It'll turn out all right

By Strawberry

Romance/Drama

Chapter 1

The golden tresses of hair fell limply on the floor. Serena looked down at them in anger. Why had war come to her family? it had torn them apart, killed most of them and leaving her, at the tender age of 20 to fend for what was left of her family, including her last few servant's, brother, his wife and their son. She looked down at the long tresses she was forced to cut off. Her hair used to be her most prized possession aside from her eyes. She used her once long golden tresses and beautiful sparkling eyes to lure men, she used to be such a prized beauty, and men would flock to her, leaving their women. But it didn't matter anymore, their wasn't anyone left to lure with her charms, just her family and neighbors who where thought of as brothers. If she had the time or the money or the extra servants, she could have kept her long hair, but she didn't have the time to brush it and keep it shiny and beautiful. It went from past her knees to just after her shoulders. Why she and kept it so long? Because of the traditional hairstyle her family had kept for century's required long hair. 2 buns with flowing hair form them. Her family used to be the most elite in the town, in the state even. But that's what war does to families; it takes them from upper class to lower class like that. Serena looked in the mirror. Her eyes no longer sparkled with excitement, the war had indeed done things to her, and she was no longer the spoiled little daughter of the wealthiest plantation owner in the state. Now she was an old maid, with no one… Or was she? There was someone she loved, someone her heart ached for. Andrew, the only man she had ever loved, if only he wasn't married to that stupid twit Mina. They had been married before the war and had a little boy, A strangely little thing who looked nothing like his father. After he was born Andrew left for war, and Serena hadn't seen him since. Mina lived in the city with her sister Raye and Andrew. While Serena lived in the country.

"Serena! Is dinner ready yet?" Samuel, her bother asked her, from the doorway, he stood 6 feet tall, 21, with golden hair like Serena and dull blue eyes.

"Am I responsible for your dinner?! Ask one of the servants!" She snapped

"Serena, times have changed, don't be so prissy about having to cook." He said calmly

"Samuel, I will never cook, I am not some poor white trash girl, and we still have servants, ask them." She said annoyed

"Serena, you know as well as I do that if we keep pushing them, there going to leave. There won't work for free forever." He said, stepping into the room

"And work for whom? There no more rich aristocrats left." Serena said as she laughed bitterly, she wanted to be taken away by Andrew, run away with him and not have to work, to be pampered.

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Serena walked slowly down the stairs, Amy, Sam's wife sat with their son, William; he was about 5 years old, pretty blue eyes and dirty blond hair. Serena was fond of him but strict, always sending him outside to play when he bothered her. Suellen and Honey sat next to them, they were Serena's other sisters, both brown haired like there father with black eyes.

"Auntie Serena!" William yelled from his seat, Amy looked up and smiled, she was a strong women with blue short hair blue eyes. Serena wasn't particularly fond of her but put up with her, Serena wasn't fond of any women, even her brothers wife or her sisters, all women where rivals in the art of winning a mans heart, the only women who Serena ever trusted was her "Mammy" and mother, god rest her sole, she died of pneumonia but Serena knew it was of heart ache after her father died, the same heart ache Serena felt for Andrew. She walked down the last step and took a seat. The servants came in; there was Dilcy, a big, loving, but strict, African American woman and her husband Joe, both dumb animals because of lack of education but part of the family. Dilcy had been with Serena's family since before Serena was born, she took care of Serena like a mother, and Serena and the family referred to her as "Mammy". The truth was Auntie was the only one that kept Serena in line.

"Evening Miss Serena." Mammy said as she put down the small bowl of radishes, Serena sighed and sat down, this was all that would be for dinner. Her family fortune was lost investing in the war; all Serena had left to regain the fortune was the cotton fields.

The dinner was a quiet one; Sam did not join them because he was outside plowing the fields. Serena looked down at the last radish in her bowl, she was still starving, and she took it but then looked over at William, his big blue eyes, lingered on her food. She sighed, very annoyed at her nephew and handed him the radish, he squealed and snatched it from her hand. Amy turned around from doing the dishes and saw William take the radish,

"Serena, thank you for giving him that." She said,

"Now why are you so nice to her and so rotten to us?" Suellen said bitterly, she always hated Serena, for taking a boy away from her when they were younger.

"You mustn't speak unkindly about Serena. She's done a lot for us so… Hush Up!" She said surprisingly, Honey was always a kinder one than Suellen and Serena liked her much better, she had lost her husband in the war, but it didn't seem to bother her. Serena did like her but didn't trust her, but she never trusted anyone.

"Serena, why don't you go and rest." Honey said, Serena nodded and left the table to her room. She shivered as the thin blanket hung over her, it was a cold night and there were more to come. But she kept telling herself,

"It'll turn out all right."

TBC….Review!