Glass

Part Two

To say Ella was tired was an understatement.

    As it turned out, her trip to the tailor was just the beginning of the day’s preparations for the ball. In addition to new dresses, the girls needed new shoes and jewelry, so she made trips to the shoemaker’s and the jeweler’s, respectively. By the time she got home Ciela had changed her mind--she wanted to dress in primrose rather than lilac, so Ella had to go back to all three areas and cancel the old orders before placing the new ones.

This time when she got home, she was met at the door with a list of foods that needed to be collected for the girls’ new diet. Apparently, her stepmother had heard that a rival manor nearby was feeding their girls nothing but foods that started with the letter ‘P’ for ‘prince’ and--of course--‘princess’, because this was supposedly a protection against malicious faeries who may try and spoil their chances of success at the ball. After an hour of scouring the grocer’s for ‘P’ foods, Ella came home to the sounds of hysterics. While she’d been out, the girls, in a fight over the ownership of a canister of facial powder, had spilled their entire arsenal of cosmetics. That left Ella with a huge mess to clean up and another trip out to town.

And so it was that Ella found herself walking home late that night, carrying several parcels filled with powders and tubes. Her hair stuck up in all directions; she had been rushing about all day and hadn’t had time to even wrestle it into a bun or braid. She was sore all over and had a pounding headache, but she was cheered by the thought that her stepsisters had likely retired to bed long ago. Of course, tomorrow would probably be full of the same chaos, but she decided not to worry about it just yet.

Ella looked up into the sky as the mansion came into view. The stars were bright tonight; she recognized several constellations. She let herself pause for a moment, setting her packages down on the ground gently and throwing her head back. Back when her father was alive, he’d taught her all about the stars and their stories. She was seeking her favorite constellation--Delphinus, the dolphin who, according to legend, had saved the lives of many a sailor--when a cracking twig caught her attention.

    Instantly Ella crouched and tensed. Her father had also taught her some fighting techniques he’d learned in lands overseas, and she wasn’t afraid to use them.

    She was just fistsing her hands--her thumbs tucked against the fronts of her fingers--when a figure emerged from the orchards. It froze, obviously just noticing her. Then a voice hissed, “Ellie?”

   

    Ella blinked. “Kam?”

    The figure stepped out into the moonlight, revealing her friend’s wide eyes. “Jeez, Ellie! You scared me!” he complained, though his grin gave his relief away.

    Ella relaxed and began to make her way toward him. “That’s funny, because terror was definitely two-sided.” She frowned, confused. “What are you doing in the orchards?”

    Kam scratched the back of his head. “Well, see, I heard Nellie talking to Marco about how the family of the house was working you half to death and you were probably wandering around still. So I decided to stay up and--” he coughed out an embarrassed chuckle “--and maybe, um, startle you on your way back.”

    Ella tried not to allow it, but an amused grin spread across her face unwarranted. “Kamden Lewison, were you really lurking in the orchards to prank me?” She tossed her head in faux haughtiness. “The nerve.”