Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Twenty Two

Ella

I woke up from my nap more refreshed then earlier when I accidentally walked into Georgie's room by accident. I was horrified, and everything Mary had told me came crashing into my mind at once. I just couldn't look at him without getting a severe pain in my stomach.

I rolled over and sat up, rubbing my eyes when I heard a squeak and saw Jack Jack, Marcie, and Gus-Gus sitting on the floor in front of me.
"Friends! Oh my gosh did you sneak into my bag?" I asked with excitement, kneeling on the ground. Jack Jack squeaked and they took off running towards the bathroom. I chuckled and stood, following them. "Wait for me- what?" The door slammed and I jumped back. "What the..."
I grabbed the handle but it didn't budge. Then I heard a loud noise like someone falling and the door swung open to reveal two men and a woman standing in front of me. "What the hell!" I shouted, taking a step back. Recognition dawned on me as I looked at them closer. "Aren't you the guy who gave me my ballgown?" I asked, directing my question to the taller of the two men, much thinner and dressed a little nicer.
He smiled and stepped forward. "Yes, I'd like to introduce myself to you Ella. My real name is irrelevant but you commonly refer to me as Jack-Jack. This is Gus Gus," he pointed to the short and round man in a tshirt and shorts who gave me a smile and a nod, "and Marcie." She curtsied in her purple dress and smiled. "We are the guardians of your family, your great-great-great grandfather brought him with us when he migrated to this country and started a life here."
I sat down on the edge of my bed and wrapped my arms around my chest. "Okay..." This day was turning into too much for me to handle.
"We are, in a simple term, shape shifters. We change form to make sure our charge, in this case you, remains safe and taken care of," he told me, kneeling down to look me in the eyes. He was still tall, lanky, and a little old looking, but his eyes and manner seemed very kind. I got an odd sense of familiarity when I looked at him, and I felt my shoulders relaxing. Any friends in this place were good friends, right?
"But I'm not in any danger here at the palace. We have guards and-"
He held up his hand to stop me. "Not physical danger my dear, not now. No, what Madame Tremaine has set in store for you has brought us concern." He took my hand gently and it was warm and soft. "We want to help you."

My eyes started to fill with tears. For once, in a very long time, I didn't feel completely alone. These people, who I had never known, had looked out for me since I was born, and now they were here to help me? It was a miracle. "But what are you going to do? I like Georgie but I can't have Mary hurt him..." I put my head in my hands and Jack put his hand on my shoulder.

"I promise you we will figure it out. For now you just work on being happy okay?" Jack asked. I nodded gave a half-hearted smile.

"Okay," I said in agreement. There was a lot of pressure on my shoulders but I knew if I didn't try to elevate it, I would end up getting crushed under the weight of my burdens.
Marcie took a step forward and gave a small curtsy. "Miss if I may give a suggestion-"
I laughed. "Marcie please, it's Ella."
She smiled. "Ella, I think we should start with getting you ready for this lunch."
I grinned and stood up. "Sounds like a plan."
Jack walked up to Gus and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to go scope around a little and see what that little weasel, the Duke, is up to. We'll leave you two to get ready." Before I knew it they had morphed right back into tiny little mice right in front of my eyes and were scurrying out into the hall.

I turned to Marcie and gave a shrug. "Lets see what we can do with me then."

The Duke

I scanned the guest lists while sitting on the patio where the girls were supposed to have brunch, nodding in approval when I saw Ella had arrived and was placed in the room closest to the Prince. So far everything was going just swimmingly, but I wasn't about to hold my breath.

The door opened and Sam walked in with his own clipboard, and gave me a brief glance.
"Hello sir," he said, walking over to the table.
"Hello Samuel. How is the Prince?" I asked, watching him as he began placing seating cards on the plates.
"Fine, fine," he answered, absorbed in his task.
"And that girl, Ella, I saw you placed her near him?" I asked. A little brash, but I needed to know what Sam's motives were. For all I knew he was helping me without even knowing it.
Sam stopped and looked up, placing the last card at the end of the table by the Prince. It was Ella's. "Yes I did, what about it?"

I shrugged and stood up, walking to the table to stand across from him. I picked up another name card, some girl named Grace. "Oh nothing, I was just wondering. I thought we had said something but alphabetical order, but there she is." I looked up at him, "out of place."

Sam's face remained unreadable as he answered me. "The prince and Ella had some previous encounters before. I thought it would make them both more comfortable to be near each other."

I had to hold back a snort at his answer. The fool was aiding in Mary and I's plan without a clue, and I didn't even have to edge him to help! Oh happy day, this was going to be so easy.

"Interesting, alright. Thank you Samuel, you may leave now," I told him, smiling. He nodded and walked back inside. As the door closed I had to let a smile creep onto my face and a snicker escape my lips. I had set a trap, and everyone was walking straight into it.

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Sorry for the somewhat short chapter! The next chapter will be much longer, but I hope you stick around.

Comments and likes always appreciated, and as always, thank you for reading!

Love, Anna