CHAPTER ONE
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
A moan, followed by a loud bang.
Emma Clay's eyes snapped open, her face stretched into a wide grin—a sweet but slightly unhinged smile, if you must.
Yawning, Emma rose from her bed and stretched out her limbs. Her eyes landed on the shattered pieces of her alarm clock on the floor.
"Oh, come on! I just got you, Roanda!" she groaned.
Yes, she had named her alarm clock. And yes, she just yelled at it.
"Emma?!"
"What?!" she snapped, still grieving the loss of her newest morning companion.
A gasp from the other end of the hall.
"Watch your tone, young lady! Your mother would be quite cross with you!"
Emma rolled her eyes, already feeling a headache coming on.
Damned accent and language, she thought.
Who even says "quite cross with you"? Her mother and Theresa, of course.
"Theresa! I'll be down in a minute!"
"It's 7:49 AM!"
"Oh, I didn't know that! I'll be done in five minutes!" Emma called back, her voice thick with sarcasm.
"Right," Theresa responded, clearly unconvinced.
Emma could picture her lips pursed into a thin line, her expression tight with irritation. The thought made her snicker.
"Well, be quick about it. Your coach will be waiting, just so you know," Theresa added grimly.
Then came the sound of receding footsteps.
A small "hallelujah" slipped from Emma's lips. Smirking, she took her sweet time as she strolled into the bathroom.
---
An hour later...
Emma skipped down the grand staircase of her mansion, a gleam flashing in her eyes as she caught sight of her mother seated elegantly in a large chair.
"You took your precious time, Ella," her mother remarked tauntingly, sipping her tea with grace.
Emma's eyes narrowed at the sound of that name, though she quickly masked her reaction with a wide grin.
"Morning, Mother."
"Morning, indeed. You're in quite the good mood this morning. What's the reason behind your giddiness?"
"The competition, of course," Emma replied matter-of-factly, helping herself to a cup of hot tea and a slice of cake.
Her mother smiled, clearly pleased. "Ah, good."
She paused, then added,
"Your cousins are visiting soon,....together with your sister and brother." Her mother, somewhat reluctant added.
"Oh? What's the occasion?" Emma asked uninterested, taking more pleasure in a her cup of tea than a conversation with her mother.
"Just an harmless visit, Emma."
Silence.
"Okay" Emma said at last, her eyes meeting her mother's. She smiled.
"Your coach is awaits. Please cooperate with Isabella...Ella...Emma." Her mother said, stumbling slightly on the names.
Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Sure, I'm always obedient, aren't I, Mother mother?".