1 The Bitches of Everafter

by Barbra Annino

  Snow didn’t share that vibration. “You’ll need to work on discovering her identity then.”

  Aura nodded.

  It was getting late, so they decided to get started on dinner. The most important dinner of their lives.

  As they walked towards the door and Aura removed the chair lodged beneath the doorknob, she said, “Snow. Do you think it’s possible...I mean...” Aura’s eyes clouded. She whispered. “Do you think it’s one of them behind this?”

  She didn’t have to ask who. She knew exactly who Aura meant. The thought drifted there in her mind, Aura’s words floating freely. Snow White didn’t even want to entertain the possibility that one of her blood sisters would betray her like this. And for what? To leave her kingdom, her home, her people for this drab world? For a life behind bars. A life where she answered to a higher court.

  She didn’t want to think that it could be true. But she also decided that it would be foolish to completely rule it out. She answered Aura honestly. “I don’t know.”

  They cooked in silence, keeping an eye on the clock and watching the door for their housemates and Granny. The mood in the house had darkened. The air felt heavier to Snow as she bustled about the stove, adding vegetables to the pot, slicing butter for the bread, making iced tea.

  The sun had melted beyond the horizon and she turned on a light switch. The florescent bulb reminded Snow of the timepiece closet. What did it mean, all those clocks and watches and numbers? And what of the mysterious ballroom that had drawn her to it? She recognized the mirror now, of course. The mirror that had appeared as if from thin air that showed her who she once was, for it belonged to her now. It hung in her palace back in Enchantment as a stark reminder that evil walked among them. That no matter who she thought she could trust, a princess was never safe. Especially one who held power.

  Which meant, none of them were safe. Not even here at Granny’s house.

  So who was Granny? What did she have to do with any of this? And what was she hiding behind the locked door for which there was no key to open?

  Snow glanced over at Aura. She was setting the table, placing the napkins and cutlery, glassware and dinner plates in front of each chair. If Aura had felt a spark of familiarity with Granny, then the old woman had to be someone from the sleeping princess’s past. She wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare for fear that someone would walk in unexpectedly.

  As she fried the garlic and onion, Snow spotted Cotton dash by, a piece of cheese in his mouth, off to have a feast of his own. He ran down the hallway that led to the first forbidden room Bella had pulled Snow into to talk.

  Bella. What did she know? Had she felt something in the ballroom? Or had that been Snow’s imagination? She was comforted to see there was at least some form of Beast here. Even if the dog wasn’t really Bella’s “Beast”. He had always protected Bella in their land. And he always would. Loyal to the end—that was Beast.

  But what exactly did the bookish princess mean by that “partners in crime” crack?

  Snow blew out a sigh and Aura glanced at her, flashing a shaky smile. Snow supposed she trusted her, for now at least, but what if it wasn’t a coincidence that Aura regained her memory around the time Snow had? What if that was the plan?

  What if there was no one she could trust?

  Cindy seemed to have a true disdain for Snow, although Hansel assured her that it was the divorce that had changed the slippered princess. Snow found that amusing. Cindy had been forbidden to divorce Prince Trevor back home when his father, the king, was still alive. It wasn’t until years after she came into power, after the treaty was signed, that the laws were changed. In fact, she had been about to file the paperwork to be rid of her prince forever before…

  Before what? What brought them to this?

  She thought back to the scene the mirror had shown her of the soldiers dragging her away. Did she recognize them? Were they soldiers of Enchantment? Her personal men? Members of Gretel’s army? She couldn’t place their faces or their uniforms, but perhaps her memory was fuzzy from whatever had transpired to bring her here. She certainly didn’t recall ever being dragged off in shackles.

  Or was that a vision of a future event? The kitchen was getting hotter the longer she cooked, so Snow walked over to the back door to let some air flow through the room. She could see the pond from where she stood and she thought of Punzie and Bob the frog. Strange how the frog would follow her around. Punzie’s plague was the tower, her strength her hair. There was no frog in her story. So why would a frog follow her in this land?

