She pondered briefly. "There are a ton of the twins' old clothes in the attic. Maybe I can be creative. Repurpose old stuff into a new beautiful gown."
Nicholas beamed. "That's the spirit," he said.
***
Ella rose early and stole up the attic. She quietly rooted around until she found the trash bags full of Brittany and Lexi's cast off clothing. It amazed her to find scads of designer items, some with the tags still on them. She found dresses galore that could easily be altered to fit her. Her eyes widened when she came upon a silky periwinkle dress that had once belonged to Brittany. And then she found a tacky fluffy dress thing, made of shimmering silver material and accented with glittering white tulle that was Lexi's size. The garments were both wretchedly gaudy and poorly cut. But Ella knew she could refashion them into a thing of beauty.
She took the dresses back downstairs and tucked them under her bed. Then she rushed to do her morning chores.
Ella raced through her day, eager to return to her room under the veil of night and make her dress. She scarcely noticed the twins' shenanigans of the day and ignored their rude remarks and evil stares entirely. All she could think of was Nicholas and the dance. And creating her gown.
Finally, when the house slept again, Nicholas returned to her room. He chuckled when she showed him what she'd selected. But then he watched her as she skillfully cut and sewed. In no time, a gown fit for a queen had been created. Or at least, fit for a princess.
"Wow, Ella," he marveled as she held the dress against herself as if to model it. "I can't believe it. You're very talented! And you're going to be the most beautiful princess at the ball."
Ella giggled. It cracked her up how he always kidded that she was a princess.
***
When Nicholas snuck into her room the next night, he was carrying a box which he handed to her. "At my last place, I had a job, so I have a little money saved up," Nicholas said. "I saw these in a window downtown and had to get them for you. They're perfect for your dress."
Ella gasped and peered up at him. She couldn't even recall the last time she'd received a gift of any kind. And certainly never from a handsome boy. She removed the box's lid.
Inside a pair of shoes lay nestled in tissue paper.
They were high heels with a shimmering silver bottom. Made of clear plastic, they looked like glass. The heels were accented with glitter and faux diamonds. They were beautiful and he was correct; perfect for her dress.
She threw her arms around him. "Oh Nicholas! I can't believe you did this for me. Thank you!" Emotion bubbled up inside her and she both laughed, and cried.
Chapter 12
The day of the dance arrived. The air at school was dreary. It had been a rough week at Faraway High. First, everyone had been stunned by the arrest of Zoe Locke. As if that wasn't enough, the very next day, another classmate had gone missing at the field trip earlier in the week.
When nobody could find Cailyn Pure at time to leave the museum, the authorities were alerted. The shocking rumor was that upon her disappearance, Cailyn's father admitted that he had a mistress who'd threatened his daughter. But when authorities went to question the woman, it was discovered that she'd been brutally attacked in her kitchen. The woman was in a coma and suspicion fell on Mr. Pure, who was taken to jail.
Amidst all the shock and sadness, Ella had worried the dance would be canceled. She ached for her missing classmates, but she still longed for her one night to forget all her worries. School officials decided it was important to boost student morale during the difficult time, and the dance would go on as planned.
Ella raced home from school to get ready for the dance. She shut herself in her room and spent two hours carefully sculpting her hair into a fetching up do, applying just the right amount of girlish makeup, and finally donning her lovely gown. Her last order of business was to slip her dainty feet into the glass looking shoes Nicholas had given her. However, she wasn't quiet able to complete her ensemble because she couldn't find the shoes Nicholas got her. She assumed he must have taken them back to his room and it was time to go find him. Her heart fluttered. She stood nervously for a long time with her hand frozen on the door knob. When she finally mustered up the nerve, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Ella stepped out into the empty kitchen. She could hear noise upstairs where the twins were. She hoped to find Nicholas and slip out unnoticed. She began to creep up the stairs. As she made her assent, she heard odd sounds grow louder. It sounded like Lexi making a series of grunts and sighs, as though she were exerting herself and it was causing her pain. Ella told herself not to even wonder what her foster sister was up to, to not allow herself to check.
