"So, are you interested in fashion now?" I asked her kindly. I was about to watch how I spoke to her before I remembered that I was now an adult. I could do whatever the hell I wanted.
"Naw," she said, smacking gum. "I like sports and cars more. I'm not really a girly-girl, if ya get mah drift," she drawled before spitting out her gum on our grass and grinding it into the dirt with the toe of her shoe.
I regarded her simple, short, tight black dress, long necklace, and long straightened hair that was covered with a black cowboy hat. A controversial outfit if I ever saw one. "How come you made the delivery, then?"
"Money's money. I deliver all kinds of packages, but mainly clothes. This is my work outfit they gave me," she added, seeing me giving her the once over. I nodded. She was extremely boring looking, with bored, vacant eyes, a too-small nose that would hopefully grow into her face, and light, scattered freckles. I nodded again and walked back inside, the brown package in hand.
Excited, I ripped apart the brown paper. There was a long-sleeved green shirt, brown pants and an apron. It was kind of cute, actually. I folded up the clothing and placed it into the bottom right drawer, which was reserved for me. The one to the left of that was for step-mother, and the large two drawers above were for Anastasia and Drizella. Inside the package was also a brown t-shirt, a brown tank top, a green tank top, brown short shorts and brown capris. I folded the remaining clothing and put them away, disappointed that there wasn't a dress of some sort. That meant I would have to work hard to buy my own come prom. I picked up the brown paper and carried it over to the recycling, nearly treading on something. I looked down to discover a blue nightie. I quickly tossed the paper into the recycling and tore off my clothing, putting on the nightie instead. Who cared if someone looked in the window? I was an adult now.
The nightie was soft and warm, reaching just above my ankles. It was much better than my previous nightie, which choked me around the neck. I gingerly picked up the discarded black underwear with the shirt step-mother had given me, wrapping them together into a ball and jamming the clothing at the back of step-mother's drawer. That way she couldn't accuse me of not returning her clothes.
Just as I was getting settled into bed with my new jammies, hair let loose and everything, the doorbell rang. I grumbled as I got up to see who it was. No one was at the front door, but there was a man standing at the edge of our entrance path. Did he ring the doorbell and walk away?
"Uh, hello? Can I help you?" I asked nervously. He was holding a book open, scanning the pages quickly. He was dressed in an exotic purple outfit with intricate gold designs, his bulging muscles revealed by the the short sleeves, his abs shown off by the tight fitting material. His afro popped out behind his head like a cocky peacock displaying his feathers for the ladies.
He glanced up at me, and suddenly I recognized him as Lashon LaVelle, with his remarkable pencil mustache. "Are you Cinderella Casmin?" he asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Uh, yes, I am," I said.
He snapped his book closed with one hand. "Perfect! Your high school recommended you for our company. This is a one in a life-time opportunity! In our special service program, we will give you calls for you to deliver your talent to people-whether to celebrate, cheer them up or just entertain them. First, I need to hear what you've got," Lashon said, suddenly very bright.
Overwhelmed, I blinked a few times, trying to take this all in. "Wait, what am I doing? What is your company for?"
Lashon frowned. "They told me that you were intelligent... Oh, well. You're singing, singing!"
I suddenly became very self-conscious. I knew my hair was a poofy mess, and I wasn't wearing a bra. How could I when I had no bra to wear? I looked down. Oops. There was some protruding going on... I looked up at Lashon, embarrassed, but he wasn't paying any attention. "What are you waiting for? Get on with it!"
So I belted out 'Last Friday Night' by Katy Perry. I warbled a bit at first, but gained confidence and sang really strongly. When I was finished, I crossed my arms protectively over my chest, regarding my judge.
He nodded, eyebrows raised, lips stuck out to the side. He looked very contemplative. "Alright, Miss Casmin. You will be hearing from us. We will send you an outfit that you are expected to wear at all singing occasions."
I nodded, thanked him, and he left. That was all. I had landed my first real job.
When I returned inside, Lucifer was fast asleep on top of the dresser. That cutie. My stomach let out a tiny groan, so I headed towards the fridge and pulled out some cake. Nommy. I could use a few extra pounds anyway. When I finished, I carried the plate to the sink and washed it. It occurred to me that this was the first time I had to lean over the sink. I was taller. I felt a little lanky, almost. It was the first dish I washed as an adult.