  Snow was arranging the bread in a basket as she thought about what would happen in group therapy tomorrow. She would have to reveal her crimes and they theirs, so did that mean things would change when they returned home?

  If they returned home.

  The thought of sitting in a circle and revealing to her fellow stateswomen her crimes and—

  Snow dropped the basket. “Oh my God.”

  Aura looked up. “What?”

  She looked at Aura. “Jack.”

  The meaning of that one name slapped them both in the face.

  23

  If The Shoe Fits

  Beast and Bella wandered into the kitchen, and Bella stuck her head in the refrigerator to find some dinner for the dog. She settled on leftover meatloaf and gravy, cracked an egg on top, mixed it all up, and fed Beast outside.

  When she came back into the kitchen, the empty bowl in her hand, she wore a confused look. “Did you guys see that apple tree? The thing is huge now. How the hell did that happen?”

  Snow and Aura exchanged a nervous glance. Snow said, “Fertilizer. Hansel’s a master gardener I guess.”

  Bella stole a glance back at the screen door. She turned to Snow, skepticism crawling all over her face. “Really? Is he also a wizard? Because trees don’t grow overnight.”

  Snow shrugged. “How should I know? I only arrived a few days ago.”

  Aura grabbed a bottle of wine from the table and poured herself a healthy glass. Bella’s eyes followed her.

  “Aura?”

  Aura drank half the glass in a few gulps. “What?”

  “The tree. Out back. Did you see it?”

  She shifted her eyes to the table, feigning interest in the flowers Snow had put in a vase. “I avoid nature at all costs, Bella, you know that. Since when are you so interested in the landscaping?” She finished her wine and poured herself another glass.

  Bella crossed her arms defensively. Aura was appealing to Bella’s lackadaisical attitude about the house and Snow hoped it would work. They certainly couldn’t explain things to her yet, not until they had a better handle on them.

  Bella narrowed her eyes, clearly not used to being challenged. “Well, I’m not, but when a tree as tall as a skyscraper appears from nowhere, I notice. It’s called being observant. And why are you acting like a bitch on wheels?”

  Punzie and Bob came into the kitchen then. Punzie said, “She’s still pissed that I put a frog in her bed, aren’t you, Sticky Fingers?”

  Aura whirled on Punzie. “That was you?” Then she spotted Bob and jumped onto a chair. “What’s it doing back in the house?” She was doing the creepy-crawly dancing thing again.

  Punzie said, “He lives here now. We’ve bonded. Get used to it.”

  “Snow...” Aura whined.

  Punzie and Bella looked at each other. Punzie said, “Oh, like Miss Priss here is going to rescue you. Right.”

  Snow gave Aura a slight shake of her head. To the others she said, “I helped Aura out by taking, er, Bob outside earlier. No big deal.”

  Punzie pulled a chair out and poured herself a glass of wine. “Well he’s my friend and I say he stays.”

  Snow said, “That’s fine. Perhaps not around the dinner table, though.”

  Bella’s look of amusement told Snow that she was calculating how many seconds would pass before Punzie cold-cocked her.

  Punzie gathered her braid in front of her, swinging it like
a jump rope. “Who died and made you queen bitch?”

  Uh-oh.

  Back in Enchantment, the other four princesses had appointed Snow the peace ambassador of the kingdoms for precisely these types of situations. Snow had a knack for dispelling disputes and interjecting reason into any argument, and the rest of the princesses knew that if they were to get anything done they would need someone to act as a mediator.

  But they weren’t in Enchantment anymore. Here, they thought Snow was meek as a mouse. Much as she hated it for now, she would have to play that role.

  Snow raised her arms. “Do what you want, but when Granny comes home, I don’t think she’ll be too happy to find a frog in her kitchen.”

  Punzie frowned. She looked down at Bob. He gazed up at her with adoration. “Damn, you’re right. I wore my leopard platforms one time to Sunday dinner and she confiscated them right there. I still haven’t found where she hid them.”

  Snow, hoping to gain another recruit in her off-limits rooms expedition said, “I might be able to help with that.” She shot Aura a conspiratorial look.

