(A/N: THIS CHAPTER IS REAAALLY LONG. Not much going on right now. Lol I felt like I needed to write so the chapter is coming sooner than planned. If you want, ask for my music play list that helped me write. It's a good bunch of songs. Thanks Rachel (aka americnxidiot ) for the awesome song list in your story "Closer To God"

Note: If you haven't read that fic I suggest you do. RIGHT now.

Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I'm Lizzi! Surprise! :P But. I ripped a line from Twilight. Hope no one minds. ;) See if you can spot it! )

The eerie morning light filtered in through my small windows that were atop the walls in my sleeping quarters.

The day must be cloudy. I figured considering the light looked as if it were coming into a stained glass window.

A thought occurred to me. I was wide-awake. I must have gotten a full night's rest and yet my evil stepsister hadn't called for me yet.

Maybe I'd really put her in her place the previous day.

I rose from my cozy little bed and went straight for the armoire, picking out my finest dress.

I was going to the town today.

The dress I picked out was my favorite. It had been my mother's when she was the same age as me. It was a beautiful shade of plum, complete with a sheer lace crimson trim and pleats in the skirt part that unfolded to be crimson.

The texture of the dress was velvet and it often caught hair from my cat, Dragon. I couldn't wear the dress as often as I pleased because of that. But, the fact suited me just fine. I wasn't one for materialistic items such as clothes. I cared for the dress because it had sentimental value.

I ran to my vanity and stared in the mirror unsure what to do with my hair. I settled for pinning it up into a mess on the top of my head.

I completed my outfit with a necklace, which also belonged to my mother. The crystal charm was the very same shade of crimson as the pleats on the skirt.

I headed down the back stairs of the manor to the kitchen where I saw my worst nightmare awaiting me.

Jessica stood by a table chair glaring at me.

"Rise and shine, Cinderbella, it's about time you wake up." She smirked. "Why all dressed up? You look so lovely, but you have no where to go."

"Actually, I'm going to town today to pick out a gown for the ball. Prince Edward delivered our invitation just yesterday."

"Yes." She took a step toward me. "I saw that he was here when I was on my way to speak with Father about the little situation you and I had yesterday. I have to say, he was pretty concerned about the condition you put me in."

I suddenly got nervous. She spoke with Father. I could practically already feel the bruises from the beating I was sure to get.

"Just to let you know, Isabella, you're not going anywhere today except to clean out the stove." She pointed at the stove and I put on my brave face, snickering at her little threat.

"I'm sorry beloved sister, but that's not going to happen." I sneered at her mockingly in the same tone she always used to speak to me.

"Cinderbella. You're always crossing the line with me. Hurt me once, you're a fool, but I'll be damned if I let you hurt me again." As she spoke her words her fingers gripped the chain of my precious necklace given to me by my mother. "And, I promise you, if you move, I'll tear your mothers necklace and stomp the crystal to mere splinters."

"Please, Jessica." I begged nearly in tears. "Please don't do that. The necklace means the world to me. Please, if you just relinquish the necklace I won't even go to the ball. I'll never speak to Prince Edward again and I'll clean what ever you want. Please."

By the end of my begging I was in tears. My mother meant so much to me and it wasn't fair for her to ruin something so important to me.

"You know what Cinderbella. No matter what happens with this necklace you will not go to the ball and you will clean what ever I tell you to." Her grip tightened on the necklace and she tugged.

"Any last words?" She jeered.

"Please, Jessica. Don't. I'll do anything you want."

She didn't listen to me. She clutched my mother's beautiful necklace so tight and yanked hard that it came right off my neck. She dropped it to the floor and stomped the pendant with her heel.

"Now, clean the stove right now." She ordered.

I was too broken to argue.

Some time into my cleaning Angela came into the kitchen.

"Good morrow, Bella." She looked at me sympathetically. "My sister told me what she did and I'm so sorry. It was so wrong of her to break something that belonged to your mother."

I nodded and looked at my kind stepsister half smiling as she sunk to her knees and helped me clean the stove.

Not to long after Angela began to help, we were finished. We both stood up and Angela brushed soot off of my mother's dress that I was wearing.

"So, Bella. Are we going into town to buy dresses for the ball?" She asked grinning.

I shrugged.

"I shouldn't have asked you. You have no choice in the matter. We're going to town." She grinned and took my hand dragging me out of the house and to the horse carriage. "This is going to be a delightful time!"

