A/N: It feels good to write something not related to the 100 Themes Challenge. (Though, this could fit one of the themes...) As usual, though, it's really short and simple. This was inspired greatly by the song "Cinderella" by Sweetbox. Although it's not the usual genre of music that's thought of with Twilight, I felt that it really fits Leah's situation. I hope I didn't get any details horribly wrong - I tried my best!
It felt good to be in my own room again – no, good didn't even begin to describe it. It was a relief, like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. There were no more fights to prepare for, no more vampires to protect. And, more importantly, I didn't have to listen to Sam's voice anymore when I phased. For the first time in a long time, I could confidently say that my life was fairly uneventful.
But if that was the case, then why did I feel so uneasy? As I sat on the edge of my bed looking around my room, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, like there was something horribly wrong.
I sighed. Of course, I knew what it was… How could I not? It was all I've been able think of for a while, and now that I had nothing to distract me, I had even more time to think about it.
Looking for something – anything – to keep me distracted, I grabbed an old, pink book from a pile of my old stuff. I smiled sadly as I remembered a more innocent part of my life, and I began to read:
Once there was a girl who was as good as she was beautiful. She lived with her stepmother and her two ugly stepsisters, who made her do all the work. Because her ragged clothes were always covered with cinders and ashes, she was called Cinderella…
I read through the familiar story, desperately wishing that I would be distracted by the nostalgia. But as I made it to the usual, happily ever after ending, I realized exactly what my problem was.
It's just not fair. All my life, I grew up wishing for my prince. When I ended up losing Sam, I became convinced that fairy tale love simply didn't exist. He'll be sorry, I reasoned with myself. He won't love Emily forever. It'll be the worst mistake he ever made.
But when I joined the pack, I realized that wasn't the case. It feels like everyone is being sucked into this pathetic, fairy tale love, while I get nothing. Sam and Emily, Jacob and Renesmee... Even Bella, who wanted to give up her own life, got everything she wanted and then some. Where was my happy ending?
I threw the book across the room and lay down on my bed. As mean as I knew it was, I hoped that one day, Cinderella would wake up and realize she wasn't as lucky as she thought she was. Maybe the fairy tale life isn't what it was cracked up to be. But sadly, I knew that wasn't the case – happily ever after is exactly what it means.