Chapter 4 Margaret White and the Stepsisters
Hiram, Viktor, Alexander, Fidget, and Dawson passed by a bale of hay, the rake, and ended up hiding behind a wall, near the wheel barrel. They heard CinderSydney was humming the song she sang earlier that morning while she fed the chickens. A goose ate right out of her basket while the golden brunette fed some of the corn to Maximus.
"CinderSydney!" The mice and bat called. "CinderSydnie! We're down here!"
The girl looked down to see her mice and bat friends waving to her, and hurried to her feet for food.
"Oh, there you are," The girl beamed, smiling. "I was wondering. All right. Breakfast is served."
The golden brunette threw down some feed for the mice and bat to take. Hiram, Viktor, Alexander, and Fidget managed to get some. Dawson attempted to get some as well, but the chickens prevented him from getting any. But then, Dawson spotted a piece of feed, and snatched it up before any chickens could get it.
"Uh, duh, uh, take it easy, cluck-cluck," Dawson said as he shoved a chicken's face away, and nearly ran off with the piece before the chicken stepped on him, causing him to fall and drop the pieces of feed.
Immediately after that, another chicken picked it up, and Dawson grabbed onto it, trying to take it out of the chicken's beak.
"Duh…let go! Let go now!" Dawson hollered angrily. But the chicken just shook him off.
"Stop that! Shoo, shoo, shoo!" CinderSydney snapped, infuriated with the chickens trying to keep Dawson from getting any food. "Go on! Shoo, shoo, shoo!"
Once the chickens were gone, CinderSydney approached the mouse. "Poor little Dawson," The girl said before putting a pile of feed down for him. "Here, help yourself."
Dawson couldn't be more delighted, and took as much as he could carry.
Meanwhile, Viktor, Alexander, Hiram, and Fidget stacked up on each other and made their way towards the door. They peered through it in fear and awe to see Felicia watching the hole she'd been clawing at to see if Basil was going to come out so she could catch him.
Basil came out of the other hole and noticed his friends had breakfast for themselves, and wanted to get back inside. So, in order to distract Felicia long enough for the rest to get inside, Basil placed her deerstalker hat on his tail and shook it in the other hole.
Felicia noticed and immediately started clawing at it again, and Basil signaled for the rest to come in.
The mice ran towards the other hole, but Fidget accidentally dropped a piece of feed, but decided to leave it behind and follow the others.
Dawson came trooping in with his large stack of food and noticed the piece Fidget dropped, deciding to add to his stack.
The others reached into the hole with their breakfast and headed back to their quarters.
In the meantime, Dawson added the piece to his stack. But the stack was tight, and the corn fell everywhere. The noise of the now-scattered food caught the cat's attention, and she saw Dawson gathering up his spilled stack. Felicia decided that he'd make a more filling snack than Basil.
Basil noticed what just happened and got scared that Felicia was now going to eat Dawson. He tried everything he could think of to distract her by waving his hat on his tail to pull out a whisker. But none of them worked.
Just as Dawson had his stack redone, it blew up again, and the food scattered everywhere once more.
Felicia snuck up closer and closer to her prey.
Basil tried pulling her tail as a last ditch effort, but only managed to pull out a hand-full of fur. Basil stacked his food all over again, and came up with the solution to use his jaw instead of his chin to hold the stack. Basil came out and closed his eyes.
Once Dawson successfully got the corn, he turned around, and came face-to-face with Felicia. He gasped in terror as Felicia growled and opened up her teeth, ready to eat Dawson!
In terror, Dawson forgot about his food, and ran for his life. But Felicia grabbed him by the tail and was ready to sink her claws into him. But then, Basil pushed a broom down on top of the cat, giving Dawson the opportunity to escape.
Felicia regained her senses, and shook her head, from the impact.
Up in the hole, Basil smiled, relieved that Dawson escaped.
"Hmm... Where's Dawson?" Basil asked himself, seeing no sign of his friend anywhere, and then left. "Well, I guess he got away."
Felicia looked around and noticed a silhouette of a mouse crawling up on the tablecloth to the kitchen table. Felicia grinned, seeing the opportunity to catch her snack.
Dawson reached the top of the table and rested against an upside down teacup, and panted. Then, cat eyes appeared over the edge, Felicia picked up the teacup, and trapped Dawson underneath it!
