Bad Girl Cinderella
Liana Chai
Chapter One
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella.
But that wasn't her real name. She was called Marilyn when she still had a strict mother.
Her mother taught her mathematics, painting and dancing every day. Whatever things she did, she had to meet all the highest standard requirements. With just a pencil, she could estimate a family's expenditure for the whole year with error less than 2%. The apple she drew seemed more palatable than a real one that cuckoo could be tricked by it.
However, Marilyn's talent of doing math and drawing were nothing compared to her gorgeous, graceful, brisk dances. When she stands on her feet, every part of her body became alive. With her head stretching, her arm swinging, her waist twisting and her face smiling, she looks more beautiful than the most exquisite china. Not a single young man can resist her rotating of Waltz.
From time to time, she could hear the neighbors' complementary, publicly or secretly.
"Look at her new painting of the river! I can touch the flowing wave!" The sculptor signed.
"Listen! She predicted that there will be high inflation in our village this year!" The taverner whispered to his spouse.
"Oh my Goodness! I saw her danced yesterday near the creek among the sea of flowers! I think I have fallen in love with her and I will never forget her in my entire ordinary life!" The sons of the landlord poetized.
Hearing those intentional or subconscious praises, the beautiful girl smiled in perfect manner. But she was not happy at all.
Chapter Two
Marilyn hated life like this.
She resented her mother as she put so many limits on her daily behaviors. ALL those prohibitions—not to make a slightest noise while eating, not to talk before everyone stops, and not to step outdoor until 4 petticoats has been hidden well under the attire made her sick… They were ruthless railings of the invisible cage imprisoning her mind and soul. She was separated with, yet hankering after freedom.
Worse while, whenever Marilyn turned to her feeble father for help, the tailor usually could only sign, pat at her back, and change noting.
As a result, when she was informed of her mother's death due to a traffic accident, her comfort overweighed her sorrow for a little bit. Of course, she could make up her expression perfectly—thanks to her mother's instructions—and soon she harvested enormous sympathy from villagers just by sprinkling few doses of tears. Her pale complexion and staggering movement became her best camouflages.
On the funeral, Marilyn's father decided to have a talk with her. "My dear pearl, look at you, you have been so haggard since your mother's passing away!"
Haggard was a euphemistic description for her now. She was rather sluttery. Her mother has died, and she has got rid of the whip. The years of depressed aroused her psychological inversion.
"Leave me along, dad. I like being free."
"My poor dear, don't be silly. I think you might need a kind and diligent stepmother to take care of you." The tailor stroked her face, signed.
Marilyn rubbed the bird-nest above her head and nonchalantly answered. "I don't care."
Chapter Three
As time goes by, Marilyn became more and more lackadaisical. She volunteered to move from the garden-floor tidy bedroom to a darker cellar, where nobody would compel her to clean it.
The beautiful girl realized that lazy and careless were her natures, but she was never bothered. Cold pizza on the newspaper, worn sheet with coffee stain, and the fallen bowknot from her drape dress were stacked in the cellar, Marilyn lived at ease. Rats and bats became her friend while birds and squirrel no longer play with her. And neighbors gave her a new nickname, Cinderella.
"Cinderella! Could you please draw me a portrait so that my husband can bring it with him while serving in the army?" The sculptor's wife asked.
"Oh sure! I've been waiting to draw some mustache on a young lady's face for a long time. That would be unprecedented art creation!"
"What?" The young lady screamed and run away, wondering if she got crazy or Cinderella did.
"Cinderella! Can you tell me how to improve my hotel business? I'm earning lesser and lesser this year."
"There's no way you're going to get profit anymore, sell it ASAP." Cinderella began to enjoy this kind of little tricks. She found the seed of "hate" in her deep soul.
Although Cinderella changed a lot, her favorite things have not changed yet—luxury dresses and glaring jewels. She liked them since she knew what was color, became crescendo while she was trained to behave like a princess, and kept burning in her mind when her dance became more and more attractive to the sons of the landlord.
However, the poor family can never afford her extravagant dream.
Chapter Four
The New Year was coming.
Bells ringing, snows falling, the village was delighted by a jovial atmosphere. However, it was the news from the Palace which made all family excited. A ball was to be held at Court by the King. The Royal family will attend the ball and witness the price choosing his fiancé.
Cinderella got up from her couch once she got the news from the potbellied spider. She rushed out the dusty cinder and scooped some water in her hands. Carelessly, she drank a gulp of water, sprinkled most of them, and used the rest to wipe her face cursorily.
"Step mother! I want a new dress! TODAY!" Cinderella yelled toward the kitchen. Cinderella's father did found her a step mother, with two step sisters elder than her. Though her father was a tailor, all money was governed by the thrifty new housewife, and to make a new dress which can be dressed to the ball would costs A LOT.
The stepmother hesitated. "Could I… emm… renovate one of your old dress, you know, I can add more laces and pailettes? They'll look like stars revolving around you!"
"No. I want a brand new one, with the lightest gauze and flaming embroideries. You'd better begin to prepare for it; otherwise I can't guarantee not hurting you." Cinderella wasn't care much about her stepmother's feeling. She was such docile, flabby and doting.
However, this time her stepmother was insolvent.
The poor family was hard enough this year attribute to Cinderella's strike. The money she earned from painting and accounting was a drop in the bucket compares to their annual expenditure, and her appetizer was getting bigger. Though the stepmother felt sympathy to this little beautiful girl who lost her mother too early, and she tried to be the best mother in the world to please this little princess, she could only let her down this time.
