Cruely Yours

Chapter 2

A: I have thought about coming to the public with what I know about her. I just think it is too soon to release that information to the public. Even if I don’t think highly of her anymore. I know her mother certainly does not anymore.

I: I can understand you had once been close friends. Would like to go into more detail about that? You do not have to give me more information than what you are comforable with. This week alone has been difficult for you.



If memory serves me well she was my only friend during that time. I have Rodger now, but back then she was all I had. I also have the puppies too. They are just adorable. I did come from an upper class family like her, but I did not get along with the others.She was much nicer back then before her mother bacame more distant. We were only 11 at that time and she was even colder towards me. I knew why she was like that… She knewshe was all I had untl we went to the upper class school. Her father by contrast, was much nicer to me. He was always a pleasure to talk to and even to this day I make calls to him just to talk.

M: As if you could use our phone to talk to your blasted fool of a father. I hate him more than I care about you.

A: Can’t just speak with him for a moment. I can’t live without knowing my father is alive.

M: You will just have to live without him. He doesn’t matter when you are in my home. That is highly rude of you to even talk back. You are below us, never forget that. Do you understand?And don’t say a word about this to Cruella.

A: Yes, Lady De’Vil…I understand.

M: I could easly have ruined your oppertunity to become a governess right now. That is exacty how much power I hold over you. Off you go, I don’t want to see you in my presence again.

I went downstairs after that. I wanted to have some fun with the head chef. This was not the first time she has warned me like this. I did not want to lose my oppertunity to become a governess. I guess it was for the best I did not become that.

HC: Hello, Anita, what a nice surprise. I was just about to get started on your favorite dessert. Would you like to join me dear?

A: Ofcourse I would. I love baking with you. Just show me what I need to do. I do enjoy baking with you.

I spent most of that evening with her and eating my favorite snacks too. It was a nice break after her mother yelled at me.

On a chilly morning in November I got up early to go and meet some of the staff. The sun room is nice and all , but I have a wandering mind. I met a lady, whom became my maid later on, cleaning the small side room next to the one I was in. She cleaned with such care and a warm heart into everything. Whenever Cruella gave me the cold shoulder, I would talk to her , or the other staff. I wonder if Cruella knew any of her staff as well as I do. She never talks about them, good or bad, I just want to know why she doesn’t. It seemed rather rude to do that sort of thing to your own staff. I never judged her for it and I still won’t, even if she did think of them as less than. I know she doesn’t think of me that way or if she did I had no idea. I don’t even know what she thinks of me now.

I tried to be helpful to most of the staff when I was there. I slowly became part of the family. I was 12 by the time I was secretly helping in the kitchen. I loved to cook and be in the kitchen. Cruella only comes down once in awhile to thank the head chef for the desserts. I was in the middle of making Cruella’s favorite dessert. A velvet cream cheesecake. It was supposed to be a suprise for her on her birthday, but she came down stairs to find us covered in flour. I was having a lot of fun that night. I was quite tired from all that baking the night before that I did not really have that much on her birthday.

Her mother only ever looked at me with distain from that day on. It was like I personaly disrespected her and not Cruella. I never understood that and at the same time never questioned it. I mostly stayed away from her mother after that point. I could tell you about the time she found me down stairs working with the head chef. The way she yelled at me just because I was talking to the head staff. I could not move or think about what to say back to her.

Her distain for me was always off putting. She is known for being competitive for the weathiest family in London. I focus on what she says about me and not he tone.

Cruella mocked me a lot for being so thin but eat so much to compensate. It would be the most wild time of my life. I don’t regret most of it at all. The parts that I do will come in due time. This story is a slow burn and I want to help burn it all the way. I won’t say that I will pin a lot of what I did behind Cruella’s back. I did make a friend do exactly what I wanted and Cruella only knew part of it afterwards. She still thinks I did no wrong and I am a sweet little thing to her. As we did I would hide in one of many small closets around the mansion. I could say I was rather flexible and able to fit in smaller spaces than Cruella thought I could. There were times I would hide in the Art room down the hall . It would take her 2 hours to even find me sometimes. We would spend several days at a time making up new games and rules. Miss.Pickett would have to teach us everything to catch up to her mothers expectations. She wanted Cruella to be just like her and al I could think of is Cruella just being 3 times as mean as her. It did make me giggle a little at a small change she would turn out like her. That was who Cruella was when I was yuonger and I would take everything to not have to go through it again. I have a whole lot of puppies to take care of now. I can say it was a matter of time before we get to the puppies and how Cruella turned out. I was the one who kept her in Hell Hall. I put here there with no regrets. I should have done so sooner. Only time will tell about that, I hope.

I spent most of the night drawing in the notebook she gave me. Cruella was really pretty with her curly black hair. She has been my family for the last few months after my own fathers absence. Her mother wanting nothing to do but travel all the time after the war started. Cruella wants her mother to be proud of her and I could see that nothing was worth it to her. I could see the desperate look in her eyes for her aproval.Her mother might not be proud of her but I am as her best friend. Cruella has been taking me where ever she goes and I just tag along. She is trying her best but I don’t know how long it will last. We to the trinket shop down the street from the mansion and I talked to the elderly man about what to get her in return. He told me he does not have anything that would suit her but to try the pet store near by. The pet store was not a bad idea. I just wanted to get her a new friend. On the walk back home we sat upon a open field to stargaze.I told her all about the stars in the sky and she giggled at me. I don’t even think she was even listening to me. I find it really funny that she won’t pay attention like that. I wanted to see if I spoke French to see if she was listening. That got her to sit up and talk about random things in French. She said it was the most prettiest language to speak. I think otherwise but it is pretty for sure… just like her. We continued to chatter all the way back home. Do say, I find her very pretty in one of the evening gowns I made for her.

