It was nearly seven, now, and the bus would be coming in fifteen minutes. I heard Anastasia disappear into the washroom, and I certainly didn't have enough time to freshen myself up now. I went to the sink to at least splash some water on my face, but as I turned the tap on water exploded from the tap, drenching me in water. I forgot that I had booby-trapped it. As I tried to turn it off, I heard Anastasia screaming. I ran into the bathroom and just missed the water. The toilet was belching out nasty stuff-Drizella's nasty stuff-and Anastasia was covered in it. That was my work. I would have laughed had it not been so disgusting. Step-mother flew into the washroom.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" she bellowed calmly.
Anastasia started sobbing. "I flushed the toilet and then it overflowed-well, not really! It started spraying water all over me!"
Step-mother turned an accusing eye towards me. "Why are you wet?"
I pointed the sink that was still spraying water. "I turned on the taps and the same thing happened to me. I think something's wrong with the plumbing."
"Then turn it off, you silly girl," Step-mother hissed, pushing me out of the bathroom. The toilet had stopped spraying and Anastasia was still sobbing. "Get undressed, Anastasia, there's still enough time for you to have a bath. Thank goodness it didn't get in your lovely hair, though."
I followed step-mother's orders and the tap stopped spraying immediately. I knew that the next time I turned on the tap it would work normally. I was dripping wet-oh well, I guess it was a good substitute as a shower in a pinch. The clothes I was going to wear to school-my least torn rags-were now soaking wet, so I grabbed my filthy spares and just left the apron off. I quickly brushed my teeth, then hurried outside to wait for the bus. Our maillady was delivering our mail, so I smiled at her. She smiled back, then, pausing, said a brief hello before departing. She liked me, I knew, but, understandably, found my steps unsettling. I opened the mailbox and took out the mail. Bill, junkmail, bill, bill, junk... Whoa, what was this?
An envelope addressed to 'Mrs. Tremaine' sat in my hand, yellow and interesting looking. It had her work address on the top. So far, I believed my step-mother to be working in an illegal organization, but I didn't comment too much-she earned money and I didn't care if she was sent off to jail-it would mean less of her. I didn't open it-that was too rude. And illegal, now that I thought of it. So I marched back inside the house and knocked on the bathroom door.
"What?"
"I have important looking mail for you, step-mother," I said.
The door opened and I caught a quick glimpse of Anastasia's tear-streaked face lying in a bath filled with murky brown water. Lovely. Step-mother glared at me suspiciously before snatching up the envelope and tearing it open. She scanned it quickly and her smile twisted into a leering smile.
"Good news?" I asked polietly.
"Not that it's any of your business, yes. I'll be away tomorrow night till the next morning on work. I expect you to keep the house spotless and to not disobey me. Do so, and there will be severe punishment," she snapped.
The door opened and a crazed looking Anastasia emerged with a towel wrapped around her, her skin still a shade darker than normal, a nasty aroma still resting. "Did you say you're going away tomorrow night?"
Trying to hide her disgust, step-mother said, "Yes, darling, I have work to do."
Anastasia looked ecstatic, then changed her expression to sadness. "I'll miss you very much, mother. I promise to be good."
It was an obvious lie, but her mother just said silkily, "Yes, I know you will, sweetheart."
Anastasia grinned mischievously at me behind her mother's back, making me very uneasy.
I heard the tooting of a bus horn and I quickly rushed out, leaving Anastasia to change. Drizella was already in the bus, and I told the bus driver that my other step-sister would take just a minute. I headed to the back of the bus, but the bus driver said, "No, you sit next to your sister." I bristled at these words. I was an only child, and always would be, as both of my parents were dead. I would never have a half-sister or half-brother, and I would never have a step-brother, either. I was a siblingless orphan. I went solo. I had no sister. But I obeyed her orders and sat next to Drizella, who glared daggers into me.
The bus driver bore glasses and a beanie cap. She was fairly nondescript. Just as I was musing over being a bus driver, Anastasia hurried onto the bus, clothes crinkled and acting frantic. The bus driver wrinkled her nose in disgust at the fumes, directing Anastasia to a seat diagonally behind mine. The bus pulled away, quickly filling up with other people.
They all stared at me, unfamiliar and not introduced. A couple boys grinned at me, and I suddenly felt a little shy.
My first day of school was great. When we arrived, Drizella and Anastasia went their own way, leaving me alone. At first, I was a little panicky. I walked through the school doors, but was lost on where to go after that. At first, I just wandered into the safety of an nearby classroom that was empty. A few minutes later, when I returned to the hall, it was nearly empty and I was really starting to freak out. In desperation, I asked a curly haired brunette where the main office was, and she pointed the way. I walked in, fidgeting. A stern looking lady glanced up at me. "How can I help you?" she asked in a very deep voice.
Alarmed, I said, "It's my first day of school? I'm Cinderella Casmin?"
The lady barely blinked at my odd name, running her finger down the list, muttering, "Casmin, Casmin, Cinderella Casmin." I noticed she had a nametag that read 'Debra'.
"So, Cinderella," she said, smiling suddenly, "Your homeroom teacher is Mrs. Lumber. Here's your timetable and a map of the school." She handed me the said items then stood up abruptly. "The class numbers are on your timetable and map, but I'll show you to your homeroom."
She led me around the school, pointing out the cafeteria, other classrooms I would use, the gym, and other key points. We walked up a flight of stairs and then she pointed to my classroom, smiled, wished me good luck, and departed.