She was reminded of last time she let her own two daughters down. Passing by a Barbie shop when they were children, her daughters pretend to be stomachache and dragging her cuffs, begging for a comfort object with twinkling eyes. She was not a mean woman. On the contrary, she was extremely gentle to Cinderella because of her unfortunates, but what she asked just then and her daughters asked ten years ago were far beyond her affordability.
Chapter Five
There was only one day left for girls to polish their nails and fixed their hair in fancy waves and curls. Mothers in the village were gabbling "to do" and "not to do", despite no one really hearing. Fathers in the town were buying gift for their daughter to bring, though the prince actually had everything.
The stepmother was getting more and more anxious, as she knew that Cinderella was going to scold, if not beat on her soon. Obviously, she had no time to take care of her own daughters' dresses.
The two sisters were sympathy to their mother. Since the day they were born, they were educated to be honest, diligent, and disliked Cinderella, they loved their mother. Shy and obedient, they didn't know how to revolt Cinderella's control. When Cinderella rascally required for a new expensive dress, they could only groaned her waywardness behind her back as usual and count their dream dresses on magical.
The eldest sister was scraping the window carefully, and the elder sister was sewing the sheet attentively. So when a strange gust of wind blow through the living room with, both of them didn't capture it at all.
A Fairy appeared behind her!
The Fairy was passing by on her admission, when she heard the two sisters' prays. "What a hardworking and kind-hearted women with two lovely daughters," the fairy thought, "I should help them."
With a flick of her magic wand, the room was filled with 10 resplendent dresses and countless jewelleries. "My dear girls, I really appreciate your devoted spirit to the god and attribution to the village which comes from your hard work." The fairy spoke in her vibrant, gracious voice. "As your rewards, you can pick any one dress and 3 jewelleries in this room for tonight's ball, but just keep in mind, the magic will last only till 12 o'clock, you need to leave before that time."
The two sisters were still in the shock, with tears running down their face, they jumped with tremendous happiness.
"Thank you, fairy god!" Finally, when the twins calmed down and picked two dresses nearest to them, they sobbed to their savior.
"Now they can go to the ball decently!" Their mother clapped her hands and grinned from ear to ear.
All of the three was satisfied, and waved goodbye to the fairy. No one noticed that Cinderella, who just came by to check her coat armor, caught sight of the whole miracle from the crake of the door. Her heart throbbed and an uncanny smiled turned on her face.
Chapter Six
"Fairy, could you please give me a new dress too? I am a daughter of this family too, and look at what my dirty saggy gown!" Cinderella stopped the fairy on her way out of the house, while the other three women busy trying the new dresses.
"Fairy, I know that you are the most mercy one in the world, could you help please? Even if just one time!" Cinderella uttered a cry, like a heart-broken kitten, "Look at how my stepmothers and sisters treated me! They give me leftover on their heavy dinner for breakfast! And I have to do all the laundry, all the dishes, and all the cleaning and scrubbing and mending and washing! Save me!"
The fairy listened to her anguish complaint, and refused her. "No need for cajoling, you are lying."
Cinderella stopped crying immediately. She did not have any psychological burden to do transgression things, but she still preferred achieve her goal with the easiest and fastest way. "I'm sorry, my noble fairy. I apologize for my dishonest but you'd better satisfy me now." With a harsh whistle, Cinderella convened her friends—bats and rats, cockroach and spiders—which were the fairy's natural enemies.
The fairy was scared, her wings tightened and her holy-light shadowed.
Cinderella chuckled with gratification. "I want the most beautiful and luxury dress all over the country. Or I'll let the rats bite on your wand, let the bats spit on your crown, and let the spider tie to in the dark cold lonely cinder."
"How dare you kidnapping a fairy! You'll be cursed!" The face of the fairy turned from pale to blushed, and then purple with anger.
"I still need a carriage and some servant. A beauty like me must come from an illustrious family." Though Cinderella slightly bowed while expressing her apology, she was not really feeling sorry at all.
"OK, then." The fairy finally compromised when the cockroach moving closer to her. "But you'll be desperate and regret what you have done one day!"
"I'm waiting for that day." She remembered her mother's disgraceful death body—with her corsage rived and her face crusted with dried blood. What could be even more desperation than that? "Now Cut the craps, and do your magic, Fairy!" Cinderella was running out of her patience.
Chapter Seven
Cinderella went to the ball. Thanks to her mother, Marilyn was familiar with the most trivial etiquettes and complete courtesy. She could walk as a cat, sit as a swan, and pose like a lotus. Without doubt, she became the most outstanding girl that night. Not only the royal family satisfied with her behavior, but also the price fell in love with her in just one dance.
Cinderella felt delighted as well, she saw the grandiose castle with its tip plugged in the sky fall, the road covered by the rose petal with a delicate fragrance, and the jewels! Millions of jewels are decorated on the wall, the edge of the redwood table and even on the skirting board. She loved here and swore to herself that she must become the master of here.
Soon, Cinderella's dream went true. She became the princess consort.
The year passed like minutes. It turned out that the price was fickle. His interest toward Cinderella lasted just one month—which had already broken his record of flirting with one woman. When Cinderella asked him for going out to dinner together on her birthday, he answered with polite formulae and left the garden unconcernedly.
When the New Year came again, Cinderella was ill. With so much rules and provisions, Cinderella got bored in the palace. "How could I ever have the thought of being a princess? I must be hoodwinked by the devil and convinced by his servant in dream! Living with a farmer with the freedom of doing whatever I want is a million better than my plight now!" She murmured in a bad temperature, the palace seemed not glamorous at all.
Cinderella died in loneliness and desperate soon.
What she didn't know and might never wanted to know was that her stepsisters married with the sons of landlord, which they met on the ball last year, and lived an ordinary yet happy life.
The End.
