Rays of sunlight filtered through the cracks in the wood of the house. Maggie opened her eyes and squinted at the sunlight. It was still early. The sun was barely up in the sky. The sound of whistling traveled into her ears, signaling that her father had not yet left for work.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her mass of dark hair was a tangled and frizzy mess. She ran her fingers through it to smooth it out before standing up and searching for something to wear.

Her bedroom was a small loft with a ladder that led down into the rest of the house. Her room was large enough for her mattress, which lay on the floor, and a chest for her clothes. With those two items in there, she had just enough room to walk around. The ceiling was low, and eventually she would have to crouch to move around up there as she grew taller.

She rummaged through the wooden chest for a moment before pulling out a plain brown dress. It had a few holes in it, but she didn't mind. It meant she could work outside and not have to worry about ruining a nice dress.

After she dressed, she climbed down the ladder. When she reached the bottom, the smell of cornbread and grits flooded into her nose.

The kitchen consisted of a table and two chairs, a cabinet, a wash basin, and a wood-stove. Their living room wasn't much either. It was the same room as the kitchen and contained a couple of extra chairs and a small table with an oil lamp sitting on it. To the left was a door that led to her father's bedroom. It wasn't much bigger than her own.

"Morning, Pa," She greeted. She peered over into the pot of grits and smiled. Her stomach growled. "Is it ready?"

"Almost," Charlie replied. He stirred the grits and offered his daughter a smile. "Thanks for mending that fence yesterday."

"You're welcome." Maggie plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. Her mother had died when she was born, so she helped her father however she could.

He went to work at the lumber mill and she stayed to take care of the animals. Because of that, she couldn't go to school. However, her father educated her the best he could. She could do simple math, read a little, and write her name. In her opinion, that was enough.

They had a couple pigs that they bred and either ate or sold for cash. They also had a horse and a small dairy cow that she milked daily. Most of the milk she ended up selling or turning into butter. She did what she could to bring in money.

Her father set down a plate of cornbread and grits in front of her before taking his own seat across the table. He had already set out the spoons and glasses of water before she had come downstairs.

Charlie ate quickly and stood up. "I have to get to work, kid, but I'll be back before dark."

"Bye, Pa." Maggie watched him go. The door creaked as it shut behind him. Most mornings were like this. He would wake up early to cook breakfast as often as he could, but he could never stay long. He had worked hard to get that job at the lumber mill in Atlanta. As badly as she missed him while he was gone, she knew that they needed the money.

Selling products from the animals and vegetables from her garden took time and it didn't make nearly enough money to support the both of them. So, Maggie began her daily routine.

Once she had eaten every last crumb from her plate she gathered all of the dishes they had used and set them into the wash basin to clean at the end of the day.

She headed outside and took a deep breath of the fresh air. It was cool, as the sun was still low on the horizon and had not yet warmed up the air. She was grateful for the break from the heat. Some nights it became unbearable and she would wake up in the mornings drenched in sweat.

She went into the barn to start her chores. The barn was almost larger than their house and it was home to the cow and the pig when they weren't out in the pasture. It also stored some old farming equipment, hay, and the door to the cellar.

She grabbed a metal pail from the shelf and started by milking the cow.

It took her a few hours to do everything. When she was done milking the cow she had to put it into bottles to store it, turn animals loose into the pasture, clean out the stalls and give them fresh hay.

She was outside and ankle deep in mud as she poured slop into the pig trough when she heard someone calling her name. She was suddenly on high alert. The voice was feminine, so it wasn't her father, but she didn't know who else would be there.

Her blue eyes scanned the area around her house, and topping the hill was the girl from town yesterday. When she told Willamina where she lived the day before, she hadn't actually expected her to show up. Judging by the way the girls had been dressed, they came from money. They probably lived on one of the big plantations in the area and people like that wanted nothing to do with the likes of her.

But to her surprise, Willamina came running down the hill. Her beige dress had a bit of mud and dirt on it, showing that she probably traveled through part of the woods on the way.

Maggie dumped the last of the slop into the pigs' trough before trudging through the mud and to the gate. Willamina met her there and helped by opening it.

"What are you doing here, Willamina?" Maggie asked. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"You can call me Willie." The girl wore a bright smile on her face, just as she had the day before, which made Maggie wonder if she ever stopped smiling.

