Glass

Part Six

Ella rode the horse at a hard gallop all the way home; not wanting to risk being spotted by her stepfamily on the same road, she took a lesser-known, more dangerous path instead. Roots and rocks jutted out occasionally, and once she saw someone sneering at her from the shadows. Just as the ruffian reached for her, however, he got a faceful of the dirt Blitz was kicking up; nursing his dust-filled eyes, he retreated back to safety. Ella stroked Blitz's mane and promised him a handful of sugar cubes just for that.

    At last, the manor came into view. Sighing with relief when she didn't see her stepmother's carriage in front of the house, she slowed Blitz to a canter and approached the stables.

    A figure sprinted out to meet her.

    "Ella!"

    Warmth flooded her at the familiar voice. "Hello, Kam!" She waved in greeting and pulled Blitz to a stop beside him. Climbing off her horse's broad back, she said, "You wouldn't believe what I just di—oof!"

    Kam threw his arms around her and picked her up off the ground. "Ella, where on earth were you? I couldn't find you anywhere!" He put her down and held her at arm's length, searching her head to toe. "Are you hurt?" He yelped and crouched by her shoeless foot. Little streams of dried blood mixed with dirt from her hard ride home covered it toe to heel. But it didn't hurt so much as ache a little; it certainly looked worse than it was.

    "I'm fine, Kam." She teasingly pulled her foot back under the hem of her now-dirty skirt. Her skirt! She stared at it in dismay. "Oh, no! I didn't even think about—ahh." She buried her face in her hands, feeling ill. "I sully up everything. I suppose Cinderella is a fitting name, after all."

 "Don't say that, Ella," Kam said firmly, getting back to his feet and enveloping her in another embrace. "What happened to you?" He sounded frightened, and Ella pulled away enough to look into his face.

    "Well, it's a bit of a long story."

    "I certainly have time."

    Ella glanced down the road. "I may not. Here." She took his hand and Blitz's reins and pulled them into the shadows of a tree beside the road, then sat down hard after tying Blitz's reins tightly around the trunk. She hadn't realized how tired she was until now.         Kam sat next to her and stared her down expectantly.

    Ella laughed a little before launching into her tale, starting from finding the dress and ending with her ride home. She hesitated a little before telling him about the prince. A strange look filled his eyes when she mentioned dancing with him in the garden...anger? Jealousy?

    "The prince, huh?" He leaned back against the tree and didn't say anything else about it. Uncomfortable, Ella spread her toes in the grass and proceeded to tell him about seeing her stepfamily leaving. Kam laughed when she described running away from Alexander and leaping onto her horse like a madwoman. 

But by the time she had finished with her tale, Kam looked a little sad. Before she could ask him what was wrong, the sound of hooves and creaking wheels filled the air—her stepfamily had returned. Ella moved to stand, but Kam grabbed her hand, stopping her.

    "Will you do something for me?" he asked.

    "Of course," she said.

    "After your stepfamily has gone to bed, will you meet me in front of the orchard?" He paused. "There's something I want to show you."

    Ella bit her lip. Her stepmother would surely punish her if she discovered she was sneaking out, but she decided it was worth the risk.

    "Okay," she said, and smiled.

 ~~~

    Her stepfamily was on cloud nine when they walked through the front door.

    "Oh, Cinderella!" gushed Ciela as they floated in. "How perfectly dreadful for you that you weren't there! The prince was the most handsome man I have ever seen!"

 "Is that so," Ella said from her position by the fireplace. She had sneaked in through the back and had just picked up her duster when the door had opened and hid her face in the feathers so the others wouldn't see her smile.

    "Oh, yes!" shrieked Anemone, leaping about through the house. "The prince was sooo handsome! And he spoke to us!" She swooned into one of the chairs in the parlor. "It was love at first sight. I'm certain he kept looking my way."

    "But we had a little competition," Ciela admitted.

    Anemone's dreamy expression turned into one of disgust. "Oh, yes, that girl in the silver gown. He danced several times with her, even though she moved like an oaf."

    Both sisters giggled at that. Ella reigned in her temper by reminding herself that Alexander had chosen her over them and smirked into the ashes.

    "I don't believe it's too much to hope that I won his affections, however," Ciela said smugly, posing before the looking glass. "Most girls didn't even have the chance to speak with him, and he called me a lady."

    "Not true!" protested Anemone, sitting up in her chair. "He called me a lady!"

    Eyes flaming, Ciela opened her mouth to retort, but their mother stopped the squabble before it could begin in earnest with a simpering "You were both ladies, my dears, and I'm quite certain he began to nurture feelings for both of you."        

Ciela and Anemone looked slightly appeased; they did, however, give each other looks that could've caused the bravest of soldiers to wilt before flouncing off to get ready for bed.