"Honey for the last time, mommy isn't coming back. She, She's in heaven now, looking down at us as we speak." said a man holding back the threat of tears. He explained this as he was putting his late wife's dresses in the oak antique trunk at the end of his bed. "I will never marry again." He uttered under his breath as he closed the lid.
"But wont mommy miss her dress?" a little girl, no older than six, asked.
"Didn't you listen?" "Mommy is dead!" "She doesn't care about her old worn out dresses. So stop being such a pest" said the twins, about eleven years of age, as they pushed the little six year old Kitsune out of the way.
Kit was used to being picked on by her older sisters, May and Missy. Whenever the twins pushed her around or pulled on her hair or even call her names, Kitsune would always find comfort in their mother garden. Kit was the only one who still went there. The only time her sisters go there is to pick on Kit some more and ruined all of the beautiful flowers that bloomed there.
A few years had passed since their mother died and things got even worse for Kitsune. Missy and May were as mean as ever. They practically picked on Kitsune 24/7. Kit was miserable. One day when she had enough of this torment. She escaped to the only place the twins would never go, their father's antique shop.
When Kit got into the shop, she locked the door and hoped that no one else was in there, like her father. When she saw that she was the only one in the store, she decided to take a look around. She looked high and low for something interesting. All she found that was a key in the shape of a heart that looked like the one that her mother always wore around her neck, which belonged to the old oak trunk. "Hmmm… that's strange. Why would this be down here in the shop? Unless…" Kitsune looked around a bit more and found the antique trunk covered in dust in the corner of the room. "This NEVER leaves father's room; I wonder what's in here." Kit though to herself. So she took the key and opened the very ornate lid of the trunk. What she found inside made her gasp in awe. "Were…were these my…mother's dresses?" Kit asked herself with tears threatening to flow. "I wonder if she would mind if I tried one on." She wondered. Just as she was about to close the lid and lock the dresses back up, something caught her eye. It was a pale pink. Now Kitsune didn't like pink that much but this one dress was different from all of the others. She knew she had to try it on.
She put on the pink sundress; the color of the dress reminded her of someone blushing. It had a white satin ribbon at the waist and went a little past her knees. "I remember when mother wore this. It was the first day of spring and the Japanese Cherry Blossoms were already in bloom. It's seems like it was yesterday."
12 years ago when Kitsune had just turned four, (Missy and May were even a pain back then.) Their mother would always take Kit out to the garden and sing to her when she was upset with the twins. "When you feel like you are all alone, just like your best friend up and gone, don't worry now. Don't worry now. I've been there, I know how it feels to wonder if love is even real, so don't worry now. Don't worry now." She sang in a sweet almost lullaby-ish tune.
Kitsune remembered this song perfectly and started singing it herself. While she was singing, her father opened the door to the shop and heard this. He rounded the corner and saw a girl with long dark brown hair twirling around in one of his late wife's dresses.
"What are you doing in here?! Who are you?!" He asked in a sharp tone. This startled Kitsune; she stopped twirling and turned to face her father.
"I…I…I'm sorr-"
"Just who the heck do you think you are?"
"I…I just wanted to try on one of mom's dresses" Kitsune said with tears forming in her eyes.
"Kit?" Her father asked, looking puzzled. He thought to himself, "Could this really be my daughter, she looks just like Kassandra. But wait, why is she wearing that dress? No One, Is Suppose To Touch ANY Of These Dresses." This infuriated him."KITSUNE! GET OUT OF THAT DRESS RIGHT NOW!"
"But…But Father." Kit tried to plead.
"NO BUTS GET OUT OF THAT DRESS RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" he screamed. His face was red as a
beet. He left the room so Kitsune could change.
Kitsune was mad and as stubborn as she was, she wasn't going to hand them over without a fight. She loved all of these dresses and didn't want to give them up. She came up with a plan to run away. She took all the dresses and put them in one of the large carpet bags she found in the room. When she finished putting all the dresses in the bag, she ran up to her room and gathered all she would need to run way. When she had everything packed, she quickly and quietly slipped down the stairs, unnoticed and went out the door. She didn't know where she was going but she was about to find out.
"Kitsuuuuuune!" yelled a shrilled, high pitched twin.
