Cinderella peeked around a corner at a vegetable cart nearby. She looked back at the ten year old girl, Jilly and smiled. Jilly was the first child that Cinderella had rescued. The other two were Tanya, who was six, and Jonny, who was three.
"I'll distract. You grab the food."
Jilly nodded "Got it. Just avoid the brustel sprouts, right?"
Cinderella nodded "But if that's the only thing you can grab, it's better than nothing." She walked around the corner and waved to the vegetable man "Hi Sir. How are you?"
The man squinted his eyes at her "Stay away from my vegetables Cinderella!"
"Hey." She held up her hands as she walked to the far end of the cart "I'm not taking anything from you."
The man continued to watch her suspiciously, having no clue that Jilly was clearing the other side of his cart. When she got done, she disappeared around the corner.
"Later Hank." Cinderella laughed as she ran down the street.
Hank grumbled and turned back to his selling's. When he saw the empty side of his cart, he growled in rage. That girl had done it again!
Cinderella passed the center of town where a bunch of girls were playing with their dolls.
"Cinderella!" they squealed as she walked towards them. They jumped to their feet and ran to her "Hi Cinderella!"
"Hey girls." Cinderella smiled "What are y'all doing this beautiful day?"
"Playing." One answered, holding out her doll "You want to hold her?"
"Oh, no. that's alright." She patted the girl on the top of her head "I don't want to get her dirty."
"Okay."
Cinderella looked back down the road and laughed "I have to go. The welcoming committee is coming." Then she ran.
The cops went running past the children blowing their whistles and shouting.
The little girls just looked at each other and shrugged. Then they continued playing.
Cinderella ran the cops all over town until she finally lost them in the woods.
"Come on." One said "We lost her. Again."
From her position on a tree, Cinderella watched them till they left, then she dropped to the ground and went to where her three charges were waiting.
"What took you so long?" Jilly asked.
"Sorry. I had to shake the cops." Cinderella grabbed a carrot from the stack of food that Jilly had grabbed "Good job Jilly."
"Thanks."
"Cinderella." Tanya said "We'll we ever be able to eat without having to steal it first?"
Cinderella smiled at the girl "I wish we could. But I don't think that will ever happen." She pushed her blond hair out of her face "I do wish we didn't have to steal to eat."
Jilly nodded "Me too. But what can a girl do? Starve?"
"What about the boy?" Jonny demanded.
Cinderella tickled him "We have to keep you fed too."
She looked around at her little tribe and smiled. She wished there was a better life for them. They were so special.
Jilly had burnt red hair and brown eyes. Tanya had brown hair and blue eyes, and Jonny had black hair and green eyes.
"Tomorrow, I'll see if I can get us some meat." Cinderella said sitting down on a fallen tree "I hear the butcher is frying chickens for free."
The others laughed "Free chicken!"
So, they spent the rest of the day picking berries and handing out food to the other beggars.
When Cinderella woke up the next morning, she told Jilly to watch the kids, and then she left.
The smell of frying chicken and roasted pig was heavy in the air. She was slowly making her way towards the butcher's shop when an ear piercing whistle suddenly sounded two blocks away from her "There she is!" A cop shouted.
Cinderella rolled her eyes and groaned, and then she turned and ran.
"Stop her!" the cops shouted as they ran through town.
The kids were hopping up and down shouting "Go Cinderella! Go!"
Cinderella pressed ahead, trying to put some distance between her and the law. She finally managed to get a good bit ahead of them.
She chuckled "You can run but you can't keep up." She ran around a corner and collided with someone that was standing there, and they both hit the ground.
Cinderella jumped back to her feet as the other person stood "I am so sorr…" her voice trailed off as she looked up into a pair of clear blue eyes.
He seemed at a loss for words too as they just stood there staring at each other. But the moment was short lived as a police whistle filled the air.
"Oh! I have to go!" Cinderella started to run, but the boy stopped her.
"Are they after you?"
She nodded "Who else?"
He shrugged "I thought they were after me."
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Then I guess we'd both better run."
"Over there!" one cop shouted, rounding the corner.
Cinderella grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him into the woods.
He couldn't believe how fast she could run! He was running as fast as he could and she was still dragging him. She must have noticed he was struggling, because she looked back at him and said "How have you managed to stay away from them?"
"I've never had them chasing me before." He answered.
"Ah." She pointed to a tree "Can you climb?"
"No."
She sighed, but kept running. When they reached the tree, she jumped, grabbed a branch and pulled him up after her. She motioned for him to be quiet as the cops stopped and looked around.
"How does she do that?" one cop said. The others shrugged and then they went back to town.
