God Help the Outcasts: A Disney Crossover Fanfic

Chapter Five: Stepsister

Drizella wished desperately that she'd thought to pack an umbrella; she stumbled through the rain and toward the town bakery, where she hoped to see Anastasia. She'd been walking for hours, avoiding riders and coaches alike for fear her mother was coming for her.

But approaching the little dark shop, she knew she wouldn't find help here, not today. She clutched her hood under her chin as she passed the doorway-

"Oh!" she cried, for a hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth, and a pair of strong arms pulled her toward the door. "Let me go!" she tried to shriek, but the hand muffled her cry.

"Drizella, it's me!" Anastasia's familiar voice hissed close to her ear. She stopped struggling as the door closed; the arms released her, and she turned to find the baker looking sheepishly at the floor.

"Begging your pardon, miss." He said. Anastasia clutched her hands, eyes wide with fright.

"What are you doing? Riders have passed through here looking for you!"

Drizella didn't respond, only stared hopelessly at the floor. Anastasia pursed her lips; something was definitely wrong. "Alright, tell me everything."

As Anastasia led her toward a cozy little kitchen with a merry fire crackling in the hearth, Drizella began to talk, slowly and haltingly to start. But 2 slices of hot bread and three cups of tea later, the whole incident had been revealed. Anastasia grasped her sister's hands comfortingly as silent tears streamed freely down her face.

"I just don't want to go back." She sobbed. "I'm tired of being her plaything."

Anastasia nodded.

"I know it's hard. She's our mother, after all. But we're here to help you, and Cinderella, too. I'm just so glad you are free from her." The sisters exchanged watery smiles.

"Don't be so sure." The baker's trembling voice by the window sent a shiver down Drizella's spine. "She's here!"

Sure enough, the sounds of horses whinnying and cart wheels turning could be heard through the open window.

Anastasia and Drizella both leapt to their feet.

"Quick! You can hide in my wardrobe!" Anastasia pushed her sister into her room, flinging a finger towards the corner, where a small wardrobe stood open. "Keep all your things with you-"

"My cloak!" Drizella cried. "It's in the kitchen!" But a sharp rapping at the front door made them both freeze.

Anastasia bit her lip with indecision.

"I'll take care of it. Now go!" Drizella obeyed as Anastasia sprinted from the room. It occurred to her, however briefly, that this was the second time she'd been forced into hiding, and in a wardrobe-

"Mother!" Anastasia greeted just as Drizella closed the wardrobe door. "What a pleasant surprise-"

"Spare me." The cutting, all-too-familiar voice of the Lady Tremaine made Drizella cringe. The sound of heels clicking on the wooden floor echoed loudly in the quiet little house. "I know she came here, and I want to know where she is."

"Whomever are you talking about?" Anastasia asked innocently. Drizella cheered her sister on silently; she sounded so brave.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl." Her mother snapped impatiently. "Your sister's gone missing."

"Oh, my goodness!" Anastasia gasped. Drizella heard the floorboards creak as her sister moved, presumably closer to their mother. "Oh, I hope the poor dear's alright, what with all this rain. Here, Mother, come sit down-"