Ella recovered from her bronchitis and things went back to normal. Once she was off prednisone, she was herself again. Her stepmother tutored her in French every day and her grades steadily improved. There was one main difference, however: her stepmother insisted she sleep with her nearly every night.

"We are going to work on body parts tonight," her stepmother announced two weeks after Ella recovered. "Go sit on the bed."

Bolts of fear shot through Cinderella. Body parts were difficult.

Her stepmother picked up her camera. She pointed it at Cinderella and focused the lens.

"We will start with your head and move down," she informed her.

Cinderella looked at her, confused. "You're taking pictures of me?"

"Do you have a better idea? I take them of you for you to practice saying them in French. After you get them down, you can practice them with pronouns."

Lady Tremaine snapped a picture. "Tete. Ta tete."

"Head," Cinderella said.

Her stepmother zoomed in one Ella's dark eyes. "Les yeux."

"Eyes," Cinderella translated.

Lady Tremaine smirked slightly. "Tes yeux marrones."

Ella blushed. "Your brown eyes. Mes yeux bruns."

Lady Tremaine smiled. "Very good."

She continued to take pictures of Ella, saying the body part in French and Ella translating.

After she had taken pictures of Ella's eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, and feet, she put the camera down. "Well, those are all the body parts that aren't covered. Take your clothes off."

Ella turned white. "What? Can't you take the pictures with my clothes on?"

"No," Lady Tremaine snapped. "If you have your clothes on, I'm taking pictures of your clothes and not your body, aren't I?"

Ella nodded meekly. She pulled her sweater over her head. Underneath she wore a white cami. She covered herself protectively, as if the thin material could stave off her stepmother's predatory smile.

"You can leave it on for a minute," Lady Tremaine said as she raised the camera to her eye. She took a picture of Cinderella's arms and shoulders.

"Up," she said to her trembling stepdaughter. Without waiting for a reply, she pushed the cami up to Cinderella's bottom rib.

"Estomac," she said as she snapped a picture. She pushed the cami up to just below Cinderella's breasts.

"Hmmm," she said as she ran her long fingers lightly against Ella's rib cage. "Your so damn thin. Don't I feed you enough?"

Cinderella smiled weakly. "Yes, ma'am. I lost weight from being so sick."

Her stepmother smirked as she raised the camera again. "Be sure to eat extra tomorrow. You look like a starved little sparrow."

"Yes ma'am."

Her stepmother gently squeezed Ella's thin waist. "Les côtes."

Cinderella trembled even harder. Her stepmother's fingers seemed to be everywhere, tracing circles all over her body. Lady Tremaine looked down at her through hooded eyes. Her blue eyes seemed to bore into Ella's soul. Ella looked away.

"Don't look away, Ella," her stepmother said. "It's okay."

Ella smiled nervously. Her stepmother continued to stroke her stomach, her ribs, her arms. Ella's body vibrated even more.

"Can this come off?" her stepmother as, thumbing the cami. Without waiting for a reply, she pulled it over Ella's head.

Now Ella lay beneath her stepmother in her jeans and nothing else. She self-consciously covered her breasts but her stepmother lifted her arms away.

"You breasts are so beautiful. Les seins." She took a picture. Ella blushed furiously. She trembled so hard she thought the bed was moving.

"Why are you trembling so much?" her stepmother asked.

"Um, you're taking pictures of me half naked," Ella said. "It's a bit...weird."

Lady Tremaine scoffed. "It most certainly is not. Do you have a better idea as to learn body parts?"

This was a trick question. Ella wasn't sure if she would get in more trouble by saying yes or no, so she shrugged. "I guess not."

"Of course not!" her stepmother snapped. She looked down at her for a long moment, as if pondering something. Ella blushed.

"Are you ready for these to come off?" her stepmother asked, much more gently than usual. She rested a hand lightly on Cinderella's thigh.

Cinderella blushed even more. "Do we have to?"

Long fingers unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. "Yes. Off."

Cinderella lifted her hips and her stepmother pulled off the jeans. She took pictures of Ella's legs, zeroed in on her knees and feet. She took a picture of an individual toe.

"You can put this back on, " Lady Tremaine said, handing her the cami.

Ella pulled it over her head, nearly as white as the garment. She tried to put on her jeans but her stepmother tossed them off the bed.

"I want to take some more pictures of you," she told her. "Here."

She pushed Cinderella back on the bed and arranged her arms around her head. "Hold that look.' Ella looked surprised, vulnerable, angelic. She looked surreal, as if she didn't quite belong in this world.

Ella still trembled. She couldn't stop shaking. Her stepmother took a few more pictures of her, then took her hand. "It's okay, sweetheart."

Cinderella looked ready to cry. "Stepmother, I love you," she whispered. "Even if you hate me and beat me. I love you."

"I don't hate you, silly. If I did, would I have rushed you to the hospital when you were so sick? Would I be spending all this time helping you with your French? I wouldn't let someone I hate sleep in my bed every night."

Cinderella smiled weakly. Her stepmother snapped another picture.

"You look like an angel when you smile like that."

Cinderella blushed. "Ange de le maison. That's me."

Her stepmother laughed. "Very good. Your French is certainly improving."

She brushed Cinderella's blond hair away from her face. Her blue eyes looked at Ella more kindly than they had in years. Her lips brushed against Ella's very softly. "Et j'taime aussi."

Cinderella looked into her stepmother's eyes, stunned. "I-you-what? You love me too?"

Her stepmother smirked. "Of course I do, silly girl. I had to act like I did so the girls wouldn't be jealous. How could I not love you? You're such a sweetheart."

Tears streamed down Cinderella's chalk white face. She didn't just love her stepmother as a mother figure. She was in love with her. But she didn't dare say that just yet.

Long fingers brushed her tears away. Her stepmother lay down beside her and pulled her into her arms. "Shhh. It's okay. I wish I could take back everything."

Cinderella looked up into her stepmother's face. Hooded blue eyes looked down at her. She brought her stepmother's thin hands and brushed her lips against it. "I forgave you a long time ago." When I realized I was in love with you she thought but didn't say.

Her stepmother tickled her back. Cinderella hid her head against the older woman's shoulder and giggled.

"It's nice to see you laugh. Now go to sleep. I think you are very tired."

Cinderella looked down at herself and burst into a fit of giggles. "Can I get changed now? I'm still half naked!"

Her stepmother laughed too. "Yes. Then come right back."

"Yes ma'am." She scampered off to her room and changed into her pajamas.

"All set?" Lady Tremaine asked. "Then good night."

Hours later, Cinderella was still awake. She turned towards her stepmother and whispered, "Je suis amoureux de vous. « Then she fell asleep.

It was too dark for her to see blue eyes open and look towards her. "And I with you," her stepmother's husky voice whispered back.