Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter One

Eight Years Later....

"Cinderella!"

"Cinderella where's my tea!?"

"Cinderella I'm hungry!"

"CINDERELLA!"

"Oh just shut up..." I muttered, pulling the pillow over my head and trying to block out the noise of the speakers coming from my sisters and step-mothers room. All those demands was worse than any alarm clock. I climbed out of bed and walked over to my dresser where I splashed some water in my face. I walked past the open window and looked briefly at the palace in the distance and the massive clock tower in the middle of the town square. I glared at it as it started to chime and I pulled on a t-shirt and jeans.

Before leaving the room I broke off a piece of bread from my dinner last night and laid it in front of the little mouse hole in the wall. Call me crazy, but the mice always came out when I was upset or needed to vent, and sat and listened like people. I wouldn't exactly call them friends, but they were the only things I had besides the dog downstairs, Charlie. Mary's cat, Lucifer, was just pure evil. He was constantly trying to trip me, get into the food, run into the house with muddy paws when I had just cleaned the floor, everything!

I ran down the stairs from my room in the attic, and walked to the first room in the long hallway to the kitchen, Mary's room.

She was sitting up in bed, reading the newspaper like she did every morning, and I opened her curtains. "Good morning step-mother." I said softly.

"Stand up straighter Ella," she said, glancing up briefly.

I stood up straighter without saying a word.

"Take the laundry and prepare the usual for me in the dining room. Set out my purple skirt outfit. And give Lucifer his medicine, he's looking a little ill." I glanced at the cat lounging in his own custom-made mattress as I set out her lavender skirt-and-jacket outfit and picked up the laundry basket. He was giving me a look, flicking his tail in the air lazily. I swear if cats could smirk, he would.

"Yes step-mother. Come on Lucifer, time for breakfast." He jumped down and took his time stretching as he brushed past my legs and made his way down the hall.

My next stop was Anastasia's room. I opened her door and cringed. Her room was strewn with clothes and shoes and junk everywhere that I was going to have to clean later.

She was laying on the bed, flipping through a magazine. "Good morning Ana-"

"Save it Cinderella. Make my usual I want those gray designer jeans with that blue top that falls on my shoulder, you know the one I'm talking about? Good. And I want you to clean this room sometime today, I can't live in this mess." She waved her hand, gesturing around the room and turned the page of her magazine with a manicured finger.

I nodded, and found the clothes she was looking for. I walked out and stopped last in Drizella's room. I knocked and waited.

"Come in." she said.

I walked in slowly and looked at the ground. Her room was cast in darkness and I saw two figures in her bed. Her and some guy.

"Good morning Drizella." I whispered.

"Cinderella I want a large coffee, toast, and egg whites. I'll get my clothes. Take the laundry. I'll be down in an hour." She instructed.

I nodded, picked up her laundry, and walked out. I knew better now then to ask about the figure. There was one in her bed almost every Monday morning. Hey, I'm not here to judge, it was more than I was getting.