CHAPTER 20
One minute, I’m in Shrink’s office; the next, I’m standing at the entrance of an imposing castle. Unfortunately, it’s not mine.
I’m surprised when a little a girl wearing a red velvet bow opens the oak door. She is, in a word, exquisite. Her skin is as white as lilies, her lips as red as rosebuds, and her hair as golden as a harvest moon. She can’t be more than seven. The age Snow White was when my mirror first betrayed me. Sheesh! I’ve hardly stepped foot in Lalaland, and I’ve already got Snow White on my brain.
Her chocolate brown eyes twinkle with a hint of mischief. “You must be Marcella’s latest assistant.”
I’m not sure what she means by that.
“I’m Calla Rose. What’s your name?”
“Jane.” Plain Jane, I say to myself, glancing down at my simple servant’s uniform. I have no idea where it came from or how it got on me. Probably more of Shrink’s magic. At least it’s black, my favorite color, and I’m still wearing her mirrored locket and Rump’s name-bracelet.
“Marcella asked me to give you this.” The little girl hands me an envelope.
I tear it open. Inside is a note with instructions scribbled in red ink.
TO-DO LIST FOR THE BALL
1. TOP PRIORITY! Arrange for the delivery of all 2,552 invitations. Make sure you handwrite a little note from me on each one: “Can’t wait to see you there~xoxo Marcella”
2. IMPORTANT! Find out what every princess is wearing. I don’t want to be caught dead wearing the same thing. BTW, I haven’t gotten a new gown yet. HINT! HINT! Please handle.
3. SHH! Set up private dancing lessons for me. Find out where those twelve dancing princesses go. Keep your mouth shut about this. I want to surprise The Prince. SCRATCH THAT! He won’t be surprised when he gets the bill.
4. DO ASAP! Contact the Fairytale Tattler. Make sure they cover the ball. Tell them I want a front page story about me soon, or I’ll cancel my subscription.
5. EXTREMELY URGENT! Research the latest diet fads. I need to lose five pounds FAST! A liquid diet potion would be best.
6. DON’T FORGET! Set up a spa appointment on the day of the ball. Be sure to include the following: mani-pedi, facial, massage, and makeup. And don’t forget excess hair removal. Convince them to throw that in free.
7. REMINDER: Tell The Prince to pick out my engagement ring. It had better be at least ten carats. P.S. Make sure it’s flawless.
8. MANDATORY! Find a babysitter for Calla on the night of the ball. On second thought, don’t bother. That’s YOUR job.
Whoa! I’ve barely set two feet into this house, and I’ve got all this to do? Damn Shrink for sending me here.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t bother doing any of this stuff,” says Calla. “You’ll probably be fired by tomorrow.”
Good. I’m already packed to leave.
Calla flashes me a dimpled smile. “I like your hair.”
I run my fingertips through my scalp to see if it’s magically grown back. It hasn’t.
The little girl skips away, leaving me alone to explore the castle.
The interior is nothing like my dark, drafty castle. Bathed in sunlight, it’s a vision of blissful domesticity—in fact, it feels more like a cottage than a castle despite its grandness. Brightly colored floral fabrics cover the seating and drape the windows. The furnishings, though formal, look lived-in and comfortable. Vases of white roses and lilies are everywhere and fragrantly scent the air. I stop to smell a bouquet sitting on the fireplace mantle.
“Hello. You must be my fiancée’s new assistant,” comes a voice from behind me.
Startled, I swivel around and see a tall, strikingly handsome man, about my age with a short flaxen ponytail, descending the sweeping staircase. He looks a lot like Calla except his skin is bronzed and his eyes are blue. He must be the child’s father. The Prince. Marcella’s husband-to-be.
“Yes, I’m Jane,” I say, gazing into his eyes as he strides toward me. They’re the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. The color of aquamarines.
“Pleased to meet you.” He bows. “I am Prince Gallant.”
Gallant? I swear that’s the prince Lady Germaine mentioned before her untimely passing. How weird!
“Nice to meet you, too, My Lord,” I force myself to say. Even after Faraway, humbleness doesn’t come easily to me. I half-heartedly tack on a quick curtsey.
“The formalities are not necessary. And I prefer to be called by my first name.”
Gallant. That’s a pretentious name. It must go with his personality.
“Is there anything I can get you?” he asks.
Funny you should ask. How about some basics for making evil potions and a magic mirror? I’m regressing so quickly. Get a grip, Jane.
“I’m fine,” I say instead.
“Good morning, my love,” I hear a shrill voice call out.
Good morning? Judging by the light, it must be close to noon.