"Cinderella!" step-mother called, and began nattering away to me. I tuned her out. I had mastered that now. I could filter in important words and block out the rest. "Sink needs repairing!" Ugh. Maybe it would've been better if I had just filtered everything out. I shrugged, nodded at my step-mother before marching off to the bathroom.
I walked over to the sink, where the tap was only leaking, but there was a small puddle at my feet. I pulled out my wrench and knelt down beneath the sink, but soon I found out that I couldn't fit. I lay down on my back, getting soaked by the little puddle, with my upper body wedged in the little cabinet. After making some adjustment, tightening a few places, I heard the sound of silence. Blissful quietness. I breathed a sigh of relief at my job being done and sat up, whacking my face hard on the black pipe. I rolled out of the cabinet, cursing, and as I stood up I slipped on the leftover water from the puddle and landed on my butt. When I stood up, I felt water being sprayed at me. I screamed a couple curses. Step-mother yelled at me to shut up. Grumbling, I fixed the sink, again.
I went outside to dry myself off in the sun, with my bum in the air. I hoped that no one I knew saw me. I did see someone I knew, though.
"Lucifer!" I cried, scuttling forwards from my crab-like position. Lucifer was in the middle of fooling around with a raccoon. I couldn't tell if Lucifer was fighting him off or if they were just play fighting. "Lucifer!" I hissed again, as if we were conspirators. Lucifer glanced at me, and as he did, the raccoon took a swipe at his face. The two animals hissed at each other before darting away in opposite directions. I scooped up Lucifer in my arms.
"Did the big bad raccoon hurt widdle kitty?" I cooed, tickling his fat belly. Lucifer purred, rubbing his head into me. I grinned. He was better than I had ever thought he could be. I set him on a chair inside, but he just leaped up onto the table. I shrugged.
I scrubbed the kitchen sink-there goes my first sink washed as an adult. Hmm. I winked at the wall. There was my first wink as an adult. What about first kiss? I glanced at Lucifer. I didn't think kissing a cat on the nose counted. Hopefully not. I hadn't kissed anyone before-not as a teenager, not as a child, and certainly not as an adult. I wanted that to change.
For now, though, I washed the oven-top. Who would my first kiss be? Immediately I thought of Talan. Although I was no longer in love with him, there would always be a place in my heart for him.
"CINDERELLA!" Anastasia shrieked. What the hell? Could she detect when I was even thinking about her boyfriend?
"What?" I said, making my way towards her.
"THE SINK IS BROKEN!" she yelled.
Dammit. I walked in through the side door, only to be sprayed by shooting water. Couldn't we just buy a new sink? Frustrated, I took out my damned wrench and started hitting the sink with it. Then I stopped. It was my precious wrench. I wouldn't ruin it. I noticed a chip on it. I sighed. I was such an idiot.
When I was finally finished, it was quite a bit later. I stepped into step-mother's bedroom, where Lucifer was waiting for me. I knelt down and he gave my hand a friendly sniff. That reminded me of my other furry friends. Not so furry, really, but feathery and hairy. I took off my semi-wet nightie and took out my new regular clothes, trying them on for the first time. They were actually quite comfortable, and fit perfectly. I dashed outside to my pets. I poured food into Pino's little dish and dumped food from a can into Gus and Jack's terrarium. "Hey, guys," I whispered. "I love you." They tittered to each other before twitching their whiskers to let me know that I had work to do.
I cleaned up after my bird and mouses' poop, collecting all the scraps and random junk in a garbage bag, laying new newspaper and confetti bits in their cages. The garbage can was knocked over-most likely from the raccoon. There were flies buzzing around and a strong smell emanated from it. I pulled up the garbage can, but the lid came off and some garbage spilled out. I set down the heavy bin upright, filled the garbage bag I had with the spilled trash, and set that bag inside the can.
I marched back in, washed my hands thoroughly, but of course the sink spluttered. I pulled out the handy dandy wrench, which I kept on me at all times now, and fixed the loose tap handle. When I finished, I let out a yawn and struggled into my nightie before tumbling into the world of slumber.