Cinderella nodded to the boy, and then they both dropped to the ground.
"Thanks." He said.
She nodded as she studied him.
He was about six inches taller than her. He had black hair that made his blue eyes seem even bluer. His clothes were old and faded. He was of medium built and extremely handsome.
She looked down at her dusty, dirty, torn dress. Half of one sleeve was torn off. The half of the hem was out and the other half was missing. Her feet were bare and covered with dirt, as was the rest of her.
She pushed her hair away from her face, realizing for the first time that it had fallen out of its normal bun in the getaway and was now hanging loose around her shoulders "I've never seen you before." She said.
He smiled "I don't get around much. What's your name?"
"Cinderella."
He nodded "So you're the famous Cinderella that I've heard so much about." He studied her face for a moment "I have to admit. I didn't think you'd be so… Anyways."
Cinderella blushed as she bit back a smile "Hungry?" she pulled an apple out of her pocket and tossed it to him.
He caught it and looked at it "Where did this come from?"
She shrugged "I grabbed it while running through town." She pulled another apple from her pocket and bit into it.
He shrugged, and then ate the apple as instructed "So, why do you steal?"
"Have too to survive." She answered as they started walking "If I don't, my little group will go hungry."
"Group?"
"I take care of three kids." She smiled at him "It's not the life I'd prefer, but it's the one I've got."
"Why do you run the streets?"
She glanced at him, then continued walking "My stepmother tried to give me to Uganda when I was six. But I ran."
"I'm sorry." He shook his head "That should never happen to anybody."
She looked down at the ground, then back at him "I don't know your name."
"Oh." He laughed "I'm Asher."
"Asher?" She raised an eyebrow then chuckled "That's funny."
"How so?"
"Well," she tossed her apple core through the trees, and then turned to face him "I'm Cinderella. Your name is Asher. Cinder and Ashes."
He chuckled "That is funny. The names just go together."
"Cinderella!" Jilly suddenly ran up to them, and then she stopped "Oh. I didn't know someone was with you."
"Jilly, this is Asher" Cinderella said "Asher, this is Jilly."
"Hi." Asher smiled "It's nice to meet you."
Jilly nodded "You too." Then she turned to Cinderella "Tanya climbed a tree and now she won't come down!"
Cinderella laughed "I'm coming." She turned to Asher "It was nice meeting you."
He nodded "Maybe I'll see you again."
"Maybe."
Jilly grabbed her hand and started pulling her "Come on!"
Cinderella followed the girl, leaving Asher staring after them.
The Queen called one of the maids into the throne room "Where is he?"
The maid shrugged "We do not know, Your Majesty."
"Well find him! And find him NOW!" the queen screamed as the maid ran from the room.
The king walked in and looked at his wife "None of the guards have seen him."
"If they didn't protect this kingdom, I'd fire them all!" The queen sat down on her throne with a huff.
"We'll find him." The king said reassuringly "He's probably just hiding in the garden."
The doors suddenly swung open and the guards came in dragging a black haired boy with blue eyes.
"Asher!" The queen exclaimed "Where have you been?"
"We caught him climbing in through one of the windows." One of the guards said
"Why on earth were climbing through the window?" then she saw the old faded clothes he was wearing "And what are you wearing?!"
Asher shrugged the guards off "I was getting some fresh air." He looked at the guards "Dismissed."
"Yes Your Highness."
After the guards left, the queen spoke again "Where were you, and don't lie to me!"
"I was in town." Asher answered truthfully.
"Well, what happened to your clothes?" then the queen gasped "Were you robbed?"
"No. I took these from the gardener." The prince walked over to a window "It's different out there."
"Obviously." The king mumbled "Son. We told you never to leave the castle grounds."
"Mom! Dad! I'm twenty-one! I'm not exactly a child anymore." Asher shook his head "I just want a little adventure."
The queen's temper flew "Asher! If you want adventure, I'll give you adventure!" she got up from her throne and walked to her son "Here is your adventure. Finding a bride at the ball I'm going to throw!"
"Mom, I hate balls!" Asher groaned.
"Exactly." The queen turned on her heel and started heading for the door "You disobeyed me, son! Your punishment is to attend a ball. And you will find a bride. If you do not, I will find one for you!" with that she left the room, slamming the door behind her.
Asher's hands dropped to his side defeated.
The king chuckled "That's why I let her make all the decisions."
Asher looked out the window. What about Cinderella? He'd already fallen in love with her, and he was probably never going to see her again. Plus, he knew his parents would never agree to a girl who had to steal to survive. He shook his head sadly, now wishing he had never left the palace.