Just as the cat was about to snatch the mouse from underneath, a bell rang from a wall, causing the cat to stop and listen.
"CinderSydney!" A voice yelled from upstairs, which belonged to one of CinderSydney's stepsisters.
"All right, all right, I'm coming!" CinderSydney called while running back into the kitchen, taking off her clogs and scarf, and ran through the kitchen, sighing. "Oh my goodness. Morning, noon, and night."
Felicia ducked out of sight as CinderSydney placed the teacups upside down on the saucers.
"CinderSydney!" A second voice shouted as a different bell rang.
"Coming! Coming!" The golden brunette said, after getting the breakfast trays ready. She then placed two more cups and saucers, and turned away from the table.
Felicia walked out from under the tablecloth to see CinderSydney filling the bowls with oatmeal.
Felicia came up to the tabletop and saw three teacups instead of one. She lifted the other two, but no Dawson. Then she saw the third teacup, realizing that's where Dawson was.
"CINDERSYDNEY!" The stepsisters yelled.
"I'm coming!" The girl assured as she went over the trays again.
Felicia ducked as CinderSydney arrived, placing the three bowls of oatmeal on the trays - two for her stepsisters and one for her stepmother. She placed the three teacups and saucers on the trays, and turned away again to check the tea.
Felicia came back up, and grew surprised to see the teacups on the trays. She picked up the other two, not noticing Dawson, and placed them down, checking the other teacup. Then she realized where Dawson was, and placed her paws on the teacup.
"CINDERSYDNEY!" The stepsisters called angrily.
"In a minute!" She called back.
Felicia scowled and ducked as CinderSydney hurriedly poured the tea into each of the three teapots. Felicia watched from under the tablecloth and pouted on the floor.
Then all three bells were ringing, urging the scullery maid to hurry up. The golden brunette gave a sigh as she finished pouring the tea into the last teapot.
When CinderSydney left the table, Felicia went back to the tabletop, but grew surprised and angry to find it empty! She turned around to see CinderSydney leaving the kitchen, balancing the three breakfast trays: the first on her right hand, the second on her left, and the third on top of her head.
"CINDERSYDNEY!"
Felicia followed the girl and stopped by the doorway, watching CinderSydney carry the three trays up the stairs to her stepfamily.
On the breakfast tray in her right hand, Dawson lifted up the teacup to take a look. Felicia grinned, and Dawson quickly went back underneath the teacup.
The cat quietly and swiftly followed CinderSydney upstairs, and hid behind a pillar at the top.
As CinderSydney reached the top of the stairs, one of her shoes slipped off, and she turned around to put it back on, as she balanced turning the trays with her.
Felicia reached over and lifted the cup, but Dawson wasn't there. The cat placed the cup back on the tray angrily.
After getting her shoe back on, CinderSydney went back upstairs and started to serve breakfast to her stepfamily as Felicia followed her.
CinderSydney entered the first bedroom. "Good morning, Veruca. Sleep well?" CinderSydney greeted cheerfully.
"Sure, as if you cared," A spoiled female voice with a British accent scoffed. "Take that ironing and have it back in an hour. One hour! You hear?"
"Yes, Veruca," CinderSydney replied, as she used her foot to close the door, carrying a basket of clothes in her right arm, and the other breakfast trays.
Before Felicia could enter Veruca's room, the door hit her on the nose.
Then, CinderSydney entered the second bedroom.
Felicia followed and stood by the door.
"Good morning, Violet," The girl greeted politely.
"Well, it's about time!" A spoiled female voice with an American accent said, and then ordered, "Don't forget the mending! And don't be all day getting it done, either!"
"Yes, Violet."
As CinderSydney left the bedroom with a box of clothes in her left arm, and the last tray on her head, the door closed again on Felicia's face before she could enter.
Finally, the girl arrived at her stepmother's room, and cleared her throat.
"Well come in child, come in!" Maragret White said.
"Good morning Stepmother," CinderSydney said, coming in and balancing the last breakfast tray on her head.
"Pick up the laundry and get on with your duties." The stepmother told her stepdaughter.
"Yes, Stepmother."
CinderSydney left the room with a large white laundry bag on top of her head. Felicia was about to run into her mistress's room, but was greeted with the closing door.
The cat hissed in disappointment and anger, and hissed, cursing to herself.
