Jeanderella
Disclaimer: I do not own Cinderella, but I own this story and the characters.
Author's beginning remarks: I made this story for my TLE project and is inspired by my classmates. The character names are from my friends.
Jeanderella
Once upon a future time, in a far away poor land, where technologies are not so popular because they are so expensive, there lived a beautiful young lady named, Jeanderella.
She lived with her step mother, Marjellaine and two step sisters namely Joanne and Samantha.
Jeanderella had once lived peacefully with them until her father died. Since then, she was treated like a servant and they never even thought of her as a sister- well, not anymore; except for Joanne.
"Hey! Jean, clean up this mess!" Samantha ordered as she sprinkled bread crumbs on the floor.
Jeanderella who was cooking food for dinner stopped and turned around. "But I'm still-" before she could even finish her statement, Samantha interrupted. "No more buts! Clean this up or I'll let you sleep in the attic." Her step sister grinned evilly and sprinkled more crumbs on the floor.
Jeanderella did not protest and she cleaned up the bread crumbs that were wasted on the floor.
"Be more reasonable, Sam! She is our sister after all." Joanne interrupted. She even emphasized the word 'our'. "Ugh! You mean our step sister." Samantha shrugged.
Samantha went inside her room feeling betrayed. She did not even bother to come out and eat for dinner. Joanne was trying- but more like scaring her just to come out and eat.
"Come on, Sam. Mom's going to be home by tomorrow. If she finds this out, she'll deduct your allowance in half." Joanne tried to sound more convincingly, but Sam just won't listen.
"So," She exclaimed in a not-so-normal-high-pitched voice. "Don't shout like that, you'll wake people up." Joanne hissed through her teeth.
Samantha snapped and opened the door with too much force. "Do you always have to side with her!?" She gritted her teeth. "Because no one else wants to." Joanne sighed. "She isn't our blood-related sister, she's just a marriage-related sister bound to be together with us for a hellish lifetime! She's a nuisance! Nothing but trash." The words came out from her mouth unconsciously. "Is that so, then sorry for the late "welcome to hell," little sister," Joanne argued back.
Jeanderella who was just sitting in the kitchen can hear them fight just because of her. Tears were starting to fall from her eyes. She was sniffing and blaming herself for everything.
'Should I just run away and never come back?' she thought wiping her tears off.
She thought of a countless reasons to run away but in the end she just can't leave her family now of all times.
'If I do run away, where would I live? What would I eat? What will happen to me by then?' There were many questions running in her head that she couldn't even imagine the answer that'll happen to her.
She went inside her little room and sulked. She tried to sleep, but couldn't. She looked at the ceiling and tried to count a hundred sheep in her head. "1 sheep, 2 sheep, 3 sheep…" she murmured to herself. Minutes have passed and she had fallen asleep.
The next day while Jeanderella was preparing to leave to buy food in the marketplace their mother got back home from her business trip.
"Mom!" The two sisters called out and hugged their mom, while Jeanderella was just standing at their side, smiling.
"How was everything while I was gone?" Marjellaine asked. Samantha and Joanne took their mom's luggage let her sat in the couch.
Samantha rolled her eyes. "Ugh! It was very-"before she could finish Joanne interrupted, "good!" She gasped and glared at her sister.
"I see." She glared menacingly at Jeanderella who was just standing innocently on the side of the room. "And what about this girl here?" looking at the girl from head to toe. "She's doing fine, actually." Joanne answered before anyone else could. "Hmph" was the only response their mom could say.
"Anyway, the richest man in this land is having a party in his mansion and our family is invited to come." Marjellaine paused. "You two will love this part. His son will search for the girl that will make his heart race during the party."
Marjellaine took an envelope from her hand bag. "It says here that 'Everyone in the business world is invited to come……'
She read the whole message and the two girls were clapping their hands from excitement with giggling while Jeanderella was just smiling and feeling hopeful.
"Girls, let's buy you dresses and sandals for the party tonight." Marjellaine took her purse.
"And, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Jeanderella, you can't come. Pets aren't allowed to come. Pests are bound to stay at home" Marjellaine laughed and glared at Jeanderella who was looking at the floor with teary eyes.
"But mom-" Joanne protested. "We've also got no one to watch over the house too, you know, miiss watchdog" Marjellaine insisted. "You're totally right mom!" Samantha agreed.
Joanne sighed in defeat. She looked at Jeanderella apologetically who was just staring at them with sadness evident in her eyes.
