Cinderella's Fangs

1. Madam Zaraf

The folks were noisy and cheery in the small town. Spices, scented perfume and smell of fresh bread were in the air, leaving everyone's noses craving. Little girls were at the side with their mothers, helping them in their daily business. Nobles, lords and their wives were carried by expensive carriages and if they were to walk, they had servants ready at their wave of a hand. The market was wild and alive. It was the summer season where trading was in full sail and people from all over the world brought their rare and exotic valuables for trading or selling.

Cinderella stood at the side out of the busy streets with a basket full of fruits, vegetables and of other valuable things for her step sisters. She looked up at the clean blue sky and sighed. The summer sun was fierce and not gentle on her skin but yet, beautiful. She used her sleeve to remove a sweat on the side of her neck. How she wished she can welcome a glass of cold water and save her poor dry mouth.

"That girl is always so slow!"

Cinderella turned to follow the unfriendly voice. Stella and Hella stood several feet away from her.

"Would you care to hurry up? We will be late for our singing lessons!" Hella gladly added with her aggravating voice.

"Sorry, Sorry - I'm coming!" Cinderella replied insincerely.

Cinderella picked up the bags she had put down earlier and pushed herself to walk at a faster pace. Cinderella frowned, she didn't like this. Was she suppose to be a royal dog and follow them without any objections? She found herself imaging how it'd be, if they had followed her around instead...they'd be more tired and angry then she, huffing and puffing! She found it amusing but her thoughts were interrupted by someone who had ran into her. She felt her hand loosen on one of the bags she was holding and it had fell to the floor. She caught herself just in time before she was about to share the same fate as the bag. Cinderella looked at the person who had almost made her lose her balance. It looked like a man, but she couldn't see his face because he it was covered by a dark hood. He was picking up the things that had fallen earlier from the bag, and putting them back in. Cinderella leaned down cautiously and did the same.

"I apologize." the hooded figured whispered. His voice was soft and low, but loud enough for Cinderella's ears.

Cinderella replied with an apology as well and thanked him as he handed the last item from the ground to her hand. He stood up and gave her a nod and disappeared into the sea of people. She felt a bit strange and suspicious. Why would someone wear a dark hood in a humid and sunny day as today? The only people who did that were people who had something to hide, or someone who is wanted. But the hooded figure didn't give Cinderella any sense of danger. 'Things aren't all what they seem,' the voice of Madam Zaraf's words repeated in her mind.

Cinderella put the small event at the side and looked around for her stepsisters in blue and red. She walked passed a narrow space across the small alley, and walked upon the small steps and turned to her left. She stopped and quickly found her two stepsisters. Their faces were pressed against the glass of a famous boutique. Cinderella knew their habits by now. They would always stop and eat up the new dresses with their eyes and buy them at glance when they had the chance.

Cinderella walked and stood behind them, it took them a few moments to realize she was there. They greeted her with a displeasing comment on how long it took her to find them. Cinderella brushed aside their greeting and notified the coachmen for leave. She was used to their ill treatment and words since she began to walk and talk. They would take away most of Cinderella's toys and her best dresses with a exchange for broken dolls and old dresses that they have over grown. She would cry a lot as a little child, and stepmother would look at her with a glare and told her to grow up and stop with her nonsense. They treated her fairly cold. She would be punished for something small as not coming on time when they asked while her stepsisters were rarely ever punished. Even the name they gave her was a token of their treatment. Her childhood was harsh but Cinderella tried to make it the best of it by herself. She also learned a way to block her mind from the ill treatment and words they threw at her. She had to be strong.