Mirabella had always been quiet. She used to spend most of her days sitting beneath trees in the village, reading her books. People in village, mainly the older people, often got onto her that. They would say a woman shouldn't be reading and that she needed to hurry up and get married. They would get onto her father about that as well. How he continued to refuse to wed her to the young men in the village. Mira somewhat believed the only reason her father agreed to have her married to the judge's son was to make the people stop speaking badly of he and herself. But, now her father gone. It was just a few days after her father's death that the town leaders came to her door, telling her it was wrongful for a young woman to live on her own, and she was forced to move in with the judge's son. Of course, they wouldn't be married just yet, as her father's deal that she wouldn't be wed to him until she was eighteen was still in place.

When she moved in with him though, she hadn't guessed how he would act toward her. He had seemed like such a nice young man, but behind closed doors, he was horrible and she dreaded the day she would wed him. He hit her for every little thing. Even if she just 'looked at him the wrong way' he would abuse her. At first it had just been a few slaps here or there, but it soon escalated to the point where he would leave bruises on her pale skin. That was part of the reason she hardly ever left the house. She was ashamed of the bruises and the way they made the people stare at her. The only time she ever did leave the home and into the sight of people was for the two church services on Sundays or if the judges son made her go somewhere with him.

But, when everyone was in bed and the moon gave enough light for her to see, she would sneak out of the house, just as she was doing now. She slipped quietly out the door, going the little ways across the land to the forest where she was away from the sight of people. The moment she stepped foot in the tree line a bright smile came to her face and she moved to the spot by the creek she always went to. Once there, she laughed joyfully and spun about, twirling, dancing there, her curly brown hair whipping about in the wind as she moved. This made her happy. It was the only thing that made her happy anymore. 

Hearing a squeak, Mira stopped moving and looked over a small smile on her face as she saw on the rock next to her a little mouse. Kneeling down, she looked at it, "Well, hello there. How are you today little mouse?" The mouse looked up at her and Mira sat down, sighing as she leaned against a tree trunk, "I'm fine as well, now that I'm here I suppose. I think you and the others here in the forest are all I can talk to. No one in the village really understands me like you all do." There was more squeaking and Mira smiled brightly, "Whats that? You wan to see me dance again?" She laughed, knowing it was silly of her to pretend the mouse could speak to her, and stood up, beginning to dance again, spinning and twirling even faster now, blocking everything else around her as she danced.