It's not A Cinderella Story

Prologue

“W-wha-t was t-that f-fo-r?” I manage to stutter out those words. My breathing is edged , my lips swollen, my forehead still touching his.

My heart skips another of the thousands beats as his lips land again passionately on mine not wanting to let go of the tension filled heated moment.

He pulls away gently. His eyes are still closed. Giving one more peck on my sore lips he says calmly with his eyes closed, “It’s just the beginning sweetheart. You worth far more than a kiss.”

Chapter O N E : Hell of a Day

It has been raining since 3 in the morning. Constant bizarre feelings have gathered intensely in my mind clogging every single nerve to proceed other things , just like the cumulonimbus outside. I don’t know why I’m feeling nostalgic but I swear this is just a weird occurrence.

The street across my window is only a little drenched as the shower is quite heavy. The state has made every single road and alley of our city with hygroscopic elements that works like the grooves of a thorny dragon. Well goddamn science ! It soaked up all the water in a blink of an eye. If you are new in this city , then don’t gasp to let the flies get inside your mouth cause it’s just one of the same boring features of our daily city life. Nobody cares.

If you look for any soaked things other than few skeleton like almost green trees preserved for years like some antique sculpture, then you may look in the color books rather than in the city. The city adorns all other colors but green.

I get out of my messy wall bed at 6 sharp after a good deal of tossing and turning all night long. Today’s gonna be long day for me that’s for sure.

I manage to get inside the washroom while rubbing my eyes and scratching my scalp continually to help my numb brain to get some more serotonin to access through the rest of the day.

I press the red button to make the brass shelf tear apart to reveal the eclectic styled streamlined wall mirror. The mirror reveals a girl I have no idea of. The girl has dark circles around her eyes, her skin has no glow, her mid length brown hair is the perfect mess and her eyes are as if smashed into red tomatoes.

Shit. I know it’s me. Just being a little over-dramatic. But seriously I look like complete shit.

My blue eyes are like two sapphires in the blood sea. Except that I’m now looking like a creepy zombie.

Cleaning my teeth with a auto handled brush I hurriedly get under the shower. Seriously I’m just totally sick of these stupid gadgets. Can’t we have some normal things like past days?

After a quick warm shower I slipped in a slouchy stitch pinstripe trousers and a grey funnel neck sweatshirt. What ? Humans are yet to control the nature. It’s the beginning of December . So it’s freezing out there. And as a part of sensitive human race , I would rather die out there without warm clothes.

I brush off my hair and try to tame the half drenched knots and keep them into a messy bun. I take a quick glimpse of my own self in the glass window of my dinky round glass room and make my way towards the door . It’s exactly when the electric bell peals through my room causing a mini quake and the glass on the ceiling slide aside revealing a bucket of water dumping from there right where my bed was. This is the same old scenario of my daily life for last five years and now I’m used to this. I knew this was inevitable. So I folded my bed earlier , or I would have to dry it off and be late for class.

A couple of ear piercing screech follow through the intercom. Before that I leave my room and head for the satans’ rooms. My room is on the tail end of our house. I came down the moving glass stairs quite running.

“Yes Ashley. I’m right here at your service. No need to pull that stunt. I’m already up,” I say with the sweetest sugar coated voice I have with a little menacing tone after cooling down the very urge of mine to stifle her.

“Shut your filthy mouth Carter. Don’t use that tone against me. We are bearing enough of you and your stinginess,” she seethes through her gritted teeth. “But if you want your career to go to hell , I will say keep it up, trash can,” she says plastering a huge smirk on her masked face.

I want to give her a proper reply to her audacity , but keep my words rather in my mouth. What? I can’t ever go against her. Her mom aka my stepmother pays off my study bills. If I don’t do my chores properly, she would stop paying those bills and my whole career, my sweet harbored dreams will shatter in just a moment.

Ash props her half body supporting on her both hands, removes the eye mask and gets off the large king sized bed in the middle of her large conical glass room and makes her way towards the bathroom.

Before stepping inside her luxurious grand bath space she looks over her shoulder and dramatically turns towards me and says, “Oh! As for I called, do clean my room and wash my clothes. I wanna see my breakfast before I’m off from the shower. Today I’m willing for blueberry waffles, smashed potatoes, chocolate shake , orange juice and a warm coffee with exact two sugar cubes and now get lost.”

She says all these in a casual way like it’s a child’s play. Before going on her own she stops herself and turns on her heels to face me.

“One more thing for your own good. See this as on your favor. The cleaning robos , the washing machine and all other bots are sent for annual check ups . And so we and mum want you to fill up their spaces,” she trails off “and you look real clumsy Carter.”

Then she finally closes the door of the loo.

Well now great. I have to do all these chores all by myself. This girlie knows how exactly to drive me to the verge of my sanity. Always getting on my nerves and commenting on my looks, my friends, my state. I hate the most when she goes on pitying me with her bubbly fake tone over my misery.Go to hell Ashley Princeton!

I storm away from her room leaving the door ajar and barges into the the adjacent transversely semi parabolic large glass room without knocking.

“Now Brit , spit your shits.”

