The Cinderella Games

18⏐cotton candy blue

We start walking towards the hall, and that's when I notice how late it is. "I was only asleep for three hours," I say, glancing at the darkened sky. 

The stars twinkle back at me, a little mocking, while the dark curtains of endless midnight casts shadows across the palace. 

"Yeah, but you also stayed in the game longer than expected," Jonah replies. "It's probably ten right now, so that means we have... two more hours." 

I'm quiet for a minute, before I blurt out, "What's the plan?" 

He scratches his head, a look of embarrassment crossing his face. "Uh, I don't really have a plan?" he mumbles. 

I turn to stare at Jonah. "Wait- we're battling against a prince-obsessed psychopath who carries arrows and kills people without mercy and you don't have a plan?" I shriek. 

"In my defense, I couldn't think!" Jonah fires back. "You kept mumbling in your sleep about Cinderella. Like, I get it, you really like Cinderella - but please, girl, at least keep it down for a second." 

I scoff. "Whoa, dude, I'm not the one who can't even think about a single plan!" 

Jonah folds his arms. "My plan was to just attack William at the same time!" he yells. "Or just... you know, improvise or something."  

I exhale slowly. This boy is really killing me. "First things first," I say. "What weapons do you have?" 

He digs through the bag, before pulling out a knife. "That's not blood," he quickly says. "It's cranberry juice." 

"Okay. What else?" 

Jonah flushes. "Um, I may or may not have thrown my other weapons at Melody to get away from her," Jonah mutters under his breath. 

I blink. "So let me get this straight: the only weapon you have is a bloody knife." 

"It's not a bloody knife," he corrects. "It's a cranbe-" 

"It's a bloody knife!" I snap, snatching the weapon away from him. "Fine, ugh, we'll have to make use of what we have." 

Already, a plan fills my head. I inhale, then exhale. I got this. 

Just do what my mother wouldn't.