Ever After

Chapter Two

"CINDERELLA!" The croaking voice of the witch upstairs yelled louder than a bell. I closed the locket quickly and hid it under my dress so they couldn't see it. If I had ever showed the necklace to them, no doubt my step-sister would fight over who got to have it. I got up and wiped the tears from my face and looked in the nearest reflective surface nearby to see if I had any signs of crying left on my face. I was not about to show any sign of weakness to those three. Walking back upstairs I heard the horrible noise of Anastasia "practicing" her piano. Every off note, which happened to be almost all of them, made my ears beg for mercy. Drizella tried singing along but was very off beat and off key.

"Yes Step-Mother?" I asked patiently. She sat in an armchair posing like a queen being sculpted, and turned her face to me.

"Excuse me! How did we discuss you are to address me?" She asked ever so proudly.

" A royal pain in the butt." I mumbled under my breath, I tried to be kind to my Step-family like my mother would want, but as long as I never said it to their face it's okay. Right?

"What was that?" She snapped.

"Nothing Ma'am."

"Good. Because I need you to go into town and fetch me some groceries. Your cooking could use a bit more flavor." I turned back without replying. I learned a while ago after she had taken over my life, that acting like I was the servant they treated me as was the only way to not be punished more than I already was. I didn't need anymore scars.

After I had packed up everything I needed, and cleaned myself best as I could without making myself look like a "creature from the ashes" as my step-family called it, I walked out of the house and to the town. These weekly trips to town were my only escape from my house of hell, and the path through the forest to the town was very peaceful and quiet. When I finally reached the town, many people were bustling through from shop to shop. The marketplace was full of eager buyers and sellers.

I made my way to my first stop on all my runs, the bakery. The bakery was where my friend, or should I say only friend, worked. I opened the door and Belle was hurrying about with her customers taking their orders and busting out treats.

"Ella!" Belle shouted when she noticed me, her long brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, but some stands were dangling free.I walked up to the counter and she looked at me with her hazel eyes.

"Hey Belle." I gave her a wave and she returned it with a hug, she got some flour on me but it wasn't like I wasn't used to being all dirty. Her fair skin was speckled with some flour as well. But her unatural beauty still shone through. Most people in the village thought she was a bit odd, behind the beauty that everyone seemed to admire. But I saw past that and knew she was much more than a pretty face. She was intelligent, open minded, and imaginative. I was probably her only friend since everyone in this town found her peculiar for her love of books. Like she was my only friend.

"So what'll it be?" she asked

"The usual." Belle went to the shelf of bread loafs and searched for the ones I needed.

"So how are the three stooges?" Belle asked.

"Same as always, making my life miserable."

"Why do you stay there the. When they treat you like that?"

"Well, that house is the last thing I have to remember the life I had and the family that once lived there. If I leave then I give into all that my step-mother has done to take over." She handed me two loafs, and snuck me a cookie as well. She winked at me and I mouthed a thank you to her.

"Well just remember, the bakery is always in need of a few extra hands." She smiled at me with her rosy red lips and I put the things in my basket and headed out the door with a goodbye. As I left the bakery I pulled out the cookie and was about to eat it when I felt a tug on my dress. Next to me was a little girl dressed in rags and covered in dirt. Which was not to different to how I was before I washed myself for half an hour straight.

"Can you spare some food?" She asked. I knelt down without hesitation and pulled out one of my loafs and gave it to her, along with the cookie I had in my hand. I would probably get in trouble for giving away some food, but I felt like I had no choice but to help that little girl. I cold deal with my step mother later.

"Thank you!" She said and smiled widely. I watched her as she ran across the market place and behind an ally. I had a smile on my face but I couldn't stand there forever. I had to finish my list. I went from shop to shop checking off everything I had to get. After I reached the end of my list I was about to walk home when someone crashed into my making me spill all the contents in my basket.

"Hey! Could you watch where you're going?" I looked back at the person who had bumped into me but I couldn't see his face. It was covered by a hood and he was wearing a grey cape that concealed his body.

"I'm so sorry about that." He replied. I knelt down and picked up the stuff putting it in my bag, he helped me a bit and I looked back at his face, which was somewhat visible from this angle.

"You look familiar...'' I started, but then another voice entered the crowd.

"HEY! Get back here!" I saw a group of people running towards us. The guy who bumped into me looked behind him and grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?" He dragged me up and through the people in the market place. We ran as fast as we could away from the people chasing us. I looked behind me and recognized them as guards. Palace guards. What were palace guards doing here?

He dragged me all across the town until we reached a dead end. The guards caught up and cornered us. We were now backed up against the wall with ten palace guards surrounding us. I saw the guy in the cloak pull something from his side, but the guards were already closing in on us, so I decided to not wait for him to get us out of this.I wanted to be as gentle as I could like my mother, but sometimes my father's side gets me out of certain situations faster. I kicked the sword out of the guards hand who was closest to me and grabbed it as it flew in the air. Jumping off the wall, I clashed swords with the next guard and engaged in combat.

The cloak guy followed my lead and soon was sword fighting the other guards as well. I elbowed one of the guard in the gut and kicked his side then heard a clang as my sword impacted with another's. I defended myself from the swords deadly strikes, and hooked my foot around this guards foot making him trip then I kicked him in the head, knocking him out. After grabbing his sword I fought with both hands, taking out the other guards on my side before my partner could finish his.

I was about to intervene when the guy with the cloak hit one of the guards on the head with the hilt of his sword and all of the guards were now on the ground unconscious. I dropped my swords and felt him grab onto my wrist again.

"That won't keep them down for long. C'mon" He dragged me away from the dead end before I could protest and brought me down a narrow alley where we both stood against the sides of it almost too close for comfort.

"I think we're clear- OW!" He yelped when I brought my hand hard across his face very angrily and started shouting.

"Who the hell are you! Why do you keep dragging me places, and why were those-" I was stopped with his hand clamping over my mouth.

"Can't you be quiet for one second?" He said. He kept his hand on my mouth and peered around the corner to see the guards still searching for us. Thankfully they went the opposite way that we were. He removed his hand from my mouth.

"Don't ever do that again." I said very threateningly. I already lost my kind and gentle composure, so why try to keep it up.

"Excuse me for saving your life." He said sarcastically.

"Saving me? You're the one who got me dragged into that whole mess in the first place." He opened his mouth the say something else but closed it when he decided not to. I still couldn't see his whole face, and my curiosity got the best of me so I grabbed hold of his hood and yanked it down.

"Hey-" But it was too late, I already saw his face. His extremely handsome face that is. He had curly chocolate brown hair that got a bit messy from all the running. And gorgeous grey eyes that any girl would recognize in this kingdom.

"Oh my god." I said putting my hand over my mouth to cover my gasp.

"I guess I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Prince Adam. And I am guessing now you are feeling very sorry for slapping me right now." He said with a smirk.

"Only slightly." I said removing my hand from my mouth and returning the smirk, putting my hands on my hips.