Anything italicized is someone's thought or they are singing

BOLDED + ITALICIZED = FLASHBACK/MEMORY

*=lyrics have been changed to fit the story

Chapter 2

"I swear, Ellie. You need to stand up for yourself!" Morgan stated as she drove Ella back home.

"I would, but I don't want to get hit by Mallory." Ella replied with a slight grin. She had just finished telling a story of how one time, Melody and Ariana broke a vase and pinned it on her. That day was not a fun day for Ella to say the least.

"Well, it could have been worse." Morgan said back.

"Yeah...I could be dead right now. But she would never do that to me." Ella replied.

"Say, do you still sing?" Ella grinned as she thought back to her father's birthday, before he re-married, and singing to him a song she had written called "Your Little Girl".

"Yeah." She answered as she took out her iPad and opened up to to her YouTube channel (that her step-family doesn't know about), and played one of her videos/songs. The song was about how she misses her father and mother, and how she was going to do her best to keep her promise to her mother of being kind and having courage.

"I swear, every time I hear you sing or one of your songs, you have gotten better." Morgan stated, as the song went down in volume.

"Thanks." Ella said, before turning it off as Morgan pulled into her driveway. "Morgan! I told you to drop me off at the end of the street!"

"I know...but I don't listen." Morgan stated, with a giggle afterwards, but Ella just groaned with worry. What if Mallory saw her get out of this car with the dresses? She'd probably think a nice boy drove her home. But if she did think that, she'd be given more chores before bed.

"Just tell them someone saw you struggling with the bags and that they wanted to give you a ride. I'm sure she'll understand." Morgan said with a smile.

Ella took a deep breathe before giving Morgan a hug goodbye, grabbed the bags from the backseat, and leaving the car. She then walked up the driveway and to the front door. She waved goodbye to Morgan as she drove away, and then walked into to be greeted by Melody and Ariana.

"Did you get the dresses?!" Ariana asked.

"Yeah, I got them. Follow me." Ella said as they all walked up the stairs to their room. Ella then took out both the light purple and red gowns that she bought for them and handed them to her step-sisters.

Melody took the light purple dress, while Ariana took the red one. They put them against their bodies and smiled as they liked how they were going to look.

"These are perfect!" Melody yelled, as she jumped up and down with excitement. Ella smiled as she saw how happy they were to get these dresses. It was like the world to them, even though they basically had everything in the world.

"I take it you two got your gowns." Mallory said as she walked in to see them. "Oh, these are perfect for you two."

"I got you yours too, step-mother." Ella stated as she handed the dress to her step-mother, who took it and looked at it in the mirror...and smiled.

"It's perfect." Mallory said before kissing Ella on the forehead and leaving the room.

Ella smiled before she walked up to her attic bed room, and plugged in her keyboard. She then began to play a little melody before stopping and sitting on her bed. She took out her iPad and looked at her notifications to see who updated. When she did, she saw her two favorite let's players uploaded some new videos. But she was in no mood to watch Jack or Mark make complete fools of themselves in their videos tonight. So she just listened to music as she got ready for bed, and when the last song she was playing ended, she plugged in her iPad, turned it off, and went to bed.

XXXXXXXX

Mark was sitting in his living room, as his dog Chica was laying next to him on the couch, when he got a text from Morgan. He looked at it and read it. It was saying that she had the perfect date for him, which only made him roll his eyes in response.

This was like Morgan. She always wanted to fix someone up with someone else. She tried that once with him and another girl already, and look how that ended. They ended up breaking up a week or so later. So, who knows how this hook up was going to end.

Mark texted her back asking her what her name was, and waited for her to respond. He looked back at the TV, as he thought back to the girl he bumped into at the store earlier that day. Her polite nature, her fair skin, her hazel blue eyes, everything about her basically screamed princess material. He couldn't get her out of his mind.

After a while of waiting, his phone went off again. He looked at it, and saw that Morgan had given him the girl's name.

TEXT: Ella Monroe

XXXXXXXX

3 days had went by quickly, and Ella was already downstairs this morning of Morgan's Autumn Masquerade Ball, making eggs and toast, with pancakes. She could have just gave them all cereal, but Melody and Ariana wanted to have decent and good breakfasts. So, she was stuck making the same things every morning. It was only on their birthdays that they changed it up.