To say that working on something kept my mind off of think about my papa out at war, then my mother leaving to go back to grandmother. I only found out by the letter she sent a month ago. I choose not tell Cruella anything about that. She is worried enough and she is going to be a proper lady in a couple of years. I want to help her get there. Will it be too hard on me to get her there? I don’t know what it takes to be a proper lady of the house. Her mother out of the house a whole lot I got to take class lessons with Cruella. Everything Miss.Prickett told me to do I did it. I was nose deep in the book about the civil war in the back. Miss.Pricket did want me to improve on what I know about history. She did far better to help both of us in our interests while still teaching us to be ladies.

Miss.Pricket: Ladies, both of stop your bickering and pay attention today’s lesson will be a test tomorrow. I want both of you to do well on this. I would dislike the idea that Cruella would fail at such an important part of grammar by fooling around like that.Cruella.. Do you want to do this in French or English? I expect you to write it in one way or another. Make your choice now before I give out today’s lesson. It would be in you best interest if you did listen today. I won't go over it again tomorrow, Cruella.

Cruella: I would much prefer to write today’s lesson in French. I quite enjoy the language. I also think it would be easier. That is what I think.

A: Don’t just think, just do it. We will get more homework the longer you talk.

Miss.Pricket took out a small piece of chalk and started the lesson on proper grammar in French. Sentence structure was something that caught my attention that day. I wrote faster than Cruella ever could. I was frantically writing everything she was saying down on loose paper. I did get a little board after awhile. I drew about 20 drawings of anything, nothing cohesive at all. I just kept going. The test alone was enough to be boring because it was rather easy for me. French or not I did as well as I could.

After class we both want something easy for lunch Miss. Doubouis asked if we wanted sandwiches or soup for lunch. Soup is always a nice way to warm up on cold day. We both ended up getting soup that afternoon. That being my favorite chicken soup. I really wanted Cruella to do well on the test she took this morining. She is smarter than she looks and hope she can use that to her full potential.The usual chit chat we had about things that not even I remember. Both of us start school in the fall due to the war it was delayed til late October. I had no clue what the damage was after the war.

Only if Cruella would notice that I need to write more to my papa. He could be in danger at any time. Thinking about him coming home and I just want to say he is a hero of war.He wrote me back last night and it was mostly about what he saw away from the front lines. He didn’t want me to know how bad it was and even he wanted to shield me from the evil of the world. This war couldn’t be as bad as they were saying it was. My papa wrote a happy letter to me or so I thought at the time… I don’t want to get into why. Not even Cruella knew what was going on in the 2 letters he had sent me. I could see the worry on her face after I reread the letter. I can’t stop myself from think if it is as bad if not worse than what is really going on.

Cruella worries a whole lot when I don’t talk to her for the whole day. I sat in a loft on the second floor, reading a book like I normally do. Mid afternoon fun for me and Cruella laying on the floor drawing in her notebook. I miss moments like this where no one is talking just listening to the sound of the birds outside chirping and wind tickling the trees. We spent an awful amount of time time like this. I end up finishing the book I was reading in the evening. I started to finish hemming a dress for her. It was a black pedal-like dress that a slit on the right side. Cruella came in expectantly and gave multiple kisses as payment for the best dress I have ever made. I was flushed with emotion and did not know how to respond to that. My face was red hot and kept telling myself she was just saying thank you, nothing more, right???

Do I have feelings for Cruella? I really shouldn’t… she’s my best friend or…. is she more than that to me. NO she is just my best friend. I.. don’t even know anymore. I shouldn’t fall in love with her. Maybe it won’t be that bad. I’ll just go out with her tonight if she says yes I will too. Should this be the day I confess everything. I have no clue what to do.

I will just finish hemming the bottom of this dress and try not to think to hard about it. I want to keep a lot to myself for now. I could tell she was nervous too. I heard that my papa sent me a letter. It makes me happy that he tries to send a letter during a war like this. I really want to see him again. I want to see him before school starts. I miss a whole lot about him. I try to sit in the window and just draw what I see out there. It was all gray and mopey out there in the morning. If I could, I would be in the art room with all the watercolors that I love to use. I wanted to paint the night sky that we saw yesterday. Cruella sat and was trying to brush up on her French and from what I could tell she improved since the last test we took on it.

I spent most of that morning into the late afternoon painting that wonderful night sky. I want to give it to her when I am done with it. I just know she will love it. She has always been on my mind. After everything we have been through… I want her to feel loved even if it’s not by her mother. Her mother was down right egregious in some ways. There is not specific example I could give at this time. To think I would want to go back to her in some way feels wrong at times. These thoughts touch my mind like the stars touch the sky. This feels a bit to poetic for my taste. She is a little bit too much at times and I guess her mother would be far too proud to think otherwise.



I: I see… Do you remember any time before her mother beacame distant to you?

A: I do not at this time remember anything before the age of 10. If I do I will tell you what you need to know. However, there is still a lot we have to get through before it gets too dark out. We do have a spare room if it does get to dark. I would just have to see if Rodger is okay with it.

I could see that it won't be easy. I have more things to peice together and that means talking to anyone who knows even one thing about her. Cruella is the reason I wanted to do this and I want this whole thing to be done before the public gets a word about it. I have searched the old newspaper record place. I have found something but I have to know if Anita has a word about it.