0 March Secret Agent #37

TITLE: Devil's Playground
GENRE: YA Historical Fantasy

“Elizabeth, are you up?” I sit up with a start, taking a moment to orient myself. Oh, yeah. It’s Sunday. And I’ve slept in again.

“Yes, I’m almost ready,” I lie, jumping out of bed. I wince as my bare feet hit the cold floor. Time to put on my ‘Sunday best.’ I pull out the first dress I see. It doesn’t seem to matter much when my choices are the black dress, the dark black dress, or the other black dress. Shall I wear the one with the hole, the one with two holes, or the one the mouse chewed through?

“Elizabeth! We are going to be late, we need to leave,” I hear Mother call again, this time with a hint of impatience.

“I’ll be right there!”

After exchanging my white nightdress for the dark black dress that the mouse chewed through, I tie a white apron around my waist, attempting to hide the hole. I am nearly out the door when I realize I have forgotten my cap.

I sigh, quickly pinning my hair back before covering it with the white cap, a symbol of my purity. I now look like every other girl in Salem village, just how it should be. It seems a shame to let my curls go to waste and I can’t help but pull a few forward.

I walk out to the front room where Father, Mother, and my younger sister Anna are waiting. Mother sighs and shakes her head.

"What did I do now?" I ask.