When the sun’s gentle rays touched her face, Cinderella awoke in her bed in the attic and lay there looking at the dusty window. The same spider was in the same corner. Cinderella dressed sullenly and headed down the stairs to listen to the chatter about how wonderful the ball was; even though she knew all too well what it had been like.

“It was wonderful! There were so many beautiful people and the decorations and the ballroom!â€? Elizabeth said excitedly and then in a whisper, “I wish you could have been there.â€?

A faint smile crossed Cinderella’s face.

“It wasn’t that great,â€? Olivia muttered.

“I’m sorry,â€? Cinderella said, turning her head to hide a smirk.

“There was a girl at the ball who the Prince danced with for quite awhile,â€? Elizabeth continued, “She left in a terrible hurry though, he’s searching for her.”

“Oh.â€? Cinderella stopped humming and busied herself by taking the breakfast dishes back to the kitchen. The prince would never fall for a servant girl, even if he could identify her.