All eyes were on me, awaiting my decision. The Prince was holding my hand, waiting for me to say something.
"Well?"
I was about to object, but সিন্ড্রেলা was right behind me. "Go on, Danielle. Go!"
I sighed and went along. "Fine." I followed him to the ballroom where the King ordered for some সঙ্গীত to be heard. I recognized the song. "So This is Love".
Great. This is gonna mess up মহাকাশ time continuim অথবা something, I thought as I braced myself for horrible dancing.
"I don't know how to dance," I told the Prince quietly. "So আপনি might as well pick that blonde girl over there."
He smiled. "Then আপনি should learn."
I thought back over the movie. She takes his hand, his hand over the waist, how was the dance?
I was about to go nuts when the সঙ্গীত started. My eyes were stuck to the floor as I tried not to step on him. He led the whole time, and I was thinking about Cinderella. This would really ruin the movie. I shouldn't have come!
We spun around the ballroom. I spotted the Tremaines staring at us, and I was willing to run away, but it was too late. He led us into the garden, when we stopped dancing and walked hand in hand.
"Aren't আপনি supposed to sing?" I asked him impatiently.
He looked at me, confused. "Pardon me?"
I sighed. "Well, in the movie it goes--"
"What's a movie?"
I forgot. They didn't have টেলিভিশন back then. Man, the old times suck. I stared at his face.
The report! Well, I might as well do something. "Hey, look over there!" I pointed at a tree.
He looked away, and I quickly pulled the wand out. "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!" and a notepad and pen appeared in my hand.
"Did আপনি say something?" he asked.
"Nope," I ব্যক্ত quickly. A factual report, Mr. Watson had said. Well, I'll give him factual. "What's your name?"
"You do not know my name?"
"Just answer the question!" I snapped.
"My name is Christopher," he said.
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought your name was Charming."
"What is your name?" he asked me quickly, wanting to get back to the subject.
"Danielle," I ব্যক্ত as I scribbled on the notepad. "How old are you, Prince Christopher?"
"I am 21. And you?"
"I'm 17." I thought of another suitable প্রশ্ন to ask him. "Are আপনি interested in blonde girls?"
"Any girl is fine for me. Especially you."
"Wait, romance later," I told him. "Do আপনি have any siblings?"
"I am an only child," he ব্যক্ত swiftly.
He pulled me toward a concrete bench which we sat on. "Tell me আরো about yourself, Chris," I told him.
"My mother passed away when I was nine."
"I'm sorry about that," I said, remembering the hurtful time when Dad left Mom.
"I grew up in the castle, where I had no freedom. People told me what to wear, what to say, how to act..."
"That sucks." I thought being a prince was a luxurious thing.
"Tell me about it. I had no real friends--Dad hired peasants to bring forth their children to play with me. In turn, they received gold. They were only my বন্ধু for the gold."
I couldn't tell him how our lives were so similar. "When my parents divorced, my বন্ধু left me because I was too depressed to do anything. They left me when I needed them most, so the only বন্ধু I had were my books."
"When did your parents divorce?" he asked.
I looked down. "I was only 7 years old. My little sister wasn't even born yet. She didn't know Dad that much. It didn't even matter to her." I took a deep breath, not wanting to cry here. "Anyway," I said, looking at the clock. It was only five মিনিট from midnight. I forgot to tell সিন্ড্রেলা that the spell would end at midnight. "I have to go."
"But it is only midnight!" he complained.
I stood up. "I have important things to do." I turned to leave, when he was on his feet.
"But how will I find you?"
I bit my lip. "By tomorrow I will have dyed my hair blonde and changed my name to Cinderella. Got that?"
I didn't hear his answer, for I ran back into the দুর্গ and grabbed সিন্ড্রেলা and Lily's hands. "We have to go."
"What happened?" সিন্ড্রেলা asked as we ran down the steps and toward the coach.
"Nothing important."
"Why do we have to go? It's only midnight," she ব্যক্ত as we shuffled into the coach.
"The spell ends at midnight, so if আপনি don't want to be in those rags in front of everybody you'll shut up and hurry!"
She listened and looked out the window.
"Look!" Lily exclaimed, and pointed back at the gates.
I turned my head. The guards were after us. "Step on it!" I yelled at the driver. The coach drove along a rocky road and over a bridge when suddenly, we all turned to how it was before. We scrambled into the bushes before the guards could trample us to death.
"Whoa," I ব্যক্ত in between breaths.
"'Whoa', indeed," সিন্ড্রেলা said.
I stood up and looked at the wand in my hand. "Do আপনি still have your glass slipper?"
She looked down. "Oh my! I am afraid I left one of them at the castle."
"Perfect." I ignored the look she gave me.
"Are we going প্রথমপাতা now?" Lily asked me.
I clenched the wand tightly. "Not yet. We have to fix things."
সিন্ড্রেলা flicked a leaf out of her hair. "Let's go home, Jaq."
"Wait! Would it be alright if my sister and I stayed with আপনি for a while?"
She nodded. "Of course. But আপনি would have to stay in my room..."
"Great. Let's go."

Cinderella's Room

সিন্ড্রেলা set up a mattress for Lily and me to sleep on while I paced the room. Lily pondered on a small stool.
"How about we go back to the দুর্গ and get the Prince to like Cinderella?" Lily suggested.
I shook my head. "We can't do that. The Prince would want me more." I tapped the wand on the dresser.
সিন্ড্রেলা stood beside Lily. "I have no idea why আপনি two are trying to set me up with the Prince."
"Cinderella, did আপনি find the Prince attractive?" I asked her slowly.
"Yes..."
"Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!" and a flipchart appeared. "That was the main reason Lily and I came here. It's our job to get your true love."
সিন্ড্রেলা clapped her hands together. "Oh, goodness, that is awfully nice of you!"
I got a marker and wrote at the শীর্ষ of the flipchart, Operation GTPTLC.
"What does that stand for?" Lily asked.
"Operation Get the Prince to প্রণয় Cinderella," I replied. In the corner, I drew the দুর্গ and a stick figure that represented the Prince. "This is our target," I pressed my finger against the chart.
"Question," সিন্ড্রেলা said. "How are we going to get in the castle?"
"Hmm, we could disguise ourselves as servants!" I added the idea to the board. "Then, we could find a way to the Prince, and Cinderella, আপনি will flirt with him."
"Where have I heard that before?" Lily wondered out loud.
"And how are we going to get past my stepmother?" সিন্ড্রেলা burst.
"I'll have that taken care of," I assured her, but I wasn't so sure of what I was going to do.
"How long will this take?" Lily asked.
"It's Friday night." I told her. "We have Saturday and Sunday, and I'll be taking notes this whole time," I promised.
We decided to hit the sack, and Lily was snoring beside me on our mattress. I just got myself into one big adventure. And I had one thing to say for myself.

Good-bye, summer.