Love, Cinderella

One:

Time: 04:30 a.m.

It was dark outside and the only thing that I could hear were the creepy crickets. The whole house was dark except for the kitchen, which I was in. I was kneading the dough repeatedly making sure that my bread rolls would come out perfectly. Because if they didn't I'd have to do them again.

After a couple more kneads I covered the bowl and put it aside. Next I swept the whole house, and then mopped it. I dusted the furniture and then  I kneaded the dough one last time and put it in the oven.

Then I went for a bath. I had twenty five minutes.

Before I got into the bath tub I took out the folded letter from my apron and read it over.

"I need you." It had written. I smiled, a tear almost escaping my eye and then carried on undressing.

I took my very needed bath.

Yesterday I wrote what I thought would be my final letter to my father. I wrote it in tears. I had had a terrible day. A terrible week. I was ready to end it. Ready to make all the pain go away. I dug a hole near the bench at the park, like I always did and then I closed it.

It was funny. I always buried the letters at the same place, but the following day it wouldn't be there. I'd always find one flower in it's place: a rose. I'd smile, because my father used to always bring me the flower when he came back from his business trips.

For a while I actually thought that my dad actually got my letters. He actually read them, and that was his way of showing me that he was still there. But I was naïve. That was impossible.

I knew then that that meant that someone else read my letters, but I still allowed it to carry on. I liked knowing that at least someone listened to me. Someone read my letters and someone, just like my dad had (I wrote it in my first letter) brought me roses.

I always smiled when I found the rose. Even though it was plastic. It still meant a lot to me. But I never took it home. I couldn't. So instead I left it on the bench that I had been sitting on, and then the following day it would be buried in the same black rectangular box that it always was.

And then yesterday I wrote the letter and I buried it, not even taking the rose out of the box. I put the box aside and then buried my last letter, which was mostly written to the secret person and not my dad. My dad was dead, he couldn't read it, but someone else could and they needed to know what I was about to do.

I walked around the park before I went back home. And when I got there I found the most surprising thing. A rectangular black box. It was the box that I always dug up.

I frowned as I picked up the box. They knew where I lived. That was all that I was thinking about. I did not care though, it wouldn't matter after a while.

I opened the box and couldn't stop the tear that slid down. A rose was inside. A real one.  And a letter folded to fit perfectly inside the box. I took out the letter and read it. Making me want to cry even more.

Someone actually cared, and that made me happy.

Now as I lay in the tub and relaxed my sore muscles I thought of the moment with a smile on my face.

My Prince?

I liked the sound of that. I liked knowing that someone out there cared enough to want me here.

~°•°~

"Bella!"

"Yes, coming!" I was done with everything that I had to be done with and if I did not leave at that moment I would be late for school, so I did not know why my stepmother was calling me.

I ran from the front door to the kitchen, where she and her twin devils—I mean daughters were sitting. She did not even look up at me as she sipped at her tea.

"It's about to rain." She stated. I almost smiled. Did she finally care that I might get wet and then sick? Was she finally being a good mother to me too?

"Yes."

"Cari broke her umbrella, will you borrow her yours?" Is more a request than a question. If I said no, and then they'd take it by force.

"But what about me?"

"What about you?" She said carelessly. She did not care about me. She'll never care about me.

"It's already drizzling, and I have to walk to school. I'll get wet." I tried to reason with her. Why couldn't Cari just share with Cheri? Why did I have to suffer? They went to school in Sandy's car.

"Is that you saying no?" For the first time she looked at me. And so did the twins. The twins gave me death glares whilst their mother gave me a daring look. She wanted me to say no. But I couldn't, she knew that.

I had promised.

"It's fine." I forced a smile. "School is not even that far."

"It isn't!" Sandy said with a wide smile on her face. Her smile was everything but nice, and her tone was also more than happy. She liked making me suffer. She really did.

I took off my bag and then bent down to retrieve the umbrella. When I stood up again Sandy's hand was outstretched. I handed her the umbrella.

"Thank you. Your dad would be so proud to see you make sacrifices for your sisters." I smiled and then left the kitchen. I did not want to look at them anymore. "Goodbye, Bella!"

When I opened the front door it was drizzling a bit harder. It was still not raining to hard, so if I hurried I might get to school before it picked up. Before I stepped out I remembered that my books would get wet. So I turned around and went to fetch a plastic bag. I put it over my bag, protecting my books from any accident and then I charged for school...

Which was thirty minutes away...

~•°•~

I was lucky. It stopped drizzling after a couple of minutes. I managed to walk the rest of the way with less worries. I got to school at the same time as the twins. They did not even spare me a glance.

I sighed. We used to be so close, but maybe that was all a lie.

I was planning to move out when I was eighteen. That was only a couple of months away. I just had to wait a little longer, until I was old enough. And then I'd never see them again.

After third period I walked to my next class from the third floor. I was still thinking about life after I left, like I did everyday. It was hard not to, because then I would be free from the torture and constant verbal abuse.

Then I would be free.

I did not look where I was going, as I thought of a life without my stepmother and her daughters, that I did not notice myself missing almost two stairs as I went down.

A stupid move, yes.

I went down. Faster than I ever thought I could, with the bag putting more force. I was going to die.

But as I was falling I was wrapped in something. At first I thought that it was the way that all people died, until I finally reached the ground.

It hadn't been something, but a someone who had wrapped themself around me. I gasped when I saw his eyes closed.

"Oh my God." I said. He smiled as his eyes opened, but only a slit.

"Pleasure..." And then he shut his eyes again.

I think I killed the most popular guy in my school.