Cinderella woke up the next morning wrapped in her stepmother's arms. She was a bit confused until the pain between her legs reminded her of what happened the night before. I gave Stepmother my virginity, she remembered. She really made me hers.

She looked at the woman sleeping beside her. Asleep, there was no trace of the usual stern, scary stepmother. She just looked like anyone else.

Outside, the sky was an ominous grayish blue. Waves crashed against the cliffs. It looked like it was going to pour again, but the ocean was wild and rough and beautiful.

Cinderella slipped out of bed quietly so as not to wake her stepmother and stood by the window. She wanted to go down and experience the ocean before the rain came again.

As quietly as she could, Cinderella slipped on a pair of jeans and a pale pink T-shirt and hoodie. She debated borrowing her stepmother's camera but decided against it. Lady Tremaine never appreciated anything being borrowed without permission. Even if her stepmother was human now, she was still Lady Tremaine and capable of great cruelty. She wrote a note telling her stepmother where she was going and silently slipped out of the room.

The wind blew fiercely as she stepped outside. Her blonde hair whipped upwards. She pulled her pink hoodie tightly around her thin frame. Cherry-blossom pink, Stepmother called this shade. Rose cerisier.

She walked to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the vast, never-ending ocean. The cliffs were nearly twenty feet high and waves nearly that high crashed against them. The wind. made the water greenish-grey as it stirred up sediment. Now Cinderella wished she had brought Stepmother's camera.

Overhead, the sky changed from blue-gray to nearly black. The wind pierced through her thin hoodie like a thousand needles but she stood transfixed by the sea, which was now nearly purple. Rain began to pour down from the grey sky.

"Isabella Josephine Tremaine!" her stepmother's voice bellowed over the wind.

Cinderella turned around to look and her hair whipped nearly straight up in all directions. Her stepmother snapped a picture of her, then took her hand and dragged her back into the hotel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lady Tremaine raged when they were back in their room. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was to wake up and you weren't there? Then to see you at the edge of the cliff?"

"I left you a note," Cinderella protested feebly.

"Shut up! Have you forgotten you just got over bronchitis?" Stepmother shouted. "Do you want to get sick again?"

Cinderella shook her head weakly. "No, ma'am."

Lady Tremaine glared at her. Cinderella began to tremble. What if the loving stepmother of the night before was just an illusion?

"You look like something the sea coughed up," Stepmother commented as she circled her shaking stepdaughter. 'Let's get you cleaned up. You can't go to the aquarium soaking wet."

She stalked into the bathroom and turned on the bathtub. Cinderella stood rooted to the floor, dumbfounded.

"I don't have all day!" an annoyed Lady Tremaine's voice yelled.

Cinderella stumbled into the bathroom. Her stepmother scowled at her. 'What are you waiting for? Strip!"

Cinderella took off her thin hoodie. She turned her back to her stepmother as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. She felt her face flush as she took off her jeans.

"I've seen you naked," her stepmother said impatiently.

Cinderella turned several shades of red and pulled her underwear down her legs. She was tempted to cover herself, but judging from her stepmother's mood, that would be unwise.

Still blushing furiously, Cinderella got into the bathtub.

"Dunk your head back," Stepmother ordered.

Cinderella leaned her head back and submerged her blond hair. Stepmother poured shampoo into her hand and massaged it into Cinderella's scalp.

"I'm sorry I went out to see the ocean without telling you," Cinderella said as Lady Tremaine lathered her hair.

Lady Tremaine snorted. "Hmm. I suppose you couldn't help it. The ocean is fascinating, is it not? Mon petit biologiste marin."

Cinderella looked up into Stepmother's bright blue eyes, flabbergasted. "Your little marine biologist?" she whispered.

Stepmother smirked. "Oh, don't look so surprised," she said as she poured water over her stepdaughter's head. "You've wanted to be a marine biologist since you were seven years old. Ever since you saw The Little Mermaid when you were seven."

"How did you know that?" Cinderella gasped.

Lady Tremaine kneaded conditioner into her hair. S he dunked a washcloth into the water and began to wash Cinderella's back.

"Oh, Ella," she sighed. "Do you think I don't know you? After being your stepmother for all these years? I know you love studying the oceans and marine life. Have you not read everything Rachel Carson and Jacques Cousteau have ever written? Do you not watch every documentary about the oceans and marine life you can find?"

Cinderella nodded, still stunned that her stepmother had even noticed. Stepmother rubbed the rough washcloth up and down her left arm. "I know you, Ella. I know your favorite color is blue, and that you hate pineapples. I know you love to cook but hate to clean up."

Stepmother poured more water over her head to rinse out the conditioner. She actually leaned over the tub and kissed Cinderella's head. "I also know your favorite shampoo and conditioner are strawberry scented. But they didn't have those here."

Lady Tremaine pulled Cinderella up and wrapped a thick towel around her. "There we go. Nice and clean."

She helped her out of the tub and dried her hair with another towel. "And," she added, meeting her stepdaughter's terrified eyes in the mirror and running her long fingers through Ella's tangled hair, "I know that even though you love me, you are still scared to death of me."

She walked out of the bathroom, leaving her stunned stepdaughter to get dressed.