Chapter 3
Hazel's POV
I labored in the west field till the sun dipped low like a burning coal in the sky. Weeds lay in piles like defeated enemies around me. My hands throbbed like they'd been pummeled, my back a mass of pain. But I'd done it. I'd picked twice as many weeds as Stepmom demanded.
As I trudged back to the farmhouse, shadows crept like dark animals across the ground. Stepmom waited at the doorway, her eyes narrowing like she'd measured my work. "Done?" she asked, voice sharp.
I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "Yes, Mother."
Stepmom's gaze lingered on me like she searched for flaws. "Good. Now do the evening chores. Feed the animals, clean the kitchen."
I nodded again, knowing the drill. As I worked, Ava and Mia mocked me from the sidelines, their words like tiny cuts on my skin. "Look at her, so slow... so clumsy..."
When darkness fell like a heavy blanket, I finished the chores. Stepmom gestured curtly for me to go to my pallet. "Sleep. Tomorrow'll be harder."
I curled on my thin pallet like a wounded animal, pain in every inch. In the darkness, Stepmom's words echoed like cruel whispers: "Useless." "Worthless." But in my mind, that tiny spark of defiance still flickered like a candle in shadows. Someday...
Sleep dragged me down like a dark wave. Dreams twisted with fields and Stepmom's cruel face. I woke once in the night to silence like a heavy weight on me. In the darkness, I whispered to myself, "I see you."
Morning came like a cold slap. The bell clanged, jolting me awake. I rose stiff like wood, ready for another day of toil. In the mirror's dim light, I saw a girl with shadows under her eyes like bruises. I touched my face, feeling pain in every inch.
I knew the day would be cruel like the ones before. Stepmom would demand more work, Ava and Mia would mock me, and I'd toil like a slave. But that spark in my mind still burned like a tiny flame in darkness.
As I headed out to the fields, I caught a glimpse of something beyond the farm—a forest like a dark wall in the distance. Sometimes I'd wondered what lay beyond... what freedom might feel like...
Writers POV
Suddenly, her friend Laura popped out from behind a row of tall crops, making Hazel jump out of her skin. Laura burst out laughing, a loud, contagious laugh that made Hazel's heart skip a beat before she too couldn't help but laugh.
"Laura! You scared me half to death!" Hazel said, laughing and clutching her chest.
Laura laughed even harder, tears streaming down her face. "I knew I'd get you! You were so focused on that direction, what's up with you."
Hazel shook her head, smiling. "You're a menace. What if I had dropped the hoe?"
Laura giggled some more before calming down. "I'd have helped you pick it up. But you didn't. You're too tough for that."
Hazel smiled, feeling a brief moment of lightness in her otherwise tough day. Working in the fields under Stepmom's cruel watch wasn't easy, but having a friend like Laura made some moments bearable.
Laura leaned against a nearby tree, still grinning. "So, how's life with that evil stepmom treating you?"
Hazel shrugged, her smile fading slightly. "Same as always. Hard work and... not much kindness."
Laura's expression turned sympathetic. "I'm sorry, That witch is evil, but you're strong. You'll get through it, okay."
Hazel nodded, appreciating Laura's words. For a moment, they stood there in comfortable silence, the only sound the rustling of leaves in the breeze.