HAZELThe biggest hall in the pack house has already been decorated and transformed by the best decorators in our pack. I'm really happy with the way it turned out because the decorators arrived late, and I had already felt that it wouldn't be possible again.The biggest task has been accomplished and the rest of the things that are supposed to make the welcome ceremony a success are just little and can be done quickly.Since I'm done with my work, I decide to move around the pack house to make sure everything is in order, even though it's really not my job to do that. I don’t know why I decide to do it, but I just want to because I feel that I have to know if everything is in order in preparation for the King’s arrival. The next hour goes by really fast. It’s really faster than we all expect, and the fear that we have all been trying to hide starts creeping in; the fear of everything being a failure and of not impressing the King at all. I surely don’t want something like that to

HAZELThe King starts to move back, and he pulls me along with him. I try to pull away, but he is too strong. As I trail behind him, I can hear people having side talks and they seem so surprised at the way everything turned out. Well, they aren’t the only ones feeling that way. I'm surprised too. I never thought I would get noticed by the King, not to talk of getting embraced by him. I can only wonder where he is pulling me to… and why.The King continues to pull me along, albeit gently, with him until we get to his bedroom. I have never entered the bedroom before, so when he opens the door and wants to pull me inside, I flinch and refuse to go in. "I want you to come in. We have to talk, Hazel," he says and pulls me in, closing the door behind us immediately. He finally releases my wrist and I wince quietly at the sore spot on it as I slowly rub the pain away. He sits on his bed and squints his eyes at me. I can tell that he is thinking about something, but I don't know what it i

HAZEL It’s the afternoon of the next day and the most baffling thing right now is that I’m done with my chores for the day. I didn’t expect that to happen and it’s really surprising. Yesterday and even this morning, all my thoughts were occupied with the fact that I would have a lot of chores to do today since I didn’t do much yesterday. I was still thinking that that would be the case until I went to the task master’s suite and he gave me the same chore as yesterday, and nothing else. Even when I went back to his suite to ask him for additional chores, he just ignored my question and told me that was all for the day. Why is this happening? I ask myself.It really isn’t that I don’t like the fact that I’m not given as many chores to do as before, because I really do like that. I actually like the respite I have gotten from my daily chores, but what is puzzling me badly is the reason for it. I have thought about the whole thing and I have only one reason for it. Maybe I’m getting

HAZELI’m stunned and taken by surprise completely when Cathy suddenly pushes me to the ground because I wasn’t expecting her to do anything like that at all. She is going too far with her bullying but there is nothing I can do about it still. I have to keep my cool. Remaining calm like before is my only option here, as I cannot afford to lose my temper at all, because things will only get worse then.So with that thought firmly in my mind, I pick myself up from the floor gently and start to pat the dust and flour off my body, not minding Cathy as well as her minions who are still glaring at me. I take my eyes off them as I continue with what I’m doing.Cathy turns to face me once again and as I raise my head up to look at her, I can see the fire of her hatred for me burning in her eyes. I don’t know why she hates me this way. I don’t know why she is hell bent on bullying me and trying to make my life miserable. I’m not even sure that I have ever done anything bad to her since I have

HAZELShe is here. She really is. My mother is here. She is just a few feet away from me!“Mother!" I yell, reaching out to her. I try to move closer to her, but it seems like the closer I move towards her, the farther she becomes.But I don’t want that at all. I want to touch her and feel her hands wrapped around my cold body in comfort, but… but, I can't. I just can’t. When I touch my face, I notice that it's wet. That’s when I realize that I'm crying.“Please, don't go!" I manage to voice out amidst tears. My sobs increase as more tears pour out of my eyes, and I'm about to break down completely at this point.However, I'm not ready to give up just yet. I keep on walking towards her, and a sheer kind of determination is very visible on my wet and now red face.While I'm walking towards her, I notice something startling: she is not alone. There is someone just right beside her.My face morphs into a frown as I pull to a stop to see who it is. Slowly, the tall shadow becomes visible a