𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄, stefan salvatore

𝒐𝒏𝒆

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𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆
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Arabella or 'Ella' Smith could still remember the
last day she saw her father. It was a cool day in September, her father was off to visit a friend in another town whose daughter had fallen ill. Arabella had prepared her father a basket for his departure, filled with his favorite goods and her favorite baby blue ribbon. When her father left their estate that was just on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, Arabella chased the carriage, holding onto her father's hand tightly. She waved as she finally loosened her grip, allowing him to leave. If she knew that was the last time she would see her father, she wouldn't have ever let go of his hand.

On the day James was supposed to return, Arabella sat on the steps of the home, waiting eagerly to see her father, but he never came. The next morning, they received the news that during nightfall, the carriage had been attacked and James had been killed by a vicious animal deep inside the woods. The estate was given to Arabella's stepmother, Cora until the girl was eighteen. Cora immediately made Arabella her personal maid, giving her a list of tasks to do every day.

Arabella worked alongside Gus, a man her parents had taken in when Gus was just a small boy. The two grew up with one another, practically becoming siblings. Neither minded the work too much, it made sure they kept their distance from Cora. Cora had two daughters; Lottie and Fannie.

Lottie was the kind one. Often offering to help with the chores and loved to go on adventures. Lottie, to much of her mother's dismay, didn't want to live what was seen as a regular life. She despised the thought of marrying a man, having children, and living in the same town her whole life. Lottie wanted to travel, to be free. Cora had no idea that when Lottie turned eighteen, the girl was planning to leave Mystic Falls behind and complete what she saw of as her destiny.

Fannie was the complete opposite of her sister. She wanted to marry the richest man she could find and settle down. The girl was a carbon copy of her mother, which scared Arabella immensely. Fannie often created messes around the home, finding it humorous when Arabella had to trail behind her, gingerly cleaning and picking up the mess. Fannie wanted to live up to every expectation put in place by her mother.

Arabella never let her tricky luck dampen her soul. She continued to be graceful, lively, and energetic. Many in the town saw her as a perfect lady, one that a man would be lucky to have. But Arabella paid money mind to the suitors that greeted her on her weekly trips to town. She was determined to find love as pure and true as her parents.

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Arabella collected the vegetables from the garden, placing them carefully in the basket she had sat beside her. Wiping the dirt on her blue work dress, she stood up, brushing off any dirt from her body. She used the back of her hand to wipe her forehead where small droplets of sweat had begun to gather, the result of the sunlight glaring down on her ivory skin.