From Ashes: How She Rewrote Her Fate

Synopsis

In the third winter of the Vesperan Era, I died in a run-down storeroom. It wasn't built to be a storeroom at first. The servants called it the Tranquil Cottage. It sounded nice, but it was the loneliest corner of the Sinclair residence. It had three crumbling rooms, peeling plaster, and broken windows that were never replaced. They locked me in at eighteen, and I was twenty-one now. Three years gone, and a thousand days wasted. The bandages on my face were stained black. Beneath them, my skin had festered, weeping and crawling with maggots at the edges. I couldn't feel the pain anymore. Maybe after so long, I'd grown numb. Outside, I could hear music drifting from the main courtyard. Tonight, Edward Peterson was marrying my stepsister, Isabelle Sinclair. A laugh carried through the cold. Two servants were huddled under the eaves to avoid the snow, stomping their feet to keep warm. One muttered, "That ugly girl's finally gone? Maybe Lady Margaret won't have to see her anymore." The other spoke quieter. "I heard Charlotte got those burns saving Isabelle. What a shame. She used to be kind." "She made a mistake. Lord Edward came by once, saw her face, and vomited. Later, he told people she shouldn't have interfered. Think about it: she risked her life for his beloved, and he called her meddlesome." "Keep it down. She might hear." "No worry. She's going to die anyway." Their voices faded. I lay on the hard wooden bed, staring up at the dark beams overhead. Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. Meddlesome? Edward was right. That was exactly what I was. My eyelids grew heavy, my breath thin. Outside, the music played on. People laughed, toasted, and celebrated. I remembered years ago, when my mother was still alive. She held me and pointed at the moon. "Charlotte, when you grow up, you'll marry someone who treats you right, keeps you safe, and never lets you suffer." Guess I wouldn't live to see that, Mom. One last thought surfaced: if I got another chance, I wouldn't be that foolish again.