Once Upon A Nightmare

- ONE -

- Cindy -

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...

No, not today. I'm not ready to go back. Eh...

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...

Oh, shut up you stupid thing! Summer isn't over yet. Just five more minutes. Please. Just... five... more... min―

"Wake up, you ugly troll!" Well, mornin to ya too, ya buttface. "Iron my dress and make breakfast. I want what all the fashion bloggers are having. After that, you have to flat iron my hair and―"

"Wait, you're flat ironing your hair, too? I was going to do that!" I listened as the two pains of my life bicker on about who was going to wear what and went back to snuggling into the comfort of my bed. It is just another normal day in the Tremaine house and all was well.

The harsh clicking of heels on the marble floors caught my attention. Shoot! I jumped from my bed and raced at lightning speed to get ready. I rushed to find my normal, everyday attire. Shoot, where was my flannel and jeans? There!

When she had emerged at my door and gave me a once over, she spoke. "You know what your chores are," she said, in her silky, smooth voice. "Get to them." Twirling half way and descended down the stairs, she yelled, "Oh, and make sure your sisters do not fight. I will not pay for another broken TV or dinner set that they have victimized."

"As if I could," I thought aloud.

The older, brattier sister appeared in front of me. She held a long stick of metal in her hand and a hideous pout of her face. "Cindy, could you curl my hair for me?"

Could you stop doing whatever it is on your face? And no. "Later."

She stomped her feet. What a big ugly baby. "Now, Cindy! I want you to curl my hair right now!"

The laughter―if you could call it that―from the other sister rang out into the halls. "Well, if I curl your hair now, who is to say that Zella won't try to ruin it? If she ruins your hair, it would be pointless to even show your face to the world." I faked a gasp. " What would others think of you with that kind of hair? What would they think of our family title?"

She made what was supposed to be a whining sound. Someone needed to tell her that sounding like a dying whale wasn't going to help her find her prince charming. Or a whale.

Taking to the marble stairs, I entered the elegant kitchen. Today was pancake day, the only day where I got to choose breakfast. I quickly broke out whatever ingredients I needed and beat them all together before dolloping a good size puddle onto the skillet. As they cooked, I took in the rooms features. It happened to be an open kitchen with white walls and a pizza oven taking up one wall. Boxes were scattered about the floor, making it hard to see the dark wood. Kitchen appliances and cabinets took the wall closest to the entrance and in the center of the room stood the marble top island. It was a nice, not-so-small room.

As I finished up breakfast, Zella and Ana sat down. Ana, as usual, had begun scarfing her food down; Zella, however, observed her plate of food and shoved it towards me.

"I don't want to eat pancakes. I want avocado toast."

"I don't want to eat pancakes. I want avocado toast. Mem meh mem meh meh."

Avocado toast? Since when did she like avocados? Or toast for that matter?

Ana paused from her food. "Why do you want avocado toast?"

Ms. Avocado toast replied, "Well, all the beauty and fashion bloggers are eating it so I want to eat it too. Plus I want to keep fit so I look cute when Henry sees me."

Oh. My. Mouse traps. Why did she have to be so difficult? And stupid? Quickly, I made her whatever her nonexistent heart desired. When she was happy with it, I took the plate I had made her previously and happily ate. Someone was missing out on the delicious pancake and eggs.

When everything was cleaned, we noticed it was almost time we headed off to school. The girls split up and left in their separate cars while my ride pulled into the driveway. I plopped down into the small yellow beetle and greeted the driver.

"Oof, rough morning there, princess?" she joked. Deadpanning, I bore my eyes into her. "Okay, off to school, it is."

The whole ride there I listened to her gush on and on about some boy who transferred over last year. I think his name was Samson? Or was it Cameron? Something like that. I listened to her talk about how clear and blue his eyes were. How luscious and thick his hair was and so on.

Somewhere along her gushing, she had asked me a question. Without thinking, I gave her a response. Her face fell and I could tell I had said the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry Bella, I wasn't listening." She waved it off as nothing but I could tell it was hurting her deep down. "What was the question, again."

Parking the car in an empty slot, she answered, "No, it's fine. It's nothing." I didn't buy it. "Really, Cindy, It's fine. It really doesn't ma―oof."

As I got out I noticed Bella rubbing her head. A moment passed and another head popped up. Long, thick, luscious hair covered his ocean blue eyes. Oh my pumpkin, it was him. Her him.

Bella took one look up at him and froze. I watched as the two bumbled and awkwardly interacted. He smiled, handing her something she must have dropped as he mumbled to her. She stiffly reached out to take it but it slipped from her fingers. At the same time, they both reached down to grab the item, bumping heads again. Oh, honey. Bella laughed awkwardly as she finally grabbed the item. Adam helped her to her feet and without another word, he took off.

"Smooth," I say laughing, "Like butter."

Her head snapped to me. Her mouth tightened in a line and she furrowed her brows. "Was it that bad?" I nodded. "Oh, no! Now he must think I'm a freak of nature or some sort. That was so not how I imagined the first time we actually met."
My curiosity sparked. "And how did you imagine it?"

She chewed on her cheek a bit. "Promise me you won't laugh, okay? Well, I imagined us meeting in the woods by the Beastly Forrest. I needed help and pretty much broke into a house. What? Don't judge me, I was having a bad day. Anyways, he comes out of nowhere and asks me to have dinner with him. We have dinner, talk, and then, when he asked me to dance, it was like everything clicked. It was like we were meant to be together."

I waited a second. Was she going crazy? "Sounds kinda sketch, if you ask me. Meeting him in an abandoned house, in the middle of the woods, after you broke in? Nuh-uh, not good."

"Well, good thing I didn't ask you. Now come one, we're going to be late." 

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► First day of school! What could go wrong, right? ◄