Jessica glanced down at her wristwatch. It was a pretty thing, with a white, heart-shaped face surrounded by blood-red rubies. A thin gold band secured it to her delicate wrist. Her mother had given it to her two years ago on her fourteenth birthday. It was the only piece of jewelry she owned, and she treasured it dearly.  

In fact, besides the one dress she was expected to wear when she appeared in public, it was the only thing of value she had owned since her parents had died in a carriage accident. Her Great Aunt Genevieve had consented to take Jessica in only after five orphanages and one alcoholic cousin all refused to take her. She had snatched up all of Jessica’s valuable belongings, along with the sizable inheritance her parents had left her. Jessica had managed to hide the watch from her aunt. Now she only wore it when she was all alone, locked up in her dark, dingy bedroom. 

At this moment, her watch told her it was exactly six-forty in the morning. Twenty more minutes, Jessica thought, biting her lip. She didn't think she could wait that long.  

She glanced at her reflection in the dusty, cracked mirror propped against a beaten-up copy of Oliver Twist that sat on her otherwise empty desk.  

Two years ago, she had been a beautiful young lady with long, golden curls that bounced when she walked, clear blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and a creamy complexion. Her mother always said that, because of both her looks and her fortune, she could have any husband she wanted. Now, however, Jessica was not so sure. Thanks to Great Aunt Genevieve, her fortune had vanished along with the happy life she had lived with her parents.  

Staring into the mirror, she wondered if her mother would even recognize her. The pretty fourteen-year-old was long gone. In her place stood a tall and gangly sixteen-year-old. Two years of being locked up in her bedroom with little to eat had left her skinny and sickly pale. Her bones jutted out awkwardly, and her once beautiful hair had become a dull, tangled mess. Her eyes were sunken and her lips were thin. You could tell by looking at her that she had not smiled in a very long time. 

Jessica checked her watch again. Sixteen more minutes.  

She paced back and forth, chewing her lip. The back of her right thigh ached where Great Aunt Genevieve had smacked her leg with her cane yesterday. Sometimes, Jessica thought the old woman had made a sport of whacking her with that cane.  

Thirteen more minutes. Jessica was growing anxious. What if something went wrong? No, that was not possible. She had made sure that everything would go as planned.  

She kept pacing. Her feet were cold. She wished that Great Aunt Genevieve had given her a pair of slippers for Christmas instead of the cracked mirror. She often wondered if her aunt had given her that mirror just so she could have a daily reminder of how ugly she had become.  

She glanced down at her wrist. Nine more minutes.