After a while, Mallory walked in, wearing her usual dress for the day, while her daughters came rushing in afterwards.

"I call dibs on the first pancake!" Ariana yelled, as Ella placed the plate of 2 pancakes, eggs, and sausage in front of her. "Thanks!" She said, grabbing her fork and knife, and started to eat.

"I cannot wait for tonight." Melody stated with a smile.

"I know dear. Tonight should be quite a night with the Masquerade Ball." Mallory said with a smirk on her face.

"Well, yeah, that...but I heard that Markiplier is going to be there. You know who he is mother!" Melody exclaimed, making Ariana almost do a spit take with her orange juice.

"No way!" She yelled in surprise.

"Yes way! I follow Morgan Keller on Twitter, and she posted saying that her friend Markiplier is going to be at the ball."

"Oh, that's cool." Ella said as she gave the last two plates to her step-mother and step-sister.

"It is cool." Melody said as she began to eat her breakfast.

"Do you know who he is, Ella?" Ariana asked, making Mallory look up at her.

"I...I do. I watch him sometimes before bed, but not often." Ella answered as she went to kitchen sink, and started cleaning the utensils that she used for breakfast.

"Well, I suppose you'd want to go to the ball this year then." Mallory said, making Ella drop the stuff in the sink in shock, before looking at her.

"What?"

"I don't see why it would be a problem to have you go this party with us this year."

"Mother!" Melody yelled in surprise, while Ariana just sat back slightly, as she continued to eat her food.

"You-you mean it?" Ella asked.

"Of course I do, dear. But, you only can if you get all your chores done." Mallory stated, as a big smile spread across Ella's face.

"Absolutely! Thank you so very much!" She said as she went back to cleaning up after breakfast. Once she finished the dishes, she ran into the living room. and started vacuuming and dusting.

"Mom, do you know what you just done?" Melody declared, quietly.

"Yes...I said 'if'." Mallory said, with a slight giggle afterwards.

XXXXXXXX

Mark was getting ready for Morgan's party, with is new tux hanging on his bed room door, and his shoes still in his closet. He knew that they would just get messed up if he put them out early.

"So, you nervous?" Matt asked, as Mark was finishing up with the last of his videos for the day (which was a Reading your Comments).

"Nervous about what?" Mark asked, still looking at the computer.

"About meeting this girl, Ella Monroe was it?"

Mark sighed as she saved his project and looked at his friend in his door way. "I don't think I am. I mean, if Morgan is setting me up with this girl, then, she's bound to be better than any of the other girls she's set me up with."

"You sure about that? What if she's not?"

"Then it will just be another failed attempt that Morgan won't be able to escape from." Mark exclaimed as he began to upload the video to YouTube.

Matt chuckled slightly before noticing the time, and then hearing a hunk outside. "I guess, it's time for you to get ready." He said before he left the room, making the young YouTuber sigh, as he turned off his computer and started getting on his black tux and shoes.

XXXXXXXX

Melody and Ariana were getting their dresses on, while their mother was getting herself ready. Where as Ella...she was was busy doing the chores still. But thankfully, she was almost done. Until...

"Hey Ella..." Ariana came up to her, which surprised the young singer.

"Yeah, Ariana."

"Could you help me with my makeup?"

"Why not ask your mom?"

"Because she over does it from time to time." Ariana stated. "I want my makeup to be natural tonight. And, you always look so pretty everyday with your makeup."

This caught Ella off guard. She didn't think one of her silly step-sisters liked her makeup that much. I guess great things do happen when you least expect them. She thought to herself, as she smiled to Ariana and nodded.

They went into the bathroom downstairs, with Ariana's makeup bag, and got to work. The first thing Ella did, was put on the liquid foundation and then the powder to set it in place. She then put on some eye-shadow primer (that's a thing that keeps eye-shadow on all night without creasing). After she did that, she asked Ariana what eye-shadow colors she wanted. And, with her dress being the red one, she asked for pinks.