"Let's go." Their mom walked out of the house dangling her purse. Samantha followed while humming triumphantly.
"I'm so sorry Jean," Joanne whispered to her sister. "No, its okay, I understand. I'm not related to the three of you anyway. So it's expected for me not to come." Jeanderella smiled positively.
"Now go, before mom- I mean Marjellaine gets mad at you too." She opened the door for Joanne and the smile didn't fade away from the beautiful milk-colored skin of Jeanderella.
Joanne walked out of the house and waved at Jeanderella while Sam and Marjellaine ignoring them sitting happily inside.
A deafening silence filled the house and she walked to her room still hopeless. She was just sitting silently beside the door, thinking deeply.
There were many times she planned to escape this nightmare but she couldn't. She's too kind to leave her family as it is. She had grown to love them.
She decided to go out for a while to distract her from thinking such things.
She went to the park sitting in a lone bench facing the ocean. She suddenly remembered her father. She was about to cry, when she thought of singing would make her pain ease a little. She inhaled and exhaled then gasped for air, then sang her heart out.
"In the depths of my tear-filled eyes,
Is your everlasting love.
"How far does the world go?"
Those words from our bygone days.
Even on those freezing, stormy nights,
Though you are still out of sight, I continue on.
Please tell me, ocean-crossing winds,
That my prayers will pass through time.
I try to embrace you trembling with uncertainty,
But I look up at the empty sky beyond reach.
I hear the chime that illuminates darkness,
Showing me that the path to you is still far."
"You've got a very heartwarming voice." A man from behind clapped. His voice as calming as ever, his sweet voice made her heart thump.
"Y-you were listening?" Jeanderella stood up eyes widened in shock and looked at the man who was wearing odd clothes. He seemed to be out of the ordinary. He was wearing a black satin coat and pants, and a leather shoes. He looked rich.
"If I was not interested in you I wouldn't have." He smiled crookedly; he looks so handsome, far more than a human beauty. "Interesting? How?" Jeanderella asked raising an eyebrow, face flushing light pink.
"You're wearing tattered clothes. You look so beautiful but you're in that kind fashion." The man chuckled. 'Oh no! I forgot to change my clothes.' Jeanderella blinked from the shock. It's her maid clothes.
"I, uh," She tried searching for an excuse. She just can't say that she's being treated as a slave by her adopted family or she's a maid- it was too embarrassing for her.
"I understand you don't have to say it." The man smiled his crooked smile again.
Jeanderella remained speechless- stunned, he was too striking for her. She hasn't seen this kind of beauty ever in her entire life, not until now.
"So," the man broke the silence and breathed heavily. "I'm Jonathan, it's a pleasure to meet you." The man bowed a little to show his gratitude. "Y-yeah…" was all she could muster up.
"And you're name?" He stared at her smiling gently. 'Oh my, he just so handsome. I think I'm going to melt,' she thought. "I, uhm, Ella, just call me Ella." Jeanderella's voice cracked as she gasped for air, then she forced a laugh. She was too nervous.
"Okay. So Ella, huh," Jeanderella gaped, her face turned bright ripe-apple red as Jonathan spoke her name.
"My dad's having a party this evening; you have to come- I mean you can come." He bit his bottom lip before saying "here, take this. It's a special invitation for you." He smiled Jeanderella's favorite smile again. He handed the invitation to Jeanderella and she took it hesitantly. What can she do, it's an invitation only for her.
He stared intently at Jeanderella before walking away.
"Th- thanks!" Jeanderella shouted loud enough for Jonathan to hear. He turned around, walking backwards waving at the girl beside the bench hopefully and smiled.
Jeanderella went back home before sunset and searched for a dress in the attic. It was minutes later when she heard a car's engine telling her that her step mother and two step sisters were now home.
She let them have a private time in the living room. She was busy searching for clothes up in the attic anyways.
Not for long she found a white dress with princess blue frills, it was her real mother's dress. She remembered that it was a gift from grandmother when her mom got married to her father. She smiled half-heartedly
"Jeanderella!" Marjellaine called out. "Help us get dressed down here. Jeanderella took her dress and folded it then threw it inside her room. Inches away from the living room she realized that she was still holding the invitation from Jonathan. She instinctively hid it inside her pockets and sighed in relief.
She helped her step family in wearing their dresses and putting make-up on them. She's just smiling hopefully and cheerfully humming sweet melodies.
