Claws and Talons [Kyo Sohma]

Chapter 38 - Something Like Cinderella!

Word Count :  2825

We were all set up and the play was about to start. Since this was different from the original story of Cinderella, the title of the play was called 'Something like Cinderella.'. The auditorium was already filled up with people ready to watch the play. The talking died down when the lights turned off and the spotlights turned on. It pointed at our narrator who was off to the side of the stage, everyone's attention was now focused on the stage.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. For reasons we won't get into, Cinderella was constantly tormented by her stepmother and stepsisters." As he spoke the curtains of the stage revealed the backdrop to the town where the story takes place. "Despite that, she had a pure heart, and she lived with virtue and humility." Tohru and I followed Minami as we made our way across the stage.

"Cinderella? Where did you go Cinderella? Have you finished sewing our Cinderella dresses? The castle ball is tonight you know!" Minami called in a cruel voice playing her role as the evil stepmother.

"I'm right here." Hanajima responded, sitting on the stage floor sipping at a cup of tea.

"Why are you just sitting there sipping tea?! You'd better have the dresses finished if you're taking a break already!"

"M-Mother..." Tohru stuttered her lines in character.

"You can't possibly expect an amature like me to make a decent dress. But if you want to look ridiculous at the ball, that's your business. I won't stop you." Hanajima explained.

"I have no choice you little brat! It's how the story goes!" Minami told her.

"Mother, why don't we stop yelling at Cinderella?" I suggested.

"Anyway, dear Sisters, won't you have some tea with me?" Hanajima offered, pointing to the other cups of tea.

"May I?" Tohru asked as she took her spot next to Hanajima.

"Thank you." I say sitting down as well.

"Hey! Now you're all just leisurely sipping tea! This story will go nowhere unless you take this seriously!" Minami yelled

"The castle ball was that night. It was rumoured that the prince was using the ball to find a bride, and the stepmother was eager to have one of her daughters to marry into the rich family. So she herself could live a good life." The Narrator explained.

"What are you so happy about?! You leave me no choice then! Come here!" She takes each of her arms and wraps it around Tohru and I, dragging us away from Hanajima. "If you ever want to see your precious sisters again, you'd better get to work on those dresses." And with that we left the stage.

"Sister!" Hanajima called out. "This is terrible. My beloved sisters have been taken from me just because some prince wanted to have a ball. I'll make him pay."

"And just like that, Cinderella had fallen in love with the prince who she had never met." the narrator explained.

"Then I must sneak into the castle... But I have yet to finish the dresses. What shall I do?" She asked herself.

"It'll be okay. Worry not, Cinderella. Yuki said entering the stage. He was dressed in a flowing blue outfit and a headdress. The odd thing was that he was holding a wooden broom which looked odd and out of place. The spotlight turned on him and a large part of the girls in the audience started taking photos.

"Please refrain from excessive flash photography!" The narrator called out to the audience.

"I'm your fairy godmother."