So, Ella looked at the pallet of pink eye-shadows and got an idea right off the bat. And before she knew it, she was putting a simple liquid cat eye eyeline over the eye-shadow. The eye-shadow was just white on the brow bone, then a darker pink in the crease of eyelid, and then a light pink on the actual eyelid. She had used a different fluffy brush to blend them all in so that it looked natural before doing the cat eye.

After that was all done, Ella put some blush on Ariana's cheeks, and then contoured the rest of her face. Which, when she was done, surprised her to how pretty she really looked when she had natural makeup on her face.

"Alright, and done. Wanna see how you look?" Ella asked, as Ariana nodded her head. The young singer smiled as she moved out of Ariana's view of the mirror, and the look on Ariana's face was priceless, and worth the time.

"OMG! Ella, you are a miracle worker! Thank you so very much!" Ariana exclaimed, which made Ella giggle slightly.

"You're welcome." She said, as Ariana stood up from the stool.

"Where did you learn to put makeup on like this?"

"Actually, before I went to high school, and before you guys came into the family, my mom passed away, so I didn't know how to put on makeup when it came time for me to do so."

"Then who taught you?"

"You won't believe me." Ella stated as she started cleaning up the makeup stuff.

"Try me." Ariana exclaimed, making the young singer look her way and sigh.

"Fine...it was Morgan Keller, before she was a famous designer."

"No way...you knew Morgan Keller?"

"She was in my graduating class, and she went off to do something great, while I got stuck here, being the servant of the household." Ella stated as she finished cleaning up the mess.

"Ella...I'm so sorry that this is all happening to you." Ariana said, surprising Ella in the process. She looked back over at her, and stared for a moment.

"You're not just saying that, are you?"

"Absolutely not! I mean it...every word. You should go to that party tonight. And by the looks of it, you finished your chores in time. So go get ready." She said with a smile, making a smile creep onto Ella's face as well.

"Thank you." She said before giving her a slight hug, and then running up to her attic bed room to get dressed for the ball.

XXXXXXXX

Mark walked out of his house and into the limo with his mask on his face, as he noticed Morgan with a gown bag and shoe box sitting next to her.

"What's that for? You're already wearing you gown." He asked. Morgan was wearing a pink strapless gown, with a pearl necklace around her neck, pearl ear rings, and a pearl bracelet on her left wrist.

"Oh, this isn't for me...this is for a friend. I'm dropping you off at the party and heading to her place." Morgan answered, making a masked Mark give her weird look.

"What, you going to be playing Fairy Godmother or something?"

"Something like that."

XXXXXXXX

Ariana was standing with her sister and mother, as Mallory was fixing their hair and wiping off their gowns.

"You girls look beautiful." She said with a smile.

"Thanks mom." Ariana said, as she heard the door upstairs near the attic close.

"Who did your makeup, Ari? I know mom didn't." Melody asked.

"Ella did. I asked her to help me with it, because I want to impress Markiplier with how pretty I can look." She answered, as Ella stood on the staircase.

Mallory and Melody looked over to see Ella standing there, wearing a dark pink gown, with a light pink strapless shirt underneath the dark pink lace, and off the shoulder straps that were dark pink like the rest of the gown.

Ariana looked over, and almost gushed at how pretty her step-sister looked. But she had an image with her family, so she kept quiet.

"Ella, what is this?" Mallory asked, scaring Ariana now.

"You said I could go if I had all my chores done. Well, I finished my chores and helped Ariana with her makeup. So, I think that means I can go." Ella answered, only to receive a glare from Melody as Mallory walked up to her.

"Oh, dearie..." She began, as she grabbed the skirt of Ella's dress. "...did I say that?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Oh, sweetie...not in a dress like this. I mean, it's ripped." Mallory then tugged on Ella's skirt, ripping it slightly off of the shirt, and making Ella practically scream.

"What the heck!? This was my mother's!" Ella yelled, only to get interrupted in the middle of it.

"Mark my words! You shall not go to the ball!" Mallory yelled back, as she turned around and headed out the door, and towards the limo with Melody following afterwards. Ariana stared at Ella, seeing the tears falling down her face.

'I'm sorry.' She had mouthed to Ella, before running after her mother and sister, closing the door behind her, right as Ella ran out of the house through the back door, and into the garden.

~END OF CHAPTER~