Finally, Samantha couldn't stand her step-sister's very-cheerful-and-happy-not-so-worried mood. "Why are you so happy? Shouldn't you be jealous?" She snapped and stood up.
"Why would I?" Jeanderella grinned happily. "Ugh!" Samantha shrugged and stood up, too then pushed her step sister away.
Jeanderella lost her balance and fell to her knees. The invitation slipped from her pocket to the floor.
"What's this? Marjellaine took the envelope and flipped it back to back. "It's an invitation directly from the richest family! It has a family seal! How did you get such a thing, Jeanderella?" Marjellaine exclaimed giving a staring dagger look.
Jeanderella gasped. 'Cover blown already,' she thought sighing heavily, nervousness was written all over her face.
"Jonathan gave it to me." She looked down, feeling so regretful. 'Why didn't I throw it in the room with the dress?' 'Why didn't I hide it in the first place?' 'Why am I so clumsy?' Questions of regret flooded her mind, and she couldn't think straight.
"Who's this Jonathan?" Her step mother asked glaring at Jeanderella ferociously. "He's the son of the richest man here, you didn't know? All of you were so excited about this event and in fact you don't know whom are you going to face?" Jeanderella laughed.
It was the first time she slipped her heart without the brain thinking about it first. Jeanderella laughed teasingly. She couldn't take it now; she can't understand how she feels.
"How dare you talk back to me like that? You selfish brat!" Marjellaine slapped her step daughter with too much force which made her shout. "Mom, she was invited; we can't do anything about it!" Joanne protected Jeanderella who was holding her swollen left cheek from the slap.
"Whatever! You do have a dress, don't you?" Marjellaine pinched poor Jeanderella's ears pulling her towards her room.
"Aha! Who gave this to you?" Marjellaine pushed her aside and took the dress which was lying cutely on the bed.
"No, please," Jeanderella begged. "You're not going anywhere, brat!" Marjellaine shrieked as she tore the clothes to pieces.
Jeanderella cried so hard that her eyes were swelling. She can even hear Samantha laughing in the living room just hearing that her step sister is crying like a baby.
"You're staying whether you like it or not!" she threw the pieces of the tattered clothes to Jeanderella. She slammed the door locking it from outside.
"Why?" She whispered to herself, sniffing and gasping for air. The tears kept on falling from her eyes endlessly.
Hours have passed and she heard the door from the living room slammed closed. She sat still, sulking.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her window. She stood up drying the tears from her eyes to see who was that, she saw a girl almost her age. She's smiling cheerfully, holding a laptop on her left. The girl was wearing a short blue dress with white sandals and sling bag. Her hair was pulled up like a pony tail.
Jeanderella opened the window wondering who that girl must be. "Yahoo!" the girl jumped inside Jeanderella's room. "I'm fairy from the techno world! I'm Kuela, nice to meet cha!" she greeted with a big smile on her face.
"Hahn?" Jeanderella raised an eyebrow. 'How can fairies exist at a time like this?' She thought."You want to come to the party right? I'll grant that wish!" Jeanderella just nodded and the fairy unfolded her laptop and typed in something, Jeanderella wasn't so sure what that fairy was doing, all she knows is that she let in someone weird.
"What are you doing, Kuela?" Jeanderella finally asked. Kuela smirked like a kid and turned her lap top for Jeanderella to see. "What's that?" Jeanderella asked pointing at the screen.
"I'm drawing clothes for you. You can't go to the party like that!" she pointed at Jeanderella's ragged clothes.
"How will you make that in reality?" Jeanderella emphasized the word so that Kuela would understand what she meant. "Watch and see." She winked at her.
She took a camera from her sling bag and snapped a click to Jeanderella. She just stood shocked from what was happening to her.
"Look at yourself in the mirror now!" Kuela smiled happily, success flooded her face. Jeanderella turned around facing the mirror to see what she was talking about.
"Oh my!" was all she could say. Her ragged clothes turned into a dazzling black formal dress matching with a white shawl and a mask. She blushed for a second on how beautiful she had become. She looked down to her toes and found that her feet part didn't change.
"Thanks for the outfit but the shoes won't fit in the fashion." Her shoes remained ragged as it is. "Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, here, take this and wear it now."
She handed the black shiny sandals to Jeanderella. She wore it as soon as she had it in hand. "Wow, it fit right." Jeanderella smiled.
