Another Cinderella Story

9. Invitation ~Lily~

I stood bent over a broom in the living room of the mansion. It was almost all swept except for the bathrooms, which I was dreading. All of these chores reminded me of the time before I moved to this huge house.

"My back," Ella moaned. "I have been turned into a scullery maid!"

I snorted, and Jessie pretended not to even notice Ella.

"You leave all the hardest chores for me! You make me work while you just sit around!" Ella complained.

I groaned. "You think sweeping the whole house is easy? Just because you have to clean the fireplace doesn't make you a scullery maid," I said.

Ella went on like she hadn't heard me. "My dresses are too fine to get soot and cinders on them! They might never come out!"

Right then, an idea popped into my mind. "Ella! You have cinders on your back!"

Ella let out an unearthly shriek. "Where? Where?" she shouted.

"On the pink bow," I replied, suppressing giggles. "Better get it off before we start calling you Cinderella!"

Ella looked faint.

"Cinderella," I teased.

Ella let out a wail before rushing out of the room in tears.

"Cinderella!" I called after her.

Jessie disapproved. "That was mean, Lily!" she said.

"Oh, hush. It was worth it," I said.

Jessie allowed herself a smile. "It might have been."

I knew that. Ella had been making us do her chores and threatening to tear our dresses if we didn't. When Mother found out, she was so angry that she gave Ella the dirtiest chores today. Still, that didn't shut Ella up about how she was being worked as a slave.

A knock on the door sounded, interrupting my mental rant about Ella. Jessie and I rushed to get it.

Outside, a thin man in a royal uniform stood plank straight in front of us.

"The king and queen wish to have a ball inviting all of the young ladies in the kingdom to come. It's a chance to please the prince," he said, "and a chance to be his princess."

A silence fell over us.

The man was apparently pleased with our stupor. "Are you the only two young ladies in this house?" he asked.

Before I could speak, Jessie said quickly, "Yes. It's only us."

"Names?" the man asked.

"Wait!" I said. "There's another girl here. Her name is Ella."

Jessie stared at me.

"Our names are Jessie, Ella, and Lyn," I continued.

"Thank you very much," the man said, walking back to the carriage.

When he was out of earshot, Jessie asked, "Why did you do that for her?"

"Because marrying the prince is her dream. We've got to give her a chance," I said firmly.

Jessie shook her head. "And I thought I was the good one."

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Hey guys, this is where the real fairy tale begins, Cinderella :D Vote, comment and follow and I'll see you again in the next chapter, bye! 

XX Dinithi