The world was falling into disarray. As Ellen descended the staircase in a hurry, she could see filaments of magic unraveling all around, starting at the tip of her fingers and then expanding to the rest of her attire. If she didn’t hurry, she would be exposed in front of the whole court and all her efforts invalidated. She ran as if she were being chased by a wild animal, imagining its putrid breath raining on her neck, while a distraught prince shouted,

“Lady Sin? Where are you going? Is everything okay?”

Tempted to look back and offer him an explanation no matter how absurd and unlikely it sounded, she resisted the urge when a spark of blue flame crept underneath her mask. “I can’t let him see who I really am,” she thought. “Run, Ellen!”

She continued running across the ballroom under the puzzled gaze of all the other guests. So far, the night had been full of surprises, far more than on any other royal occasion, and it seemed there was no end in sight for them. Ellen tripped as she approached the main door of the hall, the impossible magical fire now on her legs and boots. She kicked one aside, the crystals inside shattering immediately, and then got rid of the other, watching it roll down the stairs that led to the palace’s entrance. 

“My Lady, wait!” Prince Phillip ran after her as fast as he could, yet not even a man blinded by the first signs of blooming love was a match for a now barefoot young woman fleeing for her honor. 

“Please forgive me for this, Sire, but it’s for your own good, too,” the invisible Cinderella stepped right in front of him, making him fall on his ass right at the foot of the stairs. It gave Ellen enough time to roll out of the main gate and into the palace’s gardens where the verdant bushes and a collection of the most exotic topiaries in existence offered moderate protection against prying eyes. She was now completely covered in fluorescent light, a human-sized firefly against the backdrop of night. While the flames were hot, they didn’t burn but made her entire skin tingle. Ellen stared at the star-filled sky and wept as her transformation came completely undone, leaving only a scared young girl with raggedy clothes behind.

“Damn it!” she kicked the ground and her right foot got stuck on a patch of fresh mud. “Why did it have to end like this?”

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Cinderella appeared next to her, partially visible outlines seeping through reality.

“You’re glitching...”

“Yeah, it seems that way. I told you something like this could happen, but at least it wasn’t too bad. Are you hurt?”

“Does my pride count?”

“Not in this case, no. No matter how powerful, magic will always be fickle, Ellen. We better leave. I slowed down the Prince but I don’t think he’s going stop chasing you so easily.”

“Can you take me home, please?”

“I wouldn’t risk it until the flow of magic returns to normal. It will probably be safer if we walk until then.”

“Great!” she looked first at her exposed feet and then at her surroundings. While the Royal Gardens were a delight for sore eyes, whether in the morning sunlight or the dead of the night, they were now also another obstacle to overcome. Not only did she have to navigate the maze of hedges, but there were also the guards to consider. No one would bat an eye in the presence of a noble lady with a flamboyant attire but a poor servant that looked like she hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days? To their eyes, she was nothing but rabble who had no business sneaking into the world of “real people”.

“Do you think you can hold your disguise just a little longer to help me find a way out of here?” Ellen asked.

“I’ll try,” Cinderella shot into the air to gain a new vantage point. The path which she had followed to get there was already out of the question, now guarded by two overzealous soldiers. Two more were stationed to the right, with another one on an ivy-decorated watchtower right at the center. A powerful searchlight ran through the multi-colored flower patches before illuminating the topiaries as if they were jack-o'-lanterns on a Halloween night. An irregular path northeast of her current position snaked around the garden’s artificial boundaries leading to a small moat and a side entrance that was rarely used. In the absence of other viable alternatives, it would have to do.

“I think I found something, but we have to move quickly and quietly,” Cinderella declared. “Follow me and try to keep your head down as we go.”

“Okay. Lead the way, please.”

Cinderella helped her navigate the path away from the gardens and back to the tribulations of the outside world. On two separate occasions, the two women barely escaped the searchlight’s range, saved by a fortuitous path of shadows on the first and the help of a distracting flock of birds on the second. They reached the partially dried moat that ran past the ancient barracks and found the side entrance. Two more guards stood by it, too busy trying to keep themselves awake than actually paying any attention to what was happening around them. With a last surge of magic before her internal “batteries” were depleted for the night, Cinderella clouded their sleepy heads with a veil of confusion and snuck out with her protege before they returned to their senses. Once outside, both the invisibility cloak and the power of flight faded into nothingness. For a yet indeterminate period of time, she was mortal again.

“We did it. We’re out,” she sighed, breathing in the cool air as if she had gained a new pair of lungs. “This feels weird.”

“Is it gone completely?”

“For now, yes,” the fairy godmother waved her wand. “It will come back. It always does, but until then, we’re on our own. We better get moving if we want to make it back to your place before Tatiana and her daughters return.”

“Wait! We can’t leave just yet.”

“Why not?”

“Skinny is still by the main gate. I can’t go without him.”

“I’m sure the street cat can take care of itself, Ellen. Let’s go,” Cinderella grabbed her left arm.

“No!” she shook it off. “He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. It’s my responsibility to take him home.”

“We’ll be wasting valuable time getting back to the front entrance and the guards won’t take too kindly to seeing you loitering around. We’re almost defenseless for now. Please reconsider.”

“I already made up my mind, Cinderella. Stay here if you want. I’ll come get you the moment he’s in my arms.”

“Hmmph... you know I can’t let you go alone like that. Fine! You win but pray we’re not caught.”

As they walked along the palace’s outer walls, the two women couldn’t look any more different. Ellen was a muddied mess in need of at least three showers to be clean while the fairy, despite temporarily magic-impaired, still looked perfect in every sense of the word though that was bound to change soon. After a moment of awkward silence that lasted way too long, she asked:

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m dirty all over but I’m okay for now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it was just one big fantasy, anyway. I’m not really sure what happened in there but let’s hope it was enough to derail Tatiana’s plans for the rest of the night.”