Against her better judgment, she glanced inside Lexi's wide open door. And unable to control the shock of what she saw, Ella vomited on the floor.
Lexi began to cackle when she saw her foster sister hurling all over the hallway. When she finally composed herself, Ella rushed into Lexi's room.
For one thing, her beautiful, precious shoes rested on the floor next to the chair where Lexi sat, and they were covered in blood. As were Lexi's hands and the extremely sharp box cutter she clutched weakly.
Lexi looked pale and a little out of it. Probably because she was losing massive amounts of blood. What Ella had accidentally caught a glimpse of, was Lexi Dark using the blade to slice off her own little toe.
"What are you doing?" Ella exclaimed, her voice a shrill, barely controlled harbinger of panic.
Lexi gave an odd, loony smile. "I found your new shoes," she said with wide, crazy eyes. "They don't fit me, so, I'm making them fit."
Hysteria bubbled up inside Ella and she began to wail as a flood of tears overflowed. Brittany bolted into the room, beckoned by Ella's cries. She wore an evil expression.
"What did you DO in the hallway?" she demanded, apparently unaffected by her own sister's obvious distress. Then her face darkened further. "And what are you wearing?" Brittany snarled.
She reached out and snatched the sash of Ella's beautiful gown, ripping it. She gave Ella a violent shove. Ella stumbled back, slipped in the spreading puddle of Lexi's blood, and clattered to the floor. She scurried away, trying to avoid the bloody mess. But her beautiful gown was soaked with it.
"Keep your hands off her!" Nicholas roared, charging into the room. He shoved past Brittany and gave Lexi a look of pure disgust on his way to Ella. He scooped her into his arms.
She pressed her face into his tuxedoed chest and wept pitifully as he turned to exit. He rushed out of the room but paused to turn a scathing glare on the Dark sisters. "You keep away from us you crazy animals," demanded Nicholas Monarch.
He practically ran down the stairs and straight to the front door. "We're getting out of here," he declared.
"It's not time for our ride to come yet," Ella blubbered.
He delicately placed her back on her feet. "We'll walk," he said firmly. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in to peer into her face. "Ella, are you OK?" he asked urgently.
All she could do was sob. She couldn't seem to get hold of herself. "I… I don't have my shoes," she muttered, as though such a frivolous thing mattered.
He nodded at the door where their boots were parked. "Put on your snow boots." He reached for their coats and hurriedly began to help her on with hers. "Come on, we gotta get out of this nut house."
***
Soon, the couple trudged through the six inches of snow, up the road, in the gathering gloom. More snow swirled down wet and heavy. They lived about five miles outside of Faraway on a remote country road. Ella felt concerned that they'd both be quite cold before their expected ride came along; perhaps to a dangerous extent. Worse was the fear that Thelma Dark might happen along first. Plus, she wondered why no ambulance or other emergency vehicle had gone by. Obviously, Lexi was in desperate need of medical care. Why hadn't Brittany called anyone?
Ella still cried mercilessly. "We need to go back! Or find a phone. She
needs help!"
Nicholas tightened his arm around her shoulders. "It's not our problem, Ella. Just keep walking."
Both their heads snapped toward the appearance of approaching headlights on the horizon. Ella's tears finally slowed, but her heart raced. She prayed that it was help.
Nicholas stepped into the road and waved his arms. The car cruised excruciatingly slowly through the slow and finally slid to a stop.
"Oh my God am I happy to see you," Ella said, flooded with relief as the tinted driver's side window slid down. The inhabitants of the car were none other than Faraway High's guidance counselor, Mrs. Bar, along with her husband and son Benjamin.
Mrs. Bar smiled warmly. "Everything OK, kids?" she asked sweetly.
"We've had a rough night," Nicholas said. "We could use some help."
Mrs. Bar glanced into the back seat where Benjamin sat staring wide eyed at his classmates with an ever so slight smile across his lips. "Benjamin," she said. "Scoot over. Make room."
Mr. Bar stepped out and opened the door for Ella and Nicholas.
