*****AGH AGH AGH AGH!!! PEOPLE READ THIS!!! at www.yahoo.com theres the preview to ella enchanted (the movie) and its horrible!! the preview, i mean, not the website (i love yahoo)!! they made ella be able to fight and freeze time and all this stuff... AND THEY MODERNIZED IT!!! they put in words like "cool" and "come on guys weve got a party to crash" and "girlfriend" and "kidding" it just bugs me..... erg go see it... anyway i dont own anything except for the names that arent in the book... yah***********

I was tempted to pull away from Will and tell him that I actually didn't love him, but something held me back. We kissed for a moment until someone said, "Ella!"

I turned to see Mandy in the doorway, looking disappointed, shocked, and saddened. "What are you doing?" she said. For the first time in a long time, she seemed angry. I realized Will's hand was on my back and shoved it off, running past Mandy out the door.

The streets were growing dark, but I ran through them anyway, pushing through crowds of people finishing up their shopping. Eveyone seemed to be looking at me, thinking, "What a traitor Ella is! Never true to anyone but herself!" It seemed to take ages to reach our little cottage, and when I did, I was out of breath.

"Hello?" I called as I pushed open the door, although I knew no one was at home. "I'm home!"

Our cottage had two floors and three rooms. The downstairs had a kitchen and a drawing room with a staircase, and the top floor was the bedroom. Two beds, a table, two dressers, and a window occupied it at the moment. I started a fire in the drawing room and sat down in a rough wooden chair next to it to warm my frozen hands. I tried to warm my shoulders and the rest of my body, but it seemed that I was cold through and through.

"Probably coming from my heart," I muttered to myself, holding back tears. I started shivering and headed up to the bedroom to fetch a blanket. When I got there, someone was sitting on Mandy's bed.

"Who's there?" I asked, knowing that it was not Mandy. The figure had broader shoulders and the hair was much tamer.

The figure stood and faced me. I inhaled sharply.

"Ella, dearest," said Hattie, "how I've missed you!"

She approached me. I stood still, too stunned to move at all. She wrapped her arms around me. "I've been looking for you!" She let go and smiled her worst smile at me.

I glared back, then said, "What are you doing here?"

"Why, haven't you guessed?" She laughed a horrible laugh, throwing her head back. Her wig slipped and she placed a hand over it, then cleared her throat. "I've come to tell you to come home."

My jaw dropped, and I shook my head. "What? Why?"

"You were a very naughty girl, Ella!" Hattie exclaimed, pouting. "Mother and Olive and I were so worried. You must come home at once and marry the prince!"

"No," I said, backing up until I felt the cool stone of the wall behind me. "I won't."

"Oh, you would if I told you to, wouldn't you, dear?" said Hattie. She then sat on my bed and stared at me before saying, "Mother reminded me that if you were to marry the prince, we would all be more wealthy and have more title than we have ever had!"

"I'm not going to go," I said quietly, sliding along the wall. I felt my foot slip and caught myself before I fell down the stairs. "I'm not going to go," I repeated.

"Yes, you are." Hattie stood up and glowered at me. "Ella, you are to come home with me and marry Char."

The curse didn't take a hold of me. It was because I was to go home with HER, and so I had to wait for her to leave until I could.

"Stay with me," said Hattie.

I heard a door open downstairs. "Ella?!" someone called.

"Mandy?" I called back. Hattie clamped a hand over my mouth. I inhaled the scent of too much lavender.

"You shall not call back to them. If you see anyone, you shall say that you're sorry and you have to go home. Then you will tell them to stay here and that you never want to see them again."

The moment the words left Hattie's mouth, Areida ran up the stairs. I wanted to ask her what she was doing there, why she was there, and tell her to save me, but the curse wouldn't let me.

"I am very sorry, Areida," I said monotonously. "I must go home."

"Ella! I was staying at the inn and saw you leave!" The words sunk in. "What do you mean you have to go home?"

"I want you to stay here, Areida. I must go home," I repeated.

"Why?" Areida asked.

"I never want to see you again."

Areida's jaw dropped. Immediately, the curse lifted. I was free to say anything I wanted now that I fufilled Hattie's command.

"What is she doing here?" Areida said, catching sight of Hattie.

"Tell me to go to Mandy and to not listen to Hattie," I said.

"Say no more, Ella!" Hattie commanded.

My mouth shut and I said nothing. But the frightened look on my face must have given Areida a clue, for she said, "Ella, don't listen to Hattie. You may speak." I knew Areida had no idea what was going on, but she didn't it like the good friend she was.

The curse was still upon me for Hattie's previous order--to cut off all ties with Areida. I couldn't. I just couldn't.

"Mandy is coming, Ella." Areida said nothing of going to her, though. "Don't listen to Hattie. Only listen to me."

I heard a voice behind me but didn't hear what it said. It was Hattie, and I wasn't allowed to listen to her, so I didn't. I DID hear what Areida said in reply, though.

"Ella is my friend," she said. "Ella, you are my friend!" She sounded panicked.

Again, the voice behind me sounded muted, and again, Areida replied.

"Don't listen to her! Be my friend!"

I nodded, although I didn't know what the conversation was about. "I am your friend, Areida." I coughed back tears as I rushed towards her to hug her. I was in no need to stay with Hattie any longer.

"Ella!" Mandy said, rushing up the stairs. "I'm sorry I took so long, but--" Obviously, she saw Hattie. "Lady Hattie, what are you doing here?"

The muttering began again, and I watched Mandy nod. "A just cause, Hattie, to visit your stepsister. BUT, I am afraid you must leave."

The voice sounded angry. A hand came upon my arm, pulling me back and cutting off my circulation.

Out of nowhere, Mandy said, "Ella, sweet, listen to your stepsister."

"No--" I began to protest, but all of the sudden, I was absorbing every word coming out of Hattie's mouth. She was talking rapidly, her lips revealing her horse-like teeth.

"Ella, you are to marry the prince. You must do this no matter what."

"Oh!" Mandy said suddenly. "No, Ella! Stay here! Do what you want!"

"Yes, Ella!" Areida added. "You mustn't do what Hattie told you, you must--"

"Ella will do what I tell her to do!" Hattie yelled.

"No, she won't," said Mandy calmly.

"ELLA, COME HOME WITH ME AND MARRY THE PRINCE! I COMMAND YOU! YOU HAVE TO DO IT! YOU HAVE TO!"

All this while I had been sweating, trying to follow one command but being forced to do another. I was thinking only of Char, of how I mustn't marry him and endanger Kyrria, of how I mustn't return to Mum Olga's manor and tell Char everything, or how I mustn't listen to Hattie. I was still sweating, but now I had begun to cry.

"No, no, no!" I was exclaiming as Hattie, Mandy, and Areida barked out more orders.

"Stay here. Come with us!"

"Sit on the bed, Ella, there's a good girl."

"Go downstairs, sweet."

"I won't! I mustn't!"

"Yes, you must! You must come with me! You must marry Charmont! You must give me all the title you possibly can! You have to! I told you to!"

I arose from the floor where I had fallen moments earlier and held up my hand. All fell silent, surprisingly.

"I won't do any of it, I tell you," I said. And with that, I went down the stairs and out the door.

**********

ouch!! interesting twist--AGAIN!!! and nearly nothing about will!!! oh, but you will see plenty of him in the next little while, you will!! mark my words.

so how was ya'll's new year? mine was just peachy, thank ye. i haven't written since LAST YEAR!!! hehe... now if you'll excuse me, i have a party to rush off to.

have a great day!

review. yah. please. thank you. blah.