Cinder's Elle

It started as a beautiful morning, and the rays of the sun seemed to be so interested in Elle’s beautiful face today as they managed to pour into it, no matter what angle she turned. “OMG! Sunrays I know it's morning, can I at least sleep some more” She said, yawning and stretching as she finally opened her eyes. “No, beautiful! Wakey wakey! It's about time you got up!” Meridith’s ,(Elle’s maid-turned-best friend) voice came from behind her bed. Elle had known Meredith for what seemed like all her life. Meredith's mother, Joy, worked for Elle's family for a long time and had a daughter, who was Meredith, for whom nobody knew. But rumor had it that he denied the pregnancy. Unfortunately, she passed away when Meredith was ten, so Meredith started to serve Elle that early. But she was lucky. Elle was kind-hearted, so she treated her nicely. Besides, they were about the same age, Meredith about a year older. So, five years ago, when Elle decided to move out of the family house, she went with her. “Jeez! Meredith! So, you conspired with the sun to shorten my beauty sleep?” Elle said, turning in the direction of the voice. “Rise and shine! My apologies! Ma'am . I just used the curtain to direct the rays, so you can wake up.” Meredith says with the same formal tone Elle always complained about. She gives Elle a knowing smile, and continues talking still, “Today is your first day at work, remember?” As Meredith just said. It was as if Elle’s brain had just reset, as her eyes widened as realization dawned on her, she jumped to her feet. “Goodness gracious! What's the time? What am I to wear? But I set an alarm!’ “I got you sis! It's just past 8am, you've still got about 4 hours”. Meredith says, confident and supportive as ever. “Edith dear! I don't know what I’d do without you!” Elle says as she gives Meredith a side hug, and she turns, about to dash into the bathroom to get a bath. “Meanwhile, ma’am, you might want to check your phone first, your step -mother has been calling you non-stop since the early hours of the morning.“ “What's she calling me for? First time in five…” Elle was interrupted by her phone ring again. “Really now! Speaking of the devil, it's her again”, Meredith says as she hands the phone over to her and gestured to her to put the phone on a loudspeaker. “Elle Aisla Rocses!” the cruel voice from the other end of the phone called out. “Matilda Rocses, to what do I owe this unexpected, certainly unwanted call this morning? '' Elle says almost immediately as Meredith gives her a thumbs up. “You now talk to me in such a manner? You spiteful child.” Matilda said angrily. Elle rolls her eyes “Well, I'm outside your house.” “What?”, Elle and Meredith say in unison. As Elle moves to the window, whose curtain was slightly raised to see. Only to see Matilda outside her car while her driver was reparking to face the way they went through. Matilda pulls her goggles down sarcastically “Are you shocked? Since you have refused to take my calls, if Mohammed doesn't go to the mountain ,the mountain will definitely come to Mohammed , or how do you guys say it?” Matilda saya ands looking up at Elle’s window. “What can I do for you? I thought it was for the better to have nothing to do with me again ?” Elle said admist tears, as if Matilda's voice just reawakened all the memories she had tried so hard to forget. “You think I missed you so much and wanted to catch up? What's this. Open up, so I do what I came here for and leave this place. I mean I can't even hear myself in such a noisy area.” Elle signals to Meredith to go open the door. Elle follows shortly after washing her face and brushing her teeth. Matilda came into the modest apartment, looking around condescendingly. An apartment in that area was the only option Elle could choose. Because that's what she could afford, as she no longer got any allowance when she left home. She barely managed to survive all these years. The only family support she got was her tuition fee and a very meager stipend that wouldn't feed her a day. Meredith has been very helpful too. They have been working small jobs and splitting the living expenses they have typically been living like sisters all these years. But Meredith still insists on addressing her formally, most times. Elle had planned to get a job immediately after she was done with school and see Meredith through school too, like she did for her. But for the past two years she hadn't gotten any call backs from her applications for auditions. Until a few days ago and good God! She got a two-year contract. ************************************************ Matilda continued looking around the house condescendingly. Just then, Elle walks in. She sees Matilda’s look. “Wonder why she has that look.I mean Meredith does a wonderful job when it comes to keeping the house. She has done that since we moved out of the Rocses mansion”. Elle thought, and brushed off the thought almost immediately. Matilda takes her seat , “Hmm! Elle, you still manage to keep your puppy?” Matilda says, and she sizes Meredith with her eyes condescendingly. Elle clenches her fist in anger, but Meredith just gives her a ‘calm down’ tap on her back, as she was already used to being called so many names. “Please, ma'am, I have a place to be now. Can we get down to business?” Elle said with a calm that showed vividly that she was suppressing a terrible anger. “You are to be married in a week, your groom and every other thing is set” Matilda said without batting an eye. Elle laughs sarcastically, “What sought of joke is that” “Look, I have not come here to banter with you, you're being a Rocses is already bad enough. You have done nothing but bring us trouble. Now is the only time you can be useful. You had better grab it '' Matilda spits out angrily. “I have managed to put up with all of you for so long, you can decide everything, do every other thing, for me, but no! not this one. I can't allow you to decide on this one. Elle says as she storms out. Matilda pulls her back and pushes her to one of the couches. “Of course! I don't care what you do with your miserable life, but it so happens that your name comes first on the family register, you are older than my precious Junia by three months, and according to the family tradition, suitors cannot start coming to Junia until you are married, as we speak she has big shots on her tail. Like, don't you get it?” Meredith watched all the drama, lost for words. “What has that to do with me? You can remove my name from the family register for all I care, I don't ever remember being really part of the family anyway”. Elle said already running out of patience. “Look here young lady, I told you the decision is final. I would not go through all of this. If I could just blot out your name from the register, but the family court wouldn't allow it. This is Junia's chance and there's no way I'll allow you ruin it with your ill luck. The best thing you can do for yourself is be in the good book of a soon-to-be celebrity wife." Matilda said with pride. "Celebrity wife! What does that matter? I am not interested." Elle said firmly. "You must think that I am here to debate with you. I only came here to inform you," Matilda said resolutely. “Still, nothing would make me change my mind. I just got a job recently and part of my contract agreement is am not to be married?” Elle says even more resolutely this time. “Then get ready to lose that job too. You know we have connections with these agencies. If you have decided to make life difficult for me and my children, I’ll make life hell for you”, Matilda yelled. “Be thankful that I was even considerate enough to go through the hassle to get you two options, men I know you can never get on your own”, he said, throwing a file at her. “To hell, with you, do your worst. I won't do as you say. You’ll not pick a husband for me, I will get a husband myself when I dim fit, am not like you, who cannot even keep a man,” Elle says as she rips all the paperwork in the files apart without even checking them out. She hadn't even breathed down from talking when Matilda gave her a resounding slap that threw her to the floor and pounced on her, before Meredith could intervene. “How dare you talk to me like that, jeez! Who are you to talk? I always knew you had a sharp tongue like your w***e of a mother”, Matilda says out of breath, as she shrugs off Meredith’s grip. “Get your filthy hands off me, you bastard, birds of a feather” She tells Meredith as she’s about to slap Meredith too. But Meredith holds her hand, with hot tears in her eyes, she says, “Now get out, before I do what I will regret”. Matilda was taken aback, she pulled her hand from Meredith's grip. “Let's see where that arrogance takes you” Matilda says and storms out infuriated.