***
"I'm so sorry about all of this, Ella," Mrs. Bar said sympathetically squeezing Ella's hand. "I wish you would've told me sooner." Her pretty face drew into a sad frown. "You're both safe now, and Mr. Bar is in his office now, notifying the authorities."
Ella smiled into Mrs. Bar's pretty face. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Bar. You're just like a fairy god mother." The relief she felt was overwhelming. The rescue she'd so desperately hoped for had finally come. And even amongst the madness of the situation, it was beyond exciting to be seated inside the extraordinary home of the Bar family.
Benjamin Bar entered the room carrying a tray with two steaming mugs. He placed it on the coffee table she was seated behind, along with Nicholas and Mrs. Bar.
"Here," he said in his odd monotone. "Drink it. It's hot cocoa; it'll help warm you."
Ella and Nicholas eagerly accepted the hot drink, still feeling thoroughly chilled.
And within seconds, the mugs slipped from their hands, clattering to the floor, and they were both fast asleep.
***
Ella dragged her eyes open and for a moment all that registered was a terrible headache.
Then she felt a damp chill and realized her face rested on a cold dirty floor. Directly in front of her, were rusty iron bars. And beyond the bars, Cailyn Pure hunkered on the floor, a single finger pressed to her cracked and bleeding lips.
The look of sheer terror written on Cailyn's snow white face snapped Ella completely awake.
She leapt up and looked around frantically, unable to grasp her bearings or understand the implications of the horrible things she saw all around the dark chamber. Again, she glimpsed Cailyn, whose face was badly bruised, hair a mess, and clothes dirty and disheveled.
Then she looked down and found Nicholas sprawled unconscious in the dirt. Her tears began again as she dropped to his side.
"Ella! Please," Cailyn whispered, urgently rushing to the bars between their adjoining cells. "You must be quiet!"
"I'm sorry, children."
The attention of both girls snapped toward the cellar door. They hadn't even heard Madre Bar enter. All the same, there she stood before them, with her hands demurely clasped in front of her. She cast upon them a woe begotten gaze.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "That this is the way it must be."
Part IV
Eternal Slumber
Chapter 13
Christmas promised to be utterly horrible; Aspen Briar's worst ever.
It was Christmas Eve and things couldn't seem bleaker. Faraway High seemed to be falling apart at the seams. One student had been caught burglarizing local families. Another caught up in a terrible family drama had turned up missing. Yet another classmate was hospitalized for alarming self-mutilation and her foster brother and sister; more friends of Aspen, had either been abducted or runaway. Now that school had dismissed for the winter holiday, students were all kept home under their parents' watchful eye with a sense of mass hysteria brewing. Not that anyone felt like doing anything, anyway. The whole sad business made Aspen wonder what exactly went on behind the closed doors of Faraway. She'd been hearing a myriad of disturbing rumors describing the twisted goings on that absolutely no one had been aware of. It made her grateful she didn't have to worry about such madness from her parents.
Of course, she hated them, nonetheless.
Aspen's own personal life had hit a sudden downward spiral as well, and she firmly and resolutely blamed her parents for it. Just that morning, they'd informed her that they were leaving again. Picking up and moving away from Faraway, midnight, the very day after Christmas. She wasn't allowed to know where they were going, or tell any of her friends goodbye.
She couldn't even accurately recall how many times they'd moved. As far as she'd been told, even as an infant her family had moved around a lot. Her parents' explanation was that they had to move a lot because of her father's job. Which seemed legit for a long time. Until Aspen grew up a little and realized her dad was a tax accountant. And actually, tax accountants usually don't need to move a minimum of twice a year.
The first time Aspen could actually recall moving, she'd been four. She'd gone to sleep in a little bed situated at the foot of her parents' bed in the tiny apartment they'd shared at the time in a small town in Ohio. But, when she woke, she was laying on the backseat of their car, and out the window, she saw trees and mountains looming. Go to sleep one place, wake up some place else. That was basically how Aspen's life went.