"It's programmed now. You're the only one who could wear that from now on. If someone wears that without your permission it'll automatically wear off from that person and will say "you're not my owner", weird huh, but it's like that." Kuela explained the details about the sandals as Jeanderella walked with it, and excitement written all over her face.
"I guess you're very ready now." Jeanderella nodded hopefully. "So, is it a "let's go to the party now!"?" she asked not sure of what to say. "I guess. But how will you go there without a car?" Kuela asked teasingly. "Tell me about it." Jeanderella rolled her eyes.
Kuela snuck Jeanderella out of the haunted house and went to the sidewalk. "I needed a car, right? But I didn't expect it to be an invisible one." She shrugged looking at the empty street.
"Have mercy on me, I'm not finished assembling it yet." Kuela kept on typing something in her laptop and all they can hear are the clicks and taps from the lap top. "Done!" she finally said.
She placed a rock on the road which made Jeanderella giggled. "You're may be laughing now but later your mouth might hang open." The fairy protested. She snapped the camera on the rock, after the flash it became a car. It transformed to the latest version of a Ferrari. How amazing.
It did happen, Jeanderella's mouth hanged open. Kuela giggled that what she said came true.
Jeanderella closed her mouth and opened it again as she spoke: "So who's going to drive?" she asked. "Me," Kuela blinked. "You'll come to the party?" She asked again. "No," the fairy answered. "You'll have to stay there until twelve midnight only." Kuela added. Her voice became serious. Those made Jeanderella have Goosebumps.
"When the clock strikes twelve, you'll have to disappear in that castle and head back home, or else your clothes will return into ragged and everyone in that place will think you're weird or something." After explaining she helped herself inside the car and Kuela went to the driver's seat and started the engine, then she drove off.
They arrived at the mansion several minutes later. "By the way, the shoes won't wear off." She smiled. "Why?" Jeanderella asked. "Good shoes take you to good places." She winked then disappeared.
She entered the mansion smiling on the guard half-heartedly. The crowd near her was looking at her gorgeous beauty- well, except for the show-off mask.
People were looking at her beauty, which made Jeanderella self-conscious and started to walk slowly in a corner of the big room.
"Hi there," a sweet voice from behind asked. Jeanderella turned around and saw the man that made her heart beat. "Jonathan? Is that really you?" She asked looking at him with a faint blush on her cheeks. "How do you know my name? Have we met before? Because I feel like I've met you somewhere." The man smiled Jeanderella's favorite crooked smile of his.
"Ah, no I just heard your name from someone, and we haven't met before yet." She lied. "I see," the man continued to stare at her, his eyes locking in hers.
The two of them were speechless, head over heels at each other. The music started at the right moment and the two of them sighed in relief. "Shall we dance?" Jonathan exhaled. He held Jeanderella's hands and they danced with the music
The music was so beautiful that the mood became so romantic. After the music, Jeanderella and Jonathan went to the balcony on the second floor and watched the beautiful moon above them. "Why don't you take that mask off so I can see your beautiful face?" He leaned down close enough to Jeanderella's face.
His smooth hair brushing against his handsome face, his eyes reflecting hers, he was about to take the mask off and was about kiss Jeanderella, the clock chimed, that made her gasp then Jonathan kissed her not minding the mask on Jeanderella's face.
Jeanderella was stunned from what Jonathan did her eyes widened and her face flushing bright red.
The clock dinged again and with that Jeanderella pushed him back running away from him. She ran out of the room, out of the crowd, then to the main entrance. A huge curved stairs was found and she ran down their realizing that she had lost the partner of her sandal.
She took the other one carrying it through her hands and went directly out of the door. Jonathan was following behind her. "Wait! I haven't asked your name yet!" He shouted loud enough for Jeanderella to hear. "Jean," she replied not that loud, but she knew that he heard it.
As soon as the door closed Jeanderella's clothes returned back to her old ragged clothes, still carrying the sandal on her hands. The fairy appeared in front of her eyes and said, "Poor you, let me help you for the last time."
She snapped her weird camera to each other then they appeared into Jeanderella's room swiflty and in a blink of an eye.
Jeanderella sat on her bed, hopeless. "Don't worry about that. Didn't I tell you that good shoes take you to good places?" She smiled trying to cheer her up. "Cheer up! I can feel something good will be happening to you!" She smiled hopefully. "Trust me," she begged. "I trust you," Jeanderella said reluctantly.
