Cinderella's Ghost

Chapter 2: The Curious Flower

Darkness swirls
In an endless pit
Then— light

Chapter 2

Although I couldn't remember my mother, I dreamt of her and dad that night. We were trudging through the snow while admiring the grand landscape, and they were just here, each on both sides of me. We spoke of nothing, but we were smiling at each other as though there was a secret we shared. I was so happy; my heart was near to bursting. It was probably why I missed the sad looks my parents exchanged with each other. If I had focused better, I could have been warned of what was to come.

As if to tease me, the weather suddenly changed for the worse. The blue sky turned grey and snow started to fall. Within seconds, a blizzard ensued. The wind was so strong I could barely keep my eyes open, and walking forward became extremely torturous. I reached out to grab hold of my parents' hands, not wanting to lose them, but I grabbed only thin air. Through my narrowed eyes, I saw they had gone on ahead without me, their faces still turned with warm smiles.

"Dad! Mom!" I shouted, hoping to be heard through the wind's agonising howls. "Don't leave me!" I watched helplessly as they walked on, finally disappearing into the storm...

I jerked awake, breathless and shivering. I pulled my comforter up to my neck and curled into a ball. My exhaustion from the day before allowed me to return to sleep quickly. When I woke up in the morning, I remembered nothing from last night.

~*

The flower was the first thing I saw upon waking up. Someone had placed it strategically beside my pillow. It was placed so close the next thing I realised was the calming aroma emanating from it.

I sat up slowly, not knowing what to do about it. I must have been staring at it for a few seconds, my mind still clouded with fog, when I finally picked up the flower and examined it. It was a rose, mid-bloom, the shape almost exactly like the necklace my parents gave me. It was white with splashes of light pinks and blues. When I twirled it between my fingers to get a better look, something flashed as it caught the light from my window. I pried open some of its petals and saw, right in the centre, a small petal covered in gold that looked nothing like it was made from craft material. I pinched the tip of the golden petal. Rock hard and cold.

"But..." I brought the flower to my nose and breathed in a stronger whiff of what I'd caught earlier. "This is a real flower... isn't it?" I whispered as I surveyed my room, now curious as to who the giver was. How did they get in? Why did they decide to give me a rose out of the blue? An ethereal one at that.

A sudden wave of cold washed over me. I froze and quickly hugged myself, twirling in my spot to see where it came from, but before I could properly do anything, the squeak of an opening door brought me out of my thoughts. I gently placed the flower back on my bed and scrambled out of my room to the kitchen.

"Ellyn!" roared Carrie as a form of greeting. She was standing there in her white bathrobe, her short brown hair messy from waking up.

"Good morning," I replied in a rush, quickly placing the pan on the stove and starting the fire. "I know. I'm sorry for waking up late."

Carrie sighed. "I'll be waiting. This better not happen again, are we clear?" And she left the kitchen, probably going to the bathroom to wash up. It wasn't part of her routine, but that was her way of trying to make good use of time instead of blaming me for causing her to be late. I appreciated that a lot.

The twins woke up just as I was removing the bread from the toaster. All hell broke loose when they started screaming for their breakfast, lounging by the dining table, waiting for me to serve them. I could barely contain my spite. When I brought the eggs and bread to the table, I could see they were barely awake with messy bed-hair and... dark eye bags. I kept a smirk at bay.