Cinderella vs. Happily Ever After

Compilation (everything in one chapter)

Part 1

            Valerie felt like her eyes had been glued shut. Opening them was more of an effort than she’d ever thought possible, even worse than the last St. Patrick’s Day hangover she’d had. When she was finally able to see again, the familiar sight of her star bedecked ceiling sat above her, the glow-in-the-dark stickers pale yellow in the sunlight. She frowned as she slowly fought her way into a sitting position, her purple comforter falling back. She could tell it was hers because it still had the burn mark where she’d dropped a candle during the blackout two years earlier. The unusual heaviness of her body deepened her frown, as she mulled over the last things she remembered.

            A moment later she threw her head back and screeched “Darren”, her anger burning out the last traces of the drug. Running footsteps and a door slamming followed her yell. She turned to face her door, hands balled into fists, eyes ablaze, and chest heaving as she panted with rage.

            When Isaac opened the door and poked his head in, he raised one eyebrow at her glaring, furious state. “Good morning. Or rather,” he said glancing down at his wrist. “Good afternoon as it is nearly three p.m.”

            “Where is he?” She hissed.

            “He? Oh, Darren. Well he’s still in Armith waiting for the alliance’s army to arrive. Or he was when I last saw him,” he replied, pushing the door in so he could lean against its frame.

            “You helped him drug me,” she whispered, her soft voice causing the hairs on Isaac’s arms to stand up. There was something far more terrifying about her being quietly angry he decided.

            “Now, now Val, who’s side do you think I’m on?” When her expression didn’t change he sighed. “We both know he was going to keep trying to find some way to ship you off. If I’d gone against him he’d probably have found some way to drug me as well and then where would we be? At least this way you have help. Of course, given how things have gone, I’m pretty sure he suspected me of being prepared to help you get back.”

            “How things have gone? What things?” She said as she padded over so she could stare straight into his eyes.

            He winced and dropped his eyes. “I know you’re angry Val, and you have every right to be of course, but I ask that you please don’t take that anger out on me.”

            Her eyes narrowed further. “What happened?”

            “Well you see, you’ve been out for a while. A long while. If I didn’t know Darren wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, not knowingly at least, I’d have been worried.”

            “How long is a long while?”

            He sighed and met her eyes again. “A week.”

            “A week? A week? I’ve been asleep for a week!”

            Isaac ran one hand through his hair as he watched her eyes heat up further. The slight tremor to her arms let him know if he didn’t break her out of her anger soon, he’d have to go find a bucket again. “Look Val, calm down. You don’t really think I’d have gone along with it if I didn’t have a plan for getting us back, do you?”

            She froze, her mouth still open slightly to hiss a reply. She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded, her eyes dimming slightly.