With trembling hands, I pushed open the door. Heads whipped around at me. I could feel my cheeks burn red. The teacher, who was reading out of a book, looked up at me. She scrutinized me for a second, then smiled. "You must be Cinderella! I'm Mrs. Lumber! Welcome!"
I heard a few snickers and repeats of my name. "You can sit right here, Cinderella. Right now we're just discussing famous pieces of literature, but I think we can take a little break." She pointed me next to a boy with black skin and green eyes. He looked Latin American, with fairly dark skin that shined naturally. He had a little-beauty mark, I suppose, to the right of his nose. His left. He was fairly attractive, and looked very bored. I looked over nervously at him and to my surprise he grinned lazily at me.
"So, Cinderella, I have a few questions for you. You can just stay seated. First off, do you have any nicknames?" Mrs. Lumber called. Sure I had nicknames-Brat, scum, maid, servant, etc. But my pets whispered a different name into my ears.
"Cindy," I said, and blushed again. That was a normal name.
"Splendid! So, which school did you go to before ours?"
How to answer this? Tell her, oh, my evil step-mother refused me schooling? Nope, one call to her and she would just lie through her teeth. It was better to take a more cliché route. "I've been homeschooled, but I'm way behind. That's why I started school here."
Mrs. Lumber smiled encouraging at me. "Splendid!" she cried again, "One more question, dear, then I can catch you up. Do you know anyone here?"
I hesitated. I didn't really want to be associated with Drizella and Anastasia. However, I wasn't a lier. "My step-sisters, Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine."
These words received harsh whispering, and I saw Mrs. Lumber's smile slip. I added, "Both of my parents are dead, so I have to live with them." I think it helped a bit, as Mrs. Lumber smiled again at me.
"Lovely, dear. Now, I'll commence the lesson..."
I was so focused on learning about what Mrs. Lumber was teaching that it took a couple times before the boy sitting next to me caught my attention.
"Hey! Cindy! Oh, hey," he said when I finally faced him. "Hey. I'm Talan. Talan Sagar. Want me to lead you around the school?"
"Oh! Hi. Sure!" I said, happy to be making a friend.
He looked ecstatic. "Awesome! And," he paused, turning slightly red, "Do you want to eat lunch with me?"
"Sounds like fun," I said.
"Cinderella, I forgot to tell you the rules," Mrs. Lumber said suddenly, in a very chilling voice, "No talking while someone else is. Pay attention."
I was upset that I had already gotten in trouble, but Talan grinned and winked at me.
The rest of the day was awesome. I hung out with Talan and some other kids-I made quite a few friends. Girbits Worthington, a junior, Calvin Best, a freshman, his secret girlfriend, Natasha Gooder, a sophomore, Mimi Olivia, a popular senior runaway, Willard Wright, a nerdy freshman, and Mandy Best, who I don't like all that much. She's kind of nasty. She commented on how my clothes were rags and made crack about homeless people. When my new friends defended me, she just laughed and passed it off as a joke.
I ended the day sitting with Anastasia. No fun.
As I arrived home, I suddenly realized how exhausted I was. Socializing was hard work. But I still had to clean up the water mess in the bathroom and near the sink, I still had to clean the sinks, I still had to dust, and I still had to clean the tub of Anastasia's filth. I still had to prepare dinner and I still had to eat. On top of that, I had my first homework assignment ever.
When I had finished my chores, I had ended in the bathroom. I could here Anastasia and Drizella's high pitched voices through the thin wood. Leaning in, I listened.
"What time?" That was Anastasia.
"What time does mother leave?" Drizella.
"4."
"Then we'll have it at five-thirty. We don't want early arrivers."
"Who are we inviting?"
"Calvin, Mandy, Jared, and a couple others."
"So it's not even a party even, we're just inviting over a few friends."
"Ssh! I don't want mother to hear you!"
"Why? Lets just tell her," Anastasia whined.
"No! Don't," Drizella commanded.
I opened the door. "If you won't, I will," I told Anastasia.
Snarling, Anastasia grabbed me and dragged me outside with surprising strength. "What?" I snapped, displeased.
"Don't you dare tell mother about this party you swine! It's supposed to be a secret, and I don't want it ruined!"
"Funny, you didn't seem so keen on keeping it a secret a minute ago," I snapped, pushing her away.
Her eye twitched. "Change of mind, never heard of one? Probably because you haven't one!"
That wasn't too bad. "Right, at least I didn't lose mine," I retorted. That was bad.
Anastasia laughed cruelly. "Listen, loser, you don't dare tell mother," she repeated.
I stepped closer to her, so we were an inch apart and lowered my voice. "So what if I do? What're you going to do, cry?"
"I'll tell mother it was your idea," she snapped.
I shrugged. "You still won't get to have your party," I said, and was satisfied to see her eye twitch again.
"I'll cook dinner tonight," Anastasia said, changing tactics. That didn't do me much good, not by a long shot.
"Try again," I hissed.
"I'll do you homework," she said.
I hesitated. Anastasia actually received good marks. Drizella received even better marks. "You can cook dinner, and Drizella can do my homework for the next week."
"Deal," Anastasia said, relieved.
"Wait, how do you know Drizella will accept?" I said, surprised. Normally Anastasia was very reluctant in asking her elder sister for favours.
"Trust me, this party is very important for her," Anastasia said cooly, then looked scared, as if I would use this against her.
"Shake?" I said. Nodding, we shook. Anastasia's hand was nasty sweaty.
So. Party On.
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