Chapter Two: Pumpkins and Apples
Bloom gasped as she shot up in bed, her forehead connected with a hard piece of wood and before she knew it she tumbled from the single bed and onto the dusty floor. She groaned at the pain in her head and felt around with her fingers at the floor, she was surprised when she felt dirt and wood under her fingertips and not the usual carpet of her apartment in Alfea. Peeking through red tendrils of hair she looked around the small room she was in and after a moment sprung up with a frightened yell.
"Oh my god" She mumbled as she stared at her surroundings. She had never, ever, been in this room before. She didn't know where she was or what had happened. The room was a square shaped with a small side room off to her right. The walls, floor and roof were all wooden with small specks of light escaping through the cracks, looking around she found the main room had a medium sized wooden table with two small stools, flowers in a vase resting on its surface.
There was a small fireplace on the left wall of the room with various pots and pans hanging from hooks along with animal skins and plant life and in front of the fire was a comfy looking armchair, opposite the front door on the far wall was a single bed with warm blankets filled with feathers, it appeared Bloom had struck her head on a shelf, a huge dresser was beside the bed and in the small room off to the right was a metal bathtub and what looked like an expensive looking sewing machine.
Bloom stood up slowly, trying to gauge whether she really was alone in the room. Taking small quiet steps forward she noticed that she was dressed in a long red tunic that stopped mid thigh with a leather vest and pants on. The boots were sturdy looking and the gloves were furry on the inside, patting her hands down her body she stared wide eyed down at herself "I'm medieval"
What the hell is going on? I read one page out of a book and suddenly I find myself in a time without television, damn it! How do I get myself into these situations?! Bloom walked around the small room in a haze, touching small objects just to make sure they were real.
"Okay don't panic. If this is a spell then it can be broken. I just have to remain calm" Bloom mumbled to herself as she approached the front door, as soon as she stepped out onto the front lawn she froze in place.
The first thing she noticed was the long stretch of houses, small little hovels and large stone houses were mixed into the one neighbourhood, people of all classes walked down the stone paths, some smiling and laughing, others looking sad and glum. Off in the distance was a giant castle, grander than anything Bloom had ever seen and it stood tall and proud just towering over everything. But there was something very strange about this medieval world Bloom found herself in, namely magic.
Looking into the distance Bloom could almost swear she saw a beanstalk climbing into the sky and above the clouds, on the path an old man called out 'magic beans!' another old woman held purple vials in the air as she walked and yelled 'poison your enemies'. The middle aged woman led a class of children that appeared to be made out of wood, all marching along singing about being real, dwarves cheered as they made their way into a nearby pub.
It appeared Bloom lived in a small cottage with a green lawn and lovely flowers blooming in the garden and a huge apple tree ready for harvesting right out on the front lawn. Bloom stared dumbstruck at the spectacle, her mouth hanging wide open and her hands lifting part way into the air in a what-the-hell motion.
"I'm so screwed!" She yelled at no one. She started to walk the length of her small yard "I don't know what happened, I don't know what to do! Somebody please help me!"
"I'll help you if you stop screaming" A voice called to her from the house next door.
Bloom jumped slightly and turned around to see none other than Stella standing at the fence which divided their homes. Her house was one of stone, with colourful windows and flowers in the window boxes. Trees stood tall and green with birdhouses hanging from them. In the backyard lay a huge pumpkin patch with gigantic pumpkins just waiting to be eaten. Bloom walked slowly over to Stella who leaned against the wooden fence with a small smile, her blond hair was tied into a plait down her back and her dress was one of a white shirt and cream skirt that went to her knees, with a brown apron tied around her torso, there was also a little bit of dirt smudged on her cheek. In her hands she held a basket filled with plums.
She spoke as Bloom reached the fence "You know if you keep screaming like that you'll wake my step mother and then where'll we both be?"
Bloom couldn't think of anything to say except "Nice pumpkin patch"
Stella nodded and said "Nice apple tree"
"D-do you know who I am?" Bloom asked timidly
"Well of course I do! Are you alright, you seem a bit...shocked" Stella asked, giving Bloom a sympathetic smile.
