Ellen laid down a bucket of water on the ground and her whole body trembled as if a ghostly apparition had just run through it. Something was different. She couldn’t tell what exactly, yet she knew deep inside it was more than a gut feeling. A terrible danger was coming her way.

Momentarily losing track of her surroundings, she tripped and kicked the wooden pail, the precious liquid spilling all around. Scrambling to clean everything up before Mistress Tatiana returned from her walk, she shrieked when the older woman’s shadow fell upon her like a death shroud.

“Ellen, I would like a word with you right now,” she said menacingly.

“Of course. Is something the matter, Mistress?” 

“That’s what I would like for you to tell me. Follow me.”

The slave girl agreed, walking three steps behind her owner at all times. What was this all about now, and why was she growing more restless by the second? They traversed the garden and continued past it until they reached familiar grounds. The moment she saw the mud patch where her transformation had taken place, an alarm blared in her mind. “Fuck! Does she know? How? How can this be?”

“Ellen,” Mistress Tatiana hissed, both hands placed firmly against her shoulders. “What can you tell me about this?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Mistress. It’s mud. It rained cats and dogs while you were at the palace. It’s no surprise everything got soggy and dirty everywhere.”

“I’m not talking about the mud itself, girl, but what’s in it! Don’t you find those footprints to be peculiar, impossible even?”

“No. I don’t understand footprints well enough to grasp what you’re asking me. I wish I could help you, Mistress, but I’m confused.”

“No, I don’t think you are. You know very well where I’m going with this and you’re choosing to lie to my face. That shouldn’t be possible, but I’ve seen my fair share of unexpected things in the last twenty-four hours to understand I’m dealing with extraordinary circumstances here. You have one chance to come clean. I suggest you take it otherwise you’ll hate every second of what I’ll do to you. What’s it going to be, Ellen? Or should I call you Lady Sin?”

“Who’s that?”

“You choose deception, then. Very well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Mistress Tatiana let go of her and slapped her so hard that the young woman landed on her butt on the muddy ground. A fierce kick to the sternum had her in utter shock, gasping for air as the world spun into oblivion. “Stupid girl! Who do you think you are to mess with my plans? You will tell me how this mess came to be and then you’re going to do whatever it takes to fix it.”

Tatiana kicked her again, and again, and again, each blow harder than the preceding one. Ellen tried to call for help, but both her voice and thoughts died out after the second assault. Laying unconscious with the sunlight kissing her face, she became nothing more than a helpless punching bag until two unexpected souls came to her rescue.

“Mother!” Prudence screamed, running to meet her. “Not this again! Please stop!”

“Yes,” Drusilla mimicked her sister. “You’re going to kill her if you keep this up. Stop.”

“Stop telling me what to do, girls! You don’t understand what this wretched bitch did. She’s the reason the ball was such a mess for our family! She’s fucking Lady Sin!”

“What?” Prudence nodded in disbelief. “Come on! I get that you’re still upset - we all are! - but that’s impossible! Ellen is just Ellen. She may be a lowly servant, but if you kill her, you’ll do more harm to the honor of our family than you might imagine. Please calm down. Let’s talk about this.”

Prudence gently pushed her away from the unconscious body while Drusilla checked her condition. Ellen was all bruised up, fresh blood on her lips and raining down her neck. Her breathing was irregular, arms and legs limp and wobbly like jelly. She could very well be bleeding internally and, if that were the case, their troubles had already begun.

“She’s going to need a doctor,” Drusilla sighed. “Oh, mother, what did you do?”

“Doctor, my ass!” Tatiana growled, pushing her daughter away. “Take her to my study while I prepare another batch of her special tea. I’ll get the truth out of her the moment she wakes up even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Mother, that’s completely insane!” Prudence protested. “Look at what you did. She’s in no condition to talk. I’m calling the doctor immediately so we can sort out this mess.”

“You’ll do no such thing! I’m still the head of this family and what I say, goes. She’s guilty and once she drinks her tea, you’ll see I’m right. Take her to my study immediately and let this be the end of it. Either you’re with me or against me, and you don’t want to be the latter. Move!”