"Okay, Willie. What are you doing here?" She was appreciative of the company, but she had chores to do and didn't expect Willie to help.

"Do you know where Goodspring Plantation is?"

Maggie nodded. How could she not? It was one of the largest around and its owner, Theodore Porter, was a notorious businessman. He made his fortune by selling the crops that his slaves worked hard to cultivate and grow.

"Well I live there with my aunt and uncle, and my aunt is hosting a ball," Willie explained. "She said I could bring you as long as you had something nice to wear so I thought you might be able to borrow one of my dresses and come."

The girl was speaking so fast that Maggie didn't even have time to process. She was still stuck on the part about her coming to the ball.

"I don't have many friends, but you seemed nice when we met yesterday and I thought if I invited you, you would be my friend," the other girl continued. "I've never really been to a party like this before I don't think you have either so it would be a fun first for both of us."

Maggie respectfully waited until Willie was done talking before she replied. "That's mighty kind of you, but I'm not the type of person to go to a big fancy party." She offered an apologetic smile before heading back towards the barn.

She felt bad, but knew that even if she dressed up and played the part she would still never fit in. She heard footsteps behind her.

"Please," Willie said. "I promise you'll have fun. There will be other girls our age and dancing and food."

The promise of food was tempting. She set the metal bucket back into its place in the barn beside the milk pail and turned to face the other girl. "What kind of food?"

Willamina shrugged. "Deviled eggs, cheese, lamb, beef, soup, pasta, tarts-"

Maggie was already hooked. She couldn't help but interrupt before Willie finished off the rest of the list. "I'll come, I'll come." Her smile was wide as she thought about all the food. "When is it?"

"In four days."

Maggie began to doubt herself and wonder if the food was really worth it. She tried to stay hopeful. Maybe she would have fun. But if not, maybe she could at least sneak away with a delicious tart.

"I'll be there," she said after a moment.

"Yes!" Willie was practically bouncing with excitement. "You'll love it, I promise."

Maggie sighed, but smiled a bit.

