A Cinderella Spin

This story begins with my beautiful family. My father, my

mother and of course myself, Ella. Life was truly idealistic. New
town every month. My mother, everything I wished to be and
more. A true free spirit. She would allow the wind to flow
through every strand of her cascading blonde curly hair as we
rode in the car from one memory to the next. She would send
her arms up in the air as if life were a constant rollercoaster and
every moment was to be lived to the fullest. My father loved her
so much and spent every free moment reminding her of that.
As I said, life was idealistic. Idealistic, until that dark, ghastly
day. My family and I had woken up to our last day in Hawaii.
We planned to drive up to Mount Himafulu. My mother wore a
white flowy dress that flattered her every crevasse. We turned a
corner and 10 ten hours later I was woken up by a nurse in a
hospital bed. I felt like I was dreaming. He informed me that a
horse had been in the middle of a winding road. We fell off the
side of a cliff. He shared how sorry he was for my loss.
My dad never looked at me the same. Truthfully, I could have
not looked at myself the same since. It kills me that I look like
her. We share eyes. My hair now cascades just like hers did, but
no wind every flows through.
I can’t bear to forget her, yet it curses me that I’m constantly
being reminded of her. My father, a face without a soul, he has
now obtained a job at an accountancy office. Something he said
he would never do. He wears suits and tie and black leather
shoes; he says goodbye to me every morning. I don’t recognize
him anymore. I had felt empty ever since that day and I suppose
so did he. He shared with me that he will never love anyone like
he loved my mom and I believed him. Mom had always played
that if she ever were to die, he was to move on. Life is too short
to be alone, and he was to find someone else who can be just as
crazy as her.
I was till astounded to see him arriving home with a woman he
had met ‘in the office.’ She gave me a hug and spoke “Hi, my
name is Katherine, but you can call me Kathy.” Her hair was
mahogany brown as well as her hazelnut eyes. I suppose she was
typically pretty but nothing like my mom. She declared “Your
father told me you have space for me and my daughter to stay,
while I go through my divorce!.” I gave my dad a befuddled
glance and murmured
“Emm, I guess so.”
Kathy has now moved in and has not failed to make herself at
home. I can clearly see that she likes my father, and he also
maintains an interest in her. I suppose I should be happy for him,
as it is what my mother would have wanted. She is just nothing
like her, which may be the reason he likes her. Kathy is his
secretary. We hear regular complaints of her old husband Mike
and how he constantly lied and went behind her back. Whether I
believe this is another story, but whatever helps her sleep at
night I suppose. Her daughter and I have extraordinarily little in
common. She goes by Alexis and unlike me, is consistently
eyeballing the mirror. She always asks me about what boys I
like. I do not know about boys; I do not care about boys. I would
rather see the world than settle down with a stupid boy. She
condescendingly blabbed “Ella you know school starts back in
two weeks, better get to know some.” I nodded and pretended
like this did not faze me. I cannot go to school. My mom had
always homeschooled me from whatever home I was in at the
time. I cannot put on a uniform every day and pretend like life is
okay.
I forced myself into denial until that morning. Alexis woke up
an hour earlier than me, ensuring she looked perfect for her first
day back. I was flooded with signs announcing a welcome back
ball for all students to be next month. Unlike others I ignored
this, kept my head down and went on with my day. I felt all my
classmates' glaring into the back of my head as classes went by.
Alexis is friends with the ‘popular kids’ as she would say
herself. I feel at ease by on my own. I do not want to have to talk
to anyone about how my mother died or why I am new to the
school, I just want to be left alone. For the next few weeks, I go
to all my classes, getting more tired of school by the hour.
“Why aren’t you coming later, loser?” argued Alexis. Truly I
didn’t know why I wasn’t going. I was always outgoing but the
thought of dancing around a ballroom with a boy came of no
interest to me. I shrugged.
“The best-looking boy in the school is Connor and he’s so gonna
ask me to dance” she gossiped. I do her hair and send her off
with Kathy and Dad. My Dad calls me up to his room. He hugs
me and says “Ellie Bell” (something I haven’t been nicknamed
since mom) “where have you been”
“Right here Dad,” I responded
“You know what I mean, your mother wouldn’t want you
wasting away, you should be going out there doing what she
missed out on by leaving us too soon. I know life is hard, but
you can’t let this get in the way of your happiness.”
I could tell this was my dad’s first time attempting to cheer
someone up by himself. He looked unsure of what to say and I
noticed he looked smug with himself every time he said
something that seemed inspiring. He took my hands and pointed
me towards a small box under his bed. “This is the dress your
mother wore to her debs. She looked so beautiful that night. I
remember the pictures. I cannot resist and I throw on the dress.
I look in the mirror.
I found myself on the way to the ball, heart pounding. I'm
wearing her dress. I’m doing this for her. I walk in and I see all
eyes on me. I notice some people barely recognize me as if I had
been invisible all along. Alexis is examining how Connor is
looking at me and fails to hide her disgusted face. Connor
approaches me and asks to take my hand for a dance. I was
confused. It was unusual seeing a boy being interested in me.
Not considering Alexis, I agreed, and we took to the floor. I was
dancing with Connor. Expecting butterflies... but nothing.
Apparently, Connor was supposed to be the bell of the ball. It
frustrated me that I felt nothing.
Although I was doing this for mom, there was nothing I hated
more. I needed to get out of there. My mother would have been
out in the world making a difference. Not being surrounded by
drunk teenagers who have no clue what their passion is. I break
loose of Connor and head to the door for a breather.
That’s when I saw her. She was beautiful. She had a tattoo of a
burning tree on her arm. She approached me whilst taking off
her motorcycle helmet to ask why I looked so stressed.
“I gotta get out of there I said.”
Her eyes were mesmerizing. She expressed that she did not
want to go to this ‘stupid ball,’ and it was a waste of money for
the school, but her parents forced her to go.
“Anyway, I just planned to stand in the corner and judge people,
this is the exact opposite of my scene. I do not know why it is
becoming so socially exactable for teenagers to pretend like
there is nothing else going on in the world, and dancing against
each other is the most important thing life has to offer. My
names Naya by the way”
She went on but I heard enough. I knew I would love her. She
was the reason I didn’t get butterflies earlier. She is the reason I
had nothing to say to Alexis when she interrogated me about
boys.
“Let’s get out of here,” I hesitated, then repeated.
“What? Where to?” Naya questioned.
It was understandable to be hesitant. She just met me, but if I
was inherited anything from my mother was when you know
you know. No one will hand me an experience; I must take it.
I hopped on the back of her motorcycle and headed for the hills.
Neither of us knew what we had ahead of us, but we know we
would be there together. I clench on to Naya’s waist with mom’s
dress on. I will live the experiences life took away from her too
soon.

The wind blows through our hair.