  Bella said, “Mission spic and span is still on the agenda, I take it.”

  Punzie flipped her braid over her neck. “What are you talking about?”

  Bella thumbed at Snow. “Princess Curious over here has her panties in a bunch over the condition of this giant fire hazard and she thinks there’s some deep dark secret in the ‘Do Not Enter’ rooms.”

  Punzie rolled her eyes. “You mean Granny’s rooms o’ crap.” She looked at Snow. “Have you seen the garbage she hauls in from those flea markets? Some of that shit literally had fleas in it.”

  Snow gave Bella a questioning glance.

  Bella said, “It’s true. I had to hose down Beast with five gallons of flea dip a couple of weeks ago.” She reached for a slice of bread. “And that is not a fun task, believe me.” She plopped herself in a chair and buttered her bread. “It’s like washing an elephant with an ornery disposition.”

  Punzie said, “Well, I certainly don’t want Bob to end up in a closet, so I guess I’ll take him to my room before Granny gets home.”

  Cindy ushered into the kitchen, breathless. She was wearing dark sunglasses, a trench coat, and stiletto heels.

  “Speaking of closets,” Punzie said as she brushed past Cindy and into the hallway.

  “Piss up a rope, pole girl,” Cindy snapped over her shoulder. She rushed over to the table. “So she’s not home yet? I’m not late?”

  Snow said, “No, you’re right on time.”

  “Whew, thank the god of shoes.” Cindy poured herself a glass of wine.

  Bella smirked at her, crossing her arms. “You think that’s wise?”

  “Not now, Bella. I need this to calm my nerves.” She downed the whole glass and slammed it on the table. She pulled her sunglasses down and looked around the room.

  Aura stepped down from the chair. “What’s wrong with you? You look like a flasher.”

  Cindy pointed at her. “You would be especially proud.”

  “I doubt that, but I’m intrigued. Go on.”

  Cindy swung her head around the room again. She went to the back door, closed and locked it. Then she skittered back to the table. She untied her coat and said, “Look what I’ve got.”

  Bella gave Cindy a sarcastic smile. “We all saw what you’ve got the last time we went to Witch’s Brew. The entire bar saw what you’ve got.”

  “Funny.” Cindy smirked.

  Bella shrugged. “I try.”

  Cindy pulled out a black leather box about the size of a shoe box. There was a pink silk ribbon wrapped around it with a crisp tag dangling from it. Judging from the number on the tag and the tiny picture of a shoe, it seemed that a shoe box was exactly what it was, although Snow had never seen such elaborate packaging for a pair of pumps.

  “Check it out. Doesn’t it look delicious?”

  They gathered around the table to examine Cindy’s new treasure.

  “Shoes.” Aura shrugged. “Why would that impress me?”

  Cindy gave Aura an exasperated look as Snow stepped forward for a better view.

  “Not just any shoes.” She glanced from one woman to the other. “I stole them from the shop.” She bit her bottom lip and giggled.

  “You lifted a pair of shoes from your ex-husband’s store? He’s a gazillionaire, Cindy.” Bella rolled her eyes at Cindy’s frown. “But hey, Trevor 26 million, Cindy one.” She gave her two thumbs up. “Good job.”

  Cindy put her fist on her hip. “Honey, you may know books, but you don’t know shit about shoes.” She turned the box around and lifted it up to reveal a photograph of what looked like a pair of four inch heels made entirely from diamonds.

  Snow gasped and swung her head to Aura. They exchanged a wide-eyed look. They knew those shoes. They were the foundation of Cindy’s story.

  “One of a kind Hilda Cobbler crystalline pumps with an unbreakable diamond heel and a sapphire bow. She only made one pair in a few sizes.” Cindy clapped her hands.

  Snow clutched her stomach.

  Another nemesis. First, it was the poisoned apple from Snow’s story. Then it was the spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty. And now, Cinderella’s glass slipper.

  How were these items finding their way to the princesses? To Everafter? The original cursed artifacts had been locked in a vault back in Enchantment, sealed, along with their written biographies. There was talk of destroying them, but the princesses had been warned that the consequences of doing so were unknown. It could be devastating not only to the women themselves, but to their kingdoms, to history, and anyone else their stories touched. The risk was too great.