The carriage ride to the town square was lengthy and I got to know Angela more. It was beyond me why we weren't already friends.

When we arrived at the town square I hopped out of the carriage and spun around happily. I felt free.

Although my necklace was ruined I had a friend and we were picking out gowns for the most important masquerade of the year.

Angela and I went to shop after shop searching for the perfect dress. She had found hers right away but every dress that I liked was either too big or too long or too small on the chest area.

We went into the only shop that we hadn't been into once – let alone three times – and went in slowly.

One side of the shop had men's clothing and the other side had beautiful gowns.

One gown in particular caught my eye. It sparkled in the subdued light coming in the window on this cloudy afternoon.

I ran to it. The dress was a deep midnight blue and it was beautiful.

The skirt had many layers the bottom layer pure silk, of a rich blue color and many layers over it were sheer and varied in amount of sparkles. The top part of the dress was the same deep blue silk as the bottom layer and was missing the shoulders. It was a bit revealing but I picked it up nonetheless.

Angela gasped when she laid eyes on it.

I asked the shop owner if I could try it on and the polite man led me to a back room where I could try on the dress.

I came out of the room feeling pretty comfortable in how the dress fit.

Slowly, I walked to the full sized mirror to get the full effect of the dress.

It fit perfectly and I was astonished at how well it fit.

"That color blue looks lovely with your skin." A voice said from behind me.

I automatically got chills and slowly turned to see Prince Edward standing there.

Angela gaped.

"Why thank you, Prince Edward."

"Ah. Lady Isabella. What did we talk about yesterday?"

"I'll only call you Edward, if you agree to call me Bella." I grinned. "Do we have an understanding?"

He smiled half of his mouth curling up in the most appealing way, which made for an attractive smile. "We have a deal, Bella."

He reached over and twisted some of my hair back into the pin, which was coming undone. "Is that your dress for the ball?" He asked me curiously.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm considering it. It's the only decent one I've found all day."

"I suggest you get it, Bella. It's stunning."

With that, my decision was made up.

"Edward!" A high soprano voice called from across the store. "I'm not doing all the work here I can't try on these suits to make sure they fit you right. Stop your chatting and get over here." I immediately recognized the girl to be Princess Alice.

Edward chuckled nervously.

"You should probably go Edward. I would be terribly upset if you didn't live to see the masquerade ball."

He grinned and kissed my hand. "You're right. I wouldn't get to see you in that lovely dress. That would be a shame. Fare the well, Isabella. I'll be seeing you soon."

With that he skipped off to his sisters side and Angela stood by my side gaping.

I bought the dress.

When I arrived back at the manor, I put my dress away and Angela disappeared. She told me she had things she needed to get done.

After I was done, I went down stairs to the kitchen and was surprised and frightened by who I saw at the table. My heart pounded and it sounded in my ears.

"Isabella." My father greeted from his chair at the head of the table. "Why don't you have a seat?" He offered.

I instantly figured that I was in some kind of trouble for putting Jessica in her place yesterday.

Hesitantly, I seated myself at the opposite side of the table to face Lord Charles.

"Hello, Father." I smiled as politely as I could manage despite the fact that I was scared out of my wits.

"I just had something to ask you quickly." The way Lord Charles looked at me shouldn't have given me a reason to be frightened yet, I was. There were too many incidents where I'd crossed the line with Jessica, and later had gotten a lashing for it.

"Yes, my father?"

"Well, Isabella." He began. "I have to tell you, you should thank Angela right now, because if it weren't for her you'd be in the midst of a beating right now." I swallowed nervously but didn't speak up.

Lord Charles sat back as if preparing himself to tell a lengthy story.

"Yesterday en'ing your sister came to me telling tales of how you beat on her. I was prepared to call you into the main house during your little conversation with the prince but today, Angela told me that Jessica had deserved what had come to her and she told me some of the cases where I was mistaken in giving you a beating."

I sighed out a breath of air. I'd have to thank Angela.

"So," he continued. "I shipped Jessica off to live in the Newton Manor. Lord and Lady Newton were pleased to take her in."

"When did you ship her off, Father?"

"Just this morning after your little necklace incident. Also, I hired a proper maid so your days of sweeping the mantle are over."

His words echoed in my brain.

"Your days of sweeping the mantle are over."