by MMT
Chapter One: Fallen
A year later...
"Cerda!!!!" My Stepsister Analaya calls.
"Where's breakfast?"
"Yeah!" Analaya's younger sister, Benalina yells.
"Where is it?"
I sigh. Pulling on a red-orange t-shirt and jeans, I tie my long black hair into a loose ponytail and rush out of the cellar like room Poppy and I share.
I run into the kitchen and quickly make pancakes from a little box I bought yesterday.
As I reach the top of the stairs I hear a:
"Hurry up, Cerda." "Yeah, hurry up!"
I run into something hard. It's Poppy.
"Oh, sorry Poppy."
I hand Poppy a pancake.
Poppy smiles up at me, her red pigtails bouncing on her orange t-shirt.
"Thank you, Kara." Poppy says, taking a bite of her pancake.
"You're welcome, Pop…" I start.
"Cerdita! Where are my clothes!" Analaya calls.
"Yeah, where are mine!" Benalina echos.
I smile sadly.
"Well Pops, it looks if we are in for an interesting day." I finally say.
Poppy grins up at me.
"Well," I say. "We’d better get going before Stepmother awakens and has us do more chores."
"Ok." Poppy replies sadly.
I walk up the stairs with Poppy and hand out the breakfast while Poppy grabs clothes for our stepsisters.
After breakfast is handed out, the doorbell rings.
"Cerda, you’d better get the door," Analaya yells, even though I am right next to her.
"Yeah, or Mother will get you for it." Benalina echos her.
I wince and run out the door, slide down the banister and finally reaches the door. When I pull it open a man is standing at the door looking like someone from the capital and palace city rolled in one. His shirt is bright orange with the capital red marks and his coat is gray, like the people from the palace wear.
"Is this the residence of Caya Ciionoima?" (Pronounced Cinema) He asks.
"Yes?" I reply.
The man stands up taller and asks: "Are you her?"
My mouth falls open but I quickly recover. "No, I’m not her," I say. "Would you like me to go fetch her?" I finish.
"Yes, if she is available." The man says.
I leave the door slightly open and run upstairs to Stepmother’s room. She still sleeps in the same room as when my father was alive. She has never seen the secret rooms where Mother, Father and I used to live. I reach Caya’s room. She is still pretending to be asleep.
“Stepmother?” I ask.
"What is it Cerda?” She asks lazily.
“Stepmother,” I say. "There’s a man at the door asking for you."
She gets out of bed, wearing a dark red nightdress that looks like blood. It probably is.
"Turn around.” She says, waving her hand.
I turn but I use my Majik to create eyes in the back of my head. Stepmother moves her hands around her. They snap down quickly. I am amazed. Wow. I think. She’s good at Majik. Caya's hands snap down and her nightgown changes to a blood red daydress and her white-blond hair goes up in a perfect bun. My eyes widen.
Caya walks toward me. I am so surprised my eyes in the back of my head disappear.
"Come along, Cerda.” She says walking out the door.
I follows, still shocked.
We reach the bottom of the stairs. Caya turns and says:
"Cerda, wait here."
I do, until she is out of sight. Then I sneak to the door, invisible.
Reaching the door, Caya asks:
“Yes?"
The man holds up a paper and Caya takes it and reads it.
“This paper states clearly that your marriage to Donald Zzynj is void.” He says regally.
Caya looks confused, although I can tell she’s not.
"… Beg your pardon?!” She asks him.
The man shuffles, clearly embarrassed.
"I’m sorry Mrs. Ciionoima, but this legal document from the inter-capitol and the outer-palace states that you were not legally married to Mr. Zzynj, so you must move out of the house you gained in your non-legal marriage to Mr. Zzynj."
Caya looks at him suspiciously.
“And what if I don’t?” She asks, curious.
"You go to jail, and you must use all your money to pay the fines of not following the law and jail fees. These total to $ 10 million.” The man says, clearly proud of himself.
Caya curls her lip at him.
“Thank you and goodbye!” She says slamming the door.
She walks away, crumpling the paper as she walks.
I run quickly back to the stairs and watch as Caya tosses the paper into the wastebasket in the kitchen.
Coming up the stairs, next to me Caya says:
"Cerda, I am rather hungry and i am sure my girls are to so make some lunch."
I curtsy slightly.
"Yes, Stepmother."
Kara runs into the kitchen, and grabs the sheet and uncrumples it. All you can read is: Caya Ciionoima is hereby not legally married to Donald Zzynj. She makes magic copy, recrumples it and puts it back in the waste paper basket.
Kara makes a quick lunch and runs upstairs. She slows and knocks at the room in between Analaya and Benalina’s rooms.