I dreamed of Lucifer scratching me, attacking me. He grew big until he was as tall as me, then he shed his hair and his face morphed into Talan's. He had horrible long fangs and kept hissing at me, yelping and snarling. I woke, sweaty and panting, and looked around. Anastasia and Drizella's beds were empty. Lucifer was tearing up Drizella's blanket, yowling like a baby. I climbed down and calmed Lucifer down to a purr. I realized I was shaking. My body was hot but my skin was cold.
With still shaking hands, I went into the dining room to find Anastasia munching on cake. Way to take the initiative, Anastasia. I pulled out some butter, flour, and other ingredients necessary for making waffles. Lucifer strolled up to me and did a gigantic leap onto the counter while I cooked, settling himself down. Drizella walked out just as I was drizzling two waffles in maple syrup. I set them down in front of her with a grin. She muttered a dismal thank-you. Thank-you? Manners? Shocking.
I finished up the last batch, piled two waffles onto a plate, filled them with syrup and slapped two globs of butter onto them with my knife. Drizella stood up, placing her plate on the table, leaving me to enjoy my breakfast in peace.
When I finished washing the dishes, I took a nice long bath. It was a Sunday, so there was plenty of time to do whatever. I looked at my body. It was still a shock every time I saw myself-I was so different. I suddenly had an urge to do something strange... Leaning over the side of the tub, water dripping everywhere and exposing me to the cold air, I reached down into a package and grabbed one of Drizella's unused razors. I removed the cover with shaky fingers. What if someone found out? I grinned to myself. What did I care, anyway. I scrubbed my legs with the soap sitting next to the tub until they were bubbly and just the tiniest bit red. Then, slowly, carefully, I pulled the razor along my leg, taking little blond hairs off as well. It felt funny, as if the orange scented soap had entered my body and was sitting in the places my hair had been, shifting occasionally, causing my leg to tingle curiously. I was shocked that I hadn't accidentally cut myself. I looked into the water, where the hairs were floating around. Eugh. I quickly shaved the rest of my leg, then the other one, and even my armpits, though the hair was so light and fine I could barely see it. When I was finished, I washed the razor out really well, scrubbed down my body, rinsed myself and the tub off, then dried myself off. With numbed fingers, I recapped the razor and carried it into my step-sisters' and my room. I changed into my day clothes and hid the razor at the back of my clothes drawer. With any luck, Drizella and Anastasia wouldn't look, but even if they did, they would just assume I was cutting myself.
I stepped into the sink part of the bathroom to find Anastasia practicing a speech of some sort. She stopped when she saw me come in, and adjusted her makeup while I fixed my hair. She kept shooting my suspicious glances and waited until I was out of the bathroom before practicing again, but in a voice so quiet I couldn't make out what she was saying. I hoped dearly she didn't know what I had done. I looked down guiltily at my nice, smooth legs. They felt so nice, though, and I felt so mature with them like that. I like them shaved.
I grabbed the morning paper and checked out the Wanted section. I couldn't depend on a job as a singer, really. That was silly. I found one 'maid needed'. I hesitated, but filled out an application anyway. I could always decline.
As I headed back in from the mailbox, I found Talan on our porch. He was a young adult, too. I had totally forgotten about his birthday! It didn't matter though. We weren't friends anymore. As I stood, watching him ring the doorbell, I realized that he wasn't remotely attractive. In fact, he was quite homely. I gasped at this epiphany, and Talan turned around.
"Oh, hey Cind! You seen Ana? I'm taking her out driving! She's wants her license. Shouldn't you have your license by now, by the way?"
That rude son of a-no. I couldn't insult his poor mother. His dead mother. "Drizella is older than me," I shot back. "If you want to see your little girlfriend, she's out back."
He looked stunned. My shoulder knocked into his as I strutted inside. I sneakily watched Talan and Anastasia's conversation through step-mother's window.
"Talan... You're so tall," Anastasia said. She didn't sound impressed.
"I'm a legal adult now, dollface," he said proudly, pulling at the straps of his ridiculous farmer suspenders he was wearing. He looked at her with longing. "Can't wait 'till you officially mature... Then we can do it." He winked.