"Kit, you better get your butt out here, father is really ticked at you." Said the second voice, just as shrill as the first. No answer. The short and slightly rotund girls tottered their way into the room where Kitsune was supposed to be changing. "SHES GONE!" the two shrieked at once.
"We must tell father" said Missy.
"You can, I don't like to be anywhere near him when he's this mad." said May.
"I'm not going to tell him, you are" Missy said to May as she gave her a little shove
"No you!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!" They both argued as they left the room in search of their father for the other one to break the bad news to.
Kitsune had only been gone for a few hours when she stumbled and fell, tearing the pink sundress she was wearing.
"Oh no!" she cried. A woman who was walking along the road saw Kit and helped her up.
"Are you ok?" asked the older woman who was dressed up in a dress that was fit for royalty.
"Oh yes I am.I just ripped my mother's dress that's all." Kit said with a frown on her face while looking down to the ground.
"Well you come with me and I can have that dressed fixed in a jiffy." said the woman with a smile.
"Really? That would be great!" said Kitsune cheering up a bit.
"Come on then, my house is just a few blocks from here." The well-dressed stranger said with a small laugh. They started off in the direction the stranger said her house was.
"I-Is th-that your HOUSE?!" Kitsune said as she stared at the huge, ivy covered castle.
"Well I am the queen aren't I, why wouldn't I live in a castle." The queen said with a
chuckle.
"Q-QUEEN?!"
"Yes, I am Queen Maria III." said Maria with a little curtsy. She led the speechless Kit inside and had her lady maids take her up to a spare room, clean her up and get her ready for the ball.
"BALL?!" Kit finally spoke.
"Yes, I am inviting you to my Masquerade Ball tonight. I'll have the girls bring in some dresses for you to try on. You may pick whichever one you like."
"With all due respect my lady, but I already have some dresses with me and I would love to have the chance to wear on of them."
"As you wish" replied the Queen. With this Kit was taken to the room to prepare for the ball.
The ball was in full swing buy the time Kitsune was ready. People from all over the world were there. All seemed to be there for a party. There were balloons and a gigantic birthday cake with the words "Happy Birthday, Prince Ricardo!" written on it.
"Is this a birthday party? I thought this was a masquerade! And why is everyone dressed in black and white. Why am I the only one in a different color?!" Kit started to hyperventilate. The Queen patted her on the back trying to calm her down.
"Everything will work out Kit, I promise" the queen said with a smile.
"Announcing her majesty Queen Maria III" said a little man who stood no taller than 5 foot. With this the queen stepped though the huge white double doors into the ballroom where all eyes were on her. Kit became nervous when the queen left her side. "Announcing the Queen's special guest, Miss Kitsune." said the doorman. With this the doors once again opened. Everyone stopped and stared in awe of her.
The crowd was astonished. Kit walked down the stairs, across the floor, right over to the queen and the prince.
"You have crashed my party. But I am very grateful you did." said the prince with a smile on his face. He got up and said "May I have this first dance."
Kit nodded and took his hand as they headed to the dance floor. All eyes again were on them.
"You are the most beautiful thing I have seen." The prince said with a smile on his face.
All Kit could do was blush. Throughout the whole night the two danced and got to know each other. At the end of the night, after everyone had already left, Prince Ricardo led Kitsune out to the garden. Kit sat down on the stone bench and looked in the beautiful pond. The moonlight shown on the water, and made Kit look like she had a heavenly glow about her.
"Kit," the prince started "I know I have know you only one night, but I feel as if I have known you all my life. I don't think I could live without you in my life. So Kitsune… will marry me?"
Tears formed in her eyes "Yes, Ricardo, I will marry you." said a very ecstatic girl.
A few months had passed since the ball and Kitsune was feeling a little home sick. Living at the castle was fun, but she missed her father. She even talked herself into missing her sisters as well.
"Ricardo, would you mind if you and I took a carriage ride to where my family still lives. I miss them terribly and wish to tell then of the news of our engagement." She asked with pleading eyes.
"Of course, anything for you my precious Kit." said the prince. With this he summoned the carriage and set off.
Kit saw her family and they were happy for her, even her sisters too. The prince said to kit and her family that they were all welcome to stay at the castle. This made everyone happy. In a few months, Kit and the prince married. And they would live happily ever after.
