Liana’s hands had been in the hot dishwater for so long, her fingertips were puckered. Blowing a strand of damp hair from her face, she wiped crusted food off a platter and handed it to Winnie, who struggled to keep up with the drying. Poor Winnie. At 14, she was just one year younger than Liana, but she was so skinny, she looked only 10. Sometimes, Liana snuck her food from her own plate, but they all got so little, there wasn’t much to share. Now, Cook clanged two pots into the basin, splashing Liana’s apron, which was already soaked.
“Winnie!” Cook yelled, one large hand holding a bowl of whipped cream. “Get yourself out to the dining room and help clear the dinner dishes!”
Liana watched Winnie go, wishing Cook had sent her, instead. The Prince was in the dining room this very minute. But Liana had a plan to set eyes on him one way or the other. She schemed as she scrubbed and scoured and sweated.
Suddenly, a girl’s scream came from the dining room. Then the double doors banged open and Mrs. Thorpe entered, dragging a girl by the shoulder. It was Winnie. All the color had drained from her face, and she could barely walk.
“You’re worthless!” Mrs. Thorpe shouted at her. “Can’t even bus dishes without getting in your own way.” She gave Winnie a little shove, letting go of her shoulder. Winnie crumpled to the floor—but Liana, who was coming toward the commotion, caught her.
Gently, Liana lowered her to the floor. “You’re burned! She’s burned,” Liana said to the innkeeper, examining Winnie’s arm, where a large red welt was already starting to blister. “How did this happen?”
“Girl didn’t have the good sense to step out of the way of a hot pan,” said Mrs. Thorpe. The innkeeper shifted her glare to Liana. “And you’ll find out soon enough what happens to girls who take that tone with me. Don’t you have a job to do?”
In Liana’s arms, Winnie was whining softly. “It’s all right, Winnie,” Liana whispered.
Now, the innkeeper leaned down to grab Liana’s arm. “I said—”
“Excuse me?” A young man was standing at the doors, which were still propped open. The innkeeper straightened, drawing in a breath as she realized the kitchen was in full view. “My sergeant has a salve that should ease the girl’s burn.”
“Thank you,” said Liana. The man was tall, with dark hair that curled to his shoulders and piercing green eyes. His trousers and tunic were simply styled, but well-made of rich, purple cloth. The buckles on his tall brown boots were forged in real silver.
“Thank you, my Lord,” said Cook, bending down to sweep Winnie into her arms. Bowing her head, she gave a brief curtsy. “This kitchen’s got no shortage of salve.” Cook turned to whisper in Winnie’s ear. “Cook will take care of you now, lovey.”
As Cook trudged from the kitchen, Liana stood, noticing for the first time that everything around her had stopped. The kitchen girls, the busboys, even the innkeeper stood, turned toward the man in the doorway, their heads bowed.
“Liana!” hissed one of the girls.
Liana looked around, then back at the man, who was staring at her, a half-smile on his lips. An amused look sparkled in his eyes. And then it dawned on her. She had laid eyes on the Prince, after all. Horrified, she bowed her head, giving herself a view of her soaked apron and general disorderly appearance. Keeping her head lowered, she snuck a look up at the Prince through her bedraggled hair.
He was still looking at her—and then he spoke to her. “What’s your name?”
Write a 3–5 sentence analysis explaining the story structure, whether the action moves the plot forward, and how the characters are developed. (4 points) can you do it like a 7th grader would.