The Stepsisters

Chapter 19

(Please vote and comment! I think I imagine Anastasia as Emma Stone when she was in the movie The Help.)

As soon as we return home, I run up our creaky, wooden staircase. I rush into my Mother's bedroom, looking for the worn out box that she kept the glass slippers in. I find it sitting on her bed, empty. 

"Cinderella?" I call, trying to be as quiet as possible so that my Mother doesn't hear me from downstairs. 

"I'm in here." I hear a voice say, in the other room.

She's sitting on her bed, and her blue gown is no where to be found. I still I have no idea where she got it. It's almost as if she never left. "Where's the other slipper?" I ask. 

"I lost it." She says, it almost sounds like she's about to cry. "You made me rush out of there, I lost it and I knew if I went back that he would just stall me." 

"No I know that you lost that one, I saw him holding it. But where is the other one?" I ask.

"It broke." She whispers, looking down at the floor. "I already cleaned up the mess. It broke when I got back home, I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "Oh no, she's definitely going to notice that they're gone now. Let's just put the box back and hope that for now she is distracted enough by everything else, maybe she won't even be looking at them anymore."

She nods. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"Sure." I snap. I roll my eyes, remembering everything she said to me earlier at the ball.

---

The next morning, I wake up to the ringing echo of clanking pots and pans coming from downstairs.

I jump out of bed, and glance at my reflection as I walk by the mirror in my room. My crazy red hair is flying in different directions and my freckles are no longer concealed. It almost feels like last night was a dream. But it looks like things are back to normal.

Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see a flash as my Mother runs past me into the kitchen. What is going on? "Mother? What are you doing?"

"Cooking! I have to cook something, we have to make a good impression." She says frantically, without even turning to look in my direction.

"Make a good impression on who?" I ask.

"The Prince!" She squeals, juggling a baking tray, spoon, and cloth in her hands.

"The prince?... Why would he be coming here?" 

She walks over to me and holds my hand in hers. "He is searching the entire village for a girl he met last night, and I already know that it's you my beautiful Anastasia!"

This is the closest I've ever seen her act like her old self in a long time. It's a shame that she has it completely wrong. He must be looking for Cinderella so that he can return 'her' glass slipper. I really don't want to tell her, I just want her to stay happy and excited about something. It was starting to feel like she had lost all sense of emotions.

"Mother, I'm sorry, but that isn't why they are searching the village." I hear myself say.

Confusion flashes over her eyes. "What do you mean?" She frowns.

"He is trying to return one of your glass slippers." I explain.

"My glass slippers? What do you mean, I didn't wear them? Did you?" She accuses.

I shake my head. "No, Cinderella did." I instantly regret telling her when I see the look on her face. 

"Cinderella was at home." She denies.