Cinderella Dressed in Ashes

Cerene giggled all of a sudden. Loki’s madness amused her.

“Shut up Cerene,” Shew pulled her back.

“Who’s your little piggy friend?” Loki titled his head, flashing his fakest smile, his hair dangling down his forehead.

“She’s the one who created the dragon that kicked your little butt,” Shew answered.

“Is that so?” he said. “Two hearts and livers are always better than one.”

Shew raised her sword and swung hard at his neck. It was time to chop this annoying version of him off.

Loki pulled back immediately, and Shew ended up slicing the air, her eyes finding Cerene’s, who seemed disappointed with her.

“What?” Shew yelled.

“You know what, Joy,” Cerene frowned. “You didn’t swing hard enough at him. You could have chopped his head off if you wanted to.

“Is this what Bianca told you about? Are you in love with the Huntsman?”

“Of course, not,” Shew snapped, pulling Cerene by the hand. “Come here, I’ll prove it to you,” she ran back to one of the windows and pulled out all the logs as she listened to Loki breaking down the cottage’s door.

Shew and Cerene jumped out and ran toward Shew’s unicorn. As they mounted it, Loki had entered and already reached the window.

“Huntsmen!” he screamed from the top of his lungs, summoning them.

Shew didn’t see the dark cloaked Huntsmen with their three eyed unicorns nearby, but she could hear them approaching, shaking the earth underneath her and Cerene. She whipped at her unicorn with her hand and rode away.

37 Soulbound

“Axel,” Fable opened her eyes slowly. Her brother had been feeding her water and Bram Jam—a special and limited Belly and the Beast offer: one Bram Jam, simply a jam and butter sandwich, and a Dracola, the worst fizzy drink in Sorrow because it tasted like blood. You could get a large or medium Dracola. Hell, you can even get it blood-free, but it tastes awful.

“Are you feeling better, sis?” Axel said.

“Yes,” she held his hand to help her stand up. “Much better, thank you for slapping me,” she mocked him.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Axel said, “you were going crazy because of that stupid spell.”

“I think its effect is gone,” she said. “Thank you again, bro,” she kissed him on the cheek.

Axel was stoked. It was the second time she kissed him on the cheek in two days. The first was when he’d pushed Snow White’s coffin into the Schloss yesterday. He swore he’d not rub his cheek for some time, afraid the kiss’s effect would wear off.

“What are you reading?” she asked him.

“Nothing new,” he said. “All kinds of gibberish mentioned in this J.G. diary. I am on weird part which says that there is glass urn that holds the Chosen One’s redemption.”

“Whatever that means,” Fable commented. 'Listen, bro. I really need you to do one more thing for me,” Fable said, her smile blossoming. She adjusted her glasses and looked nerdy, just the way Axel liked.

“Shoot, sis,” Axel said proudly. “I’m willing to do whatever you want.”

“I want you not to be mad at me,” Fable said, taking a step back.

“I could never be mad at you,” Axel said.

“Believe me, this time you might be,” Fable said.

“I could never—” suddenly, it was clear to Axel. He saw Fable run back to the purple light and walk through it.

“I am sorry, bro. I won’t be long. I’m going to save Loki, and come back,” was the last thing she said before she disappeared inside the Dream Temple.

38 A Girl with no Hands

Shew panted, her heart racing and kicking in the top of her chest as she rode away.

Cerene clung to her silently from behind, embracing her with two small arms. Shew could feel Cerene’s cheek on her back.

How could Bianca say I would not take care of her?

Shew rode through the Juniper spying eyes, the tree that wanted to shake hands, and the owls watching with wide eyes from the trees. Unlike Loki, she didn’t talk to animals. She had no Charmwill to save her. She didn’t even have supportive quirky friends like Axel and Fable. All she had was Cerene, but Cerene had saved her too many times already. It was time for her to make a stand, and protect Cerene.

She whipped her unicorn with the palm of her hand again, riding away and heading nowhere.

The Huntsmen followed, breathing heavily, hungry for her. Even their three-eyed unicorns were hungry for her.

Shew slashed at the curving tree branches and penetrated her way through. She came upon the lake of frogs again and didn’t hesitate riding through it. The first time she saw it, she thought the lake should have slowed Loki down because he would have to find a way around it. Now that she had seen him eat a frog, she knew the lake was useless. This wasn’t the old frog-fearing Loki anymore.

The lake wasn’t deep and the frogs sang to her in their croaking voice, ‘Happy birthday to you.’

Happy bloody birthday to me, Shew thought.

Suddenly they arrived at the foot of a hill and there was no way back.  The only way to go was up.

“Hang on, Cerene,” she patted her hands clinging to her waist. “I’ll take care of you.”

The road up the hill wasn’t easy. Her unicorn struggled, but Shew begged it to keep on going.

“You can do it,” she whispered in its ear. “You’re no loser.”

Fear, in its most imminent manifestation, chained Shew’s soul. The worst thing about fear was the thinking. The more she thought about what could happen to her and Cerene if they were caught, the more the fear spread over her body like a crawling tattoo of Goosebumps.

“Be optimistic, Shew,” she told herself. “You can do it. Pretend you believe in the Chanta.”

No one’s helping you here, Chosen One. Her damn voice nagged her. Everyone looks up to you. They expect you to set an example, to be an idol, and an inspiration.

Shew fought the steepness of the hill, cursing the gravity that tried to pull her back down. She begged the sky to help her and pull her up the hill. Shouldn’t things like that happen in fairy tales?

“Damn all fairy tales for making me think living a real life was going to be a walk in the park,” she mumbled.

 “Can you ask the moon to help you?” Shew said to Cerene, fighting her way through.

“She doesn’t want to,” Cerene said. “She says this is your moment to shine brighter than the moon!”

“Easy for you to say, hanging up there like a plate dangling happily from the sky,” she spat her words up at the moon. It seemed she’d offended someone up there because at that moment it started to rain heavily.

 “Want to me to get off the unicorn and stall them?” Cerene spat rain at her.

“No!” Shew pulled Cerene’s arms tighter around her. “You don’t leave my sight. Understand?”

“I’m sure if I try harder, I can breathe fire like dragons at them,” Cerene said.