I’m too grumpy to watch my words especially after Ms Pigton’s wonderful morning performance. Didn’t realize that my sudden outburst hurled a time bomb in the room where now second Ms. Pighead is shooting poison filled darts towards me. Oh oh!

Lifting her duvet aside she storms off her bed and dashes towards me. She stops right in front of me while one of her hands slips through my hair. Pulling it as hard as she can, she hisses in my ear,” Watch your fucking mouth Carter! I ’m not stupid like Ash. I know how to deal with such a vermin like you. One more word and you are so dead. Mark my words from now on.”

Messing with my hair and calling me with names, and I will let you go? Big mistake.

Grabbing her wrist I shake her hands off from my hair in just one swift move. Then twisting her hands firmly I take her directly on the ground with a loud thud.

Managing my disheveled hair , I bent down on one knee to have a better look of her perplexed face.

“Listen to me very carefully. You touch me one more time and have your death kiss. Don’t forget I have the black belt in judo. I can easily take you down. And don’t pull the ′mom-will-throw-you-out-on-the-street′ on me cause you know what, I’m an adult. And as per dad’s will, now I have half of his shares.And she practically can’t throw me out sweetheart. So don’t you dare do such things to me,” I fires at her with the strong hatred that have stuck at my chest for years.

Getting up from the floor I straighten my sweats and continues,“Now get your ass up.”

She stands up rubbing her back with a disgusted glaring look on her face. Putting her wayward strands aside she says,“Mum will better take care of you. I’d love to see your ruin with my own eyes.And right now I don’t wanna go for any trouble with you. Now get me my....” and then she goes on ordering her wishes just like her sister and goes for bath. They are just the perfect epitome of devil.

Then collecting her and Ash’s dirty clothes I head for stepmother’s room. Her room is on the left corner of the house. This room once used to be my parents’. Now the devil reincarnate has claimed over it. I hate her with every last drop of blood in my body. Approaching to her room I stop in front of her door and knock a little louder.

“Come in,” says the devil herself.

After walking inside her room I look at her questionably waiting for her orders like a butler. She gestures to close the door. So do I. Inside the dark rectangular glass room there’s only a little dim lamp is glowing faintly.

“Ah Elle dear, I was waiting for you. I see it’s your first day at med school. Right honey? ”

Her voice is unusually sweet and I know it’s the forecast of twister. A slight amusement is clear in her overly jolly appearance.

“yes step mom.” I may sound harsh but she is one hell of a pain in ass.

“Oh honey don’t be so mean. By the way, I have some news for you. Guess what? I’m going to be the CEO of your dad’s company and as you are still naive and I being your legal guardian , it’s my sole duty to keep you away from prying business world.”

“Oh you better not,” my voice crack. What did she just say? She and CEO. This can’t be. Dad handed over this position to his best friend and the most trusted employee of his dear company. She can’t take his rank away from him.

“Oh dear don’t stress out yourself. Your answer is here. I simply just place the charges of stealing 100 billion dollars from the company and betrayal against him while he only became the victim of my well-built lair. But you know what , no other person will know this but you and I. You know how much I’m worried about you, right sweetie?” she says as if nothing has happened. Her smirk is making my blood boiled up through my veins.She never misses any single shot to get on my nerves. I hate this gold digging vicious woman. I hate you Tiffany Princeton Carter. I hate you to the eternal infinity.

“Yes mother, you always are .”

I can’t held back my tears. They break down relentlessly. Now she’s gonna ruin my dad’s lifetime hard works, his dreams, and his everything that he cherished on his own. How dare she? I promise you dad she’s gonna pay huge for what she did. I will not let you down dad.

I close my eyes to gain composure and rub away those rolling water harshly and curtly asked,“Anything else?”

“Oh yes. I’m afraid Ashley has already informed you about the bots. So now I want you to mop and clean all the floors of the house after you get back home. I don’t wanna see a single pit of dust anywhere. Now if you don’t obey, I must see other ways . You know as now being the CEO...”

I cut her off in the mid-sentence,“Oh you must not, or I promise mother I will be your death.” I stop to breath out a deep sigh. I can’t muster the confidence to continue further. I know she can go to any extent to have what she wants. So I say,“Okay I will do whatever you say. But you better not do anything evil to decay his company and call for your downfall. But mark my words, one day this karma will bite back you , stepmother.”

“Don’t worry sweetie, I can take care of karma. Remember I have my own business? I won’t dither to ruin your father’s,” she snarls narrowing her evil eyes.” Now get out of my room. And take my clothes with you. My pita and beverage better be ready on time. Now scoot.”

Without another word she steps inside the attached bath and the sound of water dripping is heard faintly. The clock inside her so-called room strikes dot 7 and the pendulum oscilliates erratically which matches my heartbeat at that very moment.

Hate will be an understatement for describing the feeling I’m having inside. So I loathe you, Tiffany Princeton. I can never forgive you ever for all you did and still doing. Always remember eye for an eye. And I’m looking forward to making it official.

Picking up her clothes I vacate the room silently. I still can’t believe my own ears. Don’t cry Elle . Right now I need to be more strong, cogent and tough. I can’t just let them see me cracking inside .

Shaking my head I turn on my heels towards the kitchen and quietly make breakfast for the devils’ family. I miss you dad, I really miss you.