Christmas-Ella

It was Friday, and all anyone had been talking about in school was the big Christmas dance that night.

"Jordan is finally going to ask someone out! I heard it's going to be tonight!" squealed Amanda.

"I know, I'm so excited!" gushed Leila.

"What's tonight?" asked Ella, who had just walked up.

"Oh, nothing much, just the Christmas Dance," said Amanda.

"You won't be going, Mother won't let you," announced Leila. "So go off and . . . cry, or something," she and Amanda shrieked with laughter and walked off.

"I'll show them," Ella muttered, "I will! I'll get to that dance if it kills me!"

* * * * *

Later that afternoon, back at Ella's stepmother's house, Ella walked into the living room where her stepmother was seated.

"I understand you wanted to see me?" Miranda queried.

"Yes, I wanted to ask if it would . . ."

"Be okay for you to go to the dance?"

Ella nodded.

"I thought as much. But, Ella, be sensible. You have nothing to wear, poor child," Miranda gave her an unsympathetic smile.

"Oh, but please, stepmother! I do so want to go!" Ella pleaded.

"I know, I know, it is hard on us all. All right. If you sweep the floor, do the laundry, clean the windows, and wash the dishes, you may go."

Ella stumbled from the room. "How will I ever get it done in time?" she cried.

POOF! Her fairy godmother appeared. "No need to fret, dear child. Simply slip on this dress and I'll take care of those chores, for I am your fairy godmother. Wheeeeee!!!" And she was gone in a puff of smoke. Ella looked down and found that she was wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. Shimmery black with silver snowflakes, the dress was all Ella had ever imagined.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" Ella cried. She ran through the house and hurriedly brushed her hair while she applied her make-up. She ran out the door, grabbing her purse as she slammed it behind her. She ran all the way to the school, and made it just as the chaperones were starting to let people in. As she walked into the cafeteria, she was amazed to see that it had been transformed into a winter wonderland of ice and snow. Icicles hung from the doorways, and fake snow covered the ground, shimmering as the silver-blue strobe light touched it. Snowflakes dangled from the ceiling, spinning on strings so thin they were almost invisible.

Ella walked to one of the tables that had been set up in a corner of the cafeteria. She sat down and watched what other people were doing. She saw Amanda trying to cut in with a guy who was already dancing with someone else and fail miserably. She also saw Leila walking the length of the dance floor, probably trying to figure out where Jordan was and whom he was dancing with. Out of curiosity, Ella looked for Jordan, too. When she couldn't see him, she became nervous. Leila was soon to see her, considering how hard she was trying to find Jordan.

Ella was so consumed with awful thoughts that she was totally unaware when someone walked up and tapped her shoulder. Looking up, Ella realized she was face-to-face with Jordan!

"Excuse me? Ella??" Jordan was saying.

Ella shook her head. "Sorry, I was thinking."

"Obviously. Do you want to dance?" Jordan asked.

"Dance?" Ella asked nervously. She had never danced before and was not sure she wanted to embarrass herself by trying to dance with Jordan, of all people.

"Yes, dance. That's what we're at, isn't it?" he was staring at her, confused.

"But . . . I - I don't know how," she stammered.

Jordan smiled. "Come on. It'll be fun. I'll teach you," he led her out on the dance floor. Everyone cleared out of the way and stared at Ella. Leila gasped.

"Ella! What are you doing?" Leila was hysterical.

"She's dancing with me," Jordan said.

"Not that! Ella! You're not supposed to be here! You - you have chores to do!!!" Leila practically screamed.

"Chores?" Jordan turned from Leila to Ella and looked at her quizzically.

"Of course chores! She's just a maid, after all."

"A maid??" Jordan was even more confused.

"I'm not a maid," Ella burst in. "I'm not a servant, and I'm not your slave, Leila. That goes for you, too, Amanda. I am my own self and I will not serve you two or your awful mother any longer. In fact, you won't even have to see me any longer!" And with that she ran from the cafeteria and out into the night.

Everyone in the cafeteria stood speechless for a moment, and gradually the music started up again and people went back to dancing. Everyone, except Jordan, Leila, and Amanda. Leila and Amanda stood with their mouths hanging open, both gasping like fish out of water. Jordan, on the other hand, looked cool as he turned to them.

"You two are going to help me find her. Come on," he said coldly.

"No way!" Leila shrieked. "I'm not going out in the freezing cold at 10:00 to find some wench who can't handle being what she is!!!"

"She is not a wench, she is not a maid, she is not a servant, and she is not a slave, as we have said before, if Ella did not make that clear to you. Now, you are going to help me find her, or you are going to spend a long night locked in the girls' bathroom."

Silently the trio headed off.

Ella, who had been running blindly for almost five minutes, finally slowed as she reached a bench on the sidewalk at a bus stop. She sat down and took an inventory of her clothes and money. She was dressed nicely enough, but she was missing one shoe. In her purse was a dime and three pennies. "Oh no! What am I going to do??" she cried. She sat there in the freezing cold until she finally fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Jordan was running along the path he thought Ella might have taken. Around the back of the school he stopped and looked back for Leila and Amanda. They were gone. "Figures," he said. He swung back around and was just about to go on when he saw a little alleyway leading to a main street.

Lying in the center of the alley was a black, strappy shoe. Jordan walked forward and picked it up. "I bet this is Ella's. She must have lost it while she was running," he muttered to himself.

Continuing on, Jordan came to the end of the alley and looked on both sides of the sidewalk before him. Faintly, almost a shadow in the mist, Jordan thought he could see a figure sitting at a bus stop on the corner. Rushing forward, Jordan came to the corner and realized that the figure was Ella, she was asleep.

"Ella?" Jordan said to her. He shook her gently, and noticed that she was badly chilled. He blew on his hands until they were warm, and then placed them on her cheeks.

Ella's lids fluttered. "Wha - what ha - ha - happened?" She looked around. "Where am I?"

Jordan looked concerned. "You're on a street corner at a bus stop. You just ran from me and a dance, remember?"

She looked around once more, and Jordan saw that her eyes were closing again. "Ella, hold on, it'll be ok."

Ella had already blacked out.