Bloom was a little taken aback "Umm no I'm fine. I just...my name is Bloom"
Stella looked a little shocked aswell "Really? Well fancy that! I've been living next door to you for years and I always thought your name was Red, everyone else calls you that. Well then..." Stella stuck out her hand "...nice to meet you Bloom, I'm-"
"Cinderella" Bloom answered for her. Stella just smiled and laughed "Only my step mother and step sisters call me that, call me Cindy"
"Cindy?" Bloom repeated. It really didn't suit her. And what's with her being so nice! Stella has never been this chipper before! "Can you tell me something...Cindy...umm I know it's going to sound strange but just bear with me...what do I do?"
Stella waited for a moment and then asked "What do you mean?"
"I mean how do I make a living?"
"Oh!" Stella exclaimed and thought for a moment "Well gosh I don't really know for sure. I see people come to your cottage now and then, almost every other day, they bring you clothes, I think. I've always just assumed you were a seamstress of some kind but then I always saw you..." Stella started for a second and then fell silent, staring at the ground.
"What? Saw me what?" Bloom gripped the fence with stress, leaning towards the blond girl.
Stella looked hesitant when she answered "Well...I sometimes see you venture into the woods, with a bow and arrow and then sometimes...you bring back animals"
"Why is that such a bad thing?"
"The woods are restricted, without being accompanied by a solider of the guard you can't go out there, it's dangerous" Stella started to whisper, looking around cautiously "But don't worry I won't tell anyone about you going alone"
Bloom leaned forward more and whispered "What's so dangerous about the woods"
"There are monsters...or well...a monster"
Bloom gave her a questioning look and Stella whispered even lower than before that Bloom barely heard her; she said it with such fear and wariness.
"A wolf"
Bloom smiled and slumped back to her side of the fence with a relieved laugh "Oh Cindy don't scare me like that! A wolf is nothing"
"You're wrong! It's killed people, torn them to shreds!" This time Stella gripped the fence in fear her voice shaking, it was unnerving for Bloom since Stella was always such a hyper brave girl. This girl looked pretty frightened "I mean it...didn't it kill you parents?"
This time Bloom didn't laugh.
"Cindy I have to go now" Bloom mumbled seriously as she stepped away from the fence. Stella gave her a despairing look "Just promise me you won't go hunting for the wolf, alright Bloom?"
Bloom nodded as she reached her front door "I promise"
With that Bloom marched inside and quickly searched around her a piece of paper and pen, five minutes later she sat down with paper, a quill and ink and began writing.
Stella = Cinderella
Bloom = Red Riding Hood?
Flora = ?
Musa = ?
But the question of whether she really was red riding hood puzzled her, she had given the hut a quick once over and had found no sign of a red cloak that red riding hood wore, she had even scrambled through the dresser of clothes and came up with nothing.
"If the waring at the beginning of the book told me that there were five stories, then I guess we have to live them out. I have to live out red's story and so do the rest of them. Stella has to go to the ball and meet her prince charming. I wonder if it's going to be Brandon?
Bloom set down the quill and placed her head in her hands and sighed heavily. The wolf killed my parents; did it kill my birth parents or Mike and Vanessa? Should I go and find it? No, no way. This world isn't real, I have to stick to my mission, finding my friends and getting home back to the real world.
But there's a problem. I have no idea who my friends even are.
...
Stella turned away from the fence after a wary glance after her friend and headed toward the back door. She still had so much to do this morning, open all the curtains, make the breakfast, set the table, start the washing and pick some pumpkins. There was just no time! But really Stella was used to such a hefty load of work, being the only servant in her household was tough but she had no choice ever since her dear father had died just six months ago, she still felt the dull ache in her chest when she thought of him. It was after his death that she really became a prisoner in her own home, her step mother had ordered her to do all the work with no payment whatsoever. Her step sisters were cruel to her and her step mother was always looking down on her with a terrible scowl and all Stella wanted to do was just make them happy, that way she could be happy.
If only she was allowed to leave the house.
Stella snapped out of her day dream as she walked toward the backdoor, she gasped "Oh golly I'm late with breakfast!"
She bolted for the door and would have run in if it hadn't opened before she got there and her stepmother stood on the threshold "Cinderella. Where have you been?"
"Well I was just getting-"
"And where is breakfast?" The older woman interrupted her fiercely.
"I assure you it's on its-"
"Never mind!" The woman yelled, stunning the girl into silence. Stella looked warily up at her step mother as she gripped the basket of plums tightly; the woman spoke sharply "We have a guest coming this morning"
Stella nodded quickly.
