Cinderella || A Modern Story [Wattys2015]

Chapter Two

NOTE: I think I will update this story every Friday.

CINDERELLA
Chapter Two

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Dinner was great."

"Ah, think nothing of it, Claire. You and Gia have earned it," Mrs. Anderson said, flashing a smile so bright, Claire and Gia could see it from the backseat of the car.

"We're both so proud of you. It's the least we could do after all you girls have accomplished," chimed Mr. Anderson, his eyes never leaving the road, though you could sense the happiness in them.

They were on their way back to Claire's neighborhood; a hearty cul-de-sac which her home was the heart of. The car was just beginning to turn onto the road when she saw it, the tall house at the end of the impasse. It was so large it towered over the other homes on the street, like a castle.

Mr. Anderson parked his car just outside of it. "Here we are," he said, a chorus of unbuckling seat belts echoing after him. Claire and Gia got out of the car together, and Gia slipped an arm around Claire's side.

"You sure you don't want me to spend the night?" she asked.

Claire looked at Gia, her lips lifting in an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sorry," she said. "Tonight's the night I Skype my dad."

Mrs. Anderson rolled down her window. "Eric still isn't home?"

Claire shook her head. "It's been three months so far. He said he'll be back in another week or so," she sighed.

"This is the longest he's ever been gone," Mr. Anderson said with astonishment. "Where'd he go this time?"

"Somewhere overseas. To northern Europe, I think."

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson looked at each other, and Claire knew what they were thinking. Neither of them could ever be that far away from their daughter, and for so long.

Claire's father was the same. He hated how he and Claire were continentally separated. On numerous occasions had he thought of quitting, but Claire knew better. This was her father's dream job; she told him that she didn't want to be the reason why he never did what he loved.

It was a sacrifice Claire was willing to make.

"If you want, Claire, I could come over tomorrow night," Gia offered, noticing how distracted Claire became with thoughts of her father. "We could have a movie marathon. You load up Netflix, I'll pop the popcorn."

Claire smiled. "That sounds great," she said, right before stretching and yawning. "I should head inside now. It's been a long day."

"Boy has it," Mr. Anderson agreed. "In fact, we all should be getting inside. It's getting late."

With a final goodnight, Claire watched as Gia got back into the car and drove away with her parents before going into her home. As she went inside, the rooms were too dark to navigate, but Claire was used to it. She climbed the stairs to her room, sat on her bed, and fired up her laptop—the Skype logo enlarging as she attempted to call her father.

The ring seemed to go on for hours. Her father hadn't answered, and it was now her third time trying. This rarely happened—Eric was never this busy.

Claire sighed but thought of the next best thing. She instead typed him a message, telling him to call her in the morning. Eric always replied to her messages. Feeling content, Claire set aside her laptop and began to get ready for bed. She was too tired to wait for his reply, but she was sure she'd hear from him in the morning.

As she cut off her light and surrendered to fatigue, Claire's dreams were filled with her father. They were making up for lost time; the two of them travelling together, visiting the places Claire wished she had gone with him to.

Hours later, just as Claire fell into an even deeper sleep, her dream dad kissed her forehead—it felt gentle and warm—and with a caring tone, he said, "I love you, sweetheart."

She was oblivious to how real his words truly were.