Prudence and Drusilla exchanged a worried gaze. Having been on the receiving end of their mother’s unbridled wrath many times in the past, they knew just how terrifying she could be and if the last remaining limits of their relationship were to be broken like that, finding themselves in the same position as Ellen wasn’t that much of a stretch. Partially resigned, they swallowed their pride and did as commanded, hoping that the young woman wouldn’t die on them.

“Will you take the legs while I hold the rest?” Drusilla asked.

“Yeah. Let’s go. Careful not to trip on anything on our way there.”

“I’m good. I wish I could say the same about her, though.”

“Shhh... keep quiet for now. I’ll think of something later.”

“I’m scared, Pru.”

“Me too.”

“Stop with the babbling, you two!” Mistress Tatiana exclaimed. “Everything needs to be sorted in the next hour.”

“As you wish, mother,” they both replied at the same time, united in a lie.

Five minutes later, Ellen’s unconscious figure was laid to rest in their mother’s study, a bag of flesh devoid of dreams or any aspirations. She was just there, immobile, the marks of the recent abuse tainting her delicate skin. Mistress Tatiana immediately got to work, mixing the common leaves with a pinch of truth serum. After boiling the new concoction, she filled a jug and said,

“It’s ready. Wake her up, Prudence!”

“Mother, please. It’s still not too late to do the right thing.”

“I’m already doing it. Wake her up and then go stand in the corner while I show you just how devious this creature really is.”

“Forgive me, Ellen,” Prudence shook her until a hint of life returned to her face and sunken eyes. Ellen blinked, her bloody lips barely able to articulate a proper sentence.

“Pru...? W-what... what’s going on?”

“Open wide, bitch!” Mistress Tatiana pushed her jaw downward and poured down the entire jug’s content down her throat. It was still hot, a liquid punishment of the worst kind. Ellen tried to spit it, but her stepmother covered her mouth and nose with her right hand, holding her breath long enough to force her to swallow it. “That’s it, all the way down. Let the tea take hold of your thoughts again. Repeat your mantras out loud and be ready to obey my instructions. You’re my property even if you try to believe otherwise. Say the mantras now.”

“Hmmm... I... no... I don’t want to...” Ellen muttered, half-awake, half-asleep, an acute pain extending from her ribs down to her pelvic area.

“You have no choice. You never did and you never will. Repeat: Mistress Tatiana owns all of me...”

“No... I’m... I’m not your slave...”

“You insolent fool! Yes, you are. A servant and nothing more. Your body knows it, and so does your mind. It just needs a little push to remember its place, and remember you shall. You’re not leaving this room until you admit what you are and will always be to be. You have no free will, no desires other than my own. Whatever you believed in that made you betray me is fading away, nothing more than a fleeting dream. Look at me and repeat my words, for they are your one and true life. Mistress Tatiana owns all of me...”

“Mis.., Mistress Tat...”

“Mistress Tatiana. That’s me, your owner, your goddess, the only one you love and need to serve. Going against me is denying yourself. There is only real pleasure through surrender and devotion. You have failed me, Ellen. You acted behind my back, aided by powers I don’t understand, but you’ll fix this. You’ll fix this as soon as your mind goes blank with utter respect and devotion. I own you. I’ve owned you forever, I will never stop being a part of your soul. Stop fighting the inevitable outcome we both desire. Give in to the mantras. Give in to me.”

“Mistress Tat... No! N-not this time... I... help!”

Tatiana’s right hand wrapped around Ellen’s throat, slowly crushing her jugular until she gasped for air. “No one’s coming to save you. My control is the only help you need. The words, Ellen! Say them and free yourself from this delusion of independence.”

“Ahhh!” she muttered, the veins on her forehead and hands throbbing simultaneously. The drugs were kicking in once more, stupefying her senses. Blank eyes contemplating her evil grin, she said,

“Mistress Tatiana owns all of me... Forever obedient I shall be.”

