CHAPTER 35
“I can’t do this!” I tell Armando. The Emperor has transformed back to himself, and we’re about to make our grand entrance into Midas’s palace.
“I’m not even invited,” I add, my blood pounding in my veins.
“Dahling, stop worrying. I’m on the A-list. And you’re my guest.”
The ball is in full swing. It’s a glittering spectacle with everyone who’s anyone in Lalaland. I marvel at how it’s all come together, thanks in large part to me. Searching the crowd, I spot the Queen of Hearts mingling with King Midas; Cinderella sharing champagne with Prince Charming; and Calla frolicking with Lady Jane. Missing in action are Marcella and The Prince.
“Seriously, I can’t do this,” I whisper to Armando as we step onto the red carpet.
“Dahling, relax. Just stay in the zone. Head high and tummy in.”
The Emperor interlocks his arm with mine. In my six-inch heels, I tower over him. I nervously play with my mirrored locket with my other hand.
A chorus of trumpets blows announcing our arrival. My stomach muscles clench.
“Royal Ladies and Gentlemen, the distinguished fashion designer Emperor Armando and his guest…”
“The faaabulous Jane Yvel,” bellows The Emperor.
The crowd gasps. I smile halfway. My confidence soars when I see Calla jumping up and down and waving at me. She blows me a magical kiss. A big smile spreads across my face. I can do this!
All eyes are on me as we do the walk. The Emperor, loving every minute of this spectacle, blows kisses to his adoring fans. He was right. They’re all buzzing about my dress.
Without warning, my heart skips a beat, and I almost trip. Straight ahead of me is a vision in red. Marcella! And beside her, The Prince.
Gallant’s eyes connect instantly with mine. He jerks his arm free from Marcella’s grip and steps away. “Where do you think you’re going?” shrieks the PIW.
Ignoring her, Gallant strides up to me. My heart flutters; my body trembles; my legs wobble. Thank goodness, The Emperor is holding me up.
The Prince clasps my hands and gently draws me close to him. In my six-inch heels, we’re face to face. He gazes at me with his blue eyes, more vibrant than ever, and breaks into that dazzling smile.
“Jane, you look beautiful.”
I’m tingling all over. For the first time in my life, I feel beautiful.
“Thank you, My Lord.” I curtsey before him, one hand still in his.
He lifts my hand to his lips and tenderly kisses the back of it. My heart leaps to my throat.
And then it sinks to my stomach as Marcella lurches toward us in her three sizes too small shoes. Her twenty-foot train trails behind her, collecting dust along the way.
“What the hell is she doing here?” she asks Gallant.
“Language, language,” scolds The Emperor. He inspects Marcella’s ill-fitting gown and shakes his head side to side. “Dahling, you should have gotten the Size 12.”
Marcella’s jaw drops to her cleavage and doesn’t move as The King makes an announcement.
“I want to thank all you all for being here tonight for this very special evening. Instead of gifts, my son, Prince Gallant, has requested you make a donation to a special cause that is close to my wife’s heart and mine…”
Aghast, Marcella elbows The Prince. “But I registered for a palace full of stuff! You know how much I wanted that monogrammed silver chalice for my Liquid Diet….”
“Faraway!” The King says proudly.
Faraway?
Midas continues. “By supporting this venerable institution, you will make a difference in someone’s life.”
Actually, I do remember Midas mentioning something about Faraway and a fundraiser at that disastrous dinner last week. And so did Urma, my masseuse. I don’t get it, but this is hardly the time for a little Q&A session.
The crowd applauds wildly and breaks into “Go, Faraway” cheers.
The King takes a humble bow. “Thank you all, my friends. Now let’s get this party started!”
The orchestra begins to play. Marcella yanks Gallant onto the dance floor. My heart tanks.
“Dahling, shall we dance?” asks The Emperor. Not waiting for my response, he whisks me onto the dance floor and swirls me around to the flow of the music. I follow him with ease though I’ve never danced like this before. My eyes all the while stay glued on Gallant.
And across the expansive ballroom, his eyes stay locked on me. Noticing what’s going on, Marcella’s eyes shoot poison darts my way. Except they keep missing.
The music stops. Armando and I find ourselves brushed up against the soon-to-be newlyweds. Venom pours out of Marcella’s eyes as Gallant’s stay fixated only on me. My heart is slamming against my chest. Any second, it may actually spill out.
The music starts up again.
“Your Royal Highness, may I have the pleasure of dancing with your lovely Princess-in-Waiting?” asks Armando.
