Narcissa Black was 11 years old when she received an early birthday present. Something that was just as rare as seeing her mother smile. When she opened the red satin box, all that lay inside was a small, pearl necklace. Her mother picked it up and fastened it around her daughters slim neck. It was then that she realized it was not a present given to her out of love, it was a reminder.
It was so tight, that at times, she nearly felt as if it were choking her. But she supposed that was her mothers intention. It was to remind her that she was not independent. She did not make her own choices in life. Cissa was a puppet, pulled at the seams by her mother. If she ever felt like she was about to talk back or roll her eyes, she would simply touch her slender fingers to the smooth pearls and remind herself that girls like her do not act out. Her mothers voice would then fill her head, “You are the perfect daughter, Narcissa. You will do as I say, when I say it. You will sit pretty and smile when in public. You will not slouch nor sit with your legs uncrossed.”
It is something that she wears daily, for she fears her mother will know when it is not around her neck. Because the Necklace wasn’t really a Necklace… It was a collar.