"I have to get home before they notice I'm gone, but I'll see you then." Willamina turned and started to leave, but she paused a moment before she did. "Oh, the party starts at six." The girl turned and dashed away with a large smile on her face.

~~~~

Maggie stood and stared at herself in the mirror. The blue and white dress was slightly loose on her thin frame. Willamina was small, but had more fat on her bones than Maggie did.

Willie had been poking and prodding at her for almost an hour, making sure she looked perfect.

Maggie hardly recognized herself in the mirror. She had taken a bath when she arrived at the plantation and Willamina immediately dressed her in the floor length gown. Willie had also put her hair into an elegant braid.

The only thing that was the same was her shoes, and only because they were hidden by her dress and Evangeline wouldn't let her borrow a pair. Willie"s had been a size too small for her.

"Do you like it?" Willamina stepped back once she was done. "I've been practicing my braiding since I moved here."

Maggie's lips were parted in shock and all she could manage was a nod. They only had one mirror at her house and she rarely ever took the time to study her appearance. She almost thought she was beautiful.

There was a loud knock at the door. "Hurry up, the guests are arriving," Evangeline called with an annoyed tone.

Maggie released a small sigh. She had quickly learned that Willie and Eva were polar opposites. While Eva rarely showed acts of kindness, Willamina was quick to help anyone. She was glad she had decided to come, although she understood now why her father was hesitant to allow it.

She had promised him she would get all of her chores done so she could come, and she had followed through with that promise.

"Come on, let's go downstairs." Willamina headed towards the door and Maggie followed.

She immediately felt out of place in the crowd. It seemed most of the guests arrived right on time, however some didn't appear until later that night. Furniture had been moved aside to make room for dancing. People stood both in the house and outside it, mingling and drinking.

During the first hour, Maggie stuck as close to Willamina as possible in order to avoid interacting with anyone else. A few other children were there, but they stuck close to either Eva, Elliot, or their parents.

She stood with her back to the wall, munching on a tartlet. The food was definitely worth suffering through the party, she thought. Her gaze traveled around the large room, which was bigger than her entire house. She spotted Evangeline dancing with a boy across the room and Abigail watching proudly.

Maggie wondered how anyone could live like this. The boys were expected to grow up and run the plantations, just like their fathers, and the girls expected to marry young and bear children. It seemed miserable to have your whole life planned out for you.

"Willamina?"

The new voice interrupted her train of thoughts. She turned her head to see a tall, scrawny boy with red hair standing nervously in front of Willie.
"Could I have this dance?" The boy stuttered slightly as he spoke and couldn't keep eye contact.

Willie glanced nervously in Maggie's direction.

"It's okay. Go. Have fun," Maggie said with a soft smile. She could tell her new friend really wanted to dance with the boy, so she wasn't going to stop her. Willie had stuck by her side that whole night, and it only seemed fair if she got to dance at least once.

She watched as Willamina excitedly took the boy by the hand and they made their way onto the dance floor. She couldn't help but smile.

After watching them for a moment, she turned her gaze around the room again. She doubted anyone else at the party would speak to her. Adults had no interest in speaking to a thirteen year old girl, and the older children were already occupied. All except for one it seemed.

Maggie spotted the boy from across the room. He couldn't have been much older than her, perhaps fourteen. He stood with his back to the wall, a small smile on his face. He was dressed in fine clothing, leading her to believe he came from a rich family just like everyone else there, apart from herself.

The band began to play another song, and before she knew what she was doing, she was crossing the room towards the boy. She dodged people as she moved through the crowd of dancers and servers carrying trays of food.

"Dance with me." She stopped directly in front of him and stated the words very bluntly.

The boy stared at her with large brown eyes. His look of pure confusion quickly turned into a smile. "Isn't it customary for the man to ask the woman for a dance?"

"If you don't want to, all you have to do is say no," Maggie responded. Her feelings would not be hurt if he declined. She would go and stand back in her corner until Willamina returned.

"I never said I didn't want to," the boy replied with a smile. He took her by the hand and quickly led her out to the center of the room where others, mostly adults, were dancing.

Maggie was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to agree. Fortunately, the song the band was playing was one she was familiar with. A smile formed on her face as she quickly fell into sync with the music, the steps coming easily to her.

He must have been familiar with the dance as well because he moved just as easily as she. The song was rather faced-paced and by the end of it they were both grinning and out of breath.

"You're a very good dancer," he complimented.

"You're not so bad yourself." Giving him one last smile, Maggie made her way off the dance floor. Much to her surprise, the boy followed.

"My name is Vincent Langdon." He quickened his pace to walk alongside her.

"It was nice to meet you, Vincent," she replied. She stopped when she reached the spot she had been standing earlier. Willamina must have accepted another dance from the redhead because she wasn't there.

"Well, what's your name?"

She had hoped no one would ask that question. She didn't want anyone there to know who she was or where she really came from. "Maggie," she answered. She supposed as long as she didn't give her last name, he would have no way of knowing who she was.

She had learned at a young age that people didn't like her family. And not just because they were poor. Years ago, her father had been arrested for public intoxication on a few different occasions. But he straightened himself out and stepped up in order to raise his daughter. She had forgiven him a long time ago, but everyone else couldn't seem to let it go.

Vincent's face lit up when she said her name. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maggie."

His smile was infectious. Maggie felt one forming on her own face. If he didn't come from a rich and snobby family like everyone else there, she would have found him cute.

She had expected him to leave her after that, but found herself surprised yet again when he remained by her side.

"Where are you from?" He asked.

"I'm from out of town. I'm visiting my friend, Willie." She did her best to answer the question indirectly and hoped he wouldn't ask any more.

"How come I've never seen you at any parties before?"

Maggie internally groaned. She had enjoyed dancing with him, but knew he wouldn't be as nice to her if he found out she was as poor as dirt. "I only just met Willie," she answered. She hated lying, but found comfort in the fact that her last statement wasn't a total lie.

The boy nodded and was quiet for a moment.

The rest of the night passed in a much similar way. He asked questions and she did her best to dodge them. She was relieved when Willamina finally reappeared and took some of the attention away from herself.

The three of them chatted until an older man in fancy clothes approached.

"Vincent, it's time to go," he said in a bored tone.

Maggie assumed the man was Vincent's father.

Vincent sighed and turned to smile at the girls. "It was nice to meet both of you." He locked eyes with Maggie. "I hope to see you again." And with that, he turned and left.

Maggie watched as he left, almost disappointed. He asked a lot of questions, but he made for good company. She shook the thought away.

~~~~
Word Count: 3009

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