“There it is. There’s my meek slave coming back to where she belongs. Don’t stop now. Say them again and go deeper under my control.”

“Mistress Tatiana owns all of me. Forever obedient I shall be.”

“One more time. And then another, and another... repeat the truth you tried to blaspheme. It is the mark of our bond, the connection that can’t be severed. Thinking other thoughts besides my own is a sin. You will not sin ever again. Repeat!”

“Mistress Tatiana owns all of me. Forever obedient I shall be. Mistress Tatiana owns all of me. Forever obedient I shall be. Forever obedient I shall be. Mistress Tatiana owns all of me. Forever obedient I shall be. Mistress Tatiana owns all of me. Forever obedient I shall be...” Ellen droned, convulsing on the floor.

“Excellent! You’re on the right path again, powerless to resist your programming. You exist to please me. That is all that matters, Ellen. What is your purpose in life?”

“To serve my Mistress, nothing more.”

“You will serve me by answering all my questions truthfully. Forget nothing important, share every detail that comes to mind. Ellen, are you and Lady Sin the same person? Were you at the Royal Ball, flirting with the prince?”

“Yes, Mistress. That was me.”

“What the hell?” Prudence shook her head. “Come on, she’s only saying this because she’s drugged.”

“Much to the contrary. She can’t lie when in this state. That’s what the drugs are for - to keep her focused,” Tatiana replied. “Why did you do it, Ellen? Better yet, how did you do it? Who helped you pull this off?”

“My Fairy Godmother came to me. She convinced me to attend the ball to fight for a better life and thwart your evil ambitions. I’m sorry, Mistress. I should have known better.”

“I knew it!” Tatiana rejoiced. “What did I tell you, girls? Now, will you stop judging your mother once and for all? I’m not the villain here. This little bitch plotted with an outside party to destroy our family. This is an outrage, pure and simple. What I did to her was far less than what she deserves.”

“Wait... does she mean an actual fairy with wings and all?” Drusilla sniggered. “What is this supernatural shit and how did we come to this?”

“I’m not sure yet, but we’re going to find out. Ellen, tell your Mistress everything about this fairy. What’s her name and what did she do?”

“She calls herself Cinderella, just like in the children’s story. She claimed to be a traveler from another world, hopping through dimensions to help others like her. I didn’t believe her at first, but the evidence was undeniable. She created my clothes and put me inside the palace to draw the prince’s attention from your daughters. I loved every second of being someone else even if I knew it wasn’t meant to last. I regret it now. I was a fool, dreaming of the impossible. You own all of me, Mistress Tatiana. Please forgive your lowly servant.”

“Oh no, slut! Forgiveness is not reserved for the likes of you. A true slave wouldn’t have been persuaded to go against her owner so easily. You fell for this fairy’s antics and if it happened once, it could very well happen again if you’re left to your own designs. You blew it big time and now, I can no longer trust you. I ought to lock you down in the basement and let you starve for all I care!”

“Yeah, Ellen! How the hell could you do this to us?” Prudence asked. “We defended you, for fuck’s sake!”

“I don’t know what came over me,” Ellen sobbed. “I wish it had never happened, but it did. I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit, my ladies.”

“There’s no punishment big enough for this,” Drusilla spat. “We’re sorry, mother. You were right, as always.”

“What else is new? Without this interference, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in right now, and even though I already have secondary plans in motion, we have more things to concern ourselves with. This fairy is our enemy and must be dealt with.”

“Agreed, but I don’t know a thing about dealing with supernatural entities and I have a feeling you don’t either, mother. How are we going up against such a threat?” Prudence noted.

“You’re right. This is a first for me, but I never backed away from a challenge and I will not start now. There’s still a lot we don’t know, but we now have an ace up our sleeve that will be the key to our victory.”

“So you’re saying...?”

“Yes, girls, this silly brainwashed slut is going to help us catch her flying friend, aren’t you, Ellen?”

The slave girl stood up and bowed silently, her injuries temporarily forgotten. Mistress Tatiana and her daughters owned her completely. She would obey their every command.