Now that she was older, they did sometimes give her a slight heads up that they were leaving, but never much. The thing was, they'd been in Faraway longer than they'd ever stayed someplace else. And Aspen loved it more than she'd ever liked anyplace else they'd stayed. They'd been there long enough that Aspen had actually begun to think perhaps they were home. Perhaps whatever roaming spirit possessed her parents had finally settled down and they would… Just. Stay.
But that morning they had dropped the bomb that she had a little over twenty four hours to pack up whatever might fit in the car.
Aspen lay on her bed, tears sliding down her temples and gathering in her long blonde hair, which splayed out beautifully upon her pillow. She'd argued rather valiantly with her parents, and though they remained patient and calm, they'd sent her to her room. So instead of packing, she lay there thinking back on all the moves before. The day after Christmas would be Aspen's fifteenth birthday. Something told her that the fact they were leaving on her birthday was not coincidental. She was old enough to realize once and for all, her parents were lying. And they were hiding something very serious.
She finally began to suspect that their secret was her.
Her mind kept returning to an incident when she was eight years old. Her parents never spoke of it, and she suspected that they thought she didn't remember it. But she did. And she thought of it often. Especially that particular Christmas Eve when she was so desperate to finally, once and for all, solve the mystery of her secretive, gypsy life.
They'd lived in a small town in West Virginia. They'd been there for several months and the entire Briar family was pretty happy there. They lived a quiet, solitary life. Mr. Briar went off to work each day and Aspen stayed with her mom and was home schooled.
Aspen recalled it was a glorious summer day. She and her mom had spent the morning running errands. When they returned home, Aspen asked her mother if she could go play outside.
"I have to put away groceries, Aspen. We'll play outside later," her mother replied.
Aspen glanced out the kitchen window at the expanse of beautiful blue sky, the tall grass and wildflowers, and the thick of trees on the other side of the yard, dancing in the warm breeze. The day before she and her mother had strolled in the woods where she'd been given a lesson on wild berries and various plants. The allure of summer called her; she was eager to explore more. She pouted and turned to stalk out of the kitchen.
Mome
nts later, Aspen crept back to the kitchen doorway where she found her mother singing softly to herself and sorting out the groceries. It was always quite a process as her mother portioned and froze meats and produce. Aspen watched her for a moment and then turned to sneak soundlessly out the front door.
She scampered quickly through the yard and into the woods.
It seemed like a long time passed as Aspen ambled leisurely through the trees. She picked berries that her mother had taught her were safe to eat and plunked the succulent balls into her mouth. She took pride in touching the leaves of herbs her mother had taught her about, and carefully avoiding the ones she'd learned were poisonous. Finally, Aspen emerged into a clearing.
The sun shone down and washed the field in heavenly golden light. The grass grew tall and was heavily speckled with a rainbow of fragrant wildflowers. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the breeze on her face and the song of the birds and insects in the trees.
Aspen wandered into the center of the clearing where she took a seat on the ground. She gathered flowers all around herself, and then sat gently weaving them into a crown to wear atop her golden hair. She entertained herself by singing softly.
And then she saw the woman appear out of the shadows of the forest and into the clearing.
At first, the sight of her frightened Aspen. The woman was unusually tall and rail thin. She was dressed in a long black gown that hugged her disturbingly emaciated body. Even though it was a hot summer day, her dress had long sleeves exposing only her bony, claw like hands, and a high collar that covered her up to her chin. Her face was shockingly pail with dramatically protruding cheek bones. She had blood red lips and spooky black eyes. A black hood covered any hair the woman might have.
Just as Aspen's alarm almost propelled her to her feet, recognition dawned on her. She had seen this woman before. Suddenly Aspen recalled many instances of glimpsing the woman. Watching outside a schoolyard. Peeking out from behind a supermarket's shelf. Walking by outside any number of the Briar family's homes. Aspen even recalled this woman sitting on the edge of her bed at one time, singing a haunting song. Though she couldn't say for sure who the woman was, she smiled broadly at her and the woman smiled back. Her wide grin showed rows of sparkling white teeth, but somehow couldn't quite be described as pretty.
No Happily Ever After (The Fairytale Diaries #1) Page 6