“The pleasure is mine,” says Gallant brightly.
Marcella gapes. Before she can get out a single word, The Emperor waltzes her away. Crippled by her shoes, she can barely keep up with him. Her face contorts with agony. And if that’s not enough, everyone keeps stepping on her long train.
Alone, Gallant and I gaze at one another, each afraid to make a move. My heart is throbbing. My knees are buckling. I don’t know how much longer I can take it. Minutes feel like eternity. Finally, My Prince sweeps me away…
And I’m his Princess. Melting in his arms, I lose sight of everyone around me. My body follows his as if we’re sewn together. As if we’ve danced this way forever somewhere in another world. A world where he’s now taking me. I’m no longer in this ballroom, and my feet no longer touch the ground. I’m in heaven, floating with him across the clouds. Just like in my dream. Only this isn’t a dream; it’s really happening. And in place of a mask, I see the face of The Prince. My beautiful Prince.
The music stops and sends me crashing back to reality. The King has another announcement. Gallant grips my hands in his. His pulse is racing.
“My beloved royal friends, it is my pleasure to announce that tonight you will witness the marriage of my son, Prince Gallant, to his lovely princess to be, Miss Marcella Méchante.”
My heart has just been tossed off a cliff. It plunges into darkness as Marcella hobbles up to Gallant. She shoves me aside. Everything inside me is dying.
Marcella grabs Gallant’s hand. “Come, my love. It’s time.”
The Prince stands there motionless. And then he turns to look at me one last time. With such longing, I’m brought back to life.
“Do you, Marcella, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?” asks The King.
“You bet your royal…I mean, I do,” says Marcella.
I’m dying again. How am I still standing?
“And do you, my son, take this woman to be your wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or—”
“Hold it right there,” butts in Marcella. “Your Majesty, can’t we just cut to the chase!”
The Prince turns to face Marcella.
My heart is about to implode. It takes all I have to stay on my feet.
“Father, I d…”
Suddenly, a voice screams out from the crowd.
“Papa, you can’t!” It’s Calla! In tears, she runs up to her father and flings her arms around him.
“Beat it, you little imp,” screams Marcella, grabbing Calla by the hair. Gallant forcefully shoves her away.
He lifts Calla into his arms. “What is it, My Little Princess?” he asks, his voice tender, loving, and full of concern.
“At my birthday party, I wished that you would marry Jane! Please, Papa. Pretty please! Make my wish come true!”
Gallant’s eyes find mine in the crowd. The King turns my way. So does The Queen. Soon, all eyes are on me. My body doesn’t know whether to freeze with shock or melt with joy.
Marcella is so red she clashes with her dress. “Ha! You little brat. You told your wish, and now it won’t come true!”
Calla pokes her tongue out at the skank. Mentally, I do the same.
“You’ll pay for that!” Marcella seizes Calla. The little girl screams.
“Marcella, let go of her!” pleads The Prince.
“You’re too late, lover boy!” Marcella’s raspy voice is almost unrecognizable.
To my horror, her skin starts to peel off like a snake’s. Her face dissolves into a ball of wrinkles; her bottle-blond hair goes gray and wiry, and her plump lips grow thin and cracked. Her body shrivels, and her skin turns scaly. Even her cannonballs shrink, until they’re no more than droopy, dried out sausages. Her minutes-ago clingy gown hangs loosely on her hunched, skeletal frame.
All her magic potions must be wearing off at once! She’s turning into an old hag! But not just any old hag! Oh my God! This can’t be happening! It can’t! But it is! She is turning into my mother! My evil mother…Nelle Yvel!
The Prince stands frozen with shock as the woman, he almost married, grips Calla by the neck. Calla’s porcelain face turns blue, her breathing shallow. She’s suffocating! I can’t let my mother hurt this precious child! I can’t! I can’t!
“You may have destroyed my life!” I shout. “But you won’t destroy hers!”
Taking her by surprise, I plow into her and knock her to the marble floor. She lets go of Calla.
“Run, Calla!” I yell. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her run safely into Gallant’s arms.
My mother staggers to her feet. “You bitch! You were always a problem child!”
“No, you witch!” I scream back. “I was always there for you!”
“No, you just got in the way! You were too beautiful for your own good.”
Me? Plain Jane?
“I could have married a king if it wasn’t for you!”
“I didn’t—”
“Shut up! When that prick banned me from his kingdom, I vowed I would get revenge by destroying you. And that beautiful child of his.”
