Glass Slippers [1st Draft]

16. An Unlikely Ally

Chapter Sixteen:

An Unlikely Ally

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Clara couldn't fully remember coming home as she had been so tired, but nonetheless, she was startled awake from her slumber by the shouts of her stepfamily. Blinking to rid her eyes of blurriness she looked around her, squinting, and was about to get up when she realized something peculiar about her feet.

She looked at her feet and had to contain a gasp so as not to wake her sleeping siblings who were not far away. She was still wearing the glass slippers! Clara hurriedly took them off her feet, gritting her teeth as the cool glass brushed against the heels of her feet. Placing the shoes down, she sat on one of the chairs and inspected her feet.

In hindsight, she probably should've figured that glass slippers wouldn't be the most comfortable shoe choice, but looking at her aching, blistered feet, she couldn't help but hope that tonight's choice of footwear wasn't the glass slippers.

She had just placed the glass slippers into one of the cupboards for safe keeping when the kitchen door burst open to reveal Estella. Her black hair was probably as messy as Clara's and she looked about as tired as Clara felt.

"Clara, you'd better go get mother's breakfast, she's not in a good mood. Here let me help," Estella said, and Clara couldn't help but feel puzzled. What was this all about? Estella didn't like helping anyone. Granted, she had been nicer as of late, but Clara couldn't help but feel suspicious

"Why are you doing this?" Clara asked in a hushed whisper as Estella tried to help her, albeit clumsily. Estella stilled in her movements before looking up at Clara, some of her dark hair hanging lank in front of her face.

"I just-" Estella paused, her shoulders slumping. "I just wanted to say that I disagree with Mother. She should be trying to help you, not stop you." Clara's head snapped up abruptly. What? Clara met Estella's eyes, but all she could see in them was sincerity.

"You don't agree with your mother?"

"No," Estella said, biting her lip nervously, "I don't, and I, um, I know how you wanted to go to the ball to try and help pay for medicine for James, and I just, well." Estella paused, her mouth twisting downwards as if puzzling over what to say. "Mother wants me to try and find a husband, or at the very least a suitor and if I do, I want to help."

Clara stared at Estella, completely flabbergasted. "Are you sure? This could really get you in trouble with your mother."

"I'm sure," Estella said and Clara nodded hesitantly before going back to her own work. The two girls were both quiet before Estella spoke up again. "Do you want to hear about the ball?" Clara nodded, not trusting her voice to answer without giving herself away. As Estella began to talk, it was as if someone had replaced the quiet and solemn girl with a much happier one.

"You would've loved it, Clara! The ballroom was huge, with a massive chandelier made of what looked like crystal. Everyone was dressed so beautifully, even more beautifully than Mother and Edina!" Estella seemed to be rather pleased about this. Clara raised an eyebrow at her stepsister and Estella had the decency to blush.

"What? It's true, not that I don't want Edina to have luck with finding a husband, she was just so sure of herself, she was driving me insane on the carriage ride!" Estella exclaimed. Clara could definitely imagine that. Estella and Edina were fighting almost constantly. "Not to mention, you should've seen her face when this princess arrived late!"

"Princess?" Clara asked, her nerves almost bubbling to the surface.

"Oh yes, she was gorgeous! She had this lavender gown made of silk with pearls! And Mother didn't believe me, but I could swear that I saw she was wearing shoes made of glass!"