A Modern Cinderella Story (On Hold Because School Is Time-Consuming)

Chapter 13

Ella's POV

The creaky sound of footsteps coming up the old staircase awaken me from my deep sleep. My whole body stiffens up at the sound of my bedroom door opening. When the door opens the creaking doesn't stop, so I know that there are multiple people entering my room. I don't dare open my eyes. I'm almost certain that these people are my stepfamily, and my suspicions are confirmed when I hear two obnoxious giggles that can only belong to Jade and Marie. I honestly wish that the person in my room right now was a random burglar.

I have no idea what they want. My stepfamily rarely, if ever, comes up to my room. The last time my stepmother came up to my room she...

My eyes pop open right as my computer hits the ground. I jump out of my bed and don't even have to take five steps until I reach Jade and Marie.

I lunge for the book in Jade's hand, "Stop! Give those back!"

A hand reaches out and grabs a handful of my hair. I fall back onto the floor and hit my head on the ground hard. My step-monster puts her knee on my left arm. I try to push her off, but then Marie comes over and grabs my other arm. I kick and scream, but the step-monster quickly handcuffs my left wrist to my bed's headboard.

Tears keep running down my face, and no matter how much I scream they won't stop. I try to tug and pull at the handcuffs, but they won't budge. The monster grabs a handful of hair and pulls my head painfully back. My tear-filled eyes meet her ice cold ones.

The only emotion her eyes show is disgust, "I let you live in my house, under my roof, and yet instead of doing your share, you decide to go out and leave us to do all of your work. Do you think I'm a pushover or just plain stupid?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Marie and Jade ripping out all of the pages in my books. The step-monster jerks my head again to get my attention back on her.

The monster sneers, "Since you seem to like sitting on your butt all day, why don't you take a few days off from school?"

She puts her other hand on the side of my face, "I'll be nice and let you have a few sick days. I'll tell them that you don't look so good."

The monster digs her claws into my cheek, and I let out a cry of pain. I can't let her take away my only escape. I can't let her take away the only real family that I have left. My thoughts flash to today and all the fun that I had with Henry and Alex. I don't regret any of it, not even the fight with Will and Leo. I don't regret today, but I also want to have a tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake. It'll never happen again, I promise."

My eyes plead for her to stop, but Cinderella's godmother never did really save her from her family.

The monster's menacing smile is replaced again by the look of disgust, "You are a mistake, and you've never been very good at being someone you aren't, now have you?"

The monster knocks my head against the side of my bed and stands up to leave. Jade and Marie follow her lead and leaves my wrecked room, stepping over all the torn book pages.

As the monster leaves, I whisper, "Why do you hate me so much?"

The step-monster gives a loud cackle, "Cinderella, Cinderella. Night and day it's all about Cinderella! You see, I don't hate you. I loathe you, your hopes, and your dreams. You need to realize that there is no prince coming to save you, life doesn't just give out happy endings, and the only people who have ever cared about you are now dead. You need to get it through your head that your future resides here with me, in this house. This castle is now mine, and you are under my rule now."

Then with a slam of the door, she was gone, and the only light left was coming in from my one window. The moon directed it's light onto me like a spotlight would be directed to do in a play, capturing the most tragic and life-changing events in one's life.