Cinderella: A Fractured Fairytale

Forty-Six

Ella's POV

Chapter 46

***

Phillip stood up from in front of the little pile of tinder, looking slightly annoyed with the rocks he'd been using. "How does Eric do it?" He threw the rocks to the ground.

"Why do we even need a fire? It's so hot!" I fanned myself demonstratively.

He turned and looked at me for a long moment before answering. I felt a blush creeping up my neck.

"We need a fire because it scares away the wild beasts," Phillip replied matter-of-factly.

I gulped. "Wild... beasts?"

He grinned. "Yes. Like bears and tigers and dragons..."

"Tigers don't live around here!" I shot back. "And dragons don't exist."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't they? Then what's that?"

He pointed to a spot directly behind me.

I whirled around, screeching, but there was nothing.

When I turned around Phillip was grinning broadly. I glared.

"Sorry." he chuckled. "False alarm. It was just a tree."

"How would a fire scare off a dragon, anyway?" I grumbled. "They make fire!"

"That's what they want you to think," he whispered, so softly that I had to step closer to hear him. "But actually, their fire breath isn't fire at all. It's ice so cold that it burns you alive."

I just looked at him.

He grinned. "What? Just making up facts here."

"If you make them up, they're not facts." I pointed out.

"True," he allowed. Then he stepped closer. "Do you want to hear a real fact?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

Phillip had a twinkle in his eye. "You're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. That is a fact."

I just snorted. "No, it's not. It's a joke. There were zillions of girls prettier than me at the ball."

"Liar."

"You're the liar."

He grinned. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And you can't see yourself, except in the mirror. That's an inverse reflection, so it doesn't count."

I groaned.

Phillip sat down on a log, and I sat next to him. We had this agreement where whenever we had a spare moment, we would play the question game and just ask each other questions so we could get to know each other.

He grinned. "I'll go first."

"No, you won't," I shot back. "You went first last time."

Phillip tilted his head. "You're right. Ladies first."

Surprised that he hadn't argued, I thought for a moment. "Umm. What's your favorite color?"

"You've already asked me that."

"I forgot," I mumbled.

"Blue," he replied softly, meeting my gaze. "Like your eyes."

"Last time you said green," I said, startled.

"I thought you said you'd forgotten," Phillip teased. Then his expression became serious. "I did say that. But the answer changed."

"Oh." I was blushing.

"My turn." Phillip touched my hand, then tangled his fingers in mine. "How are you?"

Silence. Then I met his eyes. Turmoil twisted inside me. "I... don't know."

"Why is that?" he inquired softly.

"I... I'm confused."

"What are you confused about?"

"You. Me. Us. Everything."

Phillip laughed quietly. "Me, too. But you know what? Life is always more fun when it has an interesting twist to it."

I smiled. "Hmmm."

"Is there any way I can help you feel less confused?" he asked after a moment.

"I don't know."

"Well..." Phillip leaned over slowly and kissed me on the cheek. I turned and stared at him, my eyes wide.

The corners of his mouth drew up. "If you need anything, let me know."

I felt my face turning red as the realization sunk in. He had just kissed me.

On the cheek, admittedly.

But still.

A rustling sounded in the bushes, and I jumped to my feet, suddenly afraid. "Is it a bear?"

Phillip stood, too. "I doubt it. It's probably a squirrel or someth-"

Jovette flounced dramatically into the clearing and shot Phillip an indignant look. "A squirrel? How insulting." Then she suddenly burst into giggles.

I stared. "Jovette?"

Was that her, or her cheerful twin who'd been separated from her at birth?

The nonexistent one, I mean.

She giggled. "Yep! I escaped." Then she thought for a second. "Well, technically Ethan left and I just walked out the door. But still."

"He what?" I gave her an incredulous stare.

She just smiled, but there was an undercurrent of sadness to her tone. "He's not bad, Ella. He's not bad."

"But he kidnapped you!" I exclaimed.

"Well, he's not good, either," she snorted. "He just... is." Then her expression changed. "And he's not taken, either."

I groaned. "Jovette, how can you even think about that? He kidnapped you!"

"So I've been told," Jovette wasn't really listening. She was staring dreamily off into the trees. "He saved me from a bear. He almost kissed me once, too."

I sighed in exasperation. Now she was making things up. "Jovette-"

"Jovette?" Eric was standing at the edge of the trees. His eyes were dull and empty, but they lit with a flash of hope. "Where did you come from?"

"The castle over in that direction." She pointed. "Ethan's a slacker. He didn't even put a fancy magic lock on the gate to keep me from leaving."

Eric stared for a moment. "He just... let you leave?"

"Well, not exactly." She was obviously enjoying his look of bewildered surprise. "Y'see, he kind of left... I don't know where he went, but-"

Panic flashed across his face. "He what?"

"Disappeared. Went away. Left." Jovette looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"

Eric turned to me, his face filled with worry. "Ella, did Ana come back here?"

I shook my head slowly. "She left with you, remember...?"

His eyes filled with pain. "I know."

"Eric?" I tilted my head. "What happened?"

He shook his head and turned away. "She... I made a mistake." His voice wavered. "I don't know if I'll ever get her back."

"What?" I stared at him, shocked.

He just shook his head again. This time there was fear in his eyes. "She ran off. If Ethan found her...."

Jovette gasped.

"I'll never forgive myself," he said softly, his expression twisting with pain.

"This is all my fault."