"This might be a goodbye." Kuela smiled, sadness filled her face. "So sudden, we just met and you just did this and that— but why…" Jeanderella asked. It was not really a question more of like a statement.
"I have to, I'm sorry." She smiled, still happy as ever. "Goodbye, I'll miss you, Thank you for everything; you were such a great friend even though it was just for hours that we have known each other. I love you as friend; you gave me the happiness I was craving for. You washed away all the nightmares in me instead you gave me sweet dreams. If this was a dream, please don't wake me up." Jeanderella cried her heart out from the goodbye-mood.
"Don't cry, I'll always be around, don't worry." Kuela wiped the tears off from Jeanderella's chocolate eyes. "Swear?" she asked like a child. "Promise," she held close her new friend.
She finally had a friend.
Jeanderella was such a cry baby right now. Maybe all the emotions she had kept sealed away from her step family has been unsealed. "Now, I have to go, byes," she kissed the forehead of her friend then everything went black in Jeanderella's sight.
The next day, her two sisters were talking about last night's party and their mother was busy talking on the phone. Jeanderella went to the kitchen to cook breakfast as Samantha kept on grinning at her step sister.
It was already near noon time and Jeanderella was still doing some household chores when a knock was heard in the living room door. "I'll get it!" Joanne exclaimed dancing towards the door then opened it.
Joanne gaped as she opened the door wider. Two men in black entered the door. Then Jonathan followed, as soon as Jeanderella saw Jonathan enter the door, adrenalines rushed to her veins then she hid behind the wall that was dividing the kitchen from the living room.
Jonathan was saying something to her step family but she didn't listen all she can hear clearly was her heartbeat kept on thumping loudly.
"This sandal belongs to the person I've chosen, she was wearing a mask so I couldn't recognize her face clearly. But, the entire neighborhood couldn't wear this; I think it's programmed to the owner only. It's got password and stuff. But nobody knows maybe it's one of you. All the girls in the neighborhood can try this on until I find her." He said, with a formal tone. "Just be careful. It stings."
"I'll try it first!" Samantha stepped forward as the two guards placed the sandal on the floor and as soon as it fit inside her but a little too tight, it slipped away and it said,
"You're not my owner" in a mechanical voice before she could make her hopes high. She frowned in disappointment and stepped back to sit on the couch. "Damn that talking sandal," she said to herself, cursing the sandal.
"Me too," Joanne tried but it was small for her feet, so she didn't continue then sat beside her sister.
"I guess… I won't try it." Marjellaine hesitated but in the end she still tried to make it fit in but her feet was so big so it didn't fit at all.
"I guess we'll have to leave, Ma'am." He bowed goodbye then turned back, before he could open the door, Jeanderella walked gently towards the living room.
"Ella?" He asked surprised enough to see his first love.
"Can I try it?" Jeanderella asked smiling tenderly seeing the man of his dreams. "Sure, I guess a person with last minute decisions has also the right to try it on." He chuckled.
She can hear Samantha and Marjellaine murmur at her back. "She didn't come to the party, swear!" Samantha protested. "Maybe a miracle happened." Jeanderella replied even though she wasn't the one questioned.
The guards placed the sandal on the floor as Jeanderella slipped her feet in and it fit then she stood with it and started walking three steps then she said, "See, miracles could also happen." She smiled.
"How can that be?" Samantha hissed through her teeth. "Egotistic brat," Marjellaine added. "Good for you, little sis," Joanne smiled with delight.
"Jean, Ella? Was all of those names you?" He asked shocked, pointing at the sandals then to Jeanderella. "I'm Jeanderella after all. Glad, I didn't use 'Der' as my name." She smiled then took the other pair from her pocket then placed it on the floor and put it on.
Then a snap was heard and her clothes changed into her dress from last night. Then they found themselves in a church. "What the- is this some sort of magic?" She heard Jonathan whispered with amazement.
"So that's why I had the same feeling." Jonathan murmured. "Well then, shall we have a happy ending together?" He asked for Jeanderella's hand. "Nope, don't want to." She declined. "Why?" Jonathan stared at her for minute.
"Nah forget about it, l was just thinking of making our story longer." Jeanderella sighed with relief. "How are you supposed to do that?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"Simple do you want to play Sleeping Beauty?" Jeanderella grinned. "Count me out." Then he kissed her in the lips and then from that day on, her entire life changed, but trust me, she didn't leave her family.
END
Author's end remarks: Please review! I hope you like it.
