Chapter 2

She walked down the broken hallway to a flight of stairs. Many of the steps were snapped in half and could easily send something tumbling down the steps. Alanna observed the steps carefully. "Mine and papa's house was never this bad. I wished I still lived in my home with papa." She got a sour look on her face.
"I rather be anywhere then this rusted old shack for a house. Anywhere but with Phineas. All he does is treat us like a slave. He has seven kids living here. Each one is no different then the other to him." Alanna felt like punching something. She rolled her hands into fists and squeezed her fingers tightly to where they became white. But she knew this would accomplish nothing. She loosed her grip and continued on her way down the stairs.
She turned to the right and walked through an open door way. Inside a short, fat man with brown hair and brown eyes sat at cracked table in a chair that looked like it would collapse under his weight.
Alanna stepped up to the table where he was. She curtsied in front of him. "Good morning, Master Phineas," she said.
Phineas only glanced up at her. He looked at her with anger. "It most certainly has not been a good morning," he replied in a high pitched voice. "Once you get me my breakfast then it will be a good morning."
Alanna curtsied again. "I'm sorry, Master Phineas. I'll go get your breakfast right away."
"You better be sorry," he replied. "What were you doing up there anyway?" He peered at her closer. "Why are your eyes red? By golly, girl, are you still crying about your father?" Alanna looked up at him. "I told you to forget him. You are in my house now. You abide by my rules."
Alanna could feel the anger boiling inside. He was hitting a very sensitive spot in her heart. Lashing out at him would mean her getting a beet down. She already had bruises on her cheeks.
Phineas stood up and leaned down to meet her eyes. "You are mine now, girl," he whispered softly. "And do you know why? Because both of your parents are dead! You're all alone! There's no one left in the world who cares for you!" Phineas began to burst out laughing.
Alanna balled her hands into fists again. She couldn't help but speak out. "You are not my owner!" she shouted. "And I am not your slave! My mother is still alive. I know she is!"
Alanna could see as clear as day how much anger boiled inside Phineas at that moment. Immediately, she regretted what she said.
Phineas reared back his hand and slapped Alanna hard across the face. Her head jerked as she felt a sharp sting in her left cheek. She turned her gaze back towards Phineas.
He jabbed a finger in her face. "Don't you ever talk that way to me again, girl. Do you understand me?!" He sat back down. "For that you have lost your food for the day. And believe me if you sneak food I will know about it." Alanna lowered her head again. "Now leave and get me my breakfast."
Alanna curtsied yet again, but much more slowly this time. "Yes, Master Phineas." Then she shuffled outside the little shacks opened door and trudged to the back of the house where food supplies was kept.
She learned over a deep sink and poorer a bucket of water into the big bowl. She began to wash fat, juicy tomatoes with water and a damp, dirty towel.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mind off her father. Or off her mother for all that matter. While she thought about these things, she scrubbed the tomato harder.
"Who serves someone tomatoes for breakfast, Vangelic?" she heard a boys voice behind her. Alanna smiled. She only knew one person who called her by her last name.
"Hey, Derrick," she replied not bothering to turn around.