"You're so silly," Anastasia said with a giggle, but it sounded forced. "I won't have sex until I'm married, remember?" she said gently. What? Really? I had a new-found respect for my step-sister.
Talan pulled her into an embrace. Anastasia let out an "oof!" and her arms automatically swung around his back. "Sweetie, I know you don't... But feelings change," he said, sliding his hands down her back. Anastasia was frozen, letting him have his way until he brought his hand around to her front.
"That's enough!" Anastasia cried, disgusted. She pushed him away with her hand. I couldn't blame her. What a pervert! Who would have thought the sweet little boy who had showed me around school would act like this? "Enough, Talan, enough. Just take me driving."
"Sure thing, sexy," he said, walking away. I saw Anastasia making a face at him as she followed.
I walked out to the front porch, not caring if they saw me. They were in Talan's expensive car-Talan looking grumpy, Anastasia looking creeped out.
Talan's car was really nice. Sleek, black, with a white hood and decals on the back. I watched Anastasia nervously place a hand on the steering wheel, Talan's face still placid. The car abruptly flew forward a hundred meters before screeching to a stop. I laughed. I didn't want them to get in a car crash, but I could only imagine their shocked faces. Chuckling, I went back inside. Drizella was pounding away on something in the washroom.
"What the hell are you doing!" I yelled, opening the door.
She stopped. "The drain was clogged with some inconsiderate idiot's hair, so I tried to take it out but then I bumped the taps and now everything's screwed up." She resumed the clanging of the wrench against the tub. I guiltily exited the bathroom.
I checked on my mice while I waited for work to occur. Jack was running around in his little wheel while Gus was off on the side, snoozing. That lazy bugger. The wretched noise finally ceased, so I went back in to see how Drizella was doing. She was trying to mop up the mess with my Swiffer.
"Drizella, we've gone over this... let me sweep up the water silly," I said, as if I was speaking to a three year old.
Drizella looked up, wide eyed and startled, handed me the Swiffer and left. When I was finished mopping up the mess with my magic mop, I went to go check up on Drizella. To my horror, she was chucking eggs at our neighbour's front door. Because we weren't already on bad enough terms.
Everything seemed to be in slow motion as I pushed open the front door, desperate to stop this. Drizella pelted another egg at the door, then, just as she was pulling another egg out of her dress, the door opened. But it was too late. The egg was out of her hand. I halted and covered my eyes, peeking through my fingers. Sonoko Lee, Mitch's wife, was barely grazed by the egg before it exploded on the door behind her. Even as the egg was cracking open, she was screaming in rage. Didn't Drizella know that Sonoko was a creepy vampire? Hadn't I told her that? Maybe not. I couldn't remember. The next few moments came in a blur. A car pulled up, and Drizella jumped in. The car sped away and I could only barely glance at the face of the woman driving Drizella. Was this planned? Why? What did Drizella achieve by alienating our neighbours?
But then I remembered who the woman was and the relief spread through by body like a hot fudge sundae sliding down my throat. That woman was the carpooler, the lady who drove Drizella to work! It all made sense. Drizella had timed it perfectly. Yes, that woman was certainly her, with the boring yet pretty face and purplish-blue eyes. There was a sudden blur of light, and a police cruiser pulled in, blocking off the car. Drizella stepped out of the vehicle, now dressed in her work clothes. She must have changed in the car... in thirty seconds? I shrugged, leaning against the door-frame to watch the action play out. It was Nancy Docket who was getting out of the car.
"I'm taking you home, missy," Docket said, grabbing Drizella by the arm. She hesitated. "You live right here, don't you?"
"That's right," Drizella muttered, yanking her arm away.
"Get inside," a voice hissed in my ear. Ice chills raced down my spine, so I complied, shutting the door behind me. As Drizella was walking up our front steps, Talan's car zoomed up and Anastasia jumped out of the passenger seat. She was barely out of the car before the car zoomed out again. I saw Talan reaching over to close the door as he drove. Anastasia pushed passed me, visibly upset.
"What happened?" I asked as Anastasia rooted through the fridge.
