Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Eight

Ella

I smiled proudly to myself, glancing around at the main hall at all the decorations. It was brilliant if I do say so myself. I had blue and silver and gold streamers hung on the ceiling in criss cross patterns. Balloons hung on every other table and fresh roses sat in the vases. I had all of the food platters sitting wrapped in the fridge. I had about three hours to make my dress.
Three.
Oh yeah. Easy peasy.
I ran upstairs to my room and laid out the fabric. I had purchased a lot of regular white tulle, and a soft pink silk to go over it. I opened up my wardrobe and dug around until I found a box labeled "MOM". I opend it up and inside were some random pictures and trinkets, but at the bottom was a little case with thread and needles, as well as a small little wooden box with tiny painted roses on it. I opened it up and gave a small and sad smile and took out its contents.
Inside were the ribbons my mother wore in her hair on the night of her wedding and some of the ones attached to her dress. They were white and blue, but I would find a way to use them with the pink material.
I laid out the cloth which I had already meausred and cut out before, put it on the sewing machine, and got to work.

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Two hours later and I heard a shriek from downstairs. I dropped my needle and thread and went running down the stairs. When I got to the bottom I almsot screamed myself.
Lucifer had managed to jump from the balcony, into the streamers, and left them hanging from the ceiling as he ran around looking like a mummy wrapped in blue and gold.
"Ella! How could you let him do that!" Drizella shrieked.
I gapped at the streamers and down at Lucifer, opening my mouth like a fish with no words coming out. Mary came running out, took one look at the streamers and set a steady glare on me that could have had me pushing up daisys.
"Fix this. Now." She demanded.
"It took me almost an hour to put them all up! It'll be faster to take them down."
"I don't care. Fix it."
She turned to go back into her room. "But my dress..." She gave me one last look that sent me scurrying into the kitchen for the rest of the streamers, holding back tears. One did not simply say "no" to Madame Tremaine.

The Mice

When Ella ran out of the room I knew it was bad. Gus Gus scurried down to find out what it was, and when he came back it wasn't good.
I turned around to the small group that was with me.
"Okay guys, we need to finish that dress." I squeaked.
One of the younger girls gave me a concerned look. "But wont she come back up here?"
I shook my head. "Doubtful, it took her a while to put those up the first time. Now she has to take the other one's down and put new ones up. Now come on, lets get to work!"
We all scurried out, changed our forms, and got to work on the dress.

Ella

I couldn't believe it. I ran out of streamer. I grabed the keys, ran to the car, turned the key in the ignition...
And it didn't start.
I tried again and the same result.
I screamed and punched the horn, the noise echoing loudly in the garage. I climbed out, slammed the door, grabbed the keys to Mary's pride and joy, opened the garage, and floored it.

Mary has never let me drive her car. A vintage Aston Martin in powder blue she never let anyone touch it. Never. For the most part she kept the car up herself, waxing it and taking it in almost every other week for checks. The fact that I was driving it down the road at 60 mph with the top down and my hair flying in the wind was enough to get me on house arrest for a month. But if she wanted this party to look as how she imagined, she would be able to deal with it.

I hope.
I pulled into the parking lot of the store, locked it, and ran inside. I grabbed the streamer and up to the cash register.
"That'll be $25," the bored teenager said, chewing his gum slowly.
I gapped and stared at the crumpled $20 in my hand. "I only have 20..." I mumbled, my eyes beginning to fill with tears at my frsutration and desperateness.
He stared and me and shrugged. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to put one back?" I looked down at the two of each color streamer I had, and how much I had left to do. It stopped right before the kitchen, and I figured I wouldn't get in that much trouble for it not going all the way down the hallway.
I heaved a heavy sigh and quickly swipped my eyes. "No, thats okay. I don't need them that badly." I looked down at my twenty and shoved it back in my pocket. Money was going to be my demise. I didn't have enough to move out nor did I want to abandon my home to them, and going to college was a laughable subject. I was stuck on my own tiny hell were everyone in my family for the past few generations was born, and had lived, as well as died there. All I wanted to do was leave but that was out of the question for me. Strangely enough, that house was all I had left.
I got into the car and sped home, but not before I stopped for gas to refill the tank with my twenty. I pulled into the driveway with thirty minutes left to spare.
Mary was waiting for me in the kitchen when I entered the house holding a garment bag. "Here, you're going to need this."
I took the bag skeptically and unzipped it. It was a black dress that would probably stop at my knees with white riffles around the collar and an apron tied to the front. All in all, it was a maids uniform.
The bitch had finally done it.
I gapped at her. "You expect me to wear this?"
"Yes, I do. I can't have you serving our guests wearing... That." She said, pointing at my jeans and t-shirt. "These are important and classy people, I can't have it looking like I hired the help from off the street."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh heaven forbid my jeans offend your precious social circle standard! Does this stain bring you down to the bottom? Or what about this hole, what happens when they see that? How dare the high and mighty Mary Tremaine show her dirty, mud stained, trashy step-daughter to friends. I bet they don't even respect you except for your money and a house you inherited because the "love of your life" died!" I screamed.
Mary reached out and slapped me across the face. I didn't feel it at first but then the stinging hit and I cluched my cheek, tears running down my face. "I will send you out to the streets girl." She hissed.
I glarred at her. "Do it. At least I know I'll be accepted there. But wait, then you wouldn't have any free help to boss around and keep you from being bankrupt."
Mary stepped up to me and grabbed my arm in an iron grip with strength I didn't know she had. Her sharp nails dig into my skin and I was afraid they were going to draw blood. "You listen to me Cinderella, I own you until you turn 22. Laws of the land sweetheart. So if you want to leave this place, think again. I'm all you have left. Now if you value your continued existence in that atti mc and not the chicken coop, I would go upstairs to change and come down with a smile on your face, do you understand?" She whispered with so much menance I was almost afraid. No, I was definitely afraid.
I ripped my arm from her grasp and knew there would be a bruise. I gave a nod, grabbed the dress and ran upstairs, blowing past Anastasia and Drizella.
What could I say, obeying authority was never really my thing.