The Next Cinderella

Chapter 22--Karma Is A Bitch

As the evening sun left its last glowing mark before descending beneath the hillside, the pinkish dusk rolled in and the paintings were finally complete. Big bosoms and flowing hair were on display in the portraits as before, but the distinctive difference in the new-and-improved brushstrokes was the shape of the contestants' faces: angled with favorable contours, and not even a glimpse of a second or third chin. It was the first real 'filter' applied to a painting, and if any Kardashian ancestors were roaming around the kingdom, they certainly would've applauded in acknowledgement.

The downside to 'manual Instagram' was the lack of viral ego strokes all the way from Australia to Uzbekistan. With no immediate feedback in the form of heart-shaped likes, Gianni, couldn't be sure if these portraits would be a success. Instead he was faced with the delayed gratification that resulted from wet paint, which left him pacing back and forth in the garden, while he counted down the minutes to dryness...

***

Later that night, an incognito Gianni emerged from inside the castle. He was wearing a hooded cloak and carrying a roll of canvas. He made sure the coast was clear before rushing towards a waiting knight on horseback.

Without a word Gianni tied the canvas to the horse's cargo.

"I was meant to depart at sunset," said the knight.

"Some last-minute adjustments were needed," said Gianni.

The knight stared up at the starry sky. "Instead of leaving now it might be best to depart in the morning; otherwise I'll be riding all night."

Gianni circled the knight, his patience level at zero and his need to strangle the nearest human currently at the max. "You could certainly wait until morning once you've had your rest, but at the same time...this approach would blatantly dismiss the instruction for urgent delivery, a request made by King Edward himself..." He stopped in front of the knight and froze him with his stare. "But by all means...whatever you think is best."

The knight immediately straightened his posture. "I will deliver this parcel at once."

Gianni's intimidating glare melted away as he watched the knight descend down the winding hill. He hoped he'd put enough fear in him to make him ride straight through the night, as it was Gianni's only chance to avoid a delay that would upset the only king who mattered...

***

The knight wasn't the only one who'd be losing sleep that night, as the tall dark tower was the scene of a late-night ruckus.

Bella was the cause of the late-night disruption, jumping on her bed and squealing to high heaven.

"We look alike!" she said breathlessly.

A few of the girls covered their ears with their pillows but it made no difference.

"And I kissed him!" she added happily, sticking out her tongue at the others.

Abruptly she stopped jumping. "And...I...am...prettier...than...all...of...you."

Helena and Josselyn applauded these arrogant revelations, their devotion to their bully so deep that it transcended their own agendas.

The remaining girls simply seemed sad, and as Bella studied their morose faces her joy somehow grew even more. It seemed that by crushing other's dreams she was gaining super-strength for herself, and it had all the makings of a classic villain that needed to be stopped.

The one person who could deal with the villain vibe was Myrielle. Her face was doing a convincing job of seeming sad and defeated like the others, but in her mind she felt justified in carrying out a necessary plot.

If Bella could make a roomful of girls—apart from her idiot cronies—feel terrible about themselves, then Myrielle had the right to put her in her place and not feel guilty for a second. She supposed that years later she would look back on it all and realize she'd taken it too far, but as she rested her gaze on the troubled faces around her, the line between right and wrong seemed invisible.

She waited patiently for Bella to grow tired, and when she and the other girls finally succumbed to sleep, Myrielle silently crawled out of bed.

She snuck into the lavatory without anyone noticing, and ever so quietly unpacked the parcel she'd been hiding in the folds of her nightgown. A part of her parcel was the wildflowers she'd picked from the field, while the rest of it contained the items Fredrick had smuggled at her request. As she mashed everything together and stirred it into a paste, she felt a strange calm take over her entire body.

She examined the consistency of the yellowish paste but was careful not to let it touch any part of her body. It didn't seem quite creamy enough, so she took a moment to stretch out her hand before continuing to stir at great speed.

Once the gooey paste was the right consistency she gathered up the contraband and made her way back to the dorm.

She tiptoed towards Bella and bent down by her beside. Ever so gently, she spread the paste onto every available inch of Bella's pillow, stopping intermittently to make sure none of the other girls were watching.

Once she was done she disappeared from the tower for fifteen minutes. By the time she returned, she was no longer carrying the bowl of paste or any of the secret ingredients...

***

The next morning, the sun rose as always, the morning dew coated the blades of grass as always, and the birds sang their chirpy song as always. The new part of the morning was the sound of a piercing scream echoing out from the tower. The disturbing sound could be heard for miles, but there was no one out there listening who could make things right.

Inside the tower, the result of Myrielle's effort was on display for everyone to see, in the form of Bella's face covered in glistening red blisters and boils.

Myrielle made sure to react like the others; shocked, disgusted, and then struggling to stifle a fit of laughter. It was a very convincing show, but only time would tell if she would get away unscathed from delivering the wrath of karma...

[WRITER'S COMMENTARY: nobody's perfect, and in all my favourite stories, the characters I root for the most usually screw up royally at some point.  I'm okay with it though, because I want my main characters to live through the range of emotions, even the petty vengeful ones, where they justify bad deeds in their heads. The fun part of course is seeing how it affects them later, hehe...thanks for reading and stay tuned for more soon!]