What is she saying? That she always intended to kill Snow White?
Catching me off guard, she rakes her brittle fingernails down my face. I wince as warm blood trickles down my cheek. Another scar, but what’s one more when I have so many.
Recharged, she goes at me with ruthless force. Kicking. Clawing. Punching. Pinching. Defending myself against her vicious assault, I accidentally tear off the detachable train of her gown. It meanders across the room like a river of blood.
“You’ve ruined my dress!” she shrieks. “Now, you’re really going to pay!” Slamming me to the floor, she claws at my beautiful black gown, shredding it to pieces.
“Stop it!” I scream. But she keeps at it.
I have no choice. Without thinking twice, I clamp my fingers around her withered neck and, with all my might, start squeezing the life out of her. I squeeze tighter and tighter. As she writhes and wheezes, a terrifying reality sets in. I’m strangling my own mother!
“You can’t destroy me,” she hisses.
“Yes, I can,” I hear myself say. I’ve wrestled with evil long enough. Now, this battle must end.
Her face turns gray. Her body convulses. The heels of her ruby slippers bang to the beat of her life as it ebbs away. Transfixed, as if under a spell, I watch her take her final breath. Her body quiets, and her lips spread as if she’s about to shoot me one last smirk.
Suddenly, a monstrous green and yellow snake bursts out of her mouth. I bolt back in horror as Gallant cries out my name. As it endlessly slides out, the lifeless shell of my mother disintegrates like a crumbling rock. All that’s left of her are her ruby slippers and a heart-shaped mound of black dust. And the smell of rotted flesh.
As I struggle to my feet, the ghastly serpent—it must be fifty feet long!—slithers across the shimmering red train, heading straight toward The Prince. Its deafening hiss sends everyone running except the royal family. Gallant protectively shields Calla.
Lifting her head, the serpent lets out a loud, hoarse laugh. “I’m coming for you.”
“Leave Calla alone. It’s me you want,” Gallant says stoically.
The hideous monster flicks her long, black forked tongue. “Yes, my love, it is you I want.”
My heart freezes in shock as she springs forward and snatches him. Coiling her body around him like a whip, she hoists him high into the air. Almost to the gilded ceiling of the multi-storied ballroom.
“Papa!” cries Calla. The King holds her back.
I watch with horror as my monster mother brandishes Gallant like a trophy. He tries desperately to twist himself free from her powerful grip. But it’s futile.
“My love, it’s finally time to say ‘I do’.” Her evil tongue grazes The Prince’s strong chin. Repulsed, he jerks his head away. Our eyes meet, his burning into mine.
I read his lips. “Jane, I love you.”
No one has ever said that to me before. No one.
My heart clenches as I cry out the words, “I love you too!”
“Gallant, my love, you belong to me!” hisses my mother.
“No, Mother, his heart belongs to me!” I shout back.
“Not this time, you wicked child.” Her jaw opens wide, exposing her venomous fangs. They’re as long and sharp as daggers.
My heart is thudding in my ears. I can’t let her take My Prince away from me. I can’t! With all the strength I can muster, I throw myself at her, attempting to tear her away from Gallant. The attack takes her by surprise. She lets go of Gallant, sending him flying. He lands head first in an unconscious heap. Crumpled and lifeless.
Calla screams. My heart stops. Oh my God! He’s dead!
“Jane, Jane, Jane,” my mother hisses. “Always messing up my life. It’s time for you to pay for being born!”
Uncoiling, she goes after me with hell-bent speed. I run. Faster than I ever have in my six-inch heels. I’m almost safely out the door when the unimaginable happens. One of my heels catches in the shreds of my once voluminous dress. I go flying across the marble floor, landing next to Gallant.
My Prince! My poor darling Gallant! He’s as pale as a corpse, yet he is as beautiful as ever to me. I gently run my fingers over the contours of his soft, peaceful face, making the outline of a heart. Red-hot tears tumble onto his ice-cold flesh. Heartache tears through me. I can’t resist. Cradling his head, I lean in close to him. And kiss him. One last time.
His lips, still warm and delicious, melt every fiber of my being. I love you, Gallant. I always will. If only my kiss could bring you back to me. Magic exists. Maybe not in a mirror, but in my heart, I know it does.