“Last time I checked, things weren’t too bright for her and her daughters. You left quite an impression that will not fade away quickly.”

“Lady Sin did,” Ellen shrugged.

“You are Lady Sin.”

“I was for a moment, but I don’t feel like it anymore. The dream is already dissipating.”

“You will, I’m sure.”

“Please stop putting so much faith in me.”

“Only if you stop putting so little at the same time. You’re not yet all I imagine you to be, but you’re way more than you were yesterday. Hold on to that promise and we’ll keep on growing together.”

“Do you mind if I ask you something personal again?”

“No. Go ahead. What do you wish to know this time?”

“You said you’ve been doing this for a while and that you helped many girls in the process. How long exactly?”

“Of all the things you could ask, you’re really going with how old I am?”

“Yeah, I’m curious.”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Cinderella mused. “Time stopped moving in the way I was used to when I accepted this calling. Sometimes, it seems like it’s only been days, and in others, the weight of millennia rests on my shoulders. I know I’ve seen a lot of things most people wouldn’t believe or dream of and I’ll probably keep on doing so for a long time. It’s what makes sense to me now despite all the hardships.”

“What about after?”

“After what?”

“After you’re done. A long time doesn’t mean forever, right? There will come a day when you wake up and decide that you’ve done and seen it all and that maybe it’s time for someone else to fill your shoes. What happens then? What will you do?”

Cinderella stopped walking for a moment to gaze upon the city’s uneven silhouette in the distance. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I’m not even sure there’s an ‘after’, to be honest.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not human, Ellen. Not any more. I may look like one and even still experience the same sensations I used to when I was the one fantasizing about Royal Balls and a better life, but this... this is just a construct. My essence is something else entirely. If I ever feel like my journey has reached its course, I imagine I’ll just fade away into the flow of magic and be no more.”

“You’ll die just like that? That’s absurd!”

“Why? Immortality is a myth. Nothing is meant to last forever. That would be extremely boring, don’t you think? I’ve been around far longer than most and I’m grateful for everything I’ve been able to experience, even the bad things. I’ll be grateful when the time to rest finally comes too.”

“Well, I hope it doesn’t come that soon.”

“Why are you so worried about me all of a sudden, Ellen? That’s my job description, not yours.”

“After what you’ve told me before about how you feel about me, I want you to know I already think of you as a friend, and worrying about a friend is not a ‘job’, it’s just how things are. I want the best for you too, okay?”

“Don’t make me blush,” Cinderella picked up the pace again hoping there would still be enough time to wrap the night in a satisfying fashion. She waved the wand again, but no magic flowed. Looking down, she saw the first stains on her otherwise pristine outfit.

They were about to approach the main entrance again when something small and black jumped from the shadows and landed on Ellen’s arms. It was “Skinny” with its fur slightly charred at the tail’s end and brooding eyes that said he too missed the joy of being more than himself for once. 

“Oh, thank God you’re okay,” the young servant girl hugged him so tightly she almost crushed him with joy.

“I love you too,” the kitten purred brushing its head against her neck.

“Since you’ve already got what you wanted, can we leave now? The less time we’re exposed out here the better.”

“Any luck with your powers yet?”

“No, they’re still bugged.”

“I guess we’ll have to make do without them for now, then. Come on! I know a few shortcuts we can use.”

“Only if you’re sure they’re safe.”

“I am. Trust me.”

“I do. Let’s go.”

Slowly, they moved away from the palace all the luxuries within, the weight of everything else happening sinking in once more. The ball was over and even if they had been successful, Ellen was still a prisoner in her own house and life, unable to completely escape the shackles imposed on her. Tatiana remained in a position of power, and her connections in the court spelled trouble at every turn. How they were going to get out of this conundrum was yet to be seen, but hope remained. If she held on to that tiny sliver of Sin that had allowed her to see things differently for once, then there was still a chance for a happy ending, regardless of how many more predicaments came her way.

It started raining hard on their way back. The cold heavenly tears washed away some of the mud, but not the deep dissatisfaction lingering within. The two women and their feline companion sought refuge in an alleyway for a couple of minutes before continuing their long trek, Ellen’s naked soles feeling every pebble, every piece of dirt. cigarette butt and shard of glass left behind. Nothing short of a miracle saved her from making it home with hardly a scratch. The clock struck two when they arrived at her modest basement accommodations.

“At last!” she exclaimed. “That was rough.”

“Agreed,” Cinderella nodded as the mystical energy flowed back into her at the very moment she entered the house.

“That’s got to be the worst timing ever!” Ellen laughed in-between sneezes.

“Or the best because now I get to do this,” she touched the trembling girl and smiled as the color of life and warmth returned to her cheeks, her clothes clean and dry, new sandals adorning her immaculate feet. “We don’t want you to get sick, do we?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, dear. Shall I make you a new bed for the night, too?”

“I’d rather he have one instead,” Ellen handed her the scrawny cat. “Can you see to it, please?”

“As you wish. Will you be okay?”

“Yes, I think I will. Thank you for tonight once more. It was much more than I could have ever hoped for.”

“And yet far less than what you deserve. I’ll leave you be for now. Try to get some rest. We still have a lot of work ahead.”

Cinderella vanished into the ether taking the four-legged animal with her. He was about to have the most wonderful night of his short life, dreaming once again of the majesty harbored within while eating tuna and other delicacies for days. As for Ellen, she tucked herself in and waited for the tiredness to take hold of her body. Finally, she fell into a deep slumber, which was anything but peaceful. She had no idea what her actions that night had unleashed, but it wouldn’t take her long to find out. A new storm of gigantic proportions was coming in the form of an abandoned crystal boot.