Foster's Home for Imaginary Fiends

Chapter 1

The Reclusive Duchess

"Ah, another day."

Duchess silently rose from her bed before the sun had even started turning the horizon pink with the first rays of the day. She had much to do before everyone else in the house started stirring and then came to help her prepare for the day.

"I think we will focus on hair today," she whispered to herself as she took out a brush and started working on the long strands. It wasn't that hard as she brushed every day, but maybe it was time for a new style…something to go with the coming of another spring.

"Yes," she said, "definitely the hair. A new look perhaps."

The refection in the mirror in front of her only made her decision more logical. It had been a while since there had been a new hairdo.

As she was brushing the hair Duchess could not keep from letting her mind wander back…back over the years to when she had first come into existence.

She had been created by the imagination of Miss Teresia Van Sloane, the daughter and sole child of the multi-millionaire Edward Van Sloane and his second wife. Despite having virtually anything she wanted, Teresia had been a very lonely child, cut off from the outside world by her father's wealth. Teresia had not been a very creative nor intelligent child, but Duchess could see that she was still a good little girl who needed a friend, and she had made her as beautiful as she could.

So the two passed the days together…days that became months and finally years. When Teresia turned fourteen however, something happened. She started becoming quite the spoiled little brat, demanding more and more from her father. She became mean and selfish and took to calling people names and having temper tantrums when she didn't get her way. Even Duchess became the target for her rants on occasion.

It was when Teresia was on one of her worst destructive tantrums ever that it had happened.

Teresia was storming along and Duchess was following, trying to calm her down. They were at the top of a long flight of marble stairs when Teresia whirled around and struck Duchess across the face, calling her an ugly monster that she couldn't believe she had imagined as her friend.

Hurt both physically and emotionally, Duchess lashed back out at Teresia, not intending for her long, wicked looking nails to actually slash the girl's shoulder open and send her tripping backwards over the stair railing and down to the marble floor below…

Duchess snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the faint sounds of the other residents stirring about. Soon the hulking Eduardo would come to her door to help her with her morning ritual, and she knew she must hurry.

"I think that will do for now," she said, taking a step back to admire her handiwork. It was quite a good job, considering what she had to work with, but a little pilfering of a few beauty products later that night would take care of that.

The heavy tread coming up the hall alerted Duchess that time was almost up. She quickly returned the trunk's contents back where it belonged and shoved it under her bed. She then climbed into bed and closed her eyes, ready to continue her charade.

Duchess was always mean and nasty to everyone, and she knew she had to be. The last time she had been nice, she had been badly hurt, and the one she cared for had…had…

That was how she knew not to be nice ever again. That way she would never be hurt, or hurt someone else.

She just hoped no one ever thought to look inside the old trunk she had brought with her to Foster's so many years ago, or they might discover why she was so mean. It wouldn't do for them to find the preserved body of Teresia.

At least, not until after her hair was done.

The End