Benalina: Come in.
Kara does. Poppy is trying and failing to do Analaya and Benalina’s hair at the same time.
Kara: Lunch, is served.
Analaya: Finally!
Benalina: Oh, good! I mean Finally!
They start eating and Kara slips Poppy a piece of cheeses and a slice of bread. Kara clears her throat.
Kara: Ahem!
Benalina: What is it Cerda?
Kara: May Cerdita and I talk outside for moment?
Poppy stares at Kara.
Benalina: (folds her arms) And why should we let you?
Kara: Well, when Analaya broke her leg, climbing to the top of the house and falling, I took the blame, and left you two off the hook. (She crosses her arms)
Analaya: Fine.
Kara and Poppy leave.
Kara: Poppy, I have the most wonderful news!
Poppy: (excited) What is it Kara, what is it!
Kara: Well, a man was at the door and he said that Stepmother was not legally married to Father!
Poppy: (skeptical) Really?
Kara: Yes! And he had a paper too. Here (Kara hands Poppy the copy of the paper).
Poppy reads it.
Poppy: Oh, Kara. This means we can leave right?
Kara: Yes, Poppy.
They hug. They are interrupted by Benalina calling.
Benalina: Cerda! Cerdita! Where are you?
Kara: Coming!
Kara: (whispering) Poppy, we leave at dawn ok?
Poppy: Okay.
They go back. Kara serves Stepmother her lunch. Kara makes dinner. She serves it. Just before bed, Caya calls Analaya and Benalina to her room.
Caya: (pacing) Girls, have you noticed Cerda or Cerdita acting weird today?
Benalina: Oh, Yes. But we can’t say because Cerda is keeping a secret for us… (Analaya covers her mouth)
Analaya: Um, Mother, Cerda is NOT keeping a secret for us.
Caya: Fine. I want you to watch Cerda and Cerdita all night and into the morning. And yes, you may have Coffee.
Analaya/Benalina: Yay! Coffee!
Caya: Now, would you tell Cerda it’s time for bed?
They leave.
Before Dawn.
Kara gets and starts packing up her belongings. You see a painting of Kara and her parents with a clearly added in Poppy.
Kara walks into the kitchen. In it you see Analaya and Benalina who are both clearly sleepy.
Kara: Good Morning.
They mumble a reply.
Kara: Would you like me to make you some hot chocolate?
Their faces brighten and they eagerly nod. You hear a soft: good no more coffee.
Kara sets
about making hot chocolate. You see her add something from a bag that was up her sleeve. It reads: Forgetful Sleeping Powder. She hands the cups to Analaya and Benalina.
Kara: Here.
They start drinking it. With in a minute they are sleepier than before.
Kara: You will forget that I was here now and that you made yourselves hot chocolate and washed it out. You peeked at Cerda and Cerdita and saw that they were sleeping. You then went upstairs and fell asleep. Thank you, and goodbye.
They walk upstairs. Kara washes the cups to get every trace of the powder out. Then she walks into the living room, picks up sleeping Poppy and her bag, which looks small even though it has a whole painting in it, and walks out the kitchen door, taking care to shut and lock it behind her.
Shot of sun just peeking out from behind the clouds at the base of the horizon. Pan down to a girl walking, carrying another girl. Zoom in.
Kara: (grunts) Well Pops, it’s time for you to start walking, we don’t want to be seen with me carrying you, it looks like you’re sick and we don’t want that kind of attention.
Poppy: (sleepily) Ok.
Poppy sleepily gets out of Kara’s arms. They start walking again.
Kara: Poppy, we don’t want Stepmother to find us, do we?
Poppy: No.
Kara: So, we have to use our middle names.
Poppy stops confused.
Poppy: We don’t have middle names.
Kara smiles and pulls Poppy along.
Kara: Mother told me what our middle names are. Mine are Lily Sophie and yours are Lucy Sophia. She told me to only use one in a dire emergency. (She turns to Poppy) Do you think this is a dire emergency?
Poppy: I do.
Kara: Ok, never call me Kara from now on unless I call you Poppy first ok, Lucy?
Poppy: (smiles) Yes, Lily.
They soon reach town. They stop at a park. There is a fountain and it sprays Poppy. She laughs. They see a boy walking in front of them with his hands in his pockets he slowly walks forward with his head down.
Kara: (whispers) Come on Lucy, I think he will lead us to where we can stay.
They follow him until they get to a tall building with a big base with the upper floors smaller than the base. Pan up to the top where the highest floor is almost as big as the base with supports coming out of it. Pan down to Kara and Poppy staring at