me asking. One day, I'd find out. She couldn't just disappear for a few days at a time and not go anywhere.

"There's enough food in the pantry. But don't eat more than you need to. I'll be able to tell if you have." She studied me sternly, as if I didn't already live my life by the rules she instilled in me as a child.

Keep the tower clean. Don't eat more than you need. Don't ask questions. Don't ask to leave the tower. Don't go into her workroom even to clean.

I could recite them in my sleep, if she needed to. And I'd only ever broken one of them.

Probably the worst one, in her eyes. I imagined she'd frown on it, then find some way to punish me. Though I wasn't sure what that would be. While she didn't show much affection towards me, she also didn't hurt me. I hoped that meant she loved me on some level, even if I wasn't sure what that was.

"Of course, Mother."

"There's a pile of clothing that needs repairing too," she added. "Make sure that's done."

"I will do," I promised. "When are you leaving?" I hoped she'd say tonight. While it was dark outside, it wasn't too late for me to sneak out if she left straight away.

"I'll leave at dawn," she said.

My heart sank. I guessed that meant I'd have to wait to sneak out. Though dawn would mean she'd be gone for the entire day, and I could make my way into the town. Hopefully, Archie would still be about that early. I normally met him in the early evening. Sometimes, we missed one another, but never by very much.

"Do you need me to pack anything for you?" I asked.

"No. And you're not to disturb me for the rest of the evening. I'm going to be in my workroom." She didn't wait for me to respond and swept passed me, heading up the stairs and into the room she kept locked.

Not for the first time, I wondered what she did in there, but I suspected it wasn't something I'd ever have the answer to.

With nothing else to do, I headed to the stove and made myself some tea. And then, I could plan what I was going to do in the village tomorrow. At least I had that to look forward to.