Running my fingers through his tousled hair, I press my lips deeper into his. Oh, please wake up! Please! He doesn’t move. Somewhere in my head, Calla’s voice calls out to me, but I can’t let go. I can’t! And then, without warning, a waft of cold air blows on the nape of my neck, sending a chill down my spine. I twist my head around and gasp. My mother. The monster!
“Now, Jane, kiss your mother good-bye,” she hisses in the same wicked tone I remember from my childhood.
Her breath of death is upon my cheeks. I’m terrified. Oh, God. Think, Jane, think! Without thinking, I rip off a shoe and scrape the sharp stiletto heel across her thick, scaly skin. The sharp sound of her leathery skin ripping apart is music to my ears.
She winces with pain, her head swinging wildly. “You evil girl! How could you do that to your mother?”
Ha! It was easy. I do it again. This time harder and deeper. A putrid green goo oozes out of her wounds. She sinks back to the floor, still twisting and turning. I slide back as she tilts up her head and glares at me with her wretched eyes.
“Jane,” she hisses, her voice almost a whisper, “it’s time to say good-bye to your mother.” Her movement has reduced to a sporadic jerk. She’s dying. But why does it sound like she’s mocking me?
Suddenly, she springs back to life and whips her body around mine, so tightly I can’t move. She’s tricked me! And now, I’m her prisoner. Just like I was as a child.
“Why didn’t you kill me before?” I ask, choking out the words.
Her wicked eyes flicker like two bolts of lightning. “I would have but I needed you. To take care of that meddlesome imp.”
And to do all her other shit just like I did as a child. If only my rage could empower me to break free of her bone-crushing grip.
She hisses. “Actually, I missed my big opportunity a long time ago. I should have finished you before I attempted to off that other imp.”
Other imp? Then it hits me. That snake I encountered in the forest on my way to giving Snow White the poison apple.
“It was you in the tree?” I gasp.
She laughs wickedly. “Such fond memories.” Her tongue flickers. “Too bad you don’t have a big red juicy apple now. It would make such a nice dessert.”
Her grip tightens. I can’t move a muscle. Her cackling laughter echoes across the room as she crushes me with her powerful body. Oh the pain! As I fight for my life, other memories reel around in my head, before connecting like pieces of a puzzle:
The snake that spooked The Prince’s horse the night of the duel…
The scary good-night story Marcella told Calla about the snake that ate children…
The snake that mute dwarf tossed off the cliff…Marcella caked with mud…
The rustling sound outside Gallant’s studio and the intruder the previous night…
The Fairytale Tattler story about the rare venom that put Snow White into her deep sleep…
The deadly snake that ultimately killed the fair Princess in her garden…
How could I have not seen it until now? My mother is a cold-blooded murderer. She killed Snow White. And now, she’s going to kill me!
That’s it! Whatever it takes, whatever the consequences, it’s time for her to come face-to-face with her evil self. Rolling side to side, I manage to wiggle one of my hands free from her grip of death. I tear Shrink’s locket off my neck and snap it open.
“Look at yourself!” I shout.
I shove the tiny mirror into her monstrous face. Shocked by her reflection, she jerks away.
“Look what you’ve done to me!” she shrieks. Flailing madly, she loosens her grip around me.
“And look what you’ve done to me!” With both hands now free, I rip open what remains of my gown and expose a lifetime of scars, each a souvenir of her loathing. If she’s going to kill me, she’s going to face the truth. All of it!
“No, Mother, it’s time for you to say good-bye to me.”
At last able to free myself completely, I leap to my feet. With all the muscle-power I have left, I stab one of my killer heels deep into her head, smack between her wicked eyes. A volcanic burst of venom spurts out and spatters me. She lets out a deafening scream. Nothing stops me. I dig my heel into her again and again and again until I’ve made hole as big as the one she’s left in my heart.
“Jane, you naughty girl,” she hisses hoarsely. “It’s time for another whipping.”
Without warning, her thick tail whips around and whacks me with a force so great it sends me crashing to the floor. My head cracks against the cold marble as Shrink’s locket goes flying out of my hand.
I can’t move. I’m paralyzed. Unable to blink an eye, I look up at my mother’s viperous, split-open head hovering two inches above me. A repulsive mixture of venom and slime spews out of her puncture onto my face. She glowers at me with her wretched, jaundiced eyes, then flicks her evil tongue across the tip of my nose. Terror fills every crevice of my being.
“Say good-bye, Jane. It’s such a shame we didn’t get to know each other better.”
As my mother’s deadly fangs sink into my skin, an explosion rocks me. There’s a flash of white light…Then blackness.