  Were those pieces still locked away in Enchantment? Or had they been stolen? Could a seed from the original apple have been planted here in Granny’s yard? Could the spinning wheel have broken through whatever veil cloaked Everafter? Was someone sending them the links to their lives?

  And if so, to what end?

  Cindy said, “I didn’t even try them on yet, I just grabbed them and bolted.” She ran her slender fingers along the box, practically purring. “You want to see them?”

  Snow and Aura shouted at the same time. “No!”

  24

  Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner?

  Granny was late.

  Throughout the course of the evening, the other women mentioned a few times how rare it was for Granny to be late for Sunday dinner and that she had never, ever missed the meal entirely. Snow wondered for the umpteenth time who Granny was exactly. And what was keeping her.

  “Where do you suppose she is?” Snow asked around nine p.m. to no one in particular.

  Cindy was on her second bottle of wine. “Who knows? Maybe she broke down and hit the Bingo tables.”

  Punzie said, “Nah, I don’t think so. Granny slayed that dragon a long time ago.”

  “Well if you don’t feed me soon, someone will need to carry me upstairs.” Cindy hiccupped.

  Aura shot a look at Snow and she knew precisely what it meant. Fine with me. Earlier, while rummaging for the corkscrew she had tossed in a drawer, Snow and Aura had hatched a plan to confiscate Cindy’s shoes and hide them. They didn’t think she was ready for the truth yet, least of all in her inebriated state. If she needed help getting to bed, it would be the perfect opportunity to take them, as Cindy had stashed the slippers away in her room hours ago.

  Snow got up from the table and said, “All right, dinner won’t stay fresh much longer anyway.” She looked at Aura, pointedly.

  Aura poured more wine into Cindy’s glass.

  Bella said, “I’ll help.”

  Snow didn’t think much of it until Bella pinned her in front of the stove. “Okay, something stinks around here and I don’t mean your perfume.”

  Snow snapped her head toward Bella. She wasn’t certain if she was more surprised that Bella seemed to be accusing her of something or that she didn’t like Snow’s scent. It was herbal. Reminiscent of the smell of c
ut grass. Everyone liked the smell of cut grass. It was a fact.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Snow said.

  “There is something going on with you and Aura, and I want to know what it is right now.” Bella’s eyes blazed.

  Snow squirmed away from her. She didn’t want to get into any of this with Bella any more than she did Cindy, or Punzie for that matter. In due time, she would try to sort out this mess, but right now she didn’t have all the answers. Heck, she hardly had any answers. What was she supposed to tell her? You’re actually a royal princess, leader of an enchanted kingdom that has magic and beauty far beyond your wildest dreams, but somehow we’ve all been sucked into this dreary otherworld where we’re treated as common criminals. Oh and your dog? There’s a good chance he may have once been your prince.

  Snow said, “I helped her get rid of a frog. She helped me clean out a closet. You know this already.”

  Bella leaned in a bit closer and lowered her tone. “I think you’re full of shit. I think there’s something more going on, and I want to know what it is.”

  Bella had always been a force to reckon with, but deep down Snow knew that although she was fierce, she was also fair. She wasn’t the violent type, but if there was one thing that drove Bella mad, it was being out of the loop. Being denied access to records, information, news, stories. She must have been having some sort of a breakdown without books—her outlet for her obsessive compulsive yearning for knowledge.

  Snow said, “Okay fine, I offered to, um...”

  Think, Snow.

  “To what?”

  Snow had no idea. She hadn’t thought the lie through. She bit her lip. “Uh...”

  Aura walked up and whispered, “You’re not telling her our little secret, are you, Snow?”

  Snow felt her eyes grow to saucer size as she looked at Aura. “Certainly not.”

  What was Aura up to?

  Aura cocked her head back toward the table where Punzie and Cindy sat.

  “Snow’s going to help me get back at Punzie.”

  Bella leaned closer and smiled. “Really, how?”