Suddenly, there was high-pitched screaming from Violet's room, and the china smashed to pieces. Felicia grinned and hurried over with a grin! As she arrived, Dawson hurried out of the room from underneath the door, and Felicia caught him in her paws.
"Oh! Mother, Mother, Mother!" Violet cried.
CinderSydney heard the screaming and went upstairs to see what happened. Then, the girl saw her stepsister emerging from her bedroom in terror. Violet had light skin, long brown hair with bangs, brown eyes, and wore an indigo nightgown and nightcap.
Violet looked at CinderSydney, and accused her in anger, "You did it! You did it on purpose!"
CinderSydney blinked in surprise, and watched Violet run down the hallway towards Maragret White's room.
"Oh, Mother! Mother! Mother!"
"Now what did you do?" Veruca demanded to know, placing her hands on her hips. Veruca had light skin, shoulder length strawberry blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was wearing a red nightgown and nightcap. She followed her sister into Maragret White's room.
"Oh, she put it there! A big, ugly mouse under my teacup!" Violet explained to her mother.
Veruca closed the door behind her as CinderSydney reprimanded the cat and tapped her foot, "All right Felicia, what did you do to him?"
Felicia gave an innocent grin as she showed her bare paws to the scullery maid.
But this didn't fool CinderSydney.
"Oh, you're not fooling anyone," The golden brunette said. "We'll just see about this." The girl lifted the cat, who kept her hind legs stuck to the floor, and commanded, "Come on! Let him go!"
Felicia lifted up one foot and kept the other one to the ground.
"Now the other one. Come on!" CinderSydney commanded.
The cat reluctantly lifted up her other foot, revealing poor Dawson quivering in fear.
"Oh, poor little Dawson," CinderSydney said sympathetically.
Dawson started to run away, but kept crashing in Felicia's foot. He realized where he was running into, and ran in the other direction and disappeared into the mouse hole in the wall.
Felicia glared that her snack got away.
"Oh, Felicia, won't you ever learn?" CinderSydney reprimanded Felicia sternly.
"CinderSydney!" Margaret White called.
Felicia grinned hearing her mistress's voice, and hopped happily over to her bedroom.
"Yes, Stepmother," CinderSydney said obediently as she went over to her stepmother's room, and her stepsisters came out.
"Hmmph!" Veruca said.
"Are you gonna get it!" Violet added, frowning at her stepsister.
"Close the door, CinderSydney," Maragret commanded.
CinderSydney obeyed and entered her stepmother's room.
Veruca pushed Violet away, and then Violet pushed Veruca. Then, the two looked through the keyhole, wanting to listen to their mother punish their stepsister.
CinderSydney stood in the dark bedroom with light from the window shining down on her.
"Come here," Margaret commanded.
CinderSydney headed straight to her stepmother's bed, and Felicia happily jumped up to her mistress's bed and laid next to her, revealing the stepmother.
Margaret White sat up in her canopy bed. She had long wavy red hair, light ivory skin, and blue eyes. She wore her dark nightgown with a golden cross necklace pendant, and stroked Felicia next to her side. Her long face had a sharp glare towards her stepdaughter.
"Oh please, you don't think…" CinderSydney started.
"Hold your tongue!" Margaret snapped.
The girl obeyed and went quiet to listen to her stepmother.
Margaret reached for the cream on her tea tray, and poured it into her teacup, smiling. "Now, it seems we have time on our hands," She said, chuckling.
"But I was only trying to…" CinderSydney began.
"Silence!" Margaret shouted. She calmed down and poured more tea into her cup, and continued, "Time for vicious practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now let me see…" The woman poured more cream into her teacup. "There's the large carpet in the hall… clean it! And the windows upstairs and down…"
Felicia nodded happily, enjoying hearing Margaret give CinderSydney more chores.
"Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and draperies…"
"But I just finished…" CinderSydney attempted to say.
"Do them again!" The woman snapped and then calmed down. "God is punishing you for your sin! And don't forget the garden, then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys."
Felicia gave more happy nods, and listened to her mistress naming every single chore.
"And of course, there's the mending, and the sewing, and the laundry."
The cat looked at Margaret with delight, and then the woman said smiling, "Oh yes. And one more thing, see that Felicia gets her bath."
Felicia's face turned to surprise and shock. She gave Margaret a dirty look.