Cinder's Story: a Lunar Chronicles Fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Five: I Mean, Pretty Much

When Cinder showed up at the ball, Kai was there to greet her.

"Hey, Cinder!" Kai greeted. "You're looking very androgynous this evening!"

The guests, formerly abuzz with hopeful splendor, now inclined their ears to their newest emperor. Kai had been coronated earlier that evening, and he wore his oversized, hand-me-down royal garb like an overly-eager high-school graduate. Needless to say, he looked as charmingly ridiculous as always.

Cinder was concerned. "...'Androgynous'? What kind of compliment is that?"

He shrugged. "It's something my dad used to tell my mom. How's it going?"

Cinder sighed, "not so well, actually. See, Levana wants to perform the mating ritual of the prey mantis with you, and it turns out that princess Selene is still alive."

Kai nodded. "Makes sense. Speaking of which, queen Levana is here right now."

As if he could teleport whomever he named, Levana joined their little company.

"Emperor Kai," she inquired, "who is this?"

"This is Cinder." He introduced. "She's a close friend of mine, and a hottie like you."

"Ah, that she is." Levana affirmed. "Can I have her?"

Cinder gawked at the Lunar queen, only to give a second helping when Kai agreed.

"Sure. She's all yours."

The second helping was served with a side of, "...Wha- ...What??"

"I'm giving you up to the queen, who probably wants you dead." Kai explained. "What's the big deal?"

He seemed to give his own question some serious thought, and for a moment Cinder wondered if he would try performing the Hokey-Pokey again to turn himself around. Unfortunately, all he did was make a show of agreeing with himself.

"Also, have you lied to me? I'm pretty sure you've lied to me at some point, so this makes us even."

Cinder clenched her fists. "I'm not your property to just hand off to people!"

"Ha! She thinks she's not your property to just hand off to people!" Levana chuckled unexpectedly.

She pointed a finger at the cyborg in front of her and added, "hey, everybody! Look at Cinder! She thinks she's actually of any worth whatsoever, and not somebody's property! Point at her, and laugh!"

They did so; all twenty-hundred-something of them pointed at Cinder, and laughed at her expense.

Kai blinked.

...

"This is not the droid you're looking for."

The security guard stationed at Cinder's cell left the two of them to chat in private.

"You're immune to the queen's influence because your adoptive father programmed your cybernetics to resist Lunar magic whenever your head is turned at a one-eighty-degree angle." Doctor D. told her.

"Also, I'm going to Africa... meet me there."

And they all lived Happily Ever After!