The Next Cinderella

Chapter 12--Competition Fake-Out

Bright and early the next morning, the freshly deloused contestants dressed themselves in identical beige dresses designed in the spirit of potato sacks.

The lone oval mirror in the room was a busy spot, with several girls struggling to elbow their way to the center. Once there they did their best to spruce up their ratty hair and counteract the 'blah' of the beige, but without the glittery accessories of the bourgeoisie, the final result was abysmal.

Myrielle had no interest in the 'mirror supremacy' dog fight, so she sat on the edge of her bed and took a minute for some calming meditation.

It was a nice idea, to close her eyes and channel some Buddha before things got hyper-competitive, but it would never be more than a nice idea as long as Bella was in the room.

Bella noticed Myrielle looking peaceful, so she gestured to two of her sidekicks to set things right.

The three of them slowly approached, smiling wide but conveying something sinister.

"Am I crazy?" said Bella, "Or did you teach at the academy last year?"

Myrielle's eyes snapped open as she realized her cover had been blown. She was surprised at how quickly they'd noticed she wasn't a marriageable fifteen-year-old maiden like the rest, but how did they recognize her as a professor too? She hadn't even taught for that long, and the entire time she'd been there her students had been terrible listeners. She brushed some hair in front of her face to conceal her haggard late-teen eyes. "I think you have me confused with someone else; like some other nearly middle-aged woman who lives down the lane."

Bella shook her head. "It was definitely you; looking all old...teaching in a matronly manner..."

Bella's sidekicks Helena and Josselyn snickered, the first one small but menacing, and the other one a lanky doofus.

"It wasn't me," Myrielle insisted, keeping her eyes to the floor.

Bella bent down so they were face-to-face, the perfect position for a next-level burn. "I am so glad they closed the academy," she said. "I mean...what were they thinking teaching multiple subjects? And to girls?"

As Myrielle prepared to explode from indignation, Bella urged her sidekicks to pile on.

"I hope the academy taught you how to take a punch," said Helena, fists now ready to attack.

Myrielle took a good hard look at the grubby little street fighter; was she actually planning to hit her? And with zero provocation? It was a fascinating scene to observe, even if Myrielle's face was the one at risk.

Josselyn's strategy was a bit more docile and a lot more dumb. "Learning is for stupid people!"

Bella watched excitedly for Myrielle's reaction, waiting for her to crumble or hit back or cower. Any of the above would've been pleasing, but instead her reaction was a smile. "You're right," said Myrielle. "Learning is for stupid people, which is why they need it! And then, once they've learned, they will no longer be stupid; so everybody wins!"

Myrielle rose from the bed and sauntered past the bullies, with the sort of nonchalance that is exactly what a bully hates. She was proud to have defeated her bullies with words instead of violence, and felt the same level of superiority she'd clung to when avoiding silly friendships with girls.

Indeed...everything was great.

Until Bella unleashed her hound Helena who tackled Myrielle to the ground.

The other girls watched in fascination, forming a circle around the blur of punches and flailing limbs. There was no end in sight until the door burst open and Fredrick rushed in.