When the fight with the stepmom was over, Cinderella needed some time to calm down. She was still shaky when they went to a secluded café. The Boss sat Cinderella down in a corner so people wouldn't spot her. With the promise of coming back with some drink, she went to the bar to get something to drink and eat.
The café they were in was cozy. The sun was still up and light up the place. Cinderella could imagine how nice it must be when the sun was down, and all the candles were lit and shining their warm light. She could almost imagine the romantic atmosphere.
The bartender was an elderly man, and he served with a stern expression. Maybe he was intimidated by The Boss. Cinderella would be too. The Boss glared at everyone who dared to look too long at her. She always won the stare battle. When she came back with food and something to drink, almost no one dared to look at them anymore. Which was a good thing, Cinderella decided.
'Here. Eat up.'
Cinderella didn't know how the food was paid for, but it looked delicious. For the first time in a long time, she could eat something different than bread.
'Alright,' The Boss started. 'I'm not going to say anything about what happened out there. What happened, happened. There's nothing we can do about it now.'
Cinderella swallowed her food and noticed how her hands stopped shaking. 'I know. I don't know how to feel about it, but it sure felt good to say those things to her.'
The Boss grinned. 'I'm sure it did.' She crossed her arms for her chest when she continued. 'As you may remember, I said that the plans have changed a little.'
Cinderella did remember something vague like that but couldn't quite remember the details.
'Seeing the confused look at your face, I will tell you again.' The Boss and Cinderella both smiled. 'This morning, when we left, I acted a bit different.'
'Yeah, you could say that.'
'The reason for that was because I noticed someone following us. This person has been following us for a while now.'
'Is it the prince?' This was Cinderella's first thought. If it was him, she wouldn't be surprised. He told her the palace was boring. It would only be logical for him to follow them.
'No, it's not him. I see why you would think that, but no.' The Boss was silent for a long time now and clenched her teeth. 'I never told you the reason why we stole the crown, did I?'
Cinderella shook her head. She always assumed it was because The Boss wanted extra money.
The Boss looked her right in the eyes when she said: 'Before I tell you anything, answer this first: do you think I'm a good person?'
Cinderella thought it was an odd question but thought about it carefully. She had known The Boss for a couple of months. In those months, she had received training, good food, and a warm place to sleep every now and then. Sure, The Boss had stolen some food, but at the same time, Cinderella had seen her give food to beggars at the side of the road. She cursed at Cinderella's actions sometimes, but never at her personally.
'Yes. No doubt.'
The Boss hung her head and smiled softly. 'You truly are kind. I'll tell you then.'
'Tell me what?' Cinderella put her food down, afraid to miss a word The Boss was going to say.
'When I was younger, I was recruited by a group of people who helped me and took me in as their own. Don't ask me how and why; we're not there yet.'
She winked at Cinderella to make it more lighthearted. Cinderella listened carefully. It was the first time The Boss talked about herself, and Cinderella would not get a second chance to ask this again. 'Anyway, when I was recruited, someone had to train me. And he did. This person had a son named Nathaniel, or Nathan for short. He was my friend, and we often trained together. This continued for a few years, and I was 30 when everything went to shit.'
'What happened?'
'I showed my powers.' When The Boss saw Cinderella's confused face, she quickly added. 'I never showed my powers to the people who took me in. I had too many people telling me goodbye after I showed what I could do.' She looked down at her plate. 'You're one of the few people who isn't afraid of my powers. I still need to thank you for that.'
Cinderella grew silent. It never, ever, occurred to her that The Boss's powers can frighten people. She said: 'I don't know why I should be. You saved my life. From the moment you showed up, I knew you were a good person. Your powers aren't bad.'
The Boss looked uncomfortable by the amount of praise and compliments. Or so Cinderella thought until The Boss said the following sentence: 'I killed people. At least twenty. I killed them with my powers.'
The bread Cinderella was holding dropped onto her plate. 'But, why...?'
'They all deserved it, but I want you to know that powers aren't good or bad. It's up to the user to use it for good or for bad. The image you have of me, as your savior, is sweet, but it's wrong.'
Cinderella was stunned for words, but weirdly enough she wasn't afraid. She was just curious. 'Was the... killing intentionally?'
The Boss lowered her voice and her head. When she looked down at her fingers she said: 'Sometimes. But most killings happened when I didn't have control over them. Now I do. I never use it to kill people with it.'
Cinderella was silent, and her hunger went away a few minutes ago. It was true. She had always looked up to The Boss as her example of how to exceed in life. Now, she wasn't too sure anymore. She took a deep breath and took a leap of faith.
'Well, if this is all true, then I suggest people are in their right minds to be afraid of you.'
'Are you... afraid of me?' The Boss didn't look up and Cinderella noticed how The Boss's whole body went still. Almost if she was waiting for the rejection and disgust.
'No.' Cinderella said, without hesitation. 'I know that if you wanted to hurt me, you could've done it by now.' She smiled. 'I trust you. Besides, I'm not the right person to judge how you have lived your life.' Cinderella thought by herself: just because I never did anything about my shitty childhood doesn't mean no one will. 'Whatever happened, happened. Right?'
The Boss smiled. It was a genuine smile, and Cinderella was happy. 'Alright, enough sweet talk for today. When you have finished with your meal, we'll get on the road again.' She looked around suspiciously. 'For some reason, I feel like the walls have ears, and the people here are a little bit too much into our conversation.'
Cinderella looked around and saw that people were whispering the moment they sat down. She pulled the scarf around her neck and covered her face with it. It would be a waste of effort if they got recognized. Cinderella's head was filled with questions, but she didn't hesitate to eat her meal. Who knew when the next good and filling meal was going to come.