"Well, I was already pissed off at him for being a pervert, but then he started bossing me around with my driving, so I stopped the car and told him to get out. Then I told him to cut out the crap and stop acting like he owned me and like I was his little plaything. He didn't really care," Anastasia said, closing the fridge and carrying two slices of cake over to the table. She sat down and started shoving cake in her face. "The other one's for you," she said. Oh, wow, that was really sweet of her. Even though I was full, I sat down across from her and started gobbling cake as well.
"So then what?"
"Well, he told me that it was his car and maybe I should just go home if I was going to PMS, and he acted really immature, so I told him to drive me home. It was really silent and we were both pretty pissed," she finished, shaking her head. She rinsed off her plate and sat down at the T.V. She flicked through a couple channels before landing on a wedding. When the bride and groom kissed, Anastasia half whispered, "That could be me some day. And Talan." Her voice was full of dread. Meanwhile, some shouting was occurring outside.
I pressed my ear up to the door.
"When are you going to grow up, Drizella?! You're the oldest, but Cinderella has matured before you! And Anastasia is certainly maturing! I can feel it!"
"Well what the hell do I care about them, mother? Maybe I don't want to freaking grow up! I don't want to get old and wrinkly like an old bat like you! I'm graduating really soon, mother! I have excellent marks! Is that not good enough for you? You just don't want me to go to university!" Drizella screamed.
"Of course I don't! We don't have enough money! Even if we did I wouldn't want you to go! There are drugs and boys and girls just shouldn't go to university! I thought I raised you right. I thought I raised you to be better," step-mother said, and I knew it was the end of the argument. I stepped away from the door a few seconds before it swung open. Step-mother, then Drizella, walked in, each scowling ferociously. Drizella picked up my fork and started eating my unfinished piece of cake. I wasn't hungry anyway.
Drizella finished very quickly, and when she was done I spotted some cake crumble on the ground for Lucifer. Drizella pushed her plate away, and I scooped it and my own leftover plate up, carrying them over to the sink to give them a wash. When I finished, I took out some vinegar and various veggies to make a salad.
I chopped all the veggies...
Dribbled the vinegar on all the food...
Mixed it all together in a bowl... And presto! I set the autumn salad down on a large plate.
I scrubbed the counter clean, tossing all the remnants in the trash. Then I grabbed the trash-bag and carried it out to the garbage can. When I finished, I found Drizella to be using the kitchen sink, so I headed to the bathroom one. It was always good to wash your hands once done taking the trash out or something. Then I bent down over the tub and washed it. As I was wringing the sponge free of any excess soap or water, a cell-phone started ringing. I scrambled for it, and found it under the tub. It was a little dusty. I'd have to wash under the tub, too. I wiped my soapy hands off on my apron before pressing the 'Talk' button.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hello. May we speak to Lady Tremaine?"
Hmm. Not many people addressed my step-mother as Lady Tremaine. "Just one moment, please."
I carried the phone over to step-mother. It was her cell. Step-mother was dressed in a nightie, obviously just about to go into bed. "Yes?" she said coldly.
"It's for you," I whispered, handing her the phone. Step-mother gestured for me to leave the room, but I just looked up at the ceiling as if I couldn't hear her. She scowled.
"Hello? Yes. I do. What? I see... They'll be so disappointed. Pardon me? He is? They are? What fantastic news! Yes. I understand. Of course, his father... I see. Well, thank you very much. Yes. Good-bye," step-mother said.
"Well," step-mother said, briskly, snapping the cell-phone shut. "Anastasia! Drizella! You need to hear this too!"
My step-sisters appeared very quickly, huffing. They were speedy. Then again, each room was barely ten meters away from each other. "What?" they said in unison.
"Girls, you won't have a prom this year," step-mother said.
"WHAT!" we all cried in outrage.
"This isn't fair, I've been planning for months!" Drizella said.
"What about me, I could actually have a date!" Anastasia cried.
"This makes no sense!" I whined.
"Girls, girls!" step-mother said, taking a deep breath and holding her hand up. "Calm down. Instead of a prom, we're going to have a ball..."
"And not just any ball... Prince Charming is having a ball to find a wife."