"The queen"
"The queen?!" Stella exclaimed in horror, her mind whirling at what she would have to do to make the house look presentable.
The woman smiled down at her coldly "I assume it won't be too much trouble to make this estate look nice for her majesty, I also expect breakfast on the table in twenty minutes" With that the woman disappeared into the dark house like a ghost. Stella stared wide eyed after her, feeling miserable. But it was a comfort when she knew that the house would look lovely, Stella had always had a talent for making something look beautiful.
An hour and a half later a grand gold and black carriage pulled up in front of the stone mansion, Stella's step mother and her two identical step sisters stood in the front porch looking regal and smug while Stella peeked through the curtains of the front room. Stella watched as a woman emerged from the carriage, the woman was unfamiliar to her but if Bloom had been present she would have been fuming and screaming "Icy!" For the woman who stepped down from the carriage and was making her way up the path was none other than Icy herself.
Her hair was plaited and piled up on her head and she wore a dark blue satin dress with a greenish sash wrapped around her, her fierce eyes painted in blue eye shadow and her walk screamed power.
"Welcome your majesty" Stella's step mother bowed low and smiled up at the queen, who smiled back a relied "Hello my old friend"
The queen stepped forward and whispered to the evil step mother "There is something amiss, something I must discuss with you. A matter of great...annoyance"
The two women were shown into the parlour where Stella quietly poured their tea and listened meekly into their conversation.
"I have two people...two girls...who I believe are...a threat to my power" The queen began, the step mother hovering over her every word that she struggled to get out, the queen gripped her teacup fiercely and tried not to shout "I need your council on...how to...eliminate the problem but it must be done in secrecy and with the greatest care"
Step mother gestured for Stella to leave the room; she quickly exited.
Step mother leaned forward and whispered "Who are these annoyances and how do they pose a threat to you?"
"One is of no significance to me, she's the simple daughter of an inventor, nothing to really fear but I sense great power in her future"
"What's her name, I may have heard of her?"
"Umm, Belinda, no...Let's see...Brenda...Bella...Belle! Yes that's it, her name is Belle!" the queen exclaimed happily, reaching for a biscuit.
"Oh I know of her, the inventor's daughter. Belle. Oh well she's only a small little thing, no power, no threat, I suppose she's a beauty but still a very funny girl" Answered the Stepmother, taking a sip a tea "She shouldn't be hard to get rid of, even if she doesn't have great power in her future I still wouldn't care if she were gone, the girl really is too loud"
"So how shall I deal with her?"
The step mother thought for a long time while stirring her tea with a spoon "The woods. Nobody is allowed out there without an escort; just send her out there with a huntsman. Somebody who can do anyway with her and then you can just blame it on the wolf, you'll never see her again and its problem solved"
"But what huntsman should I send; none of them are brave enough to venture into the woods, what with the wolf on the prowl"
"Whoever it is, make sure they have the guts to do the deed, you don't need a cowardly huntsman letting her go"
The queen nodded "And of the other girl. This situation is a bit more...delicate" Step mother raised her eyebrows in question "It's the king's ward, Aurora"
The step mother started in surprise "Oh dear, I see what you mean. Yes that'll be a difficult one, I fear you'll have to do it yourself, to make sure it gets done right" She thought again for a while "I have it" the woman stood and walked over to a cabinet and opened it with a key, after a slight search she pulled out a vial of green liquid "This should do it. This is a transformation draft" She handed it to the queen "Drink it and you'll turn into an old lady with warts and wrinkles, nobody would suspect it's you. Lure the girl to the tallest tower of the castle and have her prick her finger on this" She held out a needle "Careful with it. It's poisoned and will send the girl into a deep sleep, there is no cure"
"No cure?"
"None"
The queen nodded "And when should I do this, it needs to be when people are distracted"
The step mother smiled evilly and stepped back into her seat and take a slow sip of tea "Isn't there a ball coming up, for her eighteenth birthday, yes?"
The queen nodded slowly, a smile on her lips "Yes, that'll do. Now what do you want in return for your services?"
The smile grew wider "Double the ball as a presentation for all the ladies in the kingdom for the prince, let him have his choice of bride amongst all the girls and make sure he chooses my daughter"
Queen Icy nodded and stood up "Done"