The Reluctant Cinderella

“Come in, come in!” Missy’s aunt, Aileen, said as they walked into her store the following day. Missy smiled while walking over to her aunt and they embraced. “My dear it’s been much too long. You must visit more often.”

“I’ll try Aunt Aileen.”

“Is that my little cousin I hear?” a male voice said from the back. A young man with short, light brown hair and brown eyes walked into view and a big smile was on his face as soon as he spotted his cousin. “Come here!” He grabbed Missy and brought her into a big hug. Being much bigger than her, he was able to pick her up and twirled a bit.

Missy laughed as she was being twirled around. Then, after he put her down, she gave him a playful punch on the arm. “Hello Connor.”

“How’s the craic, Missy?” Connor asked.

Dawn was confused. What did he mean by “crack”? Missy didn’t do drugs. She definitely wouldn’t know how it was. Right? She looked at Missy waiting for a reply or at least an explanation.

“Oh, look at this guy. Goes to Ireland for a month and he’s already using slang.” Missy rolled her eyes then looked at Dawn with a laugh. As her emerald eyes landed on her friend’s confused face she realized that Dawn didn’t know what they meant. “Oh we’re not talkin’ about drugs, Dawn. It’s just slang he picked up. It means ‘How are you?’ or ‘What’s up?’ stuff like that. It’s just pronounced the same way.”

“Oh,” Dawn said in understanding.

“Sorry for the confusion,” Connor said as he walked over to Dawn. “I’m Connor, Missy’s older cousin. You must be Dawn.” He extended his hand. Dawn took it in her own with a smile and they gave a quick shake.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Now that we’re done with the introductions; let’s see our dresses!” Missy exclaimed while dragging Dawn over to her aunt.

“Have some patience Missy,” Aileen scolded as she walked to a nearby rack. She grabbed two dresses and took each to a dressing room towards the back. A few moments later she returned and gestured towards the back. “This way girls.”

With smiles on both of their faces they excitedly followed. They were led to a few dressing rooms although only two of the curtains were opened. Dawn saw one dress in each and immediately knew which was hers.

“Dawn this one is yours,” Aileen gestured to the left, “and the other one is yours Missy.” She gestured to the right. “As soon as you’re ready come out to here,” she pointed to a small stand with three mirrors behind it that was nearby. In front where chairs for people to sit and wait. “We’ll be there waiting.” With that she smiled and headed for a chair. The two eagerly went into their respective dressing rooms and began stripping down into their underwear.

Missy was the first one to emerge from the dressing room and stand in front of the mirrors. She was wearing a beautiful strapless ball gown that was red, the shade of a fox, and went all the way to the ground. Beading lined the top part of the dress and made intricate patterns throughout the rest. The bottom part puffed out due to an abundant of red tulle. She awkwardly twirled around on the stand to show off the back of the dress.

Aileen had a big smile on her face at the sight of her niece. “Oh, you are so beautiful. How does it fit?”

“Well,” Missy started, “the top part is a little tight. Breathing is a little difficult.” She saw her aunt making notes before continuing. “I love the length and the way the bottom part puffs out. Though I would like to see another color. Maybe black? Or white?”

Aileen stood up holding something in her hands. “Try this,” she said as she held out her arm.

Missy took the object and saw that it was a fox mask. It was the same color as the dress and was big enough to only cover her eyes. On the top where fox ears with black tips. Smiling, she placed it on her face then turned to face the mirrors. It fit perfectly. “I love it!”

Her aunt put a finger over her lips, thinking about what to change. “Now that I see you in the dress I think it needs something else.” She thought for a moment. “I got it! You need some long gloves.”

“That would be awesome!” Missy turned back around. Her gaze landed on Connor who was just sitting down not saying anything. “Well, aren’t you gonna say anything, Connor?” She crossed her arms.

“You look lovely my dear cousin,” Connor said. “Like the first flower of spring blooming for the first time as the sun shines on it’s beautiful petals.” Missy began to gag. “Hey, you wanted me to say something.” He started laughing at the look on her face.

“Yeah, but not something mushy like that.” He just continued laughing. She stepped off the stand and walked over to Dawn’s dressing room. She knocked twice while saying, “Are you ready yet?”

“I’m coming,” Dawn answered. She opened the door and looked at Missy. “You know I’m a slow dresser.” Then she looked at the dress. “Wow, Missy! You look so beautiful!”

“Me? You should see yourself! You put the rest of us to shame. Come on!” She grabbed Dawn’s hand and pulled her over to the stand.

Dawn stood up on it then turned to the mirrors. Her face lit up as soon as she saw her reflection. The dress was absolutely the most gorgeous she’s ever seen. “Aileen! The dress is… I mean it’s…” She couldn’t find the words to describe her true feelings for her dress. Like Missy’s it was a full ball gown, except it was a golden color like a lion’s. The neckline was a sweetheart cut with off-the-shoulder straps. White tulle puffed out on the neckline a bit. On the top there was clear beading which made simple designs.

“It’s not completely finished yet. Now that I see it on you there are some things I would like to alter. How does it fit?” Aileen asked. “It does like beautiful on you though,” she added with a smile.

“Thank you. Um, the bust is big. I don’t know what measurements Missy gave you but I am definitely not big in that area. But other than that, the dress fits like a glove.” Dawn smiled.

Connor stood up and walked over to her. “That dress is perfect for you,” he said with a smile. “You’ll be one of the best dressed at the balls for sure.”

“Ahh, thank you Connor.” She blushed a bit from the compliment.

“Here’s your mask,” Missy said as she spotted the mask on a chair. She grabbed it then handed it to Dawn with a smile.

“Thanks.” Dawn looked it at and noticed the exquisite details. It looked exactly like a lioness. The color was the same as the dress. It was pretty big, Dawn noted, as she put it on and looked in the mirror. The mask covered all of her face except for her mouth. There were ears and even painted whiskers!

“Wow, you look like a beautiful lioness!” Missy exclaimed.

“And you look like a fabulous vixen!” Dawn yelled as she stepped off the stand.

After tons of talking and constant thanking Aileen, the girls where finally persuaded to get out of the dresses and back into their regular clothes. They had wanted to see the rest of the dresses but Aileen told them to see a different dress on different days. She feared a dress overload would put them over the edge. After they calmed down Aileen led the three to another part of the store.

“Oh, I can’t wait for the balls!” Missy said as she followed her aunt and older cousin.

“Me either. Except… I am kind of nervous. Since I can’t dance to save my life. I’m scared I’ll make a fool of myself.” Dawn said while looking down.

“That’s why I’m here,” Connor said.

Dawn looked up at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“He’s going to teach you to dance, silly!” Missy answered as she pushed her friend forward.

Dawn stumbled but regained her balance. She surveyed her surroundings and noticed that everything seemed to be pushed away. Then she realized that it was a makeshift dance floor. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned around. Standing in front of her was Connor with his hand out and a smile on his face. A fast-tempo song began to play, courtesy of a radio near Missy, and she grabbed his hand and the couple began dancing.