Odette sat on the sofa with ice cream, listening to her favorite playlist.
Beth had called her a million times, but she hadn’t answered. The last thing she needed was a pep talk. Sometimes, it was best to wallow in one’s own misery for a while. Especially when she created this by trying to be someone she was not. The hot cheerleaders got the jocks. Even Beth had a shot as a beautiful woman with a shining personality.
As Carl said, Odette was ‘homely.’ The rest of the people simply thought she was the dork who dressed as if she lived in a different era.
Slapping on some makeup and dressing up was not going to change the public perception of her. There were pictures online for which she would be made fun of forever.
If only Keith had not said her last name. Granted, he was worried, and the poor mascot had been an unwilling victim. Hopefully, people were not making fun of him online as well. A tornado would have been a better option than what went down on the field. At least she would be dead and not see all the jokes and uploads involving her accident.
She pulled out her phone and went on social media. It was stupid, but the taunts called her like a moth to the flame. There were even memes suggesting she was a Cinderella story in reverse. A picture of her as she usually dressed versus the new look that ended up with her looking like a wet hen.
All the comments just made her want to leave the country. How was she supposed to go back to class and pretend things were normal? Plus, there was no way that Carl would want to date her now. Being the campus joke did not score sexy points.
With a sigh, she decided to go about organizing some of the artifacts. Her parents valued them above most things. She was sure they treasured her more, though. They also kept those objects out of sight, among them the magical slippers that belonged to Cinderella.
Someone in her family line had a vivid imagination.
Right now, she wished they were Dorothy’s ruby slippers so that she could escape to another world.
Great, now this fairytale nonsense was also starting to get into her head.
She tidied up and focused on not thinking about the incident. There was a maid who cleaned the accessible areas monthly, but Odette and her parents took care of the secret area with the locked cases. Cleaning around was her way of dealing with anxiety. Having the house to herself was nice, even if she wondered if Mom would have some good advice about the situation. Either way, there was no doubt that things had changed enough for a lifetime.
Odette decided to save the most precious items for last. Her parents kept the glass slippers and other priceless relics in a private part of the house with arched doors. They honestly believed that someone might want to steal them. Still, there were plenty of priceless books that could be stolen if they weren’t kept in a safe place. Therefore, the super expensive security system wasn’t such a farfetched idea. Her parents only gave her the codes when she turned fifteen.
Recalling the times her parents took her inside as a child brought a nostalgic smile to her lips. When she was little, she honestly believed everything they had told her—even that they were descendants of the Charming royal line. Of course, there were no reports of a kingdom with a prince named Charming or a kingdom with fairies that turned pumpkins into carriages. The only magic she knew existed was inside the books she loved to read.
On the center display, the glass slippers caught Odette’s attention due to their beauty and mystic glow. No matter her skepticism, there was no doubt those slippers were priceless and beautiful. They would probably ruin the feet of anyone who tried to wear them, but they were still gorgeous.
She cleaned all the shelves and checked the temperature of the room where the ancient books were kept. Dad’s story about how the slippers were passed down as family heirlooms kept coming to her mind. It was preposterous to believe that they were truly magical. Mom and Dad never took them out of the box. They certainly never allowed Odette to touch them. She felt reckless. Would it hurt to try them on for a bit and pretend that she was a princess ready to seduce her prince? Some girls collected shoes like some people collected books. Apparently, shoes mattered to compliment an outfit. The ball came to her mind. She had yet to find the perfect dress.
Shaking her head, she realized that she had been ogling the crystal slippers with her mouth agape. Swallowing dry, she grabbed the key from her pocket and opened the case. She shut her eyes as if an intense light had damaged her pupils. Blinking rapidly, she faced the object of her parents’ obsession.
What if the shoes were genuinely magical? The way her life was chaotic, she could use a little magic to fix things. She needed a dress, and those shoes were supposed to provide that to the ones who wore them. Conquering Carl—her prince—would be a dream come true. Didn’t Prince Charming fall in love at first sight when Cinderella arrived at the ball looking like a princess? Granted, she never liked that part of the story much. It sounded superficial. Yet, she couldn’t deny that love at first sight existed. She had experienced that with Carl.
She had to be bold and fight for the man of her dreams.
Her hands shook as she picked up the slippers. They seemed smaller up close. A sinking feeling that they might not fit started to set in.
Once she put a slipper on her foot, it fit like a glove. Her mouth opened in awe at the realization that the shoe felt comfortable. It looked good on her foot. Nothing changed, though.
Time to wear the other one.
Taking a deep breath, she slipped on the next. Whether she remained her everyday self was up to fate.
Odette jumped to her feet as a burst of light from golden dust appeared around her. Fearing she’d lost her mind, she studied her surroundings. Her eyes caught the mirror, and she froze. It seemed that a magical transformation had occurred, or she was dreaming.
Looking down, she noticed that she wore a jaw-dropping, periwinkle blue gown with jeweled gloves. A closer look in the mirror showed that her skin glowed with flawless makeup, and her blonde hair was in a beautiful updo with a crown. She was almost in tears at how beautiful she looked.
Then, she noticed her ears were pointy and the dress, though beautiful, seemed to be from another century. Lovely as it was to wear in the mansion, she couldn’t go to the ball like that unless they swapped the theme to a costume ball.
With a sigh, she got ready to remove the slippers when something shining in the mirror made her stop. Reflected on the surface of the mirror stood a lavish castle that shone like the sun in the darkness.
Just how much magic did these slippers have in the real world?
Before she could fully absorb the vision, the castle’s door opened, and an invisible force circled Odette’s body.
The next second, she was sucked in through the glass.