My Life…. As Cinderella

Alex leaned in, feeling his warm hand resting on her shoulder. She smiled, moving a little closer she met Jason's lips. In the background she heard a faint bell ringing in the distance.
"Oh no" she said pulling away.

Alex felt her hand up the nightstand searching blindly for her alarm clock. About a minute or so later, after the constant beeping started to annoy her, she finally sat up and pressed the off button. Sighing deeply she looked at the red numbers on the clock, 5:00. Groining she got out of bed slipping into her old, ratty slippers. She grabbed her purple robe and walked down the dusty attic steps.

Reaching the end of the steps she looked down a narrow hallway. It took her a few seconds finally she reached the last door on the right. Pushing the heavy door open she entered a small bathroom that she shared with her youngest sister. She grabbed a towel from the closet and turned the faucet on. Alex loved taking showers. She had always liked them. She enjoyed the relaxation of the water pouring down on her back and the steam filling your nose.

After about 5 minutes Alex stepped out to find the bathroom steamy and comforting. After drying off she pulled her robe and slippers back on. Stepping into the cold hallway was yet another reality check. Shivering a bit she stalked down the hall. Halfway down she stopped and pulled a door open.

"Rise and shine" She said turning the light on. She heard moans and groans come from the sleeping beauties in the neat beds. "Come on now time to get up" After some coaxing and prying her three stepsisters fell out of bed and ambled toward the bathroom that was connected to their bedroom. Alex followed them in to a big bathroom with a bathtub, shower, and three sinks. This bathroom was the biggest in the house.

After the triplets started their showers, she snuck out to change. Marching back up the steep steps she found herself back in her room. Alex pulled her bed sheets up to her pillows before opening her closet. Pulling some old jeans and a sweatshirt on she lumbered down the stairs again.

Checking on the triplets quickly she saw the time. 7:00. Crap, She thought, I have to get Maria up. She strode to the door across the bathroom. It opened to her sister's room, in which the three year old slept peacefully despite the commotion outside. Softly, Alex sat down on the little bed. Placing her hand on the girls shoulder she shook her slightly, just enough to wake her.

"Maria" She said gently "Time to get up." The little girl stirred enough so Alex knew she was awake, but Maria kept her little eyes shut tight. "Come on now I don't want to have to get the tickle monster" Alex said laughing a bit. The toddler's eyes shot open.

"Good morning Alex," She said sweetly. Alex smiled

"Come on now we are running late. We need to hurry," Alex whispered as she stripped the covers back and scooped the girl out of her little bed. She brought Maria to her closet. "Now what are we going to wear today?" She asked. Alex pulled 5 dresses out. "Ok Maria which one will you wear today," She said holding up some of them so she could see. Maria scanned them and a pointed a fat finger at a Tie-Dye one that she wore with a white shirt underneath. "Ok let's get it on," She pulled a white shirt out and took them off the hangers. After she put them on she skipped out across the hallway and into the bathroom where she pulled out her tooth-tunes tooth brush that sang 'We're all in this together' from High School Musical. Alex ran a brush through her soft hair.

A half hour later Alex was piling the four girls into her tiny car with the triplets fighting over who would sit up front. She was hurrying them along because she had to get to school. After dropping a sobbing Maria off at Hearts and Hands, her daycare, she pulled into the middle school and high school parking lot. Reminding the triplets to meet her at the parking lot right after school ended she ran toward the building.

Alex got to her locker just as the warning bell rang. Grabbing her materials for AP History she ran toward the other side of the school. Alex was in all AP classes, except for math, she liked math, but she wasn't very good at it. As she slumped into the front desk she sighed, she had made it.

This morning was not unusual for Alex. Sometimes she even worked at the bakery before she took the girls to school. Her step-mom didn't like that though because her precious angels, the triplets had to set alarms and wake there own little sister up. Alex didn't really like going to the bakery in the morning because the triplets didn't do a good job at getting Maria ready.

Alex was an orphan, kind of. At the age of three she lost her mom. Her dad had said her mom ran away but Alex wasn't too sure, she didn't think her mom would leave her with her work-alcoholic dad all alone. Not even a year later her dad married her step-mom Miss Therese Numbard. Therese wasn't happy that Alex's Dad brought a kid into their relationship and from the start she didn't like her. Not soon after they were married Therese was pregnant and 9 ½ months later she had triplets. Dad loved them so much. They got Alex's room and Alex was moved to the dusty attic. After the triplets were born most of the time she spent with her dad was the five minutes they got to talk on the way to daycare because was too busy with the triplets to pay any attention to her. But even those five minutes stopped after she started kindergarten and she took the bus. Her dad was still a work-alcoholic and he step-mom still hated her. At a young age she had to do lots of chores. Dishes, watch the babies, change the babies, set the table, etc. As she got older, the chores got harder and she got more. She didn't have any friends because she could never play. After a while she just thought her dad had left just like her mom. But the less she saw of her dad the meaner her step-mom got. She no longer could eat with the rest of the family because she didn't have 'manners' and she always had to do what ever her 2 year old step-sisters wanted her to do. She was very lonely because even if she found a friend for herself her step mom refused to let her play with anyone until her endless list of chores were done. Alex did struggle through the hard years and she hadn't lost her mind and run away. But she would be gone if it wasn't for Maria.

When Alex was thirteen her step-mom got pregnant again… this time not on purpose. Her step-mom and her dad fought for nine months about this accident and one day a cute little girl that they named married showed up. Just like Alex, she was not wanted by her mother. So Alex took her under her wing and took care of the baby because her step mom didn't want her. Now three years later Alex was 16 and still didn't see much of her dad. She was her step-moms personal slave, and she still was taking full care of her little sister.