Reincarnated as an Ugly Step Sister

Chapter 43

"Okay."

"How old are you?" I ask, sitting down.

"Fifteen, nearly sixteen."

"You're pretty young, huh?"

"I guess. My ma says I'm mature for my age though." A silence falls over us. I know he wants my company but I don't know what to talk to him about. "So your sister was really put under a sleeping curse?"

"Yeah, step sister. She's the sweetest person I've ever met, she didn't deserve it."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No. I think maybe my mom. She hates my step sister and she's evil. She cut off my other sister's toes."

"Yikes," he says, raising his eyebrows.

"I know. Lots of family drama."

"Can't sleeping curses usually be cured with a kiss?" he asks.

"Yeah, well I didn't feel comfortable letting a bunch of random people kiss my sister."

"Oh. You love your sister, why didn't you kiss her."

"Huh, I don't know. Seemed a little too easy I guess." Am I a total idiot? Would that have worked? I don't think it works that way in fairytales but it does in Disney movies. "I'm pretty sure it has to be romantic. Anyway, she has a true love, it's just that they're both under sleeping curses so one of them has to be saved to wake the other one up."

"What even is your life?"

I laugh. "I ask myself that all the time."

"Who are the guys you're traveling with?"

"Chase is the dark haired one with the sad backstory and emotional problems. Nicholas is the crown prince who's engaged but in love with someone else."

"What even is your life?" he asks again. This time we both burst out laughing.

"What about you? What is your life like?"

"Well, it's just me and my ma. We used to have a cow but we had to sell her. I sold her for the magic beans that made the beanstalk that leads to the giant. We used to have pretty bad money problems but I stole some coins. Sorry I was so mean at first, I'm just paranoid. I've never had so much money."

"It's okay. Do you have many friends?"

"No, Ma says I don't have time for that. I've worked on the Jones farm since I could walk."

"So you can't read?"

"Nah."

"Maybe now that you have money you can go to school."

"I don't think so. I have enough to last a few months. Ma has a lot of debts to pay off. Maybe we can buy a few cows and chickens though. I bet the giant has more money but it's pretty risky. He likes to eat humans, you know."

"Yeah, I'll be careful."

"The giant's wife is nice, she might feed you and hide you in the oven. At least she did with me. She's not a giant but I don't think she's human either, otherwise her husband would eat her."

The sun has fully risen now and I hear a loud yawn from behind the beanstalk. A few moments later I hear Nicholas's panicked voice. "Oh no... Get up Chase! Violet is missing! What do we do? Shoot!"

"Calm down, maybe she just went to the bathroom."

"Or maybe she climbed up the beanstalk and got eaten by the giant!"

"If she isn't back in five minutes then you can panic, okay Nick?"

I'm trying as hard as I can to keep quiet. I want to burst out laughing, why is he so worried? "Hey? Do you want to play a prank on them?" I ask Jack. He nods eagerly. "Do you have any cherries?"

Four minutes later everything is set up. My black shirt, which I don't care about much anyway, has a rip in it with cherry juice around the tear so it looks as though I was stabbed. Jack is holding a kitchen knife, also covered with cherry juice.

When everything's ready I scream and collapse to the ground, pretending to be dead. Of course, Nicholas and Chase come running.

"No! Violet!" Nicholas runs to my side and I fight the urge to giggle and ruin the whole thing.

Jack acts perfectly. "Oh no... I-I didn't mean to... she was trespassing, I didn't want to..."

"What did you just do?" Chase asks, his voice deep and scary. The air starts to feel static.

I open my eyes and yell "Boo!" before anything escalates.

Nicholas screams and slaps his hands over his mouth. Chase jumps back, a hand on his chest and breathing heavily. Jack smiles nervously. I guess I didn't think this prank through, Chase could have hurt Jack. Whoops.

"Sorry, it was a joke," I say, grinning.

"Jeez, Violet! You scared me!" Nicholas says but he smiles too.

"Are you alright?" I ask Chase.

"Give me a sec. Right now I hate you but someday I'm going to look back on this and laugh," he tells me, still holding his chest and trying to catch his breath.

"Good. This is Jack by the way, he's the owner of the beanstalk and my new friend," I say.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nicholas," Nicky says, standing and shaking Jack's hand. "Just so you know, Vi, this is a prank that's only funny the first time."

He's probably right, I don't want to be the boy who cried wolf. I wonder if he's real in this universe. Does that count as a fairytale? "It was a one time thing, don't worry."

Chase introduces himself to Jack and we all chat for a bit. After a few minutes Jack goes into the house and brings out two chairs, some tea, and a loaf of bread. We talk until we're done eating and all go get ready.

It's time to climb the beanstalk.