A curvy woman in a body-hugging purple gown slinks over to The Prince and flings her arms around him. If I had to guess her age, I’d say she was trying hard for thirty. She’s very made-up, very blond, and very busty. In fact, I’ve never seen such big boobs. They’re cannonballs.
Gallant introduces me. “Marcella, this is Jane, your new personal assistant.”
The PIW bats her charcoal eyes several times as if she’s shocked to me.
Silence. Her eyes clash with mine. Her gaze grows so scathing I don’t dare move.
Finally, with a snap of her perfectly manicured red-lacquered fingers, she says, “Get to work.”
The PIW wasn’t kidding when she said get to work. She hasn’t given me a moment’s rest since my arrival. And I haven’t even started on her To Do List.
“Step on it,” she hisses.
I’m standing in her huge, ostentatious chamber, knee-deep in beauty magazines and Fairytale Tattlers. Now that I’ve made her gold-leafed four-poster bed a dozen times, picked up her crusty underwear, and thrown out a week’s worth of vermin-infested leftovers, she wants me to arrange her reading material alphabetically and in chronological order.
Fuming inside, I begin to organize the magazines. They must go back ten years. I recognize some of the beauty magazines from my dungeon days.
Marcella, meanwhile, sits in front of her vanity, fluffing her perfectly coiffed shoulder-length hair.
I have to admit she’s extremely attractive in a brazen way. I, on the other hand, must look like a rag doll. I don’t need a mirror to tell me. Even if I were brave enough to take a peek.
Marcella is so consumed with her own reflection, she doesn’t notice me. Fine by me. I hastily stack the magazines in two random but neatly arranged stacks. Chances are she’ll never know the difference.
Done. I’m out of here. As I skulk away, I hear something behind me crash. Then, OW! Something hits me hard in the head. I wheel around. Marcella has snagged a magazine from the middle of one of the piles, causing it to collapse like a brick tower, and thrown it at me. The nerve of her!
“Where do you think you’re going?” She folds her arms under her cannonballs. “My closet needs a makeover.”
With a snap of her fingers, she points to the closet. I drag myself over to it. She swings the door open and shoves me inside.
My eyes pop. Her closet is the size of a store. Gowns and shoes are everywhere, except on hangers and shelves.
“I want you to clean up the mess left by my last total-waste-of-time assistant.” The PIW kicks a pair of shoes out of her way. “And I want everything color coded.”
Is she kidding? This will take hours. The PIW stomps out, slamming the closet door in my face. A shoe topples onto my head. Click. Double click. I twist the doorknob. She’s locked me inside.
“And don’t forget to pick out something fabulous for me to wear tonight,” she calls out. “The Prince and I have been invited to Cinderella’s palace for dinner.”
This is the best news I’ve heard since I’ve been here. I’ll be free of her tonight! Hastily, I arrange her gowns and shoes. Every gown is a version of the one she’s wearing—shiny, slinky, low-cut. And there’s a pair of shoes to match each one. I want to burn them all.
Twenty minutes or so later, I hear the door unlock. Marcella struts in and scrutinizes the closet. Silence. “What did you pick out for me to wear tonight?” she says at last.
Rage is bubbling inside me. Randomly, I grab a purple gown that resembles the one she’s wearing, except for the feather detail on the bottom.
She rips it off the hanger and tosses it in the direction of her bed. She misses. One more thing for me to pick up.
I’m beyond exhausted, but there’s no rest for the weary. Marcella orders me to clean her powder room.
Another major disaster area. Scattered all over the pink marble counters are open tubes of lipsticks, powders, and other beauty essentials. Dirty towels are crumpled on the tiled floor, and both the massive tub and sink are lined with green rings. It’s in a word: revolting.
“When did your last assistant quit?” I venture.
Marcella fires a scathing look at me. “Your orders are to speak only when spoken to.” She huffs. “Well, if you really must know, yesterday.”
Only yesterday? I don’t visibly react, but inside I’m registering shock. She’s capable of this much damage in only twenty-four hours?
“Make it snappy.” She grabs a red lipstick and storms out.
Battling fatigue, I file all her makeup in a cabinet above the sink. There’s another, floor-to-ceiling cabinet against the wall behind me, but it’s sealed with a padlock. I wonder what she keeps inside it. I’m probably better off not knowing. Just more work.
Getting down on my knees, I scrub the grungy tub with a filthy, smelly sponge that’s lying inside it—a welcoming present from Marcella’s previous assistant. Memories of my mother-the-slave-driver flood my head. I got down on my hands and knees so many times they were permanently bruised. Trying to wash away the memories, I scrub harder until my knuckles are red and raw. Finally, I conquer the green grime—and just in time. Marcella reappears and inspects the bathroom. I hold my breath. To my relief, she nods approvingly.
I’ll live without a thank you. I’m done for the day. I dismiss myself, telling her that I want to get to work on her To-Do List. Honest truth, I want to find a place to collapse. Somewhere. Anywhere. Far away from her.
The PIW beats me to the doorway and blocks it with outstretched arms. A patronizing smirk crosses her lips. “Haven’t you forgotten something?”
What could I have possibly forgotten? I’ve done everything asked of me. Okay. So, I cheated on the magazines, but I’ve got to restack them anyway.
She sneers. “I expect a curtsey every time you see or leave me.”
What! She’s not even a princess yet. She should be curtseying to me! I am still, after all, a queen!
Gritting my teeth, I force myself to curtsey. Marcella moves to the side and shoes me away with a dismissive wave of her hand.
I’ve had it. I hate this job. And I hate Marcella. I want to poison her. So much for fairy-tale rehab.
Thank goodness, I managed to get Marcella dressed for her soirée and out the door with The Prince. I’m able, at last, to retreat to my chamber. It’s small but cheerful. There’s a single bed with plump pillows and a thick flowery duvet, a nightstand, and a dresser. But no mirror. I’m sure Shrink’s doing.
I set Elz’s “Best Friends Forever” card on the nightstand, sink into the bed, then blow out the candles. After all of Marcella’s abuse, I’m craving a good night’s sleep. The comforter envelops me, soothing my tired, aching body. I haven’t slept in such a comfy bed in years.
I close my eyes, but can’t fall asleep. Indignation is raging inside me. After all I went through, the nerve of Faraway to place me with an idle, stiff-lipped prince, a pesky, know-it-all child, and that lazy, self-centered PIW. I have no idea what any of this has to do with finding the true meaning of beauty. Or what “interpersonal skills” this so-called apprenticeship is testing except my willpower not to kill someone. It’s just another one of their tricks. To make me suffer. Poor Elz and Winnie. I bet they’re miserable wherever they are too.
This time, I’m not going to let that waste-of-time rehab center get away with it. First thing in the morning, I’m going write Shrink a letter demanding to stay in my castle until she finds a new position worthy of me. Like being an assistant life coach. I would be good at that! Even enjoy it!
That’s fair. And truthfully, it’ll do me good to be home. I’m sure my magic mirror’s still there. Pining for me. We’ll rebuild our relationship after I lay down the rules. Keep it short; keep it simple; and just tell me what I want to hear. But wait! What if my smart-ass looking glass talks back and tells me Snow White’s still Fairest of All?
A loud knock-knock-knock at the door stops me in my thoughts. Dragonballs! It must be Marcella. Now, what does she want me to do?
Lighting a candle, I stumble out of bed and unbolt the door. A petite, golden-capped figure looks up at me. It’s Calla.
“I’m scared of the dark.” Her big brown eyes are begging me to let her in. “Can I sleep with you tonight?”
I’m taken aback. “Why don’t you bother Marcella?”
“Because Marcella wears earplugs and never hears me knocking.” She pauses. “And besides, I don’t want to sleep with her.”
“Fine.” I’m too tired to argue.
The little girl follows me back to my bed and crawls under the covers with me. She clasps her hands together and mutters something quietly to herself.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m praying Marcella doesn’t fire you.”
Please pray she does.
“Jane, would you give me a goodnight kiss?”
Now, she’s really pushing it and getting on my nerves.
“Go to sleep,” I tell her impatiently as I lean over to blow out the candle.
“Okay,” she says. “Sweet dreams.” Just like Elz.
“Sweet dreams to you.” I’m surprised how the words flow out so effortlessly.
In no time, she’s sound asleep. I close my eyes and am finally lulled to sleep by the little girl’s soft breathing.
Deep into my sleep, I have a dream. A tall chiseled man with a full-face black mask tiptoes into my chamber, startling me. He puts a finger where his lips should be, signaling me not to scream. I say nothing. He takes my hands in his, his grip warm and firm. I should be afraid of him, but strangely I’m not and give myself to him. In a heartbeat, we’re soaring into the sky, floating like two bubbles, toward clouds. I ask the masked man, “Who are you and where are you taking me?”
A shrill voice snaps me out of my dream. “JAAAANE! I need you!”
Blinking my eyes open, I bolt to a sitting position. Calla is gone from my bed. Did I oversleep?
“JAAAANE!” the voice screeches again. “Where’s my liquid diet potion?”
Damn it! It’s Marcella! My second day back in Lalaland is about to go from bad to worse.