Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Five

Ella

Two days later the pipes were fixed and the fountain was flowing. I had three days left until Mary, Anastasia, and Drizella came home so I decided I might as well clean out the garage and wash the cars. I did that on Monday, and on Tuesday I went into town to see if there were any quick jobs I could do for some money. I brought my $17 with me just in case and walked along Main Street and then into Market Square where all the fresh foods, goods, and services were offered. It was like a permanent farmers market, and some of the stalls here had belonged to some families for generations.

My first job that morning was helping an elderly couple unload their goods and clean their stall which earned me $20. Then I cleaned 50 bags of produce and fruits and set them up which got me another $50 from the same couple. A few odd-ball jobs later and I had about $150 total. I spent $20 on a well-deserved lunch and collapsed onto a bench under a massive oak tree.

The first thing I bit into was my apple. The sweet juice exploded in my mouth and some dribbled down my chin. I groaned in pleasure, closing my eyes and leaned back, taking another large bite.
"Better be careful or you could choke." My eyes snapped open and a very attractive guy was standing there with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. I looked at him then down at my apple and chewed slowly, a blush spreading across my cheeks as I wiped the juice from my chin.
"Tanks..." I mumbled, swallowing. I coughed and he gave me a look that said, See?
"So what are you doing here today?" He asked, sitting down next to me on the bench, stretching his legs out.
"Just trying to earn some money to buy a dress for the Prince's birthday ball," I told him him honestly. I was too tired to think of a convincing lie.

His eyes widened and he looked at the ground. "I see." He stood and gave me a small nod. "I wish you luck." He walked away hastily and I starred after him as I bit into my sandwich. Weird....

After finishing my lunch I went back to work. I walked around, looking at each stall and asking for work when I finally found a decent job fixing and washing cars.

"Can you work a wrench?" The big burley guy asked with oil stains under his nails, rubbing his hands on a dirty rag.
"Yes sir." I said, standing up a little straighter even though I only came to his chest.
"Change the oil, fix a tire, wash it, wax it..." He rambled out some other stuff and I nodded. Its how I kept our cars from going into the shop and spending the extra money we didn't have.
"Yes sir."
He nodded and handed me an apron to tie around my waist and a tool belt. "You'll get $15 and hour. We close at 7:30."
I beamed and got to work at promptly 2:30.

It was 7 o'clock and I don't think I worked harder and so focused on a job than I had in my life. I was washing and waxing all the cars that would be picked up tomorrow morning.

I had just put soap in the bucket and turned the hose on but no water was coming out. I picked up the end of the nozzle and examined it. Well, nothing seemed to be blocking it. I squeezed the handle and nothing came out. I shook it, thinking maye that would do something. I tried squeezzing it again, and again, nothing.

I kept squeezing the handle, looking into the hose when I heard a voice from behind me.

"I think this is your issue..."
I turned around and was suddenly blasted in the face with a jet stream of ice cold water. I yelped and dropped the hose. I wiped my face with my hands and looked towards the person.
It was the same guy from earlier when I was eating my lunch. He was holding the hose in his hand, trying to hide his laughter. "There was a twist in the hose, it wasn't letting any water through."
I glowered at him. "Thank you." I yanked the hose and it dropped to the ground from his hand.

I filled the bucket with water, picked up the sponge, and started scrubbing. I heard him walk a few steps and take a seat on one of the waiting chairs at a small table under a red sunfaded umbrella. I got too obsorbed in my task to think about him until I had finished the wash and the wax.

I rubbed my face again and turned around, picking up the bucket still filled with water.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked, dumping the water out.

He shook his head. "No, but you have a little somehting on your face." He gestured to his cheek and I went over to a mirror and gasped. My face had streaks of oil and dirt all over it. I grabbed a towel and rubbed my face. I looked back in the mirror and it was mostly gone. The rest would have to wait until I got home.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea." I hung out the towel, put all the stuff away, and said goodbye to the burely man who's name I found out was Jimmy. He gave me my money, thanked me for all my hardwork, and I left with a thank you, you're welcome, and a goodbye.
The stranger started walking with me down the street and people gave us curious glances but didn't say a word. I assumed it was beause of the filth I was covered in.

"So, whats your name?" he asked me, nodding to a street vendor selling pies.
I gave him a strange look. "Mother told me to never tell strangers my name."
He chuckled. "Well I have never been in jail for any reason or accused of any bad deeds. I think I have a decent credibilty."
I raised my eyebrow. "Alright, so what's your name?"
His eyes widened a little and he looked at the ground. "Georgie. It's what all my friends call me."
I nodded. "My name is Ella."
"Beautiful name."
I smiled sadly. "Thank you, it was my mother's middle name."

I reached my car parked under a tree. I paid the lady I had asked to park there the $50 I owed her and smiled at Georgie.
"Well it was nice meeting you Georgie. Maybe I'll see you tomorow." I reached for the doorhandle and tugged. It was locked. I reached into my pocket for my keys.
"Oh, I'm sorry I have things to do tomorrow." He frowned and opened my door for me when I got it unlocked.
"Thank you. Well, will you be at the Prince's Ball?" I starred at him, waiting for an answer with my key in the ignition.
He nodded. "Yes, I can't miss it."
I smiled and closed the door, rolling down the window. "Great, then I guess I'll see you there."

He nodded and stepped back from the car, waving.
I waved back and drove home and when I pulled into the garage I took all the money I had earned out of my pocket. I ended up with $205 total. Hopefully tomorrow if I showed up early enough, I'd earn enough to buy something decent for Friday.