Sports always gave Tommy the feeling that he was emerging from strong currents. This feeling always made him feel as if someone day he could actually be a champion some time in his life. Within the last several years, some of his greatest ideas came while he was playing sports, especially while he played basketball, football, and his number one favorite Karate. There was just special about getting exercise, those activities which freed his brain and let ideas flow through his head, which would have been very soft whispers that he never heard.

Today, things were different. All he could thing about was the girl. Who was she? Where is she from? Would he ever see her again? And did she like him as much as he did her? Tommy looked up and saw the ball go through the basketball hoop. A 10 appeared on score board showing that his friend Adam had 10 points and he had only scored 5 points.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Adam asked as the took a seat on the bench. "You look as if you are in a daze."

"Oh, I'm sorry Adam," Tommy apologized when he picked up his mug and took a sip of water. "I was just focused on something else."

"What was it?" Adam asked.

"Well, I meet this beautiful girl," Tommy began. "She was so sweet and kind. And I just can't stop thinking about her."

"Do you know anything about this girl?" Adam asked when he picked up his water bottle.

"I don't know anything about her," Tommy replied. "I just met her today."

"You may see her at the ball," Adam said. "Is that why you wanted to invite all of the girls in the kingdom."

"Yes, she is the reason," Tommy answered as he started to blush.

"What are you going to do if she does come?" Adam warned taking a deep breath. "She will find out that you are a prince-"

"-I know that. I'm just trying to think of how I'm going to tell her," Tommy interrupted as he took a sip of water. "Adam, I've had so many girls pretend to like me simply because I'm the prince. I just want a girl to like me for who I am."

"Maybe, you'll be lucky and she'll come to the ball," Adam suggested as he wiped sweat from his face. "And if she does, you can make her your bride."

"Adam, I wish that was true," Tommy sighed as he put his water bottle down. "My parents and the Grand Duke will only allow me to marry a princess."

"If this girl is as beautiful and kind as you describe her, then maybe your parents and the Grand Duke will change their minds," Adam assured him. "By how you've talked about her, I can tell she is special. This girl may truly be the only who will love you for you even if you are the prince."

At long last, it was the day of the royal ball. Elsa had gotten a pale green silk dress powdered with sliver, dark green, black, and blue glitter. Her dress at a deep V-neck exposing a lot of cleavage. Cassidy's dress was exactly like Elsa's. But, the only difference was the color. Her dress was orange powdered with pink, blue, red, and gold glitter.

"I know that the prince will take me to be his queen," Cassidy bragged as Kimberly was tying the lace in the back of her dress. "As soon as he sees me, I know it will be love at first sight-"

"-Cassidy, have you forgotten that we have to compete against each other just like every other girl?" Elsa interrupted. "The prince can only pick one girl. And that girl is going to be me."

"Elsa, do you want the prince bad enough to force us to compete against each other?" Cassidy asked.

"Cassidy, you know that the last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you?" Elsa remarked as she spun around in her dress.

"Well, I can promise you that I won't let you out of the carriage when we arrive at the castle," Cassidy smirked. "And we won't have to-"

"-someone needs to knock some sense into that big empty head of yours," Elsa yelled as Kimberly started to curl Cassidy's hair. "The prince will want someone smart."

"I want what the prince is like-"

"-Emberly, the prince is very rich," Cassidy laughed as Elsa laughed along with her. "He'd never want a servant girl like you."

"Wouldn't it be better if you got to know the prince before you agree to marry him?" Kimberly asked as finished curling Cassidy's hair.

"No, I wouldn't give it a second thought," Elsa remarked. "Emberly, have you even met the prince?"

"I didn't meet the prince," Kimberly answered. "But, I did meet a boy named Tommy, the other day. He lives in the castle and he's an apprentice."

"I figured that it would be someone who is an appearance," Cassidy laughed. "You need to realize that all men are stupid. Our mother told us that. The sooner you learn that, you'll be much better off."

Kimberly went up to her room to get ready for the ball. Rita told her that she couldn't get a dress made from the royal seamstress. But, she didn't say that Kimberly couldn't make her own dress. In her spare time, Finster and her mouse friends helped her with her dress. She didn't make the dress all from scratch because she wouldn't have it done in time. Instead, she used a pink silk dress that her mother had. The dress was at least 10 or 12 years old and it needed some enhancements made. The dress was an off the shoulders style with puffy sleeves, which were fraying. Kimberly removed the sleeves and added some spaghetti straps to help hold the dress up. She didn't have a strapless bra so she added some pads to make a built-in bra. She added some lace around the neckline, a layer of chiffon material that she found in her mother's old sewing supplies, and a white sash. The old zipper was broken, so she put in a new zipper in the back of her dress. The dress may not be as good as her step sisters, but it looked just as nice. She had no doubt that there would be other girls who wouldn't have dresses as fancy as her step sisters. Kimberly put on her mother's dress and walked over to the jewelry box and put on her mother's pearl necklace.

"Just look at your appearances, have given me hope that prince will choose one of you," Rita bragged. "I seriously doubt that there will be anyone else who will look as good as you two."

Kimberly walked down the stair case and saw that Rita and her step sisters were just staring at her. "Where did you get that dress?" Rita asked. "We didn't order a fourth dress."

"Rita, it didn't cost you anything," Kimberly promised. "It was my mothers and I made some changes to it."

"Who would want a servant for a queen?" Elsa snickered as she started spin around in her dress. "I know I wouldn't, if I was the prince."

"I have no desire to meet the prince-"

"-what gave you the idea to fix up that old dress?" Rita demanded as she walked over Kimberly.

"All of the girls in the kingdom were invited to the ball," Kimberly answered. "Remember, it was the king's order."

"Oh, I get it. You want to meet the king and prince," Rita gasped as she picked up a pair of scissors and she cut on one of the sleeves resting on Kimberly's shoulders. "It would be a disgrace if you went to the ball dressed in rags. Even if it is your mother's dress, it's old falling apart."

"And those beads are old," Elsa remarked as she tore the pearl necklace off of Kimberly. She looked down at the skirt and tore off the sash and the new layer of chiffon added to the dress. "My mother is right; the dress is old."

"That dress was worn back in the old ancient time," Rita laughed as Elsa started to laugh with her.

"How could you destroy my dress?" Kimberly asked with tears in her eyes.

"I do not want anyone to associate with you because it would ruin Cassidy and Elsa's reputation if they were seen with someone in rags," Rita answered in a sweet nasty voice. "You are a servant girl and you will always be one. I'm going to repeat this one more time. You will not go to the ball."

Author's note:

I usually hate cliff hangers. But, I felt that the next chapter needed to focus on Kimberly's fairy god mother. Things will get better in the next chapter!