Margarite

“But mom!” cried Cinder as our mother took her brusquely by the arm. Our mother was tall and statuesque, whereas my sister was small and dainty.

“Not another word. Druesilla caught you practicing magic again. I strictly forbade magic in this house!” she said, dragging Cinder through the house and up the stairs. My sister went kicking and screaming.

“But father!” she cried as Mother wrenched open the door to our room.

“But nothing. He’s dead! I rule the house! I forbid magic! Get into the room!”

“But we were supposed to shop for the ball!”

“You’ve forfeited the right,” said Mother as she pushed a struggling Cinder through the door and shut it. Locked it tight with the skeleton key around her neck. I glanced into her mocha eyes and gulped. Was I next? I knew Cinder was practicing magic, and did nothing. I’d even read some of the magi books and practiced with her. Each step she took made me shiver more. Mother stepped closer and shook her head, stopping inches from me. She raised her hand and slapped me hard enough to turn my face. It stung and my face felt numb. I felt numb, used to such things by now. Still, a few tears dropped as I ran a hand across to sooth the ache.

“I expect better from my daughters. You are lucky I am not preventing you from going shopping for the ball as well, Margarite. You know what magic did to our family. I want none of it in this house,” she said, slipping her hand against my shoulder.

“Come, we need to get dressed for the ball. We need to visit the marketplace for some new apparel.”

“What about Cinder?” I asked, worried for my step-sister. It wasn’t fair that I was going shopping for the ball and she wasn’t when our crimes were the same…sort of. I wasn’t the one who was caught sacrificing a dog.

My mother put on a scarf and gloves, straightening her long mauve dress. “What about her? She can stay alone in her room until we return.”

I nodded and put on my gloves and scarf. My blue dress hid my rounded figure. “Will Druesilla be joining us?”

Mother smiled. “Your sister takes studying very seriously. She isn’t going to the ball.”

Again I nodded and followed Mother out the door, then through the garden path to the much more well-worn pavement of the rural town. She opened the gate and we were out onto the cobbled streets of Ferndale. A carriage passed by in a hurry, and we were swept to the side with other commoners. I glanced to the side as it trotted past. What I wouldn’t give to sit in a carriage! We walked to the town center, passing splendid houses with gilded roofs, and beautiful paint jobs. Ours was peeling down the front, announcing our destitution to the world. Some houses had servants busying around. We had to let ours go. In their absence, we kept the house well enough, but it was a huge undertaking. Everyone participated, even Drue.

Mother rushed me along an ebony fence and soon we were in the town proper. The town square. Most of the shops were open for shopping and we rounded the marketplace where people cried out for customers to buy their wares. We approached several stalls. One had a beautiful silk dress with an open back and a slit on the side, pale blue and adorned with silver butterflies at the hem. I tried it on and was in awe of the way it glided to the floor in soft susurrations. It was tied around my neck with two flowing pieces of silk and its skirts were gossamer and silk undertones. It was exquisite. I spun and then I turned the price tag over, paling at the price. $5000.00! I couldn’t afford it.

“You look beautiful in that dress. Are you going to buy it?” came a suave baritone. It surprised me enough that I spun around and glared.

“It’s not any of your business!” I snapped and blushed when my eyes landed on him. He was tall lithe and fit– in short, beautiful, with skin like caramel, lush brown hair, and striking sapphire eyes.

A pouty pink mouth with luscious lips made for kissing answered me. “Yes, it is. I was going to buy that dress for someone.”

I sighed and glanced at the price tag again. “No, I don’t think I will.” I shuffled into the changing room and changed back into my baby blue dress, tying the sash around my waist and cinching it slightly tighter than usual. I gasped and untied it, before retying it normally. If the guy couldn’t overlook a few pounds then, well, he wasn’t worth it. I exited out of the small changing room and put the dress back up.

Mother caught me. “Find anything you like?” she asked, glancing at the dress.

I smiled. “I did but it’s too much. I’ll find something else.” I said, ignoring the sapphire eyes that followed me. I was glad to get away from there. We went all over the market but I couldn’t find a good dress.

“There’s always Tuesdays,” I sighed as we left. Tuesdays were trading days, and many new things were brought in that day.

“Indeed,” my mother said, nodding. “The ball is two weeks away. Held on a Friday evening. You’ll be ready. All of you will.”

I nodded and started walking away from the throngs of people. I made contact with sapphire eyes and he smirked at me while I, in my ire, stuck my tongue out. His laughter rang above the crowd.

Dinner was a quiet affair as Cinder was let from her room to dine with us. Druesilla had joined us but had her face stuck in a musty old tome. What did she see in such big books? Cinder was perfectly cowed and ate her soup with nary a say. I watched as she cast furtive glances at Drue who drank the broth from her soup without spilling a drop. I wasn’t so lucky and blotted the refuge with my napkin, trying to remain as ladylike as possible. Cinder slurped the soup with no care for the nasty sound she made doing so. Mother wasn’t pleased.

Cinder! Show some decorum. Margarite, you missed a spot, dear.”

I blushed and blotted my cheeks coming up with debris. I blushed harder and sighed, wiping my face again.

“Use a new towel, dear,” my mother said and I reached for a new paper towel. Sometimes I wished I could be as carefree as Cinder. I was the in-between. Not the rebel, not the straight-laced, a mock-up. The one who was neither one nor the other, but wasn’t truly wanted either. I excused myself and went to my room. It was a nice, small room with a stated appreciation for simplicity. By far smaller than Cinder’s and easier to clean. The walls were peach and it had no fireplace. It was the only room where my stepfather had rigged a magical climate control system, and it was the only thing in the house that worked on magic. I remembered my stepfather. A well-built man who had died in a skirmish of magic between two villagers protecting me and my mother from them.

I approached my cooling unit and frowned. It had no power. “Cinder must have stolen it again for her witchcraft. Looks like she hasn’t learned her lesson yet.” I snapped my fingers, feeling that spark of power deep within. I brought it to the surface and pressed my palm to the wall indent. Power ran into the runes that flickered alight and the temperature dropped a few degrees.

“BRR! Not that cold!” I muttered as the temp leveled with the twitch of my index finger. “Better!” I sighed taking my hand off the wall and hopping to my bed where it stood with the covers pulled back. I sat and grabbed a book from my nightstand. It was an ancient book left by our stepfather to us when we were old enough to use magic. Although Mother forbade it, she let us read stepfather’s books as a way to keep him alive. I read until my candle started dimming. Then I put my book down and went to bed.

Morning showers were cold! Always! As I splashed water onto my frozen person, I exited the shower and made my way to find Cinder at the stove.

“Did mom leave already?” I asked, grabbing a bagel.

“Yes. Donald called early and she had to go. Being a nurse is tough!” she flipped the pancakes.

“What about Drue?”

“She’s a substitute teacher of course she’s gone,” Cinder muttered, sliding the pancakes on some plates and handing them to me while making more for herself.

“What’s first on the agenda?” I chewed on the pancakes which Cinder had burnt slightly.

“First is the attic then there’s Druesilla’s room and mom’s then there’s ours,” she sat and chowed on her pancakes.

“The attic is big. It’s gonna take both of us a whole day. I say we get that out of the way first,” I blew on my fork and ate another bite of pancakes.

Cinder nodded. “Deal!”

We ate and talked silently about the ball. Cinder asked me if I was going with anyone yet. I glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Did you have a dream? I asked, setting my empty plate in the sink.

Cinder nodded. “Yes. It was strange though. You didn’t want to go with him.”

I sighed and took her plate to wash. “Stop inducing lucid dreams, Cinder. They come when they do. Dad said never to push them.”

Cinder pouted. “But it’s so much fun!”

“It won’t be when you are stuck in that world. Come on, we have an attic to clean.”

Cinder smiled and raced up the steps two at a time, her long coal-dark hair swinging wild and free behind her. My dark hair was pulled in a neat ponytail. The rest of the day was spent sniffling from the dust, pulling boxes down the three stairs, and rearranging them for more space. Cinder swept. I mopped. Cinder dusted, and I moved the boxes. She did this. I did that. We coordinated our moves. It wasn’t til the sound of keys in the door that I realized it was so late.

“Crap! We forgot about dinner!” Cinder muttered and I groaned. Honestly, I was too sore to cook today. Everyone would have to conform with sandwiches for today. The door opened and takeout specifically Chinese smelled from the kitchen.

“I’m home! I brought food!” Came Druesilla’s light alto voice.

Cinder stormed the stairs. I was right behind her. “Finally!”

Drue tisked and drew the food away. “Not til you’ve both bathed. You are filthy!”

“But I’m hungry!” Cinder cried her stomach gurgling.

Drue glared and Cinder and I raced each other to the bathroom